The curious case of the Oscar nominees

It’s that time of year again. Oscar watch 2009 has begun, with the kick off being last week’s announcement of the nominees. ABC has a whole site dedicated to the Oscars which you can check out here.

All the brouha has been over the whole snubbing of ‘The Dark Knight’ with the exception of the nearly guaranteed (and wholey deserving) nomination of Heath Ledger, as well as the snubs of  ‘Revolutionary Road’,  Bruce Springsteen’s big original song shut out, and the push for the feelgood underdog of the year, ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ Interesting points, for sure. But here’s my questions:

-How, when the critical and popular reviews for the film has been so fair to meh, did friggin’ ‘Benjamin Button’ get 13 nominations? I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve heard reviews everywhere from “pretty good” to “I was asleep by hour two.” Not overwhelming encouragement to make me run out and see it.

-Why not just eliminate the best original song category all together? I mean, really, when was the last time there was a song tied to a film that not only was completely original and made for the film, and wasn’t featured in the solely in the closing credits in in some obscure part of the film? And when was the last time you remebered a really good, mainstream even hummable Oscar worthy original track? You know what the first one’s that come to my mind? 9 to 5 and (I’ve Had) the Time of my Life. Oh yeah,  and Shaft. And how old are they? To be fair, and on the complete opposite track, I love the fact that M.I.A. is nominated this year for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ for her track, O Saya. Keeping it real, and hey, does Randy Newman or Bruce really need another nomination? But as I look through a list of past nominees and winners, I can only shake my head at most of the choices from the past decade and say, really?

-Is it just me, or is the real Best Pic of the year and the slowly growing front runner for the Oscar gold is ‘Milk’? Beautiful, powerful film. Very timely and parallel to what is currently going on in the world today (enigmatic leader, breaking bounderies, Prop 8). Sean Penn is really likeable for the first time since ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ and Josh Brolin is brilliant and took great creepy lessons from his ‘No Country…’ costar for a fantastic performance. It’s absolutely amazing, and if you haven’t seen it yet, go see it now. It blows Benjamin’s buttons off and away.

In the meantime, go out and see as many of the Oscar nominated pictures and performances as you can before the big night. It’s winter and it’s cold out, spend some time indoors at the local multiplex and check them out. And tell me if ‘Benjamin Button’ is really all that and a bag of chips. I need some convincing.

20 things about me

I recently posted this list on my Facebook. It’s one of those things, like the questions about yourself that float around ones email box, that makes one stop and think when presented to you. Sometimes they can be trite and fun, but this one made me really think and so I decided to move ahead, no holds bar, and open up.  I thought  to share to those not Facebook inclined:

1. I am true to my Sagittarius sign. In fact you open an astrological book, and nest to the description of Sagittarius is a picture of me. I am adventurous, flirtatious, and I say what is on my mind and damn the consequences. It’s liberating and yet troublesome all at the same time. I am my own conundrum.

2. I tend to be a source of random and sometimes useless pop culture knowledge. It comes in handy at parties, or when playing Trivial Pursuit. If in doubt, ask Alan and Erin Fleetwood about ‘The Bluest Eye’.

3. I am extremely passionate about music, and extraordinarily opinionated… meaning that when I think something is artistically is impressive, I am 100% behind it. If I think it’s less than worthy, it’s garbage. ie: Radiohead= genius; Kanye West= trash.

4. Okay the last point was a bit skewed since Kanye West is an asshole, so let me give a better example: Radiohead= genius; Britney Spears= not even close.

5. I am very organized, I love structure. Everything needs to have a system for me. I can work with the structure of something that has been established, but feel more empowered when I can add to it and tweak it for the better.

6. I’m always right. even when I’m wrong, I’m right on some level. At least I need to keep that thought in my head, or else i get discouraged. unfortunately, when I am wrong, it just ends up pissing me off.

7. I split the difference between savory and sweet. There are times that salty, buttery popcorn would rock the boat for me, and then there are times that noting but dark chocolate would console me.

8. I despise ignorance. I find it unfortunate that our society tolerates ignorance in people, whether it’s in politics, racial or sexual equality, or in social standing.

9. People who are rude because they believe they are better than everyone else need to be slapped. By me. With a wire hanger.

10. I wish I was funnier than I am. I feel like I can be witty, but not as spontaneously as I wish I was.

11. I am an empathizer… I feel the joy and the pain. I have a difficult time separating myself from the situation. Some people have told me that this is a detriment… I find it makes me a more human, related person.

12.I envy. period. There are so many of my friends that have what i don’t, and I envy that. Not to say i’m not happy with who I am and what I have. I am. but the perfectionist in me wants it all.

13.My two favorite periods from history are the ancient Roman Empire and Tudor/Elizabethan England. I find these eras fascinating, and my appetite is insatiable for knowledge about them.

14. On the same token, if I could travel anywhere in the world, the Mediterranean and England would be top of my list. My dream vacations.

15. My three favorite movies of all time are as eclectic as I am: Jaws, Halloween (the 70’s original with Jamie Lee), and American Beauty.

16. I am a hopeless romantic at heart.

17. I love good food and cooking. I just wish my metabolism would offset the weight I gain from enjoying them.

18. I do enjoy a drink… or 2… or 8… with my friends. Or whenever. I like alcohol. Particularly a good beer, or tequila shots, or Gin and Tonic. Sue me. As the magnet on my fridge says, ‘I’m really not a social drinker. I’d say most of my drinking is work related.’

19. Despite all of the complaining and what not, I am comfortable in my own skin. I just think that the questioning and everything else keeps me human. Which is a good thing, because androids all looks so pasty.

20.I am one of the few people in the world, that despite all of my bitterness, anger, and jadedness, wishes that everyone would just accept everyone else for who they are and just get along. It’s not naive, just wishful thinking. and there’s nothing wrong with that, right?

Sexual Jihadists?

So this one is a few weeks past it’s prime, but none the less most intriguing, and dare I say a bit racy. And yes, I am going to hell, thank you. I’ve made my peace with that long ago. Of course I am mixing sexuality and religion, two tastes that just don’t go together at all.  But onward…

The Human Rights Campaign tends to email me weekly with miscellaneous out takes in the world of gay rights, but this made me stop and take notice for two reasons: 1) the comparison of gay rights to terrorists, and 2) it mentioned Pat Boob… er I mean Boone.

I really don’t have anything to say about this…okay, that’s TOTALLY not true… but even so, what’s to say because it’s so ridiculous of an analogy.  Unless you are imagining me with an assault rifle at my place of business, which in that case then lock up your kids… oh wait…

Here’s what the HRC sent me:

“…there is a real, unbroken line between the jihadist savagery in Mumbai and the hedonistic, irresponsible, blindly selfish goals and tactics of our homegrown sexual jihadists.”
– Pat Boone, December 6, 2008

Country singer and right-wing pundit Pat Boone has written a column equating the movement against Prop. 8 to the terrorists who tortured and murdered hundreds in Mumbai.

I am not kidding. This is a new low in anti-gay rhetoric.

Boone and his buddies continue to stir up fear, even if they have to lie. It’s exactly how they passed the California marriage ban.

Last week, a full-page New York Times ad equated protesters for equality with a “violent mob.”

What’s perhaps most disturbing about Boone’s rhetoric – painting LGBT people as a threat to society – is that it leads to the very real hate violence directed against LGBT people every day.

We can’t stop the Pat Boones of our world from speaking their ugly lies, but together we can make sure that there’s a political cost associated with this kind of hateful speech.

I have to agree with the fact that what Mr-I-Never-left-1975 is saying is only infecting the Neanderthal beliefs of middle America. Think about folks. Gay… violent? Not an analogy I readily make. And only if you insist on pairing plaid and polka dots together.

But seriously- and wait a sec – here’s the twist that the conservatives have missed.

Correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Boone, but are you and your mindless minions  saying homosexuality is against God? But yet you equal homosexuals to those waging a war against the side of the Godless, in the name of God and sex?

You are calling us sexual Jihadist? You are comparing our strife for equal rights to a Holy War?

Jihadism, by definition, is striving in the way of Allah, and hence a jihadist war a holy war. Now let me stop here for a moment. I am taking the definition in it’s simplest terms, and has non-violent meaning to it.  I am in no way justifying nor am I amendable to those who loosely take the term and strike off at every other faction of the population to flaunt their so-called righteousnous and do terrible, horrific and tragic things like United 93, 9/11 or Mumbai.

That being said … Let me break it down for those who are just catching up:

Pat Boone says that gays are bad people…

Yet he is comparing gays to warriors fighting against those who are not on God’s side (Note: since I think most gays are not Muslim (unless I am wrong, and you gay Muslims out there, correct me), I am going to assume he refers to homosexuals as sexual beings striving in the way of God).

So hence, gay people are on the side of God… and I’m hoping that he/she’s on our side as well (if we are fighting his/her war)…

So as a result, Pat Boone is calling those people who are against us, the crusdaer’s of God’s will, the people who are righteous and good.

Now…. if we were to back it up a bit, the other way to look at it is this:

Pat Boone, by his statement, is inciting a jihadist attack against gays. He is crusading a holy war, using God’s name to justify himself. But who assigned him the end all be all spokesperson for the Lord? I don’t remember seeing that in the Bible. Then again, people like him and Fred Phelps seem to be able to turn words written in the Old Testament to any which way in order to justify their beliefs.

Yeah yeah I’m getting off my soapbox now…

To quote Shirley Manson, 'A Stupid Girl…'

Ahh, the joys of online surfing and Facebook!

Quite a few blogs back, I mentioned the idiot associate of mine who felt compelled to quit on no notice because, well, I had her on final written warning for poor attendance, bad attitude, no availability, etc.  She was a waste of space, and customers rejoiced when she finally left. Sadly, the girl didn’t realize that by quitting instead of letting me laying her off (cutting her back to no hours), she would fail to be considered for unemployment. No, she thought she was getting the upper hand, that she was putting the screws to me.

Please.

Well, today as I scanned Facebook, one of my photo cronies happens to be ‘friends’ with her. Probably because she berated him into it… either that or, knowing him, he felt he could make fun of her more with unlimited access to ammunition. In either case, out of curiosity I thought I check out her site.

Oh, wow.

To quote Barney from ‘How I met Your Mother’, wait for it…

In her ‘About Me’ section, she rambled on about her life, which led into what I must say a near libelous account of me. Curious as well? Well, here it is:

There are so many things to know about me……A lot has changed since most of you knew me in highschool……I live in Chicago, My favorite food is Pizza from Golden Crust…..I spend a lot of my time playing Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on the 360 that i bought my fiance for his birthday…..i spend most of time at work, but thats going to change because my manager and my district manager are assholes!(Fire me already bitches cause i’m not fucking quitting!!!) They want me gone, but have no reason to fire me so they are cutting back my hours trying to get rid of me! stupid fucking cunts!

Mind you, she quit in September.

Now, normally I would be extraordinarily pissed about these slanderous comments.Instead this gave me the best laugh I’ve had in eons. I mean, doubled over near tears in laughter.

Why am I not pissed, you ask? Well, any sane person with a fraction of common sense wouldn’t be. But I’m not because 1) they (these comments) are so not true… if anything, i’m a dick, not a cunt, and 2) I am not the stupid fucking cunt who marked herself for the whole world to see as a complete imbecile on Facebook. Oh, and 3) the line about spending most of her time at work? Umm, that would require you to a) show upon time, b) not call off, and c) actually do something that consituted the word ‘work’.

Doubled. over. in. laughter.

The best part? This find falls nearly 3 days after she had the NERVE to show up in the store with a gift of said photo pal, with her friends and family in tow. Color me crazy, but you wouldn’t see me walking my entourage back into a place that caused me so much torment, but that’s just me. Any way, the icing was when she said, in what I have to believe was a true moment of kindness (or sheer angst-y jealousy), “Wow, the store looks good, Jon.’

I usually take a compliment for what it was, but in this case, I secretly hoped it made her choke on her own Cheetos breathe.

Anywho, thought some of you might enjoy what a partisan person thinks of me.