Random Thoughts
I just read on Dark Horizons that Desperate Housewives is adding Dana Delaney to the cast. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the first season on dvd and even liked the ridiculous second season. I got lost after Jackie got shot dead in a grocers. I don't know who killed Orson's wife or wives...I just don't know. (Anybody willing to shed some light on this, please...do so. But go slow.) So, isn't Dana Delaney going to be kind of the last straw? The sign of the coming of the end? What else can Marc Cherry do to keep it fresh? Isn't Dana Delaney just more of the insouciant, boring, white-collar same?
A Gay rights activism group is, apparently, up in arms about John Travolta playing Edna Turnblad in the recent adaptation of the 2002 musical, Hairspray. Now, I'm all for free speech and I applaud everyone's right to their own opinion and the brazen declaration of said opinions, but I also feel obligated to declare my own. I recognize that Scientology may be a religion that supports (via proxy or overtly, who knows?) homophobia, but I don't see anything wrong with Travolta playing Turnblad. The word is that Travolta shouldn't be playing a character first popularized by a Gay icon, Divine. I enjoy Divine's work and am amused by it, but I think we should all question who we consider our icons. This is the person who ate dog poop and tied beefsteaks to her thighs and walked around all day with them. This is...an icon? I would think that any community would be more embarassed by Divine's actions than proud of them. I'm not saying Divine is a bad person, but I am saying that he is repulsive. It's not like Travolta is up for the role of Harvey Milk or anything. It's like complaining because Michael Clarke Duncan played Kingpin from Daredevil comics (Michael Clarke Duncan: Big Black Dude; Kingpin:Big White Dude). Or maybe a better example is complaining about...shit I don't know. It's just silly, especially when considering that applying a broad generalization on someone is just as bad. Just because L. Ron hubbard called homosexuals "perverts" back in the 50s, doesn't mean all Scientologists are homophobes. Oh! I got it...it's like Ryan Gosling playing Timothy Leary because Gosling was a former Mormon.
I'm watching that Showtime show called Brotherhood about the Providence Irish mob and a couple things came to mind:
1. It's good seeing Jason Isaacs being an awful human being. In the first episode and a half, he's already cut someones ear off and got a woman to sell him her store by convincing her dim-witted brother to play Russian Roulette. Jeez, Isaacs! You are somethin'! The show is about two brothers, one involved in local government, the other a gangster. It's based on the Bulger brothers. Jimmy Bulger is a top ten most wanted fugitive and maybe the inspiration behind Jack Nicholson's character in The Departed. His brother, William (or Whitey) is the former president of the Massachusetts State Senate and the former president of UMass. Fuckin' Goofus and Gallant, right?
2. Rhode Island, from personal experience and everything I've ever seen in the media, must be the shittiest state in the Union. Providence makes Newark look like Shangri-La. Urban decay is what Providence is striving for. Woe unto thee, all who reside in Providence.
3. This show seems like Showtime's reaction to The Sopranos or The Wire. But the kicker is that The Sopranos is gone and The Wire is going to entering its last season. So, Showtime very well may take over as the top cable television factory, what with Weeds, Dexter and Brotherhood. Just a whole shitload of quality television.
I've made absolutely no headway in the search for Voldemort's nose.
Top Five Movies I'm NOT Excited For This Summer
1. The Transformers: Did I miss something here? When did Michael Bay become a filmmaker that was worthy of excitement? Also, I can think of about 5 different shows that are more interesting and WORTHY of a film (Thundercats, an updated He-Man, Silverhawks, GI Joe(!!), Dinosaucers) Transformers also made 38 million on its first day, so if I was a populist, I'd say it was a fabulous film.
2. Hairspray: This wasn't even a particularly good movie when it came out in 1988.
3. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry: I really hope this does awfully at the box office because the trailer is borderline offensive because of all the gay stereotypes; like do straight dudes really think that gay men wear pads? Seriously? Come on. And when is it ever acceptable or...when does anybody just shrug their shoulders when a man slaps his husband across the face when the preacher says "you may kiss the groom." Watch the trailer here if you're interested. I mentioned choosing your battles above...this doesn't seem like a horrible battle to choose, John Travolta bashers.
4. Live Free or Die Hard: More of the same. I might be wrong about this one, but it looks just...so-so.
5. Daddy Day Camp: Directed by Fred Savage. FRED SAVAGE. I even liked Daddy Day Care. It was cute. Why does Fred Savage think that Cuba Gooding Jr, Paul Rae (who??) and Josh McLerran (WHO?!???) can replace Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin and Steve Zahn? Those are three very established comedic actors. And you bring in...Cuba Gooding? The man can't act his was out of a damn paperbag! Maybe this is why Working failed so miserably.
Isn't populism just a fancy word for Marxism?
Isn't accepting campaign donations from a lobbying firm and voting the way they'd like you to vote just a fancy way of taking a bribe? How is it any different?
My mother said I was in a great mood today. I wondered what would possibly put me in a good mood and realized that when I buy things for myself, I am suddenly much more happy. This might be a bad thing at some point, but for now it's just cds. Buying cds isn't so bad.
Anyway...more to come sometime soon.