Gaddafi, Monster of the Month

Internet goes viral on Gaddafi

The sage now being played out in Libya, 'The Last Days of Muammar Gaddafi?' is so horrible. To hold on to fleeting power, the man has done / is doing things so gross, mowing down unarmed protesters with machine guns; the man is doing things so terrible, committing genocide against his own people, that he has provoked the outrage of the world. When the acts of political leaders lower them to the level of beasts, and their excesses raised them in ranks of monsters, and when the horror that they produce goes on and on and on, the human mind to cope with the horror turn the beasts and their acts into parody.

And when a politician becomes the joke of the hour, his time on the stage is near an end.

Item from ITN News --"Muammar Gaddafi is the subject for satirists and parodies across the web" See the video.

Jane Russell, R.I.P

Jane Russell was the brunette to Marilyn Monroe's blonde, and as in their movie together, 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,' America prefers? Marilyn? Remembers Marilyn. Marilyn exited early, and maybe that added to her legend. Marilyn's departure was tragic, and maybe that lifted her to a higher height? Into the ranks of a cultural goddess?

Jane Russell was America's beauty queen of the 1940s, and shared the crown with her rival, Marilyn Monroe, in the 1950s. Jane Russell was one of Hollywood's biggest stars of the 1940s and '50s. She died yesterday, Monday, after respiratory problems. She was 89.

From the Associated Press -- "She was the voluptuous pin-up girl who set a million male hearts to pounding during World War II, the favorite movie star of a generation of young men."

Jane Russell appeared in the movie 'The Outlaw,' completed in 1941,  limited released in 1943. The flick caused a sensation. Its producer, Howard Hughes, spent years fighting censors for its wide release, and finally in 1946, the film got a general release. The movie introduced Jane Russell as America's sex siren.. It is not a great motion picture, but it made a big step against screen censorship.

Ms. Russell's other movies include 'The Paleface,' with Bob Hope, 'His Kind of Woman,' with Robert Mitchum, 'The Tall Men,' with Clark Gable. By the 1960s, she stopped making movies. She said, "Because I was getting too old! You couldn't go on acting in those years if you were an actress over 30."

One thing about film -- In the movies, the pretty girls are forever young, and lovely too.

Jane Russell, R.I.P.

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You’re a Teacher; You Don’t Get to Hate on Students

Well, you do get to—but you certainly don’t blog about it. That’s just stupid. That’s asking to get fired. I get that we’re in this horribly annoying everything-is-public society where we have to Tweet about our latest bowel movement in order to feel truly connected and that blogs have so wrongly become the new diaries (yeah, aren’t diaries supposed to be secret? Take a look at Louise Erdrich’s haunting novel Shadow Tag for a reminder about where sharing diaries gets you), but some things never change. Those some things include the decorum with which certain professions are expected to be carried—especially the teaching profession.

This teacher, of course, didn’t seem to get that. She decided to write some pretty scathing public blogs (yeah, you can write private blogs, too, which are password-protected, if you need to share your crappy life meanderings that nobody cares about with less than ten people—but she didn’t even bother to do that) and then have the nerve to be outraged when she was suspended (with pay) after they were discovered, claiming her right to freedom of speech was violated. The powers that be are claiming that the suspension was due to her blogging on company time, which is against policy, but as much in favor of free speech as I am, this suspension should have been directly because of the content of her blogs. (You can read the awful things she wrote about the kids she’s supposed to be believing in here, as well as the corrosive comments of her supposed supporters who apparently hate children as well.)

There is a standard. I’m not about staying in the ‘50s, but if kids can’t trust teachers to believe in them (and not make fun of them for everything from “having no personality” to being shy, for god’s sake), then why bother going to school at all? It is your job to believe in kids, to teach them, to put up with hormonal adolescent behavior, to keep at it until they get it, to make it interesting, to fight the crazy things that today’s kids have to face that you never did. If you do not like your job, you can find another one.

As I learned as an undergraduate student teacher, teachers must always set an example. It doesn’t matter that you have a life; if you want to get drunk, you’d better do it in Tijuana—or at least in the privacy of your own home or a friend’s—and not in front of your students. Yeah, you can do it, but you don’t do it in front of your students. You are their teacher—something that is so sacred in some countries that it is held above any other rank—and no matter how many times your students witness Lindsay Lohan entering rehab or how many times your students are jaded by video games or abusive parents or hateful behavior from classmates—and believe me, most of them experience at least some of this—that does not give you the right to join in the disparaging hopelessness. You’re supposed to be the opposite of all that.

Remember the a**hole ADA who was fired after he kept a blog about a local gay student? He had a standard of integrity to uphold, too. Remember that when you’re writing about your students—or your clients, as that is what they are, right?—next time, if you have students again in your life. Personally, I would suggest other employment; I get the old joke about people who have little talent in their area of interest—literature, chemistry, whatever—becoming teachers out of lack of other options, but it looks like you’ve got the scathing skills to write for any dismal stream of diarrhea that’s known as primetime television. Perhaps that might be a better fit for you. At the very least, stop working with kids when you hate them so much.

Was Jeff Bridges Channeling Tyra Banks During the Oscars?

Watch the Clips and Tell Me What You Think

 

I went to my friend’s house to watch the Oscars.  My first thought was to write a highly original post using her mom’s comments—she has Alzheimer’s, but was entirely focused for the entire million-hour show. Once I suggested the idea, she stopped being funny. I don’t think it was on purpose; she just couldn’t handle the intense pressure of giving me material for my Academy Award blog post.

 

After about an hour, I almost fell asleep; that’s how excited I was about the Oscars. The pizza came and that perked me up for two minutes. I started pounding diet coke so I’d be awake on the ride home.

 

When Jeff Bridges (who incidentally lost his ugly-assed Oscar) finally came out to give the Best Actress Award—which was a relief after watching a million other awards I truthfully didn’t care about—I noticed how Jeff Bridge's little speeches to actresses were strikingly similar to the little Tyra Banks speeches at the end of each and every episode of “America’s Next Top Model.”  Of course, since Jeff Bridges was presenting an Oscar on the Academy Awards, his words were much kinder than the sometimes scathing remarks of Tyra Banks. Watch both video clips and tell me if you don’t see at least some similarities between the two. (It’s not necessary to watch all of the Oscar’s clip; a minute or so should give you the basic idea.)

 

 


 Here's Jeff Bridges talking to the Best Actress nominees.

 

 

 

 

Here's a Tyra Banks spoof of her talking to America's Top Model candidates. Notice any similarities?

 


 

 

There Is something Bernie Madoff wants America To Know

Madoff: ‘I’m not a horrible person’

The New York Magazine got an interview with the ex-billionaire, the swindler of the century, Bernard Madoff, who made off with billions of dollars of his clients funds, including among his rich investors, were some widows and orphans, people who were left wiped out.

Well, Bernie Madoff wants America and the world to hear his message.

Bernie Madoff to American and the World: 'I Am a Good Person.'

Bernie wants everybody to know that his Ponzi scheme was no fun for him. He hasn't spent his time laughing at those whom he duped, hitting his side and getting a kick out of the naiveté. of the suckers. No. Bernie wants America and the world to know that this whole swindle was --

Quote Bernie -- "Was a nightmare for me."

Quote Bernie -- "It's horrible."

Quote Bernie -- "When I say nightmare, imagine carrying this secret."

Quote Bernie --"Even the regulators felt sorry for me."

Boo hoo!

Bernie says his victims were complicit in his crime: "These banks and these funds had to know there were problems."

Yes, Mr. Madoff?

Bernie says his wife Ruth, the poor suffering little woman, of whom Bernie says was clueless as to the naughty things he was doing. And --

Quote Bernie -- "Quite frankly, (the little woman) doesn't forgive me for what I did."

And Bernie talked about his eldest son's suicide.

Quote Bernie -- "Let me tell you, I cried for well over two weeks. I cried and cried. I didn't come out of my room. I didn't speak to anybody, and so on. I have tears in my eyes when I'm talking to you, even. Not a day goes by that I don't suffer. I may sound OK on the phone. Trust me, I'm not OK. And never will be."

Boo hoo!

The con man's conning continues?

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Charlie Sheen Warns That He's a Warlock

This morning on NBC's Today show? Anything new? Well, Charlie Sheen made a complete jackass out of himself.

Charlie Sheen  to CBS: 'Apologize while ‘licking my feet’

Charlie Sheen to the World. ‘Tired of pretending I’m not special’

The interview Charlie Sheen gave to this morning's Today show, and the interviews, to the radio call-in shows, the rants that he has been making, during this latest round of the saga of Charlie Sheen vs Charlie Sheen vs the World, show why people should not be left with too much time on their hands, but should keep busy doing something, even if that something is clipping their own finger nails.

Item from the Today Show -- "NBC’s Jeff Rossen, actor Charlie Sheen says that the executives who shut down “Two and a Half Men” are trying to destroy his family and take his money. “They picked a fight with a warlock,” he warns.

What wild and crazy talk? See the video.

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Duke Snider, R.I.P.

One of the dukes of a democratic society, raised to the nobility by his ability on the baseball field, Edwin Donald “Duke” Snider, the Brooklyn Dodgers icon, from a “Golden Age” of baseball, died yesterday, Sunday. Duke Snider was 84.

'Duke' may have been Mr Snider's nickname, but the Hall of Famer played like it was a title bestowed on him by his fans, and by the gods of baseball..

I was and am a Yankee fan, but my family all rooted for the Brooklyn Dodgers. I was a kid when I saw this great ball player in action. One has to admire people who are good at what they do, even when what they do is to play well against ones favorite team.

Duke Snider is being remembered as one of the game of baseball's most beloved players.

Willie Mays, who played with the then New York Giants, another rival of the Brooklyn Dodgers, said in remembering Duke Snider -- "Duke was a fine man, a terrific hitter and a great friend, even though he was a Dodger. Today, I feel that I have lost a dear friend. He was a hero to the fans in Brooklyn and a great Dodger."

Duke Snider, R.I.P.

Item from the Associated Press -- "Baseball Hall of Famer Duke Snider died on Sunday at the age of 84. He was an eight time All-Star who helped lead the Brooklyn Dodgers to a World Series win in 1955." See the video.

Hosting the Oscars Requires A Master of Ceremonies

This Isn't Work That Just Anybody Can Do.

Anne Hathaway and James Franco are two personable, good everyday, working, screen actors, who do a good job in scripted movies. They have both appeared in movies that are pleasant to watch. But, as the hosts of last night Academy Award's show, they both came up short. James Franco came up, quite short. Now, who fault is it? The producers? The writers? The two good actors own egos?

INMHO, the best Oscars hosts have been people with stand-up comedy experience. gifted performers who have; extensive knowledge of what works and doesn't work in the humor department. In the past, Bob Hope was a good host for the Oscars ceremony, so were Johnny Carson, David Letterman, and of course Billy Crystal. The one year try that Chris Rock had at the Oscars was funny, though his jokes may have stepped on a few toes. Whoopi Goldberg hosted the Oscars four times and did very well each time.

The point is: Comedians make good masters of ceremonies, straight actors come up short.

Natalie Portman Wins An Oscar

Last night at the Oscars, Natalie Portman won the prize given, by majority vote of the Academy members, to the best actress in a leading role, for her performance in Black Swan. Ms. Portman's win was a deserving choice.

Natalie Portman was born in 1981. Ever since she appeared as Mathilda in the 1994 released movie, The Professional, it has been crystal clear that she is an actor with great talent. She was twelve when the The Professional was filmed. It is not fair to compare one actor to another, but comparing the talent of Ms. Portman to the talent of the very great actor Jody Foster, is an easy comparison to make. And for years, it appeared to be just a matter of time before Natalie Portman would claim an Oscar.

I don't believe that Oscars define who is the best in the film business. The Oscar winners are chosen by the strength of their popularity and by the marketing done for and by them. Merit sometimes plays a minor role. Ms. Portman talent is not minor but major and it was good to see that she won.

Item from ITN -- "Natalie Portman praises the other nominated actresses in her category when accepting her Academy Award. " See the video.

The Inspiring Adventures of Charlie Sheen

 

Lately, permanently embattled actor Charlie Sheen has been in the news practically as much as the multinational wave of revolution in the Arab world. He has been spouting some infinitely quotable insanity about his now-departed show Two and a Half Men, showrunner Chuck Lorre and the TV industry in general. While everyone with an entertainment blog or TV news program has been quick to brand Sheen a self-destructive madman or a sadly struggling substance abuser, something about his especially public meltdown smells like marketing to me. Genius marketing, actually. Unless it is latent schizophrenia and/or spectacularly mind-bending chemicals behind Sheen's beautiful implosion, I suspect that somebody in his corner really knows modern-day PR. Charlie Sheen's rants seem tailor-made for the Internet. They have the familiar mix of weirdness, negativity and meme-ready humor present in a lot of viral content. I, for one, would be pleased as Punch to see confirmation of Charlie Sheen's odd but savvy attempt to save his career.

Because, really, Sheen's career does need saving. Sure, Two and a Half Men has been ridiculously popular for eight years (minus a writers' strike), but it has also been Charlie Sheen's professional purgatory. It's the very epitome of the unambitious piles of mediocrity in which CBS so excels, a decent premise with a good beginning that has done nothing but flounder in the utmost stupidity for ages. I can definitely see what Sheen saw in the show. The opening image, for those who remember, was Sheen's character, also (and quite intentionally) named Charlie, hung-over in a ruffled tuxedo, watching his nephew's little league game in the bleachers, barely able to muster enough engagement in his own life to hit on one of the hot moms. It was a self-referential bid to dredge some dignity from the embarrassing days of Sheen's life in the 1990's, an elegant way to get his career back on track by playing to the persona he had unwittingly cultivated in his own, troubled journey.

But then CBS railroaded this actually quite excellent concept into an endless stream of flat jokes, zero characterization and general pandering, all in the name of ratings. If Two and a Half Men had been an R-rated movie or a punchy HBO series, it would have been amazing. Instead it stands for everything that's wrong with television.

I think Charlie Sheen has known this for a long time, but a paycheck is a paycheck and Two and a Half Men generated some truly epic revenues. Though I don't know the state of Sheen's personal finances, I'm pretty sure that no human being could buy enough hookers, snort enough blow and crash enough cars to put much more than a dent in the amount of money Sheen got for that show. That means the money eventually stopped being relevant. It's like when a star athlete spends a few years in a lucrative contract then goes free agent to get scooped up by the team he really wants to play for, even if that team can only offer him a fraction of what he's used to making. What's another $100 million when it can't buy fulfillment?

Make no mistake, even if Sheen's meltdown has been a publicity stunt, it's still a gamble, no matter how well executed. He has skirted antisemitism and come close to getting himself blackballed in significant corners of the entertainment industry. He's definitely several notches below Mel Gibson territory, but only time will tell if he hit the sweet spot of calculated insanity. I think Charlie Sheen could resurrect his career and even attain some artistic credibility (something he's only ever flirted with in the past), but that's only if he can parlay this swarm of media coverage into some roles in higher-brow, or at least more grown-up, projects.

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