February 28, 2005
Last rap item for a little while, promise
Foxy Brown told my brother that Game wouldn't last with 50 Cent because of the former's ego and now there's this:
Bush fired Mapes.
I loooooooove the story of Putin misunderstanding that the American press is actually free and not like, say, the Russian press.
There's something happening here....
Now, maybe I'm just a neo-con or whatever, but I find the changes we are seeing in the Middle East pretty amazing. A beautiful, free election in Iraq, compromise from Libya, Syria handing over Saddam's half-brother (who, though a lowly 6 of diamonds is suspected of financing the insurgency), an actual election with actual voting (though, unfortunately, no actual women) in Saudi freaking Arabia and now this. Things are changing and, no matter what the doomsayers think, it's for the better.
Question for people in Brooklyn
I'm working on a project involving my hometown of Brooklyn with which I need some help. Basically, I'm looking for interesting things to see and do in South Brooklyn. By 'interesting' I mean things that you may take for granted would be fascinating to people not from the best Borough. Think L&B Spumoni Gardens, Nellie Bly, the crazy houses in Mill Basin or Manhattan Beach, the bathhouse in Seagate. By 'South' I mean everything south of Park Slope, like Flatbush, Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, Sheepshead Bay, Brighton, Coney Island, etc. Here is a handy map:
I particularly don't know anything about Bergen Beach, Canarsie, Flatlands and those areas are in danger of being cut from my project if I can't find anything interesting in them.
Le Oscar Internacional
I caught part of the Oscars and more than ever I think that Hollywood is aiming to appeal to people who don't live in America. That's fine, of course, except that most of its target audience lumps Hollywood in the same sentence as the slurs 'McDonald's and Bush'.
There was the requisite Bush bashing from Chris Rock, which bothers me a lot less than the retarded earnestness of people like Tim Robbins with the rhinestone peace sign on his tie.
Did anyone catch Selma Hayek's homage to Che Guevara? What a passionate man. Not as passionate as Stalin or Hitler, but then he didn't live as long either. Roger Simon says it best:
'If Che hadn't died young, people wouldn't worship him so blindly and we wouldn't have to listen to this sentimental crap. Deep down the whole Che cult is just about looks. Can you imagine people still running around in Che t-shirts if he had just been some ordinary looking guy?'
February 27, 2005
For the two people who read this blog for my hard-hitting rap commentary
My brother ran into Foxy Brown last night, at Burkina on Houston, and she told him that Nas was 'a herb' and though she used to be in 'The Firm' with him she was with Jay-Z now. A quick google search reveals that this was in the news but I hadn't heard about it so I figured I'd share.
Blogger Party
Gib from Crosblog and his lovely wife will be visiting NYC March 16-18 and I was thinking it's about that time for another blogger party. How's Wednesday the 16th for everyone? And, any suggestions as to location?
February 26, 2005
Save us.
First the socialists of New York slowed the building of an Ikea in the desperate area of Red Hook, but I didn't care because I would rather take a trip to NJ and pay lower sales tax than go to the middle of nowhere in Brooklyn (with the possible exception of Canarsie, there is nowhere more 'middle of nowhere' in Brooklyn than Red Hook, one of the few areas of that city with no subway). Then, the anti-business zealots stopped the building of a Wal-mart in Queens and a BJ's Wholesale Club in the Bronx, but I did nothing because, really, who was trekking to Queens or Bronx anyway? But now, the insane progress-stoppers are going too far.
Apparently, the best fast food chain in the world, Cracker Barrel, is considering a move to Brooklyn. This is genius as the nearest Cracker Barrel to Brooklyn is 40 miles away in Mt. Arlington, New Jersey. Also, a recent conversation with Flatbush (the proposed area for the Cracker Barrel) dweller Dawn Summers alerted me to the fact that diner-type establishments like Cracker Barrel are scarce in the 'hood. Councilman, professional race-baiter and Ex-Black Panther Charles 'I would like to go up to the nearest white person and slap them for my own personal health' Barron says that Cracker Barrel has a history of discriminating against 'blacks, women and gays and lesbians'. I don't know that this is true, a quick google search shows that there are several court cases that were brought against the company, but I wonder how many companies have never had discrimination cases brought against them and if this is an honest reason to stop businesses from opening. Just to show you the level of crazy that we routinely put up with from our elected officials in New York, the Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, who was courting Cracker Barrel, said "I didn't know about their past; I've never been in a Cracker Barrel. I've already called and invited them. I can't now pick up the phone and say, 'Go, get out of here.'" Erm, Marty, I think they may learn of your feelings without that call, seeing as how you said it to the Daily News and all. Oy.
February 25, 2005
What's in my head.
Remember that song 'Truth' by the Handsome Boy Modeling School I mentioned a few days ago? You can listen to it here. I highly recommend you do.
Update: By the by, I found a great site for hip-hop downloads, if you're into that sort of thing, called Hip Hop Foundry. I recommend 'Envy Me' by Game. That song always puts me in a good mood.
Way too easy
Moron Ted Rall issued a challenge to find the 'worst, most vicious examples of liberal/leftie blogger vitriol'. Right Wing News took up the challenge.
Quote of the Day
So, we could embrace the Libertarian ideal, and work toward a Libertarian world where we'll all just wander the earth -- free from borders and passports, tracking deer with the Indians through the middle of the Wal-Mart, bartering some extra ammo for a bottle of rye, allowing our six-year-old children to strike out on their own and make their precocious ways in the world, enjoying our unlimited freedom...and paying tolls. Lots and lots of tolls. Or, we can take the good ideas from the Libertarians, and discard the rest. The same can be said of any political party, and this is exactly the method that we recommend.-Two Percent Company on why they are libertarians but not Libertarians. Read the whole thing.
Via Kip Esquire.
Blogroll update
I read him all the time and was positive (wrongly) that I already had him on my blogroll. Please welcome Beautiful Atrocities to the California section of the blogroll.
Daydream
I wasn't one of those hoping against hope that Dick Cheney would step down and Condoleeza Rice would take his place before the last election. And, I am not one of those that thinks she has a shot in '08. But, lately, I can't help fantisizing that Cheney will step down (though I love me some Cheney) and that Bush will replace him with Condi. It's more of a want for Bush (and Condi) to make history in this way. The first black person, the first woman, the first single person in some time to hold the office of Vice President. It would break through conceptions on what a president or vice-president must be. That's something that makes me smile every time I think about it.
February 24, 2005
I'm sad.
Love of my life Vincent Gallo is playing a show tonight and I can't go (because I'll be working until late, because it's sold-out and because I have plans with the girls).
Via Peter.
Comments.
I'm still having issues with the comment section. If you get an error message, please do not repost your comment. The message means that your comment is being held for my approval. I approve comments frequently throughout the day.
Blogroll Update
Two more for the NY section:
Manhattan Transfer- I met him through Meghan of the late and great blog Swamp City. Then, at CPAC, I approached him and he seemed not to know me. Turns out, his brother is ridiculously similar looking. Just a warning.
New York Journal-We met last night at James Panero's place and he had the dry sense of humor that I always enjoy. He didn't seem as fond as I was of the tomato soup at the Irish pub that we went to afterward, but I can forgive small flaws.
February 23, 2005
Someone Else's Story (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)
Voter Registration in Manhattan:
Democrats: 581,000
Republicans: 99,000
Last night, I went to the first meeting of the School of Applied Politics (S.O.A.P.)--a biweekly program for people interested in pursuing city council seats--at the Metropolitan Republican Club in Manhattan. There were some great candidates, and I hope they run, but will they?
The media scrutiny is so intense and, often, ugly, that people who could viably overcome the background checks, by the press and the opposition, and make a successful candidacy--people without skeletons in their closets--are dull, and suffer from personality deficits. Those unexciting people run for citywide and national offices and, more often than not, they lose. Why? A couple of reasons. The most obvious is the six-to-one ratio of Democrats to Republicans in Manhattan. But, it is more than that. After all, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg won mayoral races on a Republican ticket, and Pataki won the State House. The perpetual losing streak of Republican candidates in many of the State Assembly and Congressional districts is because of the shortage of centrist, broadly-appealing and likable candidates to go up against the Democratic incumbents, with the deck already stacked against us demographically.
The local Republican Party designates our candidates, but the party has been actively pursuing strong candidates, and the vetting process is not the problem. The problem is that interesting people--even now, in the post-Clintonian Age--are afraid to run for public office, because they are afraid that their personal lives will be raped and pillaged, and that their privacy will be violated. And, sadly, it probably will be. That's why a lot of good potential candidates resign themselves to the idea of that old song "Someone Else's Story" from Chess, "I could take my chances further down the line."
What do we do about it? Well, someday--and it won't be long--a candidate with a lot of potential and a colorful past has to bite the bullet and run for a citywide office, on the Republican ticket, in New York City. He will hold a press conference, and neutralize all of his vulnerabilities by admitting them, the day that he announces his candidacy. Of course, fallibility is appalling, so he will fall dramatically behind in the polls, but voters will remember that he was honest about his humble past, and appreciate it, whether or not they return to his fold. Eventually, his campaign will hit its stride, a few months later, and his past will be old news. He will spend the rest of the campaign talking about the issues. The future. He will combine experience, good ideas, policy plans, and--most important to his ability to sell his policy plans and build a coalition--his charisma. Hopefully, it will remind us that politics is a game of chess--not an application for sainthood. Everybody has something to contribute, and everybody can, and should, play.
Lyric of the day (a new, recurring feature)
My friend, and sometimes commenter, MKID, turned me on to this incredible song called 'Truth' by the Handsome Boy Modeling School. The lyrics are here. I recommend a listen, it's a beautiful woman's voice singing in the first part followed by some rap in the second. Despite my semi-obsession with rap lately, I prefer the woman singing:
'You can't hide from the truth
Because the truth is all there is
You can't hide from the truth
Because the truth is all there is
You can't hide from the truth
Because the truth is all there is
You can't hide'
It's a small world.
James Panero, Associate Editor of the New Criterion (the best arts magazine anywhere), had a gathering at his place last night for a screening of an old episode of 'Firing Line' where Bill Buckley interviewed Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver. Ace and I got there late and ended up catching up on remaining CPAC gossip and drinking wine in the corner. Afterwards, the gang headed to Molly's Pub on Third where I had the following funny exchange:
Me: So, my really liberal best friend....
Dawn Steeves: You have a really liberal best friend?!
Me: Yeah, and actually, she is another Dawn...
Dawn Steeves: Another Dawn?!! (looking across the table at Dawn Eden)
Me: Well, sort of, she uses the name Dawn Summers when she blogs...
Girl I met earlier in the night: Oh! Evil Dawn!
Turns out, the girl knows the infamous Ken Wheaton though she seems to prefer my 'evil' description of Ms. Summers over Ken's 'crazy ole' prefix.
February 22, 2005
Labels
I've got a newsflash for y'all: conservatives and libertarians are not the same. And you should know, to further blow your mind, that if you attend the Conservative Political Action Committee conference, you may find libertarians are few and far between. Now, notice, I said Conservative Political Action Committee conference, not Republican Political Action Committee conference. It's true that at a meeting of Republicans, you may find a wide range of both conservative and libertarian thought. But, I thought it was safe to assume that if you attend a conference explicitly marked 'conservative', you shouldn't be stunned that that's exactly what you find.
I enjoyed meeting Ryan Sager and I was enjoying his blog before that. I agree with the premise of his Tech Central Station piece that there may someday be a split within the Republican party in which conservatives and libertarians go their separate ways (the fact that this would probably happen just shortly after the complete destruction of the Democratic party is rarely mentioned). But, Ryan seems to believe that in the meantime conservatives should adjust to libertarian positions for the good of the Republican party. That's the thing about 'movement' activists like the kind that attend CPAC: they're unlikely to do a lot of ideological budging and the Republican party is second to the conservative movement. An example of this would be Alex Brunk and Mark Harris, two guys I met on the Herman Cain campaign that I saw over the weekend at CPAC, that run the website Save the GOP. Neither gentleman is old enough to legally drink and both are bonafide conservatives. The point of their site is to keep the Republican party in line with conservative principles but both guys have told me that they would definitely vote for a pro-life Democrat, say, over a 'RINO' (Republican In Name Only) Republican. You're not going to convince guys like that to suck it up and make nice with the libertarians for the good of the party.
Though I lean libertarian on a lot of issues I had a great time at CPAC, as I did last year and as I probably will next year and the year after that. I don't have to agree on every issue with the 4000 attendees in order to enjoy myself. I look forward to Ryan's report from Freedom Fest on the dearth of conservatives at that annual libertarian conference.
Related:
Doing what you can to survive
In New York, we have 'Urban Republicans'. In the red states, they have 'Born Again Democrats'.
Gaming Amazon for good.
I had the pleasure of meeting Roger Simon during the RNC convention last summer. He was really nice and kind, so it's annoying to read that his political beliefs may be hurting his book sales, due to people 'giving those books one-star (out of five) reviews and leaving derisory comments' on Amazon. I don't know how many people buy books on the basis of those reviews, but nevertheless if you've got a second go over to the Amazon page and hit 5 stars for Roger's books. He definitely deserves your support.
Cowboys only.
"I'm looking for a good cowboy."
-Bush said Monday when a French reporter asked him whether relations had improved to the point where the U.S. president would be inviting Chirac to the U.S. president's ranch in Texas.
February 21, 2005
Not that there's anything wrong with that....
....but is there anyone that the left thinks is not gay? Toby at Ramblings on the Matter picks up the bizarro story that George W. Bush was 'experimental' in college.
Bad start
So, guess who went all the way in to work only to find out we're closed today (despite a discussion that happened last week that concluded we'd be open)?
My boss's protestations that he 'thought' he had emailed me did not make me feel any less violent.
February 20, 2005
Is there anything that super-human genius can't do?
Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D, NY) has accused Karl Rove of planting the fake CBS memos.
Blogroll
I've done some rearranging of the blogroll. Please let me know if anyone is in the wrong section. Also, bonus points to anyone who can name the songs whose lyrics are used in the Tennessee and California sections (assuming that the Georgia and Colorado songs are too easy).
February 19, 2005
Snippets from CPAC
-I'm back in NYC now (left early because my laptop won't turn on and it's cutie Peter's birthday) and I just spoke to Acey who is still in DC. He and Julian are heading over to Grover Norquist's house for a party. I'm jealous.
-I'm friendly with John Fund when I run into him in NY, though he sometimes mistakes me for someone who works at Fox News, so this story about his behavior at CPAC is kind of amusing to me. Maybe he thought they were public computers? Otherwise, just odd.
-Chris Nolan, aka the token liberal among the official bloggers, made this observation about the conference:
I've been here in Washington, D.C., at the Conservative Political Action Committee convention and um, they don't like Liberals here. I'm not sure they even like moderates.But they're very nice and well-mannered. They're also very young. If you're thinking conservatives are a bunch of old coots longing for the days of black-and-white TV, women staying home and minorities in their places, think again.
This is a young crowd. Young as in youthful. "I just took whatever they gave me for graduation," says the nice young man sitting across from me. He's talking about his laptop. It's a contrast to the post-election Democracy Rising party I attended in Berkeley a few months ago. That room was filled with grey hair in part, of course, because hair colorists are an unknown species in that little town. This room – this convention by contrast – is filled with fresh young earnest faces. And lots of blondes.
-Radley Balko notes the mixed messages of some CPAC vendors.
-I thought it was common knowledge that Matt Drudge is gay. I guess not.
-The National Debate is all over an Al Franken meltdown.
-Michelle Malkin did a book signing at CPAC and came over to chat with the bloggers. She was a big sweetie and her family was adorable. La Shawn Barber agrees.
-Mark Harris at Save The GOP has a list of good CPAC quotes.
-Oschisms posts about my questioning his boozy smell and also feels, uh, warmly toward Wayne LaPierre.
-I met an online friend, Melinda Haring of Child of Reagan. She was hi-lar-ious.
-Pat and Claudio from Vast Rightwing Conspiracy have some of the most comprehensive coverage of the panels.
-I miss DC already.
February 18, 2005
5 questions for my hero, Herman Cain
1. Who are your political influences?
Jack Kemp, former VP candidate. Ronald Reagan, becuase of his courageous leadership. Mike Johanns, former Governor of Nebraska and current Secretary of Agriculture. Charlie Norwood, Congressman from Georgia. Charlie was a dentist, who gave up his practice to serve. He tells it like it is. Last but certainly not least, Zell Miller, a true statesmen.
2. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
My ten year goal now is to be a political force to be reckoned with. I can do that in several ways, either in elected office or building A New Voice to be the most vocal, interconnected and persistent (VIP) network around.
3. When are you running again and hiring me?
When I run again I am hiring you, I just don't know when and for what office. I haven't decided that yet, but if I'm a political force to be reckoned with, who knows? Martha Zoller is trying to get me to run for president!
4. What can conservatives do to reach out to the African-American community?
Get them to listen. That's sometimes done best one on one. Don't approach with rhetoric, talk about some facts. Talk about tax codes hurting people who make less money. How the Social Security structure is bad for black people because of their life expectancy. I was on Martha's show and a black gentleman called and asked how to define 'conservative'. I said less taxes, less government, more individual responsibility. I'm pro-life and pro-second amendment. And he said 'when you explain it that way, it doesn't sound so bad.' People are too often coming from a different page in terms of definition. Make sure the labels mean the same thing. Use facts.
5. You had the youngest campaign staff I've ever seen. What do you think other conservatives can do to appeal to younger people like you do?
Give them a reason to get excited, that's all I did. You have to be able to present your views in a way that gets people excited. That's why so many young people got excited about my campaign. They agree with me on the issues but they were also excited about the way I presented the message.
Note
I'm having laptop issues but Acey and Mike Krempasky are kindly letting me borrow theirs. I'll be in and out today so make sure you check into the CPAC Blogger Aggregation site.
Update
As I posted the below entry, Ann Coulter was giving a talk here at CPAC. She just pulled on stage her friend 'and scourge of the liberal media', Matt Drudge.
Ace's post on her appearance is up here.
'Famous for DC'
Say what you will about libertarians, they sure do know how to drink.
I ran into Julian Sanchez and Kerry Howley from Reason Magazine last night and though my feet were hurting in my heels and though I was totally exhausted from the day, I joined them for a drink.
We went to a bar called Red Sage by the convention center. As we were sitting there, Ann Coulter walked by outside.
'Hey, there's Ann Coulter!'- Me
'Are you sure?'- Julian
'Yeah, positive, I wonder if she's coming in here'-Me
'I doubt it....oh there she is'-Julian
Turns out, her companion for the evening was Matt Drudge. You all already know I'm a dork so my excitement over sitting right behind Matt Drudge is probably understandable to most of you. They sat in the booth right next to ours. Julian surpressed his 'inner Tom Green' and I surpressed the urge to turn around and look at them even once.
February 17, 2005
The best so far.
My favorite speaker thus far is no surprise: Wayne LaPierre. I only caught the tail end of his talk, because I was finishing up my time on Kevin McCullough's radio show, but he was incredible as usual. His topic was the UN and he ripped into the organization for its coddling of dictators and various scandals that happen within that deeply flawed organization.
As always, my advice is to try to catch a LaPierre talk. I've written about him before here and here and he continues to impress and fascinate me.
The big dilemma from yesterday.
As I was leaving for CPAC, I grabbed my laptop bag with the 'I'm the NRA and I vote' sticker on it. I wear it proudly all over NY, to horrified glances and gasps and never once thought of removing it. But, wearing it to CPAC seems like wearing a band's shirt to their concert. Cheesy. So, I took it off.
I hope to limit these installments of my life and times and actually go see some speakers soon.
Aggregation
Make sure you check into CPACbloggers.com for posts by all the other fine bloggers attending this event.
So far, I saw Mike Krempasky, the aformentioned man of men Kevin from Wizbang, Matt Margolis and Julian Sanchez. I also met Ryan Seger, LaShawn Barber, Erick Erickson and RCox.
Oh, and the Ace of Spades just got in. How nice of you to join us.
Radio
I'm going to be on Kevin McCullough's radio show at 2:45pm. It's on WMCA and you can listen live on his site.
View from DC
1. I got into DC late at night after working a long, hard day. Acey was already in town and I called him as my train pulled in to meet up for a drink. He said 'do you want to go somewhere good or do you want to meet us where we are?' Um....I met them where they were. The bartender thought I was a 15 year old runaway hanging out with older men (or something) because he id'd me and wouldn't serve me a beer.
2. I got to CPAC and as I was going through security, Senator Rick Santorum walked in holding his presentation that he was due to deliver in minutes. The security guard, totally unimpressed, told him he had to go to the back of the security line. I let him cut in front of me, none of the awed teenagers behind me seemed to mind. Sen. Santorum, his aide and I then hurried around the huge Reagan center trying to find where we were supposed to be. He was really nice, and I felt kind of bad for cornering him during the convention to bother him for supporting Specter over Toomey.
3. Kevin from Wizbang is the man. Let me repeat that: Kevin from Wizbang the man. I am chronically challenged by computer problems. And, thanks to his tireless effort, I'm connected at CPAC and ready to go.
4. I saw Herman Cain and most of the Cain Senate campaign staff. I've worked on a bunch of campaigns and none have the same vibe as that one. All of us would drop what we were doing to go work on any race he would choose to run.
Speaking Of Maureen Dowd (By Guest Blogger Jessica)
Gregory Bullock disagrees with her. Here's a taste.
In her Op-Ed of February 10, 2005, "Condi's French Twist," Ms. Dowd gloats because the United States' new chief diplomat Condoleezza Rice would not make herself available to students at the "elite" Institute of Political Sciences in Paris for a tete-a-tete nonpareil. Ms. Dowd reports that the caliber of questioning would have been along these lines: "George Bush is not particularly well perceived in the world, particularly in the Middle East. Can you do something to change that?" The democratization of Afghanistan and Iraq and the burgeoning entente between Israel and the Palestinians apparently have not yet made Le Monde.
February 16, 2005
Missing the Boat (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)
"You'd think the one good thing about merging church and state would be that politics would be suffused with glistening Christian sentiments like 'love thy neighbor'...I'm getting more the feel of a vengeful mob...running around with torches and hatchets after heathens and pagans and infidels."
--Maureen Dowd, 2004
Several years ago, in February, during Lent, I was on a road trip across the United States, on my way to California, and a moment, in Texas, illustrated how religious faith is misunderstood by the liberal elitists: They see religion, it would seem, as an infatuation with the archaic, and outdated, past. It is not. It is a gentle, optimistic, and moralistic, regard for the present and, until they realize that, they will be unable to establish a foothold for an electorate in the Red States.
I drove down I-40, through Groom, Texas, and saw the Cross of Our Lord Jesus. It was a gaudy, oversized Cross--190 feet tall, four times bigger than Noah's Ark--situated beside the highway, like a tourist trap, and we passed by it after the sun had bowed down behind the plains, when it was almost dark out. It would have been dismissed, I think, back east, by Maureen Dowd, and Paul Krugman, as the work of provincial, evangelical folk, completely separated from modernity, like the cowboys huddled around that open flame in the commercial for Pace Picante sauce, who marveled at the fact that the competing brand was made in "Nuuw Yawark Ciddy!"
It was simple. And profound. And what did it say? That a bunch of religious Texans could communicate more about their humanity, with two perpendicular lines, than Maureen Dowd, in a lifetime of columns for The New York Times. And what, exactly, did it communicate about humanity? That people do extraordinary things. That one hundred men in Texas could put on goggles and gloves, and put fire to metal, for eight months, until that metal became a Cross.
And: it followed that, if Texans built that Cross, with all of the manual labor involved in relation to its massive size, then, surely, Noah, along with his family, could've hammered pegs into sanded cypress wood, into a giant boat. That happened, I thought. That really happened. And, today, it is still happening: in moments, like Joan of Arc's victory at Orleans, and Bernadette's visions of the Virgin Mary, that will end up, someday, in a revision of the Bible, with chapters called The Book of Joan and The Gospel of Bernadette. Miracles happen all the time. We see them, if we're lucky.
Thought as I'm out the door to CPAC
Headline: Militants targeted Eiffel Tower
Just so I'm clear: by 'militants' they mean 'terrorists' and by 'Eiffel Tower' they mean 'landmark located in a country that did not participate in the Iraq war', right?
One Party Puts A Trial Lawyer on the Ticket...(by guest blogger Dawn Summers y'all)
The other party nominates a man without a law license to be a Federal Judge.
Now, I don't really get the logic of renominating candidates that have already been blocked, but I certainly don't get why President Bush would renominate this guy.
Although, come to think of it, maybe a Griffith confirmation wouldn't set such a bad precedent. Especially if it means I make Supreme Court Justice without having to sit through another Continuing Legal Education course.
Chris Rocked (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)
Chris Rock Angers Members of the Academy
I met Chris Rock, briefly, when I was a (very) young intern at HBO Films, and my job was to read scripts and report back to my boss, Aria Anderson. Chris submitted Election Day, which eventually became Head of State. It was predictable. I didn't like it. At the time, his shock-jock comedy was good for another script that we were working on, The Marion Barry Story, where his part as a narrator was an excellent foil for the somber drama of the rest of the movie, but, standing alone in Election Day, it didn't have the same impact. I thought: His comedy has to bounce off of something plain. And stuffy. And venerable. And, when I heard that he was asked to emcee the Oscars, I thought it would be a good opportunity for him to contrast his hip and vibrant humor with the serious decorum of the Academy Awards.
But, his hosting duties at the event have become the subject of a controversy on The Drudge Report, with headlines like, "Chris Rock Shock: Only Gays Watch Oscars." It has, some say, put his job in jeopardy. But, it is important to remember that the Academy hired Chris Rock, with the full knowledge that he was a controversial comedian, and the understanding that people have a sense of humor. Joan Garry, the executive director of GLAAD, said, "Chris Rock isn't making fun of gays--he's poking fun at the Oscars." Sure, he has said off-color things ("Awards for art are f---ing idiotic."). He has said inappropriate things ("It's beautiful that abortion is legal."). But, Chris is doing his job. If they wanted humor about cats and dogs, they would have hired Paula Poundstone. They didn't. They asked Chris--a humble, young, black man in Hollywood--to host a self-adulating ceremony for them, where actors salute their "courage," and give each other statues, for putting on fake noses and starring in Booty Call. They wanted a controversy. And got it.
Biggest Parking Lot In The World? That's A New One. (By Guest Blogger Jessica)
A Small Victory has a hilarious post about the reputation of Long Island being a cesspool of freaks, wealthy mall rats and psycho killers, and the new slogan that doesn't detract from it.
Seriously, if they offered a tour bus with the "Long Island: We Grow Them Weird" sign on it, stopping at all the infamous points and serving Long Island Iced Teas along the way, they could make enough money to fix every pothole on the Meadowbrook Parkway.This is where Amy Fisher shot Mary Jo. And this is where Joel Rifkin tried to hide the bodies. And here is the Lohan house, where Lindsay's mom first approached the idea of giving her teenage daughter bigger boobs. In a few minutes, we'll cross the spot where Billy Joel crashed his car! And this is where the Mepham High School boys first got the idea to stuff pine cones up the....Hey, look, it's a Baldwin brother!
Being a native Long Islander, I can relate to the constant attacks against my hometown. Made for movie TV shows, general comments I've gotten and the headlines of the Long Island Newsday seem to always portray Long Island as the breeding ground for Joey Buttafucos or P Diddy sightings on the golf course out east. Through my four years of college, I was presumed to be a filthy rich trust fund baby who hung out at the food court all the time. (Well, maybe I did hang out at the Smithhaven mall food court quite a bit with my warn out Vans, but hell, what American outside of those from Manhattan didn't? At least I wasn't smoking crack at the underage bar like some people I know.)
There are truly beautiful places in Long Island, besides the lovely mini shopping centers with the requisite pizzeria off Route 110. There's an interesting mix of cultures and it's getting more diverse every day. There are gorgeous beaches, many which aren't crazy packed like Jones Beach. There's lovely foliage,farms that sell fresh produce, parks, ponds, villages, cafes, and restaurants. There's beautiful roads where you can see some wonderful architecture, arts cinemas and many cultural events. Sure, we may say 'go with your baaaayd self' and 'dawk chawcolate'. Sure we may have twelve year olds prancing around with their Kate Spade bags in the Melville Bloomingdales. And yes, we even had a couple of abusive priests, a certain someone who shot her lover's wife in the head, and our share of 7-11's.
But really, people, when I meet you at a bar and you ask me where I'm from and after I tell you, you give me the rolled eyes or burst out laughing, I'll ask you if you've actually been to Long Island or if you just heard through the grapevine from your friend's cousin how freaky of a place it is.
Signed,
A Normal Person From Suffolk County.
Going to CPAC?
A client of my firm's, Larry Ward from Interactive Political Media, is hosting a contest for CPAC attendees. The concept allows individuals to record a 30-second commercial about their favorite public policy issue. The commercials will be hosted at and voted on at Larry's site. The winner in each of five categories will receive a cash prize of $500 and will be able to hear their winning commercial broadcast on Radio America. The winner will be announced Thursday, March 3.
As soon as I heard about the contest I started thinking it's a damn shame that Jeff Goldstein isn't going to CPAC.
And I missed it :-(
Email from Slantpoint Scott:
'I just heard Niger Innis mention you as a "Mutual friend" as he is talking to Herman Cain [on his radio show]. It's on live now.'
February 15, 2005
In addition to 'a dollar short'
Maybe its because I practically memorized 'Catcher in the Rye' when I was in my teens, but the thing that irks me like no other is phoniness. And, there is nothing faker than Valentine's Day. You single people think that we coupled people have something over on you on Valentine's Day. Not so. There is so much more pressure on couples to perform on Valentine's Day than there is on single people. So, to show I don't fake the funk, I spent last night like any other night, doing what I would've been doing on any other random Monday. Ended up going out for a drink with a friend and then a short drive through the Park to see 'The Gates'. Peter and I didn't exchange gifts or cards, just the same happy glances we always do.
Desperate.
Tulsa World, a newspaper in Oklahoma, is harrassing Michael Bates at Batesline for reprinting parts of their articles. Wizbang has the right idea on how to handle them.
Lyric of the day
'World's got me dizzy again
you'd think after twenty two years I'd be used to the spin
and it only feels worse when I stay in one place
so I'm always pacing around or walking away.'
-'One foot in front of the other'- Bright Eyes.
Update: By the by, in case anyone runs off to download this song based on my recommendation, the rest of the song is an anti-Bush tirade but a terrific song anyway.