I really am scared for what awaits people in 2009. I say this because people aren’t nearly as nice, forgiving, or even understanding as they once were-myself included. Everyone is driven by money, rage, or sex.
Two crazy things happened to me over the past two days, and I’ve only left my house about 4 times this week. So that means a lot to me. And I know that sometimes I’m in my own world but these things just happened in too close of succession. The first bares no need to be mentioned in lengthy detail, but the end result was a store (KRAUZER’S DELI) called the policia on me because he gave me the wrong change. Now, I didn’t realize it until maybe an hour later, soI went back to try and rectify the situation. The young man decided to call the cops vs. calling his manager to handle the situation. The cops come, and after a few minutes of debate he gives me my money. why would he rather call the police than the manager? I don’t know. Why did he feel a 5′5 girl in fingerless gloves was a threat? I don’t know. I didn’t go in there screaming and yelling in an ignorant manner either. I stated the facts, which could have been verified by counting the register. This story is just the catalyst for my feelings.
Today, I’m driving back to the store (yes, the same deli) to get some newspaper to wrap my dishes for my impending move. So on my drive I get stuck in little bit of traffic. At one point the traffic moves about 3 feet. I did not let my foot off the break to move 3 feet when there are about 25 cars between me and the light. So the car behind me beeps out of aggravation for being 2 feet further away from their destination. So, in my wtf are you thinking mode I flip them the bird. Jersey drivers know that one of the standards of driving here is being able to have a quick bird finger, LOL. Said driver flashes me a few times in broad daylight. So I continue on my quest to get my papers. When I pulled into the parking lot at the deli the car swings around the corner into the parking lot too and pulls up near my driver side window. She rolls down her window and just starts yapping, so I roll my down out of courtesy for what she has to say. She proceeds to tell me i didn’t have to give her the finger. I say to her
“It’s not that serious it was 3 feet. You can ruin your brakes continually stop and releasing but I’m ok. ”
Her: “it doesn’t matter. I’m trying to be nice about this, someone else would come and snatch you out the car.”
ME: “well it obviously does matter if you felt the need to drive over here and tell me.”
So after she continues to verbally assault me, I roll my window back up while she’s talking, eventually she gets the point and drives away. Now, I know that sometimes I can be an asshole especially when provoked. I probably shouldn’t have given her the finger, but I don’t take kindly to being beeped at for no reason. If I was driving recklessly, by all means beep at me. But for not moving 3 feet-lady relax. But this all got me thinking about just how mean. selfish, and even intolerable people are these days.
It used to be a thing where it was people who lived in bigger cities had a certain edge to them, but I’m starting to feel that even people in not so big cities are being driven to the edge. I mean over the holidays we heard so many stories of rage, deceit, robbery, and murder. HELLO! A man dressed as Santa shot up a house and set it on fire. These are definitely signs of troubled times! Is there a way to help people realize that you can be skeptical and cautious of others with compromising your manners and common courtesies? By no means am I saying that I am the paradigm of civility, because I get tired of being nice to people who don’t deserve it at work. But I do try to be nice to all the people I encounter-the gas station attendants, pharmacists clerks, and food servers. Even if that person isn’t up to my personal standards of good customer service, I find no need to be rude unless provoked. Hopefully 2009 is a better year for peoples communication skills, but honestly is that possible? Less money is in circulation these days, and less money means less happy people.
I’ve been meaning to write about Kwanzaa since the day after Christmas, but all types of holiday stuff had me too busy. I can’t say that I actually participate in Kwanzaa, but I think that people have the wrong idea of what it exactly is. Some think of it as an alternative to Christmas when its not actually so. In fact, Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday versus being a religious one. Kwanzaa was “created” in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana Studies at California State University during the Black Freedom Movement. t is celebrated December 26-January 1. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili. Its thought to reflect the communities concern for cultural grounding and the unity and self-determination associated with the movement. Kwanzaa was created to reaffirm and restore our roots in African Culture-making it a reconstruction of African Culture.
Kwanzaa is said to represent a time of ingathering of the people to reaffirm the bonds between them. It’s also a time of special reverence for the creator and creation in thanks for blessings and the beauty of creation. It also represents commemoration of the past in pursuit of its lessons and in honor of its models of human excellence, a.k.a our ancestors. Additional first fruit celebrations include a time for re-commitment to our highest cultural ideals in our ongoing effort to always bring forth the best of the African cultural thought and practice, and a time for celebration of the good: the good of life, family, community, culture, the ordinary, the divine, the natural, and the social.
Kwanza is built upon 7 principals. I remember in elementary school during the Holiday play, which was every year no matter what grade you were in, we had to recite the seven principals of Kwanzaa. I remember BET used to have a Kwanzaa special. This was the old BET, not the crap as of late. The BET I remember had shows like Teen Summit. OH yeah! Back to the 7 principals of Kwanzaa,ne is celebrated each day of Kwanzaa.
1. Umoja: Unity
2. Kujichagulia: Self Determination (I just used to love saying this).
3. Ujima: Collective Work and Responsibility
4. Ujamaa: Cooperative Economics
5. Nia: Purpose
6. Kuumba: Creativity
7. Imani: Faith
I think Kwanzaa isn’t widely practice because no one is really taught about it. Sure, in class they glaze over it, but no one is instructing people on how to practice the ceremony. No one is helping kids light the Kinara or anything. Whereas we are socialized about Christmas from nearly birth. Even as a child you are instructed on the art of gift giving. From a kid you write letters to Santa, or Saint Nick however you want to refer to him. Christmas is truly lacking in its origins but people are still caught up in the commercialization of it. Going into massive credit card debt every year while other holidays such as Kwanzaa and even Hanukkahs (did I spell that right) are briefly acknowledged. Who’s fault is this? People or the businesses? If we weren’t inspired by all these shiny and technological they wouldn’t have us in this continuous consumer warp.
I have to wish all my readers (however many there may be) a wonderful holiday wish! I’m not the biggest fan of holiday cheer, but everyone needs some. I got in my car tonight and realized I didn’t get chance to burn my Xmas cd and it made me sad.. I try to get as much cheer as I can before my family ruins it. Oh well..
Hope you have lots of good times and holiday cheer (a.k.a liquor)!!!
This is very disturbing. A Saudi man arranged for his 8-year-old daughter to marry a 47-year-old man to settle his debts. I always thought fathers were overprotective of their daughters? The girl’s mother petitioned to have the marriage annulled but the judge, Sheikh Habib Abdallah al-Habib, dismissed it due to her not being the legal guardian of the girl! Are you seriously kidding me??? Does it really matter who is the custodial parent? This is endangerment of a child. The father should be faulted for what he did. I know I’m looking at this from an American’s point of view, but this is just wrong no matter what country. This is ok’ing pedophilia.
The judge asked the man for a pledge not to consummate the marriage until the girl reaches puberty. So, basically by then he will be over fifty and she’ll still be a teenager-which still makes it super wrong. It doesn’t make it better if she’s 14 and he’s 53. And who will be ensuring that he keeps up his end of the pledge? Will there be regular medical examinations to ensure her hymen is untouched? And this doesn’t mean that he won’t force her to “lick the lollipop.” She is like his own little slave/indentured servant. The judge also said that when the girl reaches puberty she can petition for a divorce with the court. Now, by no means am I an expert in Middle Eastern relations but women aren’t exactly treated to equal rights. So the likelihood of her petition being approved will more than likely be slim. In addition to that, she might be socialized by that time to appreciate what he has to offer, a sort of Stockholm syndrome. Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response in a hostage situation in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger (or at least risk) in which they have been placed. And basically in this case, she is a form of a hostage. It is also common in other types of abuse, such as the victims of domestic abuse, battered partners and child abuse (dependent children). In many instances the victims choose to remain loyal to their abuser, and choose not to leave him or her, even when they are offered a safe placement in foster homes or safe houses. This is really really bothering me.. blasphemy…
I’m a busy blogger today! I have the emptiness of work to thank for that! Thanks Work! Anyway, I am on a quest for a pair of fingerless gloves. I don’t know what it is about them that makes me like them. I think its because they make me feel edgy. Either way, I really want a pair like those pictured above, with individual loops for fingers. However, I haven’t found them anywhere I’ve looked. But to be fair I’ve really only looked at Target, so I guess that nulls my point. Either way I want these so bad. But what I did find at Target was a “arm-warmer” which I’m thoroughly enjoying except for the print. They have a black background and multi colored heats and stars. They kind of look like the ones pictured below, but not as mature. They also don’t come up as high. I feel like and edgy 13 year old, but my hands are warm. I really hope that these fingerless gloves find their way into my Christmas stocking. You hear that ‘Santa’????? When I Googled fingerless gloves I came across this site, Coquette, that had a whole blog dedicated to them, which is where I got these images. Take a look at what they’ve posted. Damn, I really want some of these!! I really want some like the first one, but I’m not paying $ 55 dollars.. but someone else could.. I would like a color to match my scarf too.. OK, let me stop being picky..if someone gets me them I will love them no matter what color!
Beyonce’s album is still on my I’m not quite sure if I like it list. Some songs stand out, but others don’t. I like ‘Smash into You’ , ‘Broken-hearted Girl’, ‘Why Don’t You Love Me’ (from the Japanese bonus version). Ones I’m not sure about are ‘Ego’, ‘Hello’ and ‘Satellites’. I did have high hopes for Beyonce, I miss the Dangerously in Love Beyonce. That was a classic album.
Now, I said in this post that Beyonce could do better than songs like “Diva” or if I didn’t say it I definitely thought it. I do NOT like this song in the least bit. So, when I saw still images of the video a few weeks ago I was thinking maybe the video will make me like this song, because sometimes that does happen. Definitely NOT the case here. This video is a mess. I don’t get the dancing, why she blew up the car, why she has these ugly ass shades that look like drapes. Beyonce, what is up with you? And the thing with her new double cd is that she releases 2 videos at the same time. So “Halo” also has a video and this one is better even though she is having her Flashdance/Dirty Dancing: Havana nights/ A Chorus Line moments.But damn, this girl is bi-polar. One video is superactive and glam and another is full of a calmer/innocent person. I need a happy medium because it makes me dizzy trying to figure out what personality she is going to be. It almost looks like in the Halo video she is practicing for her role as Sasha Fierce, LOL. Anyway, for your viewing enjoyment, here she is… Sashonce!
It’s been awhile since I had a shoe posting, so I’m sorry I can’t report on something cuter. I was browsing the Macy’s website doing some E-window shopping since I put myself on a strict shoe diet, no more new shoes until spring at least (or my tax refund whichever comes first), and I came across these Via Spiga Adelle Booties. I find these boots to be atrocious! First off they have that weird shiny patent-y coat that makes them look like several different colors, almost like you’re looking at the colors in a puddle of water. That is strike one. Next they added the gold toe cap and heel cup, but I can’t figure out why. They do nothing for these shoes. I don’t know what offends me more, the sheer fugliness of these shoes or that I’ve found reviews of people online saying how cute they are. These are an eyesore!I like patent leather on some shoes. In fact, lately (my newest addition) are the BCBGirls Jo Boot, and the whole bottom part is black patent leather. These are shoes that highlight when patent leather goes wrong!
But wait, they cost $ 275!! @#$!@@$#$ (that’s me cursing!) What in shoe hell?? I have seen better shoes at the Family Dollar! I will say that they might be super wearable, but the looking at them in these colors are a pain. I found a black pair at Endless.com and those look fairly decent for simple booties, I could see them being worn with a cute sweater dress or some skinny jeans and a nice top. However, these colors need to be banned. BANNED I tell you!
I love New Jersey, but its official… I’m going to move to Michigan because it is now illegal to annoy people. OMG, I think this is the coolest law EVER! And I HATE the law! HA!In Brighton Michigan the City Council approved a public conduct code Monday night which now can fine someone up to $500 for being annoying. Does the money go to the city or to the person being annoyed? That makes a difference. what happens after several offenses, is there jail time? I think this is so cool.
Part of the bill reads(remember theSchoolHouse Rock things, a bill becomes a law, so this is still a bill):
It shall be unlawful for a person to engage in a course of conduct or repeatedly commit acts that alarm or seriously annoy another person and that serve no legitimate purpose.
It also states its unlawful for anyone to insult, accost, molest, or otherwise annoy a person in public. So no more calling that cashier a stupid bitch or it will cost you more than poorly bagged groceries. However, I do find a problem with the fact that they said the ordinance will be subjective and the call will be made by police officers.. BBOOO!! We all know the boys in blue are annoying as heck, they should be automatically fined at least once by default because sometimes, cops can just be downright jerks.
Has everyone heard about the proposed taxes in New York? I don’t live in New York, I do go there often, as does any person in Jersey, so I feel some of these taxes will affect us here. First let’s just say that New York is already super expensive. Just buying a simple bagel and orange juice can be about 1-2 dollars more expensive than in Jersey. Fast Food chains are expensive and let’s not even talk about the cost of drinks in the club. It is downright high way robbery. But dammit if the city is a fun place to hangout!
Well, recently Governor Paterson, who has taken post after Spitzer was removed because of his illicit call-girl activities, has proposed almost 88 new taxes to make up 18 billion dollar deficit in the New York budget. The state of NY was so reliant on funds from Wall street, but now that those execs have caused their own demise us poor folk must pay. If that isn’t the resounding theme of 2008.
Basically he wants to impose a “digitally delivered entertainment” tax which could include iTunes downloads and services like NetFlix among others. We will herein refer to this as the “iPod tax.” He also wants to tax soda and non-nutritional beverages (think beer and wine :0) or any beverage that is less than 70% juice. This will be referred to as the “obesity tax.” There used to be a tax break in NY on clothing that cost under $110, but he wants to axe that. Additionally he proposes a tax on cable and satellite TV and a Taxi tax. Wow, lots of taxes on the average New Yorker.
THere have been lots of outrage regarding these taxes, saying that he wants to nickel and dime the average person, versus taxing the people who have the money, i.e. the now derelict Wall St. execs who despite the collapse still received thousands of dollars in bonuses. I have a few things about this iPod tax and obesity tax. There have already been polls released that say that people aren’t going to download less despite being taxed more and I can’t say I blame the. With more and more things becoming increasingly expensive people need a way to entertain themselves, and buying actual cds is just kind of dated. And they don’t last as long. IF you really like a CD and you play it a lot it can get scratched and damaged fairly quickly. You can not scratch a download. I do question how will the regulate this? Can a NY’er just cross over th e tunnel and make their download at a Starbucks in Jersey to avoid the tax? this would increase transportation revenue, LOL. NO, but seriously, how will they? For some NY’ers it is very very easy to get to Jersey via the Path or the NJ transit. Granted it will cost them, but is it worth it?
Obesity tax? Harsh name, but really is this necessary. Soda and other non necessity food items are already taxed, at least in NJ so how much more are you going to do it. I read an article on the NYtimes that said that this is really a benefit to people, just like the smoking tax, because despite the health risks people won’t stop until its money involved. Hmm.. that made me think a lot about the health risks associated with drinking. The tax won’t go to diet sodas, which can be more harmful than regular soda due to the affects of that devil known as aspartame. How does he see diet soda as a necessity? Seriously? ICK. Do I think this will cause people to cut down on liquid calories? No. I think that more people will buy in bulk. It will be cheaper to buy a 12 pack and bring your own soda vs. buying a 20 oz. every day. People are not going to give up habits like that easily. I say maybe 2 % of the the NY “Coke crew” (yes I made that up, that is for people who have to have their Coke with every meal, we all know someone like that) will actually cut back on their soda drinking.
My only question is… how does this affect the cost of a Non-Fat Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks in Penn Station??
I never check my AOL mail, and when I do I get more fascinated with their news pieces than my actual email. AOL usually has the best lists, the top 25 things we never use, or the bottom lotions and why not!!! Those are all things I enjoy. So today I’m finally checking my email (lists) and they had their annual list of things we won’t see next year. So, I am highlighting a few things from that list.
What you won’t see in ‘09!
1. Traditional Polaroid Film: I didn’t know they still made this. I remember in high school I had this talking Polaroid, well my grandmother really had it, but I used to buy film and use it. Polaroid film was not cheap, but damn those cameras were huge.
2. Zima: I heard about the discontinuation of Zima a few months ago, but wow, Yeah, no Zima for you drunks out there. They really want you to drink their new Sparks Malt beverage instead. I had that crap.. it isn’t that great. What is with all the lemony-limey flavors?And, isn’t it a proven fact that its lethal to mix energy drinks and liquor (red bull & vodka)??? HHmmmm…
3. the Kinkos name: aawww, no longer will I be able to say, “Well, there’s a Kinkos down the road. I have to say, “Yeah, go use FedEx Office.” WTF boooo!!!
4. Taco Bell Volcano Taco: I actually never had this because I don’t eat beef, and sometimes when TB gets new items they don’t offer to sub chicken. However, I did think this was just a promotional item only, like the Fajita Grilled Stuft Burrito. Damn, now I want some TB, but I’m going to be a good girl.
5. Smokey Chipotle Crispy Fried Chicken @ KFC: WTF is that? I never even saw this. Was this for release only in CA or the south our something? I never even saw a commercial for this. How do you get smokey chipotle flavor to shine through the crunchy goodness of the Colonel’s Extra Crispy?
6. Lehman’s Brothers & Bear Sterns: Nothing much really needs to be said about this… except well.. no, nothing its all already been said. Blame it on the mortgages..
7. Shea Stadium: They have closed to build a new location. What will the baseball world be without Shea Stadium? I drove past it once…. it’s big.
8. AFL (Arena Football League): People watch this? Supposedly it has a die hard fan base, which caused their expenses and debts to rise. IDK, but doesn’t increased fans usually mean increased profit?
9. 25 Banks: All total this year 25 banks failed, the biggest being Washington Mutual and INDYMac.. Once again, the blame the “mortgage crisis” vs. the greedy execs. Bah Humbug!!
10. Linen’s & Things: I don’t know if many outside of Jersey are into this store, hell I barely shop there, but it does make me sad that it won’t be there for my linen needs. I am hoping to try and catch some of their “going out of business” sales for my impending move.
Those are my TOP 10.. Honorable mention in my book include
-Sharper Images stores
-Steve & Barry’s
-Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper (any missing flavor of the Doc’ isn’t good!)
-DHL in the US
-Bill Blass
Go over to AOL for the actual list because I can’t find the actual link anymore. They replaced it with ” Best Buys Right Now” See, isn’t AOL still good for something!!
Late last night, somewhere around 1 am I was going between VH1 Soul and BETJ listening to music. I usually stick to Vsoul but I had already seen this episode of the show they were airing-Soulfrodisiac, so I was flipping. And after some video went off for some whack song there was a video short for some show called HoodFAB. So, I’m watching the premise and basically some guy tests your hip-hop trivia against a hip-hop artist and if you do well, you are “hoodFAB.” It boasts itself as being America’s”brokest” game show, giving out prizes like a pack of tube socks to the winner. It’s hosted by some guy named Buttahman who should really be named buttahface. He is kinda gross looking… OK, maybe not gross but he isn’t that pleasant to look at. And serious, you are on MTV, how broke is your show?
WTF is this kind of blasphemy. First of all, why are people glorifying the use of being considered hood? I thought people didn’t want to be hood? What is this new epidemic where being hood is glorified. It’s one thing to want to be ‘tough’ but another to want to portray a lifestyle that people try get out of. And personally, I’m offended at MTV’s use of this. They even have another show called “Dances from the ‘Hood.” WTF! Hood doesn’t have a positive connotation. Are you telling me there were NO other names you could come up with for a show about hip-hop dancing? This is the description for this MTV short ” This aintcha mama’s aerobics tape. Tweetie and friends walk you through the hottest new hood shuffles.” WTF!! AINTCHA???????? Really? Yeah, do you show that after Trailer Trash Topics? Or in between Cracka Countdown?
I’m ashamed to say that these people are from the great state of New Jersey, but its true. But this just goes to show how one small state can have such a variety of people. These people should move and never come back. And as much as I don’t want to give them any more “fame” by blogging about them, this is just nonsense. I feel that people of this sort will use any opportunity to promote their agenda. In this case, they might as well just stamp on their foreheads we’re racist bigots.
Heath and Deborah Campbell have named their three children interesting names: JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, Honszlynn Hinler Campbell, and Adolf Hitler Campbell. Why? Because they are idiots who shouldn’t be allowed to raise children. OK, maybe that’s harsh but anyone who glorifies the Holocaust deserves to be forced to live in the torture that was forced among millions of people. These names are doing the kids a huge disservice, it may not seem so now, but wait until they begin to learn and read about the origins of their names from a viewpoint other than their parents. These backwoods idiots made headlines because a ShopRite supermarket refused to personalize a cake for the young Adolf’s birthday. Shoprite offered to make a cake leaving them room to make their own inscription, but the family turned that down saying they don’t understand what the fuss is about? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?? It makes me angry that they are acting oblivious, as if they don’t know the history behind the name. No matter how much you try to say that Hitler is the past and you’re son won’t be that way, it doesn’t mean people will forget the origin of the name. I would have refused them service also, citing just as Shoprite had, that it is inappropriate. Guess where they went to get it done? WALMART!!! This is why I don’t support that moral less company!
A lot of ShopRites, like the one I worked at in high school, have owners that are Jewish. I don’t know about this particular store, but I’m sure the owners are standing by their staffs decision to not decorate this cake. The fact is that, this is a family that glorifies what the Nazi party stood for. In the article they have a gallery where the man has a swastika tattoo and another on his car. He has them in every room of his goddarn house! No, its not illegal, but you can’t expect people to share and embrace this with you.. He was asked by the NJ Dept. of Child and Family services to remove the swastika from his car because it could endanger the children. Someone might see it and want to kill them. I can see why. This is more than having an interest in German history.. this is following a certain mindset. This is a case where the court should interject, like they did with the kid who’s name was like Number 7 Bus Shelter… WTF…You want you kids to have unique names? So do people who name their kids Tashadiniya and they get ridiculed and looked down as “ghetto” all the time.
I kind of feel sorry for the poor kid. He is stuck with these dumbasses as parents. I hope he learns enough to not grow up in their same mindset. I mean, they said they aren’t racist but don’t believe races should mix.. how is that NOT a racist? I mean, here are two individuals who don’t work who have three kids. WTF. These people are the reason why we are in a recession. My NJ Tax dollars are being used to feed your hate? OH NO! Hopefully they realize that no good job is going to hire someone named Aryan Nation or Adolf Hitler. It is true, names get discriminated on, it happens all the time. I think the point of the article in the Express-Times wasn’t to highlight the family but to show that the company was upholding their moral standing, which is rare sometimes. It is courageous to take a stand like they did and I applaud that.
Every month we read about thousands of jobs being lost in this crazy economy, which was recently announced as an actual recession. As if we didn’t already know. This just goes to show that the government really feels that its people are idiots. And well, some of us are.. I like to think I’m not. But I digress, pretty soon we are going to see more direct results of the job losses, like this guy in Vancouver. Benjamin David Banky, 40 was allegedly shot by Eric Allen Kirkpatrick, 61, who was recently laid off. Banky was the CEO of TallGrass Distribution LTD., a health foods company, which laid off Kirpatrick on December 11th. I’m guessing that he had worked for this company for many years and was nearing retirement, or whatever they call it in Canada, and he was let go. Hell, I’d shoot him too. Of all the employees you could have laid off, I’m the one? Right before the holidays? And I’m 61? Maybe he shouldn’t have interrupted the company Christmas party, because that does seem like he’s going to let off rounds in everyone.
I don’t agree with his violent approach to solving his unemployment problem, but I do understand his frustration. And I’m sure this won’t be the last of the tragedies that will sprout from many lost jobs. Think about this, he is 61, he probably has kids around college age or around the age where they get married. He needs his income for things like that. Not to mention retirement is approaching. He isn’t going to get 4 years of unemployment pay. So now he and his wife (assuming he’s married ) will be forced to dig into their pension plans and other savings to finance their life. They will more than likely be forced to sell their home and move into more humble dwellings.
Violence increases in times of high unemployment. I can’t cite my source, but I remember learning about this in sociology. People, down on their last resources, result to more primal reactions. I mean, think about it, most of their luxuries have been taken away. Livelihood is a thing of the past. It’s not really comforting to know that those around you are in the same boat. You begin to work harder to protect the little that you do have and scenarios arise where you’re battling someone over the last pound of sugar in the grocers aisle. These will not be easy times to get through, especially as states run out of resources to help their citizens.. and while the government continues to pour our tax dollars at failed companies and not actually back into the tax payers.
They don’t make movie posters like they used to, lol!
I went this Friday, opening night, to see Keanu Reeves star in The Day the Earth Stood Still and I can say that overall it was a decent movie. I didn’t see the original so I have nothing to compare it to, except my movie criteria as a 20 something. To sum up the movie: there was some OK acting, some good special affects, a sub par plot, and Keanu Reeves. Keanu Reeves as Klaatu was remarkably unbelievable. The concept of Klaatu that I believe he was meant to portray was an alien who was sent to Earth to judge us. Klaatu needed to make the decision of whether humans deserved to be saved or was the earth better off without us. This character should have started off detached at first, but eventually recognize the duality of the human race which leads to the outcome. (I’m trying not to spoil too much here.) However, Keanu was just blah. There is one scene where he is speaking to a fellow alien who came to earth for the same task- he highlights the internal struggle of what it is to be of this world but not of this world. He speaks of the downfalls of the human race but the says he loves them, and he doesn’t want to leave. He captured the essence of what Klaatu needed. The best special affect: GORT. Super big, super strong.. super right..
Keanu was devoid of any depth and emotion in this role. I mean, I know it is probably hard to play a distant character but his lines weren’t even delivered well and delivery is everything. This is why you get paid millions of dollars each film right? To show us how much better at this you are than someone else. Keanu is forever stuck in the role of playing the person who doesn’t really have much of an idea of what is going on very well. He plays dumb all too well.
I think my favorite Keanu Reeves film would have to be A Scanner Darkly, probably because it was animated and I didn’t have to feel like I was watching one man be stupid all over the screen. I did enjoy watching Speed every now and then, but that was because I loved Sandra Bullock. Watching them together in the LakeHouse was pure torture. I feel asleep on it-twice. I mean seriously, its hard for him to transition his stony face shots into a romance movie, which is all about dialog and drawing the viewer in. A romance movie is crap if I don’t feel for the characters. I need to feel their unrequited love so I can cry at the end. He cannot do that, therefore he isn’t one of the best cinematic actors of our time. And his voice.. it reeks of Can-a-duh!!!
Spotted this story last week, but I didn’t want to comment until a verdict had been reached. Apparently you haven’t made it until you’ve been sued by someone claiming you stole their work. The latest contestant on “Is that really yours?” was Tyler Perry. Donna West of Texas felt Perry lifted material from her play “Fantasy of a Black Woman” which was performed 3 times in 1991 in Dallas. she claims Perry could have lifted her script when he presented his plays at the Dallas Black Academy of Arts & Letters in 1998. Jurors ruled that she didn’t provide enough evidence to support her claim of copyright infringement. Perry insists that his play is an original work.
So, while I may not be a super fan of Tyler Perry and his Madea characters, I think people always want a piece of the pie. Personally, I think her claim is probably bogus. I support my view by saying, based of title alone (and we should never judge a book by its title alone, lol) they don’t sound like there could be a resemblance. Fantasy connotates a positive experience. I fantasize about my future job. Fantasies haven’t happened. Diary of a MAD black woman screams anger and frustration. She is not fantasizing about her pain, it happened or is happening. And if his play really ripped your’s off, why didn’t you start this petition before it made its way to a major motion film? Her lawsuit wasn’t filed until 2007 and the movie came out in 2005… which means the play was out since when, 2001?
And, any good copyright lawyer knows that ideas cannot be copyrighted nor can titles. Maybe, just maybe, her play had the same general idea as Perry’s. But she doesn’t own that idea. Anyone can take that idea and put th eir spin on it. That’s like saying the producers of Fresh Prince can sue Perry for House of Payne because they created the image of a well-to-do African American Family who let a relative come live with them. NO. Or Martin can sue him saying he dressed up as woman first to make people laugh. NO. Or Eddie Murphy can sue him because he played multiple characters in a film prior to him.
People need to stop being crabs in a barrel sometimes. I am all for protecting your work, and getting what is rightfully yours. But I feel this may have been invalid from what I’ve heard of it. IDK all the juicy gritty details, but who does?
Cleo Sunshine is a lover, friend, blogger, writer, journalist. I love to live life and enjoy it. I'm a Jersey girl tried & true! This blog isn't strictly news or entertainment, but its definitely opinion. Come join me & experience life under the sun w/ Cleo.
I’ve been meaning to write about Kwanzaa since the day after Christmas, but all types of holiday stuff had me too busy. I can’t say that I actually participate in Kwanzaa, but I think that people have the wrong idea of what it exactly is. Some think of it as an alternative to Christmas when its not actually so. In fact, Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday versus being a religious one. Kwanzaa was “created” in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana Studies at California State University during the Black Freedom Movement. t is celebrated December 26-January 1. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili. Its thought to reflect the communities concern for cultural grounding and the unity and self-determination associated with the movement. Kwanzaa was created to reaffirm and restore our roots in African Culture-making it a reconstruction of African Culture.
Every month we read about thousands of jobs being lost in this crazy economy, which was recently announced as an actual recession. As if we didn’t already know. This just goes to show that the government really feels that its people are idiots. And well, some of us are.. I like to think I’m not. But I digress, pretty soon we are going to see more direct results of the job losses, like this guy in Vancouver. Benjamin David Banky, 40 was allegedly shot by Eric Allen Kirkpatrick, 61, who was recently laid off. Banky was the CEO of TallGrass Distribution LTD., a health foods company, which laid off Kirpatrick on December 11th. I’m guessing that he had worked for this company for many years and was nearing retirement, or whatever they call it in Canada, and he was let go. Hell, I’d shoot him too. Of all the employees you could have laid off, I’m the one? Right before the holidays? And I’m 61? Maybe he shouldn’t have interrupted the company Christmas party, because that does seem like he’s going to let off rounds in everyone.
They don’t make movie posters like they used to, lol!
Spotted this story last week, but I didn’t want to comment until a verdict had been reached. Apparently you haven’t made it until you’ve been sued by someone claiming you stole their work. The latest contestant on “Is that really yours?” was Tyler Perry. Donna West of Texas felt Perry lifted material from her play “Fantasy of a Black Woman” which was performed 3 times in 1991 in Dallas. she claims Perry could have lifted her script when he presented his plays at the Dallas Black Academy of Arts & Letters in 1998. Jurors ruled that she didn’t provide enough evidence to support her claim of copyright infringement. Perry insists that his play is an original work.