Do I really need to explain Blackface?

It is 2013 about to be 2014 and yet we as a society can't seem to get past this race thing. Added to the fact that while we have the complete wealth of human knowledge at our finger tips with the internet, computers ands cell phones it seems we are becoming more and more ignorant. We have smart phones but dumb people. Think about how often a celebrity has said something stupid only to apologize for it later. Recently that person was Julianne Hough who decided to dress up as her favorite character from "Orange Is The New Black", an black inmate, complete with black face. What prompted this blog post was a great many people didn't see what she did was wrong. We will be looking at the history of black face and why it is offensive to African Americans.

There are two different stories that tell the beginnings of minstrel shows. Minstrel shows begin in the early 1830s in two different ways. When Thomas Rice, who was a white musician, saw a black stable hand singing as he worked, Rice came up with the idea to add music and chorus and hit the road with the show. This was the beginning of "the white-man's" minstrel show. In other areas, local African American entertainers formed musical and theatrical groups that traveled around the United States and to parts of Europe, thus beginning the formal entertainment industry. They performed “…humorous and dance-oriented, music-oriented, joke-oriented variety shows, in between other kinds of more formal theatrical acts, but over time minstrelsy became itself the entertainment”. This was the beginning of the African-American minstrel show.

The minstrel shows that were originally performed by African-Americans were a celebration of African-American music and dance. It is when whites began to dress up in tattered clothing and began rubbing burnt cork on their face that the shows eventually became offensive. Though the typical stereotype is that only Caucasians performed in blackface, African Americans were known to paint their faces to appear blacker than they really were, only perpetuating the stereotype that the blacker one was, the stupid one was as well. African Americans were originally presented in the minstrel shows as being "…stupid…comical…a frivolous character". Once minstrel shows became an entertainment item of their own, they began to have a structure and certain characteristics. The Virginia Minstrels were the first develop different characters that were much more flamboyant than previous. They introduced Mr. Bones, Mr. Tambo, the semi-circle format, and the more outrageous characters. The standard line-up included a fiddler, a "tambo" or tambourine, a banjo and bone castanets. They mixed African and European musical elements to create a truly unique musical style. This is when the art form morphed from a celebration on African-American music and dance to an ugly "peepshow" into plantation life, as if the minstrel shows would give some insight into the inner workings of the African Americans. "That's when you really get the negative characterization of blacks as the total comic fool…". It is easy to see how such shows could become offensive, as it was the only form of entertainment African-Americans were allowed to participate in.

The fact is that Black Face reminds us of a time when they were less than human. Many of the stereotypes created during this time still persist to this day. The idea that African Americans eat a lot of chicken and watermelon was created during this time. If you have ever heard someone refer to "CP" Time or "Colored-People" Time this is a reference to the idea that African Americans are always late. This was created in the minstrel shows. As a result, the genre played an important role in shaping perceptions of and prejudices about blacks generally and African Americans in particular. Some social commentators have stated that blackface provided an outlet for whites' fear of the unknown and the unfamiliar, and a socially acceptable way of expressing their feelings and fears about race and control. Writes Eric Lott in Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class, "The black mask offered a way to play with the collective fears of a degraded and threatening—and male—Other while at the same time maintaining some symbolic control over them."

One of the biggest things I have seen is people suggesting that if black face is not offensive to them then it's not offensive. If you do not belong to the offending race then it's really not up to you to say that it's offensive. Take for example the situation with the Washington Redskins football team. As a black male I didn't see an issue with the name. It's what they were always called and I never gave to thoughts about it. However if a Native American is offended by the name then who am I to tell that person to get over it? I think the biggest problem is that we never had THAT serious talk about race that this country needs. We elected Barack Obama and declared issues with race over. We got a black President so that means we no longer have race issues. Yeah that solved things. What other President had to prove he's an American and that he isn't a muslim, as if that a problem? Race is a big problem and the longer we continue to ignore it the bigger it will bite us in the ass. "Totally Biased" host W. Kamau Bell said this regarding race and the George Zimmerman murder trial:
“You need to listen to the story before you come to conclusions. The worst thing to say to a person of color is, ‘I don’t think that’s racist.’ I don’t think that’s your area. You can have an opinion but I don’t think you are the final word. That’s what’s missing, white people. You’ve got a lot of jobs” but should not have the ‘I know what’s racist’ job. I know what’s imperialism – that’s your job.”

However I am a fair man and I will make a deal with you, White America. If African Americans can move about the world for one day without being reminded that we are a minority, if African Americans can go shopping without being accused of stealing, if for one day Police Officers would be there to help us rather than keep an eye on us, if for one day the full range of black experiences could be portrayed in movie and TV, if for one day we look for lost little minority girls the way we look for lost white girls, if for one day all minorities could be treated as people instead of their skin color…I'll let you wear black face and even say the N-word.

12 Years A Slave

You are not ready for this movie. I went into this movie being prepared for it's subject matter and I still was not ready. I left the theater stunned. I remember walking home from the train station (a solid two miles from my house) just to be alone with my thoughts. Even when I got home I shuffled off to bed, short with my roommates.

12 Years A Slave is a movie based on the memoir of Solomon Northup. Solomon is a black man who is kidnapped in 1841 America and is sold into slavery. For 12 years he sees the ugly side of America. A place for freedom for everyone but those with darker skin. He witnesses the hypocrisy of god fearing people who use the bible to justify owning and brutalizing slaves. This is where the movie shows why it is Rated R. Humans are stripped of clothing and inspected like cattle. One particular scene I will never forget until the day I die will be a particularly brutal whipping scene. I remember the whipping scene in Passion of the Christ where Jesus is whipped with the metal hook thing and ribbons of his flesh are ripped off of his body. The whipping scene in this movie is 100% more brutal than that. During the scene the mixed crowd I saw this with were gasping. I am not going to spoil the movie but the actual book that the movie is based on is public domain and can be downloaded from various websites.

As of right now this is my Best Picture movie. This movie has a lot of Oscar buzz and it is definitely earned. As of right now he should get Best Actor. This movie premiered at Telluride and received universal acclaim from critics and audiences. Chiwetel Ejiofor turned in a perfect performance as Soloman Northup. Michael Fassbender is monstrous as Edwin Epps, a cruel plantation owner. The other stand out role belongs to Lupita Nyong'o, a Kenyan actress making her first North American film debut. These three should earn gold statues this March. This movie is directed by Steve McQueen and there aren't words for his work. If there is any justice in the world McQueen will also get some gold in March. The movie was written by John Ridley who also wrote Red Tails, U Turn, Three Kings and Undercover Brother. He also has written comic books for Wildstorm, an imprint of DC Comics. His TV work is equally impressive writing for Fresh Prince, Martin, Static Shock (the cartoon), Justice League (the cartoon) and Barbershop the TV series. I mention all this because it seems that Ridley has tastes equal to my own and might be what we call a black nerd.

I believe everyone should see this movie or everyone that can get into a R Rated movie. This movie will evoke some strong feelings in you regardless of race.

Fandemonium or Relax

For the past 12 hours the inter-webs have been a vast wasteland of nerds and geeks committing online Seppuku. In case you have been living in a Bat cave or under a Bat-rock(TM) it was recently revealed that Ben Affleck has been cast as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the upcoming untitled movie about Batman and Superman. This announcement has left quite a bit of people upset. One person on Twitter has threatened to come to Hollywood and punch Warner Bros in the face. Seriously what good would digging up the grave of Jack Warner and punching his corpse do? All you'll do is hurt your hand because people back then were made of sterner stuff and had iron for bones. It's why Clint Eastwood could be 100 years old and still look like he can kick your ass. Anyways here are my reasons on why I think Ben Affleck will make a good Batman.

Cast your minds back to 1988. It was a simpler time when kids played outside, gas was only .50 a gallon and you could board a plane without doing a macabre strip tease for some minimum wage rent-a-cop. It is in these pioneer days that nerds and geeks were hunted for sport. The only refuge for them was the local comic book shop. The comic book shop was to nerds what the barber shop was to black men...a place to congregate, be free and argue about something no one else gave a damn about.

One find day I ventured to my local comic book shop and was handed a clipboard with a petition on it. A man told me it was a petition to stop the new Batman movie. "They cast Michael Keaton as Batman. He's a comedian and was in Mr. Mom and Johnny Dangerously. How dare they cast him as Batman. Instead of making a dark Batman they were going to turn it into a 80's version of the 66 TV show. They even cast Jack Nicholson as Joker. That guy can't play crazy."
I took a long drag from the candy cigarette in my mouth.
"Let's see what he can do before we condemn him." I said.
The rest as we say is history. Keaton and Nicholson wowed and proved that one should never judge and actor based on past work.
Flash forward to 2007. Heath Ledger is cast as Joker in the follow up to the popular Batman Begins. Fans are in an uproar....yes they were. Brokeback Batman they said. This guy was in 10 Things I Hate About You and The Patriot. He'd never be able to be the Joker.
I once again took a drag from the same candy cigarette.
"Let's see what he can do before we condemn him."
The rest is history as he won an Oscar for the role and started an awful trend in which geeks thing geek movies can win Oscars. No Avengers should not have been nominated for Best Picture.

So why not Ben Affleck...
He was in Daredevil:
True he was in Daredevil. However he was the least of that film's problems. The biggest being the script and the director. Daredevil had/has a tonal problem. It tries to be grim and gritty until the fight scene in the playground. It shifts into a light superhero romance then shifts back into grim and gritty. One of the other problems is way too many characters. They put everything but the kitchen sink in it. It's as if they tried to shove 50 years of Daredevil in one movie.
Oh but I see you are shaking your head. Actors can only be in one comic book movie you say. Well if that is the case lets look at some awesome performances if that were true.
Don Cheadle couldn't be in Iron Man 2 and 3 because he was already in Meteor Man.
Chris Evans couldn't be Captain America because he was the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies.
We'd lose Nick Fury himself since Samuel L Jackson was in The Spirit with Avengers co star Scarlett Johansson.
Ron Perlman couldn't be Hellboy because he was in Blade II.
Natalie Portman couldn't be in Thor because she was in V for Vendetta with Captain America villain Hugo Weaving.
Liam Neeson couldn't teach Batman how to be a ninja because of Darkman.
Ian McKellan could not be Magneto because of his role in The Shadow.
James McAvoy could not play a young Xavier in X-Men:First Class because of Wanted.
Tommy Lee Jones couldn't play Colonel Phillips because he played Two-Face in Batman Forever.
and last but not least Michael Fassbender wouldn't be able to play a young Magneto because of his role in 300.

He's a crappy actor:
Seriously. He has been nominated for a Golden Globe several times for his acting in movies such as Good Will Hunting, Shakespeare in Love, Hollywoodland, The Town and Argo. So obviously to the people who judge such things he can act. Let's be honest...Batman is not that hard of a stretch to play. there are only two modes....night avenging orphan or billionaire playboy. Are we saying that he can't play a playboy??? Or are we saying he can't play a man haunted by his past, full of darkness but struggling to do what is right...pretty much his role in The Town.

He's not built enough:
OMG you guys are really gonna be this nitpick? Zack Snyder is the director of 300. Gerard Butler had to go through an intense workout for 4 months before he had the Leonidas look. His workout regiment was so universally praised that it became a workout craze. Henry Cavill went through a similar 5 month regiment to look like the Man of Steel. Reports are in that Affleck has already started his workout regiment that includes working out for two hours a day.

Let's be honest: You were gonna bitch at any one in the role not named Christian Bale.

Now for the good.
Ben Affleck has sworn off superhero movies since his role in Daredevil. Something must have changed his mind and I don't think it was the money. Affleck is mentored by George Clooney, a man who knows a thing or two about destroying Batman, snapping the necks of dreams and putting a pillow over the face of our innocence. I doubt he'd let him take the role unless something else sweetened the pot. Perhaps that sweetening of pot comes in the form of Ben directing the next batch of Batman films or even Justice League, as he was rumored to a few months ago. Ben directing these films gives WB an edge over Marvel...they have a legitimate good director. Yeah I said it.  He's a better director than Joss Whedon. When Whedon wasn't nominated for Best Director Hollywood didn't throw a collective shit storm. They did over Ben Affleck...and he has the trinkets and awards to prove it.

When all is said and done there is more to be happy about than upset. Affleck's career is on an upswing and he knows more than most what a misstep this could be. As ever I will remain optimistic about this movie because:

HE WAS THE BOMB IN PHANTOMS, YO!!!!!!

The Worst Flight Ever

Yesterday I flew back to Los Angeles after celebrating my grandmother's 95th birthday/family reunion. I flew on US Airlines. This fine airline charges $25 a bag and when and airline does that everyone thinks they can bring all their bags as carry on. I checked my one bag and stuffed all my traveling stuff in my cargo shorts pockets. I took my seat next to the window. I do this since my Navy counter terror training. Back in the days of tacking hostages they would mess with people who sit in the aisle. They are easier to get at.
That being said I am finding that in my older age the novelty of flying is wearing off. Every time I am on a plane that takes off I feel like I am playing craps with death. Stuffing my in a long metal tube, filled with jet fuel and raging travelers seems like a very horrible way to go.
As I take my window seat a family of five sits next to me...Father, Mother and three three year olds. Three little girls who will not listen to their parents....they began crying, screaming and giving me the preview of the hell flight I was about to take part in. To make this hell even more hellish we were stuck at the gate because many passengers discovered a full set of luggage doesn't fit in the overhead bins.
At this point "Parry Hotter" chimed in. He was a 8 year old british kid. I could have called him Harry Potter but I don't want to owe anybody any money.....DOH!
Parry Hotter is at that age where everything is a question. Why this ma? Why that ma? As if he was writing a thesis paper on the inner workings of an airline. I wanted to pop my headphones in but we can't have any electronic devices on.
Finally the game of luggage Tetris was finished and we were able to pull away from the gate. We begin our launch into the sky. As the front wheel lifts off the ground the three 3 year olds begin singing 'Ring Around The Rosey". However they didn't know the whole song. So as our death coffin plane lifts into the air, during the most dangerous part of the flight, the three girls begin singing the only part of the song they know.
"ASHES, ASHES, WE ALL FALL DOWN!!!!!"
Over and over again...the whole way up.
At this point I know for a fact that I am about to die. They are singing it like the little girls from Nightmare on Elm Street. People are turning around. I saw one woman with tears in her eyes. I felt like I was in Final Destination and I heard that Bob Denver song. Finally they shut their creepy devil's spawn up and we finally leveled off....at which time Parry Hotter began seeing things outside the plane. To make matters worst we had to fly near several thunderstorms.
Mommy, What happens if lightning strikes the plane?
Mommy, I smell something burning?
Mommy, Are the wings supposed to be like that?

Is there anyway I can buy a flight and be the only person on it?

So What Now...

The trial is done. The verdict was in. Are you mad? Is your blood boiling? What are you going to do about it?
No I am not talking about rioting or targeting people of opposite race?
I am talking about fixing ourselves.

The problem is we don't take responsibility for our race anymore. What will you do tomorrow? Or Monday? What will you do to take this negative and turn it into a positive? We can't change minds. We can't fix racists. We can only fix ourselves. We can't only be angry when the media tells us to be angry. We have to be angry whenever a senseless death occurs. As angry that we are now that a young black boy was killed by a Hispanic....we should be doubly mad when a young black child is murdered by another young black child. We have to respect ourselves before anyone else can respect us.
Yes black people we are in danger and it was well before this trial. Our inaction is causing our demise.
Where are the hoodie pics and marches for the children dying in Chicago?
Did we even stop what we are doing for the little girl who was killed a week after appearing in the Inauguration?
We've allowed our fight for civil rights to wither and die. We give more credit to people coming out of jail than out of college. The only thing that truly saddened me during this trial is that a young black woman will graduate from High School and probably not earn that diploma.

Unfortunately this will fall on deaf ears. I am not the only person saying these things. People smarter than me have been saying the same thing for years. You will go about your life. You will forget about this as time goes on. I am sure in the next few months the media and the 'so-called' black leadership will get you riled up about some other tragic occurrence.

We have to make a change.....What are you going to do?

LA State Of Mind

In my travels all across this globe I have come to one major decision...people in LA are freakin' nuts. Like there is an extraordinary amount of crazy people here. Oh don't get me wrong there is probably a crazy person in your town...either the town drunk, that guy with the house at the end of the street that the kids believe he is a vampire or in the case of Florida, the governor. However I was here for over a year and the crazies seem to overwhelm the sane ones.

The most common type of crazy I have met is the "Can't handle their liquor". The first person I met like this was an ex-marine going to school for film at UCLA. Very smart and very competent...until the devil's piss (alcohol) hits his lips. At this point he becomes extremely paranoid. He would accuse one of the roommates of breaking into his laptop and stealing his bank info. This started off slowly and would progress into threats of physical violence. His last day in the house occurred when he confronted a roommate who just moved into the house over breaking into his laptop.

Another roommate is was a career waiter who had a problem with liquor also. He would get liquid courage in his system and try to fight people. His final day in the house occurred after he tried to fight someone. He went back to the back house took off all his clothes and sat in the refrigerator....aka naked buttocks on people's food.....and fell asleep. I didn't believe it at first until I saw a picture. He's just sitting there with his head in his lap and spilled milk at his feet.

But not all the crazies lived with me...One day while walking along Hollywood Blvd I step into an upscale burger place and since it was a big burger I couldn't eat it all. I decided to take the rest of it home. On my way back home I see a homeless man and offer him my burger. He tells me that he is vegan and doesn't eat meat. A Vegan homeless man??? Im pretty sure hasn't had meat in a while but it's not because he's vegan. It's because he lives on the streets.

Only in LA...

Movie going or I don't care about Rotten Tomatoes

When did we stop going to the movies for fun? It seems like all we do is go to the movies and pour over ever line of dialogue, every scene and use of CGI and criticize it. Don't get me wrong if a movie is bad it should be and you should tell people its bad. However it seems as if our main objective when seeing movies is to find how many plot points and use of bad dialogue we can find.

The reason for this blog was quite simply Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones was/is the brainchild of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, two of the biggest names in Hollywood. Raiders of the Lost Ark came out of no where and gave us the serial action of yesterday for modern day audiences. Temple of Doom followed and was responsible for creating PG-13. Back in those care-free days it was just G, PG and R. After which we have Last Crusade and we thought the series ended. In 2008 Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out and the world lost it's shit.

One of the most infamous scenes is the Nuking the fridge scene. The hero, Indiana Jones survives a nuclear blast by hiding in a refrigerator and the blast carries him to safety. For most people this was the moment the series became absurd. I guess people forget about the other absurd things in the film series. Is the nuking the fridge scene any more absurd than jumping out of a plane with a life raft, inflating it and gently floating down to the ground as we saw in Temple of Doom. To be fair Spielberg didn't think the scene was possible so the two turned to scientist. The scientists stated that if the fridge was lead lined and Indy didn't break his neck he had a 50/50 chance of surviving. A 50/50 chance that works out for the hero...that sounds like every other Indiana Jones movie.

In 1978, Jaws came on the scene and quickly became the highest grossing movie of all time (until Star Wars came out) and is often cited as one of the greatest movies of all time. This movie created the summer movie season. Studios nowadays release their big budget movies during the summer months. You can thank Jaws for that. Mind you that at the very center of this movie was a completely fake looking rubber shark. People were able to overlook the shark and still have a good time at the movies. If Jaws was released to day it wouldn't have made a dime. People would criticize the fake looking shark, poor character choices "why would the mayor keep the beaches open if a man eating shark was out there?" and the fact that the story line was vastly different from the book's. Jaws was a book written by Peter Benchley....some of the plot lines written out of the movie were the mafia's involvement in keeping Amity's beaches open, the affair between Hooper and Ellen Brody and more importantly the shark dies not by explosion but by Quint stabbing it repeatedly much in the same way Ahab dies in Moby Dick.

The fact remains that many people my age feel that movies nowadays will never be as great as the movies of the 80's. Perhaps the main reason we think they are so great is because we didn't nitpick them to death.

How to make it in Hollywood or Live like you are already there.

I am fortunate to be around so many people who are trying to crack into the business, either as and actor or a dancer or on the music side of things. Being around so many people I learn the things to do and what not to do. People come into our lives to teach us things.  As a writer I excel at observing people.
One of the first lessons I have learned is that Hollywood is a living breathing entity. She is a creature composed of life and luck. How you treat Hollywood is how Hollywood treats you. Hollywood gives you a hard NO and a soft NO.
The hard NO is the producer who passes on your work or the agent who lies to you. The no answers to your query letters. These are the NO's you get just trying to get your foot in the door.
The there are the soft NO's. You don't even realize it's a NO. I had a friend who moved here to be an actor. Came here, went on auditions, got call backs and everything...then he met a girl. He fell in love and stopped doing what he came here for. That's a soft NO. When Hollywood puts life in front of you. To make it in Hollywood you must have your eye on your goal and never take your eye off of it. Hollywood wants you to make it but you have to be tested first. You have to prove that you belong where you are striving to make it to. Every famous singer, dancer, actor, director and writer has been tested by fire. Hollywood is full of the damned who didn't have that drive. They didn't have the vision to complete their mission. They couldn't visualize the life they are striving for.
It is not going to be an easy life. There is a lot of work to put in. There are a lot of sacrifices to be made.  Going out to the clubs is not an option. Going to parties is not an option. Meeting that someone is not an option. The only thing that matters is the mission.
Once you get to where you want to be the parties will be there, at a level you never partied at. Clubbing will be there with people you have seen in movies and television. Once you get to the goal meeting that someone will not be an issue.
Stay the course.
Keep fighting.
The best has yet to come...

You can do that on TV or I am not watching with you I am watching at you.

We know their names. Snookie, Paulie D, Kim Kardashian, and Honey Boo-boo. We watch their shows. We give more attention to what they do then our politicians. During last years political part conventions Honey Boo-boo’s show got more rating than the Republican Convention and tied the Democratic Convention when Former President Bill Clinton was speaking. The question I will bring up is why? Why do we give them all of our time and entertainment?

Yesterday my roommate was in control of the TV and I was subjected to a taste of MTV’s Buckwild. The show follows the nine young adults in West Virginia.  The show has been criticized for propagating negative stereotypes. MTV calls it their “Redneck Jersey Shore”. I asked him why he liked the show and you’d have thought I asked him an SAT question. As you can probably tell I don’t have a high opinion of the show but then the same goes for most reality TV.  I take that back. I don’t hate reality TV. I watch shows like The Deadliest Catch because it’s about people doing something. They make a living doing something interesting.

I just can’t get behind shows that I categorize as “Kids Behaving Badly”. I use kids to describe them because let’s be honest if you are a grown woman or man fighting and arguing on Television then you are a child. You can’t tell me that the sheer number of catty-bitch women fighting on TV hasn’t affected us. I had a friend who would do stupid things and his back up explanation was “It’s because I am an asshole”. How many young women see the examples of the “Bad Girls Club” and want to act like them? Sure continue to tell yourself TV doesn’t affect young people. Where did we get the idea to wear our pants around our knees then? Why is every young girl walking around showing her stomachs? We are impressionable beings. We build our personalities and mannerisms on our environments. I am willing to bet that there is a correlation between the upswing in bullying and reality TV. Wait what? Where’d you get that from? Oh I will feed you baby birds. Isn’t the real reason people Honey Boo-boo is to laugh at the family? Isn’t the most popular part of American idol is the auditions when people who have no business singing get in front of the judges? They have turned making fun of people into entertainment. Laugh at this person because they are poor or rednecks or ghetto. Laugh at this person because they can’t sing or dance but they think they can. We now bully people through our TV’s. We’ve turned reality TV into a nationwide game of  “Dinner for Smucks”. Be on TV, act stupid and we’ll give you money. Where is the humanity in that?

The other reason I can’t get behind reality TV is it creates false celebrities. It’s simulated celebrity. Example: Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise is famous because he starred in a bunch of movies.  What Tom Cruise does generates his celebrity. He doesn’t wake up thinking ‘What can I do to promote me?’ He wakes up and go makes a movie. The movie and his acting generate the celebrity. Now lets take a reality star: Kim Kardashian. Now I am going ask a simple question. What has she done to be famous? Take your time.  If you said the TV show. WRONG! Kim got her fake celebrity because of two jacked up things. O.J. Simpson and Ray J. You may have forgotten that her father was a lawyer in the case.  She also put out a sex tape that made the rounds on the Internet. She parlayed her porn-cred into getting a show on E network. Kim wakes up every day wondering how she can be more famous.  Don’t believe me…look at how close her marriage was to the media onslaught of the Royal Wedding and when the break up was announced. She is a fake celebrity and real Hollywood knows it. Every year a petition to allow reality TV stars to get a star on the Walk of Fame is forwarded to the people who decide who gets a star. Every year it is denied. You are a fake celebrity. This is how fake your celebrity is. They will give a star on the Walk of Fame to Godzilla, Kermit the Frog and Mickey Mouse but not one to Kim Kardashian. Mickey Mouse hasn't done anything since Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hollywood deems him more of a star than you."

Guns and Poses or Everybody shut the Fuck up and Listen

Today I want to discuss my views on the gun problem in America. However before we get into the debate we must objectively look at both sides of the argument. Now I am not going to speak on the most vocal of these groups because they don't tend to speak on what the normal person on their side is thinking. They tend to be the loudest and craziest members and I don't think it is fair to color the Pro-Gun side by the actions of Alex Jones. I don't like Piers Morgan either but the way Alex Jones acted in that video the only thing I thought to myself was "I don't think he should own a gun".

The Pro-Gun Control people do not want to take any one's guns away.

The Pro-Gun Control people do not want to take any one's guns away.

Do I need to say it again?

The Pro-Gun Control people do not want to take any one's guns away.

They feel that something must be done to prevent this epidemic of mass shootings. They are not sheep. They are not weaklings.

The Pro-Gun People have the constitutional right to own guns. They also feel something must be done to combat this epidemic of mass shootings. They feel however that we should address the cause of these shootings and not focus on the guns. They are not war-hawks nor are they people who walk around with their guns as if this is the Wild West.

These two groups are not that different which is why I named them very closely. They want the same thing but are unwilling to come to a compromise. We laugh and deride our politicians for not being able to compromise on the budget yet act like three year old when it comes to this topic.

Why are the only choices either no gun control or "They'll take all our guns"? Why not come together to make it harder for people who should not have guns get them? Shouldn't we do something or anything to prevent the violent death of at least one child?

If I was in charge and it was up to me I would put in place tougher background checks and a mandatory psychological evaluation. Then just like having to renew your driver's license every few years a person would be required to keep a current psychological evaluation on record. This would prevent a sane person from going crazy while owning a fire arm. Sounds like a lot of work doesn't it?

To prevent it taking forever for a law abiding citizen getting a fire arm I would create a DMV-type organization to centralize gun permits and psychological evaluations. This would prevent someone from being denied in one state to obtain one in another. I know someone people freaked out when I said a DMV type place but I think it's the only organization that is close to the idea I have. However look at what else we did. Not only did we make a real answer to both sides but we just created jobs. I am a job creator and I didn't even know it. The California DMV employs 9,000 people. All things being equal we are about to drop 450,000 jobs on the economy. That's if we don't up the amount of people we'd need to do all the work (and we'd probably have to). On top of that we are helping the Mental Health community identify people who potentially need help. Did I just solve three problems at once? More people would be needed in the Mental Health community which means more jobs.

Now this is just me throwing things out there and brainstorming but I think on the surface both sides could get behind this. I didn't bring this up to toot my own horn or start myself down the long road to government (Alfred Green 2016) but to illustrate that a reasonable answer can be reached if we drop our animosity and work together. If we don't do something now the next one is going to be worst than Sandy Hook. No one wants that. 

My Oscar Picks or Nobody Does it Better

Its award season where the celebrities get dressed up and give each other handies while we watch. Of course I am being super hipster in that I am talking down the Oscars while aspiring to get my grubby little hands on one of those golden statues. So now that I have done the required celeb-loathing its time to get on with it.

Best Actor:
Bradley Cooper for "Silver Linings Playbook"
Daniel Day Lewis for "Lincoln"
Hugh Jackman for "Les Miserables"
Joaquin Phoenix for "The Master"
Denzel Washington for "Flight"

I believe this category comes down to Daniel Day Lewis and Denzel Washington. Sorry Bradley you were in the Hangover II and Hugh Jackman will always be Wolverine to me. I will never vote for Joaquin for what he did to Maximus in "Gladiator". In all seriousness I think this will go to Daniel Day Lewis. He wasn't playing Lincoln he was Lincoln. I loved Denzel in "Flight" and will probably pull a John Madden and take a bus where ever I go from now on but I think DDL did a better job.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

*   Alan Arkin in "Argo"
*   Robert De Niro in "Silver Linings Playbook"
*   Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Master"
*   Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln"
*   Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained"

I was supremely disappointed that John Goodman didn't get a nomination for his role in Argo or Flight. That being said I think this Oscar comes down to Alan Arkin and Robert De Niro. My money is on De Niro because he was in the Godfather and you do not go against the family.

Performance by an actress in a leading role

*   Jessica Chastain in "Zero Dark Thirty"
*   Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook"
*   Emmanuelle Riva in "Amour"
*   Quvenzhane Wallis in "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
*   Naomi Watts in "The Impossible"

I have no dog in this race having only seen "Zero Dark Thirty". However I am rooting for nine year old Quvenzhane Wallis. I think this will be one of those wins where the Academy tries to prove they are advanced and enlighten by giving the Oscar to a young black girl...but thats just me.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

*   Amy Adams in "The Master"
*   Sally Field in "Lincoln"
*   Anne Hathaway in "Les Miserables"
*   Helen Hunt in "The Sessions"
*   Jacki Weaver in "Silver Linings Playbook"

I really liked Sally Field for this and thought she did an amazing job in Lincoln so she is my pick for the Oscar.

Best animated feature film of the year

*   "Brave," Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
*   "Frankenweenie," Tim Burton
*   "ParaNorman," Sam Fell and Chris Butler
*   "The Pirates! Band of Misfits," Peter Lord
*   "Wreck-It Ralph," Rich Moore

I like Wreck-It-Ralph in this race. I think this was the first non-Pixar film that captured the magic of Pixar, which I think they lost on Brave. I liked Brave but it didn't seem like a Pixar film. It makes sense that Wreck-It would feel like a Pixar film since the Pixar guys aided in the making of the film.

Achievement in cinematography

*   "Anna Karenina," Seamus McGarvey
*   "Django Unchained," Robert Richardson
*   "Life of Pi," Claudio Miranda
*   "Lincoln," Janusz Kaminski
*   "Skyfall," Roger Deakins

I believe this Oscar comes down to Lincoln and Skyfall. Roger Deakins did an amazing job on Skyfall. I give this Oscar to Skyfall.

Achievement in directing

*   "Amour," Michael Haneke
*   "Beasts of the Southern Wild," Benh Zeitlin
*   "Life of Pi," Ang Lee
*   "Lincoln," Steven Spielberg
*   "Silver Linings Playbook," David O. Russell

No competition this is Mr. Spielberg's to win. He took a movie about a political debate and made it exciting. It is a testament to Spielberg's skill that I was able to sit in a movie theater in 2012 and wonder if the slaves were going to be freed...or a failure of the American school system. Had they nominated Ben Affleck or Kathryn Bigelow I would say he has some competition. 

Best motion picture of the year

*   "Amour" (nominees to be determined)
*   "Argo," Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, producers
*   "Beasts of the Southern Wild," Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald, producers
*   "Django Unchained," Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone, producers
*   "Les Miserables," Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh, producers
*   "Life of Pi," Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark, producers
*   "Lincoln," Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, producers
*   "Silver Linings Playbook," Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon, producers
*   "Zero Dark Thirty," Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison, producers

Ah this is the big daddy of the awards. I really liked Argo, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty. I enjoyed Django but I didn't see anything that was Best Picture worthy in it. I think this is Lincoln's movie to win. 

Hypocrisy of the N-Word or What did you call me?

Hypocrisy of the N-word

Or

What did you call me?

A few weeks ago Spike Lee mentioned in an interview that he would not see Django Unchained, the latest movie from director Quentin Tarantino.  "I cant speak on it 'cause I'm not gonna see it. All I'm going to say is that it's disrespectful to my ancestors. That's just me...I'm not speaking on behalf of anybody else”. Spike attributes his views on the films subject matter. That slavery era films shouldn’t be boiled down to an action/revenge flick.  The most damning thing detractors point to is the over 100+ uses of the N-Word in the film.

And it is all bullshit.

How dare we get mad because this movie uses the N-word over 100 times yet we remain silent on the fact that our music is drenched in the word? 100 times is mild for a rap song. Maybe if QT put a rhythm track behind the N-words no one would blink twice. Or maybe Spike Lee should shut the hell up since no one was counting the N-words in “School Daze”. Therein lies the problem. We have this “I can do it but you can’t mentality”.  It’s offensive if QT tries to say something about race but no one bats an eye when Dave Chappelle does it.

I hate the N-word. I don’ use it. It doesn’t come up in my usual speech patterns. The only way Dr. King’s dream of an equal world is by making it true in our hearts. The government can’t make equality happen. Only through our actions can ‘little black boys and girls hold hands with little white boys and girls as brothers and sisters’. As such I don’t see a person by their race. I see the individual.  I am a firm believer that a lot of our social problems can be solved by the golden rule: “Treat other how you want to be treated”. This belief I have does not coexist with using the N-word.

The only real solution to this is to drop the N-Word altogether. No one use it. It doesn’t take the power of the word away as we can see. The only way to take the power of the N-word away is by stop using the word and letting it die away.  Think about the other euphemisms that no longer are used. They lost their power because people stopped using them. 

Richard Pryor used the N-Word in his stand up acts like fish drink water. After a trip to Africa Pryor vowed to stop using the word. 

The black community has a lot of problems and one of the first things we can do is to start respecting each other. Lets drop the N-word and move into the 21st century.

Oh and Spike Lee. He isn’t angry about the N-word. There’s another word he is angry about and it’s the R-word: Relevance.