Random thoughts....

I just had some random thoughts I'd like to share:

I watched the film Penelope with the good doctor a while back and I thought it was pretty cute, but remember when Christina Ricci and Reese Witherspoon used to be edgy?

I know Jenna Malone took the emo girl roles from Ricci, but where is she at now? (and Gabby Hoffman and Anna Chlumsky?) And Reese used to do stuff like Freeway, SFW and Election and now she does Sweet Home Alabama. I like Rom-Coms if they're done right and I LOVE the first Legally Blonde, but I just wish she'd go back to stuff like that.

Speaking of rom-coms, I need Kate Hudson and JLo to stop making them. Hudson is funny, but she needs someone else to pick her scripts, and JLo is funny sometimes, but not rom-com cutesy funny that's why most of them don't work. She's actually more edgy sarcastic funny that's why she was good in Out of Sight. Let Jules and Sandra stick to rom-coms, it's a reason they're the queens.

Also, I feel like Vivica Fox should have her own show on a cable network where she can look fierce and wear power suits. Glenn Close, Holly Hunter and Kyra Sedgwick have all done it and I think that would be a perfect platform for somebody like Vivica who's spunky, sexy and likeable, but doesn't always get to show her range. It would have been cool like 10 years ago if she had remade some of the Pam Grier blaxploitation films like Coffy or Foxy Brown w/ Tarantino, but now it's probably too late and I can't think of another actress with range that's stacked like her.

I wish Neil LeBute would write something really great for Paul Rudd and Julia Roberts to star in together. He writes edgy black comedies and I think they'd be perfect together for some reason, but just not a stupid rom-com. And also after Eat, Pray, Love I hope that we can see more Jules.

I want Ang Lee to do a film that reminds me why I loved him so much in the first place. Crouching Tiger was almost ten years ago and everything since then has left me feeling underwhelmed (Yes, Heath was a revelation in Brokeback but overall I thought he handled gay love better in The Wedding Party).

And speaking of Brokeback, why the hell is Jake Gyllenhall in this stupid Prince of Persia piece of crap? What happened to the Donnie Darko days of old? He needs to take note from Joseph Gordon-Levitt on how to be the handsome nerd that made him famous in the first place.

Where's Lela Rachon? And Chris Tucker? And Lorenz Tate?

Confession: I love Glee, but I don't think it can maintain its charm for more than 3 seasons, but a Glee movie might be really good if it's done right.

I love MJB and she’s one of the most consistent artists in music right now. Outside of the misstep that was Love & Life (which still had some good tracks), she is pretty reliable, but I wish she’d do another album like MARY. Color on the current album (but criminally wasn’t nominated for it’s inclusion in Precious) gave a hint of that stripped down soul that she is more than capable of giving us and I’d love to see her do something with Amy Winehouse and/or Mark Ronson.

PS. I’d love it if Janet would do something similar. She isn’t a soul belter like MJB, but she does have that Diana Ross coo (the Janet album has two Supremes samples) and her brothers are Motown royalty so she could do some covers or something like a Back to Black lite. Listen to Because of Love and I Want You and Whoops Now to know what I mean.

Tops in 2008

So okay, I know it's been forever since I've blogged. I will try to be more frequent in 2009. I hope everyone's holidays were good and that you will all thrive in the new year. Here are my year end lists that I like to do every January. The films and albums are not in order. I just listed my favorites in each category. Please comment and make suggestions....



Top Albums

Vampire Weekend-Vampire Weekend
Discipline- Janet Jackson
19- Adele
Shine- Estelle
Partie Traumatic- Black Kids
The Bake Sale-Cool Kids
The Renaissance- Q-Tip
New Amerykah- Erykah Badu
Paper Trail- T.I.
Oracular Spectacular- MGMT

Honorable Mentions: Growing Pains- Mary J., Santogold-Santogold, Rockferry-Duffy, Sam Sparro- Sam Sparro, Feed the Animals- Girl Talk




Top Singles

Feedback- Janet
Live Your Life- T.I. f/ Rhianna
Mercy- Duffy
Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)- Beyonce
Swagga Like Us- T.I., Jay-Z, Kanye West & Lil’ Wayne
Time to Pretend- MGMT
Black & Gold- Sam Sparro
Paper Planes- M.I.A.
American Boy- Estelle
Shut Up and Let Me Go- Ting Tings
Viva La Vida- Coldplay
Bleeding Love- Leona Lewis
I Kissed a Girl- Katy Perry
Don’t Stop the Music- Rhianna
Honey- Erykah Badu
Jockin’ Jay-Z- Jay-Z
I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend….- Black Kids
A-Punk- Vampire Weekend
Chasing Pavements- Adele
Just Fine- Mary J. Blige



Top Performances (Non-Film)

Janet Jackson_ Rock Witchu Tour @ Staples
Spring Awakening @ The Ahmanson Theatre
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin_ SNL (& as Liz Lemon on 30 Rock)
Kristi Yamaguchi_ Dancing with the Stars
Estelle/Gym Class Heroes/ The Roots @ The Palladium
Santogold/Alice Smith/Ting Tings @ The Wiltern



Breakouts

Brandon T. Jackson_ Tropic Thunder
Dev Patel_ Slumdog Millionaire (And all the child actors in the film)
Haaz Sleiman_ The Visitor
Elizabeth Banks_ Zack & Miri, W., Role Models
David Kross_ The Reader




Top Films

Tell No One
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Tropic Thunder
Rachel Getting Married
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
The Visitor
A Christmas Tale
The Wrestler
Revolutionary Road



Top Performances (Film)

Lead Actress

Kate Winslet_ Revolutionary Road/The Reader
Meryl Streep_ Doubt
Elizabeth Banks_ Zack & Miri…

Lead Actor

Sean Penn_ Milk
Mickey Rourke_ The Wrestler
Josh Brolin_ W.
Richard Jenkins_ The Visitor
Francois Cluzet_ Tell No One
Leo DiCaprio_ Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actress

Viola Davis_ Doubt
Amy Adams_ Doubt
Taraji P. Henson_ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Rosemarie DeWitt_ Rachel Getting Married
Marisa Tomei_ The Wrestle
Penelope Cruz_ Vicky Christina Barcelona

Supporting Actor

Bill Irwin_ Rachel Getting Married
Heath Ledger_ The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon_ Revolutionary Road
Justin Long_ Zack & Miri…
Josh Brolin_ Milk
Madhur Mittal_ Slumdog Millionaire

Catching Up.....

So okay, I know I'm WAY overdue for a blog but my life just has not permitted me to think in the last few weeks, let alone write anything down that wasn't for school. I had to write two papers, a bunch of reading and I have to create a reality show and pitch it to my Media Arts class. And that was all just this week!

Several things have happened that I felt the need to comment on, but I've honestly forgotten about most of them. This is probably because they weren't all that important in the first place. Here are some highlights from what I remember:

Marcia Brady (I always forget her real name) wrote an autobiography about her life and I saw an interview she did discussing the book. I think she mentioned Syphilis more than Joe the Plumber was mentioned during the debate. Turns out her fear of going crazy in a mental institution from the disease (like her grandmother) was greater than her fear of becoming a C-list celeb country singer. Maybe she should've done Dancing With The Stars.

Speaking of which, I really feel robbed on DWTS this season because Maks came back but then was quickly removed due to the untimely injury of Misty-May Treanor. Couldn't they have gotten Kerry her volleyball partner to fill in for her? We already had one Maks-free season and now I feel like he was just a teaser to get me hooked again this season (which I am so I guess it worked. But still!). Also, what's the deal with Toni Braxton getting voted off! They were super hard on her West Coast Swing in my opinion. I thought that was her breakthrough and the shitted all over it! And Carrie-Ann is all like "Don't worry about your breakthrough, it'll come." Well not now thanks to your crappy scores!! But what was worse was how highly they praised Warren Sapp's dance and then basically gave him the same stupid score!! I think the judges have been smoking cheaper crack this season so poo on them!

As for America's Next Top Model. I am at the point in this cycle where I am just watching out of habit. I DVR'd the Wednesday show but I have yet to watch it. I know that Jocelyn got voted off and I'm not surprised. I also don't understand how Amsterdam is a fashionable place but I guess they can try to look fierce while smoking some legal weed or something...

I saw the bizzaro finale of the Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency, immediately followed by the reunion episode hosted by Janice herself. I guess the budget didn't allow for a host. They must've spent all of the host money on the lie-detector they brought in specifically to find out if Kehoe was gay. Yawn. Now I know why people like Flavor of Love reunion shows when people fight. She's moving to New York to start a new high fashion division or something. I just hope next season features more Gavyn, who is so impossibly adorable I almost can't take it.

Oh and finally, for everyone concerned about my legal troubles. I have to tell you that I spent a really long and pointless day in court, just to end up paying the stupid $10 I paid in the first f#cking place!

By the way the pics should have been placed near the segments referring to them but I think you all will be able to see who is who.

Vote Obama!! And Californians vote No on Prop 8. I'm already picking out a suit!

Paul Newman

I'm so distraught right now and I wish I could say something really moving and eloquent about life and how this man was an example of class and integrity, but there are no words right now. Rest in peace.........

Paul Newman

1925-2008

Thanks

So okay, this blog is to thank the people that responded to my previous blogs. I'm still learning how to use the site and can't figure out how to thank you properly on your blogs but this has more to do with my lack of focus and sleep and general burnt-outedness (It could be a word!!) and not my lack of PC savvy.......but it's a bit of that too. I learned from Clever Girl Goes Blog that I can copyright this too which is cool but I'll have to look into that on a day where I'm more alert and capable of understanding legal jargon (which is usually on the 3rd Wednesday of every month). And coming soon will be my blog about the awesomeness that is Janet Jackson live in concert!! Thanks again all two of you for reading this. Tell your friends. In fact, tell your friends that it's better than it really is, what's a lie between friends?

mQs

Oh the Bureaucracy!!

So okay, outside of my semi-secret attraction to a man in uniform, I hate cops. I'm black so I guess I don't really have to explain that. I'm always being followed, but not really. I get them slowing down and driving 25mph when they're right next to me so I can feel like I'm speeding when I'm doing the speed limit. Or they're in the turning lane next to me but suddenly they have a change of course and they're behind me. And I'm never going anywhere near a doughnut shop. I've been stopped twice for jay walking (!!), and once the light was green but the hand was red according to the assho...er, officer. Another time I was pulled over for having an airfreshener hanging from my rearview mirror. Apparently this is illegal, (who knew? obviously not anyone from El Salvador or Mexico that has flags and rosaries hanging from their mirrors but I will have to get to the oppression of my brown brothers in another blog......probably closer to the election).



Magically, none of these encounters resulted in a ticket. That, I should have known, was not going to last. Of course, one day I'm minding my business driving down Burbank Blvd, (this street may be bad luck since I was about to turn onto this street when I was flagged down by Vanessa and Monique. see: the Bamboozled blog). I'm never speeding, I don't have a red car or anything that makes me standout other than my chocolately exterior that the Po-Po's (and older white men) seem to love. This time, it's my lack of a front license plate that caught their eye. Since, there was none there when I got the car from the dealer I didn't think this was a big deal, and really it's not.



They ask me through that creepy megaphone thing that sounds like Stephen Hawking as the Terminator to pull over to the right. I get over and stop the car and wonder what they could possibly want now. I knew that I was doing the speed limit and that my air freshner was tucked behind my garage door opener on the sun visor staining the beige interior with the blue dye and new car smell so I couldn't think of any other reason that they had to pull me over other than to beat me Rodney King-style. Honestly, I think they were hoping that I would be really difficult and pissed off so they could have that opportunity. When Cop1 walks up to the car he just stood there and didn't say anything so I asked if he wanted me to get out or something.



Cop1: "Are you used to getting out?"



Me (internally): "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I'm not used to getting pulled over mutha fucka!"

Me (externally): "No."



Cop1: "We'll just have you turn off the car so you don't try to go anywhere."



Me (internally): "Are you fucking kidding me?"



Me (externally): Silence





So after he insults me and treats me like a hardened criminal, (they hate that I have no priors or warrants), he asked for license, insurance and registration. Which I had, but got frustrated when I couldn't find my current insurance. I knew that he could check that it was current when he ran the registration but that wouldn't necessarily keep him from beating me. I wasn't really panicked, but he must've sensed something because he kept telling me to calm down even though I didn't really get excited or show any outward signs of anxiousness. Actually, I think he was covering his bases so when they beat me down he could say that I was hysterical and he had to keep me from resisting.



Ultimately, everything seemed fine. He told me I needed the front plate. The ticket was only a $25 fix it ticket and it would be reduced to $10 if I went to the DMV for the new plate and had them sign off on it. A week or so later I had done this (I'll spare you the details of having to go to the hardware store and get screws to actually afix it to the car since having it in the window wasn't good enough). I made a copy of the ticket and sent it in with the $10 check to the court house and that was that..............or so I thought.



A couple of weeks later I get the ticket and the check back in the mail with a letter stating that it wasn't in the system yet and that the officer had one year to enter it in so there was a number to call to check on it. Periodically. Throughout the year. Are they kidding?



From my understanding the only thing I'd have to do was find out when the ticket was entered and re-send the check, but I knew that this scheme was designed to have me forget and end up having to pay the whole $25 or something nefarious and bureaucratic like that. And I was right. But I had greatly underestimated how low down the system really is.



Fast forward to yesterday (which was Friday). I had taken the day off of work because I was expecting an out of town guest. The plans fell through but I kept the day off because, just two weeks ago I was robbed and my wallet was stolen. I thought I'll use this day to get my new driver's license and run some errands since I have class and a concert on Saturday. I go to the DMV before it opens to make sure my trip is short and to the point. Unlike, most people my trips to the DMV are usually pretty painless so I was completely knocked on my ass when the lady in window 11 told me that there was a "Failure To Appear" on my record and she couldn't give me an new license until it was cleared.



I couldn't imagine where I had failed to appear, but quickly the stupid $10 ticket from a few months ago came to mind. So then it was off to the court house to find out what sort of clusterfuck the $10 ticket had caused. Luckily, I keep an ID separate from my Driver's license and I had that with me because I went straight there without going home to get the ticket and the check they sent back. The court house lady (this time at window 5), told me that I had a choice. I could pay $460 (!!!!), or I could go before the judge. I thought that I must've been hallucinating. I asked her if she was sure she had the price right, and reminded her this was a $10 ticket. At the most I thought they'd ask for the whole $25. I can't imagine what kind of new math they did to come up with that amount. Needless to say, I have a court date in October and I hope my judge is an older white (preferrably gay) male. I'm not afraid to use my chocolately masculine wiles to get my fee reduced.

Bamboozled......

So okay, sometimes I think that my brain doesn't send messages to the rest of my body quickly enough for me to realize I'm doing something stupid, so I end up in the middle of a stupid situation before I come up with a good plan for getting out of it. This would be okay if I could act on said plan in a timely fashion, but usually the best plan is avoid the situation in the first place.

Recently I ended up in one of these situations trying to be a good and helpful Samaritan. I'm in my car pulling up to an intersection, minding my business when I see two distressed looking girls trying to wave me down. At first I assumed it was a case of mistaken identity and they thought I was someone they knew or maybe they just needed directions, but deep down I knew that look. It was the 'can you help me?' look. But by 'help' they didn't mean information. I knew they would be asking for a ride and/or money and a normal person under these circumstances would roll up the window (or they would already be up and the AC would be on since it was like 90 degrees) and not make eye contact. I, as you may be coming to realize, am not normal.

Even though my instincts told me that these girls were not to be completely trusted I still acknowledged them and asked what was wrong. The first girl, who I'll just call Vanessa (since that's the name she gave me and it's probably not her real name!), tells me that they are waiting for some money to be wired to them through Western Union, but the one they're at is having machine trouble. The sob story was that they needed diapers and formula for their 3-4 kids (I can't remember and they're probably not real either) that are at home with their mother (oh yeah they're allegedly sisters too). So would I be so kind as to drop them off... Oh no I take that back, not drop them off, take them to the nearest Western Union and then bring them back there because it's near the house, and of course I have time for this. Technically I did. I was on my way to class but I was going early to sit in on an earlier class that I wasn't actually taking (another story for another blog). Anyway, all I really wanted was to get a smoothie before class. It was SO hot and I just wanted something fresh, fruity and delicious to quench my thirst. This was to be postponed for quite some time...

So Vanessa and Monique (the alleged sister), get into my car and thank me profusely for helping them out. Vanessa, who probably is a lot cuter when she isn't in sweats and looking stressed out (and trying to hustle innocent students), turns to ask me if I believe in psychics. She caught me off guard because at that point I was scanning the car for any valuables that might be easily accessible. Luckily there were none. The only thing sitting in the cup holder was my sour apple hand sanitizer (of which she did partake), my phone was in my pocket, and my school bag was in the back with Monique, but I doubted that she would need any paper or text books. When she asked the question I thought that she was going to tell me that it was fate that I picked her up, or that she felt I had a positive aura or something and I was prepared to not laugh at this. What I was not prepared for was for her to tell me that she was in fact a psychic and she could read my palm for the bargain price of $20. Before I had the chance to give her my "bitch-are-you-serious-I'm-giving-you-a-goddamn-ride"face she quickly rescinded her charge and said "Or, I could give you a free one once you bring us back." Thanks.

Next I drop them off at a Western Union spot a couple of blocks away and I tell her I have to get gas (which I was in desperate need of and should have been the reason I never picked them up in the first place. Damned hindsight!!). I assured her that I would be right back to get them and take them back to where I found them. A normal person would have been lying at this point, jumping at the opportunity to rid themselves these girls and considering the fact that Monique had a plastic shopping bag that contained something that looked suspiciously like Pull-Ups. But I'm not that person.

I went to a gas station a block a way and was annoyed to find that it was jam packed. It was Saturday and barely after noon so I couldn't understand where all these people had come from already, so instead of waiting in a line that would have either had me sitting in the street or in the way of everyone trying to get in or out, I decided to just leave. There was no line at Western Union so I figured they'd be done already anyway.

When I pull in the parking lot of the Western Union. I see Vanessa on her cell still wearing the same pained look she had when she flagged me down, and Monique is talking to (harassing?) a slightly frightened looking woman trying to go to the adjacent doughnut shop. So Vanessa hangs up the phone and tells me that, wait for it....................the money's not there! You think she would've saw that coming.

She motions for Monique to give up on her other victim and get in the car, then explains that she was just talking to Monique's babydaddy who was supposed to send the money and claims that he did send it but he's a big fat liar. I could've taken this moment to second guess Vanessa's psychic abilities and explain that she might've saved us all a lot of time (and gas!) had she checked this at the first Western Union, and maybe I should've because she would have felt bad and refrained from asking me for money. Alas, I didn't and she did. Fortunately, I had just had my wallet stolen the week prior (yet another story for another blog) and I was more guarded than usual in this area. Plus all I had was two fives and one was definitely for my smoothie, and I'm pretty sure she couldn't get any diapers for five dollars. I turned her down and decided not to add insult to injury by asking for my free palm reading.

In retrospect, I think not asking for the reading was actually a mistake. I think that there was never any money at Western Union and she knew it. She just wanted to impose on my kindness and she sensed that I was stupid enough to give her a ride and feel sorry for her and possibly give her some money or at least lead her to a new batch of suckers that she and her 'sister' could prey on. Her abilities were probably sharper than I gave her credit for. She tried to make some observations about me from just looking at me ("That's a fake smile. You're not really happy." Duh!), but I wouldn't take off my sunglasses. Maybe if I would've she could've told me if a relationship will come out of the situation I'm in now, or if I'm gonna do well on my Environmental Science test. But then again, the free offer was probably null and void since she the only money she was really expecting was from me, and all I had was two fives.