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For decades I have had 1 pet peeve you might not have thought about. While I love sci-fi movies, I just get annoyed sometimes. Inevitably, in almost every movie, the humans wind up doing something miraculous and beat down the aliens that are almost all complete idiots.
It’s a pattern that you see in science as well as movies. If you watch Discovery Channel or some of the Science networks you’ve watched as scientists go on and on about the search for life. Yet all the lifeforms they discuss are microbes or maybe herds similar to cows. Never intelligent life. Never anything smarter than humans.
Between the reality and the fantasy the concept that we might not be the smartest things in the universe is lost. It’s fine in a movie, though sometimes it’s just over the top. Seriously, Jeff Goldblum figured out an alien language and computer system in a day on his laptop?
If an alien race can travel through space, individually or en masse, do you really think they are less intelligent than people who can’t figure out how to balance their checkbook or maintain world peace for 30 days? Obviously there is one scientist that agrees with me. Stephen Hawking.
Stephen Hawking presented his new show – Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking on the Discovery Channel – a discussion of aliens. More than speculation that mere microbes might exist somewhere in the vast universe, Hawking discusses how different life might be out there and plentiful. He also considered the thought that aliens might just be like us, with perhaps thousands if not millions of years of advanced knowledge.
It’s a chilling thought. One that makes it clear that E.T. isn’t cuddly and that supercomputers won’t be enough.
“Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonise whatever planets they can reach. – Stephen Hawking”
I love Star Trek, Farscape, and Independence Day as much as anyone. I’m a huge sci-fi nut in fact. But it’s just a peeve to hear scientists ramble on as if we are the best the universe can muster up. I’m glad to hear at least 1 mega-egghead mention the more probable reality.
That said, I’m watching my video tapes of Farscape again. John Crichton rules! Frell Scorpius.
While much of the nation will be talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates, baseball, and the 4th worst loss ever (20 – 0, the worst game for the team in 124 years), there are other things to celebrate in sports.
Given I’m not a big baseball fan. Still I did notice the score. And the stats are horrendous.
But I’m lucky. When I do pay attention to baseball I am a Yankees fan. Who grows up in the Bronx and isn’t?
So for the fans of the Pirates, those that love world records, and fans of soccer (futbol) that are waiting for the World Cup, I present the first – and likely only ever – tandem bicycle kick goal.
Pele may be the immortal image of a bicycle kick goal, but this is something you just have to watch more than once. I can’t even imagine the odds of this. Forget about seeing it happen again.
This is why Argentina is feared in the World Cup. They were the first team to play in the final World Cup round (with Uraguay, who won in 1930). They are the 4th most likely to win the World Cup based on the odds. They stand ranked 8th in the world right now. They have placed in the quarter-finals or better 7 times in the World Cup.
So am I surprised that Argentian scored this once in a century goal? Not really. The real question is if this kind of amazing will to win is what will be on display in South Africa in the 2010 World Cup. I can’t wait to find out.
It’s been 2 days since the Lane Bryant commercial aired on television. The question is will we see more ads like this, and if they will be treated like other commercials of the same nature.
If you don’t know what commercial is being referred to here it is.
Now I realize that ABC found this to be hot stuff. So hot that they would not air it on their channel at 8pm. Kids might be shocked to see a woman that looks more like their mom than a pencil in a commercial.
In polls across the net, like the one at People Magazine (94% approval), the overwhelming majority of Americans realize that this commercial is tame. The women look good, but are hardly going to send kids in to a sex crazed hysteria as you might think considering the ban that was placed on the commercial.
Honestly, we all realize that ads from PETA, and regular television programming – hell even many cartoons, are far more suggestive. Some are even outright more revealing. Case in point, the various ads and television specials of Victoria Secrets. Why ABC, and FOX, don’t get it makes no sense.
But back to the question. Will there be more television ads with real women?
I can only hope so. Sticks are fun for dogs, but women shouldn’t be a stick. In fact, virtually every woman in the world looks more like the women in the Lane Bryant commercial than the ones in the Victoria Secrets commercials. Marilyn Monroe, Betty Page, Anna Nicole Smith, and a huge selection of all-time famous celebrities all were/are what is now called plus-sized.
Look at almost all the ancient paintings, descriptions in literature, excetera. Real women have been the top of the list, except for about the last 40 years. It says something that the more modern and technological we have become the less real images of women have become.
Call it a personal opinion, but I prefer women that are real. The sticks that are models may have great personalities but none of my friends would ever bother to find out if they were next to a woman with decent curves.
So yes, I think there should be more commercials like this. But I’m a guy and this is my opinion. What do you think?
If you haven’t seen this you really should. 2 men – William Shatner and Lin Yu Chun, singing a song – Total Eclipse of the Heart – made famous by Bonnie Taylor in the 1980′s. It just boggles the mind.
When Bonnie Taylor first made Total Eclipse of the Heart a hit, it was 1983. The song was originally made for Meatloaf, but his record company refused to pay for the song. So Bonnie Taylor got it. If any man might have made it a hit, Meatloaf was the guy.
That said, William Shatner is not unknown for his musical efforts. His Transformed Man albulm from 1968 is an underground classic. It’s spoken word format is truly something that must be heard to be explained. But it’s hardly the only performance that Shatner has done.
He has performed with Elton John, Ben Folds, Henry Rollins, Joe Jackson, and others. Many were on his second album, Has Been – released in 2004.
As for Lin Yu Chun, well he is a phenom. Though I have not heard him sing a male performers song his ability to sing is unquestioned. The fact they are songs not in his native tougne is astonishing. He like many other entertainers found on foreign versions of American Idol makes the American counterparts look as talented as they really are.
So combining these disparate parts seems daunting. Almost chilling. Yet they came together in a unique way.
As has been said before, Lin Yu Chun is going to have a meteoric career. Success in America and the international scene is almost assured. But this is no one trick pony.
Still it would not be suggested to sing with Captain Kirk anymore.
I recall back in 1985 and 86 reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. It was part of an English class I had at City College in New York. The purpose was to see some of the great writing from people of color that the standard public school education never even hinted existed.
Things Fall Apart is the story of an African man, back during the early colonial days of the English invading Africa, and how he copes with the forced introduction of European democracy and Chrisitianity. It is quite a book. While I personally did not enjoy it, much to the surprise of my Professor, I did feel the power and statement of the book. If you have never heard of it, I do recommend it.
So you can imagine my surprise that a film called Things Fall Apart is in production now. Hollywood making a film starring and featuring a Black cast, with a less than positive view of Europe, colonization of Africa, and the purposive destruction of tradition and lives of people rich in culture and tradition. I’d have bet money that it would NEVER happen.
And I would win that bet.
Things Fall Apart, the film, is not a take on Chinua Achebe’s acclaimed 1958 book. The closest the film gets to any aspect of the book is the fact that African Americans are in the movie. Once you find out who is in the movie and what it’s about, you might cry since it shares the name of such a great work.
The film is about “a star football running back, played by Jackson, who faces a personal tragedy as well as his own mortality while in his senior year in college.” The Jackson mentioned is Curtis Jackson, best known as the grammatically challenging name 50 Cent.
Talk about a let down. This is another quickie low-budget film, featuring a minor D-list actor (really a glorified rapper, which is the same thing) in a role likely to do nothing but glorify violence and reinforce the misguided idea that the only chance of success for African Americans lies in sports or entertainment.
The film originally was titled Love Me, Love Me Not. I think they should have stayed with that title rather than piggy-backing on the title of a far superior work of art.
Of course I could be wrong. Curtis Jackson might have taken MANY needed acting lessons. The film could be a breakout role, showing Jackson displaying depth and pathos. And Hollywood might actually adapt Chinua Achebe’s book. In fact Iran might give up on creating nukes and the Health Care Reform might not cost us extra money. It’s all mathematically probable, which is another way of saying realistically impossible.
Look at it like this. The movie will cost around $20 to see when you add in all the costs. The DVD will likely be the same. You could buy the hardcover edition of Chinua Achebe’s book for $11. You will save $9 and have a far better time for your money. Plus if you are into the “we have to support Blacks in entertainment even if it’s crap” mindset, Achebe is African, so you are still supporting – just quality in the case of the book.
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You might have heard that 50 Cent is making a change. It seems that the bullet magnet is dropping one of his more notable marketing points in his effort to become less ‘ghettofabulous’. What might this be? His tattoos.
Now most people of my age or older got tattoos because there was a meaning for them. Each of my 4 tattoos is a symbol of an event or moment in my life. But the meanings of tattoos changed over the years and now are just a common fad, with the majority of people getting them just because it’s a popular thing to do. Curtis Jackson (50 Cent) is among that latter group.
50 Cent is removing his tattoos with laser removal to improve his chances of getting film roles. Which says 2 things clearly. The first is that the tattoos have little true meaning, which begs the question why place such a demonstrative and ideally permanent image on his body in the first place? The second is that Jackson (50 Cent) believes that the tattoos somehow interfere with his ability to act.
Personally I believe that a tattoo is a statement for life. No one should ever place something on their body that has no meaning to them. Unlike a hairstyle or clothing, a tattoo is not something that can be changed on a whim. Tattoos are not fashion but a declaration of a person in a manner that announces itself to the world – if it can be easily seen. Given that now such importance is not given to tattoos, sadly.
But as for the conflict with the acting ability of Jackson… well that is another matter. 50 Cent has stated that sleep is more important to him than the tattoos. That the time in make-up to hide the tattoos is detrimental to his film career. Likely there is also the thought that his marketability among Hollywood is higher when tattoos are not prominent.
Generally I find this to mean that 50 Cent is even more of a sell-out than ever before. If the tattoos were more than a statement of his desire to just be popular and follow a trend, then he would keep them. So it implies that he is weak willed in that respect.
His removal of the tattoos in an effort to receive monetaty gain implies his willingness to conform for a price. he is willing to enact extremes just to get a dollar. Which is not too suprising for a person willing to sell drugs for a living. Such an individual is little more than a whore for money, in my opinion, and obviously a sell-out given the chance.
But the thought I really find amusing is the thought that the tattoos in any way might influence his acting ability. One must have talent first, to have anything affect it. Thus far there is no hint of his ability to act, execpt if you include his minstrel act as acting. Therefore tattoos or not, he is rightly relegated to the standard D-class of acting that virtually all rappers-turned-actors deserve.
How good is 50 Cent acting? Well there is the upcoming film Twelve, where he has to stretch his abilities and reach to play a murdering drug dealer. Who knows if he can get into that role. Not that he has life experience there.
The film Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was so impressive Samuel Jackson stated he did not want to lend credence to what he believed was an inexperienced and unproven actor. It also promted the quote from film critic Roger Ebert,
“Like Bill Cosby, Jackson is arguing against the anti-intellectual message that success for young black males is better sought in the worlds of rap and sports than in the classroom”.
It also was a film that demanded immense acting skill, with 50 Cent playing a drug dealer that hoped to be a rapper.
All in all, lack of tattoos will not improve his lot in gaining roles. He is regarded as he should be, a drug dealer that got popular for being a minstrel. Hollywood has yet to have a reason to treat him better.
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Today the Movie Blog cited on of my posts (Tropic Thunder draws questions of racism) in a discussion of The Last Airbender and moreso the issue of race in movies. It’s a topic I have long discussed.
Now I will start off thanking Movie Blog for citing my work. It’s always pleasant to see my work valued by peers. But I believe that Darren, who wrote the post, missed my point.
Darren and I both agree that Hollywood is notorious for race lifting movies. Airbender features a cast of nearly all Whites (except for the villian). The failed Dragonball movie race lifted nearly every character to Whites. The tradition of doing this goes back decades. Even the well done Magnificent 7 is a race lift, and revisioning, of The 7 Samurai (as was A Fist Full Of Dollars to Yojimbo).
I agree that
“Seriously, when was the last time a film maker like Tyler Perry secured a budget equivalent to an equally successful director who works with Caucasian casts? Bad Boys (and yes, Bad Boys II) is the only major blockbuster I can think headline by two non-white actors.”
It’s well overdue that people of color got proper attention on the big screen and small. I particularly enjoyed that Darren pointed out the little known fact that
But I feel Darren didn’t get what I was saying when he stated
“Of course, the fact that Kirk Lazarus was a satire himself was apparently taken far too seriously by some people, who completely missed the point and took the movie as a straight example of Hollywood screwing an African American actor out of a part.“
The italicized section links directly to my post noted above.
My post, one of 2 on the movie Tropic Thunder, was not intended to address the sacrasm of Robert Downey’s character. I was discussing the hype around the issue of whether or not blackface should be used in movies today. It was also to address, less so, the issue that actors of different races supplant actors that are intended to be of a specific race. Like how Airbender and Dragonball have been.
I have long been an opponent of the standard in Hollywood that prevents people of color from taking roles, directing movies, writing, or otherwise being involved with entertainment. There is less than 10% of all positions in movies and television held by people of color. That’s in front of and behind the scenes. Based on my own attempts at random study, roughly 2% of all characters on television – on any given day, at any given hour, with all channels considered – are the combination of all people of color (which includes background characters). It’s insane if we look at the world, or even just America, in comparison.
Darren in his article also points to the potential of a Black Captain America. Why not he states in so many words. Why not indeed. Just as I asked not long ago, why not a Black Dr. Who? Or any other role for that matter.
But if an actor were to play say the Black Panther, which is in various stages of development for years now, in blackface… well that is another thing indeed. Or a Black actor playing Captain America in whiteface for that matter. Which again was the point I was addressing in the post Darren was addressing.
Overall, I think that anyone can agree that Hollywood – for all the posturing and Liberal idealism that it pontificates – is the bastion of the Ole White Boys Club. An American movie and/or television show seems nearly impossible to be made without White leading characters, and generally one person of color in a minor role. If the film happens to be sci-fi or horror, you can bet on that character getting killed first (generally in the first 15 to 30 minutes of the film).
Airbender like Dragonball before it, and untold movies to come or in the past, support a subliminal racism that is accepted en masse in America – influencing how people of color are often depicted in other nations. Sadly success of these movie and television race lifts guarantees it’s continuation in the eyes of Hollywood execs. The failure of these films is generally seen as just a film that had a limited audience. When people of color are given the rare chance to shine, it is considered a fluke (Will Smith and Denzel Washington are considered the extreme and not a norm) or denigrated to just a “successful minority film” (basically any success of Spike Lee and others).
Will The Last Airbender be a success? Possibly. But the fact that the cast has been transposed to all Whites is not part of that reason. It is an example of Hollywood screwing people of color out of work; and an insult to Americans in assuming we can’t enjoy quality entertainment without White dominated casts. This too I think that Darren and I agree on.
If you haven’t heard about it yet, you will. Star Wars will be made into a comedy series. But if that isn’t odd enough, it will be animated. Still need more? Seth Green will be one of the key minds behind the project.
If you are suddenly thinking of the Robot Chicken episodes dedicated to Star Wars, you are on the right path. Seth Green is one of the executive produicers of Robot Chicken. And George Lucas has been impressed enough with the specials that he is going to on a path touched on once, during the rarely spoken about Christmas special.
The concept is ‘what do the characters in the Star Wars universe do when not saving the universe or fighting dark forces’? The proposal is some form of hijinks, in animated colors sure to amuse any 5 year old (or more than a few smokers, in college or not).
I understand why Lucas and Green are doing this. It will make tons of money. The merchandising could be incredibly lucrative. For Seth Green it gives him a chance to be part of one of the greatest media sucesses of perhaps all time.
But as a fan of Star Wars, and mostly of the original 3 films, I’m not as enthused by the idea. I see it as more of a trend to make a profit. Kind of like how Jar-Jar was meant to draw in children, though most anyone older only wanted to see the character get killed from the moment it was introduced.
Could Star Wars make a good comedy? Will watching Boba Fett do pratfalls week after week be endearing? Could the animated Yoda become Jerry Lewis to an Animated Jedi Mater Windoo? Will we ever see Emperor Palpatine get a pie in his face? Or will it just be characters we never heard of doing things that don’t matter in a hopefully funny way?
No matter which direction is taken, I just can’t get excited. Maybe I grew up with the best part of the story (the middle 3 chapters), or I’ve read too many of the novels continuing the story. Maybe I like the characters as they were, or fear even more Jar-Jar-esque characters. But if I feel like that, and my age range is the true support of the bulk what is the Star Wars franchise, what success does this new idea have?
Do you want to see an animated Star Wars comedy? Do you think it’s a good or bad idea?
