10 Sides Of The Same Coin

Writer Annalee Newitz gives an interesting take on The Dark Knight, which is, in my opinion, one of the best superhero flicks of all-time. She basically breaks down ten different messages you can take away from the film. Here's one of them.

2. Sometimes we need to believe in a lie.



Dark Knight ends with Batman taking responsibility for the crimes Harvey Dent committed when he became Two-Face. Batman decides that Gotham City needs a "hero with a face" more than the truth. It needs Harvey Dent to remain pure, and for Batman to become a tarnished hero. Partly, he reasons, the city needs this because vigilante justice is not justice (see 1). But partly it's because people need hope more than truth. Whether or not you agree with his assertion, it makes for an interesting philosophical debate.

Read the rest here (and you haven't seen Dark Knight, run down to your nearest video store and/or gas station and get a copy immediately!)

Required Gay Viewing: But I'm A Cheerleader

For anyone who's more than a little skeptical (*raises hand*) of the effectiveness of "ex-gay" therapy, But I'm A Cheerleader is the movie night pick for you. A funny-as-hell satire of reparative therapy and gender norms, Cheerleader stars Natasha Lyonne(a.k.a Tara Reid's friend in American Pie) as Megan Bloomfield, an otherwise happy 17-year-old girl who loves cheerleading and has a football-player boyfriend named Jared. But she doesn't like kissing him. And is a vegan. And listens to Melissa Etheridge. Oh no! Soon enough her family suspects she's a lesbian and with the help of ex-gay Mike (RuPaul) ship her off to True Directions, an ex-gay camp run by Mary Brown and her raging queen of a son Rock, to "cure" her of her lesbianism.

Needless to say, hilarity ensues. The campers undergo ridiculous exercises like chopping wood (I could turn a pun out of that but will resist:), working on cars, cooking, cleaning and changing diapers in an attempt to "reclaim" their gender identity, picket ex-ex-gays who left the camp, and awkward but sweet teenage romances. The look of the film, particularly the camp scenes, are also an artful attraction, with the intense blue and hot pink colors and Mary Brown's overly manicured home, replete with plastic plants, driving the point home of how fake the world of True Directions truly is. True, the movie's message is pretty obvious and little heavy-handed, but it's fun and enjoyable nonetheless.

Some of my favorite lines (most of them are from Andre lol).

Andre(when asked what is the "root" of his gayness): "Shit Miss Mary, I ain't the only that don't got no root!

Andre: "She's just upset 'cause the fish on her plate is the only kind she can eat."

Andre: "Congratulations! Liars! You know who you are and you know who you want! Ain't nobody gonna change that...Sheeit!"

"We are here! We're not queer! We're not going anywhere!"

"Wow. You are so good at being straight."

"You wanna like dick? You better start training yourself."

Watch below.


But I'm a cheerleader p1 by rachoute


But I'm a cheerleader p2 by rachoute


But I'm a cheerleader p3 by rachoute


But I'm a cheerleader p4 by rachoute


But I'm a cheerleader p5 by rachoute

I'm Not A Hater I Just Think A Lot: On Tyler Perry And Spike Lee

This gurl has cracked. During an interview with Hip Hollywood, Tyler Perry played a Madea voice clip that said "I will punch the hell out of you, say something else!" and dedicated it to Spike Lee, who hasn't been shy about his criticism of Perry's films. Perry then went on to say that black people are the only ones who exhibit a crab mentality when dealing with their own, citing Langston Hughes' critique of Zora Neal Hurston. Watch below.



Italians didn't have a problem with The Sopranos? Don't tell that to the National Italian-American Foundation, who protested the show back in its heyday. "Our goal is to get 'The Sopranos' off the air," chairman Frank Guarini said in a 1999 New York Daily News article. "'The Sopranos' is a terrible stereotyping and unfair portrayal of Italian-American families."  And I guess the the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) missed that memo as well, since they called the show "an unreal picture of the Italian-American family," that was damaging to the self-image of Italian American children.

As for Jews protesting Seinfield? Why would they? Granted I've never been crazy about the show, but the few episodes I have seen contain nothing that could be deemed worthy of organized protests. What's really the issue is the fact that unlike the two aforementioned series, Meet The Browns and House Of Payne, are simply not funny or particularly creative. They are basically Perry's stage plays translated into a sitcom format, and without the option for improvisation or audience participation, they come across as excruiatingly dull.

Perry has countered claims that his work plays off stereotypes by explaining that characters like Madea, Mr. Brown and Joe are tools to draw people into his work so they can hear messages about faith, love and forgiveness. While they may have started out that way, what Madea, Mr. Brown and other characters have really become is a crutch, caricatures used as a smoke screen to distract the audience's attention from plotlines that are often trite, cliche and pedantic. And while I (and most people) have probably encountered my share of Madeas and Mr. Browns in real-life, showing the same one-dimesional portrayal over and over again implies artistic laziness on Tyler Perry's part.

The nearly dozen films he's made usually fall between entertaining/I'll get the DVD (Why Did I Get Married?, Madea Goes To Jail, Family That Preys) to cringe-inducing/Hell there's nothing else on TV/I'm at someone else's house and don't want to be rude territory (Meet The Browns, Diary Of A Mad Black Woman). He has yet to make his dramatic equivalent of  Do The Right Thing, Boyz N The Hood, X, or Rosewood. And on the comedy side, he's yet to produce a Hollywood Shuffle, Barbershop, Coming To America or Friday. Of course, Cube, Spike and Singleton and other directors/actors have all had their duds (She Hate Me, Beverly Hills Cop III, Are We Done Yet?), but none seem to take criticism quite as personally as Perry.

The themes of  Perry's movies, like his latest release Madea's Big Happy Family (which might as well be called Madea: Out On Parole, if the trailer is any indication) have worn thin and become predictable and formulaic. In nearly every film a dasmel in distress is saved by light-skinned white knight (complete with washboard abs), while God and Jesus get shouted out more than the word "cut!". Non-Christians are usually portrayed as selfish, unhappy or just plain evil, while the delivery of his message often has the sublety of a sledge hammer. Ambiguity, nuance and complexity are often dirty words in the Perry universe.

 Let's do a little comparison shall we? In Friday, when Craig's father discovers he has a gun, an admittedly dramatic circumstance (a father discovering his son owns a fiream and is in a potentially life-threatening situation) is handled in a naturalistic way that conveys emotion without going over the top.



Meanwhile in Diary Of A Mad Black Woman, when Charles tells Helen, his wife of 18 years, that he is leaving her and she has to leave his house, the melodrama is laid on as thick as molasses. Not only is it the night of their anniversary, he also shows up with his mistress in tow. While Helen's volatile reaction is understandable, the fact that Charles literally drags her out of the house makes the whole scene unbelievable. Not only does it go against Charles' refined, controlled persona (he might as well have been on street corner shouting "Bitch betta have my money!") it makes Helen's pain unintentionally hilarious.



Someone reading all of the above (and sorry if it took a minute--I'm not feeling particularly succinct today:), would probably feel compelled to tar me with the dreaded H word--a hater. Which is what I hate the most about this whole "feud" between Lee and Perry, because at the end of the day, Tyler is going to make the kind of films he wants and so will Spike. But why does someone have to be jealous of another person just because they don't like something? And why should we be silent in our dissent if the creator of a particular work happens to black? Wouldn't we then become the big black monolith--thinking the same, acting the same way, believing the same things--that racists, opportunistic politicians and movie executives assume we are? Women, latinos, asians, gays (remember the "too fem/it's unrealistic" debates when Noah's Arc debuted?) and other groups certainly don't have a problem questioning/critiquing media made by their own.

I'm all for black unity, but just because another black person made a movie or wrote a book or recorded a album doesn't mean I have to jump up and down and cheer for them like a two-year-old that just went potty for the first time. Supporting our own doesn't mean we should have to shut our brains off. Perhaps if Tyler Perry listened to the more constructive strains of criticism, the quality of his work might improve.

Like Children For Chocolate

It seems that blood diamonds aren't the only import that comes at a human cost. Filmmaker U. Roberto Romano's documentary The Dark Side Of Chocolate, investigates human trafficking as it relates to child labor and cocoa fields around the Ivory Coast.

"The International Labour Organization estimates between 56 and 72 million African children work in agriculture, many in their own family farms.," according to CNN.com. The seven largest cocoa-producing countries are Indonesia, Nigeria, Cameron, Brazil, Ecuador, the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Those last two together account for nearly 60 percent of global cocoa production."


Romano said consumers should buy direct or fair trade chocolate products that would give them a voice in how cocoa farmers are treated.

"I'd like you to buy either a fair trade chocolate or a direct trade chocolate. I'd like you to buy something where you, as a consumer, can vote responsibly for better treatment of these farmers. And also with fair trade, you know that they're going to be at least on the road to being paid a decent wage. And with the inspections that go on, you know that their children aren't working and are getting an education."

Watch CNN's report below, and read a statement from the Global Chocolate and Cocoa Industry HERE.  You can also watch the full documentary at WatchDocumentary.com

Eye Candy: Chris Evans

It's been a minute since I've featured some eye candy, so I thought I'd feature the latest superhero hunk, Chris Evans. Although truth be told I've been crushing on him since Not Another Teen Movie, seeing him all buffed up in those Captain America trailers definitely has me looking forward to the summer movie season. Not to mention that Hugh Jackman is currently packing on the pounds for the next Wolverine movie (hopefully it'll be an improvement on the last one). Anyway, get into the picks below.

Flick Picks: Scream 4 Trailer

The trailers for the fourth installment of horror/horror parody classic Scream looks like it could be a good fright night at the movies. Neve, Courtney and David seemed to have aged surpisingly well in the 15 years since the original movie (2 snaps up and all that jazz:). But of course a new batch of teens have been reeled in to be sliced, diced and spliced by a new killer.

Personally I think it'll be hard to top the first Scream, especially that opening scene with Drew Barrymore, which is one of the best opening scenes in a horror movie EVA. I'm still mad at Drew though, because she could've made it to her parents if she hadn't stopped to look at her man....chile he's dead! You watched him get gutted! To paraphrase Sophia in The Color Purple, "You betta run for your life and bring flowers to  Steve's grave lata!" But I digress.

It's kinda hard to pick who wants to take out Sid this time....I mean Billy's dead, his mom (Jackie from Roseanne hey!) is dead, and her half-brother is dead. Unless her mama comes back from the dead for a Dawn of The Dead-style throwdown, who knows who it could be this time. Watch both trailers below:

Flick Picks: I Spit On Your Grave

As an avid horror movie fan, it takes a lot to scare the bejesus out of me. I've seen it all: hellbeast creatures devouring hapless victims whole, cannibalistic inbred hicks, scary movies within scary movies, teenage serial killers, along with usual suspects (Freddie, Jason, Leatherface Chuckie, Hannibal etc).

But a remake of Meir Zarchi's 1978 film I Spit On Your Grave shocked my cyncial-slasher flick eyes. Probably because this is the furthest thing from a slasher flick. A quick synopsis: A young woman named Jennifer Hills, played by Sarah Butler (whose filmography I may have to look up--Mama paid it in this role), rents a cabin deep in the woods to write her next novel. After she disses a gas attendant in front of his friends while filling up, the four men decide to pay her a visit one night and teach "the big city girl" a lesson. What follows is a night of torture, rape and degradation that is terrifying and disturbing in its realism. There's no schlocky ominous music or cryptic innuendo. You literally feels Jennifer's fear and powerlessness.

Just as her attackers are about to kill her she jumps off a bridge into the water below. But Jennifer gets her revenge. And not some Lifetime movie or Enough shoot the wifebeater/challenge him to a fight revenge. This bitch gets on some sinister, Saw, Silence Of The Lambs-type shit. IT. IS. EPIC. This movie is not for the faint of heart. Seriously. Watch the trailer below:

Random Thoughts

In the wake of the Grammys and other assorted news/pop cultural events, I think it's as good a time as any for the first random thoughts post of 2011. So let's get into it.

1. Was I  the only one who had to make what I call a "diva decision" Sunday night between watching Janet and Lady Gaga's interviews? I swear I was flipping the channels back for a good hour lol.

2. Speaking of Gaga's 60 Minutes interview, don't you think it was definitely (read between the lines *wink, wink*) appropriate for Anderson Cooper to interview her?

3. Did anyone else see how PHINE LL was looking in that suit at the Grammys? I mean his arms were practically about to burst out of that suit! Yes Lawd! *Sprays face with cold water* Alright I'm calm.

4. While we're talking about the Grammys, wasn't Christina riffing and scale running for her life during that Aretha tribute. Even J-Hud had to look over a few times with an expression that said "Damn that bitch is wailin!" Hell I half expected Rupaul to come out and say "Sashay you stay!"

5. Although I was thrilled she triumphed over the commerical tyranny that is Justin Bieber, was I only person that though "WHO?" when Esperanza Spalding won Best New Artist? Side note for Ms. Spalding: watch your back girl. Those young Bieber fans may be tweens, but I'm pretty sure those bitches will shank you in a back alley without shedding a tear. I'm just sayin'.

6. Is it me or has Lady Gaga's dancing improved dramatically? True she wasn't working it like Beyonce (but who can chile) but it does seem that she's stepped her game up. I guess Laurie Ann Gibson whipped that ass into shape.

7. Why is everyone so intent on turning Ronald Reagan into a saint? Granted the man wasn't the devil but he was no angel either. See my rant here.

8. Wasn't it shocking (in a good way) to watch the revolt in Egypt and see a people's protest actually work? Hopefully the country won't descend into chaos or religious extremism.

9. On the flipside, isn't it scary that some Tea Party members might get the idea that the situation in America is similar and try to do the same?

10. Aren't you deeply afraid of how high food and gas prices could become in the next few months?

11. And speaking of being deeply afraid, doesn't Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family look sadly predictable? I'll summarize the plot: Madea blows everyone down, church scene, someone on drugs/having an affair/an abusive relationship,church scene,non-Christians depicted as lost, ignorant or cartoonishly evil,Madea,church,THE END.

12. How much do you want to bet that Eddie Long will make a cameo in the movie?



13. Speaking of movies, I know I'll be running to the theater to see Captain America. Not only to satisfy my inner superhero geek, but in hopes there'll be gratuitous shirtless scenes with Chris Evans. Watch the trailer below:


14. As much as she irritates me, I have to admit I laughed out loud when Nene called Latoya Jackson Casper the Ghost on The Apprentice preview. If only for the sad fact that it's kinda true.




15. Even though I'm not an uber fan, I'm curious to hear new music from Beyonce, especially since she's reportedly been working with noise pop band Sleigh Bells, one of my fav indie acts. B laid pretty low in 2010, so the time seems ripe for her to come back and ruthlessly dominate music again.

16. Is Rihanna addicted to red kenekalon weave?

17. How the hell are families from Teen Mom on the cover of magazines like US Weekly? Not to sound high and mighty but being a pregnant teen doesn't make you a star. Is this what celebrity has devolved to?

18. When will Storm get her own X-Men movie?

19. Isn't Gwen Stefani looking fab in those Loreal ads? But she and No Doubt need to make a new album. Seriously.

20. Is the upcoming Tupac biopic a good or a bad idea?

Strike A Pose There's Nothing To It....

For those who thought 300 was more than a little, well homoerotic (lawd those abs!) watch this clip of the graphic novel-turned action flick set to Madonna's "Vogue." And for those with a slightly darker sensiblity (or who just want to see epic battle scenes sans the subversive humor) check out clips from the movie set to Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People."

Required Gay Viewing: Paris Is Burning

Being that 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of this iconic documentary I thought it'd be as good a time to talk about my love for Paris Is Burning. For those who don't know (and shame on you gurls who don't!) Paris Is Burning provides a crash course on the black/latino gay ballroom scene of late 80's New York. Legendary house mothers such as Pepper Lebeija, Dorian Corey, Angie Xtravaganza and Willi Ninja--whose vogueing style inspired Madonna's "Vogue" video--as well as ballroom luminaries such as the late Octavia Saint Laurent are profiled about the deeper meaning of the grand balls, homophobia, transsexualism, gender identity and racism.

While the fact that many of the films' subjects have passed since its 1990 release makes it a little sad to watch, I believe this film is invaluable for the way it shows an oppressed minority within a minority finding a way to flourish in a culture that openly despises them. Like other oppressed groups, the participants in the ballroom scene create a safe space to celebrate their differences and provide support, taking the abusive language hurled at them from the dominant culture and refashioning it in way that is empowering. The colorful characters courage to be themselves in an era of AIDS-induced fear is inspiring and a slice of LGBT history that should never be forgotten. Not to mention the litany of classic lines. Here are a few of my favorites:


Pepper Labeija: "Having a vagina, that doesn't mean you're going to have a fabulous life. It might in fact be worse!"

Dorian Corey on reading: "If I'm a black queen and you're a black queen we can't call each other black queens. That's not a read it's a fact!"

Octavia Saint Laurent: "Five hundred dollars for a simple dress."

The ballroom announcer: "God help you, you know how the children are!"

Watch the documentary below:



[90] Paris Is Burning [J] from japanesesuperhero on Vimeo.

Guilty Pleasure Movie Picks: A Diva's Christmas Carol

Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. Yes, my fellow gay boys(and girls if any are reading) Vanessa Williams' turn as Ebony Scrooge, a bitch-on-wheels diva heading for self-destruction in yet another reimagining of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, had me hooked from the first time I saw it back in the day. I swear they'll be redoing that story until the apocalypse comes. Which might not be that far away, if the Mayans are to be believed. 2012, the end is near! But I digress.

It wouldn't matter if they showed this in middle of July, it always manages to put me in good mood, Partly because 1) I'll watch practically anything featuring Vanessa; 2) My girl Chili makes an appearance-- too bad they couldn't get Left Eye and T-Boz to be the twin Ghost Of Christmas Future or something, cause ya'll know that would've been a beast! 3) It's something light and funny with enough sharp one-liners to override the made-for-TV movie cheesiness.

Plus I giggle with glee everytime I hear "Heartquake." "You can't be serious/It must be some mistake/Am I delirious/Or do I feel a heartquake." I know Ms. Vanessa had to be like "you want me to sing that? Can't I just do a house remix of "Save The Best For Last" or "The Right Stuff?" But it is a catchy tune nonetheless.

Granted it's beem a minute since I've seen the movie (I guess VH1 can actually rerun something too many times) so I can't recall too many lines at the moment. But I died everytime I saw the scene where Ebony is walking up to her hotel and a Santa Claus asks her for money. She turns, contorts her face into the best hell-to-the-naw expression she can muster, and says "Save for the suckers grandpa!" Priceless. Watch the clip of the performance of "Heartquake" below:

Random Thoughts

Yes boys and girls, its that time again. All the silly, nonsensical, serious and personal observations I've been meditating on will now be regurgitated on the page.

1. Will Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday live up to the hype?

2. And speaking of Nicki, isn't her album cover both cool and a little distrubing?

3. Is it just me, or is The Event the most confusing show ever?

4. Aren't you hoping that NBC doesn't cancel Undercovers only because you want to see Boris shirtless everyone (c'mon, I know I'm not the only one lol)?

5. Why isn't Angela Bassett in For Colored Girls? Seriously, after Meet The Browns Tyler OWED her a role in this flick.

6. While we're on the subject, wanna bet that if For Colored Girls is a success, we'll be getting less music from Ms. Jackson in the future (I don't want to believe it, but Janet ain't no fool...it's been a hard 5 or 6 years sales wise...)

7.Is it just me or was Jennifer Love Hewitt's acting on Law and Order: SUV on point? I mean Ms. Hewitt gave me LIFE with that performance!

8. Aren't you intrigued/nervous about Faith Evans playing Florence Ballad in the upcoming biopic?

9. Why is Sarah Palin even relevant to the midterm elections? I mean she's not a senator, representative (she damn sure isn't a governor) or even a mayor of any city, yet she's babbling about bullshit at every Tea Party rally. Seriously, the woman couldn't even name her favorite founding father excluding George Washington.

10. And why is that Republicans can disagree with every policy (i.e. bailouts, health care etc.), but still can't come up with any specific plan of their own? President Obama may not be perfect, but he's doing better than Bush. You can't crawl out from under 8 years of crap in two years. And to paraphrase Whitney in Waiting to Exhale "once you been treated good, you can't go back to bullshit."

11. Will Obama ever get more forceful about ending DADT? I mean a federal judge has already stopped the policy dead in its tracks for the time being. Why not just finish it off?

12. I'm not a big Twilight  fan, but aren't you hoping that Bella finally gets her cherry popped in Eclipse? Seriously its been three movies...I think the tweens and teens can handle at least a little I've-just-been-turned dry humping. Or maybe Taylor and Rob will have a scene (oops did I just say that out loud:)?

13. Wasn't Oprah's episode about the down low so depressingly disappointing? I'm sure the big O or someone on her staff had a rolodex of well-adjusted, openly gay black men she could've called for the show(i.e Keith Boykin, Dr. David Malebranche, Lee Daniels). But instead it was just one big ol' mess of stereotyping and fear.

14. If Eddie Long is so rich why couldn't that girl buy a better lace front than that shag he wore during his "sermon?" And that grey two piece? Chile you not about to get beamed up to the mothership (but i bet you wish you could right now).

15. Isn't B Slade's new album a beast? If you ain't up on thangs, download it here.

Guilty Pleasure Movie Picks: Showgirls

Yes indeed. Elizabeth Berkley's (a.k.a Jessie Spano's-"I'm so excited" lmao:)' turn as raunchy, wannabe dancer Nomi Malone in Showgirls is one of my favorite guilty pleasure flicks. The movie is chock full of campy characteristics: glamour, catfights, bitchy remarks, and brazenly sexual dance numbers.

For those who haven't seen it, a quick plot summary: Nomi is a drifter who hitches a ride to Las Vegas with hopes of a becoming a big star. Along the way she meets Molli, a seamstress at the Stardust casino who lets her shack up at her trailer while she snags a job working at a sleazy strip joint called The Cheetah. Along the way she catches the eye of Cristal (like the champagne) Conners, lead dancer of a huge show at the Stardust, who simultaneously becomes her rival/ potential lover. Sex, drugs and backstabbing insue.

Part of what places Showgirls in the so-bad-that-it's-good category is the unintentional hilarity.Case in point: when Nomi is gettin' her groove on (if you can call it that) in the club. I mean seriously, what the hell was she doing on that dancefloor. Gurl you're supposed to be an aspiring dancer, not some random rave chick who's squirming like you just dropped some ketamine and are trying to crawl out of a K-hole! Then again when Nomi is peforming a lapdance for Cristal and her boyfriend Zack (a.k.a Trey from Sex And The City), flinging her back around in contortions like a dead fish. Seriously, I feared for her spinal health after making this movie.

The dialogue is another barrel of laughs. Like when Glenn Plummer's character James tells Nomi "I have a problem with pussy," or when he calls her a whore for working at the Cheetah, shouting, "It ain't right! You got too much talent for it be right! Bitch I'm tellin' you the truth! Or when Nomi shouts "You don't know shit!" at Cristal  after she threw shade at her about working at The Cheetah. Some of my other favorite lines from the film:

"Mama" Bazooms- "You betta shut yo' hole honey mine's makin' money!

Cristal Conners- "You are a whore darlin.' We take the cash, we cash the check, we show 'em what they wanna see."

Annie-"What are you lookin' at bitch!(when Julie gives her ice grill)

Marty-THRUST IT! THRUST IT! THRUST IT!

Lol good times. Watch a few clips below:

Random Thoughts....

I'm in a random kind of mood (if that makes sense:), so here's some random thoughts. Feel free to respond with your own or comment on mine:

1. Finishing school and working (I finally got a job) is sucking up all my time (hence the lack of frequent posting:). But bills never take a holiday.

2. Is it just me or is Trey Songz knowingly giving winks to his gay fans with his photoshoots/videos? I mean he always has that smirk on his face, pouting his full lips, like he's saying "Yeah boi, I know you fantasizing about me right now? Then he proceeds to flex those arms and back muscles.... whoops, let me snap back to reality lol.

3. Ms. Janet was FIERCE with a capital F at the AMA's. I hope Rihanna was in the audience in taking notes like she needed extra credit to pass a class! Janet's performance reminded me of why I loved her in the first place.

4. Speaking of the AMA's Lady Gaga brought the heat as usual. But I'm a little worried with the tour, the re-release of The Fame, and the "Bad Romance" video, she may burn out artistically, which would suck massively. But knowing Ms. Gaga she'll pull out something spectacular.

5. Why have all of R. Kelly's songs for the past five years (give or take) been about the club? I'm serious, it always about flirting, drinking, scheming, plotting, and dancing in the club. Molestation charges aside, what happened to the R. Kelly that made "If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time, "I Wish" and "When A Woman's Fed Up"?

6. The third season of True Blood needs to start right now lol. Seriously I don't think I can wait until the summertime to see Lafayette, Jason, and my gurl Pam, especially after the way last season ended.

7. Isn't that whole Wal-Mart fiasco a hot mess?

8. How much do you wanna bet that Oprah will be back with new something(tv show, network, website, her own planet) after her show goes off the air (I still can't believe that's happening...I mean the show's literally been on as long as I've been alive). Mark my words, the big O will not go gently into that good night.

9. Cartoons are so watered down nowadays. Think about it: compare the stuff in the 80's and 90's (Rocko's Modern Life, Ren and Stimpy, PowerPuff Girls, Dexter's Lab) to the fluff on TV now. There's hardly any inside jokes for adults or other subversive humor.

10. I have to see Precious while it's still in theaters. Something tells me it'll be one of those life-changing films.

11. Wasn't Rihanna giving us Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct with the outfit she wore for her 20/20 interview? The new album might not be quite as good as Good Girl Gone Bad, but Ri-Ri can dress her ass off.

Why Did I Get Married Too? Trailer

The trailer for Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too? is out. It looks interesting, and of course I'll watch it to Janet's performance. Hopefully Michael Jai White will a couple of shirtless scenes as well lol:).

Chris Rock and "Good Hair"

This should be interesting. Chris Rock takes on the subject of black hair in this documentary set to be released in October. And ya'll know black folks got issues when it comes to our hair lol. Watch the trailer below:

Are Horror Movies Anti-Christian?

Lest anyone think this is some kind of moralistic, finger-pointing rant, let me explain. I don't mean anti-Christian in the sense of slasher flicks glorifying gore and violence. If anything scary movies at least promote the idea of abstinence: lose your virginity, you lose your head! After all, those are the rules! But I digress. Last night I was watching Scream, one of my favorite horror flicks, at my man's house, when this curious thought popped into my mind. As the last scene played with Neve Campbell a.k.a Sidney Prescott, popping a cap in her psycho boyfriend Billy's head, I noticed something about many of the scary movies I love for the first time.

From Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Jeeper's Creepers and Halloween rarely, if ever, do you see any of the characters pray or call on God (or any diety for that matter) to save them from the horrible situation they've found themselves in. I mean if there were anytime to get on your knees or lift up holy hands it would be when a seemingly indestructible mass murdering psychopath is after you and hell bent on slicing you to bits (or in Freddy's case killing you in your dreams). In pretty much every single scary movie I watched the characters that survive do so because of their own ingenuity and courage in the face of indescribable fear.

Think about it: when Sidney finally learned the truth about her boyfriend and her mother's death, she didn't wallow in the corner praying and speaking in tongues hoping to be spared. Miss girl got up and took care of business. She found the resolve to defend her and her friends' lives from within, not from an outside source. When Jessica Biel saw her friends get slaughtered by Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the remake, not the original:), she relied on her own cunning to get the hell out of that house. Obviously The Excorcist is an exception to this rule, but for the most part, if you want to survive in a slasher flick you're left to your own devices.

Don't get me wrong. This not an attack on Christianity or any other religion. This is just an observation that many horror films, whether consciously or not, emphasis the triumph of the human spirit and will to survive over unspeakable evil. The day isn't saved by an all-powerful deity, but by ordinary folks forced to react to extraordinarily awful circumstances. Simply put, the main characters are their own saviors, which ultimately undermines the whole idea of God coming to people's rescue in times of trouble.

Of course this is all my hyper-analytical analysis. I, like most of the movie-going public, primarily go to see these films to get scared out of my mind and be entertained, and I doubt that Wes Craven or Rob Zombie thought that deeply when creating Scream or The Devil's Rejects. But I'm suprised more conservative Christians don't realize this subversive element in horror films. But then again it's only a movie. Or is it;)?

News and Notables

Study Finds Transgender Youth Face Extreme Harassment

A study done by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network titled Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation's Schools, revealed that transgender face harassment more and victimization in high schools than their lesbian, gay and bisexual peers. However, they are also more likely to speak out about LGBT issues in the classroom.

In addition to comparing the two groups, the study also examined the lives of the 295 transgender students who took the survey. According to the study:

Nearly nine out of 10 transgender students experienced verbal harassment at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation and gender expression, more than half experienced physical harassment because of their sexual orientation and gender expression and more than a quarter experienced physical assault because of their sexual orientation and gender expression. These levels of victimization were higher than those faced by the non-transgender lesbian, gay and bisexual students who participated in the 2007 National School Climate Survey, GLSEN's biennial survey of LGBT students.

The high rate of victimization had a direct impact on school attendance and academic performance. Transgender students who experienced high levels of harassment were more likely to miss school because they felt unsafe and had lower grade point averages than those who experienced lower levels of harassment.

You can read the whole report here.

Louisiana Must Add Gay Couple's Names to Birth Certificate

It's so rare to here good news about gays in my homestate, so I had to blog about this. District Judge Jazy Zainey ruled that Louisiana had 15 days to add the names of Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith to the certificate of a boy born in Shreverport.

Under current Louisiana law, an umarried couple cannot adopt child. However since the adoption became official in New York, which ruled in January that same-sex couples could use both their names on birth certificates, Zainey ruled that the courts must recognize the adoption.

The state legislature is trying to fight the ruling by introducing bill that would make any adoption not complying to Louisiana's adoption laws illegal. Guess we'll have to stay tuned to see what happens next.

Mary Mary, Why You Buggin'?

Mary, I don't know about this one girl. Mrs. Blige is set to star in Tyler Perry's next movie, an adaptation of his stage play I Can Do Bad All Myself. Blige is playing the role of a nightclub singer(at least she'll have a homecourt advantage:) named Tanya and her friend April, played by Taraji P. Henson. Madea will also make an appearance (Lawd knows she's made some of his movies more bearable to watch lol!)

If you ask me, Mary and Taraji's roles should be reversed. Don't get me wrong I love Mary J., but her acting experience is limited at best. She's only guest starred in a few sitcoms and played a small role in one movie (Prison Song). At this point I don't think she's ready to carry a whole film by herself. Maybe she'll surprise me. But then again she is starring in a Tyler Perry movie. Hmm. I'll just leave it at that;).

P.S.- 5 points to anyone who guess what the song the headline of the Mary post references:).

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Video Game Movies

Hollywood sees dollar signs in almost anything, and video games are no exception. Here's a list of the video game flicks that make you love the game even more, or make you curse the day the developers put down the joysticks and picked up a script:

The Good

In 1995 Mortal Kombat was a cultural phenomenon, so it was only right that it be captured on celluloid. While it wasn't Oscar worthy material, Mortal Kombat was a great combination of action (The Scorpion and Johnny Cage fight scene was a beast:) and storytelling.

Resident Evil

Yeah I know the sequels weren't as good (when are they ever), but first Resident Evil flick was fire. I loved Michelle Rodriguez as the tough chick slaughtering zombies left and right, even though she to a bullet to the dome in the end. The movie also did a good job of staying close to the tone, if no the storyline of the Resident Evil games.

Silent Hill

In my opinion, Silent Hill is one of the best video game movies. An engrossing story, fantastic effects and insane death scenes (I remember the whole theater gasped in shock when that girl couldn't make it into the church in time and got her skin ripped off.) Good Times, lol.

The Bad

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

It was all good just a movie ago. Mortal Kombat Annihilation is one HOT MESS of a film from start to finish. First off whose idea was it to give Raiden, the f*cking god of thunder, a buzzcut? Second, who designed Baraka's mask? It looked like something you pick up for .99 cents next to the bootlegs at a gas station. Not to mention all the cheesy deaths and anti-climatic ending.


Street Fighter




















Another example of bad casting. Who decided Raul Julia should play the evil incarnate that is M. Bison? Bison is supposed to be larger than life (literally) and the embodiment of evil. I mean he killed my girl Chun-Li's dad for goodness sake. Besides that the movie, had no plot, too many characters and just plain sucked.


The Ambomination


Super Mario Bros.

Mention the words Super Mario Bros. movie to any self-respecting video game fan and watch as their face contorts into a mixture of horror and exasperation. Yes this movie was so bad that I haven't even needed to see it to know the travesty that takes place in those 90 minutes. Those faces don't lie. The Mushroom Kingdom is way too surreal for a live action flick, not to mention the fact that Princess Peach was dumped for Daisy instead. But I digress. Maybe in animated, 2-D world this movie could've been a classic. But that's the way the Yoshi cookie crumbles.

Warning to Studios: Don't Make These Games Into Movies

Zelda:Ocarina of Time

Star Fox

Metroid

Sonic(unless it's animated, LEAVE IT ALONE!)