Presidential Inauguration--progress and fakery

While I'm a little late to the party on this, the Presidential Inauguration was a big deal.  The President mentioned the word "gay" in his speech, a gay poet recited a bad poem (just one guy's opinion--everyone else seemed to love it) and Beyonce lip synced.

Here's why the fake performance heard around the world bothers me.  She started the song and seemed very unsure, with her voice faltering and not matching the music.  I truly thought she was having sound issues or problems with her earpiece.  Then she magnificently took the earpiece out and was great.  So I gave the gal props for overcoming a bad situation.

Then we learned she lip synced the performance.  Unlike others, I wasn't that upset that she joined the ranks of Milli Vanilli because I've never been a huge fan of the diva.  It was that she lip synced poorly.  When viewers at home are wondering if you are having sound problems with a lip synced performance, you might as well have done the thing live.

Now, next month at the Oscars, I will be disappointed if Babs and Adele lip sync.  These are talented ladies who wouldn't be caught dead with autotune.

I am over this story which popped again today because Beyonce is on a mission to convince the world she can sing live.  Who cares.  What does matter about the day and my take away from the event is that the LGBT community took a massive step forward with the President's acknowledgement.  And that is something that wasn't fake.

Three tips for the screaming queens on "American Idol"

Some advice for "American Idol," a show I refuse to watch alone as it benefits from group viewings to comment on the onscreen insanity.  First off, the good parts.  The judges have given more constructive criticism than we have heard in years if ever.  These three know music (Randy is a seat filler who I block out and am annoyed when he gets in Mariah or Keith's shot).

However, the show is still missing something that would make it necessary viewing even if my partner is busy on the phone or cooking.

So here are three kernels of wisdom.

No bad auditions.  There is a reason why "The Voice" is the new Idol.  Every person who performs has talent.

Keith should judge shirtless.  Mr. Nicole Kidman does give fantastic critique, but that hint of tattoo is not enough for the public.  We want to see the entire tattoo on a weekly basis.  "The Voice" regularly gives us shirtless Adam Levine, so "Idol" viewers should get shirtless Keith on a weekly basis.

Mariah and Nicki need to get it together.  Nobody wants to see a catfight between two talented performers unless it results in Keith's shirt being clawed off as he regularly sits between them.

That would make "Idol" alone-time viewing.

Career saving advice for Liam Hemsworth

Mr. Miley Cyrus does have the "Hunger Games" series going, but while Jennifer Lawrence is deservedly collecting trophies for "Silver Linings Playbook," the Aussie hunk is costarring with such past their prime stars like Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford and Dwayne Johnson in action dreck.

Liam needs to take a cue from his "Hunger Games" costar and star in films people actually want to see.  Granted Lawrence's "Last House on the Left" is a cautionary tale best left unseen, but she is making good choices overall.

A little unsolicited advice:  I know being the husband of Ms. Cyrus is time consuming, but a little focus on your career would be nice for the millions of fans who would clamor to the theaters to pay ten dollars to watch you take off your shirt, I mean act.

Your brother is making millions playing "Thor," but you don't seem to be the action hero type guy.  You seem like the puppy dog hot guy who gets the girl at the end, much more than the philandering Josh Duhamel (seriously, who cheats on Fergie?).

Take a cue from the less talented Daniel Radcliffe.  The former boy wizard has limited acting range, but that isn't stopping him from playing in period horror films, having sex with horses on stage, or being raided from behind as Allen Ginsburg.  His is a career I'm watching, while yours is a career I'm lamenting.

As your future wife, who I would love to hang out with, put it in the only song of hers that doesn't make my ears bleed, "The Climb," it's all about going up that mountain of fame.  Just because you're starring with a dude (I refuse to call him an actor) called the Rock, doesn't mean you're going to successfully reach the top of that mountain.

Heed this advice and thank me when you're collecting an Oscar in a few years.

Jennifer Lawrence--Incest is bad, but what a hot bro!

I am having a small love affair with this actress as everybody is.  Every time she opens her mouth, out spews some wacky charming off the cuff remark that makes me laugh.  She's real.  And I want to be her best friend.  As if I needed another reason to love her, she has a hot brother.  I am very happily partnered, but in a fantasy world where JLaw and I are besties, I would want her to hook me up with this cute dude.

Seriously, incest is frowned on for good reason and breeding, but Lawrence would have to be blind not to have gotten a little turned on growing up around this.  Of course, her taste in men is the scrawny fellow from "About a Boy" and the upcoming "Warm Bodies," which I am zombie-dying to see, so maybe this slab of hunkiness wasn't on her radar.

I am still waiting for the inevitable backlash against Lawrence as she continues her rise in the Hollywood food chain, but for now, she can relax and spend her little off time with this hairy hunk while the rest of us salivate in private.

Five women I want to see win an Oscar

While Emma Thompson is lanquishing in that insipid Nanny McPhee series and in some movie based on a young adult series I could care less about, at least she has two Golden Boys to keep her warm at night.  However, there are actresses who do not have an Oscar.  This post honors those five ladies.

Glenn Close--She's come close to the Golden Boy and should have won for "Dangerous Liasons" over lesbian wackadoodle Jodie Foster's rape victim in "The Accused."  But no cigar.  She can cry on cue, deliver a fiery speech, and cook a rabbit like nobody else.  "Damages" was a fine, but little watched showcase for her.  However, her turn as a woman dressed like a man or whatever that was (I fell asleep) deservedly lost to Meryl last year.  Forget the hamburger--this woman deserves a steak on which to feast and leave all the also rans in the dust.

Michelle Pfeiffer--Another close, but no cigar nominee for "Fabulous Baker Boys."  She lost to Jessica Tandy, who did graciously say she lost her bet on Pfeiffer winning.   This is probably the most honest thing said on an Oscar stage, because Miss Daisy committed highway robbery of the award from the woman who made gorgeous whoopee atop a very lucky piano.  Lately, Pfeiffer has starred in Tim Burton's latest career slider (seriously, name the last movie anyone liked of his) and some incest movie with the cute dude from "Star Trek."  This will not work if she ever wants to be honored as she deserves to be.  She needs to stop letting her husband, David E. Kelley, pick her scripts and go back to being "fabulous."

Kathleen Turner--I know her day is long past.  When the most notable role an actress has had in over a decade is Chandler's sex-changed dad on "Friends," it's community theater time.  However, when she was on fire, she was on fire.  Starting with a scorching debut in "Body Heat," a film that remains in my top five of all time, and continuing with a list of solid films including: "Romancing the Stone," "Prizzi's Honor," "Peggy Sue Got Married," "War of the Roses," and the very underrated "Crimes of Passion," Turner was the Lauren Bacall of our age.  I wish she could find a director who could steer her towards greatness at this stage.  It would be a miracle, but definitely the comeback story of whatever year it happens.

Debra Winger--She is one of those actresses I had honestly forgotten about until the recent "Rachel Getting Married" starring Anne Hathaway, an actress I used to like, but has now fake perked herself into annoyance.  Side note--I don't care how good she sings in "Les Miserables," at this point, I would vote for Flo in the Progressive commercials over her.  Back to Winger, she is so powerful in her 60-second screen time in "Rachel Getting Married," she made the other never-ending two hours I wasted watching the film tolerable.  Add to that her sparring (not a typo) role in "Terms of Endearment" and making Richard Gere and John Travolta sexy in "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Urban Cowboy" respectively, and this woman has earned her right for the Golden Boy.

Annette Bening--"Being Julia" is one of my favorite movies about the stage of all time.  "An American President" is one of my favorite movies about Washington D.C. of all time.  "American Beauty" is one of my favorite movies about an unlikeable dude who spends his days jacking off in the basement of all time.  All three movies have one thing in common--Annette Bening.  Why hasn't she gotten the Oscar, which she deserves for staying with known womanizer Warren Beatty alone?  Two words--Hilary Swank.  That's right.  The Karate Kid herself has won two times in the years Bening should have taken home the gold.  I keep having to delete the words of disdain I have for Ms. Swank's acting and her robbery of the luminous Bening.  We'll leave it at I hope that Annette does something else great, because Swank's career is so doomed that when Lena Dunham gave a shoutout to Chad Lowe at the Golden Globes, nobody knew what the hell she was talking about or cared to remember.

Just because: shirtless Darren Criss

This blog owes a debt to After Elton, Kenneth in the 212 and My New Plaid Pants which are required daily reading.  Google them and savor all the gay news relating to culture you will ever have to read.  One of the things I'm borrowing from them is to post random shirtless guys who are on my brain.

Today's random shirtless guy will be featured in tonight's episode of "Glee" entitled "Naked."  While touting any Ryan Murphy show is a danger given the hit and miss quality (but when he hits, it is a perfect bull's eye), this show promises Darren shirtless.  For that, it will be worthwhile viewing alone.

Want to see a "gay" dog?

The story speaks for itself and I do wish the shelter who posted this also posted the former owner's name and picture, so dog biscuits could be thrown at him for the rest of his life.  Every time the gay movement takes two steps forward, we take a step back with the promised killing of a cute gay dog.  Just sad.

Side note--while I'm happy the shelter reported this, it reeks of ickiness in that "the dog WILL be put down at noon tomorrow."  Seriously, this does not represent the state of Tennessee in a favorable light at all.

"This guy was signed over to RC, not bc he's mean or bc he tears things up, but because... His owner says he's gay! He hunched another male dog so his owner threw him away bc he refuses to have a "gay" dog! Even if that weren't the most assinine thing I've ever heard, its still discrimination! Don't let this gorgeous dog die bc his owner is ignorant of normal dog behavior! He's in kennel 10L and he WILL be put down tomorrow bc there is no room at the inn!"

Boy Scouts finally coming out of the closet

I used to be proud to be called a Boy Scout--it stood for purity, hard work and dedication.  However, the intolerance of this organization ranks the Boy Scouts alongside such fanatical groups as the KKK.

As a kid, it was exciting to complete my badge work and receive a patch of clothing to be sewn on my blue shirt with love by my never-complaining mother.  I wasn't out at the time so I didn't know the organization I was earning scraps of clothing for was a people-hating conglomerate of church and boy trapping.

Now, the church isn't bad.  It isn't the church's fault that it has been used to excuse wars and intolerance thoughout the history of mankind.  I grew up hearing "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."  I fail to remember the verse of the song that says "Jesus hates fags this I know for the Bible tells me so."

But back on point, now comes the news that Boy Scouts are going to allow the homosexuals into their hallowed ranks.  Too little, too late.  As far as I'm concerned, all the parents that allow their children to belong to such a hate mongering association can choke on a Chick Fil A hamburger, or whatever fast food poison they serve.

Scout's dishonor indeed.

Eddie Cibrian--hottest ass in Hollywood

Anyone who has seen the underrated gem, "Living Out Loud," has many good memories, but chief among them are Queen Latifah's gorgeous lounge act and Eddie Cibrian's ass as Holly Hunter starts to SLOWLY pull his tighty whiteys down.  Sadly enough, that ass says it all.  Everything in this post is according to multiple reports, so I'll just put the word allegedly at the top of it in case it turns out he is an angel wrongfully accused which I genuinely hope turns out to be the case.

1.  He made Leann Rimes go batshit nuts.  I don't condone cheating at all, so she probably had it coming.  But anyone who saw the spectacle of Leann singing on this past year's "X Factor" had a knee jerk reaction to Baker Act the star.  She was absolutely incoherent.  The 13 year old she was singing with actually tried to keep the former child wunderkind from falling apart on stage.  It was so epic, I watched it a hundred times.  However, given Leann's behavior and the chick coming up in this post, Eddie either has the worst luck with women or is a Grade A a**hole behind closed doors.

2.  Something no gay man wants to read, the crazy nutjob Housewife of some city on that Bravo show I deplore had vaginal reconstruction after Eddie left her.  That could mean one of two things--Eddie is a white black man who wrecked the poor girl or he made her cray cray as well.

3.  That smile, those dimples...they say the devil has blue eyes and a smile that would light up the world.  Eddie has that smile.

Leann isn't the first child prodigy to meet a bad dude and fall off the rocks.  However, she is the one who sticks out in my head because I owned all of her early work and loved it.  I hope the Cibrian curse ends with her because if he goes after Tanya Tucker or Anna Paquin, I'm done.

Memo to Ewan McGregor--fire your agent

"Moulin Rouge," "Pillow Book," "Trainspotting," and "Velvet Goldmine" are the only movies I have truly enjoyed of this fantastic and underrated actor.  Now comes the news he won't take off his clothes in any more movies, which means he needs to get a new agent, because the only reason his fans sit through the dog crap he stars in is because of his never ending state of partial or full undress.

I know Captain VanTrapp won an Oscar for a movie Ewan starred in that I can't remember the title of and refuse to look it up because I care so little about it.  And the salmon movie got some Golden Globe love, but Ewan has horrible taste in scripts.  He is one of the few actors I will watch reading the phone book (actually the only male actor I will).  But the only thing I can remember from most of his films are the points when he shows his giant light saber or gets shirtless.

"Perfect Sense"--great idea, poor execution.  But Ewan does go shirtless and nude several times.

"Deception"--YAWN.  How can a film about an underworld sex group be so drowsy?

"I Love You Phillip Morris"--May have been a good movie, but Jim Carrey is in my top five of actors who I refuse to watch, but then he goes and stars with Ewan and makes me see the stupid thing.  Waste of time.  Side note:  "Truman Show"--good movie if Tom Hanks had starred in it.

"Down With Love"--Renee Zellwegger, who I loved at one point and then gave up, was the so asexual, it hurt.  But I own it because Ewan is so hot as a Rock Hudson type of guy. 

The list goes on, but the point is this:  Ewan, if you are going to cover up that gorgeous body of yours, you need to start reading your scripts and star in something worthy of your visage.  I'll still come to your films if you are covered head to foot, but I'll hate myself a little less if at the end of the movie, I don't go to my car and pound my head against the steering wheel to rid me of the memories of the stupidity I just endured.

Why "Downton Abbey" matters.

While there are a bunch of shows on the air that I enjoy more ("Girls," "Scandal," "Happy Endings," "Bones" et al.), "Downton Abbey does strike a chord.  It all boils down to one word--class.  If you haven't read "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, stop reading this and go get a copy immediately. 

This show is about the class system and how the folks in it find happiness despite it.   And it also showcases the fact that having money or not having money does not mean you are happy.  It sounds simplistic, but I can't remember another period drama that I felt completely engaged.  No spoilers here, but when whatever happened happened on this week's show, my partner and I had a complete nervous breakdown.  And I already knew what it was, but did not tell my chap because it was the first spoiler in history I wish I did not know going into the episode.

Also, two words--Maggie Smith.  She is given the best lines for good reason. 

The cast is fantastic.  I've been an Elizabeth McGovern fan since "Ordinary People."  Dan Stevens' eyes make me melt, although his character does not.  And Michelle Dockery has managed to create a character who infuriates me, but still lets me like her.

The one major thing against the show is its gay character.  I don't know his name.  I don't want to know it.  He's just annoying.  And there are no black characters either which is a sign of the times.  I just wish the show would have the balls to showcase a gay character who wasn't a backstabbing idiot.

But regardless of my qualms, "Downton Abbey" remains the classiest hour of TV I watch.  And for that I say Huzzah!

Best Hollywood party not thrown by a gay man...

What a party!  Three hours of pure over the top Hollywood entertainment, the Golden Globes have long been considered the inconsequential red-headed stepchild of the Emmys and the Oscars, but have now set an impossible bar for any other awards show this year (or future years for that matter).

The charming, funny duo, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, presided over the ceremony for too brief a time, but set the tone for an evening of fun that included too many memorable moments for a top ten list, but here it goes in no particular order.

10.  Anne Hathaway began as a Disney princess and won supporting actress for her role as a sad, singing prostitute in "Les Miz."  While her speech included a touching tribute to fellow nominee Sally Field going from the Flying Nun to Norma Rae, her false modesty, including a "Blerg!" at the beginning, simply did not ring true.  If she can't even fake sincerity giving an awards speech, then perhaps the reward was a complete mistake.  Bonus annoying points for thanking her agent when "Les Miz" won best comedy/musical.  I'm surprised she didn't rush up to the stage every time she remembered someone else she forgot.

9.  Lena Dunham was one of the night's sweetest surprises for winning best actress and best comedy for "Girls."  Despite wearing a disastrous dress and shoes that had her lumbering around like a modern-day Frankenstein, the charming star was self deprecating and showed Miss Hathaway a few things about genuine sincerity.  Although I groaned when she brought out a giant piece of paper, it all added to the endearing awkwardness.  Double bonus points for giving a shout out to Chad Lowe and her crazy fan reaction at POTUS Bill Clinton.

8.  The President of the Hollywood Foreign Press, not usually a highlight, charmed the crowd with a speech that included Jeffrey Katzenburg not knowing her name and making a cougar shout out to the Tom Ford-wearing Bradley Cooper.  "Call me maybe?"  Smart girl indeed.

7.  The opening monologue by Fey and Poehler was the benchmark of how it should be done.  No special effects (sorry Billy Crystal) or crazy entrances, the opening was just two of the funniest ladies on TV working the room.  Watching the crowd as they finished dinner almost instantly connect with the comedy was something no recent host (Neil Patrick Harris a possible exception) has been able to do.  And they connected in a big way addressing the torture controversary with a hysterical jab at James Cameron and one of the dream jokes that only the true chemistry between these friends could have connected.

Fey:  “The Hunger Games" was one of the biggest films of the year, and also what I call the six weeks it took me to get into this dress,”

Poehler: “Ang Lee’s been nominated for Best Director for "Life of Pi," which is what I’m going to call the six weeks after I take this dress off!”

Brilliant.

6.  Jason Bateman came out carrying Aziz Ansari, who proceeded to go on a comical tirade about how the "Downton Abbey" cast provided pot backstage.  This bit should not have worked, but somehow it did.  Best pot humor since Cheech and Chong.

5.  Good speeches were the rule, not the exception.  "Homeland" winner Damian Lewis charmed mentioning how his mother was happy that he had found success as an "actor."  Kevin Costner cemented a possible comeback with a speech about his journey thus far, proving that when "Man of Steel" hits this summer, we may be seeing more of him.  Daniel Day Lewis was less odd than usual with his speech for "Lincoln," although the music played him off after what seemed like 15 seconds.  And finally Claire Danes is a pro collecting awards by this time, but she always looks so good and so in control of the room, she could opt for a second career at a motivational speaker if the whole acting thing runs out of gas.

4.  The acceptance speech of the night was Jennifer Lawrence's for "Silver Linings Playbook."  I officially want her to be my best friend.  The girl says the first thing that comes to mind.  Her first words were a quote from "First Wive's Club," which caused a social network deluge of silliness when idiots thought she was being mean to Queen Meryl Streep.  She also thanked Harvey Weinstein for whoever he had to kill to get her up there.  At the same time, her gratitude towards her director/writer, fellow actors and family rang true, making this the winning speech in both comedic and dramatic categories.

3.  I generally have instant disdain for Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell, so when they coupled up on stage, I almost raced to the bathroom.  But their improv of trying to explain the characters the best actress nominees in a musical/comedy made them THE presenters of the night.  Tommy Lee Jones' stony stare made this bit even better.  Never start taking Xanax, Tommy! 

2.  The comic bit of the night was a "bitter" Fey and Poehler drinking after losing best comic actress to Dunham, with Fey telling Dunham she was glad they could help her make it through her middle school years.  The bit's VIP was a flash to Glenn Close gaming writhing drunkenly at her table.  I've replayed this bit 20 times and will many more.  It's just that funny.

1.  The obvious MOMENT of this show, or any other awards show in recent memory, was Jodie Foster's acceptance of the Cecil B. DeMille award.  For almost seven minutes, the two-time Oscar winner was absolutely riveting as she commented on her career and privacy.  She kind of came out (no big surprise).  Words cannot express how absolutely over the top this speech was.  "Silence of the Lambs" is in my top five favorite movies of all time and Foster is one of those few actors I will watch reading the phonebook.  But this speech was her most fascinating "performance" to date.  She had me WTFing from her first words and in tears by the end.  Here is a transcript.

For all of you SNL fans, I’m 50! I’m 50! You know, I need to do that without this dress on—maybe later at Trader Vics, boys and girls. I’m 50! You know, I was going to bring my walker tonight, but it just didn’t go with the cleavage. Robert [Downey, Jr.], I want to thank you for everything: for your bat-crazed, rapid-fire brain, the sweet intro…I love you and Susan and I am so grateful that you continually talk me off the ledge when I go on and foam at the mouth and say I’m done with acting, I’m done with acting, I’m really done, I’m done, I’m done, I’m done. Trust me, 47 years in the film business is a long time. You just ask those Golden Globies, because you crazy kids, you’ve been around here forever. Phil, you’re a nut, Ida, Scott, thank you for honoring me tonight. It’s the most fun party of the year and tonight, I feel like the prom queen. Thank you!
Looking at all those clips, you know, the hairdos and the freaky platform shoes, it’s like a home movie nightmare that just won’t end. All of these people sitting here at these tables, they’re my family of sorts, fathers mostly: Executives, producers, the directors, my fellow actors out there, we’ve giggled through love scenes, we’ve punched and cried and spit and vomited and blown snot all over one another, and those are just the co-stars that I liked. But you know, more than anyone else, I share my most special memories with members of the crew. Blood-shaking friendships, brothers and sisters, we made movies together and you can’t get more intimate than that.
So while I’m here being all confessional, I just have a sudden urge to say something that I’ve never really been able to air in public, a declaration that I’m a little nervous about, but maybe not quite as nervous as my publicist right now—hi, Jennifer—but, uh, you know, I’m just going to put it out there, right, loud and proud, so I’m going to need your support on this. I am, uh…single. Yes I am! I am single. No, I’m kidding. But I mean I’m not really kidding, but I’m kinda kidding. I mean, thank you for the enthusiasm. Can I get a wolf-whistle or something? [AUDIO DROPS OUT.]
–be a big coming out speech tonight, because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago, back in the Stone Age, in those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends, and family, co-workers, and then gradually, proudly, to everyone who knew her, to everyone she actually met. But now apparently I’m told that every celebrity is expected to honor the details of their private life with a press conference, a fragrance, and a prime-time reality show. You guys might be surprised, but I am not Honey Boo Boo Child. No, I’m sorry, that’s just not me. It never was and it never will be. But please don’t cry because my reality show would be so boring. I would have to make out with Marion Cotillard, I would have to spank Daniel Craig’s bottom just to stay on the air. It’s not bad work if you can get it though. But seriously, if you had been a public figure from the time that you were a toddler. If you had to fight for a life that felt real and honest and normal against all odds, then maybe you too might value privacy above all else. Privacy.
Some day, in the future, people will look back and remember how beautiful it once was. I have given everything up there from the time that I was three years old—that’s reality show enough, don’t you think? There are a few secrets to keeping your psyche intact over such a long career: The first, love people and stay beside them. That table over there, 222, way out in Idaho, Paris, Stockholm, that one next to the bathroom with all the unfamous faces, the very same faces for all these years. My acting agent Joe Funicello, Joe, do you believe it, 38 years we’ve been working together? Even though he doesn’t count the first eight. Matt Saber, Pat Kingsley, Jennifer Allen, Grant Diamond …lifers. My family of friends here tonight and at home, and, of course, Mel Gibson: You know you saved me too.
There is no way I could ever stand here without acknowledging one of the deepest loves of my life, my heroic co-parent, my ex-partner in love, but righteous soul sister in life, my confessor, ski-buddy, consigliore, most beloved BFF for 20 years, Cydney Bernard. Thank you, Cyd. I am so proud of our modern family, our amazing sons Charlie and Kit, who are my reason to breathe and to evolve, my blood and soul. And boys, in case you didn’t know it, this song, like all of this, this song is for you. This brings me to my greatest influence in my life, my amazing mother Evelyn. Mom, I know you’re inside those blue eyes somewhere and that there are so many things that you won’t understand tonight, but this is the only important one to take in: I love you, I love you, I love you. And I hope that if I say this three times, it will magically and perfectly enter into your soul, fill you with grace and the joy of knowing that you did good in this life. You’re a great mom. Please take that with you when you’re finally okay to go. You see, Charlie and Kit? Sometimes your mom loses it too.
I can’t help but get moony, you know. This feels like the end of one era and the beginning of something else, scary and exciting. And now what? Well, I may never be up on this stage again, on any stage for that matter. Change, you gotta love it. I will continue to tell stories, to move people by being moved, the greatest job in the world. It’s just that from now on I may be holding a different talking stick, and maybe it won’t be as sparkly, maybe it won’t open on 3,000 screens, maybe it will be so quiet and delicate that only dogs can hear it whistle. But it will be my writing on the wall: Jodie Foster was here, I still am, and I want to be seen, to be understood, deeply, and to be not so very lonely. Thank you, all of you, for the company. Here’s to the next 50 years.

Academy snubs

The first snub I noticed was Ben Affleck's for "Argo" direction, not because I have any desire to see the movie, but because it's Ben Affleck.  After a few days of retrospection, it is really Kathryn Bigelow's snub that bugs me the most. And it's not the snub itself (for my money, Joss Whedon should have gotten a nomination for directing the best reviewed superhero movie of all time--"The Avengers"), but the reasoning.

Torture happens folks.  And to say it doesn't is an absolute lie.  Granted, the government is known for that so it really isn't a surprise, and such practices should be kept quiet for the sake of safety.  I do not want to know what the military does, because if I know, our enemies know.

But the criticism unleashed on this film, which is not a documentary, is unfair and unfounded.   "Scandal," which had disturbing torture scenes on a show that is essentially a political soap opera, did not receive similar criticism because folks recognized the show for what it is--fiction. 

Maybe it's easier for a TV show that is such a complete fairy tale. And an extremely entertaining one at that.  I'm hooked even with Guillermo Diaz, an out gay actor looking very cute and shirtless, but none the less being TORTURED.  "Zero Dark Thirty" is held to a higher standard obviously, and the torture scenes have been discussed and criticized to a ludicrous point.

So Bigelow is a low-blow snub.  She probably won't have sleepless nights over it, as the controversy is fueling the box office.  Publicity, even bad publicity, is always good. 

Welcome to Captain Gaypants, a little play on Nathan Fillion's Captain Tightpants character in the cult hit "Firefly."  See the picture to see why Fillion will always have a place on my radar even if I gave up on his current hit, "Castle."  However, this blog will not be devoted to little seen, but much beloved sci-fi/western series, but center on issues centering on the booming gay culture. 

While the goal is not to offend, it will be a frank look at the issues of the day, things that get under my skin and, of course, my current pop culture obsessions.