Shaunna's Soliloquies

That's Entertainment

Oh me oh my the brouhaha...  the biggest pop culture event the past few days is Adam Lambert's performance at the American Music Awards, along with the shock and awe it produced (an observation - since when did almost 11 p.m. on the networks become family viewing? last I heard it was time for A-D-U-L-T-S).  And then there's Good Morning America's chicken shit cancellation of his scheduled performance.  

Whatever. CBS got the ratings benefit of a couple great performances, as well as a remarkable candid interview.

Ann Powers says it best with her thoughtful commentary regarding rock 'n roll, popular music and the evolution of button-pushing performance on television and Lambert's place among them.  

As for myself, well, it certainly seems that we’re a nation of prudes with a sexual double standard. The fact that we are blasé about and accept mind-numbing visuals regarding appalling violent images yet squirm at the sexual (except those which may very well be rooted in misogyny) speaks volumes.

Female performers have been playing that card for quite some time, so the logical conclusion to reach about this kertuffle is that it's Lambert's sexuality and not the performance that is fueling the outrage. Replace a female in the piece and honestly assess if any outrage that you have would be quite as intense

And the network had to know what he was up to, it's disingenuous on their part to feign otherwise. He may have thrown a curve ball with that kiss or a gesture or two, so what? The rest was choreographed down to the finest detail, there were pictures all over the internet in the days leading up to the show with those costumes, it was likely repeatedly rehearsed, and he was giving interviews the previous few days that spelled out the he direction he was going.

To entertain. And make us think... perhaps just a bit.

Nightmare 2012

The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming...

...oh, that's right, they've already been here.  And now they're back... armed with a strong sense of history and what should be of importance.

A Must-See Event

I don't think I'll ever go to Sea World again. Or any other aquarium with trained dolphins, for that matter.

And while I don't know if I have the nerve to watch The Cove -  after reading about it and watching this trailer - I feel it's important to support the filmmakers and the message they're trying to bring forth.

The next time you go swimming with the dolphins at a resort, remember the carnage... and at what cost it took for that industry to exist.

Boycott.

Stop it. 

O Happy Day

What a joyous video... it simply brings a smile to my face. (And lets me momentarily put aside cynicism regarding matrimony.) Thanks to Kevin and Jill for sharing their auspicious start and dance to Forever (groom's own description with an seconding "yes Forever") down the aisle with the rest of the world:

Sarah Palin's coming to Ventura County.

And Carrie Prejean.

Of course, both events are in the far eastern part of the county... Simi Valley.

Another illustration of why west is best.  Besides the fact that the ocean's over here.

 

I spent this afternoon with my mother. Yes, the one who's been driving me crazy because she refuses to accept the fact that she can't live alone any longer and she's a risk to herself. (But) I was going easy on her, because she turned 82 the other day and I didn't want to be too much of a c**t, er, bitch.

Anyhoo... the conversation drifted to pop culture. My mother (and if I'm honest mayhap it's a inherited trait, as per #7 on the Eight Random Things meme from a couple years ago) is a pop culture trivia expert. She was lamenting the fact that she missed all the performances of this good looking kid Adam who she caught on Regis and Kelly that could sing like nobody's business.

So I pressed play on the CD that was already loaded, and while she enjoyed most of the songs she absolutely flipped for Ring of Fire.

OMFG (yes, my mother does use that type of verbiage, albeit with the entire words) that is the sexiest song that I've ever heard and promise to make a copy for me. Promise, And bring it over asap.

Now, as my mother is a pop culture wizard - and with Lambert's sudden celebrity and accompanying references in all manner of tabloids - she is aware that Adam's gay. And it's funny, as much as she's a product of her generation and its prejudices, she's also in agreement with Adam himself when he states that sexy's universal.  Of course, I don't know how much of this stems from her wild and woolly days and ways when she was a part of the Hollywood of more than fifty years ago.

What I do know is that as a very young child I was
taught not to pay any attention to the men who wore makeup at The El Coyote (which ironically, drew protests recently at the height of the Prop 8 fight).

But I'm going off on a tangent (once again).

I was going to segue into the rather diverting phenom about the part of Lambert's fan base that's manifesting as the Cougar Brigade. Newsweek has an article discussing it, although I found Huston's essay much more amusing. Even if I don't relate in any way to the urge to throw my underwear onto any stage where Adam's performing.

I'm certainly old enough to be typecast into this category. However, the fact is, I don't lust after Adam. I stopped lusting after unattainable celebrities when I was in junior high.

But this marvelously talented and sexy young man has certainly awakened the joy and yes the sexiness within me, which was communicated through the conduit of his electrifying performances and the songs he sings. 

As much as I may have disdained Idol in the past I'm glad for what - and whom - happened this past season. And I can't wait for his original CD/album to be released. Who knows? If there's vinyl perhaps I'll invest in a turntable once again...

My my my, here we go, déjà vu all over again. For the past few days I've tried to accomplish a brisk pace upon the rodent wheel while mesmerized by the ring of wildfire surrounding the community of Santa Barbara directly to the north.

As I've gone into before, it's a place that's always been very near and dear to me.  I live in Ventura (which even on its best days is poor man's Santa Barbara) so there's marathon local news coverage of  the disaster, as well as the ominous reminder by the smoke that hugs the horizon.

They're saying that over 30,000 people are evacuated, with another 28,000 on alert to skedaddle when notified. It's hard to wrap the mind around the magnitude. The possibility that a shift in the wind could bring the flames roaring down numerous canyons, and that the entire town may be in its way as it races on its natural path to the ocean is more than surreal.

While my sympathies are entirely with the homeowners snared by the capriciousness of the forces in nature, I also mourn for the other losses that occurred. The other nightmare night when the sundowners roared down Mission Canyon the Botanical Gardens were hit, and I heard the redwood grove is gone. It was more than kind of nice to be able to drive a half hour north and go for a stroll in a redwood grove when I was missing northern California. Gone baby gone. Toast.

So now the city is surrounded by a ring of fire, on the ridges, in the canyons. They say Montecito to the south is vulnerable, and the community of Goleta to the north. As well as the city proper in between.

The news this morning is also stating that the Painted Cave area is vulnerable.  As you can see from the picture to the right, the beauty of the area is more than impressive, and it's a sad fucking shame. (If you want a bit of history of Painted Cave, go here.)

Hopefully the unexpected  gloom this morning is providing a respite that will have a positive effect before it warms up later in the day and the predicted afternoon winds kick up again.

Meanwhile, let's give a listen to Adam's rendition of a song that just seems to fit:

By now you've more than likely seen the amazing performance by the unassuming woman in Great Britain who walked onto the stage and kicked ass. I've watched it a few times, and it elicits the same emotional response each time.

While extremely satisfying to witness David slaying Goliath, and Ms. Boyle possesses an amazing voice, I'm come to the conclusion that the emotional impact of the performance had more than its share of assistance by the lyrics of the song.

There she was, an-almost-fifty-year-old woman who while reaching for her dream concludes, "Now life has killed the dream I dreamed..."

(If you want to watch it you'll have to go here, they've disabled all the embedded coding.) 

I've been staying up lately to watch The Daily Show (instead of viewing the re-run the following evening at a more reasonable hour). It's simply been too good... not to mention getting noticed just about everywhere. I received a email reminder from Salon to make sure I read their current take on The Daily Show/CNBC Wars. Time Magazine today has Mad Money vs. Mad Funny in their Tuned In Blog, and the LA Times is also taking notice. Well, it is big news. Remember what happened to Tucker Carlson and Crossfire when Stewart decided to bring attention to their foibles? And I have little sympathy for CNBC, considering my views regarding the stock market. If you missed last night's episode watch Basic Cable Personality Clash Skirmish '09 right here:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Basic Cable Personality Clash Skirmish '09

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Economic Crisis

West Is Best

Sarah Palin's coming to Ventura County.

And Carrie Prejean.

Of course, both events are in the far eastern part of the county... Simi Valley.

Another illustration of why west is best.  Besides the fact that the ocean's over here.

 

Cougars, Tabloids and Adam... Oh, My!

I spent this afternoon with my mother. Yes, the one who's been driving me crazy because she refuses to accept the fact that she can't live alone any longer and she's a risk to herself. (But) I was going easy on her, because she turned 82 the other day and I didn't want to be too much of a c**t, er, bitch.

Anyhoo... the conversation drifted to pop culture. My mother (and if I'm honest mayhap it's a inherited trait, as per #7 on the Eight Random Things meme from a couple years ago) is a pop culture trivia expert. She was lamenting the fact that she missed all the performances of this good looking kid Adam who she caught on Regis and Kelly that could sing like nobody's business.

So I pressed play on the CD that was already loaded, and while she enjoyed most of the songs she absolutely flipped for Ring of Fire.

OMFG (yes, my mother does use that type of verbiage, albeit with the entire words) that is the sexiest song that I've ever heard and promise to make a copy for me. Promise, And bring it over asap.

Now, as my mother is a pop culture wizard - and with Lambert's sudden celebrity and accompanying references in all manner of tabloids - she is aware that Adam's gay. And it's funny, as much as she's a product of her generation and its prejudices, she's also in agreement with Adam himself when he states that sexy's universal.  Of course, I don't know how much of this stems from her wild and woolly days and ways when she was a part of the Hollywood of more than fifty years ago.

What I do know is that as a very young child I was
taught not to pay any attention to the men who wore makeup at The El Coyote (which ironically, drew protests recently at the height of the Prop 8 fight).

But I'm going off on a tangent (once again).

I was going to segue into the rather diverting phenom about the part of Lambert's fan base that's manifesting as the Cougar Brigade. Newsweek has an article discussing it, although I found Huston's essay much more amusing. Even if I don't relate in any way to the urge to throw my underwear onto any stage where Adam's performing.

I'm certainly old enough to be typecast into this category. However, the fact is, I don't lust after Adam. I stopped lusting after unattainable celebrities when I was in junior high.

But this marvelously talented and sexy young man has certainly awakened the joy and yes the sexiness within me, which was communicated through the conduit of his electrifying performances and the songs he sings. 

As much as I may have disdained Idol in the past I'm glad for what - and whom - happened this past season. And I can't wait for his original CD/album to be released. Who knows? If there's vinyl perhaps I'll invest in a turntable once again...

Ring of Fire

My my my, here we go, déjà vu all over again. For the past few days I've tried to accomplish a brisk pace upon the rodent wheel while mesmerized by the ring of wildfire surrounding the community of Santa Barbara directly to the north.

As I've gone into before, it's a place that's always been very near and dear to me.  I live in Ventura (which even on its best days is poor man's Santa Barbara) so there's marathon local news coverage of  the disaster, as well as the ominous reminder by the smoke that hugs the horizon.

They're saying that over 30,000 people are evacuated, with another 28,000 on alert to skedaddle when notified. It's hard to wrap the mind around the magnitude. The possibility that a shift in the wind could bring the flames roaring down numerous canyons, and that the entire town may be in its way as it races on its natural path to the ocean is more than surreal.

While my sympathies are entirely with the homeowners snared by the capriciousness of the forces in nature, I also mourn for the other losses that occurred. The other nightmare night when the sundowners roared down Mission Canyon the Botanical Gardens were hit, and I heard the redwood grove is gone. It was more than kind of nice to be able to drive a half hour north and go for a stroll in a redwood grove when I was missing northern California. Gone baby gone. Toast.

So now the city is surrounded by a ring of fire, on the ridges, in the canyons. They say Montecito to the south is vulnerable, and the community of Goleta to the north. As well as the city proper in between.

The news this morning is also stating that the Painted Cave area is vulnerable.  As you can see from the picture to the right, the beauty of the area is more than impressive, and it's a sad fucking shame. (If you want a bit of history of Painted Cave, go here.)

Hopefully the unexpected  gloom this morning is providing a respite that will have a positive effect before it warms up later in the day and the predicted afternoon winds kick up again.

Meanwhile, let's give a listen to Adam's rendition of a song that just seems to fit:

The Power of Dreaming

By now you've more than likely seen the amazing performance by the unassuming woman in Great Britain who walked onto the stage and kicked ass. I've watched it a few times, and it elicits the same emotional response each time.

While extremely satisfying to witness David slaying Goliath, and Ms. Boyle possesses an amazing voice, I'm come to the conclusion that the emotional impact of the performance had more than its share of assistance by the lyrics of the song.

There she was, an-almost-fifty-year-old woman who while reaching for her dream concludes, "Now life has killed the dream I dreamed..."

(If you want to watch it you'll have to go here, they've disabled all the embedded coding.) 

Don't mess with Jon, pendejo

I've been staying up lately to watch The Daily Show (instead of viewing the re-run the following evening at a more reasonable hour). It's simply been too good... not to mention getting noticed just about everywhere. I received a email reminder from Salon to make sure I read their current take on The Daily Show/CNBC Wars. Time Magazine today has Mad Money vs. Mad Funny in their Tuned In Blog, and the LA Times is also taking notice. Well, it is big news. Remember what happened to Tucker Carlson and Crossfire when Stewart decided to bring attention to their foibles? And I have little sympathy for CNBC, considering my views regarding the stock market. If you missed last night's episode watch Basic Cable Personality Clash Skirmish '09 right here:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Basic Cable Personality Clash Skirmish '09

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Economic Crisis