Monday, December 31, 2007

BYE 2007, DON'T LET THE SCREEN DOOR HIT YER ASS ON THE WAY OUT.

Oh well, BLOODY GOOD RIDDANCE! I am so hating the way this year is ending! I feel terribly depressed and completely lonely! THERE! SO EF YOU 2007! Perhaps a new fresh year will do me good. I'm just tired of the daily routine, of neverending responsibilities, of having to struggle to survive in this world/society. Doesn't it just overwhelm ye sometimes my friends? DOESN'T IT?! ARGH! I've been feeling shitty this last week, and the gym is calling me back to destress anew. I'm infested with gray/white hairs too! UGH! Time for men's hair color, AGAIN.

This silly preposterous movie Superbad, has enough retarded funny moments that I am recommending it. Skinny geeky aDORKable Michael Cera is a joy to watch, and the film is nothing short of insane. Highly implausible I suppose, but give it a whirl nonetheless. I also rewatched the very gay but highly fascinating Bad Education (La Mala Educación), directed by the genius Spaniard, Almodóvar , and can't get over how rich and well-crafted his characters are. Add to this some great music and colorful cinematography and I swear I am just about ready to move to Spain in a flash! Speaking of España, my reading of Don Quixote is going well. Ah Castilian...such a beautiful fine tongue it is.
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I wish you all excellent mental, emotional, and physical health friends for 2008. Pray for mine as well, for it is good health above all other things which makes life worth living.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

I'M SO GLAD THIS ISN'T PAKISTAN.

The year is winding down, and the world is still one crazy f**king place:

- Pakistan is the only Islamic state with a nuclear arsenal. And Washington has private concerns about the security of those weapons. Those worries will intensify in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination. An arms control expert says one thing is certain: It is "not a good idea to have 70 nuclear weapons in the hands of a country that is falling apart."

Yeah, isn't that comforting? And we here in the United States have a major presidential election coming up too; would terrorists somehow decide to strike us too? Don't kid yourselves, Iraq still sucks, and there are car bombs/terrorists going off there all the time. I dunno where we're headed, to be honest, or what horrors to expect anymore.

On a lighter note, the USPS has issued a stamp in honor of Bette Davis' 100th birthday. Ah yes, good ole' Baby Jane herself. It's a cool stamp dontcha think?

I was in a traffic jam not too long ago, and this song popped up on my iPod and kept me company whilst stuck on the road, and boy what a song this is! A genius artist, and NO he wasn't once a Beatle either, but surely inspired by them:
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Wednesday, December 26, 2007

DAS BRITISCHE IMPERIUM.

Hey, this movie called Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown is quite good. I saw it last night and I really enjoyed the interesting insight into what it was like during Queen Victoria's rule of Britain, which was at the time the foremost global power. Dame Judi Dench as usual gives an outstanding performance as Victoria and though a slow quiet movie for many I suppose, I was most intrigued by its very simple yet effective message about friendship. Although a very stern and strict woman, the Queen was very emotional and caring, and seemed to possess a good heart. A much superior film than say that God awful Michael Bay-directed Transformers, which although showcases a very adorable Shia LaBeouf, is lacking in a cohesive and sensible plotline. What a horrid mess!
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I feel so inferior only speaking English, Spanish, and a good amount of French. I wish I spoke more languages to be honest, and I'm thinking I really want to learn German. I have always found German quite an awesome-sounding tongue. Besides, somewhere on my father's side, rumour has it a great grandpaps was Alemannic or something like that. The Rosetta Stone software looks great, but it's quite expensive, and I'm cheap. Hopefully I'll find some free courses online or something. One of my co-workers speaks it fluently as she was born in Germany, so it'd be great to be able to practice with her as I get better.

Wish me luck in my quest zu sprechen deutsch!

Monday, December 24, 2007

LA NOCHEBUENA.

I don't usually buy stuff for myself unless it's a necessity, but every time around Xmas, I do like to reward meeself. So what did WAT get WAT this year? I thought you'd never ask!

-A silly funny James Bond-style spoof starring The Beatles themselves in Help! I do already have the cheap DVD that was released a few years ago, but this new version of the 1965 film is fresh 2007, restored and with all the extra goodies that go along with it.

-Paul McCartney's impressive solo career with Wings and beyond is now on DVD in The McCartney Years! OH HOW EXCITING! LOVE IT! Full of tons of music videos and commentary by the genius himself! I can't wait to watch and hear it with good crisp sound. Sweet joy!

-Yeah, I finally bought Madonna's Confessions Tour. Saw it a little over a year ago on television, and it is terrific entertainment visually, but this also has an extra audio CD with the awesome live concert versions of Music and Erotica which I can't stop humming. Catchy indeed. Her Royal Highness is quite the entertainer/performer, even at her age.

-Last but not least, a beautiful annotated hardcover version of what is considered the first modern novel and what some regard as the greatest book ever written: Don Quixote de la Mancha. I read it years ago in college, in the original Spanish language version, but found it quite complex at times due to certain words/expressions used here and there. This version makes reading Miguel de Cervantes' 17th century masterpiece much easier. To quote The Beatles, "it's a thousand pages give or take a few." Ah yes, that poor insane idealistic lanky Don Quixote and his chubby short sidekick Sancho Panza on their zany adventures to defend chivalry and impress the damsel in distress. A highly comical and almost sad work of art really. There is a famous Broadway musical, Man of La Mancha.

A fantastic Happy Xmas to you all!

Friday, December 21, 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WINTER SOLSTICE, AND MERRY XMAS JAKEY G.

I haven't focused much on Jakey G. as of late. Until today. I didn't see his last film Rendition, but it seems as though a certain co-star and him have gotten very close since. Yeah, him and that Reese Witherspoon.
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Footage of those two being lovey dovey sometime back in October:

Jakey and HER at the beach.

Ho hum.

By the way, Jakey G. celebrated his 27th birthday just this past Wednesday. Congratulations are in order fine sir! FINE FINE SIR!

Back in October, Jakey was sporting his sexy beard and did this witty interview on Letterman:
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

"WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG AND YOUR HEART, WAS AN OPEN BOOK..."

It's Wednesday, and you know what that means. Absolutely NOTHING!

I know we all have to get older and that our bodies age and stuff, but it still shocked me to see the latest pics of once glamorous Zsa Zsa Gabor, who was caught in Beverly Hills this past week. She's in her early 90s now, and the poor Hungarian thing is most definitely showing it! GOOD GOD! Time is cruel to us all! Ya know, for celebrities who rely so much on their looks such as Zsa Zsa once did, it must be really humbling/depressing to get this old and watch yer body just implode and putrefy right before your very eyes on its way to the grave. It's a stupid cosmic joke really. Zsa Zsa, who once had the strength to slap a cop, now can barely walk on her own. The pics of a now very senior Zsa Zsa are here. I'd like to live a long fruitful life mind you, but the vanity I possess sometimes makes me think that dying young may not be so bad, for I would never have to age and worry about liver spots! My co-worker insists that getting older isn't so bad, and that your mindset accepts the changes that come with it. Yeah. Sure. I can't wait till I turn 80. LOLOLOL! By the way, did you know Zsa Zsa was once married to and had a daughter with Paris Hilton's great grandfather Conrad? WHO KNEW?!

I was fortunate enough to receive this book for Xmas at work yesterday for our gift exchange. Sweet holy Jesus! There are some fine rare pics in the book of Paul McCartney and his lovely late wife Linda traveling all over the world during the 1970s with their supergroup that was, WINGS! WOOHOO! I've heard so many negative criticisms of Paul's work after The Beatles being cheesy/corny and just a bunch of silly pop/love songs (<--see the pun?), but listening to some of these albums today is still a real treat. McCartney continued writing brilliantly during this era, and without a doubt was just as successful away from his first famous band. Linda got a lot of shit too, for her less than stellar singing and limited musical instrument knowledge, but I say the woman stood by her man and worked hard to be a member of that group, and pulled it off nicely thank you. Paul was scared about life after the Fab Four, but Linda encouraged him to keep songwriting/performing and eventually Wings took shape. Paul even admits in the book, that he was always monitoring John, George, and Ringo's solo albums to see what they were up to musically as a sort of competition/inspiration for himself, and that more than likely the others were keeping tabs on his work too. There were lots of band member changes here and there throughout the group's decade or so long existence, but the essence of Paul, Linda, and Denny Laine was for the most part, always there. WINGS BABY! Here are some fine obscure and famous songs too by Sir Paul and his 70s crew Wings:



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Monday, December 17, 2007

I'M ALMOST FAMOUS, BUT NOT QUITE.

How many times a day do you check your blog, hoping THAT post you put so much effort into racks up at least five or more comments? HMMM?! Come on now, don't lie! You know you check that little blog you're so proud of at least 1,576 times a day! Okay, so you hope that even if no one comments, that someone is at least reading your precious well thought out words and admiring your even more entertaining images! Alas, the little narcissist in ya wishes your blog was as visited as Google.com or CNN.com, but alas, you'll just have to be content with the traffic of some 30 people or less you get a day. Hell, I know that if a post of mine gets at least five comments, I already feel like a winner! Hell, even one comment is better than none, so thanks to all of you again for taking the time to even say something. I know the world does not revolve around me, but when a post is read through and commented on voraciously, I somehow do feel vindicated! YES! YES! I MATTER SOMEHOW IN CYBERSPACE AND NOT JUST AS SOMEONE WHO ADDICTIVELY VIEWS ONLINE HARDCORE PORN! Um, anyway...

Late Saturday/early Sunday into the wee hours, they were showing one of my favorite movies ever on cable! Yes, I SAID EVER! I already have it on DVD, but I couldn't resist watching it, commercials and all, knowing someone else was probably enjoying at the very same time I was. It's the movie that made Goldie Hawn Jr. a.k.a. Kate Hudson a star, Almost Famous! YEEHA! What a terrific film! I love me that good ole' classic rock, and this movie is such a trip down memory lane, in the early 70's when music still meant something. Makes me live through an era I barely missed really, and writer/director Cameron Crowe does a superb job of capturing the times he himself remembers fondly. It's got this scene here, which is now a classic of American cinema. Oh Elton John, you were tha man! Do check out Almost Famous if you've never seen it. An amazing cast, great writing, and a pretty great soundtrack to a richly nostalgic sweet movie.

In the spirit of Xmas, here's a little tune by one of my musical idols:

Friday, December 14, 2007

THE SKINNY ON WAT.

Am I smarter than a fifth grader? I better be!

I just realized how much I love Cheetos. Both the Crunchy and Puffs versions. Really unhealthy snacks I suppose, but I love them. Thee fingers are left orange-stained messes; chemicals in that junk probably cause horrid mutations inside the human body, but I just can't resist me a nice bag of the stuff. I tried getting into the Flaming Hot Cheetos, but hot damn, they destory my gastrointestinal tract and cause me some bad heartburn. As a child, Doritos were my fav I suppose, but not so much as an adult anymore due to the fact they leave ya with that strange malodorous breath for hours and I just never know when I might meet someone and decide to French kiss and stick my tongue down their throat with passionate delirious wild abandon! Frito Lay, you are my heroes, even if the rest of America is turning into a nation of the really plump and obese.

Speaking of weight issues, I could use an extra 20 lbs. The gym tones me up, but doesn't really bulk me up per se. It's not easy for me to gain weight, since I happen to be naturally lean with thankfully broad shoulders. Plus, suffering anxiety disorder and taking an anti-depressant also keep me on the skinny side. Most are jealous and think I look fine. BUT THEN THERE ARE THE NAYSAYERS. THE ONES THAT THINK I AM ON MY LAST LEGS SUFFERING FROM THE LAST STAGES OF A TERMINAL ILLNESS. Usually dumb envious fat people will say comments to me that I should eat more or ask if I am okay. How hurtful can these people be?! I guess it sucks for them since they're upset their once thin frames have collapsed and morphed them into large ocean creatures! One particular girl/co-worker who's about average size constantly mocks me for being skinny, until just the other day I got fed up and told her to leave my cubicle and get lost! Yeah, the bitch felt bad, but it's too late Mexican crater face! She went too far when she said I looked as anorexically hideous as J Lo's skeleton hubby Marc Anthony and that I had no ass! HUH? I almost felt like saying, "Lemme pull my pants down and show you my nice sweet ass and giant thick jackhammer cock you stupid bitch!", but common sense and decency won out and so a good, "I'm not liking you very much right now, so please leave my cubicle." was enough to make the beast leave with her tail between her legs. She tried to apologize but I had my back turned to her as I typed away on my computer and gave her the silent treatment. Her loss right? Yeah, her f*cking loss is RIGHT. No more of my cool jokes, wicked laugh, or hilarious anecdotes for you sweetheart. I only wish she and other indiscreet skinny hating assholes understood and knew that I look decently okay and actually kinda hot naked and that I'm not some starving Somalian lying on a dirt floor with flies buzzing in my face and vultures flying overhead waiting for me to croak. In the hetero world I guess, skinny women are much more acceptable than skinny men. Women expect males to be built/buff and crap. Well, not in the gay world. IN MA WORLD, I AM POPULAR, SO STFU AND THANKS! Must be the swinging large thick pendulum. AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ahem.

And yeah, so I'm skinny, Jodie Foster is a lesbo, Major League Baseball is ridden with steroid users, and the military is full of shit and knowingly allows openly gay men to serve anyway, especially during wartime.

So obviously obvious! Where's my Cheetos?

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

A NEW ARGENTINA FOR CHRISTMAS.

History-making events in Argentina! A woman assumed the presidency and it just so happens she is the wife of the outgoing president, Néstor Kirchner! His parents were Swiss/Croatian I believe. So just as hubby relinquishes power, the first lady comes in (rightfully elected by the people) and is now leader of the nation. Her name is Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and she's quite an attractive dame I must say. They both make a nice couple. Very photogenic these two, kind of like our current version of the Kennedys, the Clintons! As powerful and beloved as Madon...ER, I mean, Evita Perón was back in the day, even SHE did not get to become president like Cristina. So yes, she gets to continue living in La Casa Rosada, not just as the mere primera dama anymore. Wow. The Kirchners have been very popular in Argentina, leading the country into a bit of an economic boom, compared to a few years back where their economy was in the toilet. Wonder if BILLARY will get to make history in our country next year?

My Xmas tree is up and looks nice and festive, but I seriously can't wait till Xmas comes and goes in the next two weeks! Good riddance. I feel bad that I haven't really done any gift shopping yet, and I probably won't even do that much, if any, to be honest. The finances are tough this year, and although I love those close to me and stuff, I not only do not have as much cash as I have had maybe in years past, but the idea of having to step into a mall or store at this time of year makes me cringe. I guess Target is okay. I kinda like Target, for it is a pretty cool store with reasonable stuff and prices, but I'm just not a shopper to be honest. If I am gonna get anything, I better just do it online on Amazon.com, but now would be the time to do it so I can get my shipment in time for Xmas. If not, I can always call them New Year's gifts right?

Can you believe this crazy dude has a blog?!

Monday, December 10, 2007

WAT'S HUMOR KEEPING HIM YOUNG + OBAMA IS MY MAN: NEXT OPRAH!

I was told Friday night while at one of the bars in my general area called C Frendz, that I have a terrific sense of humor. Someone actually said it was very good dry humor. Of course, most of the fools there that night were piss drunk/plastered, but hey, I'll take any compliment that comes my way! Odd really, that at this stage/age in my life I am being hit on/approached more often than ever before. Must be that I ooze more confidence now, that the experience and wisdom which I now have just emanates from my pores and onto others like some really good expensive intoxicating cologne or something. GOD MAN. Someone else even said, "I like your laugh a lot, it sounds as if you really enjoy having a good time." Funny because I've been told the same thing by people at work. I tend to laugh out loud and with gusto, since I won't really be able to do so once I die, so I might as well enjoy this all now before it's taken away. It'd be nice to actually laugh as I die! Yeah, chuckle away as my vital bodily organs shut down and I travel down into that tunnel of light...

What makes this all the more sweeter is that I'm defying my age like Melanie Griffith once said one should in those old Revlon commercials! Too bad Melanie has failed at age defiance herself! I'm almost into my mid-thirties here, but most are shocked and think I'm in my mid-twenties! No sun, no smoking, no heavy drinking, and plenty of sleep are the key to my age-defying success! Of course, I look like a very pale vampire and a prime candidate for a hunter like Buffy to come and drive a stake through my heart, but I'm challenging the hands of time baby! Here's hoping I don't grow any fangs or a taste for blood anytime soon.

What's this?! Oprah is seriously endorsing Obama now. Lemme tells ya, Oprah has a lot of clout and influence in this country. The minute she tells those women on her show to donate to a cause, watch a lousy/cheesy TV movie-of-the-week, or read some book, those females listen and do as the Empress orders them to. She's bigger than life this Winfrey beluga whale, and supporting Obama as a presidential candidate can only work in his favor. Must be she wants to jump Obama's bones, since the man is not only very intelligent but actually kind of good looking too. But then again, isn't Oprah a lesbian? Nah, that's a rumor right? She loves food though no doubt about it, and can afford all she wants being worth one billion and change.

Yeah, just watching as 2007 rapidly slips into the history books...

Friday, December 07, 2007

YOU MAY SAY HE WAS A DREAMER.

I know, I know. Another Beatles-themed post, but I can't help it. I apologize if this bores some of you.

Tomorrow marks the sad tragic anniversary of the death of one half of the greatest songwriting team the world has ever known. I'm talking of course, about John Lennon, shot by a crazed deranged "fan" at the young age of 40. I don't even remember to be honest, as I was but a mere child, unaware of how crazy and insanely violent the world can truly be. As the years went by and I grew to appreciate Lennon's amazing talent, I came to realize what the world truly lost that day. As someone who knows what it's like to lose a loved one to gun violence, I now as an adult fully comprehend the deep sorrow a loss like this can cause. Though I've never been a fan of Yoko, it's hard not to feel terrible for what she had to witness/endure that awful night. So sad, so very f**king sad...

-Amazing radio footage of that night:


-Coverage on Nightline:



-Coverage on the BBC:


-Paul McCartney's seemingly cool reaction, but notice his weeping eyes:


-And finally, one of Lennon's all-time great solo songs:

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

LUCY! JOO GOT SOME 'SPLAININ' TA DOO!

Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III was born in Santiago, Cuba in 1917. The world best remembers him by his shortened entertainer name, Desi Arnaz.

Desi was of Spanish descent, born into a pretty wealthy family back in Cuba, but they had to exile to the United States after Fulgencio Batista took power in the 30's and stripped them of their wealth. He came to Miami, then in New York City met Xavier Cugat who inspired Arnaz to start up his own Latin band. Arnaz became pretty successful with his Latin orchestra and then did Broadway and roles in Hollywood pictures, where he ran into the woman that would change his life: Lucille Ball. They were married in 1940.

The idea to transfer Ball's successful radio show My Favorite Husband onto the new medium known as television, ran into a bit of problems at first, mainly the fact that Lucille insisted that her real life husband Desi be cast on the TV show. Racism being more pronounced then, CBS executives did not think America would want to see a Hispanic portraying Lucille's husband on TV. Ball and Arnaz proved their worth, touring the country on a live stage show version of the concept, and the executives were won over by positive live audience response. Ball hoped that this would also help her already strained marriage with Arnaz by bringing them closer together if they were able to live and work in California as a team.

-In 1951, before the perfection of videotape, nearly all television shows were live productions, fed from the East Coast because of time-zone differences. Philip Morris approved the idea of filming I Love Lucy, but the sponsor wanted a live audience, which had been effective on radio. Desi and cinematographer Karl Freund, a veteran of pre-World War II German expressionist cinema working in Hollywood, devised a plan for staging the show as a play, performing each act before an audience, and simultaneously filming with three or four cameras stationed in different locations. Because this technique increased network production costs, CBS asked the Arnaz and Ball to take a cut in salary to compensate for the increase. In negotiation, Arnaz agreed, providing Desilu, a company he and Ball had created, would then own the shows after the broadcasts. A few years later the couple sold the films back to CBS for more than four million dollars, a sum that provided the economic base for building what became the Desilu empire. The practice of filming television episodes also paved the way to TV reruns and syndication.

And the rest they say is history. Arnaz' revolutionary contributions to the television landscape were enormous and are still used today. His personal life with Lucille Ball however, was sadly marred by alcoholism and womanizing. OH THOSE LATIN MEN! HAHAHAHAHA! Twenty years of marriage, two children, and Ball had had enough. They divorced, but remained lifelong amicable friends. Arnaz remarried in 1963, and remained so until his wife Edith passed away in 1985. A lifetime of heavy smoking took its toll, and Arnaz himself succumbed to shitty lung cancer on December 2, 1986.

This simple and humble blog post is in honor of a Latino who made history as a TV star and astute producer/businessman. Sporting his trademark funny accent, going off in Spanish, and playing off Ball's crazy antics, Desi Arnaz is forever immortalized along with his other three co-stars on the most popular television show in history.

¡Gracias Ricky Ricardo!
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Monday, December 03, 2007

YES VIRGINIA, THERE ARE QUAKES BENEATH THE ANGELS.

I gotta get out of Los Angeles!

I keep watching these programs on the educational cable channels that warn of a huge quake coming to my region sometime in the near future. Yes, the San Andreas Fault could give way, and though it would level and totally destroy Palm Springs and San Bernardino, it wouldn't be so bad for the actual LA city area that is some 150 miles away. Mind you, I'd hate to see Palm Springs leveled though, since they are so close just off that dreaded massive famous fault. However, the fault that really worries scientists is apparently the Puente Hills Fault just under the city which is capable of producing a quake larger than a 7.0 on the Richter scale. If that sucker were to go off just beneath Downtown Los Angeles, you can kiss most of this plastic city adios! Luckily I live and work in relatively safe buildings, but not having running water or power for days really freaks me out nonetheless! When will I ever prepare by stocking food and water man? I gotta get with it!

One of my good friends just got fired from his job, and it sounds really unfair! Sounds like this new douchebag director was just hired at his office and decided to clean house by getting rid of my bud in the process! My friend's been there close to three years mind you, and has been relatively competent and well-liked for the most part! And he now gets fired during the Xmas season with a very ridiculous cheap severance package offer to add insult to injury! HOW LAME! I say this boy better take it to the labor board man! He may have a case! I hate certain people in power sometimes, like a certain supervisor I deal with at my own job. EF THESE PEOPLE! They think that because they have power they can abuse it against us little people?! Remember the French Revolution I say! Congrats to the Venezuelans for rejecting their insane president's dictatorial aspirations!

I put up our Xmas tree finally. Aw. See? I'm not an entire Scrooge. And this movie, looks most intriguing:

Saturday, December 01, 2007

THE STEPFORD WIFE.

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise in Germany this past week. Just look at Katie. LOOK AT HER. Creepy is an understatement.

-Meanwhile, an audio clip from The Howard Stern Show that was on not too long ago, where Gilbert Gottfried sits in and laughs up a storm at clips from Ed McMahon's "new audio book." I tells ya, this is the kind of stuff on Stern's show that makes me cry my eyes out laughing my head off, but then again I'm infantile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA8EgYu7GvA