Quote of the Day (5/1/11) (The Ninth Doctor Who Week)

The Doctor: Do you wanna come with me? 'Cause if you do then I should warn you, you're gonna see all sorts of things. Ghosts from the past. Aliens from the future. The day the Earth died in a ball of flame. It won't be quiet, it won't be safe, and it won't be calm. But I'll tell you what it will be: The trip of a lifetime!
--The Ninth Doctor

Mariah Carey Has Her Twins (Boy And Girl)!

Mariah Carey, 41, and Nick Cannon, 30, welcomed their twin babies, a boy and a girl, on Saturday April 30.

Carey's representative, Cindi Berger, confirmed the births to The Associated Press. The singing superstar gave birth Saturday at 12:07 p.m. EDT at an undisclosed hospital in Los Angeles. Berger says the baby girl was born first, weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 18 inches long; her brother was next, at 5 pounds 6 ounces, and was 19 inches.

The two will celebrate their third wedding anniversary on Sunday May 1st.

Heard at the White House Correspondents' Dinner

Jon Hamm is here. He looks like all Republicans think they look.

Tim Pawlenty makes Al Gore seem like Ru Paul.
--Seth Greenberg

Mr. President, if your hair gets any whiter, the Tea Party will endorse it. (I'm going to get a nasty phone message from Ginny Thomas in 19 years.)

Hell or Texas

Thanks, Ensley Guffey, for sending me a post card, with the lovely sentiment from my fellow Tennessean (and Disneyized childhood hero), from San Antonio.

Breitbart at It Again

Breitbart the Despicable has now trumped up charges against a University of Missouri-Kansas City labor studies professor (selectively editing video to suggest she supports violence), and the whole kerfuffle involves a clip from my old friend Allison Graham's award-winning At the River I Stand. (That's Allison on the right.)

Read all about it here and here and here.

Djokovic Reaches 5 Consecutive Final; 26-0 For 2011

How long can he keep it up? World #2 Novak Djokovic reached the final of his home town tournament in Serbia with a walk over Janko Tipsarevic on Saturday. Djokovic has now reached 5 consecutive finals (winning 4) and has not lost on tour since the ATP World Tour finals in December 2010. HIs 26-0 start to 2011 is the best beginning of a season since Ivan Lendl's 25-0 in the 1980s.

"The Monster at the End of This Book"

One of my doctoral students gave me this Sesame Street book as a gift. We watched the Supernatural episode that took its name from it earlier in the term.

Thank you Lisa.

\\

Heard on "Supernatural"

Dean: Cas, get out of my ass!
Castiel: I was never in your. . .
--"Mommy Dearest" (Supernatural, 6.19)

Quote of the Day (4/30/11)

Something in us wants to get back every memory, every thing we have lost, every thing that was put together ever and once to make us. It is a sickness, but it is a wonder and a gift too. And though nothing in this century has worked out, we still expect to survive intact and to deliver the torch to those who will revive us in some other place in some other way. That is the garden of childhood we come from and return to beyond the stars, and beyond the figments and mirages of space and time.
Richard Grossinger, The Night Sky

"The Last Sam Weiss"

OMG. Just watched "The Last Sam Weiss" (Fringe).

What happened at the end? And next week is the season finale?

Movie Car Chases

The 10 best--Salon has a slide show.

"Black Swan"

Just saw, finally, the much-acclaimed Black Swan, and I must say I was not impressed. I thought it was hokey, histrionic, overwrought. In fact, I found it close to unwatchable.

Dick Cavett Interviews Jean-Luc Godard

Tip of the hat to Nelson Maddaloni.

Rhode Island Trying Civil Unions "Compromise" Over Marriage Equality

Rhode Island has long been on the list of states marriage equality activists think will  likely be the next to enact marriage equality (which includes Maryland, Minnesota and New York). However, in Maryland marriage equality legislation recently died, and in Minnesota the 2010 election gave Republicans control of the legislature, which they are using to try to put a constitutional amendment prohibiting marriage equality on the 2012 ballot.

This week, openly gay (and multiracial)  Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox announced that he would try to pass a civil unions bill because he felt that marriage equality legislation could not pass both houses of the legislature.

Both Marriage Equality Rhode Island and Freedom To Marry (predictably) sent out press releases denouncing the move.

Marriage Equality Rhode Island:

The Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI) board of directors issued a statement expressing staunch opposition to civil unions now being supported by Speaker Gordon Fox and restated their support for full marriage equality for same-sex couples in Rhode Island.

“Civil unions are unacceptable because they marginalize gay and lesbian couples in very significant ways. The General Assembly will essentially be legalizing a two-class system that subjects thousands of Rhode Island same-sex couples to discrimination. We cannot support legislation that establishes a second class of citizens in Rhode Island,” said Martha Holt, chair of MERI’s board of directors.

Freedom To Marry:

“Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox has made a serious miscalculation.  With support for the freedom to marry topping 60 percent—higher than in any other state in the country—and with a strongly supportive governor, the Rhode Island House should send a marriage bill—and nothing less—to the Senate now.  Couples who are doing the work of marriage in their day-to-day lives, who have made a commitment in life, deserve to have an equal commitment under the law.  That legal commitment is called marriage.  Freedom to Marry is prepared to join with Speaker Fox, advocates on the ground, and a super-majority of Rhode Islanders to make the strongest case to the Senate. 

“Civil union is a separate and unequal half-step that has proven to be terribly inadequate in practice.  That’s why every New England state that started with civil union—Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont—has moved to marriage.  It is also why the official New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission found that “the separate categorization established by the Civil Union Act invites and encourages unequal treatment of same-sex couples and their children.

Although I am a strong supporter of marriage equality, I disagree with MERI and Freedom To Marry here and support Gordon Fox's actions. I believe it is better to enact legislatively what you can right now to protect same-sex couples and their families, while at the same time acknowledging that you are interested in passing marriage equality in the future. Just recently, Hawaii and Illinois have done exactly that earlier this year, with Colorado coming one vote short of joining them in enacting civil unions. In Maryland, marriage equality advocates refused to support a civil unions bill and were rewarded with passage of a bill in one legislative house and bitter recriminations. New York is also only going for marriage equality. Interestingly, in New York and Maryland if you are married someplace else those states will recognize those unions under state law, so maybe the pressure is off for same-sex couples who really need the protections of marriage.

Rhode Island should be an interesting place next week. Both heterosexual supremacists and marriage equality activists will be opposed to civil unions legislations. Presumably, Governor Lincoln Chafee will sign it into law if it reaches his desk, just like he said he would a marriage equality bill.

The Providence Journal reports about the reaction to Speaker Fox's action:

Fox, in an emotional appeal to gay marriage advocates protesting outside his State House office, said his decision to support civil-union legislation was a sign of the strong opposition in both the state House of Representatives and the state Senate for gay marriage, and did not mean that he was stepping away from his drive for full-fledged marriage rights.


"I am the Speaker of the House and I am an openly gay man. This is very emotional for me,” he said. “But as speaker, I understand counting votes and what I can deliver for all of us. And I believe I am delivering rights to us today and it’s not killing the cause.”

Protester Wendy Becker, of Providence, begged him to put gay marriage to a vote, saying: “We need to let people do the right thing.”

Fox replied: “I understand that. This is the right thing for now. We’ll keep working.”

His move won support from both Governor Chafee, a strong advocate of same-sex marriage, and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, an opponent, but it was lambasted by the lead sponsor of the abandoned same-sex marriage bill, the protesters outside Fox’s State House office, and a phalanx of advocacy groups, including Marriage Equality Rhode Island.

As a same-sex marriage advocate, Chafee said he “had hoped that legislation enacting it would have reached my desk this year,” but he respects Fox’s political assessment and believes “passage of civil-union legislation would be a step forward for our state and I would sign such a bill if and when it reaches my desk.”

Paiva Weed reiterated her own support for civil unions, and said she believes this approach has “broad support” in the Senate.

I also support Speaker Fox's actions.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2"

Well . . .

David Beckham Cleaned Up Nicely For the Royal Wedding

Way to pull out the win, Beckham.  Not a tattoo in sight.  Wouldn't want to give the Queen a fright.  I think I just rhymed.  Sweet!

I wish he would have put the top hat on.

A Conference Coming to MTSU

Thanks to PhD student Mick Howard, MTSU will play host to this conference next year.

Read more about it (and see the program) here.

The Fate of Whedon/Goddard's "Cabin in the Woods"

Now known. Finally.

Celebrity Friday: Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin

Julianne Moore is one of my favorite actresses, and should have won an Oscar for her work in Far From Heaven years ago. According to the Hollywood Reporter, she is going to be starring as Sarah Palin a.k.a. "Moose Mess" in the upcoming HBO film, Game Change, based on the 2010 best-seller Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime on the 2008 presidential race by John Heileman and Mark Halperin. She looks amazing!

Quote of the Day (4/29/11)

Human beings are in the process of being radically redesigned. It would be unfair to apply old European standards to the new creatures we are becoming. I do not lament the passing of the unconscious. It had already been trivialized out of existence by the mid-sixties. Psychedelics dealt it further blows. Self-improvement techniques bypassed it altogether. Television finished it off. We are new beings now. We don't need an unconscious. We are unconscious.
--Andrei Codrescu, "The Death of the Unconscious"

Karl Lagerfeld Commissions Chocolate Sculpture of Baptiste Giabiconi

Speaking of Karl Lagerfeld and ...um ... rape... the man himself has created a life size version of his sex slave muse Baptiste Giabiconi in order to advertise for new chocolate brand Magnum.  (You may have seen the commercials for Magnum with Rachel Bilson and Baptiste).  This chocolate sculpture is actually a pretty good likeness; question is, what is Karl going to do with it now?  I mean, does it have... orifices?  We know that Karl's not eating it since he's dropped all that weight.  I'm just sayin'.  (via Gawker)

"Come hither..." says the chocolate Baptiste

Bellisario vs. CBS

This should be interesting.

Dining with the Decadent: Win a lunch with Daphne Guinness

There is currently a competition being held by Barneys to dine with the decadent in NYC. I am not really sure whether they would fly over a winner outside of the USA. Regardless, entering it looks like tonnes of fun and I am going to do it anyway. I'm even in the mood for holding a dinner party and theming it for this competition. Heads up when I get home!

Currently in Sydney in anticipation of AFW, I have already spotted Australia's answer to Iris Apfel and I will be tracking her and plenty more other decadent bitches down throughout the week.

Until then, if you're a decadent bitch, enter! And if you're not...start planning your submissions!

WATCH: Trailer for Final Harry Potter film

Looks like the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 will be ending with a  bang, not a whimper. Part 1 was a bit slow (see MadProfessah review). Part 2 looks like it will be more closely following the book, which was pretty amazing.

Alex Pettyfer Rips Hollywood A New One, Needs BFF

"I get a free pass because I'm gorgeous.  Right???"  Images: Mario Testino/VMAN

Alex Pettyfer, a former child actor who has achieved fame for several movies (most recently I Am Number Four), has few kind words (alright: no kind words) to say about Hollywood and the L.A. acting scene in an interview he recently gave to VMAN magazine.  The 21-year old actor calls L.A. "socially disgusting", pointing out that the women in the town are particularly disgusting.  He says that his goal is essentially to make a few blockbusters and then retire to Paris like Johnny Depp (after selling his soul, I presume).  Then, for some reason, he reveals that he has a tattoo above his... ahem... pubic area... that says "Thank You".  (I do believe it is considered proper to thank the person that has just given you a BJ)  Classy guy.  Listen, he's young.  He's pissed off.  Not really sure what he's pissed off about.  Maybe he realized that Dianna Agron of Glee was just dating him because her agent said it would be good publicity.  Who knows?  But it's not very wise to go on rants like these before you've made your mark in the industry.  Even people like Mel Gibson, Russell Brand, or Jonathan Rhys-Meyers cannot go on these kinds of rants without repercussions.  This is just the sort of thing you keep to yourself, my friend.  You are in serious need of a BFF to unload on.  Anyone willing to take on the job of Alex Pettyfer's BFF?  (via Daily Mail)

That tattoo supposedly says "Thank You"... and I don't know why he's wearing two pairs of underwear.

BOOK REVIEW: Broken Angels by Richard Morgan

Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs novels have a stellar reputation among hard core science fiction fans. I have previously enjoyed reading Morgan's first book in the series, the exciting Altered Carbon, which introduces the Takeshi Kovacs character to the world.

In the second book Broken Angels, Morgan puts Kovacs in another compelling and very dangerous situation, while still maintaining the character's unlikeability. The themes of the first book, explicit sexuality, corporate greed, capitalist malfeasance, dangerous technological advances, and dehumanizing violence, all return in even greater amounts in the sequel.

Altered Carbon made Richard Morgan seem like the second coming of Dashiell Hammett with Takeshi Kovacs a 24th century Sam Spade, like a cross between Blade Runner and The Maltese Falcon. I am chosing movies to relate Morgan's book to on purpose. Although Broken Angels is very different from Altered Carbon, it is also so vividly written that the story has substantial cinematic potential. It really seems like it is only a matter of when, not if, we will see major motion pictures based on the works of Richard K. Morgan.

The story this time begins with Kovacs as a mercenary fighting in a civil war on a planet called Sanction IV, as part of a unit called Carrera's Wedge which is helping a company called the Mandrake Corporation achieve its goals during a bloody, planet-wide, military conflict. One of the basic tenets of Broken Angels is that war is commerce conducted by other means (and vice versa!)

Kovacs leaves his unit when he meets Jan Schneider, who says he needs help for a scheme to smuggle an ancient Martian treasure off-world. In order to make their score they need to break out an archaeologist named Tanya Wardani, which Kovacs does and then enlists a mid-level executive named Matthias Hand at the Mandrake Corporation to finance the logistics of the retrieval operation, which of course have to occur dead smack in the middle of the war zone.

The story turns into a cross between Raiders of the Lost Ark and (the first exploration-heavy hour of) Alien. Again, as in the first book, the most important draw is Kovacs, with his near-superhuman reflexes and situational loyalty. Kovacs find and trains an elite team of experienced warriors to go on the expedition with him, but he's really the only one we care about is Kovacs. Kovacs protests (too much) that he only cares about his survival as well but his actions belie this expressed belief. Morgan's action scenes are another highlight of the book, especially when told from Kovacs perspective and internal monologue.

Broken Angels is a memorable entry into the genre of hard-core, hard-bitten military science fiction by another talented British writer. Fans of Peter F. Hamilton and Alastair Reynolds (which includes yours truly) will be thrilled to discover another author who possesses similar adeptness at creating rich, believable future worlds peopled with intelligent characters fighting battles against powerful (and sometimes alien) forces.

Title: Broken Angels.
Author: Richard K. Morgan
Length: 384 pages.
Publisher: Del Rey.
Published: March 2, 2004.

OVERALL GRADE: A (4.0/4.0).

PLOT: A+.
IMAGERY: A.
IMPACT: A-.
WRITING: A.

Quote of the Day (4/28/11)

Oaks abide. And abiding they are revered, for they reveal that which abides within us. What frequenter of oak groves at dusk has not felt the abysmal power of their stillness and borne it secretly away into the night? Oaks abide, and oaks are prayers—their dark hearts leafing outward into the light as surely as human hearts flower inward, following the grain of an even fuller illumination.

Like oaks, words that embody the abiding endure through vast reaches of space and time. In fact, our words "truth," "trust," and "tree" can all be traced back four thousand years to an ancient Proto-Indo-European word for the tree that to them was the Truth. That tree was the oak. They called the oak dorw, which also meant "firm," "strong," "enduring."
--James N. Powell, The Tao of Symbols

James Franco: Actor, Writer, Painter, Douchebag

James Franco, Sit Down!

I'm not your typical ranting blogger.  I'm vain, eccentric, and am obsessed with being a martyr, but I'm too self righteous to rant because I don't feel that I necessarily need to share all of my opinions with people (since I know that I'm right and who cares about anyone else?), but I just have to devote some time to James Franco at present.  Yes, James Franco.  The possibly dyslexic, but strong jawline sporting stud who has decided to foist his "artistic talent" upon us all.  And the only reason I am blogging about this is because the administrators at Towleroad refused to post my comment that Franco "...needs to decide if he wants to be an actor, a writer, a painter, or a douchebag".  Seriously, Towleroad?  You guys will post comments where someone in their seventies says they basically want to have Henry Cavill sit on their faces, but you won't post a comment suggesting that Franco MIGHT be a douchebag?  Um... okay.  Anyways, I have no problem with a young guy (ahem... like myself) exploring his creative side, but when Towleroad revealed that Franco was planning on getting a Ph.D in creative writing (after recently announcing that he was teaching a class at NYU or Yale in painting, I forget which), well that was just too much.  Really, James Franco?

"Even this poor stuffed brown bear thinks I'm S-E-X-Y!"

I mean, who do you think you are?  Leonardo Da Vinci?  Because, guess what?  You are not Da Vinci and I would not even call you a Renaissance Man.  Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, you are excessively handsome, but does that mean that we plebs have to be constantly reminded that you believe yourself to be God's gift to humanity?  If you want to paint in your condo, that's fine, but is it really necessary for YOU to teach a class about art at NYU?  Really, douchebag?  And if you would like to write poetry about how awesome it was kissing Kirsten Dunst in Spider Man or Sean Penn in Milk, fine.  But now you have to get a Ph.D. in creative writing?  Really, douchebag?  If you're reading this, you may be thinking to yourself: "He's just jealous".  It's possible, but I don't think so.  I just think the guy needs to stay grounded.  It's one thing to think you are talented, but to assume that you have something to teach to people older and wiser than you is a little ridiculous in my book.  Really, James Franco?  Why don't you take a personal day and watch the hosting job you did at the Oscars, because plenty of people taped it and would be happy to share it with you.  To quote my new favorite website (Bossip): Ho, sit down!

Angelina Pivarnick, AKA the Staten Island Ferry, Gets Knocked Up

I hate to be vulgar (or do I?) but The Jersey Shore's former castmate Angelina Pivarnick has revealed today that she and her fiancée Dave Kovacs are expecting.  I am sure that the little munchkin will pop out looking bronzed and fist pumping.  I don't know.  Good for her, I guess.  Hopefully her fiancée has a job of some kind because I don't think Angelia is bringing home much in the way of bacon.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino: Angelina is like the Staten Island Ferry: everyone gets a ride and its free.

Introducing the Geordie Shore: The UK's Version Of The Jersey Shore

Alright, I totally had to look up what "Geordie" referred to and it apparently refers to a resident of the north-east of England (in the Newcastle and Northumberland area).  Attempting to capitalize on the fame of The Jersey Shore, the producers of The Geordie Shore have found a cast of vapid, tanned, and buxom young people to live in a house and... get drunk and act stoopid, I suppose.  Based on the preview, this show seems to lack the edge that Jersey Shore has (which is about a very specific demographic of young Italian Americans), but who knows? Perhaps the show will appeal to the Brits like The Only Way Is Essex has.

Miami Heat Fan Pita Flips Out In Video

I have to post this video of a Miami Heat fan who tries to pump up the residents of his city by making a video about how awesome their team is.  I think he forgot to take his meds before he made this video.  (via Terez Owens)

Architecture Update: Notre-Dame Rosary Church in Les Lilas, Seine St. Denis

It has been quite a while since an Architecture Update has appeared on this blog, mostly because the decision had been made to discontinue the feature, but I just had to post about a new church in the Seine St. Denis department outside of Paris, in the commune of Le Lilas.  I am obsessed with modern churches in Europe, primarily because of the nature of public architectural projects in Europe (especially France) and the interplay of this quality with the essential requirement for Catholic churches to be an expression of both centralized church authority and a representation of a modern personalized religious experience.  Whew!  That was a mouthful.  Basically, what I am trying to say is: A modern Catholic Church has to simultaneously represent the power of Catholicism whilst also suggesting individual spirituality (rather different from the arrogance of the Spanish/Italian Baroque during the Counter-Reformation).  Dezeen (the best architecture and design website out there) has posted some incredible pictures of the newly-completed church of Notre Dame in Les Lilas.

Images courtesy Herve Abbadie/Dezeen

The church was designed by ENIA Architects and was constructed of "two contrasting colors of stone".  Because church services had to continue in the 1886 "temporary" Les Lilas church next door, the project needed to be completed in phases in such a way that the original church was not demolished until the worship areas of the new church were completed.  Dezeen described the original church as being of a temporary, wooden construction, but the images that I dug up reveal a rather small concrete structure.  There are various aspects of the new church that are interesting, such as the nave that is entered perpendicularly, but most are beyond the scope of this blog.  In contrast to most Americans, I am very much in favor of civic architecture (commissioned by government bodies) because, frankly, we cannot leave art and architecture preservation (and innovation) to the tacky plebs.  I'm just sayin'.  (via Dezeen)

The original church of Les Lilas.  It appears that the accessory building (to the right of the church) was demolished in order to construct the new Notre Dame Rosary Church

LA TIMES Editorial Eviscerates ProtectMarriage Argument

Dismissing an argument that even heterosexual supremacists should have been ashamed to make in their increasingly desperate attempts to not lose the Perry vs. Brown lawsuit, today's Los Angeles Times op-ed titled "Prop. 8: Who's fit to judge?" eviscerated the motion to vacate filed by Protect Marriage attorney Charles Cooper on Monday:

Married judges rule on divorce cases all the time. So do single judges. And divorced ones. Their rulings aren't challenged on the grounds of their marital status; that would obviously be ridiculous.


Yet ProtectMarriage, the group that sponsored Proposition 8, is challenging last year's ruling by Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker that declared the same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. The group's lawyers argue that because Walker has a longtime male partner, he was unfit to render a decision on Proposition 8. If one day he should want to marry, the argument goes, he might benefit from his own decision, assuming it survives the scrutiny of higher courts.


This claim is absurd on many levels, especially when you remember that ProtectMarriage's case against same-sex marriage is that it threatens the institution of heterosexual marriage. In fact, the group says, that damage gives it the legal status to challenge the initiative, because any married heterosexual is allegedly harmed by same-sex unions. But if that's the case, then by the group's own logic, married heterosexual judges would also be forced to recuse themselves; the integrity of their own marriages could be damaged by the matter before them.


According to this line of argument, former Chief Justice Ronald M. George, a married heterosexual, would not have been able to preside over the California Supreme Court case in which same-sex couples sued to overturn an earlier ban on same-sex marriage. George wrote the majority opinion setting out the reasons why the ban violated the state Constitution.


So then, perhaps, only an unmarried judge who has sworn never to wed could hear cases about same-sex marriage. Or any marriage at all. An African American judge could never hear a race-discrimination case. And no female judge could decide a lawsuit on gender discrimination. Or a male one either.


The guidelines for judicial recusal can be unclear at times, but generally the bar is a high one. The rules call for judges to disqualify themselves when their impartiality might reasonably be questioned, but they are not supposed to back away from cases because of who they are — their ethnicity, gender, marital status, affluence, political leanings or, yes, sexual orientation. It's another matter if they are directly and materially affected, or if they have previously displayed a deep-seated bias on the issue at hand. A judge who drives a gas guzzler can still hear a lawsuit against an oil company, but not if his or her spouse works for the oil company.


Had Walker been one of the activists fighting Proposition 8, or if he had repeatedly sought a marriage license and been rejected, ProtectMarriage would have valid claims of conflict of interest. The group's assertion that a gay judge in a relationship is less able than a heterosexual married judge to render a fair decision on a sexual-orientation case says more about the pervasiveness of discrimination against homosexuals than it does about Walker's fitness to hear the matter.

White House Releases Barack Obama's Birth Certificate

I'm not sure why they decided to do it today, instead of 1 year from now, but the White House has finally released the President's long-form birth certificate, confirming what all non-racist (and non-Republican) Americans have known for years, that Barack Obama was born August 4, 1961 in Hawaii.

Beverly Hills Fabulous Episode 7 Recap: The Blind Date

Yes, I'm obviously still watching this show.  Monday's episode was a hot mess, just like every other episode of this show that has aired so far, but it was definitely entertaining.  With Elgin doing all that he can to expand his business, he has decided to add two new hairstylists to the shop: a barber named Esau and a young (and very blond) "Jessica Simpson"-type named Lauren.  Lauren, who is white, immediately causes controversy in what was typically a Black salon.  Sean takes an immediate disliking to her, in part because Elgin has placed her in the front chair of the salon.  Meanwhile, one of Sean's clients, a matchmaker, sets him up on a date with someone named Brad.  It was going well until the very end of the date, when Brad wanted to split the cost of the champagne, which Sean refused to do since he felt that he had been asked out on the date.  When Brad basically says that he doesn't think Sean is worth it, Sean leaves and forms sort of a connection with Lauren, who agrees that Brad should have footed the bill for the date.  Afterwards, Elgin essentially fires Sean's assistant Sireeta (sp?) after she gets into a big fight with Lolita.  Elgin leaves the door open for her to come back, however.  All in all, an interesting episode.

Sean gets into a big fight on his blind date.

Kim Zolciak's Baller Kroy Biermann Bails Out Of Marriage Plans

What's really sad about this whole scenario is that it officially looks like I am getting all of my news from Bossip.com, but anyway it turns out that Atlanta Falcons' own Kroy Biermann has finally wised up about his fiancee Kim Zolciak (of the Real Housewives of Atlanta) and has decided to postpone the wedding.  It doesn't sound like the wedding's been cancelled out right, so far, but at least he's getting the big picture.  I guess someone anonymously dropped off the DVD's of the Real Housewives of Atlanta so that Kroy could see what he was getting himself into (and no, it wasn't me).  Now if only Kris Humphries could get a clue about Kim Kardashian, all might be well in the universe.  (via Bossip)

"Kim is so genuine... especially the enormous boobs and obvious hair extensions"

Quote of the Day (4/27/11)

I should not in the least be surprised to learn one day, that some kinds of involuntary thought are simply the swiftest modes of human reasoning through processes of connection evident in the slower modes. I suspect that they are, and their very swiftness helps them from going astray, as deliberate thought so readily can do, by weighing alternative courses.
--Stanley Burnshaw, The Seamless Web

"The 'Television is Better Than the Movies' Meme"

My new Telegenic is up. Read it here.

Rick Genest Snapped For Arena Homme+

Lady Gaga's muse Rick Genest appears in this month's Arena Homme+, captured by the lens of Steven Klein.  I guess being Lady Gaga's muse is much better than being Karl Lagerfeld's muse because that would involve... ahem... getting raped... but whomever he belongs to we certainly would like to see more of the French-Canadian.  We think he's beautiful.  (via Fashionisto)

Steven Klein/Arena Homme+

First Openly Gay Politician Elected in Japan

Taiga Ishikawa, 36, has become the first openly gay person elected to public office in Japan.

Acording to Agence France Press:

"I hope my election victory will help our fellows nationwide to have hope for tomorrow, as many of them cannot accept themselves, feel lonely and isolated and even commit suicide," he told AFP.

Ishikawa, 36, won a seat in a Tokyo ward assembly in local elections on Sunday. Prior to his victory, no openly homosexual politician had won office in Japan.

[...]

Ishikawa disclosed that he is gay in his autobiographical "Boku No Kareshi Wa Doko Ni Iru" (Where Is My Boyfriend?)," published in 2002.

"Many readers of my book told me that they are isolated and the situation I wrote about in the book is so similar to theirs. So I started to host events that offer opportunities to have links with friends," Ishikawa said.

He founded the non-profit organisation "Peer Friends", which hosts events in Japanese cities to provide young gay men with opportunities to meet other gays.

Since February 2010, he has served as a private secretary to Mizuho Fukushima, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, a small opposition group.

It still amazes me that we are recognizing historic firsts in the LGBT community in 2011.

Hat/tip to TowleRoad.

Aline Weber: Robot in Tokyo

Japan is the land of robots so it's no surprise that a robot managed to land in Tokyo and this one's Brazilian: Aline Weber (via Made in Brazil).

Sebastian Kim/Numero Magazine

Audrina Episodes 2/3 Recap: Corey's Back

Need your Audrina fix?  If you do, then you are in luck because two (count 'em: TWO) episodes of Audrina have aired since the premiere and they are up and available for viewing.  I have to admit it: I am addicted to Audrina and I have absolutely no problem watching back to back Audrina episodes.  Episode 2 revolved around the 26th wedding anniversary of Audrina's parents.  Audrina decided that the best way for her and her siblings to honor their parents was for each of them to write a speech and read it during the anniversary party.  During the party, Audrina created a slide show of all of the pictures of their family during the years and each of the siblings read a heartfelt speech which brought Audrina's parents to tears.  Audrina's Dad surprised his wife by giving her an empty ring box so that they could go and pick a ring together, so it would be one that she wanted.  During her Dad's thank you speech to all of their guests, Audrina's BF Corey shows up (which was totally staged).  In episode 3, we meet Kyle, the husband of Audrina's sister Casey.  He seems like a nice enough guy and he's all tatted up like her.  During a lunch date with Audrina, Audrina's Mom reveals her opinion that the family's problems with Casey all stem from Kyle attempting to isolate her.  Meanwhile, Corey is in town and he thinks Audrina is being selfish and ignoring him so Audrina plans an incredible Valentine's Day Day by arranging a skydiving trip.  Afterwards, Corey has to return to his career as a BMX racer in Australia leaving Audrina with doubts about whether or not he's the one.

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3, Episode 15 Recap: The Jig Is Up

"The jig is up" is perhaps my favorite phrase utilized by the ladyboys on RuPaul's Drag Race.  Last night, the last episode of Drag Race aired and, honestly, it has long been known among bloggers and other concerned individuals who the winner would be (wait for it...).  In this episode, the first challenge was for the queens to film scenes for RuPaul's new single "Champion" which involved the contestants getting up close and personal with members of the pit crew.  Their performances were somewhat lackluster, although Alexis Mateo managed to shine in her performance.  At the end of the episode, the queens strutted out on the runway in their fiercest outfits, really showing the judges and the audience exactly who they were.  Alexis Mateo is obviously the Puerto Rican bird-of-paradise and (IMHO) the frontrunner in the competition.  Manila Luzon is the Filipino superstar who manages to standout from the others with her image and humor.  Finally, Raja rocks the high-fashion androgyny image and no one does it quite like her (frankly, because she always looks like a man in heels).  Anyway, Raja won the competition (shocking).  Alexis was the first of the top three to go, which is sad because Alexis was sickening and was an incredible representative of Puerto Rico.  Manila was next to go and comforted herself by saying: "Well, I'm first runner-up, so if Raja dies of old age, I'll get the crown."  Great job, ladies.  Definitely an entertaining season!

Alexis and Manila gag at Raja's sexed-up performance during the filming of RuPaul's "Champion"

End of Term

Today is my last day teaching for the semester--a term that began with me in the hospital.

Incoherence to the Max

The following received a Michelle Malkin Award nomination from Andrew Sullivan--justly so. It's one of the most incoherent rants I have ever seen.

We need you to come in and lock shields, and strengthen up the men who are going to the fight for you. To let these other women know on the other side — these planned Parenthood women, the Code Pink women, and all of these women that have been neutering American men and bringing us to the point of this incredible weakness — to let them know that we are not going to have our men become subservient. That’s what we need you to do. Because if you don’t, then the debt will continue to grow.
- Congressman Allen West (R-FL), addressing the members of Women Impacting Nation (WIN).

READ: Prop 8 Supporters' Motion To Vacate Due To Gay Judge

Prop 8 Supporters'' Motion to Vacate Judgment

Quote of the Day (4/26/11)

Without the assistance of cultural patterns [man] would be functionally incomplete, not merely a talented ape who had, like some under-privileged child, unfortunately been prevented from realizing his full potentialities, but a kind of formless monster with neither sense of direction nor power of self-control, a chaos of spasmodic impulses and vague emotions. Man depends upon symbols and symbol systems with a dependence so great as to be decisive for his creatural viability and, as a result, his sensitivity to even the remotest indication that they may prove unable to cope with one or another aspect of experience raises within him the greatest sort of anxiety.
--Clifford Geertz, "Religion as a Cultural System"

CANADA: Progressives Now In 2nd, Polls Say

Canada is in the midst of their "snap elections: with voters going to the polls on Monday May 2. The current government is run by the Conservative party, with the Liberals being the official opposition. Previously, the Liberals held power in Canada for over a decade, losing power in 2006, with Stephen Harper becoming Prime Minister at the head of a minority government.

But,  now, a week before the next countrywide election, the New Democratic Party (NDP) is outpolling the Liberal party and could potentially form a government in coalition with the Green Party. Conventional wisdom has been that "NDP could never win" so most non-Conservatives outside of Quebec have generally been forced to vote for the Liberal party while holding their nose. This is a similar situation to what happens in the United kingdom with the three parties being the Conservatives (Tories), Labour and the Liberal Democrats. In last year's elections the Conservatives and LDP formed a Coalition government to replace more than a decade of Labour-led British governments. This was the first time in generations the perennial third party LDP had a meaningful role in government. Now it looks like that story may be repeating in Canada.

MadProfessah spent some time in Canada earlier this year and am something of a Canada-phile. I'll be looking at their election results next week with great interest!

John Noble Talks "Fringe"

A delightful interview with Dr. Bishop.

Heterosexual Supremacists File Motion Over Prop 8 Judge's Sexuality

Charles Cooper, lead counsel for "Protect Marriage" (sic)
 in the Propositiopn 8 federal lawsuit 

Charles Cooper, the virulent heterosexual supremacist who has been arguing against marriage equality for nearly two decade, filed a motion late on Monday with the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals to vacate Judge Vaughn Walker's historic decision striking down Proposition 8 on federal constitutional grounds because Walker revealed recently that he has been in a same-sex relationship with a man for 10 years.

Of course, this is a ridiculously bigoted motion. The implication is that an open;y gay judge can not fairly judge a case involving gay rights, a Black or Latino jurist could not judge a civil rights case fairly and female judges could not make decisions about abortion rights!

Lambda Legal  released a press release in response:

"Proponents of Proposition 8 certainly are getting desperate."

(San Francisco, April 25, 2011) — In reaction to today's filing of a motion
to vacate last year's historic decision by U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn
Walker declaring California's Proposition 8 unconstitutional, Jon Davidson,
Legal Director for Lambda Legal, issued the following statement.

"Proponents of Proposition 8 certainly are getting desperate.  This reeks
of a hail-Mary attempt to assail Judge Walker's character because they are
unable to rebut the extremely well-reasoned ruling he issued last year.
It's becoming a sadly typical move of the right:  don't like the ruling;
attack the referee."

To say that Judge Walker's should have disclosed his ten-year relationship
with another man or that it made him unfit to rule on Proposition 8 is like
saying that a married heterosexual judge deciding an issue in a divorce
proceeding has to disclose if he or she is having marital problems and
might someday be affected by legal rulings in the case.  Or that any judge
who professes any religious faith is unable to rule on any question of
religious liberty or, at a minimum, must disclose what his faith teaches.
Much like a suggestion that a female judge could not preside over a case
involving sexual harassment or an African American judge could not preside
over a case involving race discrimination, Proposition 8's supporters
improperly are suggesting that a judge will rule in favor of any litigant
with whom he shares a personal characteristic.

Judges hold a special and respected place in our society. Every day, they
are called upon to administer justice – in routine contract or traffic
court disputes, gut-wrenching child custody decisions, complex criminal
proceedings, and, as in this case, disputes about the basic human rights
that our Constitution is designed to protect. There may be judges who
betray their responsibilities and act with bias, but such a grave
accusation must be supported by evidence. Simply disagreeing with a
decision is not evidence that it was the result of bias. And assuming that
being in a same-sex relationship renders some judges unable to interpret
the law and do the job they have sworn to do insults both judges and
America's system of justice."

American Foundation for Equal Rights, the organization promoting the lawsuit, also has a response to Cooper's ridiculous motion:

“This motion is yet another in a string of desperate and absurd motions by Prop 8 Proponents who refuse to accept the fact that the freedom to marry is a constitutional right.  They’re attempting to keep secret the video of the public trial and they’re attacking the judge because they disagree with his decision.  Clearly, the Proponents are grasping at straws because they have no legal case.”

National Center for Lesbian Rights attorney Shannon Minter also responded:

"This is a desperate and ill-advised move that underscores their inability to defend Prop 8 on the merits. This is not likely to win them any points with the courts, who understandably do not appreciate having the integrity of judges called into question based on such outrageous grounds. This is part and parcel of the underhanded way the Prop 8 campaign itself was run-based on lies, insinuations, and unsupported innuendo."

The 9th Circuit announced there will be hearing in San Francisco on July 11 in San Francisco before District Court judge James Ware.

UPDATE 04/27/2011: The hearing on Cooper's motion has been expedited to June 13.

Hat./tip to LGBTPOV

"The Avengers," Day One

The first day of shooting for The Avengers. Here's what Joss Whedon had to say.