Road trip to Maysville

As reported in The Enquirer:

George Clooney wants to bring his new “Leatherheads” movie to Maysville, Ky., as part of his small-town tour promoting small-town pro football in the 1920s.

“They’d like to do a screening, if possible, in Maysville. They’re working on it,” says the actor’s mother, Nina Clooney, from her home in nearby Augusta.

I am so there.

My 15 minutes of fame and Heath Ledger

Yeah, so I’m featured in The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune today.

Here’s the weird part: In my other blog, I used an image from a 1954 Pillsbury ad of a little girl enjoying a big piece of cake in the header graphic. The now 61-year old woman tracked down the Times reporter and contacted me, surprised to see her young image splashed on The New York Times.

I mean, what are the chances, right? I emailed her back and asked if I could do an interview with her via phone or email.

Kate Harding, who was also interviewed in the Times story, got an invitation to appear on The Today Show tomorrow to talk about fat acceptance. Unfortunately, it appears as if the tragic and untimely death of actor Heath Ledger has changed the show’s scheduling plans.

Sigh… I’ve been in secret love with Heath Ledger since Megan and I watched “10 Things I Hate About You” (which we saw about 20 times, btw - love that movie). Most recently, Brandon and I watched “Candy,” starring Ledger and Abbie Cornish. Most tragically of all, Ledger leaves behind an infant daughter.

Why couldn’t this happen to someone like, say, Ashton Kutcher?

MySpace hoax ends in teen’s suicide

Wow, I can understand kids making fake MySpace profiles, but parents?

A small, suburban newspaper produced this well-written story, one year after a Missouri teen killed herself after being tormented on MySpace by a boy she thought was interested in her. Turns out, the boy was fictional, created by a former neighborhood friend who wanted to get even. And the friend’s parents were active in creating the account and torturing the kid.

‘My Space’ hoax ends with suicide of Dardenne Prairie teen

George Clooney kicks Fabio’s ass

Okay, so I admit the title is a slight exaggeration, but an altercation did occur.

As George was dining with girlfriend Sarah Larson and another man at Madeo’s, Fabio was at a nearby table with a group of friends, who began taking photos of themselves at their table.

However, when George suspected it was his table that was the camera’s target, he flipped off the photographer as a picture was being taken.

Fabio then approached George’s table to explain that he was having a charity dinner for the 11-99 Foundation and that his guests were only taking pictures of each other.

A source told Access that during the incident Fabio told George that he could teach him some manners. This happened prior to the altercation between the two men. A few expletives were exchanged by both men before they had to be physically broken up.

Right. A group of women find themselves dining at the table next to Hollywood’s most eligible and sexiest bachelor, and they take pictures of themselves. Cue eye rolling.

And I totally think George can take on pretty boy Fabio.

Thanks Mark Mallory!

Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory says he refuses to kickoff the College Hill Rhythm Race by firing a gun, even a starter pistol.
“I think the symbolism is just bad,” he said, explaining why. “It’s just something I don’t do.”

If his shooting ability is anything like his pitching ability, he’s doing everyone a favor.

Yet another web project

So, I finally got off my derriere and started the new blog project I registered months ago.

Announcing…The-F-word.org

When I tell people I want to study the social history and psychology of food as my graduate focus, I’m often met with a blank stare and then, a patronizing “Oh, how nice.”

But really, the study of food and culture, especially as it pertains to women, is an infinitely fascinating field of study.  Food and power are inextricably linked, and often women are its victims.

So, basically, the new site will be an extension of my research, providing an outlet for less than scholarly review.

Bon appetit.

Hurrah for NetFlix

It’s been some time since my last update.  End-of-the quarter brought my general lackadaisical blissfulness to an abrupt halt, leaving mental skid marks behind.

Some time ago, utterly bored of the supreme waste of film in Blockbuster, Brandon and I subscribed to NetFlix.  He manages our queue mostly, except for the occasional gay cheerleader movie I throw in, and randomly selects films from the new release list.

I have to confess my skepticism when the movie Kinky Boots was dropped in our mailbox.  But although it sounds like some transsexual porno flick, it was actually quite good:

After inheriting the family shoe business, Charlie Price finds that the business is miserably failing.  After a chance encounter with flamboyant drag queen cabaret singer Lola, Charlie is inspired to market to a niche market: men’s fetish footwear.

A few days later, 12 and Holding arrived.  It, too, was a remarkable cinematic work:

The accidental murder of 12 year-old Rudy impacts the lives of inseparable friends Malee, Leonard, and Rudy’s brother Jacob.  The film follows the lives of the precocious Malee making her first romantic exploration; Leonard and his struggle with obesity and his obese family; and the conflicted Jacob whose grief mingles with wrath.

Now we’re waiting on the movie Pizza to arrive.

Borat

A film exploiting poorly misunderstood cultural differences shouldn’t make me giggle, yet I found myself laughing hysterically every other minute while watching Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

Read about how Borat hoaxed America here.

The film succeeds because no one featured in the film, save Cohen, his co-star Ken Davitian and the crew, knew they were being filmed for a real American movie.  All of the people aside from the two actors waived the right to their public image under the assumption that this was a documentary about America to be shown in Kazakhstan.

Although tactics used were deceptive and dishonest, the end result of a shocking frank and honest look not at the culture in Kazakhstan, but at American culture, revealing the unspoken, seedy undertones of how some people really feel.  Because some of the subjects believe Borat to be a morally backwards foreigner, they let slip their own racist, sexist and homophobic comments.  In the end, the deeper meaning remains: which nation is more backwards and morally bereft?

But, deeper analysis aside, this movie is funnier than say, all Austen Power flicks combined.  Cohen is master of slapstick comedy and comedic improvisation.  I like very much Borat film and definately recommend shelling over ten bucks to see it.