Common Sense Extremism

Video Portfolio

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Professional and Amateur
Perceptions (2nd Camera, Co-Writing Uncredited)
Pops Got Game (Associate Producer, Editor)
The Detective, Him, & Her (Director, Writer, Editor)
Downtown Newark Partnership (Production Assistant, Boom Operator)
"He Said Her Name" (Editor)
The Road Not Taken (Director, Writer, Editor)

Media Mentors Projects (Kid Produced)
Idiot Box Campaign Ad
Campaign Ad
Fresh Cut

The Futility of Not acknowledging the Consequences: An Analysis of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for a Dumb Hipster

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:38:00 +0000


What this baby needs is a little emotional maturity.

Some Brooklyn hipster chick told me how much she LOVED the happy ending to Michel Gondy's masterpiece Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and I immediately was overcome with the desire to slap her in the face.

She was asking for it. Ironically.

Not because I was mad at her. But because if I had explained to her how wrong she was it would have had the same emotional impact on her for about half the effort.

This is because behind the idea that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has a happy ending is the same mental block that leads girls like her into same miserable relationships again and again and again...

They don't want to learn from their mistakes.

Why? Because mistakes are fun.

And because its so much easier to make mistakes when you pretend the repercussions of those mistakes are somebody else's fault and not of your own making.

And then we make it worse when we hold onto all the good things about mistakes (The Highs) and purposely ignore the bad things (The Lows).

This the thematic base which makes up the foundation of Eternal Sunshine.

A couple has such an emotionally devastating break-up that they try to erase the mistake that was their relationship from their memory.

But then when they realize that they'll lose all the good parts of their relationship too, they grasp for them like straws as they try to defeat the "evil" memory erasers (who are just doing what they payed them to do.)

How dare you render me the services I paid for?

And near end of the movie, they are both erased from each others memories. And yet...

...They meet again.
Fall back in love.
Then learn that they were once in a relationship that ended so badly that...

...You guessed it. Had it erased from their memories.

So what they do with all this evidence of how terrible they are for each other dropped in their lap like next weeks lottery numbers...

I told you to play 4416 box. And not to marry that white woman.

...They're going to try it all over again. Except this time its even more pathetic because they know exactly what they're getting into. Unlike the super-cool sci-fi method that makes up the concept of the film, they make the same mistake again the old fashioned way. Just like you and I do everyday.

Pictured: Stupidity

If you don't learn from your mistakes, you are destined to repeat them.

Three Small Gems From Great Directors

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:51:00 +0000

The Trouble With Harry
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

The name Alfred Hitchcock usually evokes a feeling of nostalgic terror. However, many of Hitchcock's most infamous thrillers are sprinkled with a lot of humor. So it's fitting that his only bona fide comedy would have such macabre subject matter. The Trouble With Harry is a study of the citizens of a small town as they separately discover the dead body of one of their fellow citizens. The eponymous 'Harry'. Assuming they or someone they love is responsible, they all come down with a case of unwarranted guilt and try to cover-up the murder. It is a very intriguing story populated with likable complex characters and peppered with classic subtle Hitchcock humor. If your a big Hitchcock fan or simply enjoy being entertained, I recommend this film.

The King of Comedy
Directed by Martin Scorsese

This dark comedy about the delusions of fame and those who crave it has the odd ability to smoothly alternate between moments that make you laugh uncontrollably or cringe uncomfortably. The film features two of my favorite film performances. Robert DeNiro, as Rupert Plumpkin, delivers an earnest and clever performance as a delusional and painfully unfunny comedian with oversized dreams. The film also features the usually wacky Jerry Lewis in an unconventional role as a straight edge Johnny Carson-like late night talk show host who is being stalked by the unbalanced Plumpkin. This film is a must see for Scorsese fans or Lewis fans who'd like to see him in a playing it straight for once.

He Said Her Name by Veronica Kole (My First Editing Gig)

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:13:00 +0000

Keenan Thompson as Steve Harvey

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:47:00 +0000

Rules of Attraction

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:40:00 +0000

Rules of Attraction (2002)

Starring...James Van Der Beek, Jessica Biel, Faye Dunaway.

Roger Avery's (Producer of Pulp Fiction) film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' (American Psycho) college novel is the only movie about that ever captured what student life was like for me. I was refreshed by the films careful dissection of the catty skankiness of university days which makes it so unlike all other phases of life. And wasn't that what made college so grand?

Hollywood can keep their misogynistic white-washed Animal House-clones and American Pie facsimiles. I'd rather watch a movie with characters that resemble people I've actually met in situations I've actually experienced. I don't know about you, but I've never had sex with a pie a crashed a homecoming parade. But I have stayed up until 5 AM with a couple of coked up drama queens.

And maybe I should be embarrassed. But I'm not. Because that was college for me. That was college for a lot of people. And if you are one of those people. You've got to see this movie.

Three Small Gems From Great Directors

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:59:00 +0000

From the Director of the blockbuster Spiderman films, Sam Ramai this dark and depressing but still humorous dark comedy starring Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton.

"A Simple Plan is neither a happy nor a pretty tale, but it builds uncommon dramatic power as its unpredictable plot unfolds." David Steritt Christina Science Monitor

The Trouble With Harry
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

The name Alfred Hitchcock usually evokes a feeling of nostalgic terror. However, many of Hitchcock's most infamous thrillers are sprinkled with a lot of humor. So it's fitting that his only bona fide comedy would have a such macabre subject matter. The Trouble With Harry is a study of the citizens of a small town as they separately discover the dead body of one of there fellow citizens. Assuming they or someone they love is responsible, they all come down with a case of unwarranted guilt and irrationally try to cover-up the murder. It has a very intriguing story populated with likable complex characters and peppered with classic subtle Hitchcock humor. If your a big Hitchcock fan or simply enjoy being entertained I recommend this film.

The King of Comedy
Directed by Martin Scorsese

This dark but comedic film about the delusions of fame and those who crave it has the strange ability to smoothly alternate between moments that make you laugh uncontrollably or cringe uncomfortably. The film features two of my favorite film performances ever. Robert DeNiro, as Rupert Plumpkin, delivers an earnest and clever performance as a delusional and painfully unfunny comedian with oversized dreams. The film also features the usually wacky Jerry Lewis in an oddly but entertaining role as a straight edge Johnny Carson-like late night talk show host who is being stalked by the unbalanced Plumpkin. This film is a must see for Scorsese fans or Lewis fans who'd like to see him in an unconventional role.

Why Do Black People Reject Conservatism & Rock & Roll?

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:57:00 +0000

A lot of People Wonder...

Why don't black people listen to or produce Rock music?

Apparently, the music died on February 3rd, 1959 when Buddy Holly, Richie Valenz, and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash following a concert. Apparently, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Howlin' Wolf, and Big Mamma Thornton were also on that plane, if in fact, the music had died. Oh they were not. Then what the Hell was that song about? Oh that song was about the day white music died. Got It.

Pictured: White music.

Unfortunately, Muddy, Chuck, Little Richard, Wolf, and Big Mamma did die that day. They were smothered in the ashes of their white successors. With Buddy dead and Elvis shipped off to war, the immediate "channelers" of Black blues and soul were gone. And so gone was the trail that led to the beginnings of Rock & Roll.

Black Music soon transitioned into the commercial Motown sound which served to make the distinction between polished R&B soul music and the new guitar driven R&B of white acts like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Who. The distinction grew even further as "Rock" music became more audacious and black music became tamer and tamer. Disco music had transformed black music so much that by the 80's black music and rock music were as different as days and nights. However, there were grand funk bands in the 70's like Funkadelic, Earth, Wind, & Fire, and Kool & The Gang. And What about Jimi Hendrix?

You forgot he was back, didn't you?

But people soon forgot about that...

With the advent of Hip Hop, which has all but banished instrumentation from black music so that the distinction has become so great that a black band of musicians like The Roots are seen as a novelty. But even the roots only play instrumental versions of Hip Hop style. What if they did make Rock music? If black people don't listen to Rock music, who do you sell it to? White people? We know where that leads to?

It all happened in the sixties. What else happened in the sixties?

Making a deal with the Devil.

People don't wonder as much...

Why have African-Americans, on the whole, rejected conservatism?

Not only had a Republican president freed the slaves, but the original Republican party was populated by radical proponents of freedmen rights. Even the first black congressmen were Republicans. So why are blacks predominately Democrats? Well, there are many reasons, but here are four very good ones.

1) The Republican party sold black people down the river in the Compromise of 1877, in which blacks lost their equal protection under the law, by relinquishing Southern martial law back in the hands of vengeful Democrats.

2) African-Americans gained a lot economically overall, during the terms of the very popular Democratic president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Also, the charismatic Democrat, John F. Kennedy captured the hearts and minds of many African Americans.

3) After the Democratic President, Lyndon Johnson, signed landmark civil rights legislation, Republican candidate, Richard Nixon used pro-segregation sentiments to turn the once Democratic solid-South into a Republican stronghold.

"Vote for me and I'll shoot all the black people"

4) While white people to tend to see the government as their enemy as per the Constitution, black people tend to see unregulated capitalism as an exploitative menace that means to subjugate them, and see a progressive government as the only thing that can protect them.

Short answer, The Republican Party abandoned black people, therefore black people abandoned it. I don't blame the black people for making that decision either. The Democratic Party offered enfranchisement in return for loyalty. I'd say that is good deal. But while the Democratic Party has not abandoned us like the Republicans, they have also never given us anything we really needed. What black people really needed was education reform, but all we got were food stamps and blocked cheese.

This rock hard cheese is really going to help me get ahead in life.

In short, Black people don't subscribe to conservatism or listen to rock music because they gave it away. Many of their reasons were valid but for the most part they are outdated. As long as we as a people limit our political perspective and our artistic tastes we'll lock ourselves out of the mainstream and all the opportunities therein.

Music Reccomendation: Brooklyn Indie Rock Band TV on the Radio

Be Thankful For Our Freedom

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:10:00 +0000

Remember that Africa is poor because she is not free. We must be thankful for ours and pray and fight for theirs.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Forgive my Deconstructive Post-Colonial Libertarianism

Hip Hop Conservatism: Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:58:00 +0000

"I would love to see a black President but this tax bracket is killing me, man."

Hip Hop Conservatism (Part 1)

During the 2008 Presidential Election, elite members of the hip-hop community came out in full support of the Democratic candidate, Barrack Obama. This was understandable. Barrack Obama was the most formidable black candidate for the oval office, (making Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson seem as relevant as a block of ice) and few black men and women wanted to miss out on the opportunity to see the election of our nation's first Black President. In a country where our people have suffered so many injustices, what had seemed improbable only a few years ago was suddenly inevitable.

Sharpton died as he lived. Obstructively.

Consequently, Hip-hop artists like Will.I.Am. were on the campaign trail with Barrack Obama from the beginning. After his election, Young Jeezy released the voracious "My President is Black", a bombastic track that aspired to be the new black anthem and seemed to imply a melding between Hip-Hop culture and mainstream society. On the night of the inauguration, Barrack Obama was showered in praises, blessings, and performances dedicated in his honor by powerful hip-hop luminaries like Jay-Z and Kanye West. Can you imagine the Juice Crew dedicating a rendition of "The Symphony" at the inauguration of Jesse Jackson in 88'? More likely it would have been The Four Tops or The Temptations. It certainly wouldn't have been Gil Scott Heron.

There's no half steppin' to the White House , Nephew.

These spectacles would appear to signify that American politics had moved so far left, that hip-hop and urban culture had become acceptable to political elites. But it is quite the opposite. Hip Hop culture has embraced political elitism, because Hip-Hop has become elitist. However it has more to do with Social status then political ideology. If you examine closely Hip Hop and urban black culture you will discover that hip-hop is less progressive than it appears in your rear view mirror.

Criticism of the use of Government Force

             “Fuck the police comin straight

from the underground

A young nigga got it bad cause I'm brown

And not the other color so police think

they have the authority to kill a minority”

- Ice Cube “Fuck Da Police”

Hip-Hop originated as commercial party music that evolved from the late 70's disco scene. However, by the late 80’s many Hip Hop artist had developed what some would call a “conscious.” Artist like Public Enemy, Common Sense, and KRS-One would rap about issues affecting the inner-city and black people specifically much like Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield did before them.

More importantly though, “conscious” hip hop had a defiant tone, not against commercial hip-hop, but against “The Man” and “”The Establishment”. Although, the man does not represent the government as it does to conservatives who fear the growing power of the state, but rather represents exploitative capitalists, the “The Man” would morph into the “Pol-Lice” whose excessive force and brutality in black neighborhoods became a focal point of Gangsta Rap. “The Sound of Da Police” by KRS-ONE, “Cop Killa” by Ice-T, and “Fuck da Police” by N.W.A. would dismiss the subtlety and verbally attack the institution of law enforcement with stark accusations and violent imagery. If white people hate being regulated and taxed, then black people hate being policed. They see the police as an arbitrary threat to their equal protection under the law.

Your Honor, My gun was registered. With the U.S. constitution, Bitch.

Pure Unregulated Capitalism

“The boys in blue who put greed before the badge.”

- Jay-z “Roc Boys (And the winner is…)

Black people hate being regulated, too. Nowhere is this view more fiercely espoused than in the Mafioso rap genre of the mid-90’s. Artist like Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., and Raekwon repeatedly expressed frustration with regulation of their “industry” by dirty cops and politicos with deep empty pockets.

“Got money and you know it. Take it out your pocket and show it.”

- Lil Wayne and T-Pain “Got Money”

No genre of music celebrates the excesses of capitalism and the rights of earners to do whatever they want with their money like Hip Hop. Turn on BET and watch rappers whose albums haven’t even sold a copy yet throwing hundred dollar bills in the air like they just won the lottery. In this political climate, this would seem like unacceptable behavior, but while Wall Street brokers would be butchered to death for behaving this way, it is perfectly acceptable behavior in Hip Hop fantasy land.

"For god sakes, will someone regulate this madness!"

(To Be Continued…)

A Post Colonial Explanation of Islamist Terrorism

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:49:00 +0000

The Racial Pscypathology of Terrorist; According to Fanon

    Frantz Fanon supposes in her articles, “The Negro and Psychopathology”, that while race is a social construction, it is a very powerful and ubiquitous construction which psychologically affects persons from childhood onward. He builds his concept on Freud’s theories on the subconscious, but rather than focus on sexuality, Fanon states that racial conceptions of the self and others can be internalized from both the family and society as a whole. However, Fannon highlights a dilemma in which those two internalizations can conflict and cause psychological trauma. When a colonized person of color leaves their home and enters the white world they find that they are no longer signified by their nationality but by the color of their skin, and defined as such in opposition to and inferior to all whites.
    Similar to Freud, Fanon believes that the family is internalized as the superego in the mind of the child; however, Freud supposes this to be the father, while Fanon proposes that the Negro home is a matriarchy. This will create one of many subconscious conflicts when the “Negro” enters the white world, who being treated once again like an inferior child, internalizes Western culture as a Superego. Therefore instead of having a stable superego which represses the subconscious, the Superego posses a conflict within itself that must be repressed. If the conflict is not repressed wholly, then one internalization may dominate the other, but either way the conflict will be externalized through psychopathological problems.
    According to The Next Attack: The Failure of the War on Terror by Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, the perpetrators on international terrorism are not poor dusty arabs we see on the news, but middle class expatriates of considerable education. These young men and women left their countries for a good education in the west only to be confronted with prejudice and hostility toward a race and religion they never really identified with, but were being classified as nonetheless. Thus these arab and Persian youth became home sick for a home they never thought they would miss.
    These overeducated youth, underutilized in their home country, unappreciated in Europe, turn to fundamentalist Islam to as a defense mechanism against their feelings of security. Very little else can explain why bourgeoisie educated and seemingly secular young men and women would adopt a means of expressing their frustration that is as psychopathic as terrorism. The inner conflict between their view of themselves from home and their lot cast as an outsider of Europe has resulted in these people becoming very defensive of their cultures and lashing out at those they see as the perpetrators or “infidels.”

Small Gems from Great Directors: Part Three of Five

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:25:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:19:00 +0000

Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 Mashup video I made in high school to the Radio Head song "Exit Music (For a Film)."

The World - New Poem

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Lucky to have,
A prime location;
Third rock from the sun.
You were always convinced,
That you were the only one.

You thought that there,
Could never be
A mistake so great enough,
That it could all
just clear into the rough.

You could have never been
You could have died...
A long time ago.
But you forget,
That It could all just fade away.

So count your hours,
Measure your space,
And think of everyone you know.
For what is it then,
If it all ended today?

Small Gems from Great Directors: Part Two of Five

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:02:00 +0000

The Trouble With Harry
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

The name Alfred Hitchcock usually evokes a feeling of nostalgic terror. However, many of Hitchcock's most infamous thrillers are sprinkled with a lot of humor. So it's fitting that his only bona fide comedy would have a such macabre subject matter. The Trouble With Harry is a study of the citizens of a small town as they seperately discover the dead body of one of there fellow citizens. Assuming they or someone they love is responsible, they all come down with a case of unwarranted guilt and irrationally try to cover-up the murder. It has a very intriguing story populated with likeable complex characters and peppered with classic subtle Hitchcock humor. If your a big Hitchcock fan or simply enjoy being entertained I reccomend this film.

Small Gems from Great Directors: Part One of Five

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:53:00 +0000

Perceptions

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Short film directed By my friend and President of my film club Alyssa Benedetto. 2009 Reel Production Film Festival winner for Best Editing. I helped with writing and I did a little camera work on the film.

Carl Franklin: The Known Unknown Director

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:38:00 +0000

Carl Franklin's unusually creative studio movie, boasting superlative acting from Denzel Washington and particularly newcomer Don Cheadle, reinvents a genre and a bygone era, in this case, Los Angeles circa 1948.
- Emmanuel Levy
IMDB- 6.5
ROTTEN TOMATOES - 89% Fresh

"One False Move" is one of those low-rent indie cop-noir movies that rises another level thanks to some good writing, great casting, and masterful direction."
- MArtin Bland 'Hollywood Circle'
IMDB - 7.1

ROTTEN TOMATOES - 100% Fresh

Thanks to Carl Franklin's clever direction, which always stays real close to the characters, what could have been a TV movie-of-the-week becomes a thought-provoking and touching film.
- Kevin Laforest 'Montreal Film Journal'

IMDB - 6.9
ROTTEN TOMATOES - 89% Fresh

Proof the SNL is Back

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:52:00 +0000

The clip is so funny that I just can't stop watching it. Fred Armisen is dead on and Kristen Wig is quickly shooting up the list of funniest women alive. Armisen's reaction at the end sells the whole thing. But most of all, the bit is is such a perfect set-up of retro post-vaudville crap that comes PBS that is just not entertaining at all. To the extent of being creepy.

Small Gems from Great Directors Part 2 of 5

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:43:00 +0000

The Trouble With Harry Directed by Alfred Hitchcock The name Alfred Hitchcock usually evokes a feeling of nostalgic terror. However, many of Hitchcock's most infamous thrillers are sprinkled with a lot of humor. So it's fitting that his only bona fide comedy would have a such macabre subject matter. The Trouble With Harry is a study of the citizens of a small town as they seperately discover the dead body of one of there fellow citizens. Assuming they or someone they love is responsible, they all come down with a case of unwarranted guilt and irrationally try to cover-up the murder. It has a very intriguing story populated with likeable complex characters and peppered with classic subtle Hitchcock humor. If your a big Hitchcock fan or simply enjoy being entertained I reccomend this film.

Small Gems from Great Directors Part 1 of 5

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:26:00 +0000

The King of Comedy Directed by Martin Scorsese This dark but comedic film about the delusions of fame and those who crave it has the strange ability to smoothly alternate between moments that make you laugh uncontrollably or cringe uncomfortably. The film features two of my favorite film performances ever. Robert DeNiro, as Rupert Plumpkin, delivers an earnest and clever performance as a delusional and painfully unfunny comedian with oversized dreams. The film also features the usually wacky Jerry Lewis in an oddly but entertaining role as a straight edge Johnny Carson-like late night talk show host who is being stalked by the unbalanced Plumpkin. This film is a must see for Scorsese fans or Lewis fans who'd like to see him in an unconventional role.

The Best In Living Colour Skit

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:17:00 +0000

This is the best In Living Color Parody. It's really prophetic of how pop culture conscious music is today with people referencing the most random and forgettable things in hit songs. I heard a rapper reference how popular his first and only hit in his second and not at all hit song. Fail.

The Practicality of Marijauna Legalization

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:26:00 +0000

The following is an excerpt from 'The Patriot's Guide to Legalization'. Click on the Blog title to see the full article. The real action in cannabis legalization is at the state level. More than a dozen states now have effective medical marijuana laws, most notably California. Medical marijuana dispensaries are dotted all over the state, and it's common knowledge that the "medical" part is in many cases a thin fiction. Like the Dutch coffeehouses, California's dispensaries are now a de facto legal distribution network that severs the link between cannabis and other illicit drugs for a significant number of adults (albeit still only a fraction of total users). And the result? Nothing. "We've had this experiment for a decade and the sky hasn't fallen," says Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has even introduced a bill that would legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana; it has gained the endorsement of the head of the state's tax collection agency, which informally estimates it could collect $1.3 billion a year from cannabis sales. Still, the legislation hasn't found a single cosponsor, and isn't scheduled for so much as a hearing.

Pizza Hut Is the Worst Food in America

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:34:00 +0000

I have a bit of a reputation for being a film buff. As a result, people tend to get the impression that I'm some kind of film snob. I beg to differ since my favorite films are horror, thrillers, and action flicks. Those are hardly the genres of a film snob. Even so, I am thought to be fastidious simply because I refuse to watch certain movies that I believe to be subpar. However, they just don't understand how I judge movies. I never understood why people try to categorize films as either being entertaining or artsy. I believe that is a moronic generalization. There are only good films and bad films. What makes a good film is the earnestness and effort in how they are constructed. Unfortunately, a lot of films are either lackadaisically made or purposely bad under the pretense that they're only supposed to be entertaining. People pay to go see these films and there excuse is that its mindless entertainment and that they'd rather watch them then something artsy and better made but not as entertaining. I mean...It is called the Entertainment industry! All films are (or should be) trying to be entertaining. Movies that are mindless are just made to suck money out of stupid people. Can you think of any other industry where poor quality products are thought to be more enjoyable than well made ones. It's like these Pizza Hut commercials where they try to imply that there food is just as good as real italian food. It is a ludicrous argument because if you go to a really nice pizzeria you might pay 15 to 17 dollars for a large pie. But if you go to a Pizza Hut you might pay ten. Why? Because its not good pizza! In fact, Pizza Hut pizza may possibly be the worst mass produced food in America. Movies, however, all cost the same price in theaters no matter how good they are. They make bad movies and they market them in a certain way because they know that the masses can't resist. The movie industry is the only business I can think of in which customers habitually pay the same price for lower quality products as others pay for better ones. And the only reason the movie industry gets away with it is because everyone has bought into this idea that movies don't have to be well made to be entertaining. If it was that easy to entertain people, there would be no such thing as bad movies.

In Defense of Michael Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (libral641) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:53:00 +0000

I didn't want to do this but I feel pressed by the situation to give my impassioned defense of Michael Jackson. I grew up as a huge Michael Jackson fan and his sex scandal broke out very early in my childhood and it never made any sense to me. This concept of Michael Jackson as some benevolent child molester is not only categorically untrue but a dangerous idea. People would like to believe that Michael Jackson's love for children is taken to far and led him to sexually abuse them. I admonish those people that is a horrible thing to assume. Child molesters do not love children. They are monsters. That is why they are called predators. And like predators in the animal kingdom, they are very sneaky and deceitful in their quests to abuse children. For my Michael Jackson to be so open about his relationships with children (even those things that I deem to be inappropriate) implies that he is either inconsistent in his notions of what is abuse or he doesn't realize what he is doing is wrong. I find it hard to believe that a 40 year old man wouldn't understand that molesting children is wrong no matter how mentally unfit some people believed him to be. Secondly, Michael Jackson did a lot for children. He raised and gave millions of dollars for children. He also brought many sick children and other child stars into his home because he related to those people. After all, Michael Jackson was a child at heart. Lastly, If Michael Jackson was molesting children in his home, how is he the only person responsible. You mean to tell me there's a whole staff of workers and doctors working in his house and they didn't know or condone his behavior if it occured. Explain to me why there hasn't been former worker at Neverland Ranch who has come out to speak against Michael Jackson except to confirm the same inappropriate behavior that he has already admitted to. Secondly, those parents brought their children into Michael Jackson's home. They didn't know what was going on. It is disgusting to me that I see not just regular people but elected politicians on the news blasting Michale Jackson as a pedophile and a pervert. No one. And I mean no onehas seen any evidence that Michael Jackson molested any children. It's not like the O.J. trial which the whole nation saw live n television. Nobody has seen anything from the Michael Jackson's trials. There was on that barely occurred before his insurance company forced him to settle because they were the ones who would have to pay and in the other he was acquitted of all charges. Now I admit that Michael Jackson has invited some of these accusation with his own behavior and bad decision making but this is America where everyone is innocent until proven guilty. For people to say these things about him while the nation is mourning his death is inexplicable and unnecessary. I may be biased because I always because I always identified with Michael Jackson in that so much of the world thinks you're a monster. Sometimes the world makes you feel that way.

Am I amusing you Or just confusing you Am I the beast You visualised And if you wanna to see Eccentrialities I'll be grotesque Before your eyes - "Is It Scary"

Rest in Peace Michael Jackson