August 30, 2013

Robin Thicke Vs Marvin Gaye...



Even prior to his sleazy Beetlejuice-esque performance with Miley Cyrus at the VMA's this week, pop star Robin Thicke was hitting it big and being sorta douchey.... I wrote about it, you can read about it at Sprocket Ink by clicking the link below...



August 26, 2013

Simple Dreams: Loving Linda Ronstadt...


Over the weekend rock queen Linda Ronstadt revealed she has Parkinson's and can no longer sing.

Growing up in the 70s as a music-loving kid, Linda Ronstadt's California country rock was everywhere to me, along with the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, and that is still the music I love best today.

She has had 38 "Top 100" hits, won 11 Grammys, and sold over 100 million albums with songs like It's So Easy, Mad Love, Blue Bayou, You're No Good, Don't Know Much, Hurt So Bad, Heart Like A Wheel, and Poor Poor Pitiful Me. 


Then in the 80s Ronstadt strayed into Trio (with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris), and big band and soundtracks and mariachi, and I followed her all those places, and then later in her career she had lesser known albums like Winter Light, that was some of her best music.

Ronstadt's autobiography Simple Dreams - A Musical Memoir comes out next month and apparently will not cover her Parkinson's and loss of voice. which she only discovered this year. I'll sure be reading it... and pulling out my Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind CD. 



Sending lots of love the rock songbird's way....



August 24, 2013

I Do Too...



One of the great things about a billion TV channels is Video on Demand, and the chance to watch stuff you would never otherwise see. We just watched I Do, an acclaimed independent film I've heard of for a long time (okay a couple of weeks) in the news (okay on twitter)... and this one is a winner; it is a gay man's chick flick and that is all good with me.

Jack is a British 30-something gay guy living in New York, helping raise his niece after his brother dies, when unexpectedly his visa expires and he needs to act fast to stay in the country. He marries his prickly lesbian best friend while staying close to his sister-in-law and being a father figure to his niece, and then things get complicated when he meets a Spanish-American architect and falls in love.


I Do is sweet and touching, and sometimes overly earnest; it is a same-sex version of Green Card while also a tad preachy dramatization of the negative impact of DOMA (the Defence of Marriage Act) which prohibits same-sex couples from marrying in the US; even in states where it is legal gay marriage has no impact on federal laws like immigration. Using characters we come to care about, the movie shows why the word marriage and the status of marriage equality are important.



While I Do falls into the trap of the picture-perfect sensitive handsome caring bland leading man, it is not as predictable as I expected and it works; the family drama of a 'new normal' family makes you think and care.

I really liked I Do. It brings a current and controversial subject to a touching story of a community of friends and family. Jack's situation impacts everyone as his life is intertwined with those around him.  As Jack grasps to do the right thing for everyone, things just get messier...

Here's the trailer for I Do... look for it!

August 16, 2013

Archie Comics Vs Russia


Archie comics, which already feature gay Riverdale teen Kevin Keller, are now not going to Russia because of that country's violent crackdown on gays. I wrote about it, you can read about it...


August 14, 2013

Kelly Clarkson, Wedding Singer...


I love Kelly Clarkson, Grammy winning singer, first American Idol winner, and outspoken nonconformist on looks, fashion, and politics. Saw her live a few years ago, when she was opening for Reba McEntire, and while Clarkon's fashion sense was a disaster (think 'bedazzled' everything), her voice and personality were sure winners.

Her music, from the mainstream pop like Stronger to the darker brooding stuff like My December, is all great... and now to celebrate her own engagement, Clarkson has a new song called Tie It Up, and in the video she is the ultimate wedding singer, except she is weirdly dressed like a bride.

I like the pop-coutnry vibe of this song, a rare bouncy upbeat tune for Clarkson, and yes as you watch the video you will see several same-sex marrying couples celebrating... go Kelly!

Click image below, it will take you to YouTube to see Tie It Up...


August 5, 2013

Dixie Chick On Gay Marriage...


Love the Dixie Chicks, 
loved them live in concert (one of the best acts I have seen), 
love the simplicity of this statement, 
and love the new solo album Mother from Natalie Maines....

August 1, 2013

Bad Sequels Wear Prada...


I loved the bubbly bitchy 2003 novel The Devil Wears Prada, and beyond loved the 2006 film version with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt, so when I heard the sequel was coming I pre-orderd it right away.

Months later Revenge Wears Prada arrived, I started to zoom through it, and stalled for a couple of weeks. Then I finished it off, just for the sake of finishing it off. And all i can say is... "meh".

For her next book, I suggest author Lauren Weisberger write a book on how to destroy your brand. Cuz she has done the research.

Or here are some better ideas she could start with for a sequel, based on Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns:

1- If your title character - and most fascinating player -- Miranda Priestly, aka the fashion devil, becomes somewhat iconic in pop culture, have her appear in more than three very brief cameos in the back half of the book. Meryl Streep ain't gonna go for that role in a movie.

2- Do not take your least interesting character, Andy the insecure intern, make her ten years older, rich and in love and successful and happy and yet still whiny and insecure, it's annoying when your lead character is both boring and unlikeable.

3- If you have Revenge in the title of your book, have some revenge - or nastiness or drama of some kind -- inside said book.

4- If you have Prada in the title of your book, maybe have something to do with the fashion industry inside your book...

3- Novels don't have to be logical, but avoid awkward time jumps, bad magazine titles (The Plunge sounds like a plumbers' journal not a glossy bridal magazine), and if your lead character is suffering PTSD ten years after leaving a bad boss, get her some frigging therapy...

Summer reads should be fluffy and fun, not slow and whiny... for a more fun breezy read, skip the dull devil and try Lauren Graham's Someday Someday Maybe.


Someone is not impressed... That's all!