Thanks for telling me what I need. And then giving it to me.
Who, if anyone, will deserve the blame? In the Gay City News, Kelly Jean Cogswell writes an understandably frustrated article about the very real possibility of losing the just-received right to marry in California:
Apparently, there's some fixed amount of freedom in the world, like oil in the ground, or gold, and anybody in their right mind tries to hoard it. That's the idea I get, anyway, when somebody's explaining why you can't give more rights to women (or people of color or immigrants). It'll be coming right out of their pocket, and they can't afford it.How can we not all share this anger? Although there is no specific mention of Obama, his name is certainly clear here. I support Obama. I think he is a remarkable man and politician. His brilliance is what makes his failing in this area--gay marriage--so heartbreaking. When Obama, a man who has spoken and written so beautifully about his understanding of the minority American experience, refuses to support marriage for gay people, he sends a message to everyone, not just his political opponents, that we are not equal. And what are we supposed to do with that?
. . . And what are embattled queer people countering that with? Ads with reassuring heterosexual faces explaining that we're not going to take over the world. That's right. The voice for same sex-marriage is embodied in smarmy hets like San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. If you want straights, you should at least get them from Massachusetts where they can attest that after several years of gay marriage nobody's civil or religious freedoms have been abridged. The sky didn't fall. Just a few maple leaves.
If the Proposition [8] passes, ending same-sex marriage, I'll blame national gay leadership, especially Democrats, that already agreed to be invisible in the Obama campaign. By banning us from the camera, they make us seem like a bunch of pervs. It's for our own good, of course. Always for our own good. Mesmerized by their homophobic voices, we've lost our pride, and the belief in our own American stories of loss and striving, like our fights to visit our partners in hospitals, share health insurance, make lives together, all the stories that could persuade a reluctant audience that does, essentially, value equality and civil rights.
More after the jump.
Obama has shifted his stance on any number of issues (FISA, gun control, off-shore drilling, Reverend Wright), but he has remained firm in this -- no gay marriage. (Remember during the VP debate when Biden practically had to choke out his agreement with Palin regarding gay marriage.) In an interview with The Advocate, way back in April during the primaries, the Advocate interviewer pressed Obamaon this:
Both you and your wife speak eloquently about being told to wait your turn and how if you had done that, you might not have gone to law school or run for Senate or even president. To some extent, isn’t that what you’re asking same-sex couples to do by favoring civil unions over marriage -- to wait their turn?
Obama: I don’t ask them that. Anybody who’s been at an LGBT event with me can testify that my message is very explicit -- I don’t think that the gay and lesbian community, the LGBT community, should take its cues from me or some political leader in terms of what they think is right for them. It’s not my place to tell the LGBT community, "Wait your turn." I’m very mindful of Dr. King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” where he says to the white clergy, "Don’t tell me to wait for my freedom."
. . . but my perspective is also shaped by the broader political and historical context in which I’m operating. And I’ve said this before -- I’m the product of a mixed marriage that would have been illegal in 12 states when I was born. That doesn’t mean that had I been an adviser to Dr. King back then, I would have told him to lead with repealing an antimiscegenation law, because it just might not have been the best strategy in terms of moving broader equality forward. That’s a decision that the LGBT community has to make. That’s not a decision for me to make.
Is it fair for the LGBT community to ask for leadership? In 1963, President Kennedy made civil rights a moral issue for the country.
Obama: But he didn’t overturn antimiscegenation. Right?
Cogswell, in the Gay City News, writes:
. . . Like with children, I suppose the only counter to miserly behavior is to explain the benefit of sharing. In the case of same-sex marriage, we could argue that it strengthens an institution plenty of heterosexuals are turning away from, and also guarantees that we queers take care of our partners so that they don't become burdens on "society."I know that pushing for marriage equality might cause a backlash. How could I not understand that? But I am listening to Obama when he says, "It’s not my place to tell the LGBT community, 'Wait your turn.'"
On the other hand, if our fellow citizens refuse to share the wealth with same-sex couples, maybe we should shift our focus altogether, and demand they quit awarding any special rights to heterosexual marriages. Then we can all share the loss.
Synopses via moviefone.
I want to see this one for the same reasons everyone else does Manohla Dargis reviews the movie in The New York Times:"The pleasure of Mr. Stone’s work has never been located in restraint but in excess, a commitment to extremes that can drown out the world or, as in this film, give it newly vivid, hilarious and horrible form." 
Filth and Wisdom - After more than two decades as one of the world's most recognizable stars, Madonna steps behind the camera for the first time with this comedy-drama about a handful of bohemians struggling to make a name for themselves in London, which she both wrote and directed.
I mean, we all know that film is not her most flattering medium, but I feel kind of bad for her. She is getting divorced from her director husband. What if her own directorial debut bombs while she's trying to reestablish her independence? Manohla Dargis reviews this one as well. One of her kinder lines:"'Filth and Wisdom' is a ridiculously easy target, but it also creaks and strains with more ambition than most mainstream throwaways that just recycle the usual guns and poses."
More movies that I really don't want to see after the jump.
Max Payne - Rockstar Games' double-gunned action franchise comes to the big screen thanks to director John Moore (The Omen) and Mark Wahlberg, who embodies the title character of Max Payne, a widowed cop hell-bent on delivering justice no matter what the cost as he investigates a string of killings in his city. Mila Kunis and Chris O'Donnell head up the supporting cast, with Beau Thorne adapting the screenplay for the 20th Century Fox production. (PG-13)
The Secret Life of Bees - Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Hudson star as two friends who run away from home in order to solve the mystery surrounding one of their mothers in this adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's best-selling coming-of-age novel, The Secret Life of Bees. Queen Latifah, Sophie Okonedo, Alicia Keys, and Tristan Wilds co-star in picture as three sisters who take the two girls in and teach them to care for and raise bees. Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) provides the adaptation as well as the direction for the Overbrook Entertainment production.
on Vimeo.
Via Gizmodo: "[T]his Fin-Fish R/C blimp floats so gracefully through the air that it is liable to hypnotize you at your office desk until quittin' time."
I kind of hope this is a little bit real.
Via I'm Not Obsessed.
Reba McEntire Reincarnated?
Michael Musto wants to get laid . . . to rest here.Man vs Wild's Bear Grylls naked again. Kinda NSFW, but it looks like it was really cold, so there's not, uh, a lot to see.
People Magazine's with this week's Five Funniest Moments of Daytime TV
Leona Lewis gets booed?
The airdates of The Final 10 Battlestar Galactica episodes
Boys dancing in their underwear on omgblog.
The official Britney Spears site launches
How do you get over your fear of acting like a pig? Dan Savage says, "Here’s the thing about male piggishness, kiddo: women dig it; fags do too." I think the fags might just dig it a little bit more . . . .
Steve Kelley, copyright 2008 Creators Syndicate
McCain is funny: “I’m the underdog, but there are signs of hope. I can’t shake the feeling that some people here are pulling for me. I am delighted to see you here tonight, Hillary.”
National Review Writer: Obama Likely Would Have Been Aborted, Had It Been Legal
The Temperament Factor: Who's Best Suited to the Job? Time's lengthy article navigates the places where personality meets challenge.
Interview with Treasury Secretary Paulson: "The steps we’ve taken are absolutely the right steps. They are bold steps. They are strong steps to stabilize the financial markets and inject confidence into the banking system along with capital."
Economists prescribe deeper deficit: Balanced government budget no recession cure. "The financial crisis has rocked the economy's foundations, but it also has opened a window of opportunity for the next president."
Great interview with Madeleine Albright on the candidates' foreign policy views, the mishandling of the Iraq war, and her time as Secretary of State. She says Obama reminds her of Bill Clinton.
Apparently, we take our bathroom habits for granted when we really shouldn't because, like James Kotecki's political satire, American toilet hygiene is not something to be especially proud of. But no one is talking about how using toilet paper is not the best way to get clean "down there."
The world divides into water cultures and paper cultures. This comes into quite stark relief in Japan because Japan used to be a paper culture. Two hundred years ago they used sticks or stones or paper. And now, because Japan has had a toilet revolution, they've turned into a water culture, and they have very high-tech toilets with in-built bidets and drying systems that can massage you and probably sing to you.Overall, better bathroom hygiene "has added 20 years to the modern lifespan, so this thing that we won't even discuss is actually responsible for perhaps decades of all of our lives." But, like lots of things, we could be doing it better.
But the U.S. and the U.K. stubbornly remain paper cultures, and attempts to introduce bidet toilets have failed. Hygienically, bidet toilets are infinitely superior. Using toilet paper to clean yourself down there makes about as much hygienic sense as cleaning yourself with a towel and imagining you're rubbing off the dirt. We've got a very unhygienic way of cleaning a place of our body that we would like to be very clean.
Head over to Salon to read the full article.
This week's Economist takes a look at how a poorer, hotter world will "bode ill for life’s infinite variety."
GREEN-MINDED folk of many shades came to Spain this month, to talk about the need to save from human recklessness as much as possible of nature’s bounty of genes, habitats and species. They brought bad tidings. Common birds are in decline across the world. Almost one in four species of mammals is in danger of extinction. If current trends continue until 2050, fisheries will be exhausted. As it is, deforestation costs the world more each year than the current financial crisis has cost in total, one economist argued.While some of the language used might be hackneyed (I mean, who doesn't know that it's very In to be Green?), this article can serve, yes, as a reminder to Be Green, but, I think, as importantly, it can be used to leverage our understanding of how to implement an effective global response to a global crisis. Global financial institutions have demonstrated that they can work quickly and cooperatively to mitigate the effects of a major crisis. As this article points out, they might have to do it again, and they will have already had practice doing it.
Pork is back with this week's Chart Attack.
Chart Attack 10-17-08
Pork here. History is made all over the Billboard charts again this week. Last week T.I. made chart history with the biggest jump to No. 1 ever on the Hot 100 as “Live Your Life” (featuring Top-10’er-O’-The-New-Millennium, Rihanna) rocketed from 80-1. Hopefully he enjoyed his one week of holding that distinct honor because it’s been broken by the ruthless Britney Spears as “Womanizer” flies from 96-1! This is her first No. 1 since “ . . . Baby One More Time” since the 1900’s. So . . . congratulations go out to Ms. Spears and the factory that made it happen.
I’m anxious to see who comes out on top next week. T.I. is not thinking about slowing down right now. “Whatever You Like” (another recent number one of his) holds steady at No. 2 while being the Greatest Sales Gainer/Digital. “Live Your Life” may have dipped to No. 3, but it’s the week’s Greatest Airplay Gainer. Britney’s got the buzz around the accompanying video to help her maintain the peak position, so be sure to check in next week to find out who’s on top.
Britney Spears. Number One. This must be America looking for the Greatest Common Distraction from the catastrophes actually facing us. Britney Spears just might be responsible for the downfall of America’s economy . . . .
Thankfully, there are signs of hope on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs Chart . . . Jennifer Hudson lands herself back in the “Spotlight” as that brilliant song becomes her first No. 1. J. Hud’s debut album made an impressive No. 2 debut on both the Billboard 200 Albums and Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums.
T.I.’s Paper Trails continues to hold down the top spots on both of those two big charts. This man must be just rolling in the paper.
That’s the major news from this week’s chart movement. As always, I like to give you a view of the big picture. A look at what’s currently sitting atop this week’s Billboard charts. Let’s call it . . . A View From The Top. Top Singles. Top Albums. Top International Tracks. After the jump.
A View From The Top:
Here is a look at what’s currently sitting atop of this week’s Billboard charts:
October 25th, 2008 (week ending)
Singles
Hot 100: Britney Spears “Womanizer”
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Jennifer Hudson “Spotlight”
Pop 100: P!nk “So What”
Mainstream Top 40: P!nk “So What”
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop: T-Pain feat. Lil Wayne “Can’t Believe It”
Hot Modern Rock Tracks: The Offspring “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid”
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: Metallica “The Day That Never Comes”
Hot Rap Tracks: T.I. “Whatever You Like”
Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks: Jason Mraz “I’m Yours”
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks: David Cook “The Time Of My Life”
Hot Digital Songs: Britney Spears “Womanizer”
Rhythmic Top 40: T.I. “Whatever You Like”
Hot Dance Club Play: Lindsay Lohan “Bossy”
Hot Dance Airplay: AnnaGrace “You Make Me Feel”
Hot Dance Single Sales: M.I.A. “Paper Planes”
Pop 100 Airplay: P!nk “So What
Hot 100 Airplay: T.I. “Whatever You Like”
Hot Singles Sales: Artists Stand Up To Cancer “Just Stand Up!”
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales: Artists Stand Up To Cancer “Just Stand Up!”
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: Jennifer Hudson “Spotlight”
Hot Adult R&B Airplay: Jennifer Hudson “Spotlight”
Hot Singles Recurrents: Jesse McCartney “Leavin’”
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrents: Noel Gourdin “The River”
Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay: Jesse McCartney “Leavin’”
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay: Noel Gourdin “The River”
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles: Craig Morgan “Love Remembers”
Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: Yung Ralph “About A Bitch”
Hot Country Songs: Kenny Chesney With The Wailers “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven”
Albums
The Billboard 200 Albums: T.I. - Paper Trail
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: T.I. – Paper Trail
Top Rock Albums: Metallica – Death Magnetic
Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums: Metallica – Death Magnetic
Top Independent Albums: Senses Fail – Life Is Not A Waiting Room
Top Electronic Albums: M.I.A. – Kala
Top Rap Albums: T.I. – Paper Trail
Top Soundtracks: Mamma Mia!
Top Cast Albums: Original Broadway Cast Recording – Wicked
Top Country Albums: Tim McGraw – Greatest Hits 3
Top Heatseekers: Five Finger Death Punch – The Way Of The Fist
. . . and on the international front:
European Hot 100 Singles: Katy Perry “I Kissed A Girl”
European Top 100 Albums: Metallica – Death Magnetic
After Elton's Brian Juergens "Best. Gay. Week. Ever." goes over the best and worst of this week in gayness. This Week? "A look at the terrible gay humor of Sex Drive, a Summer Heights High giveaway, and more gays on TV than you can shake a stick at!"
Including this guy from Britney's "Womanizer" video.
Watch CBS Videos Online
About the hubbub surrounding his canceling on Letterman a few weeks ago, McCain said, "I haven't had so much fun since my last interrogation."
Sorry about the 10 second commmercial, but it's CBS so . . . .
This was rumored for the past few weeks, but it's been confirmed that Governor Sarah Palin will be appearing on SNL this weekend. Palin has said, "I love her, she's a hoot and she's so talented. It would be fun to meet her, imitate her and keep on giving her new material."
In a decision that sounds remarkably like the U.S. Presidential candidates' views on gay marriage, Pink News is reporting that Vladimir Spidla, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, has said that the EU cannot force its member states to recognize same-sex marriage.
The man responsible for the new EU directive on discrimination has said that it is up to individual member states whether or not to legally recognise gay and lesbian relationships.
Vladimir Spidla, the Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, said in an interview for Destination Equality magazine that the directive must strike a balance between national competence in family law and the non-discrimination principle.
. . . EU directives are legislation that requires member states to, for example, deal with discrimination, but leaves it up to the states to decide on the best course of action to take
There is at present no EU law protecting LGB people from discrimination in areas such as goods and services which exist for race and gender.
. . . Mr Spidla was asked about about a same-sex couple married in Belgium who would lose their rights and protections if they move to a member state that does not recognise their marriage.
"That is a very sensitive question. There are possibilities of transferring some social entitlements such as pension benefits," he said.
Wake up with these.
The New York Times:
The New York Times Magazine's The Ethicist
The Front Page, Friday October 17, Summary
Tell Me More:
Stories: 1) Final Presidential Debate Intense 2) Calls for New Political Party in S. Africa 3) 'Secret Life of Bees' A Moving Tale 4) Doing What's Natural
Fresh Air:
Stories: 1) Lizza's 'Brief' Take On A Biden Vice Presidency 2) Absolutely Absurd: The World Of Larry Charles
Click below to jump to the player, or click here to open up the player in a new window so you can listen while you browse. Or just press "play" over in The Media Bar . . . .
Today's Buffet
(Click below to jump the the full size players, or click here to launch them in a new window. Or just pull up a chair, hang out, and watch them in The Media Bar)
Daily Song
This Week's #1
Womanizer
Britney Spears
(check out Pork's review here)
Television
Mad Men (1:24)
I'm starting a Mad Men Marathon this weekend!
Politics
Another tortuously unfunny performance by James Kotecki (00:31)
The Trailer for W.
Music Video
Pink "So What" (3:35)
Daily Song
Television
Mad Men (1:24)
Politics
Another tortuously unfunny performance by James Kotecki (00:31)(click the screen twice to stop)
Movies
The Trailer for W.
Music Video
Pink "So What" (3:35)
Pop 100 Number 1 song