Ashton Kutcher Proves Himself Surprisingly Intelligent And Understanding Of Women

I know what you're thinking.  "He couldn't possibly have typed the name Ashton Kutcher on purpose."  I'm having to check my sources a third time and make sure they're correct.  Yes, it's Ashton Kutcher.  OK, moving on.

This story is about a month old, but I thought I would still share it.  While doing a press junket for the movie 'Friends With Benefits', Natalie Portman and Ashton were talking to a writer for Movieline.com, they started talking about how they were using fake condoms during fake sex scenes.  Then out of nowhere, Ashton said the following:

"I think there’s so much that’s not said about sex in our country, even from an educational level.(snip) Sometimes we get to make films that open things up that people can talk about, and one of the interesting things (snip) is that, especially for women in the sex education process in schools, the one thing they teach about is how to get pregnant or how to not get pregnant, but they don't really talk about sex as a point of pleasure for women.
The male orgasm is actually right there and readily available to learn about because it's actually part of the reproductive cycle, but the female orgasm isn't really talked about in the education system. Part of that creates a place where women aren't empowered around their own sexuality and their own sexual selves, and from a purely entertainment point of view, to create a movie with a female lead that's empowered with her own sexuality is a powerful thing.

And if we can give teenage people something to think about from a sex perspective, I would say it would be to open a conversation where women are empowered with their own sexual experiences from an educational level as well as an entertainment level."

Wow.  I'm impressed.  To see a message like that come from someone that just a few years ago was doing 'Dude, Where's My Car?' is quite shocking to see.  Actually, to see it from any male celebrity is somewhat shocking.  He was taking a bit of a risk by putting that out there.  But he makes a valid point.

Most teenage girls learn safe sex in school, but not how to make themselves feel good.  Boys figure that out by the time they're 11.  From what I've seen, (again, from what I've seen) teenage girls learn techniques on giving blowjobs, not sexual empowerment, from their best friends.  They don't discuss masturbation or orgasms very often.  Most wouldn't have an enough of an open relationship with their mother to talk about sex or sexual pleasure.

As you go through high school, you date Johnny Football Quarterback, who comes in two minutes, and could care shit less if you come or not.  Then college comes and you're dating some douchey fratboy that sees you more as a trophy piece than as a girlfriend.

Before you know it, you're 25 and you've never had an orgasm, whether it has been by yourself or with another person.  Some people, unfortunately,are just not wired to be orgasmic.  Sadly, the majority of women that experience the 25 and "O"-less scenario are because, over the course of their sexual lives, they have been treated as objects instead of women.

They have been inundated in entertainment and social media with a lack of strong, sexually empowered women.  They have gotten used to terms like "slut, ho, and whore" being used to describe someone.  These words were originally used to degrade a woman, now some women use them to greet each other.

What Ashton said may have come out a little clumsy, but I got his point.  Things need to change in this world. It's time for a educational revolution of sorts.

Funny How Common Place Pot Is In Our Society

Pot even seems to be more popular than religion:



I'm not saying that I find issue with that.

Mash Up Monday - Boulevard Of Broken Songs

This week's entry is a classic.  It's a little over 5 years old, but every time I hear it, I still get a smile on my face.  In November of 2005, a DJ by the name of Party Ben released an album of mashups based on Green Day's 'American Idiot' CD.  He released it under the name Dean Gray (get it Dean Gray/Green Day), and called it 'American Edit'.  One of my personal favorites on the album is the mashup of Green Day's 'Give Me Novacaine' with Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.  This was track number three on the disc, 'Boulevard of Broken Songs'.  It mashes up the following tracks:

Green Day - 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Oasis - 'Wonderwall'
Travis - 'Writing To Reach You'
Aerosmith - 'Dream On'
Eminem - 'Sing For the Moment'

The Best Commercials Of Super Bowl XLV

This year's commercials saw your expected advertisers, (Bud Light, Coke, Pepsi,) movie trailers, and a few newcomers to the game(TeleFlora, Groupon, HomeAway).  Here are my three favorite ads this year:

Doritos - "The Best Part"





Budweiser - "Wild West"




Any commercial that ends in an 'Almost Famous'-like rendition of 'Tiny Dancer' gets extra points in my book. Did you notice the cowboy asking for the Bud was Peter Stormare?  He's been in everything from Fargo to The Big Lebowski to Armageddon, Constantine, 8mm.  I could go on and on about him.  One of my favorite character actors.

Chrysler 200 - "Imported From Detroit"





This was as much a commercial for the city of Detroit as it was for Chrysler.  It was also the second ad of the evening that featured Eminem.  He was, or should I say his image was, in an ad for Lipton Brisk earlier in the game.  Reportedly, Mr. Mathers received a $1 million paycheck to use his image and voice for the Lipton ad.  The details of his compensation for the Chrysler ad have not been released.  Due to his love for his hometown, Detroit, it's likely he settled for a lower amount.  In the Chrysler ad, he said only 11 words.

While the first two ads were funny, this one had substance.  It was moving.  For the first time in my adult life, it made me realize the importance of buying an American automobile.  When I'm walking through the aisles of the store, I'm not going to remember the Dorito's ad or the Budweiser ad when it comes to my next grocery purchase.  When it comes time to purchase my next vehicle, I'm sure as hell going to remember Chrysler.  They claimed they spent less than $9 million on the commercial.  The ad took up two minutes of airtime.  At a price tag of $3 million for every 30 seconds, it cost them $12 million to air it.  Something tells me it was a good investment.  They hit this one out of the park.

Top 10 Differences Between Mormons And Jehovah's Witnesses

This list comes courtesy of Letters From the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a blog about JWs that I follow.  Sorry folks, but this post is primarily for my ex-JW readers.  If you weren't in the religion at one point, you won't get most of the jokes.  It's an "inside joke/you had to be there" sort of thing. So:

Top 10 Differences Between Mormons And Jehovah's Witnesses 

 10. Mormons abstain from coffee. Witnesses take frequent coffee breaks.

 9. Brigham Young said to be “filled with the Spirit.” Judge Rutherford said to be “filled with      spirits.”

8. Mormon Tabernacle Choir ---- Pre-recorded Kingdom songs 

7. Joseph Smith discovered gold plates. Charles Russell discovered printing plates.

6. Mormons established BYU, a world-class university. Witnesses established Theocratic Ministry School.

5. Mormons urged to form close-knit family. Witnesses urged to shun family.

4. Mormons abstain from wine all year. Witnesses abstain from wine once a year.

3. Mormons have “Divine Revelation.” Witnesses have “New Light.” (Okay so that’s not actually a difference)

2. Prominent Mormons include doctors, lawyers and governors. Prominent Witnesses include janitors, pool cleaners and multi-level marketers. 

1. Mormons don’t stand in front of deserted strip malls at 6:00 AM mutely displaying the Book of Mormon and try to convince you they’re “preaching.”

I feel like David Letterman all of a sudden.

How Many Days Does Bill Murray Relive In 'Groundhog Day'? - Film Geek Has The Answer

So, I'm sure all of us had a memorable Groundhog Day this year.  Some were more memorable than others. (Sorry, Lori and Krystl.)  Of course, every year on February 2nd, TBS shows the movie 'Groundhog Day' umpteen million times.  You know you watch it every year.  I usually see it on TV a couple of times a year.  Inevitably, the question pops up in my mind, at least once, "I wonder how long Bill Murray kept repeating that same day over and over again".

Well, wonder no more.  Years ago, when director Harold Ramis recorded the commentary for the 'Groundhog Day' DVD, he estimated that Phil Connors "spent about 10 years trapped in his own little corner of Hell".  Later, in June of 2009, a blogger took the time to dissect the film, and came up with the estimate that Bill Murray relived that single day in Punxsatawney 3176 times.  That breaks down to 8 years, 8 months, and 16 days.

Ramis, the director read the blog post, and responded in an interview, disagreeing with both the blogger and his own earlier estimate:

"I think the 10-year estimate is too short. It takes at least 10 years to get good at anything, and alloting for the down time and misguided years he spent, it had to be more like 30 or 40 years… People [like the blogger] have way too much time on their hands. They could be learning to play the piano or speak French or sculpt." 

The issue seemed to have been settled.  Then came an article the past Wednesday, by Simon Gallagher of the blog, obsessedwithfilm.com.  He poured over the film time and time again.  It turned a light hearted movie into an arduous task:

"For anyone who wants to check all of this, I really don’t suggest watching Groundhog Day in this manner. It’s not the best way to enjoy what is essentially a light-hearted comedy whose metaphysical concerns are supposed to be enjoyed in fun, and not worked out mathematically. Normal people should be happy to just watch, and accept that Phil Connors is stuck repeating his one day endlessly over and over until he finds himself- but then, I don’t think I’m normal." 

After taking into consideration scene changes, lines of dialogue, and skills that Phil had taught himself over the course of the movie, Simon had determined that Phil Connors had actually been stuck in a perpetual day of repetition for 12,403 days.  Taking into consideration for leap years, and you have 33 years, 358 days.  In a way, knowing that doesn't make the movie funny anymore.  It's kind of depressing, actually.

To Commemorate Ronald Reagan's 100th Birthday

Her name Reagan.

Note:  Normally, I don't go for the "Photoshopped, airbrushed, augmented Centerfold" type of woman.   The above picture doesn't follow the body positive tone of my blog.  In the case of this post, however, my options were somewhat limited.  My searches for a nude or topless female "Reagan or Regan" only produced images of four different models.  The majority of the images that came up were, to say the least, NSFW.  They either showed genitalia or penetration.  Most of the remaining images contained flashing advertisements when the URL was pasted onto the post.  The above image ended up being the being the most tasteful and most cooperative pic available, while still remaining honest in the fact that the model was named Reagan. 

The Women Of Egypt

Since protests started January 25th, women have played an important role in Egyptian demonstrations.  Many have played the role of spokesperson.  Some have become protest organizers.  Some have even emerged as leaders.  There have been a couple of days since the start of the protests where demonstrations have relied solely in the hands of the women of Cairo, as the men of the city had spent the previous night in the streets protecting the city.  This post is dedicated to them.

Walmart "Magazine Censor" Fail

As most of you know, Walmart makes a regular practice of censoring some magazines at their registers, to "protect" younger customers' eyes from viewing more risqué material.  In my experience, Cosmo is most often the victim of the censorship, due to the topics of their articles.  Today, however, I saw the perfect example of how their tactics backfired on them.  Here is a picture of this month's cover of Cosmopolitan magazine:

Nothing really too shocking, right?  Now let's take a look at Walmart's censored, "child safe" version:

Now, until about 1:35 this afternoon, I had never thought of Glee's Lea Michele as "sexy".  Now, thanks to Walmart, I would seriously make out with that Rachel girl from Glee.  Walmart has opened up a whole new world for me.  Thank you, Walmart.

I Have Seen Death...And It's Pretty Friggin' Creepy

I was never told the story of Hanzel and Gretel or Sleeping Beauty (because of the "witchcraft"), but as a child, I learned, in detail, the prophecies of the bible book of Revelation.  They were my childhood versions of scary nursery rhymes.  For a kid, some of the verses had some pretty scary shit.  There were lions that breathed fire and had snakes for tails.  What really scared me though, were the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The Horsemen are spoken of in the sixth chapter of the book of Revelation.  They each ride on a different colored horse, white, black, red and pale or green (depending on which bible version you're reading).  Each Horseman/horse is symbolic.  I could go on for an hour about their symbolism, but to make a long story short, we're going to focus on the pale horse and it's rider.

Revelation 6:7-8 reads:

"When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hell was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth."

The rider of the pale horse was the harbinger of death.  As a kid, the pale rider scared the living shit out of me.  I had nightmares about him. What does this have to do with Super Bowl Sunday 2011?  A video was shot and distributed by Euronews of the protests in Egypt.  It has made it's way around the blogs online, and onto CNN and MSNBC.  It shows a green, ghost like figure, resembling a man riding a horse riding through a crowd of protesters and then over their heads, before disappearing into the air.  The "figure" appears at the center of the frame and moves from left to right at about the 1:18 mark of the video:



As an atheist, not only do I no longer believe in the prophecies in Revelation, but I believe there is a logical and scientific explanation for the image in the video.  I must admit however, when seeing it for the first time, a cold chill ran up my spine.  The memories of the stories came back.  They were memories that I would rather have left forgotten.

Transcript Of Reagan Era White House Press Conference

Courtesy of Joe My God:

Laughter about dead queers. At the White House. It was five long horrifying and desperate years later before Reagan finally personally addressed the AIDS epidemic, when he came out against a public prevention campaign, saying, "Let's be honest with ourselves, AIDS information can not be what some call 'value neutral.' After all, when it comes to preventing AIDS, don't medicine and morality teach the same lessons?" By then, tens of thousands had died.

Like I said, I hope he's rotting in Hell.

A Look Back On Some Of The Best National Anthems

In about 90 minutes, Christina Aguilara is scheduled to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl in Dallas, Texas.  With her raw talent, she is sure to give one hell of a performance.  Over the years, there have been a number of artists, for better or worse, that come to mind when the National Anthem is mentioned.  Whether it's Jimi Hendrix's epic instrumental rendition at Woodstock in 1969, Roseanne's crotch grabbing disgrace, or Whitney Houston's emotional chart topping rendition in the 90s, they all stand out for their own reasons.

Yahoo Music compiled a list of what they felt was the 10 worst, and the 10 best, renditions of the National Anthem.  The ten worst are TORTURE.  I won't put you through watching any of those videos.  Let's just say there's a reason why Scott Stapp's voice can scare away a pack of wolves.  Here are a couple of their ten best:

#5 - Josh Groban with Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers


It was really interesting to hear Flea, who is normally known for going all out on bass, mellowing out and gently accompanying Groban's powerful and traditional voice softly but with purpose.  Very beautiful.



#4 (Personally my #1) Marvin Gaye


What can I say.  Classy.  No one could have done it better.  No one has done it better since.





#1 The Dixie Chicks


This was just a couple of months before they came out publicly against the Iraq War and George W. Bush.  Their careers in country music practically disappeared since then, due to the backlash they received from much of their fanbase.  Their performance in three part harmony is nothing short of legendary.  Yesterday was the first time I had seen it.  It brought tears to my eyes.



Growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, I was never allowed to stand for the National Anthem.  It is something that conflicts with Witness beliefs.  Now that I am out of the church, the National Anthem is something I do not take lightly.  I make sure I am early to sporting events so that I can be at my seat to stand for the National Anthem.  I try to tune in to the World Series or the Super Bowl early to hear it.  I have a new sense of patriotism.  I don't take any performance for granted.  Coming out, it was one of the first songs I learned the words to.  I'm proud to be an American, and I'm thankful for Francis Scott Key's contribution to our country.

Update:  So...Christina Aguilara screwed it up big time this afternoon.  Don't get me wrong.  She sounded awesome, she just couldn't remember half of the words.  She completely left out the line, "O'er the ramparts we watched".  Then, later in the song, she tried to combine two lines by singing, "What so proudly we watched", instead of "What so proudly we hailed".  How embarrassing.

'And The Band Played On' - Reagan's Real Legacy

When the AIDS epidemic was starting in the 80s, I was too young and too sheltered from the outside world to really get the impact of what was going on.  It wasn't until much later that I was able to get a true understanding of how somber of a time it was to live in.  To have your friends, your partner, waste away and painfully die of a disease, while treated like a leper.  Often times alone.  It's disturbing to think that tens of thousands of Americans died that way, just because it was initially thought of as a "gay disease".

I highly encourage you to watch a movie called 'And the Band Played On'.  It was made in the mid 90s and it is a dramatization of the years following the initial AIDS outbreak.  It's shocking to see how the Reagan Administration dragged their feet regarding the AIDS virus.  When it came to their cooperation with the CDC, the Administration lacked funding, resources and compassion.  By the time Reagan even mentioned the word "AIDS" in public, roughly 30,000 people had already died of the virus.  It was inexcusable.  The following is the last five minutes of the film, a tribute to those that died or contacted HIV in the 80s:



I really hope that fucker is rotting in Hell.

Display Of Brotherhood In Egyptian Protests

I had to share this picture I saw on Al Jazeera's blog this morning.  It shows protesters in Tahrir Square on Thursday afternoon.  While Muslim protesters were completing their daily prayers, Christian protesters held hands, forming a ring around their Muslim brethren, to protect them from counter protesters while vulnerable.  The image gave me chills.  It showed beyond a doubt that these people were not violent, but peaceful and united, regardless of religious background.  Truly heartwarming.

NOM Website Goes Gay Friendly...Accidentally

The Mormon backed National Organization for Marriage learned a valuable lesson:  When you are hot linking someone's cartoon onto a hate group's website, make sure they are ideologically in the same ballpark as you.

Yesterday morning, Zach Weiner posted the following cartoon for SMBC (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cartoon):

It was soon posted on NOM's main website.  When Mr. Weiner got wind that his cartoon was being used on a website for a hate group that tirelessly campaigns against gay rights, he replaced the image on his site.  NOM's website was showing the following for most of the day yesterday before it was noticed and changed:

Talk about embarrassing.  Oops.