Ellen Knows Talent When She Sees It

Since Ellen Degeneres stepped down from the judge's booth at 'American Idol', she has really made a point to try to showcase new and undiscovered talent on her show.  She even started her own record label, ElevenEleven, to sign artists that she feels need to be seen and heard.  Her latest discovery is no exception.

Karmin is a band from Boston, comprised of Amy (who sings and plays guitar), and Nick (who sometimes sings and plays piano).  They've had a Youtube channel since August of last year, and do some amazing covers.  They've recently ventured out and started to record some originals, too.  Here is the video that got Ellen's attention.  It's a cover of Chris Brown's 'Look At Me Now', featuring Lil' Wayne and Busta Rhymes.  I have never seen anyone cover Busta Rhymes, and do it justice.  This white girl from Boston kicks it's ass...



Of all of the songs on Karmin's channel, my favorite is their cover of Adele's 'Someone Like You'.  They have a really original take on it.  First, they added a backing string track on the song, which adds a nice layer of depth to it.  Then, they turned it into a duet.  Amy has a great voice, but she can't compare to Adele.  At the moment, this song is the shoe in for Best Female Pop Album Vocal Grammy, if not Song of the Year or Record of the Year.  Amy has to strain on some of the notes, while Adele doesn't break a sweat.  She's a natural.

Nick, on the other hand, is impressive.  He has a natural gift and finds the harmony on the chorus effortlessly.  The result is beautiful, and hands down the best cover of the song I've heard yet.  The combination of the two voices really make it an emotional piece.  It really tugs at the heart strings.



If you haven't heard the original from Adele, here she is singing the song inside her home a couple of months ago.



You can find out more about Karmin by checking out their official website.  They even have an ITunes store, which carries all of their originals, as well as a number of their covers.  Unfortunately, neither of the two songs in this post are available for download....yet.

This Is How I Want To Go Out

It's called the "Euthanasia Coaster".  According to it's designers, Designs Interactions Research, it is a "hypothetical euthanasia machine in the form of a roller coaster engineered to humanely – with elegance and euphoria – take the life of a human being."  From their website:

"Riding the coaster’s track, the rider is subjected to a series of intensive motion elements that induce various unique experiences: from euphoria to thrill, and from tunnel vision to loss of consciousness, and, eventually, death. Thanks to the marriage of the advanced cross-disciplinary research in aeronautics/space medicine, mechanical engineering, material technologies and, of course, gravity, the fatal journey is made pleasing, elegant and meaningful."

According to the diagrams, which are hard to make out, the coaster has seven loops.  It looks like it's only hill peaks at 500 meters (1640 ft), and drops 510 meters (1673 ft), at a top speed of 100 meters per second (or 223.69 mph), with a maximum G-force of 10Gs.  The only name I could possibly think of naming it, would be the Highway to Hell.

 The designer even made a nice little scale model to give to an idea of what it would look like fully built.

To quote the 'Six Million Dollar Man', "We have the technology.   We have the capability to build the world's first bionic man euthanasia coaster.  Better than he it was before. Better, stronger, faster."  I suggest making this the method of execution for the people on death row in California.  Fuck lethal injection.  You won't find a judge in the country that will find this "cruel and unusual punishment".  Appeals cases would be at an all time low.  Inmates would be lining up to give this ride a shot.  Prison populations would drop significantly.  State budgets would balance.


I'm kidding of course.  

Will The Real Kurt Cobain Please Stand Up?

On April 5th, the 17th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death, a video was uploaded onto Youtube of someone that appears to be the late Cobain singing an acoustic version of 'Pennyroyal Tea/Rape Me'.  He really looked a lot like Kurt in his prime.  The hair was right.  So was the way he was dressed.  He was even playing the guitar left handed.  But, something was off.

His voice wasn't as troubled as Kurt's, and there was a look in his eyes that told you it was someone else.



It was 30 Seconds To Mars' Jared Leto.  Supposedly, he recorded the video himself while he was "researching and exploring his character" when he had heard that a biopic was going to be filmed about Cobain's life.  I'm assuming the movie in question was Gus Van Sant's 'Last Days', which is influenced by Kurt Cobain, but not directly about his life.

I've never been a fan of Leto's acting, especially his role as Mark David Chapman in 'Chapter 27', but I must admit, he does a pretty admirable job on this one.

A Breathtaking Moment In The History Of Theatre

A new musical playing at the Lincoln Center Theater on Broadway, is turning heads, and capturing the hearts and minds of people from all over the world.  'War Horse', a musical based upon a children's book by author Michael Morpurgo, is getting rave reviews from practically every critic that sees the show.

Hardly any review mentions the music, or any of the actors that perform night after night.  In fact, it has been reported that at some performances, the audience reserves their standing ovation for the true thespians of the musical:  the puppets.  That's right, the puppets.

'War Horse' takes place during the time of World War I.  A boy's young horse is sold to the cavalry, and sent to France.  During the course of the war, he ends up serving on both sides of the fight, eventually finding himself in no man's land once the war is over.  As the boy, now a young man, gets older, he embarks on a trek across the world to find the one thing he's ever loved and bring him home.

For many years, the theatre has wanted to use live animals, especially horses, on the stage.  Sadly, due to all of the variables (the audience, rigging, stage hands, etc.), horses have been highly unpredictable.  Not to mention, they crap everywhere.  All the way around, regardless of how docile or trained the animal is, it has never worked successfully.

A couple of years ago, the Handspring Puppet Company, a company out of South Africa, set out to create the impossible:  a lifesize, realistic, and, above all, believable, horse puppet.  At the International TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference, in March of 2011, Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones of Handspring introduced their latest design.  The response was nothing short of shock and awe.  **It's an 18 minute clip.  I suggest watching the first minute or so, then fast forward to about 8:30 in.  You won't be disappointed.**



The puppet is so believable, that after the first 30 seconds or so, you don't seem to notice the four human legs standing under the horse.  These puppets are the ones that were to be used in 'War Horse'.

At over 2 hours and 40 minutes long, it getting a reputation as a marathon of a show.  But the reviews are astounding.

From 'Time Out New York':  "War Horse will make you believe that puppets live and breathe, and perhaps even have souls."

From 'The New York Times':  "When was the last time a puppet made you cry?"

And, from Broadway.com:  "Judging from a previewed scene involving a fence and a tangle of barbed wire, audiences are in for an emotional experience at War Horse." 

Here is a montage of scenes from the Broadway production to give you an idea of what to expect.



Jim Henson would be proud. 

Better Than Having A Front Seat On The Ground

There are only two Shuttle launches left before the fleet is retired and sent to their respective resting places.  Endeavour is set to launch this week on the 29th, and Atlantis will launch from Kennedy Space Center on June 28.  Atlantis' launch will be the 135th, and final, launch of the Space Shuttle's tumultuous 30 year history.

On the morning of February 24, 2010, the Space Shuttle Discovery made it's final flight into orbit above Earth.  The passengers on an airline flight from Orlando, Florida, saw the launch from a perspective that few others ever get to see.



My favorite part of the video is when the smartass pilot comes on the intercom and says, "For those of you on the right side of the aircraft, you can see the Space Shuttle launching.  For those of you on the left side, you can see the people on the right side looking at the Space Shuttle.".


Obviously, at one point, everyone on the left side of the cabin crowded over to the right, because you can hear someone ask, "Is the plane going to tip over?".  Then, one of the flight attendants comes on and buys a round of drinks for everyone on board.


What an experience.  One of the few times in life when sitting in coach doesn't seem so terrible.

Kevin Smith Officiates Gay Wedding

Last night's 'Nightline' on ABC had a piece about getting married by a celebrity.  I guess it's the new "in" thing to do if you're getting married in California.  Tori Spelling has been doing it on her reality show for a couple of years, now.  And, in February, you can add writer/director/actor Kevin Smith into the mix.

In February, Smith, an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church, an online church with over 20 million members, married Scott Loudon and Michael Wojtowicz.  Yes, his first official marriage was of a gay couple.  As long time Los Angeles Kings season ticket holders, Loudon and Wojtowicz wanted a hockey themed wedding.  Being the hockey fanatic that he is, Smith couldn't refuse.

Dressed as a referee, he conducted the ceremony as the couple were dressed as players, complete with jerseys and fake bruises.  The 50 or so in attendance at Smiths theater in L.A. all wore jerseys as well, while the proceedings were broadcast online as part of a regularly scheduled podcast.

The invites were even made to look like tickets to a game:

The wedding date was 02/12/2011 - Sec 2011, Row 2, Seat 12

I don't know about you, but speaking for myself, I would much rather be married by Silent Bob than Donna from 'Beverly Hills, 90210'.  As Smith said in the piece last night,

"If you're getting married here, you're really interesting.... If you're getting married in hockey jerseys, and making me wear a referee jersey, and you're gay, and you're here, and you're huge hockey fans, we're in for a great show."

Take a look at the video.  I found it really touching.  It's nice to see Smith's reaction to the whole thing.  It's as if he's just hanging out with a couple of his drinking buddies.  It's no big deal to him.

I have read a couple of comments on the gay websites regarding this story, and I was surprised to see how much of a negative reaction it's getting.  One comment in particular struck me as peculiar.  It went on to say, "Shame on Kevin Smith.  Publicity stunts like this make our fight towards marriage equality look insincere.  Gay marriage is not a joke."

Really?  Are we going to bring the "sanctity of marriage" bullshit argument into this story, now?  News flash:  There is no sanctity in marriage, anymore.  There hasn't been for decades.  When Larry King can be on his 8th (or is it 9th) wife.  Or when you can get married by Elvis at a drive thru window in Las Vegas.  Or when one of the most popular shows on cable is about a man and his four wives, there is no sanctity in marriage.

If straight couples can have Star Wars themed weddings or Lord of the Rings themed weddings, why can't a gay couple have a hockey themed wedding?  What's the harm?  In my mind that IS marriage equality.

Kevin Smith, believe it or not, has been a long time advocate for the LGBT community.  In fact, when no one else would fund or produce a little documentary called 'Small Town Gay Bar', Smith personally funded the project so that it would be completed.  He also distributed it through his production company, View Askew, and secured a spot for it to be shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.  It is an amazing film that documents the lives of gay and lesbian residents in rural areas in the South, and the steps they have taken to try to form a resemblance of a community.  Over the last three decades, some have had the courage to open gay bars in their local towns, only to be threatened, beaten, and run out by local politicians and church leaders.

On a personal note:  My wife and I were initially planning on having a Beatles themed wedding in Las Vegas.  Due to unforeseen circumstances (our almost 3 year old daughter on the way), we decided to change our wedding plans.  A close friend of ours became ordained as a minister online through the Universal Life Church.  We were married in our kitchen, with only a couple of our closest friends in attendance.  

If I had to do our wedding day all over again, I would still be standing in that little kitchen with my beautiful fiancée, and a champagne flute filled with sparkling grape juice.  I wouldn't change a thing.  It's 2011.  Weddings aren't about pomp and circumstance, or wedding dresses and "something borrowed/something blue" anymore.  Tradition is out the window.  Today, it's simply about two people coming together to make a commitment to love each other for the rest of their lives.  End of story.

Congratulations, Scott and Michael.  May the two of you have a happy and fruitful life together.  Go Kings!! 

Transgendered Woman Brutally Beaten In Baltimore Area McDonald's

A 22 year old transgendered woman was severely beaten at a McDonald's location in Rosedale, Maryland, a Baltimore suburb on April 18th.  She was using the ladies restroom, when two females, aged 14 and 18, dragged her out by her hair, and proceeded to beat her mercilessly.  The attack went on for three minutes or more, while customers and employees of the restaurant stood back and watched.  The manager feigned an attempt to break up the fight, while an elderly woman literally tried to get between one of the attackers and the victim.

To add insult to injury, an employee of the chain, 22 year old Vernon Hackett, recorded the hate crime on his cell phone, all the while yelling, "That's a fucking dude".  By the end of the attack, the victim is shown in the doorway of the McDonald's entrance, having a seizure.

***The following video is NOT SAFE FOR WORK.  It is very violent and may be disturbing to some viewers. It shows an individual getting beaten, almost to death, simply because of their sexual orientation.***



To make matters even worse, Mr. Hackett posted the following message on his Facebook page regarding the attack the following morning:

This is someone that has been working at this McDonald's location, according to sources, since September of 2009.  Instead of helping someone in need, he taunted the victim and recorded them getting beaten while on duty.  Then, he went home and publicly insulted the victim.  At last check, he's still an employee of the company.  Since posting this status update, he has deleted his Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube accounts.  The video and status update were thankfully copied by other people before the pages were taken down.

Please go to an an online petition at Change.org, demanding that the employees that were working on the night of April 18th be held responsible for the beating of this woman.  Most did nothing to help her.  Some even encouraged the two young women that attacked her, and even told them to "Run, before the police get here".  Conduct like this is unacceptable.

The 14 year old involved has been charged as a juvenile, and the 18 year old has charges pending against her.  Equality Maryland is pushing for the women to be charged with hate crimes.

Update:  Within the last hour, the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the woman has died (see update number 5) from her injuries.

Update #2:  Fox News is reporting that the victim was not transgendered, but instead, a "male cross dresser".  Of course, they are!  First of all, I don't think the right wing homophobes at Fox News have ever even used the word "transgendered".  They probably wouldn't know how to spell it if they tried.  Secondly, they are basing that report on the Facebook post of the employee that took the video and incited the attackers.  He should be charged as an accessory.

If you watch the clip again, and I hate to ask you to do so, at around the 1:00 mark, you can hear the victim say, "Where am I supposed to go, then?".  In my mind, at least, that tells me that she's transgendered.  In reality, it doesn't matter.  Even if she was a "cross dresser" (dammit, I hate that term), if she identifies herself as a woman, she's a woman.  End of story.

Update #3:  Earlier this month, HB 235, Maryland's "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Anti-discrimination" bill died in the state Senate.  The bill was to have sweeping protections for transgendered individuals when it came to discrimination regarding employment, housing, and public accommodations.  A key reason that the bill died was due to debate as to whether "public accommodations" would include the use of public restrooms.  Many elected officials thought it would be too controversial to approve such a measure, and decided to indefinitely delay the bill.  I wonder if the bill will likely come up for reconsideration now.

Update #4:  According to the Baltimore Sun, Vernon Hackett, the McDonald's employee that videotaped the beating with his cellphone, and encouraged the attackers, "Police on their way. Y'all better get out of here.", has been fired:

"My first and foremost concern is with the victim," franchise owner Mitchell McPherson said in a statement, adding that action might be taken against other restaurant workers as well. "I'm as shocked and disturbed by this assault as anyone would be. The behavior displayed in the video is unfathomable and reprehensible."

Other employees can be heard in the video laughing and egging on the two assailants.  As of Friday afternoon, Baltimore Police would not release the condition of the victim.

I would love to be a fly on the wall during Vernon's next job interview, when he's asked, "So, what made you leave McDonald's?".

Update #5:  Finally, some good news emerging from this story, if that is even possible.  Contrary to prior reports, Chrissy Lee Polis has not died from her injuries.  In fact, she is out of the hospital.  She completed a video interview for the Baltimore Sun, which can be seen below.  In it, she harshly criticizes the employees of the McDonald's restaurant for standing by and doing nothing while she was getting beaten.  She also says that, at the moment, she is afraid to leave her home.  She would also like to meet the elderly woman that stepped in and tried to save her, so that she can thank her personally.

Spend 15 Minutes On This Lady Gaga Update...Before Her 15 Minutes Are Up

Tic tock, tic tock.  The clock is quickly running out on Lady Gaga's popularity and relevance in the music industry.  As her publicity stunts become more and more grandiose and outlandish, even many of her "Little Monsters" (me included) are saying, "Whatever", and turning the channel.

Gaga has seemed to appear so often in the news over the last two weeks, that you would think she was running as a Republican candidate for President of the United States.  Sadly, most of what she has been saying to the media has been just as insane as some of the sound bytes from Donald Trump in recent weeks.

Here comes the crazy train....Whoo Whoo!

According to an interview in 'Harper's Bazaar', appearing on shelves on April 26, these spiky things on her face and shoulders are "her bones".  That's right.  She "grew" them.

"The only tense part of our conversation occurs when I try to transition her fantasy into reality, asking about the new look--a series of sharp bones that protrude from Gaga's shoulders, cheekbones, and temples. How long does it take to apply the makeup and prosthetics to her face and arms?

"Well, first of all," she says, "they're not prosthetics. They're my bones."

Okay, so when did the bones appear?

"They've always been inside of me, but I have been waiting for the right time to reveal to the universe who I truly am."

Did she will them to come out for this album?

"They come out when I'm inspired."

Is she worried that this new look will inspire other people to "grow" similar bones?

"We all have these bones!" she says tersely. "They're the light from inside of us.""

Then, late last week, Gaga's new single 'Judas' was "leaked" onto Youtube, by Lady Gaga.  Question:  How is it possible for a track to be leaked by the artist that recorded it?  Wouldn't the appropriate term be released?  Anyway, I provided a link.  I'm not going to put it on my post.  It's unlistenable.  It sounds like what you would expect from 'Bad Romance 2.0' minus anything that made 'Bad Romance' catchy or worth five minutes of your time.

She also announced that she was going to release the video for the track, in which she was going to be playing Mary Magdalene, on Easter Sunday.  Of course, this was a cry for attention, and she received it.  Catholic groups all over the nation immediately took to every news show in the nation to decry the blasphemy that is about to take place in less than 36 hours.  Hey, I can understand blaspheming.  Especially when it's targeted toward a religious demographic that you feel screwed you over at some point in your life.  But this is just a ploy for media exposure.

I am liking some of the Youtube reactions, though.  There is one in particular from some Christian girl/Bieber fan that seems to have her facts all wrong.  She claims that Judas is another name for Jesus (wrong).  She also says that in the 'Bad Romance' video, Gaga was wearing an upside down cross, was having sex with women, and burned crosses in the video (unless there was an edit that played on MTV 7, all wrong).  She then starts crying, and thinks she's going to go to hell for hearing the song, calls Lady Gaga "Lady Gay Gay", then freaks out when she realizes that the song is going to end up on the radio.  It's hilarious.



You should also see her crying fit/online suicide note when Justin Bieber didn't win the Best New Artist Grammy.  She thinks the Chinese kids voted for Esperanza Spalding, and actually willed all of her Bieber souvenirs back to Justin Bieber.  It's epic, to say the least.

Speaking of epic, Weird Al Yankovic, the pioneer of parody, wrote a song based off of Gaga's 'Born This Way'.  It's called 'Perform This Way'.  He asked for permission from Gaga to do the song, and her people asked for a completed track for them to listen to before they would give him a decision.  It was the first time that any artist has made such a request in his 30 year career.

He submitted the song to Lady Gaga, and got flatly denied.  So, he decided to distribute the song on Youtube as "fair use".  He also posted a message on his blog, stating that if the single had been approved and released, all proceeds would have gone to the Human Rights Campaign.  Soon, even NPR got involved in the story.  Come to find out, Lady Gaga had no knowledge that Yankovic was recording a parody, or had even asked for permission.  Her manager had made the decision, without even hearing the track.  Here is the track in question.  It's quite funny.



The single is available on ITunes on Monday.  I can't wait to see the video.

'Born This Way' made news in other ways this week.  In an interview with NME magazine, Gaga was asked about the similarities between 'Born This Way', and Madonna's 'Express Yourself'.  I've noticed it.  Her fans notice it.  Evidently, Madonna has noticed it.  Gaga hasn't.  Here is an excerpt from the interview:

"A bit of it does sound quite a lot like ‘Express Yourself’, though, doesn’t it? 

“I don’t think… I swear to you. I am not stupid enough to put out a record and be that moronic.” 

The reference seemed so obvious that it had to be intentional because, as you say, you’re not stupid…

“No. Listen to me. Why the fuck…? I’m a songwriter. I’ve written loads of music. Why would I try to put out a song and think I’m getting one over on everybody? That’s retarded. What a completely ridiculous thing to even question me about. I will look you in your eyes and tell you that I am not dumb enough or moronic enough to think that you are dumb enough or moronic enough not to see that I would have stolen a melody. If you put the songs next to each other, side by side, the only similarities are the chord progression. It’s the same one that’s been in disco music for the last 50 years. Just because I’m the first fucking artist in 25 years to think of putting it on Top 40 radio, it doesn’t mean I’m a plagiarist, it means that I’m fucking smart. Sorry.”

The criticism did seem to take the wind out of the song’s sails.

“There’s a lot of people who want to see me fail. The minute they see something to shoot at, they shoot, and the bigger I become the bigger target I am. Nobody in this room at any point looked around and said ‘Oh my God, it’s ‘Express Yourself’. ‘ Not once. Listen. I swear to you. I can only be honest with you about it.”

What will people say about ‘Judas’?

“I dunno… I think they will really love it. (Starting to well up) I just don’t want my fans… I don’t know. This is exhausting. I just don’t wanna perpetuate that shit. I’m sure you want to address it but it’s just so ridiculous. I was just fucking shellshocked by it. It’s so funny to hear you say, ‘It must have been a homage’, I’m like, NO. When I homage, I fucking homage with a big sign saying I’ve done it. Why would I not do that now? (Sighs) I just like… I just have to say… (Starts crying) I feel like honestly that God sent me those lyrics and that melody. When you feel a message to give to the world and people are shooting arrows at it… there’s no way for something that pure to be wrong. (Reaches for Marilyn Monroe lighter) I need a cigarette.”

Listen for yourself.  Someone took the liberty of taking the instrumental from 'Express Yourself' and mashing it up with the vocals of 'Born This Way'.  The results speak for themselves.



While we're on the subject of 'Born This Way',  has anyone seen the album artwork yet?  For those of you that haven't seen it, let me just say in advance:  THIS IS NOT A JOKE.  This is the real album cover that will be on her new, highly anticipated (perhaps not now) album, that will be released on May 23rd.

Yes, that is Lady Gaga as a motorcycle.  I don't know if the song was supposed to be 'Born To Be Wild This Way', or what her inspiration or muse was in this instance, but clearly she has finally gone off the deep end.  Again, this isn't a gag.  She released it via her own Twitter account, and has confirmed that it is indeed the approved artwork for the album.  Something tells me that she will see a very small amount of physical album sales, and quite a bit of downloads from ITunes.  Even as a die hard Gaga fan, I wouldn't be caught dead walking up to a register at Best Buy with this in my hands.  Who wants to bet that this album gets the shit downloaded out of it illegally?

So, her second full length album hasn't even dropped yet, and it seems like the clock is already ticking.  She's making the same mistake as MC Hammer did in the 90s.  She's no longer an artist, she's a brand.  It's only a matter of time before her stock value starts to plummet.

Alright, I'm done.  Anymore writing about this, and I'm gonna LADY GAG All over my keyboard.

14:56....14:57......14:58...

74 Years Ago Today

A young, pregnant showgirl by the name of June Frances Nicholson, gave birth to a little boy.  She named him John Joseph.  Immediately upon being delivered, he looked up at the doctor, and said, "Wait until they get a load of me".  He then asked one of the nurses for a cigar, two fingers of scotch, and to refer to him as "Jack".

The rest was history.

Jack Nicholson is an actor that puts a little bit of himself in every role.  You never know at what point Jack stops and the character starts.  He has been superb in everything he has done.  As the most nominated actor in Oscar history, with 12 Academy Award nominations and three wins, he has set the mold for the American actor for decades to come.

Perhaps my favorite Nicholson movie of all times is 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.  In it, Jack plays Randle McMurphy, a trouble maker and criminal that hopes to serve out the rest of his sentence for statutory rape in a mental institute, instead of doing hard labor while in prison.  It's possibly the greatest performance of Nicholson's career, a role that earned him an Oscar in 1975.  I have seen the movie 20 times or more, and the final seen makes me cry every time I see it.  It's the epitome of friendship, love, mercy and compassion.  Happy Birthday, Jack.

Earth Day 2011

Earth Day has sort have lost it's impact over the last couple of years.  Environmentalism has as a whole, in fact.  A large percentage of the population think the concept of global warming is a farce and believe in the myth of "clean coal".  Some in Congress even want to do away with the Environmental Protection Agency.

I was trying to think of a video that inspired me when it came to this great little planet we call Earth.  I came up with two.  They are both from Matt Harding, a video game developer for Pandemic Studios, that decided in 2003 to start traveling the world until the money that he had saved up had run out.  A friend of his videotaped him doing a corny dance on the streets of Vietnam, and 'Where the HELL is Matt?' was born.  Using 'Lullaby' from Deep Forest as his backing track, he put together a montage of clips of himself dancing in various locations during 2003 and 2004.



In 2006, he was approached by Stride gum to do another video.  This time he traveled to 39 countries on 7 continents.



Matt went back to the executives at Stride in 2008, with an idea for a third video.  Not so much focus on his silly dancing, but more on the people that he meets along the way.  For some reason, maybe it's the music, maybe it's seeing people from so many different cultures, this one tugs at my heart.



Years after seeing these videos for the first time, one word comes to mind when describing them:  inspirational.  We live in such a beautiful and amazing world.  I hope you enjoyed the videos as much as I did.

'Fox & Friends': Get A Pap Smear At Walgreens

I don't know how I missed this a few days ago, but better late than never, right?

Last Monday, April 11th, when the cable news channels were still talking about the "The Government Shutdown That Almost Happened, But Didn't, Of 2011", the community college journalism minors at 'Fox & Friends' started talking about Democrats and funding Planned Parenthood.  Then, one of the dumbest sentences ever uttered on television was spoken.  I'll let Stephen Colbert explain.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Pap Smears at Walgreens
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

A group of women nationwide decided to go to their local Walgreens, and see if they could get a pap smear or a breast exam.  They videotaped their experience.  I think they scared the stock boy.  Spoiler alert:  No stirrups next to the cat food.



I know, this post is a little video heavy, but bear with me.  It's worth it.

Just a week before the Walgreens debacle, 'Fox & Friends' reported on a "new" line of multicultural Crayola crayons and markers, meant to give children a variety of options when it comes to skin colors for their coloring books.  When I was a kid, you had a peachish color, tar black, or "burnt sienna" (which in no way resembled any person of color, whether they be Native American, African American, or Latino).  Of course, the people at 'Fox & Friends' didn't find the product as a step forward towards a conversation in diversity, but somehow offensive.



The crayons are not actually "new" by any means.  Crayola introduced them in 1992.  They've been on the market for 19 years!

Keep in mind, I do not watch Fox News at all.  The heads up on these "lapses in journalistic integrity" come second hand, usually from the internet or 'The Daily Show'.  Imagine how many blog posts I could do if only I watched the program every day.  Nah, not worth it.

My favorite 'Fox & Friends' gaffe of the last 6 months or so comes from October of last year. They reported on a story that the City of Los Angeles was investing $1 billion on 100,000 jetpacks for firefighters, paramedics, and emergency responders.  Their news source, unfortunately, turned out to be 'The Weekly World News', the same paper who had a headline yesterday called, "Obama Was Born - On Mars".  It claims that he was indeed born on Mars, and brought here as a child by aliens from the planet Zeeba.  The original jetpack story is here, by the way.




It appears that the, "Oh yeah, by the way, that story we did 45 minutes ago was complete bullshit" bit is a regular thing on the program.  SNL picked up on this a couple of weeks ago, and hit the nail right on the head.  The best part comes in at the last 30 seconds or so.



Is this even supposed to be considered news anymore?  Shouldn't they be held to the same standards as CNN or MSNBC?  Hell, shouldn't they be held to the same journalistic standards as the 'Today' show or 'Good Morning America'?  If Al Roker came on your set tomorrow, and said it was going to be 93 in Anchorage, Alaska, and snowing and -23 in Miami, wouldn't he be fired?  Why aren't these people?  Don't answer that.  It was a rhetorical question.

"Sell Crazy Someplace Else. We're All Stocked Up Here."

I blog about a number of different things that catch my attention.  This page started off with the intent on discussing my day to day life with Tourette's and PTSD, but that became very depressing.  I found that I had to change it up very quickly.  So, I started to write on what I was passionate about.  Some days it's music.  Other times, I'll post about politics or gay rights.  Sometimes, I'll go for a week without posting anything but a movie trailer (sorry about those weeks).  The posts on this blog that seem to get the most attention, and many times the most comments, are the ones about Jehovah's Witnesses, and my experiences from within the organization.

I tend to have quite a few readers that are former JWs, and that find my site from Google searches, looking for information regarding the religion.  I have contemplated many times about making the blog an "ex-JW only" themed page, but have decided against it, because I would probably end up starting another blog just to write about everything else, anyway.

Because some of what I write about has to do with the gay community, I have chosen to moderate the comments at this time, so I can make sure nothing hateful or homophobic appears on the site.  So, every comment pops up in my email first, and gives me the option to either publish it, or delete it.  With that being said, one of the drawbacks of posting something Jehovah's Witness related, is having to subsequently deal with the comments.  I would say that about 95% of the comments I receive are positive in nature.  In some of them, the reader relates a story or an experience they had back in the day as a JW.  The other 5% however, is a mixed bag.  

About two months ago, I published a post entitled, "02/15/2011 Watchtower: Disfellowshipped/Disassociated Ones Are 'Demons'".  Many of you read it.  Quite a few of you commented on it on various Facebook pages.  Overall, readers seemed to have the same reaction to the Watchtower article as I did:  The organization had gone too far to show the requirement for Jehovah's Witnesses to shun their disfellowshipped family members.

Apparently, there are some that disagree with me.  I received a Facebook message on March 23rd.  Keep in mind, I do not publish my Facebook address.  I don't have any links to my Facebook account from my blog.  Someone TRACKED MY ASS DOWN in order to write me directly.  I'm not going to who the message is from, but I will print it, exactly as it appeared in my inbox:

"Hi Adam

I read your message on the wall regarding disfellowship people being class like demons. I read the article in question and feel that wasnt the message the society was trying to get across. The Elder was trying to comfort the mother. Explaning to her that Jehovah understands what she was going thru. Jehovah had sons that rebeled and so Jehovah had to protect the rest of his angel sons and human race and though it pained him him he get off association with his disobedient sons. So Jehovah understands our pain.

And no im not a Jehovah's Witness im disfellowship also. I knew what I was doing at the time. We are like children to Jehovah, and like all children if we do wrong and we dont listen to our parents then we are disciplene for our own good to bring us back to our senses. I dont mean to be rude or cause offence to you. Sorry for my bad spelling."

Honestly, I was dumbfounded.  Completely at a loss for words.  At a moment's notice, this was the only thing I could type back:

"Wow. I don't even know how to respond. Good luck. I'll just leave it at that." 

Now that I've had some time to think about a better response, let me just say.......

"Oh, no!"

"Stop drinking the Kool Aid, sister."  I can understand this if, say you've been disfellowshipped for a relatively short period of time, and your residual "Witness guilt" is getting the better of you.  Otherwise, let me fill you in on something.  It's complete nonsense.  Here's why.

In a nutshell, Witnesses disfellowship for two reasons, 1) to "protect the flock", and 2) as a way to encourage the "wrongdoer" to come back to the congregation.  From what has been reported by those trying to return to  the congregation in recent months, people have been told that they cannot look others in the eye, that they must sit apart from the congregation, and that they weren't allowed to stay for the final prayer.

Imagine being told that you're an alcoholic, and that the only way you're going to get better is by going to a 12 step program.  You show up at your first AA meeting and your told that you're not allowed to participate with the rest of the group.  You also have to look down at the ground, so as to not look anyone in the eye.  Then, the group moderator takes your folding chair and moves it into the room next door, and tells you that you have to get up and leave before the serenity prayer is said.  How much do you think that you'll get out of the program?  Do you think you will be on your way to sobriety just as quickly as the rest of the members of the group?  Of course not.

Do you honestly think that, as a disfellowshipped person, Jehovah's Witnesses give a shit about you?  If they really wanted to "encourage" you to come back, wouldn't your family and friends have an active role in doing so?  Why are you defending them?  They hate you!  They hate all of us.  How could you think any differently?  How can you still buy that bullshit that you've been spoon fed all of this time?

Moving on.  Another comment, about the same post.  This one received on the site itself.  This was left by an "Anonymous" reader last week.  Again, I am printing this, as is, unedited, word for word.

they go into the understanding of yehweh Yahweh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 329] states: “Jehovah (Yahweh), in the Hebrew you have to undershand they Je or Jeh or Jah means Lord or God Hovah Hoba and Hova means, like 20 words like, Wickedness, Naughty, and more words along these lines so really who is Jehovah, who is Lord or God of Wickedness..................... Yahweh Translates into Jehovah im sorry but it does................. now this is important THE!! hear me THE Shocking Implications of 'Jehovah' We now see how the first part of the Sacred Name "Yah" was changed to "Jeh" as the "J" developed and the "a" was replaced with "e" to hide the name. The suffix "hovah" is No. 1943 in Strong's Hebrew Dictionary and has the meaning of "ruin: mischief." It is another form of No. 1942, havvah, which is translated "calamity, iniquity, mischief, mischievous (thing), naughtiness, naughty, noisome, perverse thing, substance, very wickedness." Ok so who r they worshipping oh dear the god of wickedness also they preach from the new world order.. Sorry I mean translation same bible that once had 73 books but Constantine etc reduced to 66 books I'm strongly considering reading the Quran as 114 books are easily recited by children ad young as 8 in entire villages to prevent corruption and it tells u to believe in torah n Christ but be mindful of corruption Jesus spoke armaic n the word Allah is a translation of the word god their main sin is shirk associating others with the worship meant for the one and only creator

If someone has a Gary Busey to English translation dictionary, and could loan me their copy?  I would love to try to understand just what in the hell this person was trying to say.

This wasn't too surprising, really.  The comment came in the morning after the Memorial.  As many of my ex-JW readers can attest, the Memorial season "brings out the crazies".  I remember as a kid, every year there was always that one brother in the congregation that you wouldn't see all year would be rocking back and forth and talking to himself.  Or, there would be the homeless looking guy that would partake every year, and you'd never see him again.  Or, there would be that family with the three daughters that were in their thirties that still lived at home, and made their own dresses and looked like fundamental Mormons that haven't bathed in 6 months.  Only the old timers in the congregation knew their names, and you would only see them on Memorial night.  They were the Boo Radleys of the Kingdom Hall.

Then you have the troublemakers.

I had another person, this time a Jehovah's Witness, track me down on Facebook and send the following message in response to my post about a local elder I knew, getting arrested on molestation charges.

"Are u saying this to stumble others?U will not succeed.Why did the pope travel to UK?Tell me the reasons.Do you know what has been happening to ur so called pastors,priests,popes and other people who claim to be worshiping the true God?"

I replied, stating that my intent wasn't to "stumble"(a term Witnesses like to use, meaning to shove them off the right path) anyone at all, but rather to share a story.  That story happened to be that an elder that I used to know liked blowing 14 year old boys and got caught.  This individual is from Ghana.  I'm not being racist, by any means, but just making an observation.

As a Jehovah's Witness, it is against the religion to read material from an "apostate", or someone that has left the organization and is writing things contrary to the religion's teachings.  It is also against the religion to speak to, or write to, such an individual.  Doing so can get yourself, as a Jehovah's Witness, kicked out of the church.  I have noticed, in recent months, among my blog and other ex-JW pages on the web, there is a lot of activity by Jehovah's Witnesses from Africa, particularly Ghana and Kenya.  I get at least a dozen page views a day between the two countries, and I imagine they're not reading about the 'Hangover 2' trailer.  I have seen so called "brothers", openly taunting former members of the church on other websites.  It's almost as if the "don't talk to the disfellowshipped" rule doesn't apply to that continent.  Here's this "brother's" response to mine.

"I can only compare u to those in the past.Eg. Like Hitler,didnt he say he will wipe out all witnesses,where is he now and how many witnesses are now in Germany.Dont believe in God and do whatever u like in life and u will see ur end.Even those u had depended on them believe in God.Dont think i will argue with Satan.Mind u i wont read ur reply."

What a nice guy, comparing me to Hitler and all.  I write a blog.  Hitler killed 6 million Jews.  Same thing, I guess.  Same level of evil.  Of course, he did the standard Witness retort in any debate:  "Hit you opponent like a girl.  Get the last word.  Then, run like hell with your fingers in your ears yelling, "I can't hear you."

Finally, is the pièce de résistance.  This one takes the meter way past logical thinking....past conspiracy theories...and enters the territory of sheer lunacy.  It's so mad, I'm not even going to share any details as to who it's from, their website, or any of the text I received.  You're going to have to Google it.


I received a comment a couple of months ago from someone.  It seemed simple enough.  It was along the lines of, "Great post.  I can relate.  Oh yeah, by the way.  I have an ex-JW blog too.  Check it out".  And, there was a link posted for me to follow.  What I read was so "out there", that it made the conspiracy theories of Bigfoot being the second shooter behind the grassy knoll that killed JFK seem plausible.


OK, some back story.  The Jehovah's Witnesses despise the United Nations.  In fact, they think the bible book of Revelation prophesies that the U.N. will be instrumental in bringing about the events that lead to Armageddon.  They, supposedly, want nothing to do with it.


A few years ago, some documents surfaced that suggested that they were an Associate Member of the United Nations Department of Public Information.  From February 1992, until October 2001, they held an NGO (Non Governmental Organization) status with the United Nations, until the day when The Guardian newspaper published a story about their U.N. involvement.


The blog I was linked to states that the reason that the Witnesses were involved with the U.N. was because of.....extraterrestrials.  That's right, aliens.  Keep in mind, when it comes to the bible, the Witnesses are literalists.  They do not believe in evolution, and they DO NOT believe in life on other planets.  However, this blog claims to "prove" that we have been "visited" before, and that, not only are the world's governments aware of it, but they are making plans in the event of an alien invasion.


His reasoning is this:  If life is proven outside our planet...if an alien spacecraft lands in the National Mall in Washington D.C. tomorrow afternoon, people aren't going to be calling their Senator.  They're going to freak out, and head straight for their local church.  Supposedly, the higher ups at the JWs joined the U.N., along with all of the other religions of the world, to develop a contingency plan on how to handle their followers, when and if that day ever occurs.


Puts a whole new meaning to, "The "truth" is out there", doesn't it?

The Incredible Shrinking Twitch

As some of you know, since this whole "mystery illness" thing started, I've been losing a lot of weight too.  Just how much weight is a bit shocking.

I see a number of doctors for various conditions I'm dealing with, whether it be my Tourette's Syndrome, or just my primary physician.  In late October/early November, I weighed about 379 lbs, depending on which doctor's scale I stepped on.  My weight has fluctuated anywhere from 340 to 375 for the better part of the last 10 years. I have worn a size 4XL t-shirt since my sophomore year of high school.  I have always been a big guy.  In my adult years, I have gotten used to it.

This is a picture of me standing outside a fitting room at Target on Tuesday.

I am wearing a 2XL t-shirt, for the first time since the sixth grade.  That's almost 25 years, people.  Last Tuesday, I was at a doctors appointment and was weighed at 317 lbs.  This Tuesday, I weighed in at an even 300.  I haven't weighed 300 lbs since 1989, during my freshman year of high school.  Granted, if you look at the shirt, it's way too short for me.  Even a standard 2X shirt isn't made for someone that is 6' 4 1/2".  My wife took my measurements last week.  Since November, I have lost roughly 10 inches on my chest, and probably 6 inches on my waist.

In a sense, this is wonderful.  I really needed to lose the weight.  But, this is really freaking me the fuck out.  I have lost 80 pounds, by doing NOTHING, in 4-5 months.  That comes to 22% of my body weight.  I haven't changed my diet at all.  I haven't exercised.  I lost 17 pounds just in the last WEEK!!!  Something isn't right.  My fingers have even gotten skinnier to the point that I need to resize my wedding rings.

Doctors have ruled out Multiple Sclerosis and Lou Gehrig's Disease.  With all of the MRIs, CT scans, and blood work done, I would think that they would have found cancer, especially if it was on my spine or brain.  What else could be giving me all of these weird symptoms. 

Happy 420 From Garfunkel And Oates

On April 14, the state of Arizona started accepting applications from people hoping to qualify for a state issued medical marijuana identification card.  So far, states like California, Washington, and Oregon have made qualifying for a "weed card" much easier than the lawmakers in Arizona.  To qualify in Arizona, you practically have to be dieing.  There are a very short list of medical conditions that qualify for prescription pot, including Multiple Sclerosis, certain types of cancer, and HIV.  Unlike all other states that have approved medical marijuana, Tourette's Syndrome, which I have, is not a covered condition.  For the record, I've never even taken a toke from a joint, but I wouldn't be surprised if it really helped control my tics.

To celebrate 4/20, satirists Garfunkel and Oates have released a video for 'Weed Card', a song explaining the "difficulties" in getting a medical marijuana card in California.

I'm Batshit Crazy, And I Approve This Message

Don't you think it's going to be hard enough for Donald Trump to be elected President without Gary Busey helping out?  Busey officially endorsed Trump yesterday, and I'm sure President Obama is ever so grateful.