And The Winner Is...

You.

I've been thinking about the Oscars the other night. For some reason, I was so excited this year to watch them. The show itself seemed a bit off. The timing between Steve Martin and Alec Balwin was forced and there were many scenes where I wondered what was happening as we watched people walk in front of the camera or run across the stage when coming back from a commercial. I was surprised to find myself completely drawn to the dancing before the best score presentation - that seemed to be the show stealer, even missing the (seems-like yearly) shout out to Debbie Allen.

In any case, there were just a few phrases that stuck out like sweet beacons in the sea of Hollywood luster (though as anyone online will, I'll do my obligatory vote for best dress). They were phrases of goodness brought forth from dreamers who dared to dance with their dream. These people passed along their sage advice and the magic from the night; I like to think they were trying to inspire the possibilities.

"We need inspiration...We must all exceed our own expectations."
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/dor/objects/945524/invictus/videos/invictus_5_120809.html (sorry I can't embed the video)

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Film: "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"Winner: Geoffrey Fletcher
I don't know what to say. This is for everybody who works on a dream every day. Precious boys and girls everywhere. All the cast and crew, anyone who's kept believing in me...

Music (Original score)
Film: "Up"Winner: Michael Giacchino
Thank you, guys. When I was... I was nine and I asked my dad, "Can I have your movie camera? That old, wind-up 8 millimeter camera that was in your drawer?" And he goes, "Sure, take it." And I took it and I started making movies with it and I started being as creative as I could, and never once in my life did my parents ever say, "What you're doing is a waste of time." Never. And I grew up, I had teachers, I had colleagues, I had people that I worked with all through my life who always told me what you're doing is not a waste of time. So that was normal to me that it was OK to do that. I know there are kids out there that don't have that support system so if you're out there and you're listening, listen to me: If you want to be creative, get out there and do it. It's not a waste of time. Do it. OK? Thank you. Thank you.

Two Years and Some Change

Is it me or is the History Channel obsessed with the end of the world? I got sucked in yesterday to some good old Armageddon propaganda combining Nostradamus Predictions with Mayan Prophecy and current political affairs. I'm not complaining because I buy in to a good end of the world theory but lately I feel like all it wants to talk about is "what will happen after you F*%kers disappear" (with shows like Life after People and Nostradamus Effect). Admittingly, it's better than keeping up with Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami (though I also spent a little time watching what is the new line between reality tv and soft porn), but I have to wonder what the History Channel is doing to the bolster the mixed up, lost souls who think the end of days are near?

Does the thought of having two years and some change inspire one to live these last days to the fullest? Does it compel us to get up off our couches, turn off the tv, and DO SOMETHING to improve our world in an attempt to change the future or does it drive us to further loose hope, boost tv ratings, get fat, and exploit it all because it doesn't matter anyway? I have to believe, it's reflected in the way a person lives life to begin with; such is life. If we had 50 more years, all the more reason to enjoy the ride...at least that's how I feel.

MAD woMEN

I love MAD MEN. I would sell advertising or run coffee as a production assistant on the set or get a tattoo of it on my butt because I can't say enough good things about the show. TV is sometimes the religion I preach. When a show makes me think and provides fodder for conversations, well I just can't stop trying to get people to convert.

I hate to admit it but I'm finding these days that though I "know" about historical events, I haven't digested the sheer importance associated with some of them. I'm starting to digest. In any case, I was watching a bonus feature on a MAD MEN dvd the other night about the Civil Rights Movement and Women’s Lib. The feature had various professors talking about how the Civil Rights movement consisted of two types of women: black and white. Since both found themselves being oppressed, the movement spawned a much larger Women’s Liberation movement than it would probably have been otherwise.

Alongside that, I'm currently reading Fear of Flying by Erica Jung. Published in 1973, I thought the book was just a sexy, seedy look into a married woman’s intimate thoughts of considering an affair. At the time when it was published, the book was about topics women didn't openly discuss (remember: there was no Sex and The City to reference). Rather, I assume, most women pushed away these "dirty" thoughts that naturally floated around in their minds, or if they welcomed the thoughts, they assumed no one else was thinking that way so they kept it to themselves.

Even today it is hard enough to project an image of strength and beauty and competency in a world full of purvey men. I can’t begin to digest how how subtle this oppression was and how isolating it made life 50 years ago. Most women had sex just to procreate. It was a patriarchal society where men wanted woman at home with the kids (very compartmentalized). Birth Control Pills, usually only prescribed to married woman, began being dispensed to single woman. This provided a fairly definitive way for a woman to control her reproductive rights and with that, her sexuality. Good damn how liberating that must have been! It was no longer just about having babies; it started to become about the enjoyment of the act, a natural concept for men. Once a woman could get in touch with her sexuality, she could control a piece of herself.