A few thoughts

So there are several things to comment on today.

I just got done watching Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine in Postcards From the Edge, which was good. It offered a few more chances for Meryl to sing. I'm on a definite Streep kick.

Yesterday was Ally's birthday party (today is her birthday -- yay!), which was quite fun. Plenty of DDR/pizza/random dry erase board drawing/Pictionary/Mao (what a horrible game) to go around. Before hanging out, we saw Lady in the Water, which, though it showed definite originality and promise and was interesting at points, fell pretty flat in the end. Besides for naming things "scrunt" and "narf" (which sound more look street names for drugs than creature types) it was just generally pretty weird and unintentionally funny, as when a young boy interprets omens by staring at cereal boxes. It wasn't terrible, but certainly also not as great as it could have been.

Today, I went to Longwood Gardens, which produced some pretty nice pictures and was quite fun. Pictures are available through my Facebook.

Oh, on another note my "curfew" is now 11:30. Blah. Though I don't even know what kind of punishment can possibly tacked onto violation of this sort of restraint, considering it's not feasible to physically abuse me or to restrict my range of motion to the house or really place much constraint on me (I earn my own money). Anyway, I think it's practically Communist to pin a curfew on someone over the age of 18 simply because you feel guilty going to bed before they come into the house. Oh, New York, how I long for thee. This seriously makes me reconsider any thoughts I had of coming home next summer or spending extensive amounts of time here over winter break. I suppose those are the consequences of a dictatorship upon its ruler, but who wants to be ruled rather than to have a say in his or her own governing -- though I may not rebel within the current circumstances, I don't have to purposefully set myself up to be controlled.

End of rant. On with life.

Oh, and I'm writing a novel. Or fiddling about with an idea. More to come.

"Kramer vs. Kramer" and "White Teeth"

So recently I've been mostly shorter entries, mostly because I've been sitting in front of my computer for slightly shorter periods of time and also been doing fewer interesting things, especially since returning home from NYC. Anyway, I wanted to alert anyone who reads this blog or who stumbles upon it to two great works I've recently encountered.

The first is Kramer vs. Kramer, a wonderful movie starring Dustin Hoffman and child actor Justin Henry as a father and son who are left to build a relationship independent of the boy's mother (Meryl Streep), who left them out of frustration with being trapped in a loveless marriage. At first, they experience a rough patch, but they eventually form a close bond as Mr. Kramer realizes the importance of his role as father in relation to his career in advertising. The situation is complicated when Mrs. Kramer reenters the scene. I won't say anymore, because it'll spoil it for anyone who sees the film, but it's the best movie I've seen in quite a while. So many films, especially those about families are cloying and unrealistic. I know there's something special about Meryl Streep and that she seems to stand out in just about anything she touches, but not only did she stand out, but the entire cast did. Dustin Hoffman, not one to typically impress me, was outstanding, and his relationship with the the boy (who was so nuanced for a child actor that he was nominated for an Academy Award) was so believeable, you'd think that they were really related.

After watching the movie, I watched the documentary about the making of the film just to find that they actually did have a very close bond as actors during the making of the film, and that the struggles of divorce played out during the film were so easy for Hoffman to portray because he was going though a divorce at the time. Another thing that really interested me was just how much of the movie had been improvised and how much had been affected by the opinions of the actors, even some of the most important scenes in the film. It really shows that the writer/director, Robert Benton, allowed the actors to bring a sense of real honesty and truth to the film. It's no wonder the movie took away the Best Picture Academy Award as well as statues for Hoffman and Streep, as well as Benton as writer and director.

The second work I wanted to mention was the novel White Teeth by Zadie Smith. After reading her most recent novel, On Beauty, over winter break and being absolutely enamored with Smith's style and sense of specific character, I was intrigued as to the other books that she'd written beforehand. One is White Teeth, the novel that won Smith early acclaim as one of the most promising young British novelists of the new century. Smith was only 25 when her first novel was published, and the deal to publish the book had been formed based on editors having read only a few early chapters.

Needless to say, my expectations were extremely high, and they most certainly were met. Though I'd say it's tough to choose between On Beauty and White Teeth as to which novel is "better" or more entertaining, it's obvious that Zadie Smith has real talent and a great way of giving voice to a wide variety of character types.

The story centers on two families, the Muslim Iqbals and the irreligious Joneses, the patriarchs of which met while fighting for the British army during World War II. Over the course of twenty-five years, their stories as intersecting families intertwine. The rifts caused by faith and education and culture and race and age are exposed and, as in life, never fully resolved. A third family, the Chalfens, are introduced in the latter half of the book, adding a new dimension to the equation and ultimately leading up to the emotional denouement of the novel.

The conflicts of the book really should speak to all readers. We've all had differences and rifts with our parents, found ourselves questioning and fearing religion and the importance of our relationships with others. What Zadie Smith does that makes this book so absolutely a must-read is to create a wonderful tapestry out of the vastness of humanity in which all voices are interwoven as equally important and equally vibrant threads. Find a way to read this book if you're intrigued!

Third time is not a charm, name

Okay. Three things:

1. Failed my driver's test a third time. Time four is scheduled for August 19 at 12:30 PM

2. I'm totally enamored by Hebrew names. What does anyone think about Liraz Leora [Patterson or married name]. It literally means "secret light," and a good nick name could be Raz, which is so neat.

3. I think "BabyLet'sHaveABabyBeforeBushDoSomethingCrazy" (by The Coup) is perhaps the best song title ever.

"Down Will Come Baby"

This movie will scar you for life:

Silver Leather Chuck Taylors

Nifty, eh? I've been eyeing them for quite a while.

To buy or not to buy?

Defeat II, Most Beautiful Men, "Dead Man's Chest," "Strangers with Candy," gelato

So Nebraska and Tennessee courts also opposed gay marriage today. Despite the fact that those are two red states, it still kind of hurts.

In celebration of the fact that, even though we may not be able to marry, we're still able to admire the bodies of men, I carefully put together a collage of the six most beautiful men (in my humble opinion). It was inspired by my researching a few French films today that came out recently and realizing just how handsome the monsieurs can be (though only one below is actually French). Enjoy:

Besides for making collages in my free time, I also saw two movies recently. On Wednesday, I went with Richard and Christina to the Ritz Five to see Strangers with Candy. Featuring one of my favorite characters of all time, Jerri Blank, the movie was definitely good fun. Though some of the great gags didn't come off quite as well as on the show, there were enough funny moments to hold my interest. I recommend anyone who has no idea what I'm talking about check out the Comedy Central series Strangers with Candy, which aired from 1999 to 2000 and had three seasons. The movie and show are about a 46-year-old high school freshman who returns to school after 32 years as "a boozer, a user, and a loser," and "though the faces may have changed," she says in the opening credits, "the hassles are just the same." The DVDs are hilarious, and definitely worth watching! Does a pimp carry a razor? While we were downtown we also got gelato; I got pistaschio and bittersweet chocolate, mmm.

I also saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest last weekend with the gang. Verdict? Fast-paced, fun at times, full of effects, and, ultimately far too long. To top it all off, the ending leaves you hanging terribly, and, frankly, I'm just not sure I really want to pay to find out what happens next.

Speaking of horrible endings, I also saw Stuart Little at Upper Darby Summer Stage. It was certainly amusing enough, but the end left an entire auditorium of children wondering -- does Stuart get back with Margolo?! In the words of Jerri Blank, then I guess we'll never know.

Atta Kim

So I've been vaguely interested in this one photographer named Atta Kim. Look at the following photo for a few minutes and contemplate what it could be of. Then highlight the space after the phrase "Answer:" for details.


(Remember you may click to view the image at full size.)

Answer: A couple making love for one hour.

The photo comes from a neat article in The New York Times, which can be viewed here.

Casey Roncaglione

Today I did a bit of canvassing for Casey Roncaglione, candidate for 164th District Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He's a fellow graduate of Upper Darby High School and the president of NHS the year before my class. I recommend checking out his website and blog and, if you're in his district, voting for him come November. I know I will.

“Consideration”

Taking this into –
I made it even more difficult for you to –
I hope you make it through –
Without –

Defeat

So the decision of the New York State Court of Appeals was in opposition to the allowance of gay marriage 4-2 with one abstaining. For the most part, the decision was a relatively neutral one. The court's primary argument was that the legislature should be the ones to decide the case and that the desire for the State to preserve the well-being of families and children would be a reasonable one to be considered. So, basically gays shouldn't get any kind of workplace benefits, joint healthcare, spousal visitation rights, inheritance rights, etc. despite the fact that 50% of heterosexual marriages already split up. Sounds like a very wise decision.

These two beautiful women to the left were the first to be symbolically and defiantly married in San Francisco on February 12, 2004. After 50 years together, Del Martin, 83, and Phyllis Lyon, 79, are just one of the many, many homosexual couples who just want to be counted among every other couple as first-class citizens under the law. When 50% of those able to bear children end up with broken families anyway, is it wrong to ask for a shot? Homosexuals can be very nurturing parents, often caring for children who otherwise would be lost in the whirlwind process of adoption agencies, as in the case of Steve Lofton and Roger Croteau, basis for the film We are Dad and the website LetHimStay.com, who have cared for 6 different HIV+ positive foster children whom no one else would take. What message does it send that even current inmates are allowed to marry while gays are not? Are we to be relegated to the status of second- or third-class citzen when many of us are just as willing to and capable of effective parenting?

Lofton family: almost as bad as Communism.

It's really depressing to think that there is such a prevailing air of hatred against gays in this nation. Though prevailing attitudes toward homosexuality are slowly changing, only one state, Massachusetts, recognizes same-sex marriage, a first step in a long road of fighting for equal rights. The general air lately seems to be to prohibit gay marriage nationwide, even taking measures so far as to attempt to write a ban into our Constitution. Pennsylvania, by far not the worst off of all states in regards to same-sex (we have amended our state constitution), currently offers no recognition of same-sex unions.

One of the dissenters of the decision, Chief Justice on the Court of Appeals Judith S. Kaye, had reassuring words for lesbians and gays who had been awaiting the decision and would be disappointed. Firmly disagreeing with the courts failure to uphold the rights of all New Yorkers because of purported "tradition," Kaye argued that "disapproval by a majority of the populace may not substitute for the required demonstration of a valid basis for intrusion by te state in the area of important personal decision." Very few nationwide supported the idea of interracial marriage when its ban was overturned by the decision of Loving v. Virginia in 1967. There are times in the course of human events when one, especially a court of law, must uphold what is right rather than what is popular. Even in a democratic republic, where the people themselves are represented, there must be a stand taken so that the rights of some should be extended to all in spite even of popular opinion. "Times can be blind us to certain truths and later generations can see that laws once thought necessary and proper," U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy stated in the 2003 decision to overturn sodomy laws and Justice Kaye quoted. Justice Kaye added her own final thoughts on the matter: "I am confident that future generations will look back on today's decision as an unfortunate misstep."

It was a comfort to read that some in the judicial community see reason and justice as important morals in American society. I was glad to see that religion was kept out of the argument as it should be. Religious hate should not be written into secular law by any means, especially when a vast majority of homosexuals practice the same religions said to oppose their very ways of life.

In the end we just want what everyone else wants. We want to have loving, supportive families, children, and the rights to live our lives with the same benefits extended to other Americans. We walk among heterosexuals, performing useful services such as stealthy military duty and fire and police services. You may not even know we're homosexuals, but we are. And soon we won't allow ourselves to be shut out so easily.

For the complete decision, most of which I read today, see here: http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/appeals/decisions/jul06/86-89opn06.pdf .

As an added note, Justice Kaye graduated from Barnard College as an undergrad and New York University's law school (Christina + Ricky = gay rights).

On an unrelated note, I have a phone interview for an internship at Roundabout Theatre Company on Monday at 5 that I'm very excited about.

Love > Hate.

"The Statue of Liberation"

Oh good grief.

"I can't see anything wrong with it. This is the Bible Belt," said Landon Condit at a pizza place in Memphis, where this 72-foot statue was erected by the World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church. People like this man are the ones to fear.

"She was the idea of Mr. Alton R. Williams, a very successful pastor whose church, World Overcomers, qualifies as mega: it has a school, a bowling alley, a roller rink, a bookstore and, he said, 12,000 members."

Mr. Williams, a Fred Phelps-like figure, is an extremist of the kind that believes that hurricanes are retribution for the problems of our nation, problems that include, allegedly, homosexuals.

Most amusingly, Williams got his congregation hyped on on free unhealthy hot dogs and grape soda before making a powerful statement: "I decree the spirit of conviction on this intersection," Mr. Williams boomed from a podium decorated with red, white and blue bunting. "This statue proves that Jesus Christ is Lord over America, he is Lord over Tennessee, he is Lord over Memphis."

Oh, is that what it proves? Well, why don't I just build a statue of Buddha conquering Iraq wearing an enormous party hat? That proves that Buddhists have more fun with their forms of world conquest. Or shall I build a statue of Madonna (the popstar, not the religious figure) wearing her magnificent red Kabballah bracelet (not to mention conical bra) proclaiming rule over the nation's oil fields?

It seems that, if you have the money -- $260,000 in this case -- you can prove just about anything.

Some content was culled from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/05/us/05liberty.html?ex=1152244800&en=1f54df57ab7a525d&ei=5087%0A . Photo is by Rollin Riggs.

The wait is over -- Superman (and the gays) wear Prada

The wait is over.

Does Superman support the gays, I wonder? He ought to, knowing what it's like to be an outcast among humans and possess superhuman powers. All right, so the gays have the power to coordinate colors faster than a speeding bullet rather than save an entire city block from destruction by stopping a globelike structure from plummeting to the ground, but hey, you take what you can get.

Anyway, tomorrow, the New York State Court of Appeals votes on whether or not to allow gay marriage statewide and to acknowledge marriages recognized in other places (Massachusetts, Canada) -- pretty much what's happening is that a court is deciding, at least in part, a big chunk of my future tomorrow. New York is just about the only state I'd consider living in once I'm fully independent, mostly because the people there are people I can actually believe in, so I'm crossing my fingers and keeping my ears glued to NPR tomorrow at work.

For more information, there's a good article at The New York Times here: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/nyregion/04cnd-marriage.html . It looks as if the judges are, for the most part, in support of gay marriage. The struggle will be in finding the legal precendence and justification for the decision. I hope, and I predict, that by tomorrow night, we'll be free -- in part -- at last.

Anyway, this has been a nice long weekend. My birthday was Friday. Saturday I went downtown and bought some nice clothes and saw Friends with Money with Christina and Leah, who also took me for gelato. Sunday I went to see The Devil Wears Prada with my crew, which was a fabulous movie starring the divine Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. The clothes may have been the focus, but the movie was great nonetheless. Before that I had lunch with my grandparents in honor of my birthday and that of my grandfather, who turned 76. Monday I lazed around, and Tuesday I watched Meet Me in St. Louis with Judy Garland (yay!) and went to see Superman Returns, which couldn't even be saved by its title character. Though it was visually interesting at times, its characters seemed like cardboard cutouts and the film sagged tremendously in the middle and could have used some cuts.

"Better pray for your sins/Better pray for your sins/'Cause the gay messiah's coming" -Rufus Wainwright

Oh how I love that song by none other than Rufus. I'm sorry if it offends anyone, but it shocks for a reason. It's so charged -- is it religious? Political? Well, for me, it says just what it means. Think about what you're doing to us, because one of these days, we'll find our leader and we'll rise up. In a few years, the gay bashers of today will be the sorry racists of the '60s.

Mark a chalk tally on the gay side. 1 (second pending) down, 48 to go for freedom.

NOTE: I know some people had complained about not being able to comment unless they were registered Blogger users, but I changed that option (which I hadn't realized was an option), so comments from all are now welcome.

Now that it's your birthday...

So, it's my birthday. I went out to Applebee's with the family, which was fun, and my mom made me a wondrous devil's food cake.

Yesterday I watched A Star is Born with Judy, which was faboo.

Tomorrow I'm going to H&M(s), gelato, and Friends with Money with the gals and perhaps others.

And now for another sexy picture of Rufus while I want for my Carnegie Hall T-shirt to arrive: