Sarah Palin: A Social Experiment

*Preface:  It is not my intention to intentionally hurt any of my friends with these comments.  If they have that impact I am sorry.

**Preface to the Preface: I wanted to write this article to discuss the issues important but unfortunately there is one, too much information, and two, it pisses me off too much.

Today I decided to try a small social media experiment.  I posted the following around noon today on my Facebook wall

~ "I betcha I speak for a lot of Americans when I say I want to go over there right now and start teaching those folks a lesson. And let's not stop at the Czech Republic, let's go after all Arab countries.  The Arabians need to learn that they can't keep comin' over here and blowing stuff up. Let's set off a couple of nukes in Islamabad, burn down Prague, then bomb the heck out of Tehran. We need to show them that we mean business."

~Sarah Palin

No Words.

The "No Words" adage was all me.  As the day progressed I received many comments on my wall and even more messages.  I found my inbox fuller than it has ever been with many messages from people I don't even know, which makes me question my Facebook account settings.  I thought, perhaps, people were responding to a youtube link I shared recently.  Bibleman the TV/Movie Series, which I have to say is by far one of the funniest things I have ever found on the internet.  I don't mean funny in an anti-christian way, I understand that you have to find a way to make the bible interesting for children, (Think Captain Planet but with less budget and more message, oh and I guess no color coded racism) but the way they do it in their "action packed" series is simply hilarious.  Tangent aside I expected my friends had responded in kind to my post, but no it was about my Sarah Palin comment.  Many of the things that were said were nasty.  Very nasty.  But so be it.  People are people.

My post, I know, and knew all along was fake.  Sarah Palin did not say this on FoxNews, in reference to the Boston Bombing suspects, but instead it was a piece of satirical political humor written by The Daily Currant.  But is it all that strange that she might say something like this?  After all this is a women who has produced such gems of wisdom as these:

"Dr. Laura: don't retreat...reload! (Steps aside bc her 1st Amend.rights ceased 2exist thx 2activists trying 2silence "isn't American,not fair")" --Sarah Palin, in a Twitter message coming to the defense of Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the talk radio host who apologized and decided to retire from her highly-rated program after using the N-word on the air 11 times in 5 minutes, Aug. 18, 2010

This ape-like behavior in the White House and in the Democratic-controlled Congress needs to be stopped. Americans will not put up with this for long.  – Sarah Palin, March 30th 2010, Amridge University, Alabama.

What’s really funny is seeing these [queer] activists supporting Muslim governments. They don’t want us to bomb them…. Do they know what would happen to them outside of the United States? Do they know what what would happen to them if Islamists took over this country? They are lucky that they live in a privileged country… a country which gives them every right to do whatever they want no matter how much they happen to hate it. It’s all very ironic.

– Sarah Palin, April 7th 2010, The Sean Hannity Show.

So based on previous comments made by Palin our piece of political satire is not all that far from the truth.  But at the end of the day, although it is quite horrifically funny, why repost it without any clarification?  Because I can.  No that's not the right reason.  Oh maybe it is because it is what the Republican attack machine has been doing for years.  No Democrat can make even a joke in the media-laden world and get away without being lambasted by the Republican Party.  Now you might consider me to be hypocritical, aren't the Democrats doing the same thing?  No, but it isn't for lack of trying, we just aren't any good at it.  Let us look at a few examples:  

1.  "Under Barack Obama's watch, we have expended $805 billion to liberate the people of Iraq and, more importantly, 4,400 American lives."

---Oct. 28, 2011, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. Interview with Wolf Blitzer 

Bachmann's number comes from the cumulative total spent in the war from 2003 - 2011, our war expenditures from that time included over 6 fiscal years of the Bush Presidency.  As for the 4,400 American lives, well as of October of 2011 there had been 4,482 deaths and of those 261 came on Obama watch.  When Bachmann was asked a factual question about her inaccuracies:

Blitzer:  "But as far as Iraq is concerned, the Iraq War, which started in March 2003 -- that was President Bush and the Republicans who launched that war that went on for years. This current president is now withdrawing all of those troops from Iraq. Don't you give him credit for that?"

Bachmann responded with this gem:

"Wolf, the current president is being kicked out of Iraq. The president of the United States has gotten nothing."

2.  "Well, in just one month — just one month, the Democrats have spent more than President Bush spent in seven years on the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan and Hurricane Katrina combined — in one month."  ---Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday Feb. 27th in a speech at CPAC, 2009

Now why is it important that we look at this quote.  Other than the fact that it is a blatant lie, (Numbers don't lie, Mitch does) it also feeds into the 805 billion dollars that Rep. Bachmann spoke about above, 2+ years later.  Also it became a major Republican talking point used by John Boehner and other Republican candidates in the lead up to the election.  Here is the truth:  

In order to arrive at the claim above McConnell spokesman Josh Holmes said that the Democrats spending in one month was 818 billion dollars.  (Dollars I might add being used to get out of a recession created by George W Bush).  That's 31 billion on the expansion of State Children's Health Insurance and 787 billion for the stimulus bill.  First off Mitch, 326 billion of that stimulus bill is from tax cuts (http://www.jct.gov/x-19-09.pdf) which is not spending, but if it were, then it would be future spending cuts.  Why does this matter? Because Bush spent an estimated 655 billion until the end of his term but appropriated 808 billion (805 was actually spent, see Bachmann).  Also this is only based on the actual money appropriated but if we include everything down the road including full Veteran Benefits, the actual amount of money that the Bush White House "spent" will be in excess of multiple trillion dollars.  

----

I had a great desire to look at hundreds of quotes in which the Republican Attack Machine ran its mouth, but unfortunately it is the week before finals and I just ran out of time, so instead I will launch into my shortened rant.

Why did I post a fake Sarah Palin quote?  Because I'm sick and tired of the Republicans being the only one who lies and gets away with it, the latter part being the more important part.  Is lying a bipartisan issue, no, Democrats are guilty of lying as well, but unless it involves sex (i.e. Anthony Weiner, Bill Clinton) rarely do Democrats continue to lie once they have been caught.  Again this is a statement that will inevitably get me into trouble, but so be it.  On the overall scale of Republican lies and lies on top of lies it is monstrous in comparison to the amount that Democrats do the same.  Many more Democrats obfuscate the truth rather than lie, Republicans are blatant about it.  But aren't blatant about the truth.  Politicians lie, I get that, it has and will happen for the rest of well, time, but my problem isn't when a politician lies, it is when they lie in order to cover up their lies.  The old saying that if you get incredibly drunk you can just "drink yourself sober" is equivalent to the way the Republican party looks at lying, "lie yourself into the truth."  If you lie about something enough it will become part of the rhetoric and then citing a source will be based on just another lie.  Fox Noise is best at doing this.

Obama is the biggest spending President in history and has spent more than any others!  BULLSHIT.  Yearly spending increases do not exceed 2% which is the lowest rate since Eisenhower.  Our nation debt is 16.7 trillion dollars.  When Obama took office we has a debt of 10.6 trillion dollars.  6.1 is less than 10.6

Obama is a Muslim!  BS.  And even if he was, who cares?

Obama isn’t an American!  BS, you're are just plain wrong if you believe this.

Obama is a Communist/Socialist/Fascist!  HUGE BS.  Even if he was any of these things, which he is not (based on any of these manifestos he would make a terrible member of the party) all of these things are DIFFERENT.  Communist does not equal Socialist or Fascist.

Obama is always on vacation!  BS.  In his first term Obama has taken 131 vacation days (on par for 262 overall).  Bush: 1,020 days in 8 years.  Reagan:  484 in 8 years.  

Unemployment is at record highs!  BS.  The Unemployment rate is currently 7.7%.  At its height in 2009 it was 10% (largely attributed to Obama, but really part of the broken recession that Bush built)  When Reagan took office it was 7.5% and shot up to 10.8%.  Unemployment at the beginning of 2001 was 4.7% below the traditional national rate of 5%.  At the end of the Bush White House it sat at 9.3%

Obamacare is unconstitutional! BS.  The Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress, the President and later by the Supreme Court.  Yes it is Constitutional.  

Obama wants to rule like a dictator, he’s the Executive orders President! BS.  Obama: 147 Executive Orders in 4+ years.  Bush: 291.  Reagan: 381.

Obama has waged a war on the rich!  BS.  We have added 300,000 new millionaires since Obama has taken office.

Obama is out to take our guns!  BULLSHIT.  If, in fact, he wants your guns than he is exactly the same as Reagan and Bush who backed the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004.  

These are just a few of the lies that Fox Noise CONTINUES to tell even after they are blatantly confronted with the TRUTH.  

SO YES.  I did post a statement online that was false.  Am I any different from Mitch McConnell, Sarah Palin, Todd Akin, Michelle Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, George W Bush, Ronald Reagan, John McCain, Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Rand Paul, Eric Cantor, John Boehner, Mike Huckabee, Charles Grassley, John Kyl, Ben Nelson, Saxby Chambliss, Mike Crapo, Rob Portman, Jim Inhofe, Mark Kirk, Pat Toomey, Jim DeMint, Mary Landrieu, Jon Thune, Orrin Hatch, Roy Blunt, Ron Johnson, Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ailes, Sean Hannity, Greta Van Susteren, Shepar Smith, Neil Cavuto, Monica Crowley, Geraldo Rivera, Glenn Beck, Andre Napolitano, Bill Sammon, Bobby Jindal, and on and on and on

Oh yes, I am different because of this:  Dear Sarah Palin, although I knew that The Daily Currant had created a misrepresentation of your views on the Boston Bombers I still decided to post this funny, but wrong status on my Facebook wall.  I'm sorry if it offended you.

I admit to my lies.    

76 Things Banned in Leviticus

Check out 15, this baby is a Sinner

This weeks post is a simple list of things that banned in the book of Leviticus with chapter and verse next to them.  This is the same book that we use the line: 

Leviticus 18:22 - You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.  

1.       Burning any yeast or honey in offerings to God (2:11)

2.       Failing to include salt in offerings to God (2:13)

3.       Eating fat (3:17)

4.       Eating blood (3:17)

5.       Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you’ve witnessed (5:1)

6.       Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you’ve been told about (5:1)

7.       Touching an unclean animal (5:2)

8.       Carelessly making an oath (5:4)

9.       Deceiving a neighbour about something trusted to them (6:2)

10.   Finding lost property and lying about it (6:3)

11.   Bringing unauthorised fire before God (10:1)

12.   Letting your hair become unkempt (10:6)

13.   Tearing your clothes (10:6)

14.   Drinking alcohol in holy places (10:9)

15.   Eating an animal which doesn’t both chew cud and has a divided hoof (cf: camel, rabbit, pig) (11:4-7)

16.   Touching the carcass of any of the above (problems here for football) (11:8)

17.   Eating – or touching the carcass of – any seafood without fins or scales (11:10-12)

18.   Eating – or touching the carcass of - eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat. (11:13-19)

19.   Eating – or touching the carcass of – flying insects with four legs, unless those legs are jointed (11:20-22)

20.   Eating any animal which walks on all four and has paws (good news for cats) (11:27)

21.   Eating – or touching the carcass of – the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon (11:29)

22.   Eating – or touching the carcass of – any creature which crawls on many legs, or its belly (11:41-42)

23.   Going to church within 33 days after giving birth to a boy (12:4)

24.   Going to church within 66 days after giving birth to a girl (12:5)

25.   Having sex with your mother (18:7)

26.   Having sex with your father’s wife (18:8)

27.   Having sex with your sister (18:9)

28.   Having sex with your granddaughter (18:10)

29.   Having sex with your half-sister (18:11)

30.   Having sex with your biological aunt (18:12-13)

31.   Having sex with your uncle’s wife (18:14)

32.   Having sex with your daughter-in-law (18:15)

33.   Having sex with your sister-in-law (18:16)

34.   Having sex with a woman and also having sex with her daughter or granddaughter (bad news for Alan Clark) (18:17)

35.   Marrying your wife’s sister while your wife still lives (18:18)

36.   Having sex with a woman during her period (18:19)

37.   Having sex with your neighbour’s wife (18:20)

38.   Giving your children to be sacrificed to Molek (18:21)

39.   Having sex with a man “as one does with a woman” (18:22)

40.   Having sex with an animal (18:23)

41.   Making idols or “metal gods” (19:4)

42.   Reaping to the very edges of a field (19:9)

43.   Picking up grapes that have fallen in your  vineyard (19:10)

44.   Stealing (19:11)

45.   Lying (19:11)

46.   Swearing falsely on God’s name (19:12)

47.   Defrauding your neighbour (19:13)

48.   Holding back the wages of an employee overnight (not well observed these days) (19:13)

49.   Cursing the deaf or abusing the blind (19:14)

50.   Perverting justice, showing partiality to either the poor or the rich (19:15)

51.   Spreading slander (19:16)

52.   Doing anything to endanger a neighbour’s life (19:16)

53.   Seeking revenge or bearing a grudge (19:18)

54.   Mixing fabrics in clothing (19:19)

55.   Cross-breeding animals (19:19)

56.   Planting different seeds in the same field (19:19)

57.   Sleeping with another man’s slave (19:20)

58.   Eating fruit from a tree within four years of planting it (19:23)

59.   Practising divination or seeking omens (tut, tut astrology) (19:26)

60.   Trimming your beard (19:27)

61.   Cutting your hair at the sides (19:27)

62.   Getting tattoos (19:28)

63.   Making your daughter prostitute herself (19:29)

64.   Turning to mediums or spiritualists (19:31)

65.   Not standing in the presence of the elderly (19:32)

66.   Mistreating foreigners – “the foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born”  (19:33-34)

67.   Using dishonest weights and scales (19:35-36)

68.   Cursing your father or mother (punishable by death) (20:9)

69.   Marrying a prostitute, divorcee or widow if you are a priest (21:7,13)

70.   Entering a place where there’s a dead body as a priest (21:11)

71.   Slaughtering a cow/sheep and its young on the same day (22:28)

72.   Working on the Sabbath (23:3)

73.   Blasphemy (punishable by stoning to death) (24:14)

74.   Inflicting an injury; killing someone else’s animal; killing a person must be punished in kind (24:17-22)

75.   Selling land permanently (25:23)

76.   Selling an Israelite as a slave (foreigners are fine) (25:42)

Why Glee is Dangerous (Am I turning Conservative?)

I have no problem admitting that I am, in fact, a GLeek.  Since the shows pilot in May of 2009 I have seen almost every episode and the episodes of the Oxygen Network's The Glee Project, well actually just season two.  Yes, people might make fun of me and criticize me but I have always found the show to be the best American "camp" of the day.  I liked the fact that there was such a popular show on television that focused, to a degree, on theatre and was started by theatre people.  Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele, two of the hottest names on broadway teamed up with the fabulous Ryan Murphy and created this following.  It was fun, very stupid, but deliciously wonderful.  Even though the following has turned into a bit of a culture cult, there is still a degree of fun and whimsy that the show produces.  But I don't think I can say that anymore.

For a long time now I have been watching episodes of Glee as they have deteriorated, in writing, acting, singing, producing, format, and most importantly content.  The show that I adored.  The one that stood on the principles of individuality, love, and song has been destroyed because of the unreal expectations that the show now produces.  I loved the show because I was so happy to find a network show, and a network show ON FOX, that supported homosexual rights.  I was thrilled, but I now see this support as the producers attempt to say that their show is progressive and intelligent when really it's a ton of hogwash.  (Not the fact that it supports the LGBT community because that still rocks!)

The expectations created by the cast members give their followers horrific ideas of what it means to be an actor, to work in theatre, to make it in this profession.  I won't even touch on the fact that they are able to shorten the work, by not actually working at all, and yet their dancing, music, choreography was all perfect.  I get that level of suspended belief that must follow with a show like this.  And to a lesser extent if this show was billed as a middle of the road soap opera I would have no gripes whatsoever, but it isn't and this "cult" following is really worrisome.

It's hard in the theatre profession and if you look at the show here are the rules that it teaches you when it comes to theatre:

1.  If you get cast in the wrong part, pout about it:  I speak in particular about the stupid shows that are performed at the fake McKinley High.  Grease and I believe, oh hell I don't remember the first one, but they look at acting as if the best talent should get the roles they want.  Umm hello, that never happens in the theatre profession.  It doesn't happen in college or high school or even the class play.  And when you don't get the "right" part you should what, complain about it.  Oh thanks Glee let us perpetuate a dramatic event that is already to common in our profession, but because we (Glee) are progressive we can cave in.  Fuck no.  Would I like to play the part of one of the princes in Into the Woods, yes, will I, no.  I am 6'8", overweight, and usually ghoulish on stage.  I look more like Shrek than the prince, but does that bother me?  NO. When Shrek rolls around I will have a better opportunity than the other guy.

2.  The only place where Theatre exists is New York:  Now you can argue that Mike went to, oh I don't know to dance, Mercedes went to LA (because of one, ONE, Youtube clip), Dianna Agron (Forget the name) got into Yale for theatre and then there are a couple of misfits, but the story focuses on the fact that if Rachel doesn't get into NYADA her whole life is ruined.  FUCK that, oh and Curt too.  Which brings me to my next point.

4.  NYADA is the only place to go to school:  One, NYADA is not real although it is blatantly based on AMDA in NY and LA.  Apparently Rachel, who has "prepared" for stardom her whole life has no idea that THERE ARE OTHER SCHOOLS IN THE U.S. FOR DRAMA.  But the shows focus on NYADA gives people the horrifically stupid idea that if they don't get into their dream school then they will fail.  Wonderful.  I didn't get into my dream school.  Twice.  But I wound up in a great undergrad that led to a fucking fantastic MFA at VCU.  Oh and I work in theatre.

4.  Everyone will be successful, except for Finn:  Everyone is successful.  But how can I say that when Santana doesn't have a job and Puck is well Puck.  Notice that they live very far away and still manage to travel back to Lima frequently.  It costs me over a grand to fly across to California from here.  Also that goddamn apartment in NYC.  They say that because it is so far away they can afford it.  On the low end that is a $5,000 apartment.  

But all of this theatrics is just a small testament to the show's stupidity.  Honestly, who cares about this bullshit.  If you suspended belief maybe this isn't damning theatre kids (it is and giving them false expectations, but hey, that's just me)  The real issue with the show is the content.

WHY GLEE IS DANGEROUS:

I come to the newest rant because of this past weeks episode in which a school shooting took place.  Well there wasn't anyone hurt but the school went into panic and lockdown because of gunshots heard.  The episode caused a lot of controversy because the shooter was a scared down-syndrome character, Becky and because the Newtown Group thought it was exploiting the tragedy.  The real problem is neither of these two issues.  It is the fact that Glee produced a show that had there been a real school shooting most of those kids would have died because of the stupidity of the school.

In most school's there is a lockdown procedure in place in case of a school shooting.  A New Jersey school district called this a Lockdown Yellow and they run drills:

Instructions to the students include:

1. "Go to the room nearest your location in the hallway.
2. "No one will be able to leave room for any reason.
3. "Silence must be maintained (Use of cell phones are not permitted).
4. "Make sure you are marked present.
5. "Do not leave the classroom until directed by PA System, telephone or by an administrator."

Other lockdown procedures at other institutions include barricading the door, having the teacher arming themselves with a weapon, and waiting.  Some consider this to be the wrong plan of attack.

Greg Crane, a former SWAT officer has instituted a new policy called ALICE or Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate.  This plan looks the lockdown procedure and adds the element of improvisation due to the situation on the teachers part and possible confrontation such as throwing things at the shooter and running. "We've taught a generation of Americans to be passive and static and wait for police, the people shot and killed in the Columbine library sat there for five minutes before the shooters entered and shot 18 of them."  Said Crane.  Now I won't go into an argument on whether or not lockdown drills or ALICE or other ideas instituted to keep our children safe are good or bad, but I will look at how Glee handled the situation.  

Hero

Teachers such as Vicki Soto and Kaitlin Roig, teachers at Sandy Hook are heroes.  Roig locked her classroom door and then barricaded herself and her 14 students, keeping them quiet, in a locked bathroom.  Soto became a human shield by dying to protect her students.  These are heroes.  And they are in the end ordinary people who stepped up to do extraordinary things.

Mr. Shue and the other teachers/administrators at McKinley High are not.  

First off Mr. Shue is an awful teacher.  He was the Spanish teacher for multiple years before anyone found out that he couldn't teach Spanish and when the school found out they moved him to History.  NO, that is where you get fired.  Another horrific statement about the state of education in this country.  Now when the shots rang out here is a list of things that he did poorly.  

1.  He told the kids to take cover and they did all around the sides of a circular room.  In almost every lockdown procedure list it is said to put all students against one wall, and the wall that is on the door's side so if the shooter were to look in a window they wouldn't see anyone immediately.

2.  He hid with another teacher away from the students.  A teacher's job in this situation is incredibly scary because it is their job should the shooter come in the room to disarm the shooter, or protect the students or both.  Whether armed with a large weapon or barricaded against their students, a teacher no longer can think about their own lives when in a situation that requires them to protect their students.  Kids come first, no exceptions.

3.  He asks his students to use twitter, text, or try and find out what is going on.  Although in this terrifying situation students would immediately use their phones the teacher must try and keep the noise non-existent.  So they would be on silent.  Everyone of those phones was on full volume.

4.  There is too much talking, moving, and overall chaos in the room.  This is not to say that there is not chaos like this in a shooting.  There is terrible lack of remembering these protocols, these steps, but a television show that considers itself a Moral leader has no business showing these types of mistakes.  

5.  The school is re-opened without the gun being found.

6.  The school is re-opened only days after the incident.

And on and on and on.

It is quite possible that I lost steam towards the end of this rant.  I am still suffering from Pneumonia and on a lot of medications, but something that must be looked at is the impact of negative expectations that shows like Glee have on children.  We need to stop celebrating them.  

20 Profound Statements…That Aren't That Profound...or Important

20.  Action Movies are Dead:  And this is not just because I just saw Olympus has Fallen, although that is a contributing factor.  Remember back in the 1990's when we made fun of action movies like Air Force One, Con Air, The Rock, well those are classics compared to the fare we get today.  Olympus Has Fallen serves as a wonderful example of the death of action movies.  It was hilarious in how bad it was.  The cast includes Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Gerard Butler, Ashley Judd, and many others.  Each of these actors can carry their own movies.  Obviously this is where they spent their budget.  Some of the worse CGI work I have ever seen, a plot that is predicated on the fact that if the front door is breached the White House will fall, Aaron Eckhart is a terribly nice man, but terrible President.  There are so many problems least of which is after Butler saves…the country from nuclear annihilation his reward is that he gets his job back on the Secret Service.  One, he is seen on world wide television as the savior of the White House.  Isn't the job of a secret service agent to be, umm, secret.  The other is that he saves the world.  Half the major government is dead and the Army Chief of Staff is an imbecile, you are telling me he couldn't get a better job.  Sorry.  Not meaning to rant.  Although, wait, that's the name of the blog.  I like guys like Jason Statham, but unfortunately the action industry is dead, and I do mean the mainstream action industry.  Movies like Crank that are shot in a Grindhouse fashion are still thriving.  But nowadays you don't get real action stars like Willis, Gibson and Glover, Stallone.  The time has passed.  Perhaps as we get older the offshoots will succeed to the point where they become the new medium.

19.  April Fools Day is Awesome:  When done correctly.  When meant to hurt, demean, or destroy other people it is stupid and ignorant of the title.  It is about fooling, about being a trickster, about fun and triviality.  This year I set an all new record with 65 people fooled.  I even got my Grandmother, on accident.  Some of my favorites that I used this year were: My Great Grandfather invented the fork, All cheese is invented in France, I was bit by a rabid raccoon, and The pope resigned because of bad bunions.  A solid year to be sure.

18.  Although not in the news very much, Donald Trump is Still an Idiot.  Enough said.  

17.  Cat Positioning is Wrong:  I have ranted before on the fact that there are too many cats on Facebook.  Although I, too, have participated if only briefly in this cat craze, it is still wrong.  Positioning your cat because it looks funny and taking a picture, making the cat play the piano, all of these things are wrong and are ultimately lower degrees, but still animal cruelty.

16.  Brittany Griner + NBA= Good:  The news reports that Mark Cuban is considering drafting Brittany Griner.  Obviously this is a publicity stunt, a media buy, a marketing ploy, and a way for Cuban to make money, but if Griner plays in even one NBA game, it will be a massive success and a big thing for women equality in sports.  Sure it may be about money, but what isn't.  The road to success is never filled with purely good intentions.  Don't tell me Branch Rickey wasn't in it for the money.

15.  20 Statements was Far Too Long a List:  I have no time.  Why am I doing this?

Last time Heigl was good at acting

14.  Katherine Heigl is Shit:  It is not just that she sucks in romantic comedies, but really that she flat out is an average to less than average actress at best.  Other than 27 Dresses she has been the cause of everyone of the movies that has flopped, and they all have.  You may say that Knocked Up is a good movie, but it really isn't a good movie.  It is a funny movie + Katherine Heigl.  Stop with the Heigl.

13.  Fox News Sucks, but…:  so does CNN.  CNN has become so shitty.  Read CNN.com and you'll will see how terrible it has become where not only is everything sensationalized but also blown so far out of proportion that it is quite despicable to see.  Every single news story is now breaking news.  They are the boy who cried wolf…constantly.  And a little food for thought.  This is what terrible Bill O'Reilly said "O'Reilly claimed last week that opponents simply "thump the Bible" and the biblical argument wasn't strong enough against reasonable logic that gay Americans just want to be treated like everyone else."  hmm.

12.  Sleep is Overrated:  Bullshit.  People who say this are full of shit and are most likely getting an adequate amount of sleep.  Damn them.  

11.  This Girl is Amazing:  Yes I am coming late to the party, but at least I showed up at all.  Talia Castellano is a hero and should by looked up to by everyone.  Made famous, last year, by The Ellen Show she is a 13 year old girl who dreams of being a fashion and makeup designer.  She has her own Youtube channel and is followed by over half a million people.  She also has suffered from multiple cancers that will likely claim her life and she speaks about them with the clarity and understanding that few people my age or older would be able to do.  And she is adorable.  Both tragic and horrible her story is also one that laughs in the face of unbelievable odds and never stops swimming forward.  

10.  Ellen Degeneres is Awesome:  I don't really need to say anything here cause it's just that.  Proven.  But petitioning for years and now Finding Dory is going to be made.  Good for her.

9.  Chocolate by Snow Patrol is their Best Song:  This is based on absolutely no information whatsoever.  

Poor Patrick

8.  Red Dawn Doesn't Hold Up:  Unfortunate but quite true.  Upon a recent viewing, aside from the many plot holes and character mishaps it is done too campy for such a serious movie.  Kids are dying and it's still being treated almost like Ferris Bueller.  Eventually it gets real.  But not in time to save the movie.  the jingoism, the commie bullshit, and the terrible, terrible script, in addition to the awful acting, make Red Dawn an almost unbearable movie to watch today.  Other movies that don't hold up:  Godzilla 2000, I know it was shit at the time, but I thought it was really funny, nope it's just shit.  Heavyweights, although you can clearly see where Ben Stiller got his inspiration for Dodgeball.  The Dark Crystal, I couldn't even make it 10 minutes into it again.  Any Superman other than the first one.  Also, Superman.  Finally, The Towering Inferno, Robert Wagner notices his building is on fire, so he throws a damp bath towel over his head and almost manages to mess up his hair. With a reassuring wink, he tells his workplace fuck buddy he once ran the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds flat and then proceeds to run out of his office and directly into a flaming chair, not 3 yards into his 100-yard dash.  Then in slow motion he runs into everything else that is on fire and falls through a sheer glass window.

7.  Footloose Has No Business Holding Up:  But it does.  This is truly one of the dumbest plots that I have ever heard of.  A town outlaws rock music and dancing.  And Kevin Bacon shakes it up.  So dumb, but yet a credible Bacon and Lori Singer along with a relatively great (relative for the movie) performance by Jon Lithgow makes this a good movie today.  Far better than the shot for shot remake.  

6.  Hashtags, LOL, and Totes:  Are ruining society.  Oh and Stephanie Meyer books too.

5.  Taylor Swift's Next Boyfriend:  Should sign an agreement that says if we break up you cannot use it is a song about me.  

4.  Caridad Svich is the Best Playwright Ever:  Not true, but she is damn good.  Look her up if you are in need of a play to read.

3.  The Red and White Equality Sign:  Was both incredibly trendy and overdone, and amazingly awesome.  It was great to see that much support and there was a day where that is all we talked about.  Good or bad it caused a conversation.

2.  I'm 6'8":  Same height as Brittany Griner.  I saw a report on her and people who are 6'8" are 99.36% taller than the rest of America.  Cool.

1.  Sportsmanship is Still Great to Watch:  A softball player tears her ACL on a homer that would win the game for her team.  If her teammates get off the bench she's declared out.  So the other team picks her up and carries her around the bases.  The Marcus Lattimore injury and both teams come out on the field in support of one of the best players in college sports.  Sports, both professional and College are the definition of competitive.  But it is wonderful to see people with humanity and compassion.  I think of this because of one major story from December.  "On December 2, Basque athlete Iván Fernández Anaya was competing in a cross-country race in Burlada, Navarre. He was running second, some distance behind race leader Abel Mutai - bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the London Olympics. As they entered the finishing straight, he saw the Kenyan runner - the certain winner of the race - mistakenly pull up about 10 meters before the finish, thinking he had already crossed the line.  Fernández Anaya quickly caught up with him, but instead of exploiting Mutai’s mistake to speed past and claim an unlikely victory, he stayed behind and, using gestures, guided the Kenyan to the line and let him cross first."  Simply wonderful.  

The Oscars

It is Oscar time once again and here are my predictions for this year's awards.  The problem with the Oscars, much like any awards ceremony, it subjectivity and politics.  For instance, the Best picture category expanded to 10 movies entirely because of the snubbing of The Dark Knight, now the Academy has decided up to 10 movies can be nominated and this year only 9 got the nod, snubbing The Dark Knight Rises.  Now you can argue with me on whether or not Rises truly is a snub, because movies like The Master, Moonrise Kingdom, and small budget Safety Not Guaranteed were equally as good, but it is ironic to find a category snub the big brother of a movie, that made the category expand.  

For each of these categories I will predict who I think will win and who the Academy should pick, rarely do they match up in any given year.

Best Picture

The Nominees are:  Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty.  

The Academy Should Pick:  Argo

The Winner Is..:  Argo

This year there is no definite winner for best picture.  I loved Les Miz, but the critics hated it, so that's out.  Django was good, but not great.  The same can be said for most of the movies in this category.  However there are three standouts:  Argo, Lincoln, and Life of Pi.  I will go into Life of Pi in other categories but I think this is a race between Argo and Lincoln.  They snubbed Ben Affleck from best director so they might make it up to him.  Originally I picked Lincoln to win this category, but I came to an overall consensus on how I feel about both films.  Lincoln has moments, moments that are better than any other moments or scenes in movies this year, but overall Argo has a consistency and accuracy to the plot that makes me believe that it should and will win the Oscar.  Much like previous winning movies like Crash or Slumdog Millionaire, Argo is driven entirely by brilliant casting and it is the ensemble that deserves to be recognized.  I hope Argo wins, although if Lincoln were to take home the top prize, I wouldn't complain.  

Best Actor

The Nominees are:  Daniel Day-Lewis, Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix, Denzel Washington.

The Academy Should Pick: Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln

The Winner Is..:  Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln

This isn't a competition at all.  Lewis gives, what in my opinion, is his best performance of his illustrious career.  He is quite possibly the greatest modern actor, and in the top five for greatest actors ever.  The other four candidates in this category give solid performances, but as with This is Spinal Tap, Lewis is an 11 out of 10.  On a side note, John Hawkes was robbed for not getting a nomination.

Best Actress

The Nominees are:  Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Emmanuelle Riva, Quvenzhane Wallis, Naomi Watts.

The Academy Should Pick: Emmanuelle Riva for Amour

The Winner Is..:  Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook.

I have a crush on Jennifer Lawrence, but even that crush is not enough for me to think she was great in Playbook; I'm not drinking that Kool-aid.  Nor will I drink it for Jessica Chastain.  I thought she was fine, but really there was very little "acting" done in that role.  Look angry, have no facial emotions.  Good work, but not great.  Watts has about the same performance and Wallis is great at being a kid.  Riva is the only one here who truly deserves this award, but it will go to one of the J's.  

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

The Nominees are:  Tommy Lee Jones, Alan Arkin, Robert De Niro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christoph Waltz

The Academy Should Pick: Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln 

The Winner Is..:  Robert De Niro for Playbook.  

This is a very interesting category because for Waltz and Hoffman, I think they carried their movies.  For De Niro, this is something we have never seen from him.  Arkin is hilarious.  And Jones is down right historic.  I'd have no problem with any of these people winning, although I think Waltz as Hans Landa was much better.  I think Tommy Lee Jones gives a subtle, controlled, un-Tommy Lee Jones movie, captivating performance.  He or Hoffman would do well to win here.  But the Academy will give the award to De Niro and I'll be pissed cause Jones got screwed.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

The Nominees are:  Amy Adams, Sally Field, Anne Hathaway, Helen Hunt, Jacki Weaver.

The Academy Should Pick: Anne Hathaway for Les Miz.

The Winner Is..:  Anne Hathaway for Les Miz.

Normally I have a problem with giving an Academy Award for just one scene, one song, but this year I make an exception.  Top five greatest moments in movie musical theatre history, I dreamed a dream, takes on a whole new message with Hathaway.  Helen Hunt was also superb in an underrated movie, but the other three have no business in this category this year.  

Best Director

The Nominees are:  Steven Spielberg, David O Russell, Ang Lee, Benh Zeitlin, Michael Haneke

The Academy Should Pick: Ben Affleck for Argo

The Winner Is..:  Steven Spielberg for Lincoln.  

Hands down Ben Affleck gave the directing performance of a lifetime, but he was snubbed, so we go with Spielberg for his ten year+ gamble and determination.  Ang Lee also deserves to be here for taking an impossible to film book and breaking the odds.

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Nominees are:  Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook

The Academy Should Pick: Tony Kushner for Lincoln

The Winner Is..:  I'm hoping for Tony Kushner for Lincoln.  

This is a worrisome pick because the odds on favorite is Argo and Life of Pi is a brilliant work, as I said, turning an impossible to film book into a brilliant screenplay.  But I have to go with my heart and my gut.  Kushner is one of the greatest living playwrights (Angels in America) and he worked on this script for multiple years.  Think about all the dialogue in this movie, there is no evidence of who said what, so Kushner essentially re-created history.  Brilliant.

Best Original Screenplay

The Nominees are:  Amour, Django Unchained, Flight, Moonrise Kingdom, Zero Dark Thirty

The Academy Should Pick: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola for Moonrise Kingdom

The Winner Is..:  Quentin Tarantino For Django Unchained

I'm actually a Quentin Tarantino fan.  But I was not a massive fan of Django Unchained.  I thought it was good but certainly not as good as Inglorious Basterds.  On the other hand, Moonrise Kingdom deserved an Oscar nod for best picture but fell into the comedy junk box.  Most people love Rushmore and Tenenbaums but I think this is a wonderful masterpiece.  The relationship between the two young students is really wonderful and it sparks from the story.  Django wins.  Moonrise Kingdom is a comedy.  

Best Cinematography

The Nominees are:  Anna Karenina, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall

The Academy Should Pick: Life of Pi

The Winner Is..: Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi

Much like the best actor category this is a lock.  I can't explain this other than to say go and watch the movie and you will understand.  

Best Animated Feature Film

The Nominees are:  Wreck-It Ralph, Brave, Frankenweenie, The Pirates! Band of Pirates. ParaNorman

The Academy Should Pick: The Pirates! Band of Pirates

The Winner Is..:  *Wreck-It Ralph

A difficult category.  Will the Academy go with the box office favorite Brave or ParaNorman, both which I found lacking in plot and character development.  Frankenweenie is not my type of movie, but it is a wonderful ode to 50's horror classics in a modern day kids comedy.  The underrated movie of the year is Pirates!  from the studio that brought you Wallace and Gromit.  But what I believe is a great movie, very smart and funny, is Wreck-It Ralph, and I hope it takes home the top prize.

Best Documentary Feature Film

The Nominees are:  Searching for Sugar Man, The Invisible War, How to Survive a Plague, The Gatekeepers, 5 Broken Cameras

The Academy Should Pick: 5 Broken Cameras

The Winner Is..:  Searching for Sugar Man

For the longest time I thought Sugar Man was not just a great doc, but a wonderful movie and one of the best of the year.  That is, until I saw 5 Broken Cameras.  This is truly a wonderful, incredibly depressing documentary masterpiece.  The scene where the camera breaks when we watch the bullet fly into the lens and save the man's life is something extraordinary.  

Best Foreign Film

The Nominees are:  Amour, Kon-Tiki, No, A Royal Affair, War Witch

The Academy Should Pick: No

The Winner Is..:  Amour

Amour is going to win.  It's a lock.  But if you get the chance go and see the Chilean movie, No.  It stars Gael Garcia Bernal and looks at the Augusto Pinochet reign of terror in Chile and the ingenious way that they removed him from power.

Best Costume Design

The Nominees are:  Anna Karenina, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman

The Academy Should Pick: Les Miserables

The Winner Is..:  Anna Karenina

I know nothing about costume design, but I liked the design in Les Miz, but Karenina was very historically accurate.

Best Makeup/Hair Design

The Nominees are:  Hitchcock, The Hobbit, Les Miserables

The Academy Should Pick: I don't care

The Winner Is..:  I don't care; Les Miserables

I could care less about this category, not because I dislike it, but because Cloud Atlas should have won this.

Best Music Score

The Nominees are:  Anna Karenina, Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall

The Academy Should Pick: Life of Pi or Argo

The Winner Is..:  Argo

The Favorite is Life of Pi but I am a fan of Argo and Alexandre Desplat, and I think he managed to keep what could have sounded rather cheesy, and made it rather deep and important.

Best Original Song

The Nominees are:  Chasing Ice, Ted, Life of Pi, Skyfall, Les Miserables

The Academy Should Pick: This is a dumb category when it allows "Ted" (Which I liked) to be an Academy Nominated Movie

The Winner Is..:  Skyfall from Skyfall by Adele

I don't care.  Les Miserables is pandering by creating a song just for this category and Skyfall is a really dumb song.  But it is still Adele and she is one of the most amazing voices ever.

Best Documentary Short

The Nominees are:  Inocente, Kings Point, Mondays at Racine, Open Heart, Redemption

The Academy Should Pick: No idea

The Winner Is..:  Open Heart

I know nothing about this category, but Open Heart  is a nice name.

Best Animated Short

The Nominees are:  Adam and Dog, Fresh Guacamole, Head over Heels, Maggie Simpson..., Paperman

The Academy Should Pick:  Who has time to watch these, not Maggie Simpson.

The Winner Is..:  Adam and Dog

I saw Paperman and liked it, but I also saw Adam and Dog and because it isn't called Adam and "the" Dog, I'll pick it.

Best Live Action Short

The Nominees are:  Asad, Buzkashi Boys, Curfew, Death of a Shadow, Henry

The Academy Should Pick: Buzkashi Boys

The Winner Is..:  Buzkashi Boys

This is a short that I hope everyone gets a chance to see.  It's about two kids in Afghanistan and a very brutal national sport.  

Best Film Editing

The Nominees are:  Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty

The Academy Should Pick: Argo or Zero Dark Thirty

The Winner Is..:  Argo

Argo was well edited.

Best Production Design

The Nominees are:  Anna Karenina, The Hobbit, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln

The Academy Should Pick: Life of Pi

The Winner Is..:  Les Miserables 

Sure

Best Sound Editing

The Nominees are:  Argo, Life of Pi, Django Unchained, Skyfall, Zero Dark Thirty

The Academy Should Pick: Argo or Life of Pi

The Winner Is..:  Skyfall

How the hell should I know.

Best Sound Mixing

The Nominees are:  Argo, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall

The Academy Should Pick: Les Miserables

The Winner Is..:  Les Miserables

This one I do know a little about.  The work the sound team did on Les Miserables was brilliant.  Tom Hooper deserved a special award for what he did on the movie and mark my words live singing is going to be the new thing in Movie Musicals, but the sound department did a brilliant job mixing the sound within the scene.  

Best Special Effects

The Nominees are:  The Hobbit, Life of Pi, The Avengers, Prometheus, Snow White and the Huntsman

The Academy Should Pick: The Avengers

The Winner Is..:  Life of Pi

I said it in Cinematography, Life of Pi looks amazing, but why can't the blockbuster of the year win one?