The Television is my Mother and Father

I'm obsessed with SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. 
The first results show was last night. I loved watching it!  Sad that all the tap dancers are now gone though.

 
Pauline was a hack. Glad she's out.
Molly should have been the one though.

Ryan is gay. How does his wife not know?  He really bugs me. But he's an amazingly strong dancer, and I love watching him.


Did you watch the season finale of MAD MEN?

Gawd, I love that show so much!  The only thing that I don't like, is having to wait a year between seasons!!!  I really loved the way the season wrapped up. Brilliant on many levels.

Are you loving John Lithgow on this season of DEXTER???  I remember John from my very first showbiz winning job 10 years ago.  He's the nicest man ever, and I adore what he is doing on my favorite Showtime Channel series right now!

THE BIG BANG THEORY continues to make me LOL on myself every week.  Last week's episode where Sheldon got upset when people fought, was especially funny to me.  I was reminded of how my grandmother would get up from the dinner table, go out in the back yard and throw up, everytime anyone of us started fighting at dinner.  Oh, we laugh about it now.

NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE is wearing on me this season.  I really love the cast, but the episodes are getting too ridiculous for me.  The little boy hit puberty and lost all his charm. Poor kid. Turns out he's not an actor.  And why must we continue to endure the two bitchy blond moms?  There is no place for them in this show any longer, let's cut 'em!  They're good actresses, they'll continue to work elsewhere.

How about that DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES?  I hear that an episode is coming up where one cast member will be killed off!  I say, why stop at one?  Am I horrible to write that I'd like to see the following characters killed off:

All the "Housewives"(including Delany and DeMatteo) except Gaby and Lynette.  I'd like to see a show that revolves around those two, Mrs. McClusky, and the men on the street.  And I want them to resurrect Edie Britt, and build storylines around Julie Mayer.


What's on your television?

We Are All Precious

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve blogged at all. This is not procrastination rearing it’s ugly head, it’s exhaustion sitting on top of me.

Personally I’ve had a lot going on. I turned 43 recently, took on twice as much work at the office, and made a big commitment to myself to really step up my work outs. All of this has had me sleeping during my normal blog time. I’m exhausted.

I had to go to the DMV recently and get a new drivers license photo taken too. My old one was taken when I was 28. In that shot I look like a middle eastern terrorist. In my newly updated shot I look like a fat middle eastern terrorist. For the record, I am none of those things. But I think the DMV camera operator (note I did not say "photographer") might be.






Today I set aside some “me time”, so I’m getting caught up on the things that are important to me. Like cleaning my home, blogging, watching TV and reading. It’s life’s simple pleasures that really mean the most to me. Later today I’m going to a one-man play called THE FLAVIO SHOW. I sure hope this show will be good. I hope it's funny. Because if this guy is serious, then I'll be sad.

Here’s a quick list of other things I’ve been up to recently.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BUSTY JANE? (buy tickets here) Is the new play by comic genius and drag queen, JACKIE BEAT.

This very fun and very campy show is playing for a short time, so I strongly encourage you to get on it fast. I saw WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BUSTY JANE on opening night with my friend (and fellow blogger) Willam Belli. He has the best legs in the business. Afterwards we drove to Hamburger Mary’s to try and catch the tail end of CALPERNIA ADDAMS new friday night variety show, UNREAL.

Calpernia featured our dear friend, KELLY MANTLE (nephew of Mickey!) in her opening night show. I love Kelly and I love Calpernia and I love Willam and I love Jackie Beat. I was in 6th Heaven all night. I reserve 7th Heaven for when I’m getting laid. This was not that good. But Calpernia did give Willam and I her extra drink tickets, and we got to carry her costumes and equipment out to her car and say good night to one of the prettiest and most talented girls in Hollywood.

My friend Fink and I went to the Magic Johnson AMC Crenshaw Theatres to see the new Lee Daniels film, PRECIOUS (based on the book, “Push” by Sapphire). Please get out to see this emotionally charged movie. I was strongly moved by this remarkable film. If career self-sabotoger, MO'NIQUE can overcome her inner monologue, she may find herself at the Oscars this year. And newcomer actress, GABOUREY SIDIBE is destined to be a star. I predict that she WILL be at the Oscars. If not, I will personally walk up the street to the Kodak Theatre and light that bitch on fire. Yeah, you heard me. Wow, my inner monologue sounds a little bit like Mo'Nique! Don’t get me wrong folks, I fucking love Mo'Nique. I think she’s a comic genius. And a remarkable dramatic actress. But Lee Daniels is the only game in town for her these days. Hosting talk shows and Showtime at the Apollo are BENEATH her talents. She needs to be starring in films and starring on television series. Period.

Creepy little Terri Gross conducted another one of her sleep walking interviews on NPR’S FRESH AIR last week with LEE DANIELS. Despite Terri’s inability to actually talk with people anymore, Lee Daniels did impart a lot of really great information about how he came to make this movie, and lots of emotional baggage about his own life got unpacked too.

Lee Daniels is a gifted filmmaker. He was also saavy enough to screen this film for closeted and meglamaniacal billionares, Tyler Scrooge Perry and Oprah The Monster Winfrey. After seeing it, they signed on as exec. producers in order to PUSH this movie into a wider distribution. But make no mistake, this is not a Tyler Perry sub-par film, or an Oprah Winfrey Lifetime channel TV movie. They are involved in name only, and purely in the distribution of this already completed feature. I'm glad that they signed on in order to get this movie to a wider audience, but I still don't like either of them much. Here's a photo of both of these iconic, self-haters taking all the credit.

I cannot say enough good things about the movie PRECIOUS. it is a film that shines light on many things that i've known to be true for years. 1. Mo'Nique is a fucking powerhouse. 2. the best movies are the ones that get made without constant studio squandering. and 3. McDonalds is Ray Kroc's attempt to kill us all from the grave.


October 24th is a date that has held significance to me my entire life. My paternal Grandmother was born on that day, so was the uncle who acted as a surrogate father to me. Three of my closest and life changing friends over the years have all been born on that day too.

And a few weeks ago, on October 24th, another of my closest friends, 2Shirts, got married to his soul mate, Amberlicous. And I was there to celebrate it. John and Amber are a terrific couple, and they give me hope that some day I might be able to tolerate having someone by my side. John and Amber hosted their reception in Pasadena, the same city where my paternal grandmother and uncle used to live. I have spent lots and lots of time there.

I took this opportunity of being in Pasadena to also celebrate their birthdays with a little walk down memory lane. In the 1970s, my grandmother worked in the boys department of Bullocks department store in Pasadena. It’s now a Macy’s. So I went there and bought some new pants. Then I drove by her old house on Stratford avenue and went to eat at Gus’s BBQ on the corner. After that I went out for some Thrifty’s ice cream. I barely made it home, I was so full, I was sick.

My birthday was Halloween, and I spent it in a ridiculous pink, scantily clad and over the top costume. My neighbor friends NYPD and his boyfriend Eye Browz hosted a costume party. I mixed and mingled all night and I even drank cosmo’s. I’m not sure who I was that night, but I don’t think I was myself until I changed out of that costume. While all that was going on, my entire city of Homolulu was busy celebrating my birthday, just 1/2 a block away from me.

I love how my city celebrates my birth. They are very kind to me here. At the party I attended I didn't know any of the other partygoers well, so the chances of any photos of me in that costume actually appearing anywhere online are remote.

Speaking of “remotes” it’s time for me to get back to my tv remote.

I Am Not a Number, I Am a Blog!

My recent poll, about THE PRISONER, has shown me that most people don't know what I'm talking about. I hope this blog will help!

THE PRISONER was originally a short-lived TV series from the U.K. that aired in the late 1960s. The show starred Leo McKern as "Number Two" and Patrick McGoohan as The Prisoner, a man who (we learn in flashbacks) was a british government agent...You know what? I'm boring when it comes to summarizing. I found an excellent plot summary and a fantastic analysis on IMDB that do a far better job of explaining this classic series, here they are.

"The Prisoner" is a unique piece of television. It addresses issues such as personal identity and freedom, democracy, education, scientific progress, art and technology, while still remaining an entertaining drama series. Over seventeen episodes we witness a war of attrition between the faceless forces behind 'The Village' (a Kafkaesque community somewhere between Butlins and Alcatraz) and its most strong willed inmate, No. 6. who struggles ceaselessly to assert his individuality while plotting to escape from his captors.
Written by: Stuart Berwick {berws@essex.ac.uk}

A high-ranking but un-named Agent in the British Government resigns from his job/post and leaves for a holiday. While packing he is gassed and is taken to a beautiful but deadly prison known only as "The Village" where people are taken, given a Number to be called by and kept there for the rest of their lives if they don't tell No. 2 (the deputy head of "The Village") the information they are captured for. Escape is nearly impossible as "The Village" has amazing but deadly weapons to use if anybody tries to escape. The Agent is given the title of "No. 6" but he adopts the name of "The Prisoner". The series tells of his attempts to resist the plots of each No. 2 (who is replaced with another if an attempt on No. 6 fails) to get his information and against any attempt to disrupt the nearly peaceful running of the "The Village". The Village is determined to crack The Prisoner by attempting to get the answer to why he resigned from his job/post. As time goes on, two questions plague The Prisoner's mind - How can he escape and who is the real leader of the Village - the mysterious No. 1?.
Written by: Lee Horton {Leeh@tcp.co.uk}

Okay, now I'm back. This series has spawned graphic novels, cult followings, and tourist travel (The Village is now a tourist destination! It's really the town of Portmeirion in Wales)

I really enjoyed this series, and I've long felt it never really got it's due, here in the U.S.of A. Elements of the old show were campy and hokey, so I'm happy to see that AMC has produced a new version. The new show stars the amazing Ian McKellen as Number Two and Jim Caviezel as The Prisoner. It begins airing on Nov. 15th. This new AMC series will fill the void between MAD MEN and BREAKING BAD on the network's schedule.

Here is a short promotional trailer for the new series, that will likely get you excited to watch THE PRISONER, without ruining it for you!



Here's a 3 minute opening sequence from the old '60s series that sets up the premise of the show. Take a look at it, and see how far television has come in 40 years. This was cutting edge stuff!