My thoughts…on stuff

At 6 am, Baghdad time, one of the most brutal tyrants of the century met his end. Saddam Hussein was hung for the killings of 148 people in Dujail, along with his half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti and Iraq’s former chief judge Awad Ahmed al-Bandar, the result of a year-long trial (far too long in my opinion). But of course you knew that, unless you’ve been avoiding the media for the last 20 hours. I knew they’d hang him within the week, because the Bush administration wouldn’t want him to see the new year.

Saddam was defiant to the end, smiling on his way to the gallows, refusing to wear a hood and finally shouting, “God is great! The nation will be victorious and Palestine is Arab.” I must say, I admire that about him. I believe that no matter how vicious the person, they possess at least one admirable trait. There was some contention as to whether or not his execution should be videotaped. Turns out it was taped. And you know it’s gonna end up on YouTube. An execution on YouTube? Meh, I’ve seen stranger on there.

It is rumoured that Saddam’s body will be buried in an unmarked grave. It is said that this may be done to prevent it from being a focus for Sunni Arab insurgency. But I think the true reason is far less noble. I think it is the final humiliation for Saddam, to bury him like a dog, the way many of his victims were. Hours after his execution, a series of bombing attacks hit Baghdad and near the holy Shiite city of Najaf. Big surprise. Which begs the question: “Will violence in Iraq cease or worsen because of Saddam’s death?” We’ll see, but the way things look, Bush and his cronies will have a lot more work on their hands.

I was watching Smallville last night when a teaser for News at 11 flashed at the bottom of the screen. It informed me of James Brown’s death, which understandably took me by surprise. I stuck around for the news and switched to CNN after that. I saw his golden casket carried by horse-drawn carriage. Rather flashy, like the man on stage but unlike the man off it. His body was taken to the Apollo theater, the same place he made his debut nearly 50 years ago, giving fans the chance to pay their respects. Needless to say, his last show was a hit. James was a superb performer. Every aspect of his performance was energetic. his dancing, his beats, his singing, even his clothing was vibrant, all of which gained him fans worldwide.

But he did more than simply entertain the masses. His music was the anthem for the civil rights movement. African-Americans and blacks everywhere can say “I’m black and I’m proud” because of him, and because of this, many civil rights activists paid tribute to him alongside his fans, including Rev. Al Sharpton. His fast-paced beats have influenced many other musical genres such as hip-hop and rap. His style of performing has been emulated by many superstars such as Prince and Micheal Jackson. And despite his age, he was still entertaining audiences. Guess he wasn’t called “The Hardest Working Man in Showbiz” for nothing.

Along with Lou Rawls, black music has lost another icon this year. Or should I say music of African-American origin, because music is for everyone. (Tell that to the RIAA.) I worry about the fact that there’s no new talent to replace these musical greats. Everyone is either a rapper or into pop, and unlike artistes of old, they’re not motivated by the love of music, but the money and fame that comes with it. Goodbye James. The world will miss you.

This year’s holiday movie lineup has some interesting movies. Not on the same level as last year’s, where we had blockbusters like Narnia, King Kong and Goblet of Fire, but interesting nonetheless. Some of those that caught my eye are Unaccompanied Minors, a movie that continues the great tradition of abandoning children during the holidays, Eragon, a story of a boy and his disturbingly close relationship with his dragon set in a Tolkienesque world and The Pursuit of Happyness, or as I like to call it, “Not Another Will Smith Movie.” But the movie that has caught my eye ever since word of it got out is Rocky Balboa, the story of an aged boxer who comes out of retirement to fight more time. It’s also the story of an aged actor who wants to use his greatest movie and cash in on the last bit of starpower he has left. Fitting isn’t it?

I thought it was a bad idea from the start. The name Slyvester Stallone doesn’t draw crowds as it once did, and the appeal of an epic like Rocky would be lost on younger generations. Still I wanted it to succeed, because Sly is still one of my favourite actors. So how did it do? It came third in last week’s box office ratings, behind Eragon and Happyness, raking in a mere $12.5 million, a laughable sum back in Sly’s heyday. Sly ol’ buddy, my advice to you is hang up your gloves and enjoy your wealth. Your forte was the action movie, and nowadays, you don’t look so tough and rugged. But if you continue, you might just get KO’ed by a bomb. And no champ wants that.

Christmas has come and gone. The food has run through our systems, the presents have been unwrapped, the decorations have been put away, and the commercials are off the air. And I couldn’t be happier. “What’s wrong with you?”, you may ask. “Even atheists like Christmas!” Don’t get me wrong, I used to like Christmas. In fact, I looked forward to it more than my own birthday. But when I become old enough to realise that commercialism was now the true meaning of Christmas, my Christmas spirit took a nose dive. I’m tired of the overpriced trinkets, the commercials that try to dredge up childhood memories of Christmases past to sell their products, the hustle and bustle during the few days before Christmas and the false goodwill.

I felt more Scrooge-ish this year, ’cause I was flat broke. No wait, Scrooge has money, so I guess I felt more Grinch-ish. If it weren’t for the money my dad gave me, I wouldn’t be able to buy my little sister a present. Even though I despise the holidays, I keep up the charade of Christmas spirit for the benefit of my sister. She’s the only one in our family who actually looks forward to Christmas, as all youngsters do.

But some of my Christmas spirit was restored this year, as while my sister was shopping, she dropped some of her money. And some strangers returned it to her, strangers that looked like they’d rather take your money. Hearing Christmas carols on TV and seeing the joy in my sister’s face also helped. I do want to love Christmas again, to feel the way I did when I was a kid. But for now, I just need to focus on the real reason for the season. That’s the only thing that keeps me from strangling a mall Santa with his own beard.

Neville Willoughby, veteran broadcaster, died Tuesday evening at the age of 69 (I’d laugh if it weren’t under such grave circumstances) after suffering serious injuries in an automobile accident. I heard about his death yesterday afternoon, and I intended to post about it the same evening, but the rain broke the vibe. I’m kinda glad it did, as it wouldn’t have done him justice since I wasn’t fully aware of his accomplishments. But the media soon enlightened my darkness, as they bemoaned the loss and lauded the accomplishments of the media icon. Accolades flowed from those in the media, attesting to the character of the man. As they rolled in, they triggered memories of my childhood buried under years of too much cable TV. I remember listening to the Colgate Cavity Fighters Programme, and the familiar tune of the Evening People Show, a tune that told me it was time to stop playing and finish my chores in anticipation of Mom’s return from work.

They also made me realize just how much of an impact he had on my life. Generations of Jamaicans, myself included, grew up hearing him on the radio. He was passionate about his work, though it wasn’t the career he had originally chosen. He started the careers of many other beloved broadcasters, like Dorraine Samuels. He interviewed many people, most notably Bob Marley. For you American readers, I’d say his equivalent would be Al Roker. You never expect a radio personality to die. You expect to turn the knob every morning and hear their voice. We kinda take them for granted. But his death should help us to appreciate the people that entertain us across the airwaves, and each other as well. R.I.P Neville. You were a great broadcaster and human being.

You Are Dasher

You’re an independent minded reindeer who never plays by the rules.Why You’re Naughty: That little coup you tried to stage against Santa last year Why You’re Nice: You secretly give naughty children presents.

Which of Santa’s Reindeer Are You?

Cool. At least I’m not Rudolph. I’ve had enough teasing as a kid, thank you very much.

Saturday Night Live. One of comedy’s most hallowed institutions. As much a part of American culture as baseball, apple pie and frivolous lawsuits. Almost every great comedian came out of SNL. Eddie Murphy, Dan Akroyd, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler and many others. Many of its sketch characters are legendary and known worldwide, such as the Roxbury boys, Pat, The Ambigously Gay Duo (don’t let me get started on them), Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute and The Ladies Man. But as of late, it hasn’t been packing the punch as it once did. I normally watch the SNL reruns on E!, and for the past couple weeks I’ve been watching the new stuff straight from NBC, and I’ve gotta tell you, I’m disappointed.

Weekend Update was one of the highlights of SNL for me, along with the animated shorts. But it has gotten so devoid of humour that I’d prefer to watch the morning news than Weekend Update. At least they can make a good joke. I was happy when Tina Fey left the cast. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a nice lady, but she lacks the talent of a Will Ferrell or a John Belushi. But Weekend Updaye hasn’t improved since her departure. In fact, I think it has worsened, with Amy Poehler and that guy who sits next to her at the helm.

I remember when I used to roll on the floor laughing with tears in my eyes after hearing or seeing a sketch. But now, they barely register a chuckle. And if I chose to resist the urge to laugh brought on by the canned laughter of the audience, I don’t think they’d get that chuckle from me at all. I think SNL suffers from too much frill and not enough thrill. It has elaborate sets, costumes, etc, but at the end of it all, the jokes fall flat. I hope SNL improves its act soon, or I may actually have to find something to do on Saturday nights.

My Mom watches Lifetime TV all the time (which middle aged female doesn’t?), and for the hour or two that she’s in charge of the remote, I’m forced to watch it with her, and more and more I’m convinced that Lifetime IS THE DEVIL! Well, maybe not that evil, but that channel will make women hate men. In fact, it’ll make men hate themselves,as I found myself asking…myself, “Why do we men do this to women?” Most of the Lifetime movies are about some woman, either naive or wealthy, who falls prey to some evil, manipulative man. And most times it ends up in court, because we all know most women can’t take a guy, so they rely on Johnny Law to aid them. And most of them are “based on a true story”. Truth is stranger than fiction, so they could make a movie about a single Mom/secret agent/supermodel and they could find some real life reference somewhere.

I think Lifetime was made by a bunch of cranky feminists who wanted to spread their hatred of men to the world. Thankfully there’s Spike TV, which I can use to replenish my testosterone after the onslaught of estrogen that is Lifetime. Admittedly, I do like some of the movies on Lifetime. And no guys, you can’t revoke my “Heterosexual Male” card! But a lot of them are biased toward women. But what can you expect? It is “Television for Women.” But they make it seem as if women are still under the thumb of male-dominated society, and the truth is,this is fast becoming a woman’s world. You now have female CEOs, doctors, prime ministers, lawyers, etc. In fact, there’s not a field out there that you can’t find a woman. So drop the victim syndrome already Lifetime. And stop portraying men as villainous, self-serving monsters. You’re giving our half of the species a bad name.

I watched Drop Dead Gorgeous yesterday. That movie’s hella funny. If you never watched it before, it pokes fun at beauty pageants and middle America. It also shows the ridiculous lengths women will go become “princesses.” Mary Johansen, the anorexic girl who won the title the year before, said something that was one of the funniest things I’d heard in a while. “With one week to go before the pageant, I was finishing my outfit, rehearsing my talent, brushing up on current events, and running 18 miles a day on about 400 calories. I was ready.” You should’ve seen the pathetic state she was in. She was wasting away, and spent most of her time in bed. Other times she was in a wheelchair because she was too weak to stand. And at the end of it all, she lost her crown a year later. Seems so futile doesn’t it? To destroy your life for some momentary glory. That painful realization inspired me to post this.

I want to know why? Why would women destroy their bodies like that just to look thin? I mean God! Look at the pic. This girl’s dress is barely hanging on her bony frame. And she probably thinks exposed ribs makes her look more attractive. Well I don’t. I wouldn’t make love to her. In fact, I’d rather do one of those lab skeletons. More meat. Months ago over at Teenage Perfectionist, she brought to my attention a blog by an anorexic, read and commented on by other anorexics. What I read shocked me, the lengths these girls will go to lose weight. And the worst thing is their loved ones don’t even know. And HBO made a documentary about it called “Thin”. It premiered on the 14th of November so I doubt you’ll catch it. I wonder what drives girls to do this. Is it low self-esteem? Do they think society will accept them more if they look like the living dead? Or are they trying to attain the ridiculously high standards of beauty set by society? I think its a combination of both.

I think one of the reasons why anorexia is so widespread is that people don’t view it as a disease. People view it as just a bunch of teenage girls throwin’ up so they can fit in size 10 dresses. That’s probably why many of them don’t realize the danger that they’re in. We need to stop parading stick thin models around and get some plump women on magazine covers. Cover Girl has made the first step by featuring some large ladies like Queen Latifah. But more needs to be done, else more young ladies will be literally dying to be thin.

By now you’ve noticed the dramatic change in my blog. I’ve finally switched my template over to beta. Unfortunately, the old template was coded for the original Blogger, so until I work my way around that, this template will have to suffice. I hope to finish the transfer before year end. Wouldn’t want the new year to catch my blog like this. I’ve tried to give it the feel of the original template as much as possible, and I intend to add to new features too, some of them you can see right now. So just roll with this ok?