Happy Birthday, Red!!!*

The stars were aligned my friends.

First, on Nov. 18, 909 people died at Jonestown. Then, on Nov. 27, a mayor and city supervisor were assassinated in San Francisco. And then finally, on Nov. 30, 1978 the biggest event of all came to pass … publication of The Times in England was suspended due to a labor dispute.*

And Red was BORN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That’s right guys, after much, much ado, its finally here. Red’s 30th birthday. She celebrated in high style last night, painting downtown San Diego well, red.

Please join me in wishing her a Happy Birthday today. This comes but once a year. (Though the 30th might happen every year from now on. You know how that goes).

* I'm pleased to announce this is Gingers is the Watchword's 500th post!!!

** Read more fun facts about 1978 here. You know you wanna ....

Countdown to 30: 1 Day

Tomorrow I turn 30 and thanks to my grandpa, I got my Mercedes:

Thanks, Grandpa!

You'll be glad to know, this dead horse is finally satisfactorily beaten and my aging will not be mentioned again.

Thanksgiving Nerd-gasm

Get the official lunch pail at Comic-Con '09. All the cool kids have them.

So I've been hacking a lot of comic book movies and such lately, and figured to share some news and info with the rest of you in the blogosphere as my stomach prepares for copius amounts of turkey and that random-ass green bean casserole...

First, if you haven't seen the second Watchmen trailer that came out with the latest James Bond flick, check it out here. Looks pretty dope, hopefully I can speed through the graphic novel before watching the actual film.

There's also a great link entitled "84 comics being made into movies." Most of these I have never heard of, but there are a few to take notice of. The one I'm personlly most excited about is The Goon, with Fight Club and Se7en director David Fincher taking the reigns. It's going to be animated, and will have a noir-ish, Prohibition Era vibe to it that should play out nicely on the big screen. Check out artist/writer Eric Powell's official Goon website for more background.

Guy Ritchie will also be at it again, this time directing a version of Sherlock Holmes, based partly on both the Doyle novels and DC comics' version of the character. Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson, 'nuff said. The film is slated for a 2009 release. If you can't wait until then, I recommend playing "Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened" for PC. I've been gaming it for a while now, and if you like puzzles and mysteries, it's a can't miss for twenty bucks. The "Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper" game should be a good one as well.

The one other project I'd like to bring to people's attention is the live-action version of the anime classic Ghost in the Shell. Although no word yet on who will direct and/or produce the feature, it was none other than Steven Spielberg himself that was responsible for purchasing the property and greenlighting it for production under the Dreamworks umbrella. Fans of the original have been waiting for this one, and if you haven't seen the original, make sure to Netflix or rent it.

So happy Thanksgiving everyone, and we'll leave you with a trailer of the movie that I'm looking forward toTHE MOST:

"He myspaced me..."

"Ouch"

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year, Red and I are thankful for all our readers and their awesome comments. Also, we're thankful for our God-given lack of work ethic that allows us to post during the weekday, guilt free. We might post sporadically over the next few days. If not, see you next week.

Have a nice holiday!

Scenes from Southern California

Date/Time: Nov. 25, 2008 9:04 p.m. PST
Place: Outside Winston's bar, Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA


RED and LIZ are exiting the bar. Simultaniously, they wipe something off their faces.


Red: Did you feel that?
Liz: Yeah, it was water. Where did that come from?


They both turn around, seeing nothing.


Red: I don't know. That's gross though.
Liz: Yeah, seriously! Well, my car is across the street.
Red: OK, see you later.
Liz: Drive safe.


While walking across the street, LIZ once again feels water on her face. Something dawns on her.


Liz: (Yelling across the street). You know what, Red? I think it's rain!
Red: Oh. Yeah. You're probably right.

Fin

Rant: HIMYM

Last night's episode of How I Met Your Mother, titled "The Naked Man," opened with Ted walking in on Robin's date totally naked on his couch. The date explained, in a last ditch effort to get laid, he'd decided to surprise Robin with his nudity in hopes she'd laugh and decide to sleep with him ("Works 2 out of 3 times," he claimed). With Robin, it worked (Note to men everywhere: This would never work). When Robin tells the gang she slept with the naked guy, Marshall deems her a slut. And he's not joking. She is called a slut at least 5 times throughout the episode. And she takes it...like it's the most normal thing in the world to have your friends call you a slut, repeatedly, to your face.

Now, HIMYM features Barney, perhaps the most sexually promiscuous character on TV. He's portrayed as a terrible womanizer, but he's funny and everyone loves him (really, if it weren't for Neil Patrick Harris as Barney, the show would have been canceled long ago). Robin is also pretty sexually promiscuous and it's never really been held up as a negative trait, until the episode last night. Basically, it's the old "Men who sleep around are studs while women who sleep around are sluts" double standard. And while the double standard is troubling, what really bothered me was just how freely they threw the word "slut" around. If some dude actually called me a slut without a hint of jest, I'd punch him in the face. There is malice in that word and I think it is unrealistic and even wrong of the show to pretend otherwise.

I know what you are thinking: Red. Get over it. It's a TV show...and a not very good one at that. And you're right, but like Ms. Norbury says, "you all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores" because it makes those words okay. And Ms. Norbury speaks the truth. Words hold more power than we'd like to think and we need to stop using them to attack women, especially for being sexual creatures...even on dumb TV shows.

That is all.

Quote of the Week

Dave's solution to the US automotive crisis:

"They should just switch the sign on Detroit from Abierto to Cerrado."

At the Movies: JCVD

Not to be out movie snobbed by East Coast elitists, yesterday I walked the 2 blocks to The Ken, the coolest/most obscure art house theater in San Diego (did I mention it's only 2 blocks from my house? Man, I'm cool!), to watch JCVD, the new movie about and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. In the film, the Muscles from Brussels is having a rough time. He's broke, losing custody of his daughter, and unable to find a decent movie in which to kick ass and take names because Steven Segal keeps stealing all the roles. When he gets mixed up in a post office robbery, life really begins to suck.

JCVD is like a distant cousin to Being John Malkovich, in that a famous actor plays himself for real and for parody. It's funny and sad, looks cool, and puts a new spin on the old heist plotline. Really though, the word to best describe the film is weird. Not like Spike Jonze weird, but weird because it's Belgian (and Belgian is basically like French and any decent film snob knows French = Weird) and weird because Van Damme is so damn (ha!) good. I've never seen Van Damme in anything other than the episode of Friends where Monica and Rachel flirt with him, but I never imagined he could actually act. I just thought he kicked people in the face a lot, but Jean-Claude is good in this film, heartbreaking even. I gained a new respect for him as an actor and as a person.

JCVD is not as funny as I expected or as original, but it is interesting to see someone with such a specific public persona turn that perception on it's head. Check out JCVD (if you can. It will probably be difficult to catch in theaters) and see a softer side of The Muscles.

Oh yeah. The movie is mostly in French. Deal.

See This: Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle has had one of the more eclectic directing careers I can think of. He’s taken us from the heroin dens of Edinburgh, to the zombie-infested streets of apocalyptic London to the surface of the sun, and no two have looked remotely alike.

In Slumdog Millionaire, he takes us to the sprawling slums of Mumbai, India for a third world fairy tale. It’s the story of a kid named Jamal who grew up in some of the direst poverty this earth has to offer. He ends up on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?", and shocks everyone by knowing a lot of answers. Over the course of the film, we learn how.

Because it’s a fairy tale – and it is - there’s a pretty girl, and plenty of big bad wolves along the way. Jamal’s rise out of the ghetto mirrors the rise of India itself (I came out of this movie not sure that it’s going to be the Chinese who take over the world from us in 15 years. India is a definite sleeper in this category) and there are more than a few growing pains. One of the better aspects of Slumdog Millionaire is that while it is uplifting, it doesn’t shy away from the harsher aspects of life. It isn’t City of God, but it’s not Annie either.

On a technical note, yes it takes place in India, but most of it’s in English. When there are subtitles, they’re written in a cool, un-subtitley way. So there, you’re out of excuses. Go see Slumdog Millionaire. (And, make sure you stay for the credits!!!)

Screw you, ABC!

[Insert lame pun about death here]

It turns out Gingers is the Watchword and our fabulous readers have even less clout than we thought, as our desperate pleas have gone unanswered: ABC has cancelled Pushing Daisies.

Word came down today that ABC has axed Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone (one of Red's personal favs which, I must admit, I never got into) and Dirty, Sexy, Money (another decent show which I now feel guilty about, because I used to watch it and, through no fault of the show, I stopped).

Dancing with the Stars, on the other hand, is still among the living. Ain't life grand?

Add This to Your Queue

I've been a movie watching machine lately. (I think I have SAD. Is it possible to get it even if the weather isn't bad and cloudy?) Here are some suggestions of things to watch or leave on the shelf, should you be looking to rent a movie this weekend:



See it ASAP

Lust, Caution - A Chinese language film, directed by Ang Lee and set in Japanese occupied Shanghai during WWII. It's got murder, intrigue, double-crossing and some pretty graphic sex scenes.

The Visitor - From the writer/director of The Station Agent, it's a film about loneliness and immigration. Sounds incredibly boring, right? It's not...it's really wonderful and may garner character actor Richard Jenkins some serious award consideration. One of the best movies I've seen all year.

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid - An older Steve Martin movie, it's a parody of old Hollywood detective films. Scenes of Martin and his co-star, Rachel Ward, are spliced with actual old film noir movies. So, the cast includes Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep and Ingrid Bergman in Notorious. It's really a genius idea and the results are pretty damn funny. I can't believe it took me so long to watch it.

See it if all other options have been exhausted

Nightwatch - Ewan McGregor is a law student who takes a night job in a morgue. Josh Brolin co-stars as his weird ass best friend. Bonus points for a pre-Lorelei Gilmore Lauren Graham.

Velvet Goldmine - A psuedo-send-up of David Bowie starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ewan McGregor (what can I say? I'm on a Ewan kick...always), Toni Collette and Christian Bale.

Skip it
Leatherheads - George Clooney went from directing Good Night and Good Luck to this? Seriously? It's entertaining enough (and I'd watch John Krasinski brush his teeth and still heart him), but Renee Zelwegger is seriously miscast and it just not very funny.

Meatballs - Bill Murray goes to camp. I didn't even finish watching it.

Hope that helps get you through the weekend if, like, me your weekend includes avoiding human interaction at all costs.

Top 5: Celebrity Crushes Who RIP

In my quest to inform you of every person I've ever found attractive, ever, I now bring you my top 5 crushes who are no longer of this earth:

1. Marlon Brando - So, Marlon let himself go there near the end, but no one was more gorgeous as a young man. I mean, c'mon. Streetcar! The Wild Bunch! On the Waterfront! Gor-geous. He also basically revolutionized acting and took it from that weird, over the top and forced way of speaking of people like Humphrey Bogart and created real and relatable performances and characters. He had me at: Guys and Dolls

2. Gene Kelly - There's nothing better than a man who can dance and sing really, really well. He had me at: Singin' in the Rain

3. Paul Newman - I actually had this post idea in my brain for awhile now, but then Paul Newman passed away and I felt tacky lusting after him. I got over it in time. I thought Paul was a good-looking older gentleman (those blue eyes were just insane), but when I saw him as a strapping young lad, well, there are no words. He had me at: Cool Hand Luke

4. Clark Gable - Most people pick Cary Grant from this era of Hollywood dreamboats, but I like to mix things up with Clark. Maybe because he played jerks; maybe because he put up with Scarlett O'Hara with aplomb. I don't know what it is, but I like it. He had me at: Gone With the Wind

5. Gregory Peck - Greg (he likes me to call him Greg) played one of my favorite characters in all of literature, Atticus Finch (True confession: To Kill a Mockingbird and All the Pretty Horses were the only required novels I ever actually finished in high school), but it wasn't until I recently watched Roman Holiday that I realized how dreamy he really is...and so tall! *sigh* He had me at: Roman Holiday

Your turn. Which stars of yesteryear make you think, They don't make 'em like they used to?

Sorry, Cary. You just don't do it for me. Jimmy, you were thisclose to making the cut.

Trailer Park: Harry Potter 6

Finally, a full length trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

It actually looks funnier than I expected (considering some serious business goes down in this 6th installment of the series). I personally can't wait to see it!

Things I Don't Understand: Vol. 2

When I previously wrote about the things I don't understand, I mentioned my radio's love for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Now, I must ask about another band which is always harassing me on the radio. Does anyone still like No Doubt? Seriously, are there people out there who can't wait to get their daily fix of "Spiderwebs" or "Underneath it All" and drive home hoping Gwen and the boys will serenade them all the way to their final destination? To be fair, though, I'm usually shocked to learn people ever liked No Doubt at all. Their popularity is one of life's great mysteries.

Also, why are Americans on the Amazing Race so damned annoying? This week, the racers found themselves in Kazakhstan (which, of course, they only knew existed because of Borat). Dan, a frat boy from ASU, was horrified when the Kazakhstani people did not rush to his side to give him help and directions. Uh, newsflash, moron: These people don't speak English! The reason they flee from you in terror is because you are a scary man yelling at them in a language they don't understand, dummy.

Dan, you are a prick. Drew, I secretly like you and your red Jew-fro.

And, who gave the okay to start celebrating Christmas on November 1? I'm really beginning to loathe the gift giving aspect of Christmas. I never know what to buy anyone and I resent the consumer society forcing me to start thinking about others before Thanksgiving (or, more importantly, my birthday) even arrives. There is hope, however. Yesterday, at the mall, I saw Nordstrom is refusing to annoy people and have instead blacked out their windows and posted a sign that says something like, "We believe in one holiday at a time so we won't be decorating for Christmas until Nov. 28th. Happy Thanksgiving." Thank you, Mr. Nordstrom. You are a gentleman and a scholar and you, sir, have my respect.

Finally, is blogging still cool? Friday night, I met a guy who went on and on about his blog (which he posts on Facebook, by the way, so it doesn't even really count) like he was the hero of the universe for comparing Californication to Sex and the City. I didn't mention that I, too, wrote on a weblog from time to time because I already know I'm the hero of the universe. Most surprising was how impressed the girl I was with found this information. Seriously, 50,000 blogs are created every day, none of them very interesting (present company excluded, obvs), and none of them will get me to make out with you.

Can you explain any of these things to me?

Update: I found a picture of the Nordstrom sign from last year. It's exactly the same this year, but with the correct date. Told you I'm not a liar...well, not about that anyway.

All My Single Ladies

Damn you Beyonce and your catchy dance tunes!



If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it.

The fine art of avoidance

With the economy being bad (have you heard about that?) a lot of us might not have enough money to pay important bills like rent, electricity and Netflix. If you find yourself getting hunted by creditors like a common quail, you might think about taking a page out of this guy's playbook.

(His bill collector didn't really go for it, but I think it's clear she missed an opportunity. It could easily work on someone with a more refined eye).

I know this probably isn't real, but it's still hilarious. Thanks to reader Sharon for bringing it our attention.

It's The Final Countdown

Are you ready, people? I turn 30 in two weeks. Two! Weeks! (November 30th. Mark your calendar). I've already sent out the Evite for my party and bought a new dress. I've booked a room at a super cool new hotel in downtown San Diego and I've lined up two potential boys to give me a birthday kiss. All that's left is for you to get working on your gift to me. I'm not asking for much. A token, really, a trifle! I'd like you all to pool your cash and buy me a new Mercedes. I know you're probably thinking, "Um, yeah. That will happen when Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie become BFFs" but really, I don't think I'm asking a lot here. Think of all the joy I bring you every most some days of the week! I don't think a $500,000 car is asking too much. Some people have already offered to send me birthday cards...with stickers! I can't wait, but really. The Mercedes. Get on that immediately.

Or maybe, if we all ask very nicely, McGone will draw me a picture? Pretty please, McGone?

So, there are your choices: Mercedes or picture from McGone. I'll let you all sort it out.

And here we thought we were making progress

Oh LiLo, it's been too long.

Our old friend/hot tranny mess Lindsay Lohan is back in the news, congratulating Barack Obama on becoming our "first colored President."

Sigh. I guess it's too steps forward, one step back - for all parties involved.

Sometimes there's so much drama in the world, I feel like I can't take it.

The Return of The Colicchio

Tonight is the premiere of the 5th season of Top Chef. This year, the aspiring champions will compete in NYC (because, Lord knows, that city doesn't get enough attention. NYC is like an incredibly hot girl in a bar. Sure, she's gorgeous and cultured and her huge rack is all real, but do I really have to hear about her all night long?), where I guess they make some pretty good food sometimes.

As I did last season, I'm gonna pick the winner before watching an episode. This season I'm backing Richard to win it all. My reasoning is threefold: First, he lives and works in San Diego (at the fancy downtown restaurant Confidential, where all the cool kids hang out (i.e. I've never been there)). Two, he's big and tall and kinda dreamy. And thirdly, he bartends on the side at SD's most famous bear bar, Pecs (Note to self: do not Google "gay" and "bear" at work).

So, tune in tonight to see if Richard wins it all or is asked to pack his knives and go. Go, San Diego! Suck it, NYC!

Happy (?) Veteran's Day

Like Good Friday, Yom Kippur and Lincoln's Birthday, Veteran's Day is one of those holidays where I'm never quite sure how to greet people. Should one say, "Happy Veteran's Day" when the day is designed to honor people who died? Also, can it really be "happy" when so many offices like mine won't let their employees properly honor our veterans by giving us the day off? I swear I would have watched a wreath laying ceremony on TV, boss!

For those of you stuck at work like me, here are some things you can read to pass the time. This one is cute, this one is depressing. Take your pick.

Also, if you're really in an honoring kind of mood, you can go to Starbucks and buy a pound of coffee that will be shipped to troops overseas. Because nothing says "America" to our troops abroad like a cup of Sumatran Gold Blend. I don't have details on this, but I saw it at a local 'bucks.

And for those of you who did get today off. Well ....

For the child in all of us

In addition to America, public libraries and The Cars, Massachusetts has just given you something great.

Boston Beer Co., the company that makes Sam Adams beer, announced that it's making a chocolate dessert beer just in time for the holidays. My first thought was, “Yummo!” My second thought was, “Wait, could that be gross?” My third thought was, “Beer and chocolate joining forces can only be for the good of mankind.” My fourth thought was, “Why is it Monday? I want to party now!” And then I fell asleep at my desk.

Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock will apparently be on the shelves throughout the holiday season.

Save Our (well, my) Shows

As television mid-season approaches, some good TV shows are on the chopping block. Since we all know my life revolves around my television, I'd be heartbroken to lose touch with these characters. Won't you please tune in to save these shows from certain death?
Life Wed. 9pm NBC - Ginger Damien Lewis plays detective Charlie Crews, wrongly imprisoned for 12 years and now back on the job, with his sexy and sassy partner, solving crimes in LA while trying to find out who really committed the crime for which he was convicted. This season has Donal Logue as the hilariously inappropriate police chief. While Life has been granted a full season, it's, well, life beyond that is rather uncertain. The future is in your hands.

Life on Mars Thurs. 10pm ABC - I loved the BBC version and I've been obsessed with the US remake since they announced it's inception. While not as amazing as the UK version, the remake has a super dreamy hero, cast members from more HBO shows than you can shake a stick at, and Harvey Keitel...who's less terrible than I'd predicted. Yeah, it's another cop show, but it takes place in the 70's! People dressed funny back then!

Eli Stone Tues. 10pm ABC - While I haven't been as interested this season (mainly because there haven't been as many musical numbers or George Michael appearances), it's still a good lawyer show (though, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I wish they'd get a bit more Ally McBeal-y). Jonny Lee Miller really makes the show (all these shows star either English or Irish men. Are there no decent American actors anymore? (also, why can't the Republic of Ireland just submit to English rule? This sentence would work much better if I could just say they were all from the UK.)) Anyway, um, yeah. Please watch Eli Stone. Garney also wants you to.

Pushing Daisies Wed. 8pm ABC - One of the cleverest, most charming shows in ages, and no one is watching. It looks fresh, has smart, snappy dialogue, an interesting premise (man can bring things back from the dead, but must re-kill them within 1 minute or something else dies) and stars a homegrown American boy! Yee-freaking-ha!

I'd like to add 90210 to this list, but I'll be okay if it gets canceled (really, I should stop watching it and reclaim my self-respect, but I lost that long ago and it's too much effort to find it again). Please, please, please start watching at least one of these shows. I'll be forever in your debt...or in your debt until these shows start sucking and I pray for their cancellation myself.

And Now for Something Not Completely Useless

MeetWays is a website where you can enter 2 locations and receive a location in the middle to meet up. For example, if I wanted to find a bar between Dave's place in the Bay Area and my place in SD, I'd discover the middle ground would be somewhere outside of Bakersfield. Yay. Bakersfield (so, maybe this would work better for people in the same general geographic area). Really, this would be most helpful for people in a long distance relationship. "Hey, Chicago boyfriend. Let's meet in Las Animas, Colorado for some fun! Ahh yeah." Or maybe you can think of better uses.

Another Award? You Shouldn't Have!

The lovely (and redheaded) MelO over at It's just easier that way... gave us the much coveted "I Love Your Blog" award. I know you're all thinking, "You haven't won that yet? How is that even possible?!" but I assure you, dear readers, this is the first time someone has said, in public, that they love our blog (well, apart from all those other times people said it).

Rather than following the prescribed rules and passing the award along willy nilly (because breaking rules and saying ridiculous things like "willy nilly" is how I roll), I decided to remake it into something you may care about and perhaps even comment upon (because, like all bloggers, I love comments more than a fat kid loves cake and seriously, fat kids love the hell out of some cake). So, yeah. Taking a page from Liz's hugely successful "Guess who's coming to dinner" post, I'm asking, Which 5 bloggers and/or internet personalities would you like to meet out for drinks? My list:

Falwless - Fal was the first commenter none of us actually knew. Always hilarious, Liz and I have kinda developed an obession about meeting her. Someday she will visit. Oh, yes. It will happen. Mark my words, or something.

BeckEye - I imagine if Fal, BeckEye and I all got together, it would spell some serious trouble, and there are few things I love more than some good ol' fashioned trouble.

The Fug Girls - Again, hilarious, good-time girls. This is apparently turning into a girls night out. Sorry, fellas.

The Other Red - Because, as I always say, the more redheads in one room at the same time, the better. Seriously, I say that at least 5 times a day. People usually just look at me like I'm insane, but what do they know? Dummies!

The Guv - I'd love to grab a pint with the Guv, although, she'd probably eat all that proverbial fat kid's cake. Screw that kid! He should definately cut back anyway.

(By the way, MelO is obviously invited as well because she gave us the lovely award and whatnot.)
You all win the I Love Your Blog award (which I'm sure you've all won before), but more importantly, you have won the opportunity to post your answers to the question in the comments section! Congrats! Other people not cool enough to have drinks with the ladies, you can comment, too. You are all so very welcome.

The unbearable lightness of winning

This is going to come as a shock to you all, but I voted for Barack Obama yesterday. And I was really psyched when he won last night, not only because I like a lot of his ideas, but also because I was previously 0 for 2 in presidential voting. I’d never seen “my guy” win before.

But around the time the TV called Ohio, making it pretty clear that Obama would win, I felt a sudden weight on my shoulders. And it dawned on me: I’d lost the excuse I’d been using for the past eight years. From now on, when the President does something stupid, I can't say, “Hey, I didn’t vote for him.

And that’s a little scary. I’ve grown accustomed to being a malcontent who grouses about the government guilt free because I always vote for losers. Now I’m a winner and I’m not sure how to wear it. Maybe some of our Republican readers can give me pointers. Wait, do we have any Republican readers? If nothing else, I guess I can fall back on the fact that I voted for Hilary Clinton in the primaries.

So congratulations President-elect Obama! Please don’t make any major mistakes that make me look stupid. (…or that, you know, ruin the country or something. Of course).

Duuuuude...

We have a black president!!!!
I may or may not have had a lot of celebratory champagne this evening. It's all Liz's fault either way.

Top 6: Election Day movies

It’s a rainy Election Day here in Southern California (I know!), and I hear there’s more of the same around the country. So before or after you cast your vote, curl up on the couch with one of these great flicks:

Primary Colors – Oh, Slick Willy, what a time we had. Bill Clinton circa 1992 is the obvious inspiration for this movie about a long-shot candidate for president who has a brilliant political mind and a genuine love for average folks, but is somewhat lacking in the moral compass department. Kathy Bates is at her Kathy Batesian best as a campaign aid.

The Candidate – Robert Redford and the late, great Peter Boyle star in this one about a young lawyer who agrees to run for the Senate only after being guaranteed he’ll lose. His campaign ends up doing surprisingly well, and his personal scruples go accordingly down the drain.

Bulworth – Warren Beatty discovers his inner brotha and saves the world. Or something. It's actually been ages since I’ve seen this, but I remember liking it. And Halle Berry is hottt.

Election – When you think of Reese Witherspoon today, the term “black comedy” doesn’t usually come to mind. But the movie that in many ways launched her career is one of the most bitingly funny films of the last ten years. Set around a high school election on Omaha, Neb., Witherspoon is phenomenal as the scary-ambitious Tracy Flick, and Matthew Broderick is hilarious as the nice-guy teacher trying to take her down. Online magazine Slate even managed to find some similarities between this movie and the 2008 race.

All the President’s Men – Robert Redford makes the list again (he really is dreamy in these ‘70s era films) in this movie about Watergate from the perspective of Woodward and Bernstein. Sometimes its fun to remember a time when the press did more than point out which politicians wore flag pins.

Dave – Kevin Klein plays a guy who looks exactly like the President, and gets called in for imposter duty when the real President has a stroke. Far fetched? Hell yes. Entertaining in that timeless, Prince and Pauper kind of way? Of course. I especially love Klein’s scenes with Sigourney Weaver’s first lady character.

Don’t forget to vote ya’ll! Remember, it’s about the kids.

Newsflash: It's Election Day!

I don't know if you've heard, but today is Election Day in the USA. No, really. It is! Because I am amazing, I voted on my way into work. I filled out a real paper ballot and everything (no faulty electronic voting machine in my awesome neighborhood!). They say it doesn't matter who you vote for as long as you vote, but we all know that's crap. You should vote based on your age. Winston Churchill said, "Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains." So, basically, everyone reading this should vote for Obama or you are disproving Winston Churchill and we all know he was smarter than anyone, ever (mainly because we share a birthday on Nov. 30th. Have I mentioned lately I'm turning 30 at the end of the month? I haven't? Email me and I'll send you the address where all presents can be sent).

In California, we also have The Big Gay Marriage Proposition. The Supreme Court of Cali decided months ago to legalize gay marriage and now all the (mainly) religious folks are trying to overturn that decision. These people make me angry. Mostly because when I officially give up on men, I'd like to know I'll have the full legal rights and benefits of the straights. It's all about me, doncha know.

So get out and vote for Obama or you have no heart. I'm just saying.

Tom Morello, still fuckin shredding

So I e-mailed my co-bloggers about a show I went to at the Fillmore Auditorium in Frisco this past Saturday. Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello has a new project entitled "The Nightwatchman," which leans heavily on American Folk acoustica, but with equal parts signature electric guitar wizardry that Morello is known for.

This was the first performance for the upcoming Nightwatchman album entitled The Fabled City and from the live material it sounds amazing. Here's a song he performed, a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Ghost of Tom Joad." It sounds amazing, and you just had to see his fingers play the guitar up close, fucking rediculous:



Also keep an eye out for Morello's other upcoming project, "Steet Sweepers", a collaboration with Oakland-based rapper Boots Riley from The Coup.

This (mostly) Just In...

Happy Monday, friends. I hope you have recovered from your weekend sugar coma. Here's some stuff I came across recently:
A Fame Movie Remake - I think I speak for theater geeks everywhere when I say, "Yesssss!!!!!"

JustInCaseIDie.com - Say you are headed off on safari to Africa and there is a possibility you'll be eaten by lions before you return. At JustInCaseIDie.com, you can compose emails to send to loved ones to say, "The safe code is 24601" or enemies to say, "You smell and I've always hated your guts" which will be sent after a predetermined time. Should you survive, you simply log in and cancel the emails. This. Is. Genius!

Mamma Mia to become #1 film of all time in UK - See! I'm not the only person who watched it! For all the awesome things the Brits create, they really have shitty taste in movies sometimes.

Soup Kitchen for the Dogs - Recently opened in Berlin, this soup kitchen feeds hungry dogs of homeless people. Now, you don't have to give a homeless dude money because you really feel sorry for his dog...well, not if you're in Germany anyway.

Jon Hamm on 30 Rock - Apparently, Don Draper is in talks to guest star on the funniest show on TV as a love interest for Liz Lemon. Will he be dreamier than Floyd? There are no words to express my excitement!

Like I'd pass up an opportunity to post a picture of Jon Hamm.