GETTING BEHIND SOMETHING GOOD

To me campaigns in crowdfunding sites are a clear example of people going after their dreams, and being the kind of person that chases his dreams I like to get behind people whenever I can. While perusing my social media platform of choice (Facebook) I came across a bit of interesting news. Daresha Kyi, a friend, co worker, and mentor of mine started a campaign on indiegogo.com. Daresha is someone that I hold in high esteem because she really taught me a lot when we worked together on a major television show where she served as Story Producer. 

Curious and eager to help in any way I immediately went to the indiegogo site in order to learn more 

about her campaign. The campaign's purpose is to raise funds for her and her partner Kedar's baby known as TRU IMIJ ARTWORK. It was refreshing to see a campaign about something other than the next great flick. As I read on about the purpose of the campaign I began to realize that this was about more than just raising funds to create a viable business, it is about raising funds to help make the world better through the universal language of art. 

Rather than talk about it in my words I'd rather quote some of the words of Kedar, Daresha's partner and the talented artist whose work is the powerful engine behind this project. Kedar states that "As someone with a speech impediment who was unable to read until I was an adult (because no one knew what dyslexia was or how to treat it when I was a child), art has always helped me express my thoughts and dreams. Whenever words failed me, art saved me." Seeing that completely changed my outlook and took me from wanting to help a friend to wanting to help a far greater cause. I read on and noticed the following statement: "Once we're up and running, we intend to donate 15% of our profits to an established charity, such as charitywater.org which provides sustainable clean water and sanitation to people in developing countries. As our sales increase our goal is to eventually donate as much as 40% of our profits to various charities."

I knew this project was special and I knew that it was about more than just making money, but the making a difference part was cemented with the above statement about donating to various charities. We live in a society where we rarely think about benefitting others through our gifts, so this was something that I saw as both touching and admirable. I'm writing this entry in order to solicit support for this campaign.

I want to urge everyone that reads this to go to the indiegogo.com site and read the story behind TRU IMIJ ARTWORK. Support is anything from helping out with a small donation to sharing the campaign link on your social media. I want close by saying that it's campaigns like this, with the goal of helping others far more than ourselves, that ultimately give the greatest amount of satisfaction. 

WHAT'S GOING ON?

It's been a while since I was on here. I left simply because after a lengthy period of writing you get the feeling that the cycle the world moves in is too damn repetitive to matter. I thought about this for a while and realized that even a repetitive cycle is fun to write about in a few different ways. There are things out there from the hateful Justing Bieber, to Obama, to that stinking shit fucker Oscar " I killed my Hot Girl and Got Away with it" Pistorious. Let's see what I can really get into.

FUCK DR. OZ........HARD

I have no respect for Dr. Oz and I never will. I'm not a Dr. but I am the son of a Physician that was the very embodiment of the Hippocratic oath. As a child I remember my father looking upon diet foods and crash weight loss products in a less than favorable manner. This idiot recommends every available product that's willing to pay him a hefty fee for valuable real estate in his show. He was grilled on the floor of congress and basically engaged in self contradictory statements and made himself look like a fool. Fuck you Oz you are not the wizard you want people to think you are.

If you want advice go to a Doctor that's willing to tell you the good and the bad in several areas. Stay away from the Physician featured in  The Canterbury Tales.

WHAT I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE WRITING ABOUT.......TODAY

Chances are you are expecting some diatribe with facts and what have you, that's not happening. I'm giving you a top ten, make what you will and enjoy it.

1. Obama
2. Death
3. Kim Kardashian
4. Kanye West
5. Religious Wars
6. Iraq
7. The Economy 
8. Tulips
9. The OJ Trial
10. Hostage exchanges

Have a great Saturday!

TO BE AN EXTREMIST IS TO BE AN IDIOT

I don't care for extremists, they really piss me off. I can have a disagreement with a person but I don't have to insult that person as a result of our disagreement. I was called a drone today as a result of an extremist's view being totally opposite of my own. I like to consider myself a moderate individual but if there's anything I hate more than a jackass it's an extremist.

THIS IS GREAT IF YOU LACK THE ESSENTIALS

If you lack charisma, talent, and magnetism, you should consider a career in public access television. I think public access is a great way to showcase the boring, unbelievably dull members of society. Every time I watch a minute of public access I feel like my life would be improved through the practice of chain smoking.

Part of my reason for saying this is the fact that I've noticed that public access not only gives the talentless an opportunity but it also makes them far more self righteous and arrogant than they should be. I once met the host of one of those shows and I thought the guy was a total asshole, I called him fat man, yes I was a kid. The man was host of a local drawing show for kids. I remember it like it was yesterday that the dude was eating escargot like it was going out of style. I think the fucker is dead now, as a consequence of being alive.

At any rate I say let's do the right thing and piss on the cars of public access stars.

IF IT ISN'T IN PERSPECTIVE YET, LET'S TAKE IT THERE

I once heard a mind blowing stat that by the end of my high school years I would have watched close to 17,000 hours of television. To me that stat was a clear example that life was somewhat trivial. I thought " What the fuck man?" I was 17 when I heard this and honestly I had no clue.

What I have realizing  is that TV has an incredible amount of power, the power to change life as we know it and society as we see it. Let's put it into a serious perspective here. When FDR died it was a couple of days before the country was completely aware of that fact. When JFK was assassinated it was around in the same day.

Television the medium that gave us Watergate and the eventual fall of a president. Yes, today television gives us a lot of shit that's come around as the result of praise lavished upon the mediocre. Television began the quest of making the world a smaller place, social media has made it an art, but television started it. To put it in perspective, what was once an invention that served as a form of entertainment is today the tool that brought the world together.

It's television that gives us a little to talk about in the water cooler, something to argue about with politics, and the things that bring us together.

REMEMBER THOSE SHOWS?

I used to cherish the moments spent with family watching television shows. For some reason I don't quite understand my favorite shows usually revolved around unlikely hero figures. In my list of favorite shows were the following:

• JJ Starbuck 
• The Master
• Father Murphy
• Automan 

What these shows have in common is the fact that they were short lived series for the most part. JJ Starbuck was a vehicle for the aging Dale Robertson. The show was about an eccentric billionaire trying to solve crimes that were meticulously committed. Even with some good guest stars the show itself only had a single season run spanning a total of 13 episodes. The Master was similar to JJ in that the main character was an aging badass. 

Lee Van Cleef was the star of The Master, which was contemporary to the popular A Team. The premise of the series was an old ninja master (Van Cleef was 58) that gets into super cool ninja adventures with his young protege, Max. I found the fact that an old California guy would be a ninja master simply fascinating. 

I thought the best part of The Master was Van Cleef himself. My step dad would tell me about Van Cleef's work in westerns so I felt like I knew the guy. There's Father Murphy, a Michael Landon production that only ran a couple of seasons starring Merlin Olsen as the tittle character. 

I liked Father Murphy because it really tried to teach people about values while applying a historical context. The show centered on giving orphaned children some protection while prospecting in the old west. The show was slow in terms of pace and it wasn't much for action but it was interesting to look at. In part Father Murphy was the end of an era, as its cancellation, along with Little House in the Prairie signaled the end of western themed series on television. 

Yes, Father Murphy was good but the best, in my young eyes, was Automan. 

The series Automan was particularly high on camp but incredibly ambitious for its time. The series also ran during the 1983-84 season and aired 12 episodes. The series was about a nerdy computer whiz by the name of Walter Nebicher that creates a hologram able to leave the computer and fight crime. The thing that made the show great was not the stories so much as the visual appeal. The show took a lot of its visuals from the film Tron. The car was a souped up Lamborghini Countach, conditioned to look like a futuristic car. The series was produced by Glenn Larson, whom at that time was on a major hot streak with shows such as Fall Guy. 

That time was a time when shows were being cranked out in order to really entertain people. Since that point we've really lost that in television. Right now television is a bastion for imbeciles whose poor choices make them reality stars. Perhaps there will be a return to the glory days, when the audience actually mattered to some extent. 

THANKSGIVING SURVIVAL 101

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday when you are a guest, when you are the host the situation is a bit different. Often times you have to stress over the turkey, aunt June will bring her hideous casserole, and the kids will make a horrible mess on their new thanksgiving themed turkey sweaters. In short thanksgiving is a hosting nightmare. I will cover the following topics: 

• Television
• Air conditioning
• Health
• Cleanliness
• The house pet
• The desired end result

All of this advice comes from one thanksgiving I had back in 1989 where I witnessed the start of a small national conflict. I recall the gathering was being hosted at an unusual place by people in the family whom I was not so acquainted with. In the end there were headaches, lost dogs, and hurt feelings, bless the memories. I can remeber the battle that ensued when the dog got out during a discussion about the George Bush administration.

I have taken the liberty to go ahead and give you a few tips on how to survive hosting a thanksgiving dinner. The first tip is to make sure that you have two TV sets, a large one with football on and a smaller one with the parades for the elderly. My next piece of advice is to keep the air on because if you don't there's a good chance your home will turn into a sauna. I would advice keeping some aspirin handy in order to deal with the pulsating headaches that you'll get as a result of the arguments that are sure to erupt over politics and religion.

On the cleanliness end I would advice you to use themed paper plates and plastic utensils, it seems that the messes created in thanksgiving are something else and no one is likely to aid you in the task of cleaning up. I would also say, make sure that your pets are secured because with the constant opening and closing of the doors there is sure to be an opportunity for Rusty the curious Chihuahua to step out for a sabbatical of sorts.

My last piece of advice on how to survive hosting a thanksgiving dinner is not to lose track of the occasion and have fun. Thanksgiving is a day for family; it celebrates the idea of togetherness. Make sure you really give thanks for your elders, your dog, the cranberries, themed sweaters and horrible casserole; because you never know when that will all go away.

THE POLITICS OF LIFE

Politics is a nasty word with controversial connotations. When you think politics you think democrat vs. republican and extreme positions colliding. Politics is also a word applicable to life. It's amazing how people with ego driven agendas employ politics. Politics are a nasty business whether you make money off them or not.

I have found myself situations where politics rule and very often they make me smile. To me politics are the lowest common denominator in life. People use politics as a way to stand above and over others, it's almost like politics are a way to point a finger that spews salt into open wounds. I hate politics and more than hate tapioca pudding, and I really hate tapioca pudding.

In short this entry is my rant against a nasty practice and behavior. I hate politics but it seems like politics are necessary in this life, like the ying to the yang, good to evil, some sort of bullshit like that. In short it's my way of saying fuck politics.

THE CROWDED MARKETS

As a child I used to love watching Japanese animation cartoons. I was a fan of Astroboy, Voltron, and many others. I later began to watch the films like Akira which were absolutely breath taking. I remember the Sci Fi channel used to play them every Saturday morning, making Sci Fi destination television. Somewhere along the way Japanese animation became a part of the American landscape and 99 out of 100 shows were some Japanese animation transplant like Beyblade, or Pokemon. 

I don't mind that these shows are so popular I just mind that they lack strong stories. I was learning about death, loyalty, and teamwork with shows like Voltron. I think that kids don't really appreciate or understand the idea of a strong story, partly because it's not on their immediate radar as compared to all the bright colors and cool robots.

I guess it's a sign of my times that now I see things the way my parents saw them when I was a youngster. Perhaps my views will change and I'll learn to appreciate the market saturation, but for the time being I won't.

ONE IS OLD AND HORNY, THE OTHER IS STUPID AND ALSO HORNY............I SMELL SERIES

I guess Suzanne Somers is a horny lady and that's a good thing. Suzanne stated that she has sex two to three times a day. I think it's wonderful that Suzanne likes sex at age 66. Sex is a wonderful thing and if people had more sex there would be much less war. After her revelation that she loves to give tang to her husband she proceeded to slam Miley Cyrus' claim that sex dies after 40.

What kind of pisses me off about this is that Miley Cyrus is a dumb little whore that knows nothing about life and has no business talking about sex after 40. If Miley is giving it up to anyone that will take it and loving it, that's her business. Where I'm angry at Suzanne Summers is that statement of " I admire what she's doing."

What is it that Suzanne admires? The overly blatant use of sexuality just so that she can get some attention? I'm not really sure that particular trait has any admirability. The fact of the matter is Miley Cyrus can sing and she has an abundance of talent that doesn't call for her to show everyone how well she can accommodate a penis. Miley gets blasted by names like Annie Lennox and Sinead O'Connor because her talent is being obscured by her prostitute like demeanor.

I think Miley and Suzanne should do a series where they........never mind, too easy.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

So I have seen two episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I have to say I dig it. I think that the formula for a comic based series is really there. With the long run of Smallville and the apparent good reception of Arrow it seems like there's a new age for comic book stories in television. It doesn't help when people like Jim Steranko, the Warhol of Marvel, say that the stories are weak. Comic books have a broad base of material to chose from.

Marvel has a lot that they can incorporate but it does help to create certain characters, like they did with Firestar in the 1980 Spiderman and his Amazing Friends cartoon. I love the fact that they brought in Samuel L. Jackson and that they use foreshadowing as a tool to broaden interest. It may be a long time before they decide to hype up interest by attempting to bring in faces such as Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo for cameos.

I think the show deserves a chance because honestly it's one of the few good shows on TV, where entertaining the audience with a plausible continuing story is important.

HASHTAG, POUND SIGN, NUMBER SIGN, TIC TAC TOE, LINES SQUARED

I was watching the Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon hashtag skit and laughing and suddenly I realized that jackassery has run away with society. If you are wondering what I mean, please allow me to elaborate. The number sign has evolved into a way for people to state what their feelings are without actually taking the time to write an articulate sentence. I get it, I think it's cool that we want to be less complicated as a society but # FUCK.

If you want to say you are happy in writing I have a perfect solution and that is writing " I'm happy today" as opposed to # Happy, # Got laid Friday, # Sexomatic. People have actually take to using words that do not exist through the use of the tic tac toe board. I am impressed about one thing though and that is the versatility of this symbol.

Prince, an all time great, was once known as a symbol and yet his symbol did not really last. I think that maybe Prince should have called himself Hashtag, or the currently #Prince, maybe prince would still be selling Purple Rain numbers. I want to pin the use of the hash on every dried up bitch of a high school english teacher # Old Whore, # Killed Shakespeare, # Got the pension.

I remember that abbreviation in writing was a no no back in the day, the problem was that when it happened we were chastised and ridiculed. Now everyone uses the hashtag, I wonder if in the future the hashtag will become a part of # grammar. I think this epidemic, trend, or whatever the fuck it is, may well be a conspiracy between trekkies, and other # never got laid fanboys, to start some sort of space language. I wonder how exactly we would express love with the hashtag in terms of love.

I just don't subscribe # out of touch, # I don't really give a fuck, # hash is a hell of a drug, # hash is in a brownie too motherfucker.

JUMPING THE SHARK

I have often heard the "Jumping the Shark" idiom used in a negative light. When a person talks about jumping the shark they refer to a specific moment when quality is sacrificed and what could have been great pretty much turns into self parody. So where did this come from? The shark jumping reference refers to the Happy Days episode where the Fonz decided to literally jump a shark on water skis. What made this a landmark moment was the fact that Happy Days would never be the same after.

To me it's fair to say that people jump the shark when they go overboard thinking that extreme decisions and outlandish actions will improve an idea or existing formula. To me jumping the shark is like driving a car in a foreign country, you just don't do that shit. I think we al jump the shark every day in some respect, even if it's just in terms of things we think or say.

My advice is simple, remember the Fonz and try not to jump the shark.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MORNING

It's  morning on a Saturday and I'm feeling pretty good. I have made the decision to use today as a sort of journal day. The news are depressing, uninteresting and frankly they just piss me off. Why talk about reality television, murders, and politics when you can look out a window and catch a lovely view of the sun. I think politics were designed for conversation more than anything else, and I don't like to talk quite as much as I like to write. It's funny how sometimes life is so disappointing in terms of what you see in the mediums that you find yourself getting re-aqcuainted with nature and what have you. Perhaps today will be a day of discovery, and then again I will probably comeback and shoot bullets at everything I dislike.

MY FIRST BRUSH WITH INSANITY

You ever have a brush with insanity? I remember when I first met this particular aide of the mind. I was about 6 years old, the year was 1985. I use to love to watch cartoons on Sunday mornings. I was a morning person and the youngest in my home, so being up early was almost a requirement. I was really heavy into action cartoons but I had a soft spot for Warner Brothers classics. I remember one Sunday morning in 1985 very well because what I saw gave me the feeling that it was okay to think beyond normal, and into the insane.

The cartoon I saw was called Porky in Wackyland, that cartoon was a gem of insanity that saw Porky fly into some sort of crazy world in search of the one and only Do Do. I thought this was some cutting edge stuff. This world known as Wackyland was the first visual psychedelic world that was visual to society. This short was crafted in 1938 and it became something of a hit, with children and parents. The thing is that this cartoon was a serious step into surrealism.

Surrealism, to me, is something of a state of insanity. Visually speaking this cartoon was a trip to insanity for me. I did not understand this cartoon and I hated the fact that it had no anvils, pianos, that it had cartoony qualities whatsoever. Weeks later I would see things in clouds and come up with stories about the world in general. I was an oddball of sort because I could see more than He Man or other trendy characters.

I wondered if I was crazy for feeling this way, but I realized years later that I was not crazy. This cartoon introduced me to insanity, a friend and aide. When it's properly controlled and reigned in, insanity is a special friend. Thanks Porky, I owe you for that special day.

BEHIND THE CANDELABRA

I watched the Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra and I have to admit I was impressed. I was never a big fan of Liberace because I thought he was for old ladies. I remember one of his big selling points was the fact that he was a "confirmed" bachelor and good son. I remember that my grandmother was a huge fan of his. I would constantly hear of his prowess at the piano and his showmanship. Liberace's homosexuality was one of those thinly disguised secrets that you knew was true but was skirted in order to respect his privacy and the old school " keep it in the closet" mentality.

What really stuck out for me was the insinuation that Liberace actually felt liberated after his mother's death. Liberace was considered the top showman of his time given his passion for flash. I think the film did a great job of making sure that Michael Douglas looked over the top at all times. I think that the performance by Rob Lowe as plastic surgeon Jack Startz could not have been more entertaining. The film was a bit of an eye opener because all those old ladies could never have imagined Liberace as an oversexed, depraved, man cougar in sequence.

I guess if you look at the outfits and cars it's not hard to imagine that Liberace was really working in an atmosphere all his own, breathing glitzy air and what have you. Liberace was in a world all his own, making seven or eight million per year when the biggest stars in film and mainstream music were not even close to those types of paychecks. The film does portray a deep insecurity and somewhat perverse nature that was a clear product of his desire to remain young, vital, and appealing. Liberace was one of those entertainers that simply commanded too much attention.

Perhaps what made Liberace so successful was that over the top flamboyance that he added to his spectacular talent for the piano. While I am still not a fan I can say that the film really portrayed multiple sides to the man, which I find fascinating. Liberace was more than his ridiculous outfits and toys, he was a man living in torment to some extent. I think that the film does a great job showcasing Liberace as a bit of a narcissist that wanted to put his "stamp" on everything, including his boy toys.

Ultimately his AIDS related death and all the things that came out about him did not really do anything negative to his legacy as a performer. The film does a great job of building sympathy for all involved. Everything that's negative and positive about Liberace's life seems to enhance his legend. While everyone talks of Elvis Presley's addictions and Rock Hudson's negligence, no one seems to comment on Liberace. Behind the Candelabra is not and overwhelming attack on Liberace's promiscuity, homosexuality, and death but rather a commentary on the over the top nature of his life as a whole.

Today Liberace is a legend known more for his flash than his supreme talents, the film does a great job reminding us of that. While Liberace is a name associated with Vegas lore whose talents are more known to previous generations I think this film re introduces him to a whole new audience. I have vague memories of televised specials and the news of his real cause of death. I'll never share memories of what a good son he was because I did not grow up during a period where he would be a significant participant. I can only really say this, based on his life, his glitzy style, and even what's been reported about him and portrayed in this film, Liberace was no one other than the glitter man that everyone saw on stage. I guess Liberace was too much of a good thing for himself and his public, kudos to him for his  shine.

LAUGHTER

I never really stopped to realize that laughter is actually powerful enough to enrich a person's life. As a child my life was pretty rich with laughter that came from fairly simple sources. I used to love watching Looney Tunes every Saturday and Sunday morning and Different Strokes during the week. Those brief minutes of laughter made me feel overjoyed. I had periods when listening to laughter or being the reason for it also made me feel like life was a pretty awesome proposition.

As I grew older laughter became an academic reaction of sorts, like a twitch. I stopped valuing laughter because I slowly realized that laughter can be lined with evil, sarcasm, sadness, frustration and madness. I went from a simplistic child's view to the jaded view of an adult whose life was full of ups and downs. I never realized that those moments of happiness came from allowing myself the chance to laugh freely and without worry.

It took me a while but then as I started to once again watch black and white television I came to the realization that a good laugh can go as far as restoring a period of self confidence that you can lose during the day. It was incredible to think that by laughing at something fairly clean and simple I could actually turn my days around. We take laughter for granted and even call it a waste of time but what we are really saying is that we have forgotten to be free and comfortable during times that call for relaxation and levity. Next time you want to control your laughter think little and let go. Life is too short for us to stay straight faced and unhappy on a consistent basis.

YOU JUST NEVER REALLY KNOW

A long time ago in a black and white galaxy far away a man by the name of Edward R. Murrow was introducing the world to his new and revolutionary show known as Person to Person. The show made Edward R. Murrow the first real celebrity interviewer and added to his already polarizing legend. The show itself employed remote interviews, which at the time were quite rare. It has been nearly 60 years since person to person first aired and now we have social media to give us our own person to person moments with people we don't really know.

With the advent of Twitter, Skype, Facebook, and many others we seem to have the ability for that person to person feel. The truth is that just like the days of Murrow's show we are living in a time when no matter how open we seem to be there are still secrets that lurk deeply in the closet. In a way the show Person to Person laid the groundwork for social media. The show was proof positive that distance between points could be closed. Murrow interviewed everyone from Fidel Castro to JFK to Marilyn Monroe. Today, nearly six decades later, we seem to feel closer to celebrities, leaders, and groups.

While the secrets that we keep only manage to come out either post mortem or in some dramatic way there is something to be said for the fact that social media was a seedling for so long. Perhaps it's a stretch to connect Murrow to social media but if you really study it there is some sense to that. Murrow was on to something and while it may have long been relegated to the status of a valuable relic it's fair to say it had a serious impact. Next time you see something new don't be surprised if it's what manages to spur a big revolution.