Post Oscar Depression

yesterday began the malaise of my post oscar coitus.

it comes from a mix of several things.... the long and hard weekend of preparation for the big oscar to-do. too much wine on oscar night, to be sure. and the realization that the build-up to the oscars...the whirlwind delight of watching as many nominations as possible in theatres and on dvd...is over.

i also took a really, nice pill yesterday evening to ensure i would sleep through the night. so some grogginess is probably associable.

the oscar show was good.... not as thrilling as i would've hoped... but it was a good night for me. not only did the vast majority of my predictions win.... (if they didn't my spoilers won) but the majority of individual nominees i wanted to win actually won.

a quick rundown of the big winners:

best picture: no country for old men. i wanted and thought this picture would win. made me very happy.

best director: joel & ethan coen, no country for old men. i also wanted and thought they'd win...and what a delight to listen to their acceptance speeches. they also won best adapted screenplay (i predicted and wanted this on my internal oscar ballot, as well).

best actor: daniel day-lewis, there will be blood (wanted and thought). i'm always amazed at how timid and introverted he seems in person when he's such a powerhouse in his performances. an amazing actor...one of the best.

best actress: marion cotillard, la vie en rose. i wanted her to win but predicted julie christie. marion was my spoiler, however. and she looked radiant.

best supporting actor: javier bardem, no country for old men. i wanted and thought he would win and fuck me, he looked yummy!

best supporting actress: tilda swinton, michael clayton. i predicted ruby dee but wanted cate blanchett. i had put swinton down as a possible spoiler if the academy wanted to find a way to reward michael clayton. clearly they did and swinton benefited. i love her as an actress.... she is consistently amazing... but probably not the most deserving winner here.

best original screenplay: diablo cody, juno. as usual...the only award given to the quirkiest and most original movie of the year is best original screenplay. another prediction i made on my internal ballot and i clearly wanted her to win.

diablo is an ex-stripper turned screenwriter ("i hope you're enjoying the pay-cut," quipped jon stewart. one of his better lines of the night) and i expect great things from her. diablo is pictured above experiencing her own post-oscar come-down.

the other highlight of the evening for me: "falling slowly" from once winning best original song. i watched that scene in the movie probably close to ten times in the two viewings i had of the movie. it's an amazing moment in the film and a great song and the academy clearly had strong emotions about it. (and what a class act jon stewart was to bring marketa irglova back on stage to give her thanks.)

other interesting notes:
--i loved the long acting clips for the nominees (i'm big on clips).
--jon stewart was funny but i miss steve martin (or billy crystal).
--how gorgeous was katherine heigl?
--seth rogan & jonah hill were very funny... maybe they should host?
--i thought jennifer hudson wanted to deck somebody.
--does anyone have more fun at these things than jack nicholson?
--clearly the long montages before each of the major categories were created for a possible non-writers show. still...i enjoyed them.
--brad renfro was conspicuously missing from the "in memoriam" tribute.
--i can't wait for march 4th so i can watch into the wild.

well...only 364 days until the next oscar telecast.

maybe chocolate will make me feel better?

e.

p.s. what was your favorite oscar moment....?

Countdown to the Oscars: Best Picture

the nominees for best picture are:

atonement
-juno
-michael clayton
-no country for old men
-there will be blood

2008 may be one of those odd years when the best picture of the year actually wins best picture.

going into the oscars i really see this as a two category race: there will be blood and no country for old men.

juno is a great film.... one of the best of the year. but the academy rarely ever gives best picture to a comedy. you could count shakespeare in love or even forrest gump as comedies... but the last true comedy to win in the vein of juno would be annie hall in 1977. it simply doesn't happen.

atonement really shouldn't even be nominated in this category... in my humble opinion. it's a good film.... but a bit overrated. i'd rather have seen the diving bell and the butterfly nominated. or once.

the same with michael clayton.... i would have replaced either of the other two films for this one... not that it's not a good film. it's just not best picture material. and i don't see it winning tonight. the only thing this film really has going for it is it's the one true hollywood film. so if hollywood wants to reward hollywood.....

but no...best picture will come down to no country for old men and there will be blood.

there will be blood is the type of epic the academy loves... sweeping, absorbing. gut-wrenching to watch.

but no country for old men... as i've said before... is a perfect film. the coen brothers have created such a masterpiece with this film.... and if they go on to win best director... there's rarely a split.

in fact....for years the best picture category could be predicted thus: so and so won the director's guild... the director's guild winner goes on to win the academy award for best director... whoever wins best director...their picture always follows with the win for best picture.

this is how it used to work... now there have been more and more best picture/director splits lately... but not this year. not only did the coen brothers win the DGA, but the film also won the WGA and the PGA.

no country for old men should and will win best picture tomorrow night... and the world will be set right again.

now if we could only elect hillary president in november.

will win: no country for old men
should win: no country for old men

e.

Countdown to the Oscars: Best Director

the nominees for best director are:

paul thomas anderson, there will be blood
joel coen & ethan coen, no country for old men
tony gilroy, michael clayton
jason reitman, juno
julian schnabel, the diving bell & the butterfly

what a delicious crop of best director nominees this year. fresh faces. innovative artists. filmmakers long overdue.

the best part of the best director category is that the nominees are nominated by other directors. this is why you'll often see nominees who's films are otherwise overlooked.

julian schnabel is a perfect example. the diving bell & the butterfly is the most visually stunning and beautifully crafted film this year. this is not a surprise from a person who first made his name as an artist on the new york art scene (gary oldman played schnabel in the film he previously directed: basquiat).

but schnabel's movie has otherwise been unnoticed by the academy. the directors nominating their own helps and it could drive him towards a surprise win sunday night.

but once the nominees are announced, the entire academy then votes on the category and i would bet that most have not seen this brilliant piece of film making.

on the opposite end... jason reitman directed the sleeper hit of the year when he created juno. but it's too soon for reitman even though he has given us back-to-back solid films (his previous film was thank you for smoking).

i don't feel any momentum for gilroy and michael clayton. yes, the film was released back in the summer and remembering the film for so much this long after it's release speaks highly for the film. but as wonderful as the film is, it's nothing special. nothing exciting compared to the other nominees.

despite my belief that schnabel could be a spoiler come sunday night... i feel the race is really between the coen brothers and paul thomas anderson.

anderson has been one of my favorite directors over the past several years. i'm crazy about magnolia and boogie nights and the way he can weave together all these interlocking stories is right up my alley.

but he departed from his usual fare and brought us there will be blood. if it didn't have his name on it...you may not even realize it was his film. bold and stark in it's depiction, the film is the type of epic the academy often loves. i've described the film as the drunken stepfather to giant.

but this is anderson's first nomination. directors are rarely rewarded for their first nomination anymore. look how long it took scorsese and speilberg to win... altman passed before he ever won an oscar. hitchcock never won....

but the coen brothers have been making some of the best and original cinema over the past couple of decades that movie-goers have seen.

no country for old men is a perfect film. and i can talk about this more later. but the coens crafted this masterpiece... and they have both been nominated for the film.

back in 1996, joel cohen was nominated alone for best director for the brilliant fargo. he lost...probably unfairly....to anthony minghella for the english patient.

fargo was a perfect film. to create another perfect film is an amazing accomplishment and i can't see the academy not rewarding the coen brothers this time around.

they also won the DGA (directors guild of america) and even though the academy has split with the DGA more frequently over the past few years... there was a time when the winner of the DGA always went on to win the academy.

that trend will continue again this year.... and deservedly so.

will win: joel & ethan coen, no country for old men
should win: joel & ethan coen, no country for old men

e.

Countdown to the Oscars: Best Actress

the nominees for best actress are:

cate blanchett, elizabeth: the golden age
julie christie, away from her
marion cotillard, la vie en rose
laura linney, the savages
ellen page, juno

best actress has been an interesting category over the years... there was a time when they loved the british actresses... maggie smith's character in california suite famously said of glenda jackson: "she wins every goddamn year."

yet over the past two or three decades...best actress has relatively been an american category.

the 1980's, in particular, rewarded great american performances from the likes of sally field, shirley maclaine and geraldine page.

the 1990's seemed to suddenly reward every great american actress that had been turning in great performances since the 1980's: lange, hunter, sarandon.

but since 2000... best actress has shifted even more. suddenly it wasn't enough to be american... you had to have a certain amount of glamour and beauty. let's look at the 21st century winners (this being award years, not film release years):

2000 Hillary Swank
2001 Julia Roberts
2002 Halle Berry
2003 Nicole Kidman (an Aussie - but an American film)
2004 Charlize Theron
2005 Hillary Swank
2006 Reese Witherspoon

the streak was finally broken last year when the academy awarded the gold to the most deserving nominee...but she was british and in her 60s! helen mirren, the queen.

the question this year is....does the academy want to repeat this new trend?

julie christie is considered the favorite for her subtle and beautiful turn in away from her. but she is british and in her 60s. she's also won once before for 1965's darling. but that too was a long time ago.

conventional wisdom would say the young american, ellen page, would have a great shot... and by all means she may upset. but she's not quite the glamour girl of the theron and berry ilk. but america has fallen in love with juno...may the academy?

or will juno have to settle for the one award that all quirky, fabulous films must settle for? best original screenplay.

blanchett just recently won in the supporting actress category and i'm not sure they'll want to reward her again so soon. besides, blanchett is like meryl streep and penguins... she can do no wrong in the academy's eyes... so there will be more nominations.

laura linney continues to be one of the most underappreciated actresses in film but i don't see her winning here.

marion cotillard gave the type of performance that makes the academy drool. her edith piaf is a tour de force that deserves every accolade that comes her way. but does the film and performance in french hurt her chances?

the last time a best actress winner came from a foreign language film was sophia loren for 1961's two women. the academy wants their best actress to speak english... preferably with an american accent (or a fake british one, gwyneth).

i see best actress as a three-way race... and i honestly can see any of these three actresses winning: julie christie, marion cotillard and ellen page. i see christie taking it with either of the other two actresses as the spoiler. but for official purposes, i'm going with christie.

will win: julie christie, away from her
should win: marion cotillard, la vie en rose

e.

Countdown to the Oscars: Best Actor

the nominees for best actor are:

george clooney, michael clayton
daniel day-lewis, there will be blood
johnny depp, sweeney todd: the demon barber of fleet street
tommy lee jones, in the valley of elah
viggo mortensen, eastern promises

best actor is an interesting category. its very rare that the winner of best actor does not truly deserve it. the winner can come from smaller films and box office rarely has anything to do with it.

best actor is also probably the most respected category. winners in other categories can be written off for several different reasons... but if you win best actor...you probably deserve it.

there are exceptions: al pacino probably should have lost to denzel washington back in 1992. it's hard to believe that peter o'toole has never won an oscar... most notably for 1968's the lion in winter.

but think of recent winners forest whitaker and philip seymour hoffman... both winning for smaller films. both for roles that were outside the mainstream of hollywood.

the academy likes it when an actor stretches himself for a role... emotionally, physically. it rewards that. deniro putting on weight for raging bull. tom hanks breaking down the stigma of AIDS in philadelphia.

and the category of best actor often has the best pedigree. just look at this year's crop.

out of the five nominees...three have previous wins. jones and clooney in the supporting actor category (the fugitive and syriana, respectively). daniel day-lewis won best actor back in 1989 for my left foot.

PLEASE NOTE: the academy awards may take place in 2008 but the awards are for the 2007 crop of movies. so when i mention movies...i mention their release years...not the year of the awards ceremony. should someone suddenly want to argue a year.

add to the three wins these nominees have seen over the years.... four out of the five have prior nominations... only mortensen is a first time nominee. there are a total of 8 prior nominations among the other four (not including clooney's nod for best director).

so who will win out of this impressive group?

clooney just won two years ago and i can't imagine they'll honor him again so soon.... as much as he is adored.

depp's performance is not the type the academy tends to reward... his roles rarely are. however, this is his third nomination without a win.

i think if jones had been nominated for no country for old men (a better performance) his chances would be better.... more people saw that film and this is the only nomination for elah. same with mortensen and this is only his first nod... the academy may want to let him earn the nomination a bit more (although he has been turning in stellar performances since 1985's witness).

as much as i hate to call any category a lock.... this is about as close as you can get (without being javier bardem in supporting actor).

daniel day-lewis' magnificent and explosive turn in there will be blood is everything the academy loves in a performance. there's fire and anger and insanity... it's a sweeping epic and it may be the only award the movie receives... but taking home best actor is quite a prize and will satisfy the academy.

day-lewis has not taken a lot of roles over the years...but when he has - they are performances to behold. gangs of new york, in the name of the father... these are powerful performances created by one of the best actors working in film.

it's time to reward this man again and there's not much more out there that's more powerful than his daniel plainview in there will be blood.

will win: daniel day-lewis, there will be blood
should win: daniel day-lewis, there will be blood

e.

Countdown to the Oscars: Best Supporting Actress

the nominees for best supporting actress are:

cate blanchett, i'm not there
ruby dee, american gangster
saoirse ronan, atonement
amy ryan, gone, baby gone
tilda swinton, michael clayton

supporting actress has long been my favorite category. it's the category with the best possibility for surprises.

these are not always pleasant surprises. marisa tomei's performance in my cousin vinny defeating the far superior judy davis in husbands and wives instantly comes to mind.

but sometimes this category gets it right when all seemed lost leading up to awards night. lauren bacall seemed a lock for the mirror has two faces. she had never been nominated before and it would've been a lifetime achievement award (the supporting categories are often used for lifetime achievement honors, i.e. helen hayes & ingrid bergman). but the far more deserving juliette binoche took home the gold for the english patient.

the year of titanic i famously told my friends i would make small incisions in my wrists and slowly bleed to death throughout the night if that gawdawful performance by gloria stuart won best supporting actress. my life was spared when kim basinger won for l.a. confidential. (it should've been julianne moore in boogie nights - for the record.)

tonight we have several of these possibilities. and i find this category the most up in the air out of every category tonight. i can conceivably see any of these nominees winning.

it currently appears ruby dee has all the momentum coming out of her surprising SAG win. if dee were to win... it would be as a lifetime achievement award. and a deserved one for her many years of work... but i don't think her performance truly even deserved a nomination. hey...she's great in that one scene...and who else could stand up to denzel...? but there were better performances out there.

the most deserving performance seems to be cate blanchett's brilliant turn in i'm not there. and she seemed unstoppable until dee won the SAG. she's also the only person in this category with any previous nominations.

but there are other reasons that could derail blanchett. she just won for 2004's the aviator. and she won in this category. is it too soon for the academy to recognize her again... and in the same category? isn't she more deserving of a best actress win?

and what of the remaining three? all three played truly unlikeable characters... something that often hurts women. the academy can reward an asshole played by a man... but they don't often like bitches.

saoirse ronan was a very happy nomination for me... she is by far the best part of atonement and if the academy is looking for a way to reward the movie... she would be perfect. but the film may have to settle for only a best original score win.

tilda swinton has long turned in incredible performances... but the academy is bewildered by the woman who brought us orlando and the deep end and she may be a bit too cold for the academy. nicole kidman long suffered from being perceived as too cold. it wasn't until she barked in moulin rouge! people began to really like her.

but again... if the academy is looking for a way to reward michael clayton, i can easily see swinton winning.

and what of amy ryan? she's known more for theatre which gives her good pedigree. but who saw the film? and is her foul-mouthed, crackhead mother just too much for the academy to get behind?

i think it's probably a three person race: blanchett, swinton & dee. i would put down swinton as the spoiler but ultimately see it going to dee. it's too soon for blanchett, i think... as much as she deserves it.

will win: ruby dee, american gangster
should win: cate blanchett, i'm not there

e.

Countdown to the Oscars: Best Supporting Actor

the nominees for best supporting actor are:

casey affleck, the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford
javier bardem, no country for old men
philip seymour hoffman, charlie wilson's war
hal holbrook, into the wild
tom wilkinson, michael clayton

if any category has a lock this year.... i would bet on best supporting actor.

the supporting actor category tends to reward those great character actors that never quite achieve the glory they deserve in the leading category.

remember that denzel washington won a best supporting oscar for glory long before he took home the gold as best actor for training day.

it's also important to remember that the academy has a long history of rewarding individuals they feel have "earned" their oscar... in other words... first time nominees rarely win. prior nominations always help your chances at winning the trophy.

unless you're peter o'toole. then you're just shit out of luck, apparently.

now...it seems the academy has begun to reward more and more first time nominees as of late. but this happens more with women... where they like to reward youth and beauty... especially in the best actress category. best supporting actress is also used often for first time nominees.

but the men have to work a bit harder... fortunately, hollywood tends to present more and better roles for men than woman, a constant problem with the film industry.

three of the five current batch of actors have prior nominations.

philip seymour hoffman actually won two years ago for capote (best actor). it's too soon for him to win again and he won't win for this performance... although having three brilliant performances this year says much for the actor.

tom wilkinson has one prior nomination for in the bedroom (best actor). and he is greatly respected. javier bardem also has one prior nomination for before night falls (best actor). bardem is also greatly respected.

casey affleck has received his first nomination this year... the fact that he also delivered what i felt was an oscar-worthy peformance in gone, baby gone can only help his chances at winning. but i feel the nomination is more of a vote of confidence in this young actor from the academy. other chances will present themselves in the future for affleck.

hal holbrook is supposed to be phenomenal in into the wild. i will admit that this is the one performance in the big six categories i have not seen. holbrook could be in the running for the win if viewed as a lifetime achievement award. but holbrook is more of a legend on the stage... so the movies may not feel so inclined.

going through all of this.... it is clear that javier bardem will win and should win. his killer in no country for old men is about the most frightening creation in the movies since malkovich in in the line of fire.

i could see wilkinson as an upset... but only if the academy is looking for a way to reward michael clayton. however, i can actually see that film going home empty-handed sunday night.

but bardem's cold, ruthless killer stands out among all performances this year and he has swept every critics award across the board. if you have to put money down on one winner this year....pick bardem.

will win: javier bardem, no country for old men
should win: javier bardem, no country for old men

e.

People Are Bastards

people wonder why i'm vegetarian....

all i ask is that you take a look at the recent video of cows being tortured at the westland/hallmark meat packing company in california:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWmAJlwLnQI

the video, taken undercover by the humane society, shows workers using cattle prods to move clearly sick cows into the slaughter house. fork lifts are used to push, roll and carry cows too sick to walk to the slaughter house.

this is why i hate people more than animals most of the time. people are fuckers. how could anyone treat an animal this way?

the cows are sick because the assholes are using ground up cow parts as part of the feed and causing mad cow....

watch the video... a cow is completely rolled over by a pitch fork.

now the FDA has recalled 143 million pounds of beef for what they call "clear violations" of USDA regulations.

i hope some of these motherfuckers go to jail.

god, i'm glad i don't support this type of industry....... this shit really pisses me off and depresses the fuck out of me.

e.

Notes From All Over: Special Request Edition

well, my lovelies... here it is. my 100th blog.

i promised myself i wouldn't cry...

and i'm not. actually, i'm kinda tired. but tomorrow i want to start my countdown to the oscars... so here we go.

i received a handful of comments...but a lot of requests. some on the blog... some via email. i shall do my best to answer them all. some probably deserve a longer entry... especially the three-part questions.

i suppose the most logical start would be to answer the question why did i become a "typical pacifist, vegetarian who happens to like to kiss other boys and who pays too much attention to politics and hopes one day to succeed as a playwright in NYC."

about oscar wilde wannabe
i suppose most of you know me... hopefully i get some readers who aren't familiar with me (god knows the political pundits are reading me... stop stealing from me!).

i've always considered myself a pacifist. never had a fight at school... never really had a fight out of school. i may have been lucky because i was usually bigger than other guys. in high school - they thought i played football. but i've never understood why people felt the need to fight.

martin luther king, jr. and gandhi are also my heroes. i believe in non-violent activism to change the world. i don't understand cowboy diplomacy.

i suppose being vegetarian was an offshoot of that... i had two great friends who were vegetarian who introduced me to literature. i stopped eating meat because of the way animals were treated. i've always considered myself an animal rights person. it's unimaginable how animals are treated. the line that always sticks with me is "a burning cat feels as much pain as a burning baby."

most of the time...i think i care for animals more than people (more on that later).

i kiss other boys because i like to kiss other boys... that i believe is born within. i always knew i was different... i wish i knew how earlier... but the suburbs of houston is not a place where there's a lot of variance.

politics is a passion... on offshoot of my belief in animal rights and human rights and equality for all. being gay... i don't know how you can NOT be involved in politics. we're second class citizens.... that can never be forgotten. we have to fight (peacefully - nonviolently) until that changes.

on being a playwright
someone else asked me to write about playwrighting... i like to think writing is a part of me as well... i got into it late. i wanted to act and started writing parts for myself... i had very good teachers and professors who pushed me into writing.

when i wrote short stories... they were never great. but i was always praised for my dialogue. every time someone hears one of my pieces... that's still the comment i get... great dialogue.

i was fortunate enough to study under edward albee and he did much to shape my vision of writing... and once when i was able to speak to him one on one... i asked him if he thought i should keep writing. "by all means," he said.

that has meant the world to me... to hear that from a mentor and an idol.

but most of all i'm happiest when i write... i wish i wrote more.

the best part is when a scene takes me someplace i'm not expecting. i outline my plays quite a bit... but my characters often take me someplace else. that surprise... i love that. and if a character takes me in a different direction than i intended, i know i have a great character... he or she has taken the reigns and they drive me.

i could go on and on... but this probably deserves another entire entry. please forgive the cliff's note version. i promise i will write more.

vegan strip club
let's hit up vegetarianism again.... one of my friends who helped me become vegetarian sent me a funny news story. (i should note: both friends who helped me become vegetarian now eat meat... but not a lot. i still love them though. this past october... i hit my 15th anniversary as a vegetarian.)

apparently an "ethical vegan" of 23 years named johnny diablo has opened a vegan strip club in portland, oregon. the first in the world. no meat served... most dancers are vegan or vegetarian.

on my better days i'm a vegan... on my most drunken days... i would never pole dance.

says mr. diablo of casa diablo, "the only meat we have is up on the stage."

okay... i have some problems with this. i'm the first person to admit that i love animals more than people most days.... but i'm also a feminist. and to refer to woman as "meat" is very offensive.

and you should see this guy....

i don't understand how you can affirm animal rights at the same time you're demeaning women. i'm all for the vegan restaurant... but how about treating your women with the same respect you'd like animals treated?

you shouldn't just be an "ethical vegan" but an "ethical human being."

on the subject of genitalia
since we're talking about meat (rim shot, please). the lovely and vibrant sister epiphenita of the cynical heart asks why people must describe the genitalia of the sex they're not attracted to as ugly? is all genitalia not ugly and beautiful, she asks?

i think the worst thing that can be said of genitalia is that they look silly.

but most certainly... most of the naughty bits out there are beautiful.

i think a big part of the reason gay men and women scorn the other gender's members is because they're trying to prove their bona fides.

gay mean abhor vaginas because if they thought they were beautiful... the other gay men would scorn them. what could be worse than a flock of seagulls constantly shitting on your head?

and think of the man-hating lesbian sect of the lesbian party. could you imagine some butch, mexican dyke touring a georgia o'keefe exhibit with all of her man-hating friends and suddenly she says, "well...they're nice. but i'd love to see some cock!"

ostracized!

now, i happen to like both genitalia... although i'm more of a breast man than a woo-woo whore. however... i was afraid to admit that even here in fear of my fellow fags poo-pooing me.

i have enough of a problem convincing my coworkers i'm not secretly straight (or bi).

bears (not the animals)
they tell me i'm a bear. that's a gay man who is hairy...

gay? check... hairy? check.

i'm also told bears are playful... although if you're too playful you're a cub. apparently bear/cub has nothing to do with age...as i had thought... but playfulness. or maturity level. i don't think of myself as overly playful... but there ya go.

i always thought bears were fat, hairy gay men. i am told no.... they don't have to be fat. but apparently skinny bears are also referred to as otters.

a term i greatly hate.

so are bears fat? must some sense of bulk be present? be it muscle or lard?

i don't understand the bear culture... probably because i don't like armpits and hotdogs.

i have observed these bears... they belch openly. blow snot out of their nose when they come out of the water... they will tweak any nipple that crosses their path.

this is not me... but i am told that i'm a bear...

i don't feel like a bear.

i think this is why the bear community of houston has never really embraced me... because i can't seem to embrace them. mostly because... i believe in tact. and decorum.

i can't belch and pass gas in public... hell, ask me point blank and i won't even admit i do it in private.

so, bear.... yeah. just another sect in the ever-growing realm of gaydom. like log cabin republicans and "boi"s.

believe it or not...this is a good segue...

3 biggest pet peeves
the vast majority of my pet peeves involve manners. i don't understand people who can't say thank you to salespeople. i don't understand letting a belch fly in public.

but the biggest pet peeve is proper table manners. i believe every gentleman should conduct himself like a proper lady at the dinner table.

use your napkin. don't chew with your mouth open. don't talk with your mouth full. ask for items to be passed. say thank you.

i can't stand to hear a person chew! i want to come out of my skin... i can barely stand to hear myself chew.... if you knew my inner conflict when eating carrots... you would mourn for me.

other pet peeves.... not using a turn signal. people! turn on your fucking turn signal! is it that hard?

and the other... again - goes back to manners. cell phones. driving on cell phones... talking so loud in public i have to listen to your conversation. i don't care. none of us care what you have to say to the person on the other end of that call.... and turn off your annoying, fucking ring tone!

a friend i adore has "from the halls of montezuma" on her phone. i feel like bombing japan every time she gets a call.

oh...and don't talk during a movie!

3 things that bring me joy
1. writing. no greater joy.
2. entertaining friends. i have fabulous friends...and i love spending time with them. i love cooking for them and watching them laugh.... and, hopefully, making them laugh.
3. new york city. ask me and i'll list all of the reasons.

who is in the coffin?
for those of you watching lost... i think it might be ben. at first i thought sawyer... now maybe ben. could be locke. the thing to remember is that flash forward takes place much further than any of the other flash forwards we're currently seeing. so it could even be any member of the oceanic 6.

except kate and jack... because they talked about it... and jack saw the coffin.

3 movies i think people should watch
i could name the obvious: citizen kane, casablanca, some like it hot... i could go on and on... and this really deserves its own entry as well. but i will give three quickly - perhaps less obvious - and go into this more later.

1. seven sumarai. it's an amazing film and one that influences the entire american western genre...it is the basis of the magnificent seven. kurosawa is a pioneer and an amazing filmmaker. any of his films are worth watching. this and rashomon top of the list....the latter creating an entirely new genre of storytelling by telling the same story from three different view points. (kurosawa was the first director to ever film the sun through tree branches. no one ever performed that beautiful shot directly into the sun before... just fyi.)

2. hannah and her sisters. i have to include a woody allen picture. i would recommend just about any of them... but this is one of his best. it incorporates everything that is great about an allen film and why i love him... comedy, drama, neuroses, new york..... a beautiful film built entirely around relationships rather than plot. it's a brilliant picture and one i can watch over and over and over again.

3. the maltese falcon. classic noir in all it's glory. the characters and actors are superb. bogey is great, yes.... but sidney greenstreet and peter lorre make this film for me. if you haven't seen it... watch it. and then check out casablanca.

will nicole be at the oscars?
yes.

3 pearls of wisdom for someone just coming out
not sure i could number it one, two and three.... but just be true to yourself. don't let what you see turn you bitter.

i came out relatively late... and my first experience with gay men was waiting tables with them when i was in my early twenties and they were in their thirties. they had been through the ringer... they were bitter.

and i picked up on it.

remember what's great about being gay.... i remember being at the clubs and thinking "why would anyone not want to be gay?" it sounds silly... but i thought that way. i loved it.

i loved the community and my friends... but somewhere along the way i became bitter. and cynical. i don't think there was a way for me to avoid becoming cynical... but i wish i had fought off the bitterness harder.

showtunes. that's my third piece of advice. listen to broadway showtunes.... i was much happier when i listened to kander and ebb... i should probably listen to them more. never underestimate the power of escapism.

organized religion
i think the vast majority of the world's problems stem from organized religion. the vast majority of history's problems stem from organized religion.

wars have been fought.... leaders have been killed. entire populations and ethnic groups have been wiped out because of organized religion.

i don't believe in god... this is true. but i don't begrudge those individuals who do have faith. i wish i had faith... i really wish i did. but i don't.

but a person's faith should be private... and intimate. between you and your god or whoever.

when religion is organized and one person is allowed to speak (and think) for the masses... the outcome is rarely good.

the holocaust... because of religion. the wars in the middle east... religion. the current war on terror... all fought in the name of religion.

"western devils" and "islamic fascists." lumping everyone into one group and then persecuting them because they believe differently...? i don't understand it.

i think organized religion has been the downfall of civilization and will ultimately destroy all of us... if we don't destroy the planet first.

i hate the word "tolerance" because it implies that one person is greater than the other. "i will tolerate" that person.... what we need is acceptance. we are all different. we all believe differently.

if everyone was allowed to pray or meditate or deny god in their own way... how much happier could we be?

and there would be no mike hucakbee!?!

sweet p and project runway
well, we all knew she would never make it to the end.... i think the reason sweet p made it this far is her understanding of what women want and being smart enough to listen to tim gunn. i'm sad she's gone... she was one of my favorites and so very kind. it's sad... but she was inferior to many of the other designers... we have to admit that.

and she will have great success.... believe in that.

tis the end
believe it or not... i think i did all the requests. i bet this is a fucking loooong entry.

some of these i will flesh out more later. some you're lucky you got this much!

tomorrow i plan to start my countdown to the oscars with a daily breakdown of each of the big six categories... starting with best supporting actor.

have a great week... and thanks for being loyal readers!

e.

p.s. hillary 08! (sorry, i had to....)

I'm On A List

but it's the wrong list....

i receive a lot of odd names and numbers on my caller id. after years of ducking bill collectors i keep forgetting that i'm finally in a position where i'm current on all bills and can finally answer the phone.

yet still i screen.

well....for months i've been seeing one name pop up time and time again on my caller ID: citizens united.

they called again today... i thought i'd finally answer.

a very pleasant, young woman began talking to me.... something about a statement some guy named david had said that had upset hillary clinton and he had a statement he wanted people to hear before the press got a hold of the story.

she asked if i was willing to listen to this guy's message.

okay, i thought. you've piqued my interest. i thought maybe it was something that had been misunderstood and hillary's camp wanted to get the story out there and set the record straight. yes - she was angry but he wanted to clear it all up because he was misunderstood. don't let the press run with it.

so i agreed.

a man's voice boomed. it soon became apparent - there was no love loss between he and hillary about anything he said that upset her.

apparently he headed up the whitewater investigation and started talking about all the lies hillary has told... and how they took on bill clinton and won... and took on john kerry and won... and now they would expose hillary as the liar she is and show americans that she is the closest thing to a "european socialist" this country will ever see.

the polite, young woman was back in my ear. "were you able to hear his message okay?"

yes, i said.

"so my question for you is this," she continued. "do you trust hillary clinton as one of our nation's leaders?"

yes, i said. i do.

there was a moment... the polite, young woman stumbled. "oh... oh... you do?"

yes. i do.

"well, that's the only question i have for you. thank you." and the call ended.

okay...so i don't know how i got on this list for citizens united, but clearly they paid some bad money for it.

a quick look at their website (http://www.citizensunited.org/)explains who they are:

Citizens United is an organization dedicated to restoring our government to citizens' control. Through a combination of education, advocacy, and grass roots organization, Citizens United seeks to reassert the traditional American values of limited government, freedom of enterprise, strong families, and national sovereignty and security. Citizens United's goal is to restore the founding fathers' vision of a free nation, guided by the honesty, common sense, and good will of its citizens.

yeah.... this is not my crowd. anytime any group uses the term "traditional american values" they might as well call me a "faggot" to my face.

i get a lot of calls... calls from a lot of officials seeking re-election or some other office. and generally - they've called a supporter. i even get calls from the obama camp.

a recent call had me explain that i really like barack and his ideas... that i read his book and think he's great. i even said if he were to be the nominee i would donate and volunteer. but for now, "i'm sticking with my girl."

but this list... they spent some bad money on this list.

besides... i like european socialists.

e.

Hillary, Barack & The Bullshit Giuliani Analogy

oh, my lovelies.... where to begin? i have been neglectful this week because i find the world of politics simply daunting as of late.

not because of the sheer number of primaries and caucuses.

not because flip-flop mitt plans to give mccain the courtesy of a reach-around today and ask his delegates to support the ole straight-shooter.

not even because obama has won eight straight and now leads in the total delegate count, no matter how you slice it.

no...the media has me blue, my friends. once again they have written off my hillary. will they never learn?

and when will the real scrutiny of barack obama start? once he has the nomination and the republicans begin to obliterate him?

everyone keeps talking about giving the voters a fair shake but how can they when hillary is constantly lambasted and obama walks on water?

let's catch up.

the delegate count & 8 straight wins
yes. obama has won eight straight. big whoop. have you seen the states? plus...the caucus venue clearly favors obama. caucuses are made up of the well-educated, well-to-do party base. these people vote for obama.

clinton gets the high school educated and the poor. these people are working during the caucuses. they can't take off from work and stand around in a gymnasium for two to three hours. they have bills to pay!

personally... i want to help the poor and undereducated. if they feel hillary is best equipped to help them... i'm happy to help elect her president.

now.... the primaries this past tuesday are a bit more worrisome... i'm happy to admit this. obama won big.

maryland: obama 60%, clinton 37%.
virginia: obama 64%, clinton 35%.
district of columbia: obama 75%, clinton 24%.

these are impressive wins... all the more so because obama has made inroads into hillary's constituency. white men. people making under $50,000 a year. even latinos voted for obama in large numbers.

but is all lost? can nothing stop the "obama momentum"?

i admit tuesday night as i watched the returns i was overcome with a great sense of melancholy. for the first time i had a sinking feeling that all was lost for hillary.

but then i woke up wednesday morning and found myself reinvigorated. i joined more hillary groups online... i found out other ways i could help.

i'm ready to fight for this thing.

ohio & texas
ohio and texas have more delegates than all of these past eight states combined. yes... obama is well ahead now in delegates. he has 1,104 pledged delegates to hillary's 979. even when you take superdelegates into account, obama leads 1,260 to 1,221.

on this point... i don't think the nomination will be decided by superdelegates. it's the worst thing that could happen to the party... things will be decided before the convention. we need unity... it will happen. i have faith in hillary and barack that they want what's best for the party... not simply themselves.

but back on track: texas has 228 delegates and ohio has 161 (where hillary is currently ahead 17.3 points).

so i think everyone needs to take a breath and realize this thing is not over.

texas has an enormous latino and asian vote... i think they will turn out and vote for hillary as they did in california.

chuck todd of nbc/msnbc had some very interesting numbers he crunched and if you have a moment i'd look it over. it makes it look difficult for hillary...but not impossible. here's some of what he wrote on firstread:

No matter how one slices the election results from last night, there's no denying that Obama is the statistical front-runner. He's got a 100-plus pledged delegate lead and even has the lead if you factor in superdelegates. Here's our math: The NBC News election unit hard count stands at 1078 to 969. If you factor in the unallocated pledged delegates, our estimate rises to approximately 1128 to 1009 in Obama's favor (margin of error +/- 5 delegates). Toss in the superdelegates and Obama's lead is 1306 to 1270 (again +/- 5 delegates). What does this mean? For Clinton to overtake Obama for the pledged delegate lead -- which we think is the single most important statistic for the superdelegates to decide their vote -- she'll have to win 55% of the remaining delegates. Assuming next week goes Obama's way in Wisconsin and Hawaii, that percentage rises to 57%. Toss in likely Obama victories in Vermont, Wyoming, Mississippi, Oregon, Montana, and South Dakota, then Clinton's percentage need tops 60% of the remaining delegates available. And this is simply for her to regain the pledged delegate lead…

daunting...but not impossible.

on the giuliani analogy
enough with the bullshit, people. from everyone i'm hearing this comparison to giuliani's florida strategy with hillary's strategy for a big texas/ohio victory. first off...giuliani did not play in any early state. he did not advertise... he did not compete.

hillary has been competing in every state since the beginning. yes, maybe not as hard in some as in others... why fight in louisiana when you know obama will take the state? she's a smart politician.... she's the underdog in money.... she needs to play smart.

giuliani's entire campaign strategy was to hold out for florida. hillary simply plans to win ohio and texas... but don't expect her to stay out of the news cycle the way rudy did. she wants to debate... a lot.

also...let's not forget the string of bad news stories rudy had swirling about him.

the analogy holds no water... dick morris, margaret carlson, nbc, cnn, the rude pundit... get over it.

on barack obama
what do we really know about barack? about his plans? his strategies? what do we know about what the republicans will use against obama?

moveon.org endorsed obama. great for the liberal-wing of the party during the primary... HUGE liability in the general election. do you think mccain won't bring this up?

he's been named "the most liberal member of the senate." more liberal than ted kennedy?!?! i can hear the mccain ads now....

it's great to be liberal... shit, i'm so liberal i'm practically pink... but liberals do not win general elections. moderates do.

hell, even right-wing conservatives don't win.... they pretend to be "compassionate conservatives" and then take away all civil liberties and fuck over the planet. but they don't win elections advertising themselves and right-wing nutjobs. they're compassionate and moderate.

the country is far more centrist than the individuals electing nominees in the primaries.

i have said it before and i will say it again... i like obama. i do. but i am afraid of what will come out in the general.

hillary has been tested. she is strong. she's a scrapper.

can obama take the heat? and again...when will the heat come? in what form?

tuesday night...right after obama made his victory speech... mccain did the same. what did he say?

Hope, my friends, is a powerful thing. I can attest to that better than many, for I have seen men's hopes tested in hard and cruel ways that few will ever experience. to encourage a country with only rhetoric rather than sound and proven ideas that trust in the strength and courage of free people is not a promise of hope. It is a platitude.

and this before obama even has the nod.

buddha help us if we're attacked during the general election. or if there's some other security disaster. obama will have no chance against mccain.

hillary cannot be called weak... hell, to steal a word from jane fonda, people think she's a cunt. but that word holds no connotation of weakness... unless you use the term pussy, which can mean weak, which..... i'm off track. and this is getting long.

allow me to sum up:

hillary '08.

i believed it on monday. i believe it today.

e.

p.s. don't forget i'm taking requests for my 100th blog. now only one blog away!

The Approach of VD

i affectionately refer to valentine's day as V.D. (or V.D. day).

perhaps this is because i haven't had a special someone on valentine's day since the days i was attempting to reach post coitus with the ladies... perhaps i simply deplore all the simpletons spending money on a holiday conceived by hallmark to increase their coffers when no one should ever need a reason to buy chocolate or those things that make your allergies spike.

this post, i'm sure, is driven by my dear friend enita's lovely, and inspiring, blog entry today: "i unheart romance" (http://www.epiphenita.com/).

it's interesting that suddenly i'm bombarded by talk and signs of "romantic love."

i've been invited to present a short play at a reading this weekend with the theme "romantic love." naturally, my piece is about the end of said topic: the breakup.

i've been telling another story as of late that i was outside la peep the other weekend after having breaky with some friends. amy's ice cream is next door and there was a sign advertising "limited time offer: 1 dozen chocolate-covered strawberries for $16.99. feb. 13-14-15 only."

i lost track of the conversation and stared at the sign.

"why only the 13th through the 15th?" i thought. i couldn't wrap my head around it. "the oscars are the 24th - i'd love it for that... but why only those days?"

i kept staring at the sign. it took me a few minutes before it dawned on me: "oh right. v.d. day..."

i'm just not tuned into this idea, people.

have i become too bitter? perhaps... too cynical? most definitely.

my new favorite quote is taken from h.l. mencken: "a cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin."

if i were to receive flowers this v.d. day.... i'd wonder who had died.

and it may just be my idea of "romantic love."

e.

p.s. don't forget to submit ideas for my 100th entry...

Countdown to 100

good afternoon, my lovelies.....

just over six month ago i started off on this self-indulgent exercise known as a blog. certain people would be desperate to read my rants on all things ranging from football to politics to creepy old men hitting on me.

this is my 96th entry in that time. and i look back over the past six months and see many things that have occurred.

another candle added to my birthday cake. another bad week at work....

republican nominees have come and gone. hillary's lead has grown and disappeared... and increased just a bit again.

two bouts with cancer have stricken my family... both loved ones making it through - the difficulty of radiation treatment behind them.

a baby is on the way.... my first niece or nephew. (they keep telling me i'll get excited about this "any day now.")

yes... i have babbled about much over the past six month. probably much too much of it political. but tis the season, ya know?

we're faced with an unprecedented election.... a thrilling choice in the democratic party... and a new president that will help shape the direction of this country as we try to find our way back on course after the past seven disastrous years.

but as i look forward to my 100th entry... i am asking you, my loyal readers:

what do you want me to blog about?

over the next four entries (however long that takes), i will take requests from anyone on any topic they wish me to ramble on about.

i shall free-form as much as possible my 100th entry based on these suggestions.

nothing is taboo....

assuming i'm not flooded with requests - i shall do them all. feel free to suggest more than one topic.

make it fun... (i get bored so easily.) and we'll see where it takes us.

so flood the comments section, my lovelies... i submit to your special requests.

and have a great weekend.

e.

Houston Dem Debate - Feb 28th?

hillary has accepted an invitation from the greater houston partnership to attend a debate in houston!

the debate is scheduled for february 28th - just a few days before the big march 4th primary.

senator obama has not yet accepted the invitation.

the debate will focus on issues important to houston...mostly energy policy. but the topics will be expanded to include immigration, health care and maybe even a little homeland security.

the debate will be hosted by brian williams & tim russert (tim! here! in houston! i have to go!) and will air on msnbc.

hillary's comin' to houston!

i may plotz!

e.

Flip-Flop To Bid Farewell

it appears ole flip-flop mitt will "suspend" his campaign to become the republican presidential nominee today.

after an abysmal showing on super tuesday (hell, huckabee did as well if not better than he did), romney has decided it's time.

my understanding is that "suspending" a campaign is different in both parties.

from cnn.com:

On the Republican side, decisions on how to allocate delegates is left to the state parties.

On the Democratic side, a candidate who "suspends" is technically still a candidate so he or she keeps both district and statewide delegates won through primaries and caucuses. Superdelegates are always free to support any candidate at any time, whether the candidate drops out, suspends or stays in.

National party rules say that a candidate who "drops out" keeps any district-level delegates he or she has won so far but loses any statewide delegates he or she has won.

so...whatever that means. i guess he's done.

mitt is expected to make the announcement this afternoon at the CPAC.

no more hottie romneys on the campaign trail.

quelle dommage.

e.

Delegate Update

okay...so i decided to search out the delegate count.

as it currently stands according to realclearpolitics.com:

hillary: 1,012
obama: 933

this includes 211 pledged super delegates for hillary and 128 super delegates for obama. so let's take those away:

obama: 805
hillary: 801

we're talking four delegates, people...! this thing just may go to the convention. that would be mind blowing.

oh...and for all the trumpeting of obama's "big win" in the bell weather state of missouri - they currently split the delegates evenly.

and looking down the road, i can see obama winning most of the states but with proportional delegates, he will not win the total delegate count.

states voting in february with the number of delegates at play:

washington, 97
louisiana, 66 (closed primary so no independents, but a large black population)
nebraska, 31
maine, 34 (close primary - no indies)
virginia, 101
maryland, 99 (closed primary)
district of columbia, 38 (closed primary - large black population)

i bring up the large black population not to scream "jesse jackson! jesse jackson!" but in recognition that obama is overwhelmingly winning the african american demographic. this is good news for him in closed primary states where he can't count on independents.

at the same time... states the are voting march 4th include texas with a large latino and asian population (along with its 228 delegates) and ohio (with another 161 delegates). these are states i see hillary taking.

big states with big delegate counts vs. small states with small delegate counts.

so this thing is a long way from being over.... the delegate count will go back and forth.

but this is where we stand for now.

i thought you might like to know.

e.

p.s. by the way... hillary and barack need 2,025 delegates to win the nomination. just fyi.

So What Do We Know?

ummmm.... not much.

we can give some specifics. for example, obama won more states last night but hillary leads in delegates.

obama picked up connecticut which is a big victory but carries a small number of delegates.

at the same time... hillary was able to capture massachusetts when the kennedy clan, john kerry and the governor were all campaigning for obama. in fact - it was a huge victory for hillary. i believe i read the word "trounced" in one article.

she also picked up california - handily. i heard several people pick obama to upset hill in california...but i predicted the latino vote would help carry the state. it did... she did.... latinos voted for hillary almost 2-1.

new mexico is still out... currently, hill's winning with a total count lead of about 117 votes.

amazing.

on the republican side....mccain won big. all signs lead to him being the nominee.

but huckabee also made a surprise showing...picking up all the bible belt states that competed yesterday. it was a blow to romney.... a blessing for mccain.

is huckaberry positioning himself for the number two spot on a mccain ticket?

so who won?
on the republican side...no question. mccain won. it's over. i've read that several people predict romney to drop out today... but apparently he's come out and said he's forging on.

the man likes to punish himself.

on the democratic side... it depends who you ask. one coworker came in today and said she knew i'd be thrilled with hillary's victory last night. another coworker practically pissed himself he was so excited.

but yet another coworker came in certain i was crushed by hillary's tragic loss last night.

amazing the different takes.

personally - i think hillary did great. she took the big states and even held on to several that people thought she might lose. she currently leads in the delegate count... thanks in some part to pledged super delegates. but delegates nominate - so she's ahead.

obama took a lot of smaller states... and he should be proud. he won every caucus which...if nothing else...speaks to his supporters' zeal and enthusiasm.

but hillary did take a majority of the last minute deciders... something obama may want to worry about.

however, obama should win the handful of states that vote over the next week - louisiana and the mid-atlantic states.

but these are all...still...small states.

march 4th appears to be the next big day... and guess what?

TEXAS WILL MATTER!

finally...my vote could actually make a difference in the nominating process. i need to see how i can volunteer...

but i'm getting ahead of myself.

david brooks wrote an interesting article today in the times about moving forward. by looking at how the voters tracked, you can predict how the democratic race may shape up moving forward.

from brooks:

[T]he big horse-race message out of Super Tuesday is that demography is destiny. In state after state, Clinton carried the groups she usually carries — white women, people with high school degrees, people earning less than $50,000, Latinos. In state after state, Obama carried the groups he usually carries: the affluent, white men, people with college degrees, African-Americans.

Where did the John Edwards vote go? It depended on what demographic category they fell into. The downscale ones went for Clinton and the upscale ones for Obama.

Everyone says the next month is going to be brutal for Clinton. Unlike Super Tuesday, Obama will have time to focus on specific states and his campaign skills will make the difference. But I have to think that in the long run Clinton has the edge. Obama has, at least so far, not been able to make enough inroads into her communities. So long as women make up 55 to 59 percent of Democratic primary voters, you have to figure there are simply more of her kind of people, especially in the big states like Ohio and Texas.

i also find it interesting that the asian and latino population made such a difference and broke hard for hillary in california. texas has an enormous hispanic population and a large asian population.

a win in texas could be amazing for hillary (and i plan to help make it happen). if hillary can lay claim to the largest states with the largest number of delegates: new york, california, texas... florida (even though it didn't count) and maybe even ohio... how could she not go on to take the nomination?

but obama is impressive... i do not count him out.

and i'm constantly nagged by who is the better choice for the party? who will ensure victory in november?

my only conclusion... a joint ticket.

but once again..... i'm getting ahead of myself.

e.

Thoughts on Super Tuesday & The Media

all the polling places have opened.... over twenty states from sea to murky sea.

west virginia GOP caucuses have already chosen mike huckabee the winner today. mitt romney has already released a statement blaming the loss in WV to mccain's nixonian tricks. (by the way - how delicious is it that republicans are accusing other republicans of dirty republican tricks?)

the north dakota democratic caucuses have also closed their doors and we may have a winner soon....

and my mind is debating frantically with my heart on how i think this day will turn out.....

mccain will become the prohibitive nominee on the GOP side... few debate that.

the democrats appear to be in for a longer haul.... unless the country pulls a new hampshire and all the polls turn out wrong.

obama clearly has the momentum... some will argue there was not enough time for the momentum to build a victory.

millions of early ballots have already been cast in the delegate rich state of california.... obama is ahead there in some polls now... but not then.

so i dare not even make a prediction today except to say i'm in for a long night and probably wish i had taken tomorrow off.

but instead - i want to focus on an issue i've wished to focus on for some time... and an issue i think will help shape the outcome of tonight's results.

the media
i feel more and more like a republican these days as my distrust and dislike of the media become overwhelming.

i blame the media for much..... i think they were so excited to crown hillary the "inevitable" nominee that it pissed people off and cost her a lot of support.

i think bill did not play the race card initially - but the media played up the race card and caused a lot of infighting within the democratic party. oh, but allow me to be clear: on the morning of the SC primary - bill played the race card. bringing up jesse jackson - that was race. but before that point...i felt it was mostly a media hysteria.

and i don't want to completely let bill off the hook...if hillary loses the nomination, i think scholars will look back at bill in south carolina and point to his behavior as the turning point. the media did nothing but focus on bill and the coverage shifted away from hillary. for two week i heard nothing of hillary... only bill and his anger and his "race card."

everyone was also thrilled to call her feminist credidentials into question and claimed she had to let her husband fight for her... it was all such bullshit.

and let's be honest: the media appears to be quite infatuated with barack obama... and how could they not be? he's a fresh face... an exciting face.... he gives them something new to write about.

i also think the media...and NBC in particular...suffers from a great deal of guilt over never having a viable black character on friends.

so obama is the media darling...

even after thursday night's debate in los angeles...i thought hillary clearly won that debate... she clocked obama with her knowledge of issues and made a particularly strong case for her nomination when discussing universal health care.

but what did the media focus on for the next several days? her answers on the iraq debate and how that was obama's strongest moment and he won the debate.

has the media forgotten all of their much-beloved and ballyhooed exit polls? iraq rates low on voters' minds.... the economy. health care. immigration. these are top issues out there.... issues hillary clearly won on during the debate.

but the media decided to focus squarely on those 10 minutes or so when hillary had to explain her vote.

i hate that she voted to authorize the war.... but i still think she's the best person to lead us into the future.

looking ahead to the morning after
tomorrow the spin will be handled not by the campaigns of hillary or barack... but by the media. if the states are evenly split and clinton and obama divide most of the delegates - as is expected (as are the campaigns playing it today)... then the media will take over.

did barack win states hillary was expected to win? did he show better in california? or new jersey? or connecticut?

did hillary win more states than expected? did victories come at closer margins?

the delegate count will be forgotten by the media and they will crown their victor (my bet: obama). little else will matter.....

i hold out hope that my girl will win tonight... she is a brilliant political mind with a vast pool of knowledge. she is our best bet for universal health care... perhaps our only. and i believe she has the compassion and the desire to tackle issues that are closest to my heart... the rights of the GLBT community at the top of the list.

on that subject
i have to make a quick digression... and this is an odd "thank you" to ted kennedy, even though he has endorsed obama.

we've all heard obama's stump speech... his national campaign ad airing on cnn and msnbc. he speaks a lot about this race not being about "black or white, male or female, rich or poor." he makes the point to include many groups in this moving moment.

but it wasn't until kennedy's endorsement...when ted himself said ending the differences between "straight and gay" that obama ever included that phrase.

yes, after kennedy endorsed obama....he said "straight and gay" in that speech.... a speech that did not originally include that phrase according to transcripts provided to the press before the event.

so i want to thank ted kennedy for remembering us... for making a candidate remember us.

i watched hillary's "town hall" on hallmark last night (and online) and i was thrilled that the second question of the night was about GLBT issues...

the democrats are supposed to be a party that cares about us... so please, don't forget us.

back on track
get some good wine ready, my friends and tuck yourself in for a long night.... i expect some good surprises... i expect some heartbreaking moments...

but all in all...the media and i agree on at least one point...this is a campaign for the history books. more exciting than anything we've seen in some time.

i'll see you on the flip side.

hillary 08.

e.