Breakfast With Scot

We’ve become so accustomed to Big Statements from gay-themed films that when a quieter movie with more subtle themes comes along it gets dismissed as lightweight and something more appropriate for Lifetime TV. And that’s a shame especially in the case of Breakfast With Scott. I thought this movie was thoroughly charming, amusing and very plausible. It does address some important issues, notably the dichotomy between “straight-acting” and effeminate gay men. Eric’s definition of what it means to be gay is challenged by the swishy boy placed in their care. I though Tom Cavanaugh’s halting, hesitant performance was funny and honest. I love the dialog. At one point, Eric describes to Sam what happened when he went to pick Scot up from school. It was not a good time. Eric says, “It was so humiliating.” Same responds, “For him or for you?” Bingo. Many commenters have made a huge issue of the fact that Eric and Sam don’t show each other much affection. Look, not all couples have to hang on each other constantly to show commitment. Yes, the ending is totally predictable, but so what? The journey there is so much fun. I laughed out loud and I loved this movie. Breakfast With Scot is the type of movie that doesn’t club you over the head with its messages, and that’s just fine with me.

This Makes Sense

I am not a teabagger -- far from it. I believe sometimes governments should raise taxes. Also, I don't believe in telling people how to live their lives.

Anyway, the conservative Chicago Tribune has a series of editorials about how the state of Illinois can avoid raising taxes and yet still pay its bills.

Makes sense to me.

A Close Shave

A couple months ago, I needed some AA batteries. I go through them like potato chips so I opted for the big pack. It was on sale and Lookee There! It came with a Gillette Fusion razor. And not just a disposable plastic-handled razor but a nice, solid metal handle with rubbery cushioning. For those of you who still use a safety razor, a Fusion has four blades. So, of course, I was more than pleased to try it.

But one drawback is that the blades are expensive. I have to triple-bladed razors -- one in my shaving kit for travel and one at home -- and for cripesakes you have to take out a second mortgage to buy new blades.

But -- oh man -- what a shave. Smooth as a baby's ass with only one pass.

Now that I've used the damn thing for almost a month, I need a new blade. There's the dilemma: I'd like to continue using the thing but I don't want to buy blades for it. Actually I have fresh blades for my triple-bladed razor.

But using the Fusion got me thinking. Which was exactly the point.

Smart people, them folks at Proctor and Gamble.

Ask Amy: Bad Roomie Advice

I like Amy Dickinson, the advice columnist for the Chicago Tribune.  She’s on-target most of the time, but on this column, I think she missed the boat by not giving a more complete answer. Here’s the original question with Amy’s answer and my version.

Son's preference: No gay roommate

Ask Amy | Amy Dickinson

July 20, 2009

Dear Amy: My 18-year-old son "Bob" is leaving for his freshman year of college in August. Bob just received his roommate assignment, and after "friending" him onFacebook, Bob discovered that his roomie is gay. 

Bob has four older siblings who have made it successfully through college and dorm life. They've had roommates who were of different races, different cultures and different religions, and have gotten along fine. Bob would prefer a straight roommate. 

When I called the university to ask if Bob could be assigned another roomie, the housing director intimated that I was persecuting the gay roommate and that if my son didn't start out rooming with the gay student, then Bob could go to another school. He can put in for a room change during the first two weeks of school if he wants to switch.

I was taken aback. The university (a Jesuit school) has no policy for gay/straight roommates, other than that they don't permit discrimination. Bob will room with the assigned roommate. 

In doing an informal poll of my older children and their friends, I discovered that all but one had a gay roommate and didn't stay roommates for long. 

Is it discrimination when a straight man doesn't want to room with a gay man? Do you think schools should have a policy about this?

–Worried Mom

Dear Worried: Evidently you understand and applaud your kids' ability to room with people of every background, race and creed, but you and your family draw the line at sexual orientation. 

I agree with your school's policy not to discriminate. You could help your son by assuming that he will have a successful roommate experience, but let him know what his options are if he doesn't. 
Sometimes students are held hostage by their roommates' nighttime schedule, alcohol use or indiscriminate dating life. That's why the school permits students to switch roommates after a two-week trial. 

"My roommate is gay" in and of itself isn't a valid reason to switch in advance, any more than, "my roommate is Asian" would be. 

This should be your son's issue to sort out on his own.

Original Column

My Response:

Dear Worried:

Let me run a few hypothetical situations past you. What if the roommate had not “friended” your son? Not only would your son would have no knowledge of his future roommate’s sexuality, it probably would have raised suspicions. What if there were no Facebook? You have to concede that the future roommate is pretty brave to post this information on his Facebook page. It also indicates that there are plenty of people currently in his life, including friends, family and possible employers, who have no problem with his sexuality.

Is your son attracted to every girl that passes by? Of course not. You are jumping to conclusions when you think that the roommate will automatically be attracted to your son. And that jump, in this case, is a long one. It may come as a shock to you that some gay men who are not attracted to straight men at all.

This is precisely the kind of homophobia that got Matthew Shepard killed. If the roommate makes a pass at “Bob” (and again this is a long shot) then the proper response is a firm but polite, “No, thanks. I’m not interested.” If the roommate persists, THEN it’s time to talk to the Resident Assistant.

Your “informal poll” proves nothing. Did you bother to ask WHY the other students changed roommates? It probably had nothing to do with sexuality of the former roommate and more with common lifestyle differences; IE one roomie was a neatnik and the other was a slob.

It appears that you are only concerned about gay sex. Don’t you have the same concerns about “Bob” having sex with a co-ed? What about the possibility of STDs or pregnancy? As an ex-Catholic I can assure that sex with anyone would be frowned upon at a Jesuit institution. Is your son using protection? Do I need to remind you that protection is also not officially allowed in the Catholic church.

And what the hell are you doing calling the residential life office on your son’s behalf? This is your son’s problem. (Although you were instrumental in instilling homophobia in your son. Congratulations on that, by the way.)

Butt out. College is supposed to be a learning experience. So let your son learn from this. 

Story in Tribune

In the Consumer Watch column in the Tribune today is the story of a halfway house for recovering GLBT on Chicago's Northwest Side.

To summarize: A halfway house of recovering GLBT substance abusers will have to move because of neighbor complaints and a mix-up in zoning requirements.

I think this smacks of homophobia. It's still the fear that the homosexuals will ravage and recruit their teenage kids. Very disappointing.

In addition the alderman Gene Schulter (47th) declined to back Living With Pride meaning that the center will likely have to move; an expensive proposition. He stated that the directors of the center had not done sufficient outreach to the community to explain their mission. This may be true.

But...how much outreach is enough? The article states that the neighbors voted 56-11 against the center. What if the vote had been 27-50? Would Schulter still decline to support the center? Would their appeal still fail? And since when are most zoning issues put to a vote in corrupt Chicago? Usually, whatever the city wants, the city gets.

Obviously, the city does not want this.

http://tinyurl.com/mvr56v

Oprah's Medical Advice

I always thought that Oprah's medical advice was suspect. Read this Newsweek article.

Also, I thought that Dr. Oz was suspect, not because he gives bad medical advice, but because he doesn't stand up to these quacks. (This is covered on page 5)

Why Sony Sucks

This was taken with my Sony Cybershot. My FORMER Sony Cybershot. It's now been replaced with a Kodak Easyshare.

Pretty obvious why it was replaced, huh?

I must have studied the manual for hours, and I searched online for troubleshooting advice. But no matter what I did I couldn't get the picture to clear. I swear I didn't drop it, it wasn't exposed to extreme temperatures, nor did it get wet. I'm really disappointed. It was a SONY.

On the other hand, like Carl said, Sony isn't exactly known for cameras.

Dad was a Sony man. I remember he bought a portable radio in the late 60s. It had great sound and a clever design that incorporated an antenna into a carrying handle. When Deux and I cleaned out his house after he died, he still had many Sony products in his house. So I figured that a Sony camera was a sure bet.

In addition, the Kodak is much more user-friendly and has a bigger screen. I never could get the hang of all the "modes" on the Sony camera. I am not a photographer. And really, all I want to do is to point and shoot, not fuss with settings.

The Kodak fits the bill nicely. So long, Sony.

(BTW, that's Tigger.)

Movie Review: The Journey of Jared Price

It’s always interesting to me to watch the earlier work of an award-winning moviemaker. In this case, the winner in question is Dustin Lance Black, who won an Academy Award for Milk. Black wrote and directed this very low budget movie about a young man who leaves Georgia for (where else?) Los Angeles. It’s an admirable first try but in my opinion does not foreshadow his later work. Part of the problem is the production values. The sound is muffled at times and the dialog can be difficult to understand. The use of hand-held cameras throughout the movie is tiresome at first and then irritating. Another problem is the amateurish acting. Although the young man who plays Jared Price (Corey Spears) is easy on the eyes, a thespian he ain’t. But the basic problem with this movie is much larger than the acting, production values or low budget. The problem is that unlike Harvey Milk who was a fascinating, complex, and compelling human being, Jared Price is a dull and one-dimensional character. Who cares? I sure didn’t.

Two Stars out of Five

Movie Review: Mulligans

Steven Spielburg said, “People have forgotten how to tell a story. Stories don't have a middle or an end any more. They usually have a beginning that never stops beginning.” And that is the essence of this review. This movie has no ending, it just sort of…stops. The premise of the story is an interesting one: Dad falls for son’s best friend. And although I have no interest in golf whatsoever, I find the golf metaphor interesting enough. Writer/actor Charlie David even goes so far as to define a mulligan in the opening credits. “A mulligan, in golf, is when a player gets a second chance to perform a certain move or action.” So where is the mulligan? If there is one in this movie, I missed it. This film does have a lot going for it; it’s sexy, well-acted, funny in part and witty at times. The technical aspects are all good to excellent. The situation is plausible enough, although some aspects of the plot are not. For example, Nathan’s wife Stacy seems to go from zero to card-carrying Human Rights Campaigner in less than 60 seconds. It’s not a bad movie. In fact it’s pretty good. It’s just that the whole movie set up expectations of some sort of epiphany, a wake-up call, a second chance and there is none. A pleasant enough movie but nowhere near the audacious tagline “The Graduate for a new generation.” Where’s Steven Spielburg when you need him?

Keith Olbermann Eviscerates Carrie Prejean


Now can we PLEASE PLEASE lay this to rest? This is the Miss USA pageant. A beauty pageant! There is nothing less important to the state of the nation than a beauty pageant. Except a gossip columnist.

Now at the risk of angering some of my gay brethren Perez Hilton is a GOSSIP COLUMNIST! The only class of people lower than gossip columnists is televangelists.

STOP STOP STOP. Your 15 minutes were up an hour ago.

Tea Bag Douchbags

Douchebag can't even explain WHY he thinks Obama is a fascist. Makes me embarrassed to admit I live in Illinois, as if I needed another reason to be embarrassed.
And yet, these asswipes will be the first to call when they want a pothole filled or if their garbage isn't picked up on time.

Movie Review: An Angel Named Billy

Ouch! I’m writing this review with the film playing in the background, so sure am I that I’m not missing anything. The plot kinda resembles Sum of Us but without the good acting. And without the good production values. And without anything closely resembling a good movie. The plot has some possibilities but the writer/director squanders them on hollow, empty, stereotyped characters. At least the filmmaker didn’t pander to the audience with nudity. As bad as this movie is, there’s worse. But not many.

1 Star out of 5

Movie Review: The Books of John

If you’re any kind of storyteller, you have to be careful of starting your story with the end, because your audience has not developed any emotional connections with the characters. It can be done, but it has to be done carefully, artfully and with grace. The Books of John has none of these qualities. This film starts with the death of John, the eponymous title character. Co-directors and co-creators L. W. Smith and David Schweiger either don’t know how to involve the audience or didn’t bother. I’d like to think it was the former. An interesting premise wasted on bad storytelling, terrible acting and horrific audio. It’s better than most of it’s Ariztical brethren but that’s not saying much. Continuing my quest to find an Ariztical movie that doesn’t suck.

One Star out of Five

Movie Review: Blue Citrus Hearts

There are tons of coming out/coming of age films and with good reason; almost everyone has a coming out tale and most of us have a coming of age story. It’s our basic universal story. But this one misses the mark by a long shot. The audio is as bad as other reviewers have mentioned; in many scenes the music drowns out the dialog. Other reviewers have mentioned that they liked the music because it spoke to them or it was their kind of music. That’s fine, but that still doesn’t make it a good movie. That’s like saying the movie Xanadu is a great movie because you like the music. Look, if you want to feature your kind of music so prominently, make a music video. Then there’s the bad acting, the nausea-inducing shaky hand-held camera shots, and the paper-thin plot. I couldn’t finish watching it. If you want a good coming out/coming of age film, rent Beautiful Thing, Edge of Seventeen or Get Real. Yet another sucky Ariztical movie.

Bottom line: For Gen Y only, and probably not even then.

Zero stars out of 5

Quote

This powerful quote speaks for itself.

"To the kind souls who decided that I’m not equal, and voted to strip me, and others in my community of their constitutional rights, congratulations. Your bigotry and fear have won this day. In 40 years, when viewed through the prism of history, you’ll find yourselves as respected and loved as the racists and segregationists of the 1960s. In 40 years, when the first gay or lesbian wins the highest office in the land, you’ll be sharing the same lonely corner as those folks who yesterday couldn’t “vote for a n*gger,” and woke up to discover that an African American was president, and that history had passed them by.

"Until that day, I fear for the lives of your gay sons and lesbian daughters. The ones who can’t talk to you about it, and suffer silently. They’ll be dying for your choice, because teen suicide rates in gays and lesbians is driven by fear, and by feelings of worthlessness that proposition 8 reinforces. No doubt the ones who finally do come out, will suffer the indignity of either the scam of “reparative therapy” or homelessness, as so many do. Until that day, I fear for the children of gays and lesbians, who will face ridicule and discrimination at school because their families “aren’t real” and their mommies or daddies “aren’t really married.”

"Finally, I fear for you. If the God you worship is the one about whom I’ve read, you’ve got some serious explaining to do. Like the woman in John 8, I’d offer you the first stone, but I’m already bloodied by Proposition 8." - Lee Tucker, writing on his blog.

Hell Freezes Over

In a historic move, the Chicago Tribune has endorsed Barak Obama for president. So what, you say? So this is the first time EVER the Tribune, in it's 150+ year history, that has endorsed a Democrat. This includes two endorsements for Nixon and two for the current idiot in office.

It will be interesting to see who the Pantagraph endorses. They're even more conservative then the Trib, if that's possible.

Extreme Pumpkins

Just when you thought it was safe for your gourds, check this site out. Extreme Pumpkins

100 Greatest, Gayest Albums of All Time

This list of the 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums of All Time represents a lot of the music I listened to as a teenager, college student and young adult. Some of these I've never heard of. And some I played to death (Bronski Beat.)

Some quibbles: David Bowie's Let's Dance is at least as gay if not gayer than Ziggy.

I'm disappointed that Queen, ELO and The Communards are not represented. Especially Queen: In the mid- to late-seventies owning a Queen album was practically a red flag.

Cool Link

This color test reminds me of the Luscher Color Test popular in the seventies and early 80s. Oh wait, it is!

I took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! "Seeks success, stimulation, and a life full of exp..." Click here to read the rest of the results.

Penney's Back To School Commercial

I think this commercial is total brilliance. Of course, the original movie was total brilliance, that's why it still resonates more than 20 years later.

An updated version of The Breakfast Club: