There we were, sitting right of center and preparing to hear our valedictorian speak, when Mary leaned in and whispered: "I've always had a bit of a crush on you."
My stomach flopped, and my throat became dry. I continued staring straight ahead, waiting for the smartest kid in the class to tell us we should go forth and conquer the world.
"What?" I hoped she replied with something else, because Mary was way out of my league. I didn't need that sort of pressure at such a crucial transition in my life.
"Nothing," she said.
Sigh . . .
If only we could be as brave as Denis Cooverman.
Although our lives may not be as outrageous and exaggerated as this goofy teen coming-of-age flick, we would be better off if we, like Cooverman, spoke openly and more honestly about how we wanted our lives to be.
Whether Schlessinger or the network that owns a portion of her show made the decision, the contract for the long-time radio talk show host will not be renewed when it expires later this year. After backlash from heron-air rant about the use of the n-word, (during which she used the word several times) Schlessinger says she's going to leave the show in order to "regain" her first amendment rights. Now,Sarah Palin has injected herself into the drama, tweeting that Schlessinger should "reload" rather than retreat.
The truth, however, is that Schelssinger never lost her right to free speech. As a private citizen she can certainly say what she wants as long as it remains within the boundaries protected by the first amendment. As a professional working in part for a corporation, however, her speech is -- and should be -- restricted.
Media-types that sell advertising, like Premier Radio Networks (a subsidiary of Clear Channel) don't cotton to boycotts on the soap they are trying to sell.
I'm suspicious of anyone that tells me they want to "feel free" to use their first amendment rights. What that tells me is they want to be less polite in our society; they want to openly express frustrations about those who are different, or vent about populations with whom they harbor some anger. People complain about political correctness as being a problem, as if it stifles the ability to really say what one wants to say. It doesn't. It simply stifles the ability to spew hateful comments based on stereotype and cliche.
The world will be better off with a little less Dr. Laura.
"Barack Obama has abandoned America at the place where America's heart was broken nine years ago, and where her true values were on display for all to see," said Debra Burlingame, a spokeswoman for a group of victims' families, according to The Associated Press. Burlingame's brother was a pilot killed in the 9/11 attacks.
"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said. "That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."
These quotes, containedin an articleabout the proposed building of a mosque and community center in New York City, two blocks from the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks, illustrate the continuum on how civil rights are currently viewed in this country.
Americans have a bad habit of confusing rights with emotion. This confusion is seen in the justice system regularly, where individuals say they want justice, but what they really want is revenge.
Revenge tastes better than justice; like most things that taste good but are bad for you, we Americans consume a lot of it.
President Obama, with his pledge to uphold a constitution that applies to all citizens, made the right call. Sure, putting a mosque near the Ground Zero site raises eyebrows. The easy call would be to prohibit it.
Easy calls in a diverse and multicultural America, however, are usually the wrong calls to make.
This blog receives several commercial requests to post information during the year, most from businesses that want traffic to view their ads. I almost always pass on a request to post something on The Film Geek.
But Onlineuniversities.com sent a link to a post titled: "11 All-Time Biggest Movie Slackers." It was an interesting list, complete with trailers from the flicks. You can see the listat this link.
The Dude made the cut!
Take a look at the post, sign up to take a psychology class at the University of Phoenix, then tell me if you agree with the list.
Twice as much for your dollar this time, as AllClick and I discuss "Movies We Thought Would Suck But Didn't." His three plus mine = six flicks for discussion!
Despite the tremendous buzz around Inception, I was prepared to dismiss it as another special effects-dependent, gimmicky, summer action flick. I even anticipated making fun of the title by connecting it to Cajun Man, the 1990s SNL character developed by Adam Sandler:
My original commentary would have played off Cajun Man's extreme southern drawl. Descriptions of the flick would include words like:
I dunno...to me that's funny. Words tickle my brain.
Early in Inception, however, I stopped thinking of descriptions that Cajun Man could use and started paying attention to the plot. DiCaprio (who always seems able to command a movie with a minimalist performance) made me care for his character. A basic heist flick jacked up on Matrix-sized green screen, Inception is a 1,000 piece puzzle that becomes more fun to put together with each piece.
Christopher Nolan, who wrote and directed the movie, has another masterpiece added to his IMBd list.
