Three Things for Monday, and Hairspray!

In no particular order here are three very important happenings today.

First, of course, the meeting of the Bessemer Neighborhood Association is tonight at 7:00. Among other things, we will talk about the animal abuse issue, and we would like as many people there as possible. Even if you don’t live in Bessemer, you should be concerned that a city is sanctioning animal abuse, so you should come out in support. 7:00 at 1829 Dartmouth Avenue.

Of course, you will need to tivo the democratic “youtube debate” on CNN at 6:00 central time. Then you can watch it after the Bessemer meeting.

And by then you should have called your representative in Washington and urged him or her to support impeachment proceedings against Dick Cheney. Today people across the country are being urged to do that…just three more sponsors and Chairman John Conyers says he will begin impeachment proceedings. 202-224-3121 gets you in touch with your representative. Today is the 5th anniversary of the meeting that produced the famed Downing Street Minutes and if you are unfamiliar with this check it out.

Hairspray had a large audience at 2:00 in Hoover, believe it or not. This movie musical about integration in 1960’s Baltimore might be more controversial in Birmingham than Brokeback Mountain was. Of course Brokeback played to crowded movie houses for more than 12 weeks here, and I predict Hairspray will do at least as well.

The biggest surprise was that I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry beat out both Harry Potter and Hairspray over the weekend. I guess too many people stayed home reading the new Harry book…or had already seen the movie since it grossed $139 million the weekend before. I want to hear from people who actually saw Chuck and Larry, because the reviews are awful, but you gotta love Adam Sandler and Kevin James, so yeah, we will got see it, but we aren’t in a big hurry.

The original Hairspray movie from 1988 finds its way to connect to the new production, in the form of John Waters, the writer and director of the original movie, making a cameo appearance as the “flasher who lives next door” during the opening number. Also, Riki Lake who played Tracy in the original appears as a talent scout during the “Miss Hairspray” finale. And, Jerry Stiller who played Tracy’s father in the original plays the owner of Hefty Hideaway.

John Travolta (as Edna Turnblad) and Queen Latifah may have been the big stars, but Nikki Blonsky as Tracy steals the show, and out sings, out dances and out peforms all the big names. Nikki was a singing ice cream scooper at Cold Stone Creamery before she was chosen for this role.

Hairspray may have come in third, but as for musicals it owns the biggest opening weekend in history. Dreamgirls doesn’t come close, nor does Chicago.

Whether it’s inequities of the past as in Hairspray or inequities of the present as in Chuck and Larry, movies that address social issues do well. And history marches on. I’m heading to Cold Stone Creamery.

>Three Things for Monday, and Hairspray!

>In no particular order here are three very important happenings today.

First, of course, the meeting of the Bessemer Neighborhood Association is tonight at 7:00. Among other things, we will talk about the animal abuse issue, and we would like as many people there as possible. Even if you don’t live in Bessemer, you should be concerned that a city is sanctioning animal abuse, so you should come out in support. 7:00 at 1829 Dartmouth Avenue.

Of course, you will need to tivo the democratic “youtube debate” on CNN at 6:00 central time. Then you can watch it after the Bessemer meeting.

And by then you should have called your representative in Washington and urged him or her to support impeachment proceedings against Dick Cheney. Today people across the country are being urged to do that…just three more sponsors and Chairman John Conyers says he will begin impeachment proceedings. 202-224-3121 gets you in touch with your representative. Today is the 5th anniversary of the meeting that produced the famed Downing Street Minutes and if you are unfamiliar with this check it out.

Hairspray had a large audience at 2:00 in Hoover, believe it or not. This movie musical about integration in 1960’s Baltimore might be more controversial in Birmingham than Brokeback Mountain was. Of course Brokeback played to crowded movie houses for more than 12 weeks here, and I predict Hairspray will do at least as well.

The biggest surprise was that I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry beat out both Harry Potter and Hairspray over the weekend. I guess too many people stayed home reading the new Harry book…or had already seen the movie since it grossed $139 million the weekend before. I want to hear from people who actually saw Chuck and Larry, because the reviews are awful, but you gotta love Adam Sandler and Kevin James, so yeah, we will got see it, but we aren’t in a big hurry.

The original Hairspray movie from 1988 finds its way to connect to the new production, in the form of John Waters, the writer and director of the original movie, making a cameo appearance as the “flasher who lives next door” during the opening number. Also, Riki Lake who played Tracy in the original appears as a talent scout during the “Miss Hairspray” finale. And, Jerry Stiller who played Tracy’s father in the original plays the owner of Hefty Hideaway.

John Travolta (as Edna Turnblad) and Queen Latifah may have been the big stars, but Nikki Blonsky as Tracy steals the show, and out sings, out dances and out peforms all the big names. Nikki was a singing ice cream scooper at Cold Stone Creamery before she was chosen for this role.

Hairspray may have come in third, but as for musicals it owns the biggest opening weekend in history. Dreamgirls doesn’t come close, nor does Chicago.

Whether it’s inequities of the past as in Hairspray or inequities of the present as in Chuck and Larry, movies that address social issues do well. And history marches on. I’m heading to Cold Stone Creamery.

Cheney’s Day’s Numbered? Plus Live Earth

Schools across the nation will soon be changing their lesson plans for American government. I believe it was in the 11th grade that I had the subject and learned how our government functions, er, functioned. Now they must be changing the textbooks so that students can learn about the four branches of government. You remember; the executive, the legislative, the judicial, and the cheney branch.

Without the addition of the cheney branch of government, we could not have all the checks and imbalances that we have now. Things like the monopoly “get out of jail free” card for your friends. The outing of covert (oh yes she was) CIA agents (and the endangerment of all the people she associated with in her “job” at Brewster Jennings or wherever else she worked).

Manipulating intelligence. No, I don’t mean working with the president’s intelligence, although what little he has needs manipulating. I’m talking about national security, that kind of intelligence. Manipulating intelligence and purposely deceiving the congress and citizens of the U.S.

We can help prevent the cheney branch of government from taking over by urging his impeachment. Read Robert Greenwald of The Huffington Post and view the number one youtube video that outlines the articles of impeachment.

Huffington Post

Saturday was Live Earth and if you didn’t watch parts of the event you missed out. Great music, from all over the world, and to bring awareness to a cause that only those with no concern for our world would chose to ignore, or even deny, and that is global warming. Events from all seven continents, including Antarctica, where a few scientists performed for the cameras and some penguins, made for a day that hopefully will be turning point in the battle to save our planet as we know it today.

Visit Live Earth and you can watch and listen to all the artists that performed. Snow Patrol, Madonna, Joss Stone, James Blunt and more. Of course you can also learn more about the climate crisis and environmental issues, and there are links to SOS, The Alliance for Climate Protection and National Geographic’s environmental sites.

It is beyond me why some would want to ignore this looming crisis. While there really is no real debate that our planet’s climate is changing, and if you look at the science, no debate that humankind is playing a major role in this, some chose to fight efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, for example. They would rather sit back and criticize science while the flooding of places like Bangladesh and South Beach looms in the not so distant future. They think the world is in chaos now, just wait until millions and millions are displaced by slowly rising waters and mass migrations are occurring forcing people to areas already overcrowded and stressed to the limits.

Not only people will be affected, and I’m also for saving the polar ice so that the polar bears up north and the penguins down south will have habitats in which to live as well.

And I have children who will be living in the world that we leave for them. Let’s all do our part.

>Cheney’s Day’s Numbered? Plus Live Earth

>Schools across the nation will soon be changing their lesson plans for American government. I believe it was in the 11th grade that I had the subject and learned how our government functions, er, functioned. Now they must be changing the textbooks so that students can learn about the four branches of government. You remember; the executive, the legislative, the judicial, and the cheney branch.

Without the addition of the cheney branch of government, we could not have all the checks and imbalances that we have now. Things like the monopoly “get out of jail free” card for your friends. The outing of covert (oh yes she was) CIA agents (and the endangerment of all the people she associated with in her “job” at Brewster Jennings or wherever else she worked).

Manipulating intelligence. No, I don’t mean working with the president’s intelligence, although what little he has needs manipulating. I’m talking about national security, that kind of intelligence. Manipulating intelligence and purposely deceiving the congress and citizens of the U.S.

We can help prevent the cheney branch of government from taking over by urging his impeachment. Read Robert Greenwald of The Huffington Post and view the number one youtube video that outlines the articles of impeachment.

Huffington Post

Saturday was Live Earth and if you didn’t watch parts of the event you missed out. Great music, from all over the world, and to bring awareness to a cause that only those with no concern for our world would chose to ignore, or even deny, and that is global warming. Events from all seven continents, including Antarctica, where a few scientists performed for the cameras and some penguins, made for a day that hopefully will be turning point in the battle to save our planet as we know it today.

Visit Live Earth and you can watch and listen to all the artists that performed. Snow Patrol, Madonna, Joss Stone, James Blunt and more. Of course you can also learn more about the climate crisis and environmental issues, and there are links to SOS, The Alliance for Climate Protection and National Geographic’s environmental sites.

It is beyond me why some would want to ignore this looming crisis. While there really is no real debate that our planet’s climate is changing, and if you look at the science, no debate that humankind is playing a major role in this, some chose to fight efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, for example. They would rather sit back and criticize science while the flooding of places like Bangladesh and South Beach looms in the not so distant future. They think the world is in chaos now, just wait until millions and millions are displaced by slowly rising waters and mass migrations are occurring forcing people to areas already overcrowded and stressed to the limits.

Not only people will be affected, and I’m also for saving the polar ice so that the polar bears up north and the penguins down south will have habitats in which to live as well.

And I have children who will be living in the world that we leave for them. Let’s all do our part.