the films of the 2000s from Paul Proulx on Vimeo.
It’s 1:37 a.m., and I’ve spent much of the evening writing and/or talking about the publishing industry. My fingers are tired of typing. So, instead of posting words here, thought I’d share this 2000s movie montage clip by Paul Proulx. Can’t quite put my finger on why I found it so touching, but I did. Hope you enjoy it. (h/t N’Gai Croal)
Happy Monday! As previously mentioned, at Kiss & Tell I planned to perform a piece about John Mayer’s Playboy interview. I couldn’t do the full performance because the show was canceled. (Inclement weather.) However, since I brought the topic up on Funky Brown Chick – and several of you left comments and emailed me to ask, “What did you think about his interview?”– here are my quick and jumbled thoughts …
Playboy is about sex. Playboy wants to be racy. And, in America — for several reasons — conversations about race & sex are often racy. However, lest we lose perspective, I was talking about Playboy. John Mayer, on the other hand, is a musician — not a respected commentator about topics related to either sexuality or ethnicity. In fact, if he were better informed about either topic, I highly doubt he would’ve said such ignorant remarks about race (i.e. comparing his cock to a white supremacist) or sexuality (i.e. he used the word “fags” to describe gay men and said he could “outgay” Perez Hilton). That’s classy, right? ;) Anyway. Moving right along.
I feel blessed to have guy friends, acquaintances and others who are black, Asian, Mexican, beefy & brown, Canadian, French Canadian, German and other nationalities and ethnicities. Those are pals. My boyfriends, lovers and fuck buddies span an equally wide spectrum. Why? That’s just how I roll.
So, when John Mayer said “I don’t think I open myself to [dating black women],” my immediate reaction was: Too bad for him :) Apparently, he’ll never experience the pleasures more open minded (and mature!) men like model Gabriel Aubry, film critic Roger Ebert, rockstar David Bowie, R&B crooner Robin Thicke, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, actors Justin Chambers, Chris Noth (a.k.a. Sex in the City’s “Big”), Robert DeNiro, Brad Pitt and so many others who have, ahem, dipped vanilla sticks in chocolate pudding. ;)
C’est tout. I’m already tired of this story. There are more pressing matters worthy of attention and many many interesting characters more deserving of a Manly Monday nod. Soooo, coming up next, a very musical Manly Monday selection to charm your ears. Stay tuned.
If we’re friends on Facebook, you already know I’ve recently discovered Santigold. By “discovered” I mean, yesterday at lunch at FreeFoods, a great song blasted overhead. Wondering what is was, I whipped out my touch phone, threw it in the air and loaded Shazam. Voila, L.E.S. Artists! It appears Santigold’s first singles dropped in 2008. But Rolling Stone, always in touch with what’s new, already named her an Artist to Watch in 2007. I’m late to the game on this one, so many of you have probably already heard of her. In any case, I’m posting the video because I LOVE it. Hope you like it, too!
In case you were wondering … Nope, no one’s paying me to plug her or otherwise endorse her stuff. I just like the music.
Blowing dust off my inbox, I’m answering an old question from a Funky Brown Chick reader. A few months ago, someone asked: “I seem to like your taste in films. I was wondering if you could do a blog about top foreign films that are a ‘must see’ or that you’ve just plain ol’ enjoyed.” Of course I can! It’s hardly a “Best Foreign Films EVER” list; nevertheless, in alphabetical order and off the top of my head, here are 25 of my personal favorite romantic comedies, dramas, indie flicks and other films from other countries. Click links to see trailers. If you’ve seen any of the movies — or, if I’ve left a flick off the list and you’d like to recommend it to me — feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
I don’t owe a television. I watch everything online. I saw Lady Gaga’s MTV VMA performance, Jude Law’s “Poker Face” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and a bunch of other fun stuff right here on my computer screen.
If you haven’t already checked out YouTube movies, Hulu or Netflix’s wide selection of free films and TV shows, it’s worth it. Tons of news stuff, but it’s also nice to stumble upon old things I’ve forgotten. Take Moonstruck, for example. I saw the beginning of it on television AGES ago. It’s not necessarily something I’d go out of my way to rent. But, because it was free, I figured: Why the hell not? If you’d like to see it (again?), too, it’s available on Hulu for the next two weeks. Enjoy!
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UPDATE: Here’s the direct link to Moonstruck. Not sure why Hulu’s content won’t load above. Sent an email to their support desk and will keep you posted.
Picture this: A 40-something dude dopes a 13-year-old girl with quaaludes then rapes her vaginally, orally and anally then flees the country to escape prison. Given, for three decades, Roman Polanski fastidiously avoided traveling to the US (the country which would arrest him) as well as the UK (and other places that might extradite him) — it appears, surely, he worried he’d eventually get caught. Such was the case this weekend when he was finally arrested.
If you’ve been to Funky Brown Chick before, you know about Manly Mondays–weekly nods to men, masculine topics and other testosteronely bits. Also, if you’ve hung around here a while (and/or know me personally), you’re familiar with my love of film and you’re likely aware I used to work international affairs before moving to New York and pursuing a career that fed my passion for the written word. So, naturally, what better Manly Monday pick could I write about today than what Esquire magazine calls a “30-year-old case, on sex, justice, and the American way.” So, here we go …
It seems no one doubts Roman Polanski has had an incredibly unfair share of misfortune. A Jew having escaped wartime Kraków ghettos only to learn his mother would later perish in Auschwitz, his childhood wasn’t without horrors. He could’ve been a tortured soul when he came to the U.S. as adult and directed his first film, the occult flick Rosemary’s Baby. (I rented it ages ago and loved it. My reaction to it was similar to my impressions of reading Stephen King: “I’m probably taking in the product of a brilliant, albeit possibly disturbed, mind.”) In any case, Polanski’s misfortunes likely might’ve seemed to diminish as he career took off and he married the beautiful Sharon Tate. Nineteen months after the wedding, on August 8, 1969, his 8-1/2 month pregnant wife, Tate, was brutally murdered by Charles Manson’s gang. They weren’t targeting her. Out for blood, it was just dumb luck she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Almost full term, her killer testified she got “sick of listening to her, pleading and begging, begging and pleading” to give birth to Polanski’s child before they took her life. Upon hearing the news of his bride and only baby’s death, I can only imagine Polanski must’ve felt cursed. What did he do to deserve such horrible fate? Sadly, the answer is probably: absolutely nothing. Life, unfortunately, isn’t fair.
Enter the rape of 13-year-old kid, Samantha Gailey. I’ve neither heard nor read anything that suggests he’s innocent. Gailey (now Geimer) testified he did it, and Polanski admitted his guilt. Having said all that, after watching confessions & testimonies contained in the documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted & Desired*, I get the impression no one believes Judge Rittenband gave Polanski a fair trial. Reporting for the Washington Post, critic Tom Shales has said, Rittenband’s “bungling of the case was so outrageous.” Of Polanski’s recent arrest, French Minister of Culture and Communication Frédéric Mitterrand commented he “strongly regrets that a new ordeal is being inflicted on someone who has already experienced so many of them.” Indeed. Although justice should be blind, I’m often sympathetic when people who — through no fault of their own — are unfairly burdened with extra heapings of the shittiest of life’s (mis)fortunes. They deserve a break. Though, the key phrase there is through no fault of their own. He pleaded guilty to raping a child, and life has its odd synchronicities. Quoting The Guardian: “Just as 13-year-old Samantha Gailey was unfortunate enough to run up against Polanski in horny, Austin Powers mode, so Polanski was unlucky to be then dragged before Rittenband.”
“So,” several friends have recently asked, “what do you think about this Polanski stuff?” I’m neither or judge nor a lawyer, so I’ll refrain from speculating about the legal technicalities of the case. I only know what I’ve seen in the press — which, of course, is not without its flaws. So, I guess my final answer isn’t resolute at all. I don’t know what to think of it yet because I’m still turning it around in my head. The incidents are truly unfortunate–for everyone involved. That said — whether you’re a bystander reading the news, a survivor of teen sexual abuse, someone with children of your own, a film buff who thinks Polanski got a raw deal, or whatever — I want to hear from you. As I’ve said many times, the world is most interesting when people respectfully disagree. Feel free to use the comments section below to do so.
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Psst! I highly recommend the documentary. It’s available (FREE!) streaming online to Netflix members. Click Roman Polanski: Wanted & Desired.
You know Hulu, Netflix and Youtube offer free, feature-length movies online right? Lots of the offerings include documentaries, biographies and other films related about sexuality, sex politics and great other topics. If you liked MILK, you’ll probably like this documentary: The Times of Harvey Milk
I’m leaving New York for a tiny vacation tomorrow. More on that soon. In the meantime, before I spill those details, I soooo have to tell you news about the latest onscreen blasian couple. If you read Everyone Loves an Asian Boy, you know how much I adore cute blasian (Black Woman / Asian Man or Black Man / Asian Woman) couples on television and in real life. And by “TV” I mean streaming. I gave up cable. So, as I was saying, apparently, there’s a new one coming to a screen near you. ABC’s Flash Forward features that sexy drop of deliciousness, John Cho. His character, Demetri Noh, is engaged to “Zoey.” Soooooo, IMDB says Gabrielle Union has been cast in that role. (Also saw this on The Sauda Voice.) HOT BLASIAN LOVE!!! I’m, so excited to see a diverse cast on network TV, and I’m super interested to see if there’s any onscreen chemistry between John Cho and Gabrielle Union. They’re both incredibly sexy, attractive actors. Who doesn’t want to see them get it on?
Too fucking cute!! Why didn’t anyone tell me about this onscreen blasian coupling? In the clip below, I think ABC should change their advertising: [insert manly newscaster voice] Coming this fall … Flash Forward! The most intriguing show on ABC … AND we give you blasian love!! ;)
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Photos: Gabby Union on BET and John Cho on The Insider.
Hi, I'm Twanna. I'm a sex, dating and relationships writer in NYC.
