Wow-We-Wow!

This new Nicole Kidman movie looks excellent. It's nice that she keeps doing different things. I'm glad this will be a different kind of humor for her to try. Sept. 12, 2007.

He Can Only Hold Her

He can only hold her for so long
The lights are on but no one's home
She's so vacant
Her soul is taken
He thinks "What's she running from?"

Now how can he have her heart
When it got stole?
So he tries to pacify her
Cuz what's inside her never dies

Even if she's content in his warmth
She is plagued with urgency
Searching kisses
The man she misses
The man that he longs to be

Now how can he have her heart
When it got stole?
So he tries to pacify her
Cuz what's inside her never dies

So he tries to pacify her
Cuz what's inside her, it never dies

So he tries to pacify her
But what's inside her never dies

Knocked Up

How often does a comedy come along and put a sense of much needed commentary on our current generation of misfits? Well, the answer, I believe is very rarely. So, when Judd Apatow (of The 40 Year-Old Virgin fame) wrote and directed this tale of irresponsibility turned coming-of-age tale, he created a gem that reflects our culture perfectly.

Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) is, well, a stoner-slacker with no money and plans to make it big with his friends by running a porn site.

Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) is an ambitious young woman who dreams of being an E! Network anchor.

Ben and Alison meet one fateful night at a bar and have a one night stand that results in Alison's pregnancy.



What the movie touches upon well is the thought processes of young people whose lives change because of a child. It also delves deeply into relationships. Alison and Ben decide to get to know each other and try and make things work for them and their future child.



Watch for heartfelt performances from the two leads as well as excellent cameos from Apatow's real life wife, Leslie Mann, as Alison's sister Debbie and her on-screen husband, Pete, Paul Rudd. Also in the film, Apatow and Mann's real life children play Debbie and Pete's kids.



I must commend Apatow for his ability to put a commentary and funny spin on serious subjects that underlay things that are made fun of, i.e. virginity and getting knocked up. He has an ability to really put a serious spin and say something meaningful about things that seem silly. ***A***

Shrek the Third

Okay, it's been a hot second since I've reviewed some movies, but I have seen a couple recently.

Of course I was going to see the third Shrek film because of my affinity for the green ogre.

For this third installment, the audience finds Shrek (Mike Myers) and Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) in the bliss of marriage. Soon however, Fiona's father, King Harold (John Cleese), falls ill and dies leaving the kingdom of Far, Far Away to Shrek if he chooses.



Shrek, however, doesn't want to be king opting for a simplistic life back in the swamp. He then sets out to go find the one descendant of the family, Fiona's cousin, the future King Arthur. With entourage in tow, Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Buss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), Shrek leaves Far, Far Away and receives some surprising news which I can't reveal.



Arthur, as it turns out is, Artie (Justin Timberlake), a young prep-school nerd who is the joke of everyone, including the popular jock, Lancelot (John Krasinski).

When Shrek comes to Artie to claim his birthright, Artie is reluctant and wants nothing to do with being king. Shrek then helps Artie, with the help of a wacky Merlin (Eric Idle) develop his self-confidence and Artie eventually accepts his place as king of Far, Far Away.



Meanwhile, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) gathers a mass of fairy tale villains to plot an attack on Far, Far Away and assure that they receive their "Happily Ever After". The attack is somewhat thwarted by Fiona and a host of storybook princesses. Look for funny cameos with these characters played by Amy Sedaris, Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph.



Truth be told, it was fun seeing the characters and I like the inclusion of the Arthurian legend now. However, we're running out of steam here and I think the creators and audience know this. It's unfortunate that Dreamworks is making a fourth and possibly fifth installment. Let's hope the fourth starts to charge things forward because as it stands the films look to be pulling in to the station. ***B***

Oh, Me! Oh, My!

I like how I don't write every day. However I do write a weeks worth of entries in one setting. These are usually on Sunday nights when I'm preparing for the week ahead. Haha. I may be the most ridiculous person on the planet. (Is this possible?)

At the End

Our civilization and race are moving towards the end.

We all know this and are reacting to the change.

The earth will change and move on.

We all know this and are reacting to the change.

We are aware of our own mortality.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Read this in three settings (days). Could be quicker if you sit and focus, but I can't just sit still for too long.

Great book by Thorton Wilder. There are a lot of passages I can't find and can't begin to remember, but here are some great ones I found...

"'Even now,' she thought, 'almost no one remembers Esteban and Pepita, but myself. Camila alone remembers her Uncle Pio and her son; this woman, her mother. But soon we shall die and all memory of those five will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning.'"

"'...you're not allowed to kill yourself; you know you're not allowed. Everybody knows that. But if you jump into a burning house to save somebody, that wouldn't be killing yourself.'"

"Esteban fell face downward upon the floor. 'I am alone, alone, alone,' he cried. The Captain stood above him, his great plain face ridged and gray with pain ... He could not be sure the figure on the floor was listening, but he said, 'We do what we can. We push on, Esteban, as best we can. It isn't for long, you know. Time keeps going by. You'll be surprised at the way time passes.'"

"The knowledge that she would never be loved in return acted upon her ideas as a tide acts upon cliffs. Her religious beliefs went first, for all she could ask of god, or of immortality, was the gift of a place where daughters love their mothers; the other attributes of Heaven you could have for a song. Next she lost her belief in the sincerity of those about her. She secretly refused to believe that anyone (herself excepted) loved anyone. All families lived in a wasteful atmosphere of custom and kissed one another with secret indifference. She saw that the people of this world moved about in an armor of egotism, drunk with self-gazing, athirst for compliments, hearing little of what was said to them, unmoved by the accidents that befell their closest of friends, in dread of all appeals that might interrupt their long communion with their own desires."

Something coincidental

Is it weird that two of the men in my top three are Aquariuses? JT and Josh Wald? Or maybe it's weird that I know that they're both Aquariuses.

No. 1

Hey, Jude. Then. Now. Always. Jude Law. Don't fight the Law, 'cause the Law will win.

No. 2

While not really famous, I would say having your image stamped on thousands of Hanes underwear packages is enough to qualify. Josh Wald. C'est magnifique.

No. 3

Ain't another man that can take your spot my love. JT.

No. 4

Laura Linny's object of lust in Love Actually and cast member of Lost, Rodrigo Santoro. There are photos of him clean-cut sans scruff. I like him shaggy.

No. 5

Jamie Dornan. Male model turned "actor". I'll take him in that sex scene in Marie Antoinette.

No. 6

Rufus Wainwright. Ahh, talent. The piano, the guitar, the voice. Lovely.

No. 7

The Gyllenhaal. Jakey-poo you have zero percent clue what you do.

"I just need a friend..."

21 Grams



Cristina Peck:
Take it easy? Take it easy!?! My husband and my little girls are dead, and I'm supposed to take it fucking easy? I can't just go on with my life! I am paralyzed here! I am a fucking amputee! Do you see that?

***

I'm fucking depressed.

No. 8

Channing Tatum. Yes, my lovely badass-thug, shaved-haired, white, boyfriend.

No. 9

Patrick Wilson. Classic, all-American.

To Be or Not to Be...a Label

I've come to a threshold of revelations. I try and fight being labeled so much, but have no choice but to fall into my own prejudices.

I believe the difficulty I have with the gay community is being defined as gay. Yes, I am gay. Yes, I'm thankful to realize this and live my life without the shame of this, but what I hate is being labeled.

Not just gay, but male, my ethnicity, my height, my weight, my education, my family's wealth, my income, my career. Yes, these are all components of what makes an individual, but I feel they're so focused on and so important to our culture.

And while I desperately desire to be defined as Jonathan, I myself fall victim to labeling and thinking in black and white when everything in life is gray. I know that instead of fighting those labels I should embrace them and spread patience and understanding to all. I feel like I've done that to great deal of people. But sometimes I feel I fall victim to those words and those negative people.

Happy Gay Pride Month

In honor of June's festivas...a little treat from the marketing geniuses at Absolute Vodka.



Please drink responsibly.

The Fern and the Bamboo

My mom sent this to me in an e-mail like a month ago. I finally read it. I don't usually read the majority of the stories because I get annoyed when she constantly sends me forwards. But, hey, sometimes they're inspirational. I'll never admit that though.



The Fern and the Bamboo

One day I decided to quit....

I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality.....

I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answer surprised me...
"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good
care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly
grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet
nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the
bamboo".

He said. "In the third year, there was still nothing from the
bamboo seed. But I would not quit.


In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo
seed.

But I would not quit.

He said. "Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the
earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant.

But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong
and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my
creations a challenge it could not handle."

He said to me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you
have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would
not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself
to others."

He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern,
yet, they both make the forest beautiful."

"Your time will come," God said to me. " You will rise high!"

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned.

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

No. 10

I'm starting a list of the top ten men that are truely gifts from Heaven. My number 10 spot is dedicated to two men that share a lot of the same qualities. Cary Grant and George Clooney. Like a fine suit, they'll never go out of style because they fine...in suits.

"Why is it always something?"

I don't understand why I feel the need to have downward mood swings every few months. I mean really. It's always brought on my meaningless things like not getting enough attention or feeling valued. But what do I need in order to feel that? I should be the only one that determines my value and it's stupid sometimes that I let people determine my own self worth.

I've also been thinking that I'm not settling for anyone until I find him or vice versa. I'm gonna hold out. I feel sometimes that my mom settled on my dad because she wanted to start a family. Well there will be none of that shit for me. N-O-N-E. I'm stubborn by nature and I'll hold out until I get my way.

Intimacy

It never occured to me how deeply my intimacy issues ran. I'm fearful of showing love affectionately and yet it's something I crave so deeply in a mate.

It's like the thing I love to hate. My shame. But it isn't shameful. Weird.

Maybe that's why I care for him so much. He shows that side I don't. He's not affraid.