Slow News Day

Big news today. Clay Aiken is gay. This news ran above the fold on Google News right beside that thing about Warren Buffett bailing out Goldman Sachs.

Enough about Goldman Sachs. Clay Aiken is gay? Say it ain't so. What will happen to his herd of followers? Will he "turn" his son gay?

These are the questions.

In other news, the NRA is going after Barack Obama in an ad campaign. Another big shocker. Haven't seen the spot yet but I read that a guy named Verne or something like that is standing out in the woods in Virginia saying he heard Obama is going to tax his guns and ammo. Note to the NRA. We know what scares you about Obama and it's not taxing your guns and ammo. Next the NRA is going to trot out the lone black hunter living in the US and claim they are a rainbow coalition.

I was looking for demographics on hunters and found this interesting announcement from an association right here in the Nutmeg State where I live. They are called the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). You know I thought doing PR for Cisco was a soul killing job. I feel for this guy. Thanks Steve Wagner of the NSSF for making me feel like I have morals.

Half of U.S. Hunters Now Live in Family-Friendly States
Ohio, Pennsylvania Round Out New ‘America’s Top 20’ List

NEWTOWN, Conn.—If you’re a parent longing to share big-game hunting with your young son or daughter, your odds of doing so legally in your home state have risen to about 50-50.

Nearly half of U.S. hunters—more than ever in modern times—now live in states where they’re free to mentor young people of any age into a cherished lifestyle that instills self sufficiency, respect, discipline and stewardship of the outdoors. Plus provides healthful table fare.

The other half live in states where that sort of parenting is considered criminal.

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And it goes on from there. First of all, I thought press releases were supposed to at least sound unbiased. Actually Steve may be the lucky one. Writing whatever he thinks and putting it out as news.

Honestly I don't have anything against hunters. My dad and brother hunt. I don't. It's not my thing. But I'm sure there are plenty of nice hunters out there. I didn't appreciate flipping the channels to see one of those sports shows that skulk around filming animal death by hunting. That I didn't like. You get my drift.

It seems to me with everything going on this country we would care about something like Warren Buffett bailing out Goldman Sachs a bit more than we care about Clay Aiken outing himself. And yet, there I was scoping out TMZ.com, reading People online to get all the news about Clay's gayness.

I think we are overwhelmed. I agree with Senator Obama that we've given up hoping or believing in our country. It's just too much to take in, that our president betrayed us, the enormous debt, gas prices, food prices, mortgages imploding. Earlier in the week I contemplated taking all of our money out of Wachovia. We're well under the FDIC maximum but I was that frightened. I'm still frightened but I'm embarassed to walk into Wachovia and take out thousands to put where, under my mattress?

I can't bear to think of more of this. I can't bear the thought of Sarah Palin. So I'll think about Clay Aiken and that he somehow thought after all this time we would be shocked. Nothing shocks us now Clay. We are a country in shock and awe.

Yes George Clooney Again

I saw two movies this weekend. One I'd anxiously awaited starring my main man George Clooney and the other I'd never heard of until I logged on to Movietickets.com. Regrettably I didn't really like Burn After Reading. There were some funny things and it had all my faves like George and Frances McDormand and that lovely man who's always in movies as a supporting actor but he really is leading man attractive in some way that I can't describe.

So Burn After Reading, I was very excited about seeing this movie. I love the Coen Brothers. Great cast. Still I was disappointed. I think I must've missed the point which wouldn't be that difficult since I'm really more of a Die Hard 2 kind of gal. I thought John Malkovich was terrific. Very over the top as usual but really good.

One of the biggest problems I had was with the Frances McDormand character who is obsessed with plastic surgery. I'm also obsessed with plastic surgery so that can't be the problem. I thought her character was more of a caricature. One dimensional. Like a Stepford Wife. And that's strange because I think Frances McDormand is the best and she's married to one of the Coen brothers - Joel or Ethan I can't remember. So she should've had input into that character. I just didn't get it.

On the other hand I also saw Transsiberian. Never heard of it but loved this movie. Emily Mortimer is in it. I have a girl crush on Emily Mortimer. I don't know exactly what that means but my younger much cooler neighbor says it so I'm going to say it too. Anyway, Emily Mortimer was in Lars and the Real Girl and Dear Frankie with Gerard Butler another crush of mine.

Transsiberian is really dark and edgy but the character that makes the film is Emily Mortimer as she slowly comes unhinged. She starts out as this Christian mission worker in China with her husband - Woody Harrelson in a very tacky toupee. The couple decide to go on an adventure and take the Transsiberian railway from Beijing to Moscow. Along the way they are joined by a mysterious young couple, Spanish hottie from Vantage Point and Kate Mara from Sniper. And things slowly evolve until you can't believe what's happening.

But Emily Mortimer as Jessie is the one to watch. First she declines a drink. Then it's the glances back and forth with the Spaniard. Then she loses her husband at a station and it just builds and builds. She's so layered and vulnerable and scary. Terrific.

So if you're looking for something off the beaten path, try Transsiberian. (I'm pretending to have a following here that would in addition to reading my blog, also take my movie suggestions seriously.)

N.B. The actor I love but didn't know his name is Richard Jenkins and he plays the detective checking on Susan Sarandon's husband - Richard Gere - in Shall We Dance. Personally I would've left the bar with him. Here's his photo http://www.imdb.com/media/rm985633792/nm0420955

Wife Swap

Sarah Palin. We can't have Hillary but here's Sarah Palin. Is that what they think?

Sarah Palin is the governor of Alaska. Probably a lovely yet tough woman. She does look a bit like Tina Fey, my fearless leader. But other than that it feels like they've propped her up and put different cut-out clothes on her to woo the women's vote.

I'm not an idiot you know. I can read. I can read that she is pro-life. I'm pro-life too for me. But I would vigorously defend the right of any woman to make a choice about a child. Sarah is a gun toter. I'm not. I'm thinking guns may be at least as dangerous as doctors who perform abortions.

Sarah has a daughter who is pregnant at 17. She's like a poster child for pro-life except everything doesn't turn out like Juno. Some girls who get pregnant as teenagers, have the baby, and wind up regretting it for the rest of their lives. They don't end up with the sweet Juno-y nerd singing folk songs on the front stoop. What happens to a girl who has a child at 17?

The fact is Hillary is a complex woman. It's something that happens to women who have the opportunity to be educated, who have the opportunity to pursue a career, who have the opportunity to have a child or children, who have the opportunity to run for President.

You can't just swap in a woman for the one that got away. Or granted was voted out. Still it's condescending and idiotic and just plain mannish.