as Americans, we should not have to fight for our rights

But we do. All men are created equal, and merit equal treatment under the law. Unless you are a minority citizen, then you're "less equal."

Likely in response to New Jersey's Governor Christie saying that equal rights should go for a popular vote, Buzzfeed's Matt Stopera collected maps showing the history of equal rights for women and minorities in America as a function of judicial or federal rulings.

A stark lesson in why rights among a citizenry and should never be subject to a popular vote.

one in the pink, two in the stink

Regardless of the insincere apology, I think Komen is done. This is a shame. Nancy Brinker has shown her true colors, and none of them are pink.

Update: More political maneuvering. Susan G. Komen is "for the cure," as long as it doesn't come via stem cell research.

rise and shine

I am not a morning person. I participated in new department-wide trainings at my new job for about two weeks this month. Although the trainings aren't really related to what I do personally, it's all good information to know about how the majority of the rest of this unit works. However, the trainings were from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., which really took a huge chunk out of my days already over scheduled with projects. And the 8:00 a.m. start time is really early for me considering the new commute and my nocturnal nature. And as it's January, most mornings I would walk out of my house in the dark, or just as the dawn was breaking. (I am reminded of the Babylon 5 commander who was late for her shift and said, "I've always had trouble getting up when it's dark outside. "But in space, it's always dark outside." "I know.")

During the full moon, the dawn were pretty amazing, as the moon was low on the horizon to the west—the direction of my walk—while the sun rose behind me in the east. On clear mornings, when the sunlight had not yet thrown a leg over the hills behind me, the sun would shine full force on the moon, and the moon shone back. The brightness of the full moon through the pastels of the dawn over the park and the ocean was a surprise treat making the early rise much more enjoyable. Sadly, phone photos don't do it justice.

hiding the truth, and the record, is never in the interest of justice

This is just appalling.

The trial regarding the constitutionality of Proposition 8 was video recorded. An accurate record of the trial, so much more than a typed transcript, exists, and the people really do have a right to see it. But the Court disagrees. The audio/visual record of the public hearing will not be unsealed.

This is so heart-wrenching, and terribly, terribly wrong. It's so basically contrary to the principle of an open court, and public record. Basically, the ruling says the A/V record has to be kept secret because the original judge said he would. Interesting analysis though-in contract and promissory law, the other party would have to have demonstrably shown that they relied on such a condition for the promise to enforced, which is not true in this case.

We could see it coming, but it still makes me sick. Physically so.

pink eye

I'm still going through my random photos from the month. I took this on January 10, and the display had already been up for a while.

All I could think was "Already?"

And then sighed so deeply passersby might have thought I was deflating a raft.

sinful

Via LaughingSquid, I had to repost, from Toothpaste for Dinner.

because we giggle like 12-year-olds

Mobile upload from a girl friend, who thought we would find this funny.



She was right.  

Who knew they made kits for such things?

Titter.

suckling at the teat

Baby needs his bottle.

Sunday Delights, where the grass is sometimes blue

The new year has started out nicely with the return of the Bluegrass Brunch with the Afternoon Delight Social Band on the third Sunday at the Hotel Utah Saloon.  Although it should be noted that it's less "bluegrass" and more "really talented people chilling on sunday playing fun live music for you eating, drinking, and listening pleasure."  With mischief leader Misisipi Mike absent due to sudden stomach flu (poor Mike!), the ADSB strayed from the usual country fare and wound down the path of well-known and well-loved 70s folk, much to the delight of the crowd (think Doobie Brothers and Fleetwood Mac).  It was a jovial and packed house, and Coco and I had to settle for seats in the back of the balcony.


Misisipi Mike is ready to return, but February's show will be take a bye as it would coincide with the Warren Hellman Tribue to be held at Ocean Beach on February 19.  For the uninitiated, Warren Hellman founded and funded the amazing Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.  Warren Hellman was an impressive man, well beloved, and will be sorely missed.  The legacy he leaves behind is richer that he ever was.  And that's saying something.

From the SFGate: "The two-stage event, which will feature many of the performers who played at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, will either be held at Hellman Hollow (formerly known as Speedway Meadow) in Golden Gate Park or in the parking lots at Ocean Beach, depending on the rains. The concert would run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Organizers want to keep attendance to about 8,000 to keep the crowd manageable and hope to live-stream it online for those who can’t be there in person."

Bring It On: Arbitration!

This month I went with the Movie Bears to Bring It On!: The Musical at the Orepheum.  The show was fine, but in it's current state it will never make it to broadway.  It is fun, peppy and full of guys throwing girls in the air.  As is usually the case, the drag queen/transgender character stole the show, even if she didn't have that many lines.

It's good campy fun (is camp dead?) evoking much of the campy fun of the original movie with the story changes a bit for the stage.  They, the producers, are clearly trying to make a money maker.  There's nothing wrong with that, but I think they should have been trying to make a good show.  They have the ingredients—writers and choreographers from such (subversive/alternative) fan favorites as Avenue Q and In the Heights.  The cast was good, as was most of the writing, but audience members weren't leaving with a memorable tune to hum or any particular scene to stick out in their/our minds.

It needs work.

Seeing it with 40 or so bears certainly made it more fun for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a great time.  But I am also distracted by small, shiny objects and am easily amused so take that as the salt with your cocktail.

Plenty of eye candy too, particularly for the straight guys with a thing for cheerleaders.  I can imagine the costume designer looking over the buff, recently graduated cheerleading cast and saying to himself/herself, "Him with the arms: tank top.  And tight shorts."

It wasn't good enough to merit purchasing merch, much less the cast album if there was one.  I did go home and look around online for clips or song samples though as I wanted to review some of them (as they were pleasant and clever but not very memorable).  No such luck with the songs, but I did find some news, and it soured me on the entire experience.

The Bring It On: The Musical people never paid for the rights to make Bring It On! into a musical, and now the creator/writer/rights holder of the original Bring It On! and the subsequent franchise is suing them through the writers guild who has the say so in these matters.

The musical producers claimed it's all original material and so they owed nothing to the Bring It On rights holder.

OMFG.  Seriously and for reals?

The makers/rights holders of Bring It On!  made four more Bring It On! [colon] Sequel Title movies.  I'm surprised there's not a straight-to-video Bring It On!: Electric Boogaloo.  The Asian-themed sequel is Bring It On! Tokyo Drift.

Sure, all the character names are different, the plot and love interests are altered, and it's a musical, but I don't think they even have a prima facie case for separate and distinct originality.  Maybe it's an intracy of "how many words have changed" thing of writer's guild rules but let's compare Bring It On!: The Musical to Bring It On! (the original movie)

• Both are the story of an affluent white-girl squad competing against an urban black squad for regionals and nationals cheerleading competitions, with cheer camp drama.  
• The white squad wears red and white; the black squad wears green and yellow.
• The white blond protagonist ultimately hooks up with a cheerleader-mocking cute boy who makes music and mix tapes for her.

How the works are different:

• The white cheerleader captain get's All About Eve'd out of her squad and starts a squad at her new of-color school.
• An unpopular overweight girl becomes cool at the new school where they appreciate booty.
• Rich squad mascot: instead of the Bulls, they're the Bucs*
• Urban squad mascot: instead of the Clovers, they're the Irish.

Yeah... they're nothing alike.  I cannot believe they thought they didn't have to get the rights from Bring It On! Incorporated to make this show.  Obviously, the musical is based on the movie.  You know how I know?

It's fucking called Bring It On! The Musical.

QEFD

*Technically the "toros," which are bulls,  and "pirates" which are buccaneers.  Same thing.


Update: According to an "anonymous" source and without external verification, it appears that the producers settled with Jessica Bendinger, creator of the original Bring It On! movie.

Which is a good thing, considering the movie people kind of screwed her too. Playbill reported "that Bendinger did not share in any revenue stream from the four subsequent "Bring It On" films, which were spawned after the first hit and released direct to DVD."

The Hollywood Reporter has the original story:

The screenwriter says she first heard about the show “in the worst way.” She had been working on a stage version of her own for six years and was developing the project with former Universal production chief Marc Platt, producer of the Broadway hit Wicked. But then she learned that a New York theater attorney not affiliated with her had been heard to say at a cocktail party that he was shopping the theatrical rights to the movie – the same rights she had been seeking to exploit.
...
“I was shocked,” Bendinger says. “A writer works all her life trying to have a first hit. I was not treated well, given the revenue stream I created for them.”

The film, which grossed $90 million worldwide, stars Kirsten Dunst and inspired four direct to video followups. The three most recent video outings logged $18 million to $24 million in sales each, according to the-numbers.com, but Bendinger did not share in the revenue.

Her case “underscores the horrors of being a successful writer in Hollywood,” says her attorney, Neville Johnson of Johnson & Johnson. After cutting her out of the film franchise she created, the company, in Bendinger’s view, is taking the same approach to the stage production.

I went back to the program and indeed on the credits sheet, "Inspired by the Motion Picture Bring It On by Jessica Bendinger" appears in tiny, tiny type under the author credits.

passing in the eccentric lane

Seriously.  You're like just "having cats" away from being a crazy cat lady.

crimson tide

"Did your punctuation finally show up."
"Oh my god, it was like a crime scene in my pants."
"CSI: My Panties."

on edge

Overheard—

"I totally snapped at the new girl today."
"Was it short tempered, or more like 'Girrrrl...*snap*!'?"
"Short tempered."
"Less fabulous."

more of why I love SF

Because this is overheard at work. From Special K:

Coworker, holding open door: "Are you coming out?"
Me: "Yes, and I want the world to know."

I really do imagine this is the sort of office dialog that only goes on in SF.

I'll take two and call you from the hospital

After a loud cough in my office, a coworker asked if she should call me the paramedics. I said I'd only need just the one.

high ate us

I really wanted to take January "off." And I did manage it a bit. A lot less going out. A lot more veging out. A lot more alone time. All I sorely needed. But also, new job with a lot of learning and all day trainings for a few weeks sort of wiped me out too. Between the stress of the holidays, new professional gig, and finally getting some time alone to process the loss of my father—in the rare times I dare to I allow my mind to go there—have made for not feeling either terribly social or all that funny, which makes for a dearth of blogging.

I suppose I could our some of these introspections into prose, but I have been, as Whendon might say, happily vacationing in the land of not coping.

But here have been some bright spots and social events and things worth posting about. Not to mention I seem to still take about a gazillion digital pictures a month, half of them reminders of things I'd like to write about sometime. But the ennui and inaction have extended to iPhoto, and an attitude of "I'll tags and upload those later." Meh.

All work and no play have very much left Jack a dull boy. And fat. Wow. All right. Enough.

Back to blogging, back to tagging, and I'm putting down the ladle of comfort food. No more grief bacon for me.

I'll ease back into it, but you can expect posting to resume. I'll start with some event-based observations and photos with captions and get back to funny shit later. Man, reading the Bloggess makes me miss being funny (DAMN she's funny). I just don't seem to have access to that like I used to.

Processing....

To tide you over, here is a photo of me with my mother at the MBA (high school) senior Mother-Son luncheon. Or rather, hair is a photo of me with my mother...

why I have no sexy photos of myself

Beside the fact that darkness is my friend and naked is not my best feature, I do not have any pics of my man business on my computer, my phone, or on any site.

The photos of your junk will be publicized.

THIS is art. Beautiful.

shit memes say

I hate to say it, but when they're done well, I really like these. When they're done well. The "southern gay guy" one was just bad. I think the first guy deserves more credit for starting it.

This meme continues to amuse me.



As, unexpectedly, does this one.

off their rockers

I think this may be the best prank show yet. C'mon, with Betty White? Awesome.

they tried to make me go to rehab

If I have to go, I want to go to the Betty White Clinic. Sounds much more fun.