Tawny Kitaen Is Loser Of The Week

For trashing America's Favorite TV Mom, Florence Henderson, on this weeks Surreal Life 6. Tawny Kitaen has been carrying a crazy vendetta for Flo the last few weeks. It all started when The Surreal Life cast got to play newscasters for a day at a local California television station. Florence played the part of an anchorwoman, while Tawny played a reporter in the field investigating a stolen weathervane. The Surreal Life producers bought a replacement for the missing weathervane and Florence asked Tawny what the cost of the new weathervane was. Tawny was not prepared for the question and became a "deer caught in the headlights". She has blamed Florence ever since. This week, each of the castmates got a chance to host their own talk show. Tawny hatched a plan to to have Florence as a guest, and then to publicly humiliate her. It backfired completely on Tawny! When Tawny realized that the entire cast thought that she was an ass, she had some sort of psychosomatic sinus attack to gain some attention and sympathy. Tawny Kitaen is a classless, no talent, bitch.

What A Beautiful Good Friday

Today I went for a wonderful walk. The weather was beautiful! The buds were budding and the birds were singing. I had time to reflect a bit on my life. I have been so blessed with wonderful family and friends. I have had such wonderful experiences in my life and have shared in so much love. I am so grateful for this beautiful world that we live in. I felt so right in the world, out in the wonderful world of nature. I hope I always remember to pause and reflect back on how beautiful life really can be!

Mike

I have been a slideshow mood lately. Here is a quick one I whipped up on my partner, Mike. I really love this guy!

Walt Disney World's Primeval Whirl

This is a video from when our friend Chuck came down to Walt Disney World with us. In all the times we have visited Animal Kingdom we had never been on Primeval Whirl. The ride really tossed us around. I thought I was gonna pee my pants!! Enjoy!

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My Dad

I made a little slideshow of my dear dad. It makes me cry. I really miss him.

V For Vendetta

I saw this movie today and liked it. It seemed to have a little more intelligence than your average movie you see these days. It had a lot of dialog and I miss that in movies. You actually have to pay attention to figure out what is going on. There was a little too much fighting that reminded me of The Matrix when I was watching it. Lo and behold, I get to the credits and find that it is by the same brothers that created The Matrix. I find it interesting that the story is based on a comic book series. The story is definitely not for kids! Comic books have apparently become very adult since the days of Archie! I was exceptionally delighted by its positive portrayal of gay characters...this was an unexpected bonus.

Daniel Dennett's New Book

I saw a great interview with Daniel Dennett, author of Breaking the Spell : Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, on The Charlie Rose Show this evening. His take on religion is fascinating. He is one of those people that you just know is brilliant the minute he opens his mouth. I can't wait to read his book!

18th Week On The Diet

Current Weight: 259 lbs Weight Loss This Week: 1 lbs Total Weight Loss So Far: 6 lbs

I know, I know, I haven't been keeping you posted. That's because I haven't been doing as well. I guess it will help me to share my successes and failures, but I just couldn't get the gumption to write. I am still going to my diet meetings at HMR. What I don't like about the program is that they appear to push their products all the time as the key to weight loss.  There are a lot of studies out there that suggest meal replacements really are an effective way to lose weight, but I want to do it with real food. I am also not that big of a fan of most of their products.  When I first joined HMR back in 1995, there was a lot less emphasis on their products and more ideas on eating low calorie foods.  I have always liked that approach and sadly have rebelled against HMR at their changes.  I still feel that I get a benefit by attending weekly meetings and making a phone call to my coach. It makes me more accountable as I have to gear up to be weighed once a week. I am exercising more now that the nice weather is more frequent. I just eat way too many snacks, especially at night! I really have to get out of the, "I've done a good job today, let me reward myself", mentality. Why I think adding tons of calories to my diet is a reward I will never know. Well I am off for a walk. I will try to be more diligent in keeping the diet blog updated!

Crash...The Academy Award Winner?

Last night I watched the free screener the producer's of Crash sent to all members of the Screen Actor's Guild. I finally got to see if it was better than Brokeback Mountain which was its main competition for the Academy Award as Best Picture. Well I think the voters of the academy made a mistake. Crash for me was a 1 layer movie. Every character gets a chance to show his or her prejudice. It was so obvious; I found it laughable at times. I think some of the performances were great, but I felt like I was watching some sort of instructional film on the dangers of prejudice. I felt the writers were banging me in the head with their constant drone. Every character is so obvious in their distaste for some other race; it just didn't ring true to me. I think many bigots and racists are a lot more subtle, and it would have been nice to see a few more realistic characters.  I also didn't like all the many interrelated little storylines. It was done before in the movie Grand Canyon and much better I might add.  Crash is plainly and simply a message movie, while Brokeback Mountain is an original and compelling drama that is not spoon fed to the moviegoer. Even Capote, another nominee, was far more intelligent. If you want pabulum...  see Crash, but if you want brain stimulation... see Brokeback Mountain. 

P.S. It probably didn't hurt that the producers of Crash had the finances to send copies of the film to everyone!   

ABC's Sons and Daughters Is Grating On My Nerves

I have really tried to like this new show on ABC. I like a lot of the cast. The show is just too much about the central character whining. Fred Gross, as Cameron Walker, is just not all that appealing either. I also don't like all the improvising that is going on. Very few actor's can pull it off without it looking like they are improvising. Those very few actors...are not in this show. Screenwriting is an art and so is acting. Very few people are good at both. The show also seems like a rip- off of Arrested Development...shaky camera shots, big quirky family, etc. I am also curious as to how many episodes they filmed with the same basic plot! For two weeks we have had stories where there is a family secret that has to work its way through the family members...and all hell, and I suppose hilarity, ensue. I am still waiting for the hilarity.

Remembering Jean Bailey

A dear friend of mine passed away today. Her name was Jean Bailey, although she will always be Aunt Jean to me. I became friends with her when I went to visit a school friend out in California in 1982. Jean was my friend's real aunt, but she quickly took me under her wing as well. We became fast friends and I started staying with her summers while I started my acting career. When I finally moved to L.A. in 1984, I stayed with Aunt Jean and her daughter Beverly until I found my own apartment. Jean was always welcoming to me and one of the sweetest people I have ever known. She always had laughter in her voice, no matter what her troubles. She had endless amounts of energy and is probably the first person I have ever met who actually could talk more than myself! My heart and love go out to her children: Freddy, Beverly, and Bobby, their spouses, and Jean's numerous grand children. A beautiful rose has left us.

 

There are a couple more photos of Jean on my Flikr account.

Happy 60th Birthday Liza!

Liza Minnelli is 60 years old! I can't believe it! I fell in love with her when she was only 28! I can still remember the first time I saw her in concert. It was at The Music Hall in Boston (now the Wang Center). I had really bad seats up in the nose bleed section of the theatre. From the moment she came on the stage and began an a cappella rendition of How Long Has This Been Going On?... I new I was seeing something special. I had her record albums and thought she was great, but in concert was a different story. The woman is like no other performer in front of an audience. Her voice was so powerful back then and the show was a tour de force of singing, dancing, and acting. I loved it so much I begged my parents to take me again on another night! Throughout the years I never missed a performace on television or at a local theatre. I have been lucky enough to meet her backstage several times and she has always been one of the most gracious and genuine people I have ever met. Onstage and off, Liza Minnelli always gives 110 percent of her energy. I don't know where she gets it! One of the highlights in my life was seeing my first Broadway play, The Rink, starring Liza and Chita Rivera. Other great Liza moments where when she performed at Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall. Yes, we have all heard of her trials and tribulations, but I feel that she often gets a bum rap. She is no more or less immune to the ups and downs of life than you or I... but she is a hellava lot more talented! Happy Birthday Liza!

Helen Reddy Releases New CD and Book

 Capitol/EMI released this press release this morning. I was a big Helen Reddy fan in my youth and this is great news. I met her several times as a kid, and she was always very gracious. I just wish they would release all her albums in cd format, and not just digitally. Raven Records in Australia has released most of them, but there are still more that need to be released.

Helen Reddy: The Woman I Am - The Definitive Collection To Be Released In May By Capitol/EMI
Monday March 13, 10:00 am ET

New Single-Disc Anthology Contains 22 Career and Era-Defining Songs, Including Nine #1 Hits, the Grammy-Winning Single 'I Am Woman' and Six Previously Unavailable Tracks

New Anthology and Twelve of Reddy's Original Capitol Albums to Make Digital Debut

Reddy's Memoir, The Woman I Am (published by Tarcher/Penguin), to be Launched in the U.S. on NBC's 'Today' May 4

CD In Stores: May 2 Book In Stores: May 4

The Sopranos Returns

Can you believe it? There will be new episodes of HBO's The Sopranos starting again on Sunday, March 12, at 9:00 PM. Personally, I am really not that excited. There has just been too much time between seasons that I have completely lost interest. I guess the producers expect us to keep watching the reruns over and over to keep the storyline fresh in our minds. There are too many choices now for our attention. I think HBO has made a terrible mistake allowing the writers to take their sweet time. No television show can generate that much interest if you can't keep it out in front of us!

I better go set up the DVR to record it!

VH1's I Love Toys

I am watching a great little show on VH1 this week called I Love Toys. They are counting down from 100 and naming all the best toys. So many great memories are coming back. I remember really loving my Slip and Slide and just hating the Rubik's cube! I never figured it out...way too frustrating.

Police Chief, Robert K. Bowman is Loser of the Week

This man, if you can call him that, is my Loser of the Week.

Claude Green Jr., 43, had a heart attack on the afternoon of June 21 while driving in his truck with his neighbor, Billy Snead, in Welch, W. Va. According to court papers, Green complained of indigestion, then suddenly went stiff and lost control of the truck. Snead brought the truck to a stop beside the road, went around to the driver's side, and began pounding on his friend's chest.

The CPR seemed to be working when Police Chief Robert K. Bowman arrived on the scene two or three minutes later. Bowman identified Green as a member of the gay community in the small town of less than 2,500, and told Snead to back away because the victim was HIV-positive. When Snead failed to comply, Bowman grabbed him by the shoulders and sent him to a police car for a statement.

When paramedics arrived about 10 minutes later, Bowman again announced that Green was HIV-positive, but allowed the medical team to perform emergency CPR. Green arrived at the Welch Community Hospital around 2:15 p.m., and died about half an hour later. An autopsy indicated that he suffered from coronary artery disease.

Green was not, in fact, HIV-positive; the virus could not have been transmitted through CPR even if he had been infected. Read More.

 This is a sad story. Police Chief, Robert K. Bowman should be nominated as the poster boy of homophobia.

Kudos: PlanetOut

Down with the flu

I haven't written anything lately because I have not been feeling well the past few days. Everytime I think I am getting better I get another symptom! This is getting tired fast. The great think is that I am not eating a lot! I don't feel up to exercise though. I hope to be up with more musings soon! Sorry if you are bored!

8th Week On The Diet

Current Weight: 261lbs Weight Loss This Week: 1 lbs Total Weight Loss So Far: 4 lbs

I am obviously eating too much still.  The exercise has slipped in the past few weeks and I am not as consistent. I am still eating about 3000 cals a day and need to stop eating at night. That is where I screw up.  At this rate I will never reach my goal of 80 lbs in a year. I am eating more fruits and vegetables and I am sure they are displacing some calories. I really have to try to get the exercise done earlier in the day. At night I just won't do it.  Thank you to everyone who has written me with words of encouragement. Every bit helps!! Good luck to you all who are dieting along side me too!

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1 Million Reward For Death Of Danish Cartoonists

A Muslim cleric in Pakistan is now offering a one million dollar reward for the death of the Danish cartoonists that drew the cartoons of Muhammad.  He allegedly offered this during prayers on Friday! This is outragous! No matter how offended, if Muslims don't make a loud protest against this, they are going to have little respect throughout the world. Enough is enough, people are dying over this issue..and most of them Muslims! If people do not respect human life, something as esoteric as their religious beliefs will never be respected. It is time for the Muslims of the world to take a little more responsiblily for their brethren.  When Pat Robertson called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, there was much public outrage from the Christian community and he later apologized. If Muslims want their beliefs to be respected, there should be more members speaking out for peaceful solutions, rather than inciting violence. Sadly, it appears not to be the case.

Kudos: YahooNews, USAToday, The Tennessean, CNN

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BrokeFat Mountain

My friend Andy made this hilarious short film, Brokefat Mountain He has given me permission to share it with you.

Kudos: Andy