Scalia the Asswipe

Not to insult asswipes, who are quite useful, unlike this greasy, scaly beast.

Anyway, so here is a quote from one of our Justice Scalia:

"Question comes up: Is there a constitutional right to homosexual conduct? Not a hard question for me. It's absolutely clear that nobody ever thought when the Bill of Rights was adopted that it gave a right to homosexual conduct. Homosexual conduct was criminal for 200 years in every state. Easy question."
—U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, talking to students at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland, according to CNN
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Can I add him to my spaceship to send right to the sun? How could I have forgotten him in the first place?

Well, Tony, there are lots of things that nobody ever thought about when they came up with the Bill of Rights. Scalia would probably revoke rights for women and blacks if he could. What about right to privacy? If he wants to haul gays away for being criminals, then he might as well haul away every hetero male who has given his wife oral pleasure, haul away every wife who has given her husband a BJ. Hell, haul away everyone who has non-missionary-style sex, why don't you. How did this jack-ass get appointed? And, scarily, are Roberts and Alito just like him? Thankfully I live in New York, otherwise I might be put in prison for being myself.

I'm a Bad Blogger

Okay, so I haven't written anything in a while. I'm a bad blogger, the same was I became a bad journal keeper.

So, here are some random tidbits, thoughts, etc.

Wither Republicans?
Tom DeLay is finally stepping down. Ding, dong, the witch is dead! Is this a sign of things to come for the Republicans this fall? I've read a lot of articles that predict Democratic gains in the House and Senate. Here's hoping! But don't underestimate the idiocy of American voters to keep many of these creeps in power. Okay, so maybe, maybe the Democrats aren't very visionary these days--as the media continues to tell us. I happen to think they are, but they're not in power and thus have no good way to present their vision. But it doesn't matter--they should win based on the corruption and pure evil-ness of Republican policies. Since we're stuck with Bush for a few more years, having a Democratic-controlled House and/or Senate would be a dream come true. Especially if they can prevent more right-winger white men (or, scarier, right wing women or minorities--who are these people???) from landing in the Supreme Court.

People I'd Like to Put on a Spaceship Headed Straight Toward the Sun
Yes, I'm feeling like a hater today. So, here are some people I wish would vanish off the face of the earth: George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Rummy, Condi Rice, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Focus on the Family, all evangelical Christians, all radical Muslims, all Neocons, Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Rush Limbaugh, Anne Coulter, Bill O'Reilly and anyone else on FOX, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Paula Abdul. Hmm, I know I could list a lot more. But that would do for now.

Who I Love?
Okay, so not to be a total hater, who (and what) do I love? Well, besides my family and friends and colleagues? Here's a current love list: Natsuo Kirino (author of Out), Deborah Eisenberg, George Clooney, Frank Rich (come back soon!), Paul Krugman, Barack Obama, Salon.com, Gawker.com, Amazon.com, St. Mark's Bookshop, guys with beards, springtime in New York, Cote du Rhone red wine, wine in general, 24, Lost, Sopranos, especially Michael Imperioli and Edie Falco, Eric Bana, gay French movies, Trouble by Patrick Somerville.
See, I have a lot of love in my heart!

Crap

So, Crap I mean Crash won the best picture Oscar, and not Brokeback. As one of my friends said, WTF? It's not that Brokeback lost period, though it did deserve to win. It's that it lost to this stinker. Convoluted, contrived, about as subtle as Dolly's tits--the kind of movie the vapid airheads in Los Angeles think is "quality," "important," "brave." Hogwash. They also love it because it's about their city, and they are a city of navel-gazers who are addicted to their cars. Okay, so some of the acting was really good in Crash, including Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton, and the actor who played the locksmith. But it was ruined by its script--which, gulp, also won an undeserved Oscar. Everyone was so over-the-top racist, I didn't believe a word of it.

So, I am pissed. Poor Brokeback. Oh well, the really great films usually never win. So Brokeback is in good company. Did homophobia play a part? Probably a little bit. But it's too facile to blame it only on that. After all, it was the most nominated film.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. Jon Stewart was great. I also loved Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin introducing Robert Altman. (Now there's a man who has made some great, multi-layred and multi-plotted films. How come Nashville didn't win and a piece of claptrap like Crash takes home the prize? Sigh.)

I won BOTH of the betting pools I entered--the first time I've ever won one of those that offered substantial amounts of cash! Apparently, I tied for first in my Austin-based pool because I picked the pimp song from Hustle & Flow. I didn't realize what a shitty song it was, but I'm glad I picked it!

Well, another awards season has come and gone. Soon the Oscar chase will begin again. But right now Hollywood is dumping all its crap on us. Which means I can catch up on stuff I missed, like Cache, Match Point, The New World, and King Kong.

Gay Superbowl

Ah, the Oscars, how I love them. I am entering a few ballot competitions,sohere's hoping my pics bring me some nice pocket change. I always comeclose,but usually get tripped up by the damn small categories, like live action short. Just for fun, here are my pics for who will win, should win,and shoulda been a contender.

Picture
Will Win: Brokeback Mountain
Should Win: Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback is my favorite of the year, and stands above the other nominees for it'sblendof emotional power, great performances, technical artistry--and also for being a landmark movie, showing gay love with more emotional truth than any other serious film in a long time, maybe ever.
Shoulda Been a Contender: The Constant Gardner. Mysterious Skin--another great "gay" film, but too "small"and dark and indy to have much of a shot.

Actor
Will Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Should Win: Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Ledger's performance blew me away, but Hoffman will win for having the flashier role and for his body of work.
Shoulda Been a Contender: Joshua Gordon Levitt, Mysterious Skin. And so many others. This was a tough year. Ralph Fiennes in The Constant Gardener was fantastic too.

Actress:
Will Win: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Should Win: Reese?
What a weak category. And, sadly, I have only seen Keira Knightley's performance. She was great, but Oscar worthy? Not so sure. The snips I've seen of Huffman's performance seem really mannered. Reese will win--yet again giving the award to a young A-list beauty.
Shoulda Been a Contender: Maria Bello in History of Violence, or is that a supporting performance? To me, she outshone anyone else I saw (save for Amy Adams, see below).

Supporting Actor:
Will Win: George Clooney, Syriana
Should Win: Clooney.
Okay,I didn't actually see Syriana, but I'm rooting for Clooney because he's hot and he's had a great year and seems like a good guy and he's a good ole liberal. I'd be happy if Jake won, too. Even Paul Giamatti, though he'd be winning for not having even been nominated for last year's Sideways.
Shoulda Been a Contender: Clifton Collins, Capote; Danny Huston, for playing a great slimeball in The Constant Gardener

Supporting Actress:
Will Win: Rachel Weisz, Constant Gardener
Should Win: AMY ADAMS!!!!
She and Heath Ledger get my vote for performances of the year. This girl was just brilliant, so real. Maybe she will sneak in a la Marisa Tomei. I'd be happy to lose this ballot pick.
Shoulda Been a Contender: Maria Bello, History of Violence. But, again, I am confused about which category she belongs in.Either way, she was robbed.

Director:
Will Win: Ang Lee, Brokeback
Should Win: Ang Lee, Brokeback
Ang Lee can do no wrong. He'll win for directing a masterpiece as well as for directing past gems like The Ice Storm and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Shoulda Been a Contender: Miranda July, for directing one the most original and delightfully oddball movies of the year, Me and You and Everyone We Know. Props also for Greg Araki of Mysterious Skin.

Okay. Those are my 2 cents. I'd love to win theballot contests, but I'd be a very happy man with a big night for Brokeback and wins for Amy Adams and Heath Ledger. We'll see come Sunday night!

Begin to Begin

So why am I jumping on the blogging bandwagon? Well, why not? I am too lazy to keep a journal. Not lazy--more like too busy. And I should be too busy to keep a blog. But maybe having some semi-public forum will force me to write a bit more. About my life, my passions (books, writing, film, TV, magazine, men).

The Folded Leaf? What's in a blog name? The Folded Leaf by William Maxwell is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite writers. I'ts sweet, tender, smart, sad, and a little bit gay. Like me!

I'll start with what i'm reading these days:
For work purposes, The Tricky Part by Martin Moran. Very good, a memoir about "sexual trespass." AKA molestation. But it's well done and not at all an exercise in victimology. The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber, a foodietype memoir, which is also fantastic. The rest of my work reading list is insanely long and includes Chasing the Sea by Tom Bissell. Love this guy--both him and his writing. I'm working on his current book, the cracker-jack collection of stories called God Lives in St. Petersburg. Chasing is his first book, an oddly appealing and super-fun and super-smart travelogue about Central Asia. Trust me, it rocks.

For fun: Jane Eyre by Bronte. Nope, never read it before. I am trying to catch up on "classics" that I should have read by now. Like almost everything by the Russians. Some Edith Wharton and Henry James. Madame Bovary by Flaubert.

Wonderful short story collection, Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones. Jones wrote the Pulitzer-Prize-Winner The Uknown World, but this is his first book. They are really gritty stories of urban African American life set in Washington, DC. But his style is very straightforward and traditional, very appealing. His newest stories have been popping up in The New Yorker is recent years, and those are fantastic as well. I think his new collection comes out this year. Here's hoping!

Melville by Andrew Delbanco--love it so far. I try and read one literary bio at all times, and it usually takes me many months to do so.