March 2008 Archives

New York Times reporter Terrence Rafferty has a wonderful ode to the famous (and infamous) golden age movie star Bette Davis, on the occasion of her centennial—born one hundred years ago. In "The Bold and the Bad and the Bumpy Nights," Rafferty highlights Davis's scandalous turn as Julie Marsden in "Jezebel," who shows up to a party as the quintessential "woman in red" (while everyone else wears white), only to regret this brazen decision and long for a too-late redemption.

At the center of Davis's "performer's soul" was always the mantra "better to be noticed, for whatever reason, than ignored," writes Rafferty, about some of Davis's rather baffling role choices. "But on the occasion of her centennial, it's worth remembering Davis as she was in her prime, in the 1930s and '40s, when she commanded the screen with something subtler and more mysterious than the fierce, simple will that carried her through the mostly grim jobs of work that followed. (Though the will was there from the start, and her formidable technique never wholly deserted her.) In her heyday, as the reigning female star at Warner Brothers, she was as electrifying as Marlon Brando in the '50s: volatile, sexy, challenging, fearlessly inventive. She looked moviegoers straight in the eye and dared them to look away."

Click here to read the full memorial-ode to the actress that Rafferty describes as "drama in the flesh."

Up until recently, teen queen Miley Cyrus has let her Christian faith be more implied than overtly stated. But recent red carpet appearances—not to mention her interview with Barbara Walters—have found Miley giving more and more sound bytes about Jesus. Over the weekend, Miley won two awards at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and the first "thank you" out of her mouth was "to her Lord and savior Jesus Christ."

Thanking Jesus in an acceptance speech has certainly been a staple of many a celebrity in the past, but his name doesn't usually come up on a loud, crazy, light-hearted event such as the Kids Choice Awards (Though it is my personal opinion if Jesus was at the awards show in person, he would enjoy being slimed.). The fact that so many press outlets are noting Miley's reference to Jesus in her acceptance speech is also telling of the ever-increasing clout of this teen dynamo and the amount of attention being paid to every word out of her mouth.

Weeks before its release, Mike Myers' latest film, "The Love Guru" is raising flags and stirring up controversy. Scheduled to hit theaters June 20th, the story revolves around an American, Guru Pitka, who is raised by gurus in India. In this comedy, he returns to the U.S. to find fame and fortune in the world of self-help and spirituality. Guru Pitka does not identify himself with any one faith or creed, yet the Hindu community feels that this new Meyers movie has the potential to ridicule many elements of their religion.

Rajan Zed, who was the first Hindu priest to open a session of the U.S. Senate when he recited a prayer on the Senate floor in 2007, and president of the Nevada based Universal Society for Hinduism (USH), told The Associated Press, "'The Love Guru' appears to be lampooning Hinduism and Hindus and uses sacred terms frivolously. People are not very well-versed in Hinduism, so this might be their only exposure. They will have an image in their minds of stereotypes. They will think most of us are like that." Zed insisted that Paramount Pictures pre-screen the film for prominent members of the Hindu community before its theatrical release.

Having recently been on my first trip to Las Vegas, I was amazed by how people got sucked into the lifestyle. I don't have a lot of money, so of course the idea of turning "not a lot" into "a lot," was very appealing. But as a student of pop culture and cinema, I knew the basic truths: the odds were against me, and the house always wins. After spending $4 at the quarter slot machines--because if the odds were against me, I might as well not even delude myself into thinking my skill had anything to do with winning or losing--I caved to peer pressure. Because my friends were doing it, I played $10 blackjack: $20 investment, got out when it got to $60. People thought I was lame, but I tripled my money and then walked away. I mean, how many movies and TV shows do I have to see about people losing everything in Vegas, before I "get it"?

Vegas is shiny, sparkly, at once the definition of tacky/declasse and the symbol of the American Dream. Where there was desert there is now opulence--this ambiance leads us to believe that anything is possible, that we can transform money troubles into yesterday's trivia. But film teaches us better: "Leaving Las Vegas." "Honeymoon in Vegas." "Indecent Proposal." "Casino." "The Godfather 2 & 3." "The Cooler." "Swingers." "Rain Man." "Showgirls"...and those are just the more contemporary films...we know that the house always wins. (The possible exception: the avowed, yet principled and sexy, criminals of "Ocean's 11," 12, and 13--but they were in it primarily for the revenge, the camaraderie, and the challenge of it all--the money wasn't the central motivator.) And now comes "21," the movie version of the bestselling book about how a group of MIT students beat the system. All of this Vegasness feeds the fantasy: the little guy can make it big, if he's smart or figures out the system.

Apparently, U.S. Customs is not only protecting citizens from terrorists entering the country, but also from British writers with questionable morals. In this week's New York Times "Possessed" column, David Colman writes about "infamously debauched writer" Sebastian Horsley and his adventure at Newark Airport trying to enter the United States from Britain on an author tour for his latest book, "Dandy in the Underworld." After a long interrogation, he was put back on a plane to England for reasons of "moral turpitude." (Um, who would've thought?)

Apparently, what tipped them off (pun intended) was Mr. Horsley's very tall top hat--officials wanted to know what was under it.