Head Cases

I'm not gonna lie...

2009-11-05T22:40:00.001-05:00

...this just took my behind an extra 10 minutes to post because I had to watch it an extra 3 times...GOOD GOLLY MISTER SONGZ! MMM MMM MMM!

Check out...

2009-11-03T22:53:00.001-05:00

the FAB review the lovely ladies in "Precious" got in the New Yorker!!! Be sure to check it out this month...

Making Peace
By Anthony Lane

The heroine is Clareece Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a Harlem teen-ager better known as Precious. She is grimly overweight, her face so filled out that the play of normal expression seems restricted; yet Sidibe does wonders with that sad limitation, and we learn to spot the flare of anger in her eyes. She has much to be angry about: aged sixteen, she already has one child, who has Down syndrome, and is carrying another. The father is her own father, who later turns out to be H.I.V. positive. We are forced to watch as she is violated in livid closeup, complete with squeaking bedsprings, a belt being unbuckled above a sweating belly, and—lest the seething aggression of the rape escape us—a shot of eggs sizzling in grease. If the subject were not so grave, you would be tempted to laugh at this desperate overkill of detail. Does the director, Lee Daniels, not realize how such industrial-strength images tend to weaken, rather than fortify, the moral case?

Expelled for being pregnant, Precious seeks alternative schooling at Each One Teach One, a local program for those undesired elsewhere. Her classmates, especially Jo Ann (Xosha Roquemore), whose favorite color is “fluorescent beige,” and Rhonda (Chyna Layne), with her fabulously broad Jamaican accent, are the most naturally uplifting people in the film—far more so than their teacher, Blu Rain (Paula Patton), whose powers of uplift feel like make-believe. She is a vision of tolerant gentleness, who wears a new set of soft fabrics every day and plays Scrabble in the evening with her equally lovely lesbian partner. “They talk like TV stations I don’t watch,” Precious says, but that tart line is not borne out by the film, which drinks in Ms. Rain without demur. The same goes for the fantasy sequences—hugely ill-advised dream clips, showing a richly clad Precious at a movie première or slow-dancing with a hunk. One of them even finds a slender white girl gazing back at her from the bedroom mirror. What we have here is a fouled-up fairy tale of oppression and empowerment, and it’s hard not to be ensnared by its mixture of rank maleficence and easy reverie. The gap between being genuinely stirred and having your arm twisted, however, is narrower than we care to admit.

What rescues “Precious” is the performance of Mo’Nique as Mary, the heroine’s Medusa-like mother. Given her range of leisure interests—smoking, cursing, channel surfing, baby tossing, munching pigs’ feet, and throwing televisions down the stairs—there is no reason that the character should be more than a vicious cartoon. But Mo’Nique gives tremendous life to this dead soul, makes you wonder where her own misery sprouted from, and closes the proceedings with a monologue of selfishness so storm-driven that for a second, despite ourselves, we are almost swept away. Sitting opposite during this tempest is a social worker, Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey). Hold on: a stern, song-free, compassionate piece of acting from Mariah Carey? That sounds like one of Precious’s fantasies, but it’s for real. ♦

God bless this city...

2009-11-02T00:31:00.000-05:00

...how I miss it so...

Jay-Z - "Empire State Of Mind" ft. Alicia Keys

Jay-Z | MySpace Video

2009-10-29T02:06:00.002-04:00

Why little kids shouldn't play video games too early...

It's Never too early to learn appreciation...

And again...this called has issues....

smh...damn shame....

This video...

2009-10-28T02:51:00.000-04:00

...made me actually like the song....Kudos...

This is one crazy story...

2009-10-26T19:53:00.002-04:00

There's a saying: raise your daughters and love your sons....

Sometimes I believe "standards" and "expectations" and the like get blurred in our homes and society for our children. Circumstance steps in along with experience and some lose their way. But that is never to say they can not find it again...Peep:

Well if this isn't the truth...

2009-10-26T03:41:00.001-04:00

..and if it doesn't remind me of NYC/miss it...man...

Shout out to my girl Xosha! and the rest of the hollaring homies ;)

I mean...

2009-10-26T03:24:00.001-04:00

....He's got a point....

...But so does Spike....Madea Goes to Jail and that "Pimps and Hoes" scene was way too far....

Ellen D...

2009-10-26T03:22:00.002-04:00

....is DOPE...

I really love....

2009-10-26T02:29:00.003-04:00

...Miss Melanie Fiona....

And found a new found respect for Solange after seeing this...
(Thanks *J. for the heads up!)

Now I like that Fefe is back...

But why she STILL in a high school?
And last but DEF not least...

ijusswannadothingstothisman....

Someone told me I...

2009-10-26T01:58:00.002-04:00

..."Live in the movies" tonight....

Well, perhaps because sometimes, every now and then a true glimmer of human nature's interaction is so perfectly captured on the silver screen that, yes....I live in the movies.

I want to see:

November 6th...can't wait...This next reminds me of my mother....

AND O-M-G....I have to see the following on IMAX...

But mostly I'm excited for this...

I cant believe sickos like this exist....

2009-10-24T00:21:00.002-04:00

WTF?!?!!

Omg...i have no words....i hope this is a joke......(thanks *A. for the heads up)...He can't be serious with his muthatruckin "LESSONS"....WTF?! AIDS IS A DEATH SENTENCE!

Cherish LIFE...

2009-10-21T02:05:00.002-04:00

To my middle school-12th grade homie Devin Petelski....You always had a beautiful spirit and you were taken WAY too soon. They say sometimes angels are needed elsewhere and I am sure that's the case....Rest in peace....

Fatal LAPD Car Crash Raises Questions

A police spokesman familiar with the accident could not be reached Monday afternoon.

Devin Petelski, 25, of Brentwood, was driving home minutes after midnight Friday from the treatment center where she worked as a substance abuse counselor when she was hit by the police car.

A police statement issued Friday said she stopped at the Glyndon Avenue stop sign, then pulled into the intersection to turn right onto Venice Boulevard.

That’s when the police car heading east on Venice hit the driver’s side of her BMW.

She died Sunday after doctors at UCLA Medical Center took her off life support, Medak said.

The LAPD Pacific Division police officer driving the other car suffered a broken right arm and a serious cut to his left arm. The officer who was a passenger in the patrol car suffered cuts and bruises, according to the police statement. Their names were not released.

Residents who live near where the crash occurred said they heard neither sirens nor brakes before the crash, only the sound of the police car hitting Petelski’s.

“Moments before the crash I heard the acceleration of an engine roaring up Venice Boulevard, and then I heard the impact,” Bonnie Wolfe wrote in an e-mail to KPCC.

Wolfe, who lives near the crash site, said a city bus she saw parked at the curb might have obscured the two drivers’ views of each others’ vehicles.

Medak said he spoke with a woman who was driving behind the police car and saw the crash. The police car was flashing its emergency lights as it drove on Lincoln Boulevard, but the lights were apparently switched off when the car turned onto Venice, the witness, Krysta Ohle, told him.

“Yet they maintained the same emergency response speed, in excess of 60 mph,” Medak said.

Witnesses said it took as much as 15 minutes for city paramedics to arrive.

Medak described Petelski as a woman who, after struggling with alcoholism, had been sober for two years and was dedicated to helping others recover.

“This was one of those rare individuals,” said Medak.

Petelski, the daughter of Ron Petelski and Shaunnah Godfrey, grew up in Brentwood and attended Crossroads School in Santa Monica. She attended Northwestern University and more recently UC Santa Barbara, pursuing a degree in communications, Medak said. She is also survived by her brother Michael.

A memorial service for Petelski is set for 1 p.m. Friday at Brentwood Presbyterian Church, 12000 W. San Vicente Blvd. in Los Angeles.

Tuesday update: Los Angeles Police detective Jesse Ravega, who is investigating the crash for the West Traffic Division said it occurred at 11:55 p.m. Thursday.

The police officer who was driving the patrol car sustained a broken hand, not arm, he said, quoting an updated press statement dated today.

He declined to say why the officers were driving on Venice Blvd., or to say what speed, lights or siren were being used at the time of the crash because an investigation is continuing. He asked witnesses who have details to share to contact him at (323) 473-0236.

Soooo what do you think?

2009-10-20T16:34:00.004-04:00

Rhianna is still scrambling to make this November deadline (keep snickers to a minimum)...But released this single this am....

Neyo wrote it....interesting to come out the gate with....

One step for relief....

2009-10-20T14:59:00.004-04:00

...A HUGE STEP FOR STONERS!

New Medical Marijuana Policy: Obama Administration Will Not Seek Arrests For People Following State Laws
DEVLIN BARRETT | 10/18/09 11:59 PM |

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday.

Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state laws.

The new policy is a significant departure from the Bush administration, which insisted it would continue to enforce federal anti-pot laws regardless of state codes.

Fourteen states allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

California is unique among those for the widespread presence of dispensaries – businesses that sell marijuana and even advertise their services. Colorado also has several dispensaries, and Rhode Island and New Mexico are in the process of licensing providers, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a group that promotes the decriminalization of marijuana use.

Attorney General Eric Holder said in March that he wanted federal law enforcement officials to pursue those who violate both federal and state law, but it has not been clear how that goal would be put into practice.

A three-page memo spelling out the policy is expected to be sent Monday to federal prosecutors in the 14 states, and also to top officials at the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The memo, the officials said, emphasizes that prosecutors have wide discretion in choosing which cases to pursue, and says it is not a good use of federal manpower to prosecute those who are without a doubt in compliance with state law.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the legal guidance before it is issued.

"This is a major step forward," said Bruce Mirken, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project. "This change in policy moves the federal government dramatically toward respecting scientific and practical reality."

At the same time, the officials said, the government will still prosecute those who use medical marijuana as a cover for other illegal activity. The memo particularly warns that some suspects may hide old-fashioned drug dealing or other crimes behind a medical marijuana business.

In particular, the memo urges prosecutors to pursue marijuana cases which involve violence, the illegal use of firearms, selling pot to minors, money laundering or other crimes.

And while the policy memo describes a change in priorities away from prosecuting medical marijuana cases, it does not rule out the possibility that the federal government could still prosecute someone whose activities are allowed under state law.

The memo, officials said, is designed to give a sense of prosecutorial priorities to U.S. Attorneys in the states that allow medical marijuana. It notes that pot sales in the United States are the largest source of money for violent Mexican drug cartels, but adds that federal law enforcement agencies have limited resources.

Medical marijuana advocates have been anxious to see exactly how the administration would implement candidate Barack Obama's repeated promises to change the policy in situations in which state laws allow the use of medical marijuana.

Shortly after Obama took office, DEA agents raided four dispensaries in Los Angeles, prompting confusion about the government's plans.

**I've said it before and I've said again....he's the man! And by the way....**

The Nobel Peace Prize 2009

"for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"

Who else was woken up by a screaming elder like I was? People can say what they want to but I'm proud of the the country and the man. He has unarguably done exactly what he won for. No other president has made such efforts to dialogue and invoke exactly what our UN was made for. It's about time we have a leader less concerned with us being a "super power" with our adolescent place in the world and more concerned with global connection and productivity. 3 cheers and a Head Case WOOO-MUTHAFLIPPIN-HOO!

10 days without me?!

2009-10-20T14:57:00.002-04:00

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?!?! Bored? Ok....here we go...

ps, I missed you too ;p

xox
M.

Who else is excited????

2009-10-09T05:44:00.000-04:00

Wanna laugh today....

2009-10-09T05:34:00.002-04:00

Watch these....

This makes me wanna cry...

2009-10-09T01:35:00.002-04:00

:: Drops head in hands and shakes with shame for humans...:: BUT at least Harry is SUCH a class act...

Check this out...

2009-10-09T01:25:00.001-04:00

...Me thinks she saw herself in this girl and saw an opportunity to do it right LOL...

One of my faves...

2009-10-07T18:46:00.003-04:00

...is Comin to LA!!!!

Stay tuned for more details and hit him up on Twitter @matthewsantos

New era in music...

2009-10-05T16:40:00.002-04:00

Sidebar: for those that don't believe, music is turning around and coming back. It's the one constant and ever-present thing during change, turmoil, recessions: CREATION.

People are still, very much, buying cds. Have faith folks...

I want one....

2009-09-28T20:53:00.001-04:00

...my birthday is saturday so if anyone wants to break in and send me one (4 years early), you'll be loved forever! LOL

REST...in....PEACE

2009-09-20T03:09:00.001-04:00

....I did cry when Pac died..I kinda wanna cry about this too....

The Beatles-Let it Be...

Free...to let your style...flow....

2009-09-20T02:44:00.000-04:00

DOPE....