From NY Times:
"Yet Mrs. Clinton has also benefited from the strong support of white voters in many states, including some who have said that race was a factor in their support."

From AP:

Only three in 10 whites who said race was a factor said they would vote for Obama should he oppose McCain in November. Four in 10 said they would back McCain, while the rest said they wouldn't vote.

Ahhh... Good ol' racism! What year is this again?

I came across this quote from Kanye West today:

"Speaking out against hip-hop homophobia, some people were like 'Oh, Kanye must be gay! Look at the way he's dressing! And why would he speak about it? He's a gay rapper.' And my whole point is, I wouldn't have spoke on that if I was gay or if I was in the closet. I would have stayed so far away from it. And I'm still homophobic myself to a certain extent. You know, I wouldn't go to a gay parade and feel comfortable. I wouldn't ever go to a gay club or something and just be chillin' and grab a drink. It's being in the entertainment world, I meet so many different gay people who are actually nice people. Where I came from, Chicago, being black and being a hip-hop artist, we used to really disrespect gay people. And the thing is, we can't get close to them with a 10-foot pole. And I realized, 'Wow, how ignorant has this been?'"

It's good to hear someone in the hip-hop world actually acknowledge this and bring it up, especially someone so in the mainstream. But then he makes the "gay people are actually nice" comment and it all goes to hell... Like they wouldn't be nice 'cause they're gay? I don't get it.

I'm continually fascinated by the built in homophobia and outright hate towards gay people in the hip-hop world. I also wonder how many hip-hop artists are staying in the closet out of fear and self hate, since in the arenas of sports and hip-hop it's just not okay to be gay and out.
(photo courtesy of explorer street)

Yep - the prez just gave us another magical nugget of stupidity on Sunday... Which is nothing new.

However, what was new and interesting was seeing Jack Cafferty on CNN tear the guy a new one.

Is it just me, or do we all miss the days when journalists actually had credibility and balls?... First Clinton on Fox and now this. It's turning out to be a good week.

Over the last few weeks as AIVF’s dire financial situation has become public, I’ve been watching and reading the developments. A lot has been said and I’ve kept silent, going with the idea that “if you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all”… But, inspired by my friend James’ blog regarding how he feels the organization has been portrayed recently, I decided to put in my two cents. Plus I think only three people besides my mom read this blog, so let it rip!

As a staff member at AIVF from 2001-2005, I saw the organization go through amazingly vital times as well as horribly mangled, mismanaged times. I know better than most the deep lying problems within the organization. Was the organization mismanaged? You bet. Was it blessed 90% of the time with a maladroit board of directors more interested in personal networking, getting free trips to NYC and pushing their own film projects? Don’t get me started. Was the organization undisciplined, understaffed, lacking a coherent vision that addressed filmmaker’s issues in this decade rather than those from the organization’s inception in the 70s? Absolutely.

I'm sure I'm not the only one blogging about this and that they'll be many more, but here goes.

I'd been looking forward to this for months. MONTHS! Bought my tickets in advance, etc, etc. Show up on Saturday to be greeted by this (see photo): A line snaking all the way around the main entry of the Javits Center. Why you ask? Because the fire marshall decided to not let any more people in (and later debated on shutting the whole thing down). Genius!

Of course all the thanks go to the jackasses at Reed Exhibitions who put on the whole thing and over sold it by, I don't know, a couple of thousand. Funny enough their website states that they are "The world's leading exhibition and conference organisers". Next time I'm putting together a villiage idiots convention, I'll be sure to contact them.

But really, it's sad that the city that started the modern comic book industry hasn't had a proper convention in forever and it's first attempt at one is just such a blundering mistake. Why someone didn't think of starting one with the help of Comic-Con International, who puts on the biggest comic convention in the world every year, I will never know. I just feel sorry for Reed Exhibitions, since they've incurred the wrath of many a nerd with too much time on their hands, while living in their parents' basement.

Oh yeah, and the end of story from Saturday? We stood in the aforementioned line for 45 minutes so they could scribble our names on a pad of paper and tell us we'll get refunded in 30 days.

Good times.

As others have already done so, I feel I have lament the loss of Arrested Development.

The Irony of the whole thing is that the night before the announcement my friend and I sat at dinner talking about the brilliance of the show and the bizarre fact that in today’s wasteland of TV mediocrity (Veronica Mars excluded, of course), it just blew our minds that a gem like AD existed… And then we proceeded to recall various scenes from the show and crack up uncontrollably, but that’s another story…

When I heard the news, I remembered my friend Stef (who works at Fox programming) warning me 2 years ago about this day… She said the show was too good and no one was watching it.

At least we got two and a half seasons… Miracles come in small packages, I guess.

Like many people I know, I hate New Years. I hate the hubbub and hoopla, I hate how millions of people descend onto NYC and start walking around aimlessly, clogging up the trains and streets. I hate everyone asking �what are you are doing for New Years?� and I hate how every little party/concert/dinner, etc. costs three times the usual price. Finally, I hate how every TV show, magazine and man on the street starts making top ten and countdown lists!

Lets face it, New Years is a night of amateurs. When people who never usually go out to clubs, restaurant and parties decides to �let loose� while the rest of us are loath to suffer their annoying debauchery.

So with all this in mind, and because I�m a producer - thus hypocrisy is a part of my makeup - I�ve put together my own sort of list: The Overrated / Underrated. None of which is in any particular order.

Of course all this is merely my opinion and I�m very aware that most of the world doesn�t agree with me � if they did, then News Years would be a very different thing. So please don�t send me threatening emails or leave dead bunnies at my door!

I have been spending the last few weeks trying to crew two low budget shorts that I�m producing that are going to be shot in Florida starting next week. Its been a lot trickier than I expected. To get an experienced crew for a low budget in a city I know is hard enough. But to convince a crew that doesn�t know me to take a chance on my team and work for almost nothing is really challenging.

That said, I want to say �shame on you� to all the Indie production companies that have made crews work intolerable hours with little to no pay and lousy food. It gives Indies a bad name and makes it all the more difficult for other companies, like mine, to get experienced, seasoned crew.

Please, when you are making a film, remember that there are a lot of people investing in your dream. Treat them with respect and honor. Feed them well, say thank you at the end of everyday and give them a decent turnaround. It�s the least you can do.

Finally, I want to give props to all the Florida Crew who have taken a chance on Ugly Betty Productions & Siren Films and are helping us on our shoot. I also want to thank all the lovely Florida and NY crew people that couldn�t help us personally, but were able to give us referrals and recommends.

Now on with the shoot in Florida, a music session in SF, prepping for another short and casting a feature! Oh and my friends Rey & Laura�s wedding too. Whew!

I just saw Fahrenheit 9/11. My first reaction was that it was a little heavy handed, but I didn�t care because if it causes people to speak out against the current administration and get Bush out of office, more power to it! Of course, I�m already a convert and there was nothing it said that I didn�t already know, but I�m glad Michael Moore said it and I think everyone should see it. My second thought was that I feared everyone that needs to see the film won�t see it, or be able to see it. Seeing Fahrenheit 9/11 at BAM in Brooklyn is not a hard sell crowd: it is compiled of educated, liberal middle class New Yorkers � we all are already going to vote against Bush. What worries me is that the people that need to know this information, the people that are �undecided� in lower income and less urban areas, or the people who don�t vote may not be able to see it. Because I believe everyone should see it and we need to get Bush out of office!

But then it got me to thinking�

When the The Passion of Christ was released a few months back, I was horrified at the turnout. I believed that it was a manipulative film that was pushing a single-minded point of view. I refused to see it. And I was angry that so many people were seeing it in droves and that it was having such an effect on people. It was in the news, people were confessing to crimes after seeing that film! It was changing people�s lives. So how is Fahrenheit 9/11 any different? Just because it�s telling a message I believe in? Or does it mean I now have to see The Passion of Christ?