Hawking the Scene

Prayers For Bobby

Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Sigourney Weaver stars in this emotional true story about a 1970s religious suburban housewife and mother who struggles to accept her young son Bobby being gay. What happens to Bobby is tragic and causes Mary to question her faith; ultimately this mom changes her views in ways that she never could have imagined.  Based on the book “Prayers for Bobby” by Leroy Aarons.

Prayers for Bobby tells the story about Christian mother Mary Griffith, who lives her life and runs her family with blind faith.  Believing scripture word for word and never questioning her faith or what she believes to be true, leads her to reject her gay son, which ultimately resulted in him taking his own life. The rest of the tale follows Mary as she struggles to accept her son for who he was and to find a place for herself in her faith as she finally begins to question her beliefs.

Prayers for Bobby is a powerful movie and Sigourney Weaver shines in her memorable performance as Mary Griffith .  It goes beyond gay rights, teaching viewers that it's okay to challenge religious beliefs and church doctrine.

The Hollywood Reporter agrees, saying:

 "Moreover, the film has all the earmarks of 'important television' without crossing the line into preachy melodrama, earning its tears the old-fashioned way: via a wise, evocative script and sensitive characterizations. It feels like the kind of movie that really could make a difference in the lives of actual moms and dads struggling to come to grips with a gay child's lifestyle."

Prayers for Bobby encores Tuesday, Jan 27th at 9 PM ET, 8 PM CT.

Don't forget the tissues. 
You're going to need them.

Harder Bodies Video -- (Harder Better Faster)

This is the male remake of the popular Youtube video, "Daft Bodies."  The clever video features brothers King Julien and Jay performing to Daft Punk's 2001 hit, Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, with the simplistic lyrics written all over their bodies.  The video gets better as the pace of the music and lyrics speed up half-way through the performance.

The video was so popular that it was even spoofed on The Simpsons. 
ENJOY!

Thanks to Mark G. for the tip!

Tired of Hearing About the Inauguration Price Tag? Me Too. Here's Why:

For days now, Fox News, right-wing bloggers and my very own conservative friends (yes, I do have conservative friends) have been blasting the price tag of Obama's inauguration, claiming that it's four times higher than Bush's 2005 inauguration.  This is wrong and they need to fact check.

Bush's SECOND inauguration is said to have cost 42.3 million dollars.  This is only partly correct.  When Fox and Friends first reported this figure, they mistakenly left out the $115 million that the federal government spent on security, transportation and cleanup, making Bush's total $157 million dollars.  Amazingly enough, Fox and Friends didn't exclude the federal spending on Obama's price tag, like they did for Bush.  Hmmm, imagine that.

Obama's inaugural committee raised $45 million dollars, bringing his total to approximately $160 million dollars.    A $3 million dollar difference is hardly four times higher.  However, if you really want to get down to brass tacks, let's break these numbers down:

• Bush's inaguration committee raised $42.3 million and there were approximately 300,000 attendees.  That translates to $141 per attendee.

• Obama's inauguration committee raised $45 million and there were approximately 1.5 million attendees.  That translates to $30 per attendee.

To recap:
Bush paid $141 per attendee.
Obama paid $30 per attendee.

So get over it.
If you really want to bitch about price tags, let's talk about the $10.6 TRILLION national debt or the $177 million a-day war. 

Or, we can get behind our President and hope he can begin to put America back together again. 

I choose the latter.

Obamawatch: Playing in the Snow

Obama braved the blustery Chicago weather, which plummeted to -30F, to play in the snow.  Though the weather was Alaska-esque, Obama still could not see Russia from his house.

CNN's Rick Sanchez Schools "Joe the Plumber"

In the most undemocratic rant, Samuel Wurzelbacher, aka "Joe the Plumber," who is currently working as a war correspondent in Israel (yes, that's right...a WAR CORRESPONDENT), had this to say about freedom of the press:

"I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think journalists should be anywhere (around) war. I mean, you guys report where our troops are at. You report what’s happening day to day. You make a big deal out of it. I think it’s asinine. You know, I liked back in World War I and World War II when you’d go to the theater and you’d see your troops on, you know, the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for ’em...I think media should be abolished from, uh, you know, reporting. You know, war is hell. And if you’re gonna sit there and say, 'Well look at this atrocity,' well you don’t know the whole story behind it half the time, so I think the media should have no business in it."

First of all, he says that journalists shouldn't be allowed near war, yet takes a position as a war correspondent.  I'm confused.  Second, how did this man become a correspondent?  He cannot even string together a proper sentence in English.  Third, what are his qualifications to hold such an important position?  I think he first needs to re-visit a remedial U.S. History class to brush up on the Constitution -- particularly the First Amendment.  Then he needs to re-visit a remedial English class.  I have a seven-year old nephew who can tutor him.  After that, he needs to brush up on his world history and current affairs.  He has no right with such an important responsibility.

CNN's Rick Sanchez puts it all in perspective:

Al Sharpton Blasts the Mormon Church and Other Conservative Churches Over Prop 8

As reported from the Southern Voice, Al Sharpton calls out conservative faiths for their support of Proposition 8, while ignoring the more important problems of the world.  The Baptist Minister and Civil Rights Activist had this to say:

“It amazes me when I looked at California and saw churches that had nothing to say about police brutality, nothing to say when a young black boy was shot while he was wearing police handcuffs, nothing to say when the they overturned affirmative action, nothing to say when people were being delegated into poverty, yet they were organizing and mobilizing to stop consenting adults from choosing their life partners.”

“There is something immoral and sick about using all of that power to not end brutality and poverty, but to break into people’s bedrooms and claim that God sent you.”

“We know you’re not preaching the Bible, because if you were preaching the Bible we would have heard from you,” Sharpton said. “We would have heard from you when people were starving in California, when they deregulated the economy and crashed Wall Street you had nothing to say. When [alleged Ponzi schemer Bernie] Madoff made off with the money, you had nothing to say. When Bush took us to war chasing weapons of mass destruction that weren’t there you had nothing to say. … But all of a sudden when Proposition 8 came out you had so much to say, but since you stepped in the rain, we gonna step in the rain with you.”

Think of all the good these intolerant churches could have done with all of the time and money they wasted removing people's civil rights.  They largely ignore pain, poverty, hunger and other social issues to preach hate. 

Is this what God wants you to do?  I thought religion was about love and understanding, not hate and intolerance.  You have been exposed.

Panel Unanimously Votes To Impeach Blagojevich

From Americablog:

A key panel unanimously recommended impeachment for Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday, setting up a vote that could make him the first governor to face such fate in Illinois' sordid political history. Blagojevich should lose his job for abusing power, mismanaging government and committing possible criminal acts, including federal allegations he tried to sell off a U.S. Senate seat, the special committee concluded.

The governor's office issued a statement calling the panel's proceedings flawed and biased.
The full House could vote as early as Friday morning. A vote for impeachment would trigger a Senate trial to decide whether the second-term Democrat should be removed from office.

Looks like G-Rod may be going down. The issue will now be taken up by the Illinois House of Representatives.

He's been an embarrassment to my state as well as my city and he needs to be removed from office. Chicago was put on the international map when Obama won the election two months ago and now that image has been tarnished by a liar and a thief -- a common criminal that we (myself excluded) voted into office.  Hopefully we can put this behind us soon.  

***UPDATE:  Illinois House votes 114-1 to impeach Blagojevich.  The move is a first in Illinois history.  The impeachment proceedings will now move to Illinois Senate.  The trial is set to begin Jan 26th.  Justice will be served.

Pick of the Litter: Pupidential Debate.

The Daily Show hosts the Pupidential Debate:  the search for the First Family Pet.  Anderson Cooper moderates.  I love me some Anderson Cooper.

"Get this bitch off the stage."

Worst. President. Ever.

On January 20, 2009, one of the worst presidents in U.S. history will be leaving one of the worst messes in U.S. history for another to attempt to clean up.  While entire books can (and will) be written about how George W. Bush is one of the worst, if not the worst, president in history, I'll leave that to the historians and scholars and instead offer a brief list.  I invite you to add to my list in the comments section.  In no particular order:

1. The National Debt has risen to above 10 trillion dollars.  Check here to see exactly where it stands at this moment and to watch it grow.  To put it in perspective, you can also click on this graph to watch the debt rise (with Republican presidents) and fall (with Democratic presidents) and be amazed at what Bush managed to do.
2. The Unemployment Rate is currently 6.7%, which is a 26-year high.  Analysts are predicting the unemployment rate to reach upwards of 8% because of the 2008 financial crisis.
3. 9/11.  The Republicans are quick to blame the Clinton administration for the attack, but no matter how you look at it, it happened on Bush's watch.  The Clinton administration left the Bush administration a report on al Qaeda, including a plan to hinder the attack.  This was ignored.  Also ignored were counter-terrorism advisor Richard Clarke's memos as well as intelligence from Israel, Jordan and Morocco.
4. War on Terror.  Bush lied to Congress and the American people about Saddam Hussein's involvement in 9/11 as well as Iraq having weapons of mass destruction, thereby declaring a pre-emptive war in Iraq.  Hello Bush Doctrine.
5. Osama bin Laden.  Bush has broken his promise to kill or capture the 9/11 mastermind.
6. Approval Rating.  His approval rating is a mere 27%, which is only 3% more than Nixon and 5% more than Truman -- the lowest approval rating.
7. Patriot Act.  Stripped Americans of many of their rights including privacy rights and habeas corpus, bringing America closer to being a police-state.
8. Hurricane Katrina.  While on a month-long vacation, Bush was warned that the levees were failing and immediate action was needed.  No action was ever taken, despite multiple warnings about the levees and the aftermath, which eventually happened.  Bush later lied, saying, "I don't think anybody could have anticipated the breech of the levees."  Even after the disaster, Bush spent they day playing golf, instead of returning to D.C.
9. Torture.  Bush sanctioned torture at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, ignoring Geneva Conventions and destroying America's reputation around the world.
10. Economic Meltdown 2008.  Aside from the national debt and unemployment rate, there are the falling stock market, public debt, frozen money markets, plummeting dollar, credit crunch, housing market crisis, etc., leaving us with the worst economy since the Great Depression, all while giving tax cuts to the richest Americans. 
11. Mission Accomplished.  Bush declared, "Mission Accomplished," in 2003 before more than 4,100 Americans were killed and more than 300,000 were wounded in the war.  The war still goes on.
12. Clean Air Act.  Bush revised the Clean Air Act, exempting companines from installing new pollution-control devices and making it much easier for plants to increase emissions.
13. Same-Sex Marriage.  Bush supported a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.  Though the amendment never actualized, his support to strip a group of Americans of their civil rights on a federal level is unforgiveable.

Says Milsaps College History Department Chair, Robert S. McElvaine:

“No individual president can compare to the second Bush.  Glib, contemptuous, ignorant, incurious, a dupe of anyone who humors his deluded belief in his heroic self, he has bankrupted the country with his disastrous war and his tax breaks for the rich, trampled on the Bill of Rights, appointed foxes in every henhouse, compounded the terrorist threat, turned a blind eye to torture and corruption and a looming ecological disaster, and squandered the rest of the world’s goodwill. In short, no other president’s faults have had so deleterious an effect on not only the country but the world at large.”

What do YOU have to add?