would be The Golden Compass, which I was basically talked into reading (I do not enjoy that whole "Fantasy" genre of literature) after having suffered through the movie late last year.
Oh, you HAVE TO read the book, it's SOOOOO much better than the movie.
Ha! I think not. First of all, let's talk about the writing, shall we? Philip Pullman is not what I consider to be a a very talented writer, and that's putting it mildly. In fact, I found the entire story incredibly boring and the language dreary and uninspired, so much so that I kept falling asleep while reading it. There's nothing subtle about his absolute hatred toward organized religion either. I'm not a religious person, but I would have liked some shades of gray and certainly a better understanding of Lord Asriel since he commits a heinous act at the end of the novel. Otherwise, it just turns into pedantry and no one really enjoys that, do they?
Next, WTF is Dust? Really, I mean really. I am not 12 and I have a degree in English Literature and I still don't have a freaking clue. And don't tell me that I need to "read the other two books" to find out, don't make me cut you. All that slogging through snow and fights with armored polar bears and kids being sliced apart from their "daemons" and I still don't have the slightest clue of what this is supposed to be. The closest explanation I found comes at the end of the book, which is that it is "original sin." To which I say, "Huh?" So I am supposed to trade in one abstract concept for another and just accept that and move on, right? Wrong.
You know, I feel a little bit the way I did when the second Matrix movie came out. The one we were all so excited to see because it was all going to make sense now. Instead, I wish I had just left it at the first one and not mucked it up further in my head (just give me the freaking blue pill and let me go back to what I think I know). I think they did the best job they could do with The Golden Compass movie given the source material, but since it hasn't even made back its production costs (reportedly $180 Million) at this point I am fairly certain that this is one movie franchise we are not going to have to suffer through. It makes Peter Jackson's accomplishments with the Lord of the Rings series all that more impressive too, but then they were adapting Tolkein and not some second-rate schlock writer with a very dim view of humanity.
I think I am going back to my favorite genre next, historical biography. Antonia Fraser wrote a book that's been on my reading list for some time, Love and Louis XIV, The Women in the Life of the Sun King. There's nothing quite like being transported to Versailles when it's cold and rainy and miserable outside...
Show us how your relax after a hard day of work.
You know, the passing of Heath Ledger and the ensuing media madness --- Oh look! There's his grieving ex-girlfriend just off a 12-hour flight from Sweden! I know: let's ambush her and their two-year-old daughter at her home in Brooklyn upon their return to New York!! --- has made me rethink my participation in all this crap (and thankfully, I am not the only one doing so). Yes, I click on the links that pay the bills for these vultures who have no regard for human suffering and human decency, so I am not entirely innocent in all this obsession with celebrity. And, don't get me wrong, I like a good dress disaster as much as the next person, but somehow when the stars are out shilling their products at an event or award show, that feels like fair game. This does not.
This week, the way Heath Ledger's family and friends were absolutely hounded like wild animals on their streets, outside their homes... well, let's just say it really crossed a line and I do not want to be a part of this. I don't want to be one of those website hits that translate into cash money for people whose sole purpose and existence is based upon the misfortune and folly of others, that just doesn't feel right. So, starting this week, I am not going to be looking at t m z (no website or google hits here my friend) or that awful plagiarizing, woman hating piece of shit known as p e r e z. He's gotten better at hiding the fact that he steals absolutely all of his material, but he is still one of the lowest of the lows. Going after children and criticizing them for their appearance is just beyond the pale and that's just one of his specialities. I hope his influence on the media is going to wane, but then I am still waiting to stop seeing his namesake, Paris, drop off the radar and that hasn't happened yet. (sigh)
Anyway, I don't have anything to add to all the noise and craziness surrounding Heath Ledger's death, and I am not about to speculate on what may have caused it although I do have personal experience with insomnia and am quite sympathetic on that front. Mainly, I just want to say that I am sad I will not get to see him develop as an actor because I thought he was very good, unbelievably talented in fact. Recently, I saw a clip from the upcoming Batman movie and his portrayal of the Joker scared the bejesus out of me.... whoa, that is some darkness he tapped into for that role, no wonder he was having trouble sleeping. Selfishly, I am sorry for all the many movie roles that we'll never get to see him in, his career was just beginning. But, of course, the biggest tragedy is for his lovely little daughter that will never know her daddy. That breaks my heart.
I only hope that his family and close friends can find someplace private to come together celebrate all that he did achieve in such a short time, and that the rest of us, myself included, can get over our sick fascination with the cult of celebrity and move on to something else. Isn't it time for Britney to have another bipolar meltdown or something? At least in her case, she appears to relish the spotlight and court the photogs that track her every move. Here kitty, kitty!
Rest in peace, dear, sweet Heath. You will be missed by those you loved and that loved you and those of us who only admired your gifts and talents from afar.
What are 10 things you've done that other people probably haven't?
Submitted by Janette.
1. Ran out of gas on the Hollywood Freeway at about 1:00 AM on my way home from a night club (in the time before cell phones). Somehow, miraculously, I pulled my car over not far from an auto dealership where several Mexican laborers were busy washing the cars for the next day's sales and managed to explain to them (in Spanish) that I had run out of gas. They gave me a can of gas through the fence, I went back to my car and filled up the tank, brought them back the empty can, and was on my way.
2. Missed the last train out of the South Boston train station with nary a dime to spare. A kind Boston Police Officer took pity on me and opened the station and let me spend the night inside on a cold, hard bench until the next day when I could get the first train out of there.
3. Flew above a lighting storm somewhere over the middle of Mexico. It was pitch dark outside except for the flashes of light that filled the sky for as far as the eye could see. This was truly the most amazing natural event I have ever witnessed, and terrifying too... it was the middle of the night and our plane was high enough that we didn't get too much turbulence, but I felt so tiny and vulnerable in that moment. It was awe inspiring and magnificent.
4. Stood at the very edge of the Cliffs of Moher and watched the clouds part and the sun come out just in time to witness one of the most spectacularly beautiful coastlines that is normally shrouded in fog and clouds. Not many people get a chance to see this spot in all its glory, I was very lucky. (Also, they no longer let you walk right up to the edge of the cliffs, which I can understand after having done it.)
5. Survived a near drowning in the rip currents off the Yucatan Peninsula. This one actually happened in November of 2006 and is one of those moments where you see "your life flash before your eyes." I guess it wasn't my time, but it very nearly was...
Oh, and I have lots of other tales too, some of which you might be able to get out of me sometime... but that will have to do for now.
