Setting an example...

If you didn't know what my last post meant, then peep this. Oh, yes...the movie industry blames a video game for it's weak receipts. I don't know...I'm thinking maybe it's the weak movies that might have something to do with their weak receipts. Let's examine a bit closer, shall we?

Here's a list of films released during the first two weeks of October:

October 5:

• The Heartbreak Kid
• The Seeker: The Dark is Rising
• Michael Clayton
• Feel the Noise
• Grace is Gone
• Deal
• Finishing the Game
• Weirdsville
• Nina's Heavenly Delights
• The Good Night
• Broken
• Black Irish

October 12:

• Control
• Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• We Own the Night
• The Final Season
• Postal
• Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?
• Hitman
• Lars and the Real Girl
• Laaga Chunari Mein Daag
• Manolete
• Sleuth
• Berkeley
• Naked Boys Signing!
• Khadak (The Colour of Water)

Okay, outside of what's probably going to net some Oscar worthy performances (George Clooney in Clayton and Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: Episode II), I don't see any film really making me want to spend over $10. I didn't even hear about Tyler Perry's non-Madea movie the day it was released. Who knew it would be the weekend's #1 film. I'm no hater...but when a Tyler Perry film rules the weekend box office, movie execs gotta know it's going to be sloooow. Seriously...might the past two weekends been slow because the movies being released might, I don't know...suck? And not necessarily suck totally. Just suck as in the trailers were boring suck or the plots don't sound interesting suck or all the big named movies from the summer suck so these gotta suck too suck. I'm just puttin' that out there. Personally, I want to see Michael Clayton...but it ain't happenin' until it reaches DVD. That last movie like M.C. I saw in the theatre was Presumed Innocent. Innocent will continue to be the last movie I've seen in the theatre like Innocent too.

If you do the math, roughly 2.15 million tickets were sold for Mr. Perry's new hit film alone. Halo 3, Microsoft's epic monster superdelihypedspandelic release which set an entertainment record and the movie industry's most recent scape goat, had pre-orders of 1.7 million copies. Now, as far as we know, there are 300 million people in the Unites States as of this year. One-third of those people are most likely adults. Okay...stay with me here. Only 1.7 million copies of Halo 3 were sold, initially. What happened to the other 98.3 million adults who probably didn't buy Halo 3? Surely, those 1.7 million people playing Halo 3 have caused all this supposed turmoil amongst films elite? Heck, even if we stretch the number to 3.4 million (gamers have friends too), it still doesn't make a dent.

For what it's worth, the movie industry did it to themselves. I don't have enough blog space to list all the big titles that came out this year. Emo-Spider, Fantastic Special Effects, Japanese Robots From Outer Space, Pirates of your Precious Time (3+ hourse...jeez-us!!), Old Men Don't Die Hard, Bourne [insert noun or adjective here], The Wringing of the Shrek, Harry's All Grown Up, etc... Not for nothing, movie goers might simply be tapped out.

Please, let's put an end to the verbal diarrhea. Don't blame another entertainment industry for your industry's lack of intelligent scheduling and obvious greed.

Verbal Diarrhea

There comes a time in every man's life when he must stop and just talk a whole lot about nothing. Some of us will do this and make millions of dollars (i.e.: Jerry Seinfeld). Others will do this and become leaders (i.e. George Bush, Jr.). Most of us will become rappers. A select few of us though, regardless of race, color, creed or profession, will spit stuff so random and utterly non-sensical, that their monologues will eventually be considered genius. A few people immediately come to mind: Steve Jobs, R. Kelly, Phil Rizzuto, Ol' Dirty Bastard.

These people amaze me. They amaze not because of what they say...but because deep down inside, I think they actually believe the b.s. they spew forth. Not that believing in one's own words is a bad thing...but where do you draw the line? When do you finally stop what you're doing and say to yourself, "No, really...even I don't believe that shit I just said. You shouldn't either." Where's the respect? Where's the dignity?! I'm sure everyone reading this knows someone like this...who just won't shut up about something when you and they BOTH know it's nonsense! It could be a family member, a co-worker, even an acquaintance trying to impress you. What I mentioned earlier about knowing when to stop goes both ways as well. When do you look at someone and say, "Please...spare me. I beg of you!"

It takes strength, I know. Trust me...been there, doing that. Hell, I'm willing to bet some of you have already closed this window wanting to tell me that very thing. It wouldn't be a good bet for you 'cause you've probably already closed this window. But you get my point. If you don't get my point...well, just understand that you may be that one person that we all know that shovels the shit every now and then. Again, not necessarily a bad thing in of itself. Self-control is a beautiful thing though. When exercised properly, it can be a life saver or a deal maker. Try not to be that one person we all know and see what happens. It may change your life. Heck, you may even become president one day.

I'm just sayin'...

Friends...how many of us have them?

Do you call anyone friend? If so, by what measure have you placed them? How many do you have? Are you sure?

Someone I considered a friend pretty much...well...flipped the fu*k out last night for no good reason. It wasn't so much the flipping out....but the blatant disrespect I was given. I live by one particular mantra: It's perfectly okay to disagree with me. Just don't hurt me because of the disagreement. Plain and simple. I try to reciprocate as best I can too.

If two people cannot come to an agreement, or one isn't hearing the other (hello?!), then it's OKAY to move on from that and continue to be civil. It really is okay. Trust me. What isn't okay is destroying a relationship over one little thing especially when you share so many other bigger things.

Again, it's about being better. I try...

Africans in America.

Being in NYC, you often hear jokes or comments about how there are so many Africans moving into our neighborhoods. Well...when I read horrible stories like this, is when I realize why.

All I'm saying is the less ignorant we are, the better we become.

One love.

So...what now?

I'm quickly beginning to understand that the hardest part of writing is knowing where to start and keeping from writing what I don't want to write. It's much easier to stand on a soap box and rain down opinion without care than it is to stay totally or somewhat nonobjective. It would be nothing for the worst part of me to start preaching like a sweaty Baptist preacher on any given Sunday about who's not right and how non-wrong I think I am. I try my best to stifle my inner Bill O'Reilly every day. On the contrary, I think I do a pretty good job of it as I don't remember offending anyone in recent memory.

Oh, I know where to start now. I'm a hater. Yes. It's a fact. I LOVE everyone and everything...but the truth is, I'm still a hater. The difference between me and other haters though -- oh, wait...now where did I put that soap bo...oh, there it is! -- Where was I...? Oh, yes... The difference between me and 'em is that I try to reserve my hate for things that deserve it. Many haters hate out of jealousy. I hate out of frustration. Frustration born from the fact that I know - KNOW - we can do better. Do I hate 50 Cent because he's talentless? No. Do I hate 50 Cent because he knows he's talentless and still continues in his quest to get richer by doing that which he knows he sucks at? Yes. Do I hate the mortgage companies in general? No, for without them I wouldn't have been able to house my large family as comfortable as I am right now. Do I hate the mortgage companies for being greedy, slimy, bastards who rope you in with key lime pie then mush it in your face only after you've signed your very last sense of stability away? Absolutely.

My opinion on hate may not be totally disagreeable to most but the reason I'm going there now is because the one thing I do hate the most is nonobjective hate. Really, I do. Every day, I read the news and see people doing hateful things for the simple sake of doing it. No remorse for those they hurt. Ever since I was a kid, I've been overly emotional with regards to hate crimes, especially to those who've been hurt innocently...kidnapped or abused children, battered wives, unintended murder victims, fans who continue to buy those Now...That's What I Call Music compilations, etc. As my age rises, so does my sympathy meter. I'm not an emotional version of fly paper but I can barely read the news nowadays because of all the nonobjective hate which is reported. Most of it saddens me deeply. I know 'bad things' have been going on since the beginning of man but now that news is only a left mouse-click away, it only seems like an epidemic. It's not. What is is now is a mass overload of information where everything is 'news' but nothing is focused on more than two hours. At least, not the news that matters. I hate when that happens.

Ten for 2day.

1. Mt. Vernon, NY needs to remember why it's so prosperous at the moment and keep Ernie Davis in office.
2. I wouldn't want Soulja Boy fighting in my army. You're only as strong as your weakest link. I'm just sayin'.
3. At 83 years of age, Jimmy Carter deserves more peanuts.
   BET's Hip Hop vs. America was a waste of time. Heck, BET in general is a waste of time...
4. Zune 'til I die! But I'd take a free iPod Touch any day!
   
5. Low-heeled mules should die a quick death.
6. Hilary or Barack. Either way, I'm good.
7. Someone wake me up when pro-basketball returns to NY.
8. I propose we ban "Black" like we banned "Nigger".
9. Sade owes me a new album.
   
10. If you're viewing this on dial-up, I'm flattered.

A heavy continuance.

I had thought of starting my blog light. Ya know...something about A-Rod deserving the MVP award, the return of Q-Tip, or how best to make oxtail. But I can't do that. That would immediately undermine the reason why I started this thing in the first place. I just thought it would be best to bring further attention to the situation happening in Myanmar. Why? Because the death of a Japanese reporter - caught on camera - is something that simply shouldn't happen.

How can something that started so peacefully from monks just, ya know... sitting down suddenly blow up like Violet Beauregarde? It's gotten so bad, even John Rambo is getting death threats. I'm not going to voice my opinion further than I feel that killing innocents is wrong (DUH!!). I just think we should pay more attention to that side of the world.

Remember that kid in class that got picked on for years, then decided to do something about it by becoming a cop, joining Bally's or becoming your wife's gynecologist? This is what's happening over there. Asia is mad as hell...and it's not taking it any more!!

Believing that we are 'safe' and what happens over there doesn't affect us is unrealistic. Eventually, all things around the world spill over everwhere else. Sure, these particular events might not affect your daily so & so's. It will, however, affect our long term events...taxes, shifts in political power & foreign policy, Beyonce concert cancellations, etc.

Trust.