Since we're talking movies...

I am a big fan of Alison Bechdel, and here's a reason why:



(i.e. SATC2 is certainly problematic in its own right, but maybe there are bigger structural problems with modern U.S. Entertainment?)

(Entertainment capitalized as a nod to DFW. All FBC members are entitled to roll their eyes at the usual sight of me gushing about him.)

Skinny Model Ad

http://cocoperez.com/2010-05-26-lane-bryant-mocks-skinny-models-in-ads

This ad is awesome! I'm curious to hear what the public response is, probably something about it not being fair to the extremely skinny models who aren't anorexic.

Robert Ebert...HAHA

So, through twitter I've learned Robert Ebert is completely awesome and doesn't give a "thumbs up" to everything.  Here's his truly hilarious review of Sex and the City 2

Sex and the City 2...Why I don't want to see it

First of all...you can read the horrid (for the movie)/hilarious (for me) reviews here.

So to start off, I'm going to be honest and admit that I did not HATE the first Sex and the City (I do HATE the acronym SATC so I will not be using it) Movie.  In fact when I first saw it, I liked it overall.  It was pretty depressing at points, I didn't really relate to the Carrie meltdown that lasts for an entire year,  but I definitely got swept away in nostalgia for the characters I liked in the series and looking at pretty clothing.  I even went so far as to pay $4 for a previously viewed copy of the video in the Blockbuster sales bin.  Fast forward two years and some talks with fellow FBC members, I now have a twinge of  guilt for having derived pleasure from the movie and being completely blind to some of it's major failings.

Happy Birthday To Kill a Mockingbird...Birthday Party?

So I read this article in the New York Times about all the parties going on for the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird.  I feel like we have to jump on the bandwagon and organize an FBC to celebrate the book.  Let's pick a date, plan on re-reading it (or at least watching the movie)!

Also call me a nit-pick but the article mentions Monroeville, AL is also called the "literary capital of Alabama" because Harper Lee grew up there but fails to mention Truman Capote also lived there (NEXT DOOR TO HARPER LEE) which I imagine also adds to its literary posterity.  I've been on quite a Capote kick lately so reading To Kill a Mockingbird this summer works in quite nicely since Harper Lee was working on this during the time she was helping Truman Capote write In Cold Blood.  They were extremely close childhood friends and in To Kill a Mockingbird Scout is meant to represent Lee and Dill is meant to represent Capote.  Capote's first novel Other Voices, Other Rooms also has a character based on Lee. SO MANY CONNECTIONS!!!

Another humorous Disney Princesses image

One of my friends sent me this in a forward a few minutes ago and I thought I'd share since it was not only funny but very related to the last few posts on here - ENJOY!

More on Disney Princesses...

So after posting the pictures of the uber-sexed up Disney Princesses yesterday, I was going to post a follow-up picture of them that always comes up on my stumble upon that always reminds me of our "Fallen Disney Princess" Halloween costumes:

HAH!  I love it...especially Belle with the Beast femur in hand.  And I totally forgot Esmeralda existed!! While I was searching for this picture I came upon a fan page dedicated to art on the Disney Princesses and it reminded me once again the effect these characters have on those of us who group up with them.  I know we've talked about the Disney Princesses in book group already, but I find the iconic nature of them intriguing. There are so many different interpretations and I found it astonishing the different directions these fan artists went.  I'll leave it to you to decide which ones you find made them better/worse after the jump....

Because obviously Disney Princesses aren't sexualized enough...

More HERE

bang head against wall ..repeat if necessary

 INTRODUCTION:
So Melissa has been receiving e-mails from an Argentine Tango group and this is her attempt to get off their e-mail subscriber list...take it away Melissa:

soo, not exactly my finest moment, but i had forgotten who the group was and marked each email as "bulk"' or "spam" before deleting it but they always got through which was why i had repeatedly asked to be removed.

ROGUE SPAM E-MAIL THAT MADE IT THROUGH PROMPTING THIS E-MAIL THREAD TO BE KNOWN AS TANGO FROM HERE ON OUT:

Another chance to dance tango at beautiful Galvez!
A special Sunday has been added this month
... See More
Sunday, April 25
Galvez Restaurant
912 N Peters
6 - 10 pm

Julio and Denise have generously arranged this special evening for:

Alberto's Birthday Celebration

Please join us ~

Visit The Vamp!
http://visualvamp.blogspot.com/

Me:
please take me off your mailing list

Tango:
Who are you, and which list do you want to be taken off, please?
We use a tango community based list so you may want to find out why you were included if you are not tango dancer.

We need a new post!

So I am going to talk about a series of books I love with a slightly abashed love.

The Flashman Papers.

The main character is everything a good feminist (indeed, a good person) ought to revile: a cowardly self-centered bully who is openly racist, sexist, and xenophobic.

The problem is, the books are HYSTERICAL. I read the first one in an airport and couldn't stop guffawing; at one point someone came over (I thought he was going to shush me) and said how much he loved the books too. (They are also remarkably thoughtful and brilliantly researched. In fact the first one was taken as non-fiction by a number a reviewers when it first came out.) Flashman is a member of the British Army in the latter half of the 19th century, so he spends time in Afghanistan, India, Borneo, Madagascar, the Crimea, the U.S., etc. - and everywhere he goes, he wins plaudits as a hero while attempting to shirk his duty and fainting of terror and incessantly womanizing and observing everything with a cynical smirk.

If you can put up with an anti-hero as your protagonist, and like getting a different perspective on history, and have the right kind of sense of humour, these books are for you. Again, I LOVE 'em, and will happily lend them out to FBC members.

In Cold Blood

Melissa Blum recommended In Cold Blood by Truman Capote at the last book group.  She accompanied her recommendation with the revelation that many people think that Capote was in love with one of the killers in the book and that reading with this lens was worthwhile (even if you had read the book before).  I took the bait and was quite quickly absorbed into the novel.  I had not read the book before so I was trying to take in as much as could as a firsthand account, while keeping Melissa’s subtext in the back of my mind.  The book was of course, wonderful.  I feel it lives up to the hype of literary masterpiece, while at the same time being a very approachable novel.  On the surface it is very straight forward and a fascinating story, interesting in and of itself before examining the literary technique.  I will admit I had to read more before understanding what was meant by “non-fiction novel”, a genre of literature Capote claims to have invented with this novel.  In 1966 Capote sits for an interview with the New York Times to discuss In Cold Blood (find it here http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/12/28/home/capote-interview.html)  I find it really interesting how Capote describes manipulating non-fiction characters so that his own perspective of them can be understood by readers