Popstrology is supposedly "a revolutionary method for gaining self-knowledge by examining the alignment of the pop music charts at the moment of your birth."
According to this insightful new way of gaining a better understanding of oneself, I was born in the year of Rod Stewart. My birth star is Diana Ross and my birth song is "Love Hangover."
What does this all mean? Ian Van Tuyl says it means that . . .
Four score and seven years before the Gettysburg Address, the Founding Fathers brought forth a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Two hundred years into the grand experiment, liberty was all the rage in the nation they had founded, but liberty from the burden of conceiving children was perhaps it most popular expression. "Don't you hesitate, my virgin child/Spread your wings and I'll come inside for a while." In Tonight's The Night, the year' s biggest hit, Rod Stewart the Lovelorn (think Maggie May) gave way officially to Rod Stewart the Lustful, cementing his membership in the constellation Shape-Shifter and marking those born in 1976 with his indelible love tattoo. But consider the interesting case of Barry Manilow, the year's Opposing Star and a man who could not have been created more unequal to Rod Stewart, but a man with his own animal charms. Perhaps it is his presence in the pop universe of 1976 that explains why the micro-generation born in that year may not necessarily express its rampant sexuality in the ways one normally expects. Particularly if they fall under the influence of the vehicular cryptosexuality of the year's Wildcard Star: the trucka-rap pioneer C. W. McCall.
Well, that explains it all doesn't it?!?!
2.27.2005
2.26.2005
Calibrate This!
And, the award goes to . . .?
Regardless of their merits, I have this hunch that women will get gypped again at the Oscar's this year and that the majority of the lucky winners will be white and male. Surprised? If you are, then you are not paying attention, and you need to wake up to the world.
The facts* speak for themselves. . .
FACT: When a woman acts as executive producer on a film, the average number of women behind the scenes on the film doubles.
FACT: Only three women have ever received Oscar nominations for directing: Lina Wertmuller for Seven Beauties (1977), Jane Campion for The Piano (1993), and Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation (2003).
FACT: Nearly half the top 100 films from 1997 had no women writers, producers, directors, cinematographers or editors.
FACT: Although women make up the majority of Americans, men got 62% of the roles cast in motion pictures and television in 1999.
FACT: In 1997, the median earnings for female film writers was $60,000, while the median earnings for male film writers was $75,000.
FACT: Women comprise only 15% of all film writers, producers, directors, cinematographers and editors.
FACT: Of the 250 top grossing films in 1999, 5% had female directors and 17% had female writers.
FACT: Of films with at least one woman working as an executive producer, producer, director, writer or editor, the average domestic box office was $43.8 million. Of those films without women in those roles, the average domestic box office gross was $32.9 million.
*Facts courtesy of Women of Color Film Festival.
Here are just a few things that you can do to stand against the sexism and racism that is rampant in the film industry. I encourage you to contribute some of your own activist suggestions by posting your comments.
* Get a group of friends together and regularly attend movies directed, produced, or written by those underrepresented in the film industry. (Note: You can also do this solo. However, there is power in numbers and all of that.)
* Write a letter to the "big shots" in Hollywood, Sundance, or any other cultural venue and let them know how you feel about the status quo. Make sure to also show your support when they get it right!
* Combine the fun of a DIY project with cultural-political activism a la Guerrilla Girl ingenuity!
* If you live in the Bay Area, attend this year's Women of Color Film Festival.
* While you are at the aforementioned festival, make sure to check out Michelle Dizon's Calibrate (2003, 5 mins, Color, Video).
See you at the movies with labels in hand!
Regardless of their merits, I have this hunch that women will get gypped again at the Oscar's this year and that the majority of the lucky winners will be white and male. Surprised? If you are, then you are not paying attention, and you need to wake up to the world.
The facts* speak for themselves. . .
FACT: When a woman acts as executive producer on a film, the average number of women behind the scenes on the film doubles.
FACT: Only three women have ever received Oscar nominations for directing: Lina Wertmuller for Seven Beauties (1977), Jane Campion for The Piano (1993), and Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation (2003).
FACT: Nearly half the top 100 films from 1997 had no women writers, producers, directors, cinematographers or editors.
FACT: Although women make up the majority of Americans, men got 62% of the roles cast in motion pictures and television in 1999.
FACT: In 1997, the median earnings for female film writers was $60,000, while the median earnings for male film writers was $75,000.
FACT: Women comprise only 15% of all film writers, producers, directors, cinematographers and editors.
FACT: Of the 250 top grossing films in 1999, 5% had female directors and 17% had female writers.
FACT: Of films with at least one woman working as an executive producer, producer, director, writer or editor, the average domestic box office was $43.8 million. Of those films without women in those roles, the average domestic box office gross was $32.9 million.
*Facts courtesy of Women of Color Film Festival.
Here are just a few things that you can do to stand against the sexism and racism that is rampant in the film industry. I encourage you to contribute some of your own activist suggestions by posting your comments.
* Get a group of friends together and regularly attend movies directed, produced, or written by those underrepresented in the film industry. (Note: You can also do this solo. However, there is power in numbers and all of that.)
* Write a letter to the "big shots" in Hollywood, Sundance, or any other cultural venue and let them know how you feel about the status quo. Make sure to also show your support when they get it right!
* Combine the fun of a DIY project with cultural-political activism a la Guerrilla Girl ingenuity!
* If you live in the Bay Area, attend this year's Women of Color Film Festival.
* While you are at the aforementioned festival, make sure to check out Michelle Dizon's Calibrate (2003, 5 mins, Color, Video).
See you at the movies with labels in hand!
2.25.2005
In Memoriam
Babcia Zosia
April 13, 19?? - September 3, 2004
Joseph Patrick Flanagan
April 25, 1976 - February 19, 2005
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 1968
Stripped
you're beginning to float free
up through the smoke of brushfires
and incinerators
the unleafed branches won't hold you
nor the radar aerials
You're what the autumn knew would happen
after the last collapse
of primary color
once the last absolutes were torn to pieces
you could begin
How you broke open, what sheathed you
until this moment
I know nothing about it
my ignorance of you amazes me
now that I watch you
starting to give yourself away
to the wind.
Adrienne Rich
From The Will To Change: Poems 1968-1970
2.20.2005
28 Trivial Things About Me
1. According to my mother, I was born on May 26 at 11:55 P.M. (important to her because May 26 happens to be Mother's Day in Poland). According to the doctor who signed off on my birth certificate, I was born on May 27 at 12:00 A.M. I use the May 27 date.
2. I have no tattoos, but I have a design for one that I've been contemplating getting for the past 6 years. It is based on an illustration from a New Yorker story about flamenco dancer Bianca Li . Maybe I'll get it when I turn 30.
3. I took a motorcycle riding class once. I was the only one in my group that did not pass.
4. From adolescence to about the age of 20, I had a foot phobia/insecurity issue. Other people's feet disgusted me and I wouldn't let anyone look at my feet... I just felt too exposed.
5. I went to the dentist for the first time when I needed to get my wisdom teeth pulled. I was knocked out and had all four of them pulled at once. Afterwards, I went out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. These days my dentist tells me that my check ups are "uneventful" (in case you do not know, this is a good thing).
6. I have never owned my own car, but I might need to get one soon. The thought of having to buy one terrifies me. I know NOTHING about cars and, car dealerships bore me to tears!
7. My favorite color is red.
8. I didn't always have curly hair. It started to curl when I was 21.
9. I think that crackers slathered with Miracle Whip, a sliver of cheese, and a slice of pickle (the kind in brine) make a yummy snack.
10. I like to keep handwritten reminder notes and lists, but I can't always read my own writing.
11. Although it may be challenging, I like to think that it is possible for ex-whatevers to still be friends after the whatever ends.
12. Regardless of item #7, I hate answering questions that begin with "What is your favorite...?"
13. I have a wonderful relationship with my mother.
14. I sometimes enjoy listening to Polka music (it is oddly comforting and it makes me smile).
15. Thrifting is an activity that I enjoy a lot; however, it is something that I prefer to do alone.
16. I find many things funny. The more nonsensical it is, the better.
17. I had my first alcoholic beverage when I was 15. I can't remember what it was, but I saved the bottle (one of those mini ones). It is in a box marked "memories" in my father's attic.
18. The smell of vinegar makes me salivate. So, does the smell of onions.
19. I used to have nightmares about being in a vintage or thrift store full of the "perfect" finds. The store would either have a big sale or it would only be open for limited hours after which it would go out of business. Of course, I would be in the store without enough money to buy a single thing.
20. I much prefer dogs to cats. Currently, neither is a part of my life.
21. Picky eaters annoy me; although I try to be very accomodating to their needs when the situation calls for it.
22. I started wearing glasses at the age of 12. My father thought I was doing it to be "cool." Which only proves how out of touch he was with what cool was when I was 12.
25. I started to wear contacts in high school and I wore them throughout college. These days, I wear glasses.
26. I am easily startled, which I think makes me look suspicious.
27. I got my nose pierced when I was in high school, but only had it pierced for a limited time b/c my father found out (yes, I managed to keep it hidden for a while).
28. One of my pet peeves is when people you've met a number of times do not recall that you have met a number of times.
2. I have no tattoos, but I have a design for one that I've been contemplating getting for the past 6 years. It is based on an illustration from a New Yorker story about flamenco dancer Bianca Li . Maybe I'll get it when I turn 30.
3. I took a motorcycle riding class once. I was the only one in my group that did not pass.
4. From adolescence to about the age of 20, I had a foot phobia/insecurity issue. Other people's feet disgusted me and I wouldn't let anyone look at my feet... I just felt too exposed.
5. I went to the dentist for the first time when I needed to get my wisdom teeth pulled. I was knocked out and had all four of them pulled at once. Afterwards, I went out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. These days my dentist tells me that my check ups are "uneventful" (in case you do not know, this is a good thing).
6. I have never owned my own car, but I might need to get one soon. The thought of having to buy one terrifies me. I know NOTHING about cars and, car dealerships bore me to tears!
7. My favorite color is red.
8. I didn't always have curly hair. It started to curl when I was 21.
9. I think that crackers slathered with Miracle Whip, a sliver of cheese, and a slice of pickle (the kind in brine) make a yummy snack.
10. I like to keep handwritten reminder notes and lists, but I can't always read my own writing.
11. Although it may be challenging, I like to think that it is possible for ex-whatevers to still be friends after the whatever ends.
12. Regardless of item #7, I hate answering questions that begin with "What is your favorite...?"
13. I have a wonderful relationship with my mother.
14. I sometimes enjoy listening to Polka music (it is oddly comforting and it makes me smile).
15. Thrifting is an activity that I enjoy a lot; however, it is something that I prefer to do alone.
16. I find many things funny. The more nonsensical it is, the better.
17. I had my first alcoholic beverage when I was 15. I can't remember what it was, but I saved the bottle (one of those mini ones). It is in a box marked "memories" in my father's attic.
18. The smell of vinegar makes me salivate. So, does the smell of onions.
19. I used to have nightmares about being in a vintage or thrift store full of the "perfect" finds. The store would either have a big sale or it would only be open for limited hours after which it would go out of business. Of course, I would be in the store without enough money to buy a single thing.
20. I much prefer dogs to cats. Currently, neither is a part of my life.
21. Picky eaters annoy me; although I try to be very accomodating to their needs when the situation calls for it.
22. I started wearing glasses at the age of 12. My father thought I was doing it to be "cool." Which only proves how out of touch he was with what cool was when I was 12.
25. I started to wear contacts in high school and I wore them throughout college. These days, I wear glasses.
26. I am easily startled, which I think makes me look suspicious.
27. I got my nose pierced when I was in high school, but only had it pierced for a limited time b/c my father found out (yes, I managed to keep it hidden for a while).
28. One of my pet peeves is when people you've met a number of times do not recall that you have met a number of times.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)