A Man for all Seasons

This movie, about how a devout Catholic (Thomas More) keeps to his beliefs, is one of my favrite historical movies, despite the fact that I am an atheist (I love watching it with 'Lady Jane' about how a young woman, in the next generation, holds to her protestant beliefs.)

I was surprised to just learn that the play (and screen adaptation) were written by an agnostic. This from Wikipedia:

The 20th-century agnostic playwright Robert Bolt portrayed More as the ultimate man of conscience in his play A Man for All Seasons, the title drawn from what Robert Whittington in 1520 wrote of him:
"More is a man of an angel's wit and singular learning. I know not his fellow. For where is the man of that gentleness, lowliness and affability? And, as time requireth, a man of marvelous mirth and pastimes, and sometime of as sad gravity. A man for all seasons."[23]

In 1966, the play was made into the successful film A Man for All Seasons directed by Fred Zinnemann, adapted for the screen by the playwright himself, and starring Paul Scofield in an Oscar-winning performance. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture for that year.

Sleep

Had a good night's sleep last night, despite a strange dream that involved capturing a pair of small yellow dogs who could breathe a stream of fire on demand. Such are my dreams!

I'm bummed

Board Recommends Discharge of Knights Out Co-Founder 1LT Dan Choi

Star Trek: a Brief Review (with spoilers)

Star Trek was very good, though not quite as overwhelming to me as some made it out to be.

There were a couple of ridiculous deus ex machinas: Spock kicks Kirk off the Enterprise, to some ice planet (Delta Vega? oddly close enough to Vulcan so that Old Spock can see it destroyed), where he is miraculously is rescued by old Spock, and they walk to a nearby Star Fleet installation, where they meet Scotty, who just happens to have figured out 'trans-warp beaming' so they can send themselves to the Enterprise while it is at warp, presumably very far away. They didn't even have trams-warp beaming in the Next-gen time...

And they throw promotions around like there's no tomorrow. Kirk goes from 'Just about to graduate but under suspension,' to 1st officer of the fleet flagship (named by Captain Pike) to acting captain, then officially named captain of the brand new flagship of star fleet. Pretty ridiculous. Harry Kim stayed an ensign under extreme circumstances for 7 years on Voyager.

That said, the casting was great. There are some funny lines, Sulu gets to do some acrobatic fighting (you see a little in the previews); and John Cho was cute playing him. Karl Urban probably came closest to channelling the original actor (DeForest Kelley) as Dr. McCoy, but I was fine with the others doing their own take on the characters. Chris Pine makes a great young Kirk (it was cute, right at the very end, when he's in the captain's chair and he crosses his legs just like Shatner often would at the end of an episode), and Quinto is pretty amazing as Spock. Oh and that weird kind of romance thing with supposedly emotionless Spock and Uhura that I didn't care for it or understand it, and found a little creepy. No rules about fraternizing with superior officers I guess!

Special effects were great of course.

Graham Norton

I've been watching The Graham Norton Effect (which is on Logo now but originally appeared on Comedy Central about 4 years ago) and the Graham Norton Show, which I see on BBC America.

I loved how the guests entered on Effect: he had two sets of model-beautiful twins, always dressed in some costume related to the show's theme; the blond guys were always shirtless. The guest would enter from the back of the audience, arms linked with the smiling twins and coming down the stairs. What I loved was that Carson Kressley, John Waters and the little cutie Alan Cumming came in arm and arm with the guy twins. ;-)

More Bush Horrors

Bush Adm. Weighed Restricting 1st Amendment

I guess it shouldn't be shocking; we pretty much knew they were considering this crap, but to see it spelled out...

It reminds me again of the great Star Trek:TNG episode: Drumhead with some wonderful quotes:

"You know, there are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy: ' With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.' Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie as wisdom and warning. The first time any man's freedom is trodden on we’re all damaged. I fear that today..."
"How dare you – you who consort with Romulans – invoke my father's name to support your traitorous arguments? It is an offense to everything I hold dear. And to hear those words used to subvert the United Federation of Planets. My father was a great man. His name stands for integrity and principle. You dirty his name when you speak it. He loved the Federation, but you, captain, corrupt it. You undermine our very way of life. I will expose you for what you are. I've brought down bigger men than you, Picard!"
- Picard, quoting Judge Aaron Satie, and Admiral Satie, losing all of her credibility

"We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, is all ancient history. And then, before you can blink an eye, suddenly it threatens to start all over again."
- Picard, to Worf

"Mr. Worf, villains who twirl their mustaches are easy to spot. Those who clothe themselves in good deeds are well-camouflaged."
"I think, after yesterday, people will not be so ready to trust her."
"Maybe, but she, or someone like her, will always be with us – waiting for the right climate in which to flourish. Spreading fear in the name of righteousness. Vigilance, Mr. Worf – that is the price we have to continually pay."
- Picard and Worf, discussing Admiral Satie

Mom already on food stamps before having octuplets | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Mom already on food stamps before having octuplets

This just makes me furious. How did this woman afford all these expensive fertility treatments? The doctor should lose his license, the children should be taken away from her, because obviously she is not fit to care for 14 children, and she should not be allowed access to any more fertility treatments. She is a selfish, sick woman. Meanwhile California taxpayers are supporting here and will no doubt foot the bill of hundreds of thousands of dollars to care for the premature octuplets.

The Mystery of Borderline Personality Disorder

This TIME article was very interesting. I think I'm really just mostly Avoidant. Hence my hesitation about going to the Inauguration; why would I want to be in the middle of the biggest. Mob. Ever.

PD test

Disorder	Rating
Paranoid Disorder:	High
Schizoid Disorder:	High
Schizotypal Disorder:	Very High
Antisocial Disorder:	Low
Borderline Disorder:	Moderate
Histrionic Disorder:	Low
Narcissistic Disorder:	Moderate
Avoidant Disorder:	Very High
Dependent Disorder:	Moderate
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:	Low
-- Personality Disorder Test - Take It! -- -- Personality Disorders --

Asian Men Redefined

Ohh! There's a new Asian Men Redefined calendar for 2009! I bought last year's and it was cute. I get them of course cause it's a charity thing. Yeah. Right.

Star Trek: The gay episode

Well, Rick Berman would be spinning in his grave, if only he were dead (can't happen soon enough but at least he can't control the new movie). The gay character he always refused to allow (even a minor one, despite Roddenberry's wishes) has finally come to (at least) a webisode. I have to give the New Voyages guys credit, especially Cawley (who supposedly made his money as an Elvis impersonator? I have no idea how he funds this) who endorsed this interestingly timely episode written by none other than David Gerrold, the author of the most popular original TOS ep ever: Trouble With Tribbles, who also happens to be gay.

This is a pretty bold step though, since it re-introduces Kirk's nephew Peter, who survived from a plague in an episode of TOS and is now a young (cute, though he could use a haircut) adult in Star Fleet. Here are some pics of him and his Med Tech BF on the Enterprise courtesy of
towleroad. Guys kissing! OMG!

And here you can download the the whole FIRST PART:
The New Voyages

God! We have to wait to see if Peter and his cute boyfriend live to get married by Kirk a la Balance of Terror. All I can say is, it better not end THAT way!!!

The CG graphics are so far ahead of the old series, they seem awesome; though compared to a high-budget movie of course they are just cool. And the sets are loving recreations of the kind of cheesy old series ones (again, in ways they look better than the old ones). The acting is, well, what you would expect. Peter Kirk and his boyfriend are sweet though. And one amazing thing about this series is the old music. Old TOS fans will know there are about a dozen musical themes (if that) they used over and over. And for some reason to hear the 'romance/love' theme (you old fans will recognize; it was usually reserved for Kirk and his love of the episode) when Peter and his BF are together is like old time vindication, Thank you Cawley and Gerrold!