CLASS IS IN THE MIDDLE

Every day, I hear about someone close to me either losing their job, or their job changing due to the economy.  If this isn’t disheartening, I don’t know what is.  Perhaps, I’m going to add to a rant started on the divine Ms. House of Flying Monkeys blog, but I want to add to the notion that I AM SICK to death about hearing about people at the “top” getting bonuses of obscene amounts of money while us in the middle and lower sector are struggling to retain our jobs and our sanity.  Trickle down only works if there is benevolence at the top.  Our country has lost it’s way folks.  We have used excuses like capitalism, a belief in survival of the fittest only, and even Christianity to back up a belief that we are entitled to more, while conveniently disregarding the fact that we should be there to help one another (love thy neighbor – forget about that?  Oh, and not your rich, Lexus-driving neighbor.).  So the rich continue to pad their pockets while those of us who have never made a six figure salary wonder if tomorrow will be the day we get the pink slip handed to us. It’s a crappy time and a lot of it is due to our collective tendency to live in excess and believe that more is better.  I’m sick of people criticizing every effort to think of a strategy to dig ourselves out of this nightmare, and yet no one has a sensible and workable plan either.  This my dear friends is a crappy time in our country.  It’s bringing out both the best and worst in all of us.  Perhaps we need to remember that class seems to be firmly rooted in the middle.  We’re the people who keep this country running folks and most of us have never received a million dollar bonus to do those jobs.  I pray each day that my friends and family will be okay during this tumultuous time in our history; and that the error of our ways as a country will serve as a lesson on how to move forward.  I still love America, and being an American; but the old way of doing things isn’t going to work anymore and remember…our ability to connect with each other and help one another will inevitably help us survive in the end.

MARGARITAS AND HORROR…ROCKY HORROR

It’s been one of those work days.  You know the one.  When chips and sizzling steak from Senior Taco sound like a good idea, and for the first time in forever, you decide to get the margarita special.  If you know me, and the Jim does blessedly, you know tequila goes straight to my brain.  I only drink one because 1 is more than enough for me, even being the big girl that I am.  However, the rest of this story gets very disturbing.  I wonder if my husband allowed me to get a little tipsy before giving me some horrific news.  Apparently, the most vile concept I’ve heard in some time is a real possibility.

I grew up on MTV.  Back when MTV showed music videos (that’s what MTV stands for, in case you didn’t know, Music TeleVision).  They really did!  They were these neat, often kitschy mini movies used to promote new songs.  They were awesome and awe inspiring for a pre-teen.  In that bold new world, there was a world full of music and it looked pretty darn good.  That was back in the 80s.  Now, MTV is not even watched in my house.  Why?  THEY DON’T SHOW MUSIC VIDEOS.  Basically, MTV spends its entire operating budget trying to pretend that the 30 year old corporate execs (or 40 year old, or however old they are), can still throw a teenage house party and buy the beer to get everyone a good buzz (even if they’re underage, don’t call the cops okay?).  They specialize in sub-par shows catering to the “me” generation where everyone gets drunk and everyone gets what they want (sometimes after the obligatory dramatic tantrum for ratings).  However, MTV is going too far.

MTV Readies “Rocky Horror” Redux

Never before has my annoyance for retro camp remakes been so ignited.  Why would ANYONE redo what is quintessentially a low budget, campy as heck, over the top rock musical that is more of an EVENT than an actual movie!?!!!!  It’s a midnight movie, teenage right of passage that deserves the true genius of Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick (insert names and insults here). Originally released in 1975, I went to see it in 1990.  I was a sophomore in high school and some friends asked me to attend the midnight movies with them.  They told me I was in for quite an experience.  The theater darkened, the audience erupted into insults and the rice flew…I was in AWE.  It was the most fun I’ve ever had at the movies folks!  There was sickening innuendo and shadow puppets, there was dancing in the aisles and for a moment you didn’t realize how bad the movie really was…it was friggin FUN.  I know those songs by heart and I encourage all teens to experience the film as fully as they can – even with the bad pantomime actors in the theater pits (ah my few Columbia performances).

There is NO ONE alive today that I want to see in a pair of fishnets and platforms more than I did when Tim Curry ripped of his cape and a good Christian girl (like me), was finally thrust into the smarmy world of sexual ambiguity.  It was a wake up call for me to think outside the box then, even though I’ve played for the same team my whole life.   Tim was exactly what that role demanded, and he had the eyeliner and legs to prove it.  Are they going to get someone like Zac Ephron and Vanessa Hudgens to play Brad and Janet?! I mean, come on?!  They already are way past high school musical years anyway.

Never before have I been so annoyed by the reality that Hollywood is completely out of ideas.  I’ve actually thought about taking up a collection of money from anyone who’s against this like I am to actually pay off Lou Adler (executive producer of the original film and aparently in talks for this schlock), so he can pay off those gambling debts or whatever he needs money for since I can’t imagine why else you’d pursue this ridiculous venture.  I mean, I’ve been annoyed by things like the shot-for-shot remake of Psycho which was completely pointless.  Wanna see creepy?  Watch the original psycho and sit with Tony Perkins as he stares into that camera at the end with that horrific smirk.  Wanna see real campy, bad 70s musicals…find a midnight showing in your area…take a few friends with you, get dressed up and do some research on the shout-back dialog.  That, my good people is the way Rocky Horror should be and that is all I’m gonna say about that.