suspicion confirmed...case closed...

The first time I saw a commercial for the new tbs series "House of Payne", I had the strangest feeling that it would be horrible and I would hate it. Though I trust my intuition, I thought this feeling may be a personal bias masquerading as intuition. So, I watched the premiere last night (well, one episode of it), and sure enough - it was horrible, but I didn't hate it. I felt too embarrassed to hate it; surely the creator believed in this show. The network believed in this show, and here was the first episode failing miserably. Even the automated laughing sounded forced (either that or a live studio audience was half asleep), and the guest appearance of Madea didn't help. Her ignorant humor doesn't translate too well on the small screen; Perry's inexperience is evident, and his jokes are over articulated. (You know, like when a cornball says something he thinks is funny, but gets no response so he repeats himself with the hope that people will hear it and laugh the second time?) The high points? Keke Palmer as the school yard bully and China Anne McClain as Jazmine Payne, whose character can be described in one infamous word "fresh" (as in "don't be fresh!"). It had that car wreck appeal the first time around, but I won't be watching it again. There are some things, apparently, even a big black man in a dress can't save (i.e. see also "Norbit" and sequel to "Big Mama's House").

Poor tbs, they've agree to 100 episodes of this nonsense.

it's that time again...

Gemini

Your sign is the only double sign in the zodiac and because of that, it is fascinating. This double aspect is both a source of benefit and of conflict. Yes, you can both like and hate at the same time, be both excited and bored. In short, you are full of contradictions. These create numerous tensions and are the source of many conflicts with your surroundings.

Your personality is thus subject to assault by many sensations, sometimes leading to delicate situations, especially in the area of feelings, (which are difficult for you to handle). How many times have you not been driven past enthusiasm to exhaustion, from an exaggerated life-style to the temptation to leave everything behind ? Your air element makes life difficult for you. You have a tendency to create complications because you have needs beyond those which others can satisfy. And you are not content with half-measures, or mediocrities.

You have a vivid imagination which you want to make into reality, sometimes even though this is not possible. In this sense you are often disappointed by life, disappointed by others. In the domain of action, you either want to let go completely, or, you want to do one thousand things at a the same time. You start projects that you don't finish or that are impracticable.

On the other hand, you will take risks to alleviate boredom and this could be very profitable. But you can sometimes waste chances and it is solely because of yourself.

Yet, with your planet in Mercury, you inherited charm and the capacity for action. (But also for often wasted chances). Your relations with others are often difficult, leading to few long term relationships! Yet you have great potential and qualities that you may waste uselessly.

Your main fault is a lack of constancy and combativeness. Sometimes when your difficulties are real, you can get yourself easily out of it when you decide to take things in hand and not change your view. You usually come through these situations well even though you have to fight against yourself.

Just because I don't believe in the stuff doesn't mean that it isn't, sometimes, incriminatingly accurate.

Photo from here. Text from there.

chaos, mayhem, pandemonium...frenzy!

While perusing the newly added posts of blogher.org, I came across this call to creative writers, dreamers, and procrastinators everywhere; it's a month long, international project called script frenzy, and, my friends, it is exactly that. In thirty days, all participants are charged to write 20,000 words in the form of a screenplay or stage play. Fade-in was 12:00am in June 1st, and fade-out is 11:59pm on June 30th. Everyone who meets the word count is a winner; everyone who tries is a celebrated participant. There's no cash prize, and they (the script frenzy people) have a computer program that does a word count when you submit the writing, so there's no real danger of plagiarism. I discovered this automated muse on the evening of the 31st of May - not much time to think it over, but I decided to jump in. So why did I decide to do it? Why not? There's motivation without pressure. True to form, the first 24 hours have come and gone, and I have no more of a script than I did when I discovered the project. But what am I doing? I'm telling you all about it instead of getting to work. Call it a part of my "process." Perhaps this will be the proverbial fire under my a*s. I'll be sure to keep yous guys aware of my progress- however shameful it may be.