>There IS Hope

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Former serial drug abuser, rabid rehab-ber, and jailbait, Robert Downey Jr. has a new gig.
He has signed on as the voice behind Mr. Peanut, the iconic face of Planters peanuts.

Hoping to modernize the brand, Planters’ parent company, Kraft Foods, has given the previously mute Mr. Peanut a highly-recognizable voice, as well as an updated wardrobe. Oh, the proud Nut will still wear the trademarked top hat, cane and monocle, but his new look will be decidedly more modest thanks to the addition of a gray flannel suit covering up his, um, well, previously exposed shell.
And this is fabulous news for Lindsay Lohan, too.
Just think, in another ten years, if this serial drug abuser, rabid rehab-ber, and jailbait gets her act together and stays clean, she might just well become the face and voice of Mrs. Butterworth.

>I Didn’t Say It………

>Director Ron Howard, on keeping the “electric cars are gay” joke[?] in The Dilemma:

“So why was the joke in the movie? Our lead character of Ronny Valentine has a mouth that sometimes gets him into trouble and he definitely flirts with the line of what’s okay to say. He tries to do what’s right but sometimes falls short. Who can’t relate to that?….The Dilemma is a story full of flawed characters whose lives are complicated by the things they say to and hide from each other. Ronny is far from perfect and he does and says some outrageous things along the way….I believe in sensitivity but not censorship. I feel that our film is taking additional heat as an emblem for many movies and TV shows that preceded it that have even more provocative characterizations and language. It is a slight moment in The Dilemma meant to demonstrate an aspect of our lead character’s personality, and we never expected it to represent our intentions or the point of view of the movie or those of us who made it.”

Nicely put, but. um, Ronnie, if this line gets a laugh, maybe the adults will see it as a character sayting the wrong thing, but a thriteen-year-old boy, or girl, may see it as a way to taunt and bully a kid at school, and that’s what needs to be stopped.

GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios’ response to Howard’s decision to keep the joke in the film:

“At a time when so many in our country are speaking out against the bullying of gay youth, Universal was right to acknowledge the offensive nature of this ‘joke’ when it removed it from trailers. Unfortunately, by leaving it in the movie, they are now contributing to the problem. The conversations started as a result of the community’s response to this slur will help schools, media and parents understand the impact of the word ‘gay’ being used as a pejorative. Hopefully in the future, Universal and Ron Howard will recognize the power of their words and use their films to bring people together rather than drive us apart.”

Sticks and stones do break bones, but words used endlessly, over and over again, to deingrate or bully someone, can break a spirit, and perhaps end a life.

Betty White, on marriage equality:

“I don’t care who anybody sleeps with. If a couple has been together all that time – and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones – I think it’s fine if they want to get married. I don’t know how people can get so anti-something. Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don’t worry about other people so much.”

Yeah, what Betty said.
Mind your own beeswax.
I so want to gay marry her.

Cher, on her daughter Chastity becoming her son Chaz:

 “If I woke up tomorrow in a guy’s body, I would just kick and scream and cry and fucking rob a bank, because I cannot see myself as anything but who I am—a girl. I would not take it as well as Chaz has. I couldn’t imagine it.” While Cher remains a proud mother, she admits to Smith that she still gets confused: “She’s a very smart girl—boy! This is where I get into trouble. My pronouns are fucked. I still don’t remember to call her ‘him.’”

People are giving Cher a hard time about this, but she had a daughter for a lot longer than she’s had this son, and it takes time, and work and conscious effort. Sheesh, I hear people on talk shows referring to Cahz as her or Cahstity, and if they can’t get it quick enough, imagine how hard it must be for the owman who gave birth to the ‘her’ that became a ‘him’?

Iowa Asshat, and Congressman, Steve King, warning us that if “traditional” marriage is not saved, children will be raised in warehouses, so to speak:

“I think that if we can’t defend marriage, that it becomes very hard to defend life. Marriage is the crucible by which we pour all of our values and pass them on to our children, and that is how the culture is renewed each time. So, if we lose marriage–for instance, if our children are raised in warehouses, so to speak. There have been civilizations that have tried to do that. The Spartans did that. They took the children away and taught them to be warriors. It’s a good way to defend a country, but not much of a way to run a civilization. So, I’m afraid if that happened — if we lose the marriage, we lose the home, we lose the nuclear family then we can’t teach our values. We won’t be able to teach our faith. We won’t be able to teach life. We won’t be able to teach our Constitutional values either. That’s why I’m afraid it’s going to be very, very difficult to defend life.”

Every single time he opens his mouth it becomes a WTF moment.

Warehouses and warriros?
WTF? Seriously.

Ed Schultz, liberal radio talkshow host, on John Boehner’s election night tears:

“Mr Boehner, do you think that there are any American families out there that are crying when they are told, after they get sick, that the insurance company is going to drop them? You see we passed a law in this country — you were not a part of it — that said that insurance companies can’t do that and you want to repeal that. So do you think there’s any tears with the middle class, Mr. Boehner? Or is it all about you all the time?”

Boehner doesn’t care about the so-called people, he cares about his ass, his job, his election. If he cared, seriously cared, he wouldn’t have spent the last 22 months saying No; he would have offered to help, or offered a soltuion, instead of standing in the way and doing nothing.

Robert Downey Jr., who says it was Robert Downey Jr. who changed Robert Downey Jr. and not prison:

“Jail didn’t help me any more or less than anything else. But I know I created that experience for a reason, and I’m only just starting to understand those reasons. Remember this is California… ‘Come on vacation, leave on probation.’ I mean, I can’t believe I stayed out of the pen for as long as I did. And I didn’t mind it inside really; it wasn’t so bad. Listen, a prison is just like a public school. Did you ever go on a film set on location? It’s just like prison. Have you ever been in a bad relationship? It’s just like having a celly (cellmate) who wants to kill you. Have you ever been in a street fight? It’s just like chow-time (meal time). Have you ever been to a rave-up? It’s like a yard riot. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, but it neither fazed me, nor changed me, nor informed me – but maybe it toughened me up a little bit.”

Now, I loves me some RDJr, but what he’s forgettiung is that one can walk away from a film set when they choose, they can walk out of a rave when they choose, they can walk away from a bad relationship when they choose.
But they cannot walk away from prison when they choose.

>Loose Bits

>

I am tired of the continued coverage of the fires in California.

I used to live out there and the fact is that the mountains around Los Angeles catch fire every year. If it’s September, it’s fire season.

Now that doesn’t mean I don’t feel for those people who’ve lost their homes, because I do. I just get tired of the media playing this up like it’s a big surprise.

LA burns every year.

It isn’t news, it’s old news.

__________________

And, speaking of fires and the media, Al Roker.

I think when he lost all that weight part of it included his brain because just yesterday, on the Today Show, he uttered the line, “Fire is dangerous.”

I’m glad he told me because I was just about to take a nap on the BBQ grill.

_________________

Carlos and I rented The Soloist.

Never heard of it? It was in the theaters barely long enough for people to get popcorn. It stars Robert Downey Jr, who I used to think of as cute but now I think of as sexy–yes, sexy–and Jamie Foxx, whom I cannot stand. And here’s why.

You didn’t think I wasn’t gonna tell you, did you? This is my rant. It’s what I do.

Robert Downey Jr has these things he does in a movie where you forget you’re watching an actor acting. You even forget it’s Robert Downey Jr. Jamie Foxx, on the others ACTS. He’s all show and no substance. I didn’t buy him as a homeless cello virtuoso any more than I bought him as Ray Charles. He’s Jamie Foxx and he’s ACTING.

Boring.

_________________

Whitney Houston on Good Morning America.

I wanted to like it, really I did. I’ve made many a crack about Miz Whitney, but I like my divas to rebound. I mean , I stood by Liza through all her rehabs and failed performances and marriages to gay men, shouldn’t I offer the same to Whitney?

But her performance on GMA was not so good. She asked to pre-tape the performance because she doesn’t sing in the morning and they accommodated her. But her voice was cracking all over the place and the high notes were up on a shelf in a box marked “Do Not Need These Anymore.”

I hear her album is selling very well.

I hope she makes it.

I love my divas.

_________________

Speaking of GMA.

Diane Sawyer is leaving GMA because Charlie Gibson is leaving World News Tonight.

No, they aren’t running off together, though that would be some story.

Apparently Charlie wants out of the news anchor biz and Diane wants in. That means that of the three network newscast, two will be anchored by women.

Harry Reasoner must be spinning in his grave.

Barbara Walters must be spinning in hers, too.

I kid.

Walters isn’t dead. Really.

_________________

Little Paris Jackson was in Las Vegas last week, because, well, that’s where all little girls go to relax and rejuvenate and get their hair done.

But Miss Jackson doesn’t get the traditional haircut, because she isn’t a traditional girl and no matter how much Pimp Daddy Joe blusters, and Katherine Jackson smiles, those kids will never be normal.

See, as Paris’ locks fell to the floor in the salon her bodyguard was there to swoop them up and bag them. The bag was then removed from the store along with the newly shorn Paris.

Why all the fuss?

DNA. Gotta keep the baby daddies guessing Who’s Sperm Is Whose.

It’s just sad.

Normal is one thing Paris Jackson will never be.

_____________________

Paris Hilton.

Lindsay Lohan.

Oprah Winfrey–hasn’t it been nice this summer with No Oprah, or Noprah?

Mark and Jenny Sanford.

That’s all.