Celebrities

The thing with celebrities is that of course we’re not friends with them but you do know them. It’s a bizarre dichotomy, and it’s no wonder the people who need a little rewiring upstairs talk to celebrities like they’re their mother’s sister’s son’s mother-in-law or something. The reality shows I watch, I watch them because I feel like I know these people, and I do. Not very well, of course. Kind of like co-workers where you get snippets of their life but don’t really know the whole story. Maybe you stop to look at a picture on their desk of them with their friends on vacation in Maui, the one they have in that ugly metal frame they got from Tuesday Morning (you know this because they left the yellow ‘half price’ sticker on it and you can see it poking out).
In any case, when you’ve watched someone like Lauren (yes, the Hills again) since high school - now a successful business woman who gets to date really hot guys, you’re kind of curious where their story goes, even though it’s not really very exciting. The drama is lame and by lame I mean what are any of us doing spending our lives life this – them fighting over wisps of condensation and me at home watching it. I’d rather be in Costa Rica flying down a zip-line in the middle of a cloud forest. But I’m not. Maybe I should start watching that show – the one about the 2 guys who live with an aboriginal tribe … somewhere exotic. My friend Turtle (no not the guy from that crappy Entourage show) watches it. I’ll find out the name, for myself, not for you, non-existent but still creepy and phantom like audience (and Mari).

I had another not so existential crisis today dealing with this issue. In my desperate and random search to find a ‘celebrity’ judge to up our appealability to “News To Me” executive producers, (I luv u guys! And Grayson, you are the coolest dude I know!), I have set my sites on Bill Maher. I waffled over whether I should address him as Bill or Mr. Maher or perhaps just Mr. Bill. Nothing felt quite right. Because again on some level I feel like I know this guy and yet he doesn't know me from adam/atom.

But Bill, if you're reading this, I must have you! You should know that I am not one of those crazy people (see above) but I am a great admirer of yours. I marvel at how candid you are and logical, funny, and just plain real. Yours is the only politically-oriented show that I watch. It’s the only one I feel I need to watch. So yeah I’m a fan but here’s the thing - I think that what we’re wanting to achieve at Blog4Reel is something you can appreciate because it’s about people having a voice and sharing that voice and fuckall. I love that. There’s something very freeing about really saying whatever pops into your head, like I’m doing now. And Bill you do it best, and eloquently so. Blog4Reel would be a perfect project for you, another outlet to reach the masses with your message of common sense, I promise.

Magritte Said It Best

I just put this pic up on my Facebook. I got blocked from the ridiculous site for a week because I had a blog4reel poster up. And it's gotta be a personal one. So screw it. I know it's not very professional but then again, neither am I. I'm more about having fun and hector said it's a good pic. If you knew hector, that would make you proud. But I did want to specify, somewhere out here in cyberspace, that this is not a blunt. People who've seen the pic sometimes ask me that and it's not. But not in the same way as 'this is not a pipe'. No, not that cool at all. It's just a cuban cigar. I was in Mexico at the time, so it's legal. Just in case any feds are reading this. I think I've been watching Weeds too long. But man, that cuban was super strong. I'd never smoked a whole cigar before so that didn't help. I ended up taking stupid pictures of myself and this is one of them. Do I have a hawk nose? But hawks are clever, right?

My Dogders

Epiphany. of the small sort. I just realized that I love blog4reel like a dogder. I won't say a child because I have no idea what that's like. No doubt it's freaky. Not that the child itself is freaky (I mean no insult to the little ones) but the idea of being responsible for another soul brings out my neurotic side. I break out in hives and want to vomit. I mean it's just such a daunting task, I can barely handle the stress of having a dog. Thus the dogder, that's what Josh calls her - our Dogder, which is doubly cute because she has this face she makes when she gets her upper lip caught on her teeth that we call her 'der face'. So anyway, that whole last sentence is exactly why I should never be a parent. I'd be the freaky over-protective, obsessive mom.
I had to take Roxy to the vet today to get her rabies shot so she can go get her teeth done next week because those damn inbred chihuahua genes are causing her to have bad teeth or small dogs just have week teeth, I don't know, but she's going to start going to the dentist more than I do from now on. And I'll do this not because I'm a crazy dog person (which sadly yes I've become) but because even the thought of causing another living creature a second's pain is verboten (I hope I spelled that right) to me. I cried on and off the entire day last wed when I happened to notice that she's already lost a tooth. And I don't usually cry. But I was disgusted with myself because I should know better. I do know better but I've kind of been putting it off because I've heard horror stories about the dangers of putting little dogs under, which they have to do. Anyway, I messed up but it's so hard to see them suffer. I made Josh stay with Roxy when she got her shot today; I'm such a wuss. Whatever. If you can stand that, you're a hardened criminal and probably just got out of the pen or you have a damaged frontal lobe. Either way...

I just realized today how much I truly love Blog4Reel, in the same unhealthy way that I love Roxy, which is sweet but more scary. I think I've blocked my attachment to it in case it fails but you know what... even if it ends up being the weird little kid in school that hides in the back of the class and makes elephants out of tinfoil, I'll still love it.

These blogs are making me I feel like I'm being psychoanaylized - by myself. Is that even possible?

Maybe it's just all these electromagnetic waves.... think maybe it's time to get off the computer.

fare
the
well

Randomnessosity

I probably shouldn't admit this but I watch The Hills. I'm embarrassed by this fact. I definitely do not admire myself for it but I can't help it nonetheless. It's kind of like finding a beautiful beetle. My sophomore year in high school biology we had to do a bug box.. I forget what they're called but it was an entomology portion of the class and the random extra credit bug was found by me. Strangely, I'll never forget the moment it's metallic turquoise/goldish body, that resembled a badass chameleon paint job, lit up in the sunlight as it jumped from one pile of rocks over the little stream to another pile of rocks. It didn't have a prayer, what with my ninja-like butterfly net. It was mine and I loved it without even knowing that it was the extra credit bug. I'm pretty sure I got an A on my bug box because of it. Anyway, I guess I remember the whole thing because it was a moment when I clearly saw how life is about perspective. Up until that point I would have screamed and danced around the damn things, but once they became my objective I began to appreciate, even like, them. I guess I've learned to like some bugs (more than others (spiders!))because of that. I even like snakes now. Which is weird too, but that's a different story. So random thought. That just came to me out of nowhere. This is why I don't usually share my journal entries with people. They're strange and often make no sense to anyone but me... anyway, back to The Hills ...I loathe Spencer. I think that was my point. I'm disgusted by them but somehow fascinated at the same time. It's a strange paradox. But that's life. There you go.

If you haven't heard Greg Laswell. My God, get the CD.. buy it, download it.... whatever you have to do. Yes there are elements of other popular artists - ColdPlay - for example, but still. I've listened the the entire CD like 10 times today and I'm not bored yet. It's amazing. Speaking of Coldplay so is Viva La Vida. ADORE IT.

So many things to say, share, ponder, elucidate, explore but it's late. Sorry, I've been in word mode all day editing. Ugh. more later to all the folks that read this blog, Mari. :)

night. Night to you too, Beto.

We have a JUDGE!!! And he's Awesome!!!

For Immediate Release


Blog4Reel.com Announces Their First Judge

San Antonio, Texas (September 12, 2008) – Blog4Reel.com, the world’s first blog-to-film competition, is proud to announce its first judge, Joseph Harmes, who will help determine the competition winner.

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Joseph Harmes is a writer who, over the years (for Time, Newsweek, People and other publications), interviewed Mexican presidents and covered the country’s economic collapses, the World Cup and the 1985 earth-quake in Mexico City. When tour guides at the museum in Dolores Hidalgo brag that then-Vice President George H.W. Bush visited on September 15, 1981, Harmes likes to say, “I know, I was with him.” Reporting assignments took him to the civil wars in Central America and the Balkans and to the home of Elian González in Cuba. After Gabriel García Márquez won the Nobel Prize, Harmes was the only American journalist invited to his private fiesta. The author appeared as himself in the books “Desperados: Latin Drug Lords, U.S. Law-men and the War America Can’t Win,” “Salvador” and “The Border.” Prior to moving to San Miguel de Allende in 2002, Harmes served as Miami Bureau Chief for People magazine. “Joseph is one of those people who always sees outside the box. Joseph’s immense experience as a writer and working for national publications makes his professional perspective highly valuable on our panel. He is an integral component to making this competition a fun outlet for similarly creative minds,” says Co-Creator Catherine Nored.

Blog4Reel is based in San Antonio and owned by people who have a shared love of film, words, art and innovation. Nored and Suta, who debuted their first film, The Theory of Everything, in 2007 at the San Antonio Underground Film Festival, created Blog4Reel with the hope and intention of participating in the rapidly changing internet and modern cinema. One of their goals is to prove you don’t have to live in Hollywood; the thing that energizes a grass roots competition like Blog4Reel is that it’s universal and it doesn’t matter where you live.

Updates

So where am I? I guess I need to update y'all on everything since the Miss Latina Pageant. I am happy to say that my favorite, Miss Mexico won the pageant. You can see her here with Jade Esteban Estrada, and Dawn, the event director. The other pic includes Sonny Sauceda, a Grammy-winning musician. He was a really great guy and interested in film. We'll find a place for you somewhere, Sunny! I didn't really know what to expect but I was not disappointed. It was a warm summer evening and we got to watch these beautiful woman parade around in their finest attire and tell us what made them the perfect candidate for Miss Latina. I had a hard time judging the ones that didn't speak any English, which i felt bad about. I was the only non spanish speaking judge. I could catch stray words.. familia, bien, and such but had no idea what they meant strung together with the majority of words I didn't know. Although Miss Mexico wasn't as overtly stunning as some of them on first impression, she won me over at the end when she spoke on how proud she was being a woman in these pivotal, changing times. I think she will represent herself well for her culture, being that she seemed very well-rounded, articulate and confident. Jade was good about giving us direction... what to do and when to do it, although he forgot to mention not to stand until the end of our introduction until it was too late.. leaving me to stand and wave awkwardly at the crowd. We also got to see a live performance by Valeria, a local talent which included my favorite: B-boy dancers! Raul was the best. I could watch those boys trip the light fantastic all night long. Must have been a dancer myself in another life.. but definitely not this one! Afterwards we went up to congratulate Miss Mexico. I extended my hand to her and she was like, "No, you guys get hugs!" And proceeded to give me a big one, which I thought was very sweet. Good Luck to you, Miss Mexico! And why, you ask, do I keep calling her Miss Mexico? Because I don't remember her real name. Sorry, MM.

In other news, working on finding a celeb judge for the sites. I will, dammit, I will. Have calls into some pretty big names.. might as well shoot for the stars, eh? Also working on the Vlog4Reel launch party flyer, etc., which will be Oct. 17th in San Antonio. If you're anywhere close, mark it on your calender!

Tonight filming an episode of ProSpectives. Jade is gone to Mexico for a few days so no progress on Ennis.. Speaking of which I'll have to tell you later about the psychics. More on that later.. gotta run!