So I Tweet Now
June 24th, 2009For while you are wondering what is going on here, visit http://www.twitter.com/TheRealFrankL
Eventually this space will be used again, I’m sure of it.
Beauty Queen + Drama Queen = Freedom of Speech?
April 22nd, 2009Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
(If the video doesn’t show up-try clicking and watching here.)
Watch that. Then Watch this: Mr. Hilton expresses his discontent for her answer.
Why am I blogging about this? Well two reasons. First it gives me a reason to post this:
(don’t expect me to apologize for that either)
And second: While I, arguably, have a different opinion on same sex marriage (SSM) than Ms. California Carrie Prejean (I bet we all could find a common ground with this one) I’m fully committed to this idea:
Perez Hilton is an ass-hat and should refrain from trying to be taken seriously on any level. Ever.
Imagine yourself there-millions of people watching you, each one of them quite literally judging you (including those, you know, judges) and the entirety of everything you’ve spent years to achieve is right in front of you. All you have to do is say you believe Y, when in your heart of hearts you believe X. Could you do it?
Maybe SSM is easy for you. What about belief in God? Gun Control? Abortion? What if you knew that someone wanted one answer-and it was the answer you weren’t inclined to give.
Prejean sucked it up and said what she believed. For her, God was testing her faith-and honesty became more important than winning. To use some vernacular: For a beauty queen, she’s got balls. And, according to some reports anyway that’s why she lost.
A beauty pageant is decided based on what the contestant thinks. Perhaps for the first time in recorded history.
I’m not sure why it riles me up-it’s a tempest in a teapot, for sure. I have this thing about defending the unpopular opinion-or at least, in this case, the right to have and express an unpopular opinion. And Mr. Hilton should have been prepared for the possibility that she didn’t have the same views she did. Of course (as Roland Martin points out) that would mean Hilton was an actual journalist (or otherwise person of consequence) and not an otherwise fully grown man who makes a living drawing penises and writing foul words on pictures of people.
I think Prejean went out of her way to give a reasonably good, non-judgmental answer to a loaded on the spot question that clearly threw her (”Opposite marriage” indeed!). And there in is why Hilton will only ever be a drama, and not a beauty, queen-he couldn’t keep it together. Well that, and he ’s just not nearly as hot.
Apparenlty This is the Where The Wild Things Are Blog Now
April 14th, 2009Not much to write about lately-been getting the Softball season ready, adjusting to some changes at work, winding up my teaching and some other things-makes for less TSL/blog to write and read about. I have posted at TSL/Creative and more stories etc. are on the way, as well as a lot more posting over at dc.metblogs.com.
So hear our Prez read one of my favorite childhood stories, and I’ll try to come up with something fun to read here soon.
The Movie I Really May Have Been Waiting My Whole Life To Watch
March 25th, 2009If you get it, you get it. If you don’t, you don’t. A bonus-one of my favorite covers ever, from Bruce Jones’ run on The Incredible Hulk.
Announcing TSL-Creative
March 24th, 2009One of the longer awaited, and more blatantly teased, changes to my blogging identity is the idea of doing something a bit more creative.
Hence http://www.thesoftlounge.com/creative
Still in what I would call a “beta” stage, you can go there now and see how it is going to work-it is certainly functional for now, and I already have some content up on the site. If you’re wondering what it is well read the about page by all means, and the introductory post. Then, enjoy the first Short story (which I already had written for a while now) called “Apples.” (If any of you have read it before-it’s been fixed up a bit since then.)
Essentially it’s a different place on the Internet for a different kind of post. More bells and whistles will follow, surely, but for now it is up and running and ready for you!
And as a matter of fact, I can tell you all this right now: With out you this isn’t going to be very much for (for you or for me) and I’ll just go right back to keeping all my little creative stories and vignettes and comic/cartoons in my notebooks and scratch paper. So if you have opinion whatsoever, or are engaged at all by anything over at TSL/Creative SAY SO. This is not the time to be passive!
As it won’t be updated all that frequently (but it will be updated) and it probably won’t always be cross posted here (that’s why I have two blogs and not one) be sure it add it to your reader and engage me about it on THAT blog. Enough of these emails that say “hey I really liked your post on blah blah blah….” Let’s be a community, yes? Especially on TSL/Creative-where maybe we can all build something really fun (and I’ll take most of the credit for it!
Anyway, I do hope you enjoy.
And just to take the edge off of that last post
March 17th, 2009Here is Neil Gaiman taThe Soft Lounge Blog › Add New Post — WordPresslking to Stephen Colbert:
Once again I highly recommend the Graveyard Book.