Skunktastically Refreshing

This is maybe a bit of a blast from the past, but, remember Skunk Anansie? If you just  thought to yourself, "Skunk-a-who-who?" Get ready to have your mind blown to the point where you will be inclined to use Google or some other search engine to find out more about this band that I will mention in a very general way in this recommendation. Run-on city; population: me.

This is Skin, Skunk Anansie frontwoman:

I know, right?! Black Girl Rocker!!!!!!!!!*ALERT*!!!!!!!!

Feast your hungry eyes on Skin. Her voice is as intriguing as her very existence. I'm sleepy at the moment, so I'll edit and lengthen this post tomorrow, or not, we shall see.....but in the mean time, check them out, listening to their infectious "My Ugly Boy" right now and it's hitting the spot. Plus they've been knockin 'em dead for a while now. I still remember their live ass performance in Strange Days. If you haven't seen Strange Days get yourself together, you can't even begin to call yourself a movie buff.

 But if you take nothing else from this post, hold this close to your grey matter: Skin's a black female rocker!!! A rare and endangered species that must be enjoyed and experienced and appreciated....

Oh and this list is lame and these people have no taste. How dare they vote Skunk Anansie so high!! Poppycock! Yeah, granted some of the bands probably sucked but the moment I even saw Radiohead's name even near that list for anything bad I almost slammed my laptop shut and biked to Bad Musical Tastesland to destroy their power supplies so that none of them have access to the internet anymore. Hahaha. Just kidding, all in good fun. Look I even linked to your wretched site so that crap tastes can exposed for what they are, different from mine.

Also, I've never attended a Glastonbury Festival outside of YouTube but I stand by the snarky and antagonistic tirade against the unsuspecting users of said site.

Welcome to Prosepunk!!

Peacy Weacy.

Hide Your Throat, Hide Your Neck Because True Blood is back!!

HBO's True Blood returns to a TV screen near you on June 26th!

The title is as catchy as I could make it on this glorious Wednesday afternoon and since there's no doubt it caught your attention --you You Tube/pop-culture addict, you-- I'll go ahead and pat myself on the back for creating a titillating title for your enjoyment.

After enduring an onslaught of cookie-cutter, angst ridden bloodsuckers for a year (I'm talking about you, Twilight and Vampire Diaries on CW!) I am all too ready to experience the harsh unbridled sexuality and won ton violence of True Blood, which makes its return June 26th, 2011 on HBO.

True Blood vampires are the type of vampire I grew up loving; vagrant yet independently wealthy undead on a mission for sustenance all the while being tortured by murky moral compasses and insatiable blood lust. I like my characters flawed but irresistible (Eric Northman, anyone?) I like the humans that co-exist with the vampires to either display a faculty-robbing fear of the vampire or an unrelenting desire to bask in the shroud of their enticing darkness. My vampires must either be  unapologetic, ruthless predators of the night or ruthless vampires of the night trying to suppress their murderous instincts all in the name of love--in a believable and entertaining way that doesn't involve sparkling  skin or teenagers with a penchant for flat irons.

Season 1 of True Blood ripped the colorful lifestyles of Bon Temp's dead and living from the pages of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series and slapped viewers across each of their faces with it all at the same time with no hesitation! It gave us our first delicious peek into the sultry lives of a town of unsuspecting yet magnetically attractive Southerners. It introduced the multi-cultural group of characters that boasted a supporting cast that surpassed the suggestion of their supporting cast label! To top it all off, all these attractive Southerners dabbled in just enough sex and violence to appeal to the darkness in us all--even we mild Midwesterners!

Last but not least, True Blood's debut introduced us to the seemingly innocent and good-natured Sookie Stackhouse who just happened to have the enviable talent of reading the minds of her friends, family, customers and the like--and where would Sookie be without the brooding southern gentleman Bill Compton by her side, licking his chops--irresistibly of course. These two, while I found myself staring daggers at them from time to time as they traipsed across the screen in some feverish embrace or yelled at eachother or saved one another form harm or had sex (all the time), really hit the spot. They are the dysfunctional foundation for a bevy of enthralling storylines--isn't that the point of a story? For it to ENTHRALL you? You don't even have to look at your Word-A-Day calendar today after reading this post! Enthrall- to captivate or charm. OR.....TO ENSLAVE!!! Okay enough of that.

Season 1 was a shocking yet seamless barrage of crazy plot twists, vivid violence, and naked bodies entwined in the throes of passion all topped off by a cliffhanger finale that left me beside my self with longing for season 2, and trust me when it came I was completely sated!

Season 2 convinced True Blood's growing fan base that it would not be one of those shows that jumps the shark after the first season, Mary Ann was an absolutely sweet villain, right? Oh yeah--this is a spoiler free review, the type I specialize in because there's nothing I despise more than a spoiler--well maybe I hate bad movies that somehow take the nation by storm while masterpieces sit forgotten and under-appreciated on the shelf more but I, as I often do, digress. So I won't spoil anything, I'll just let you know, just in case you're a little slow on the uptake and have failed to ingest the delicious witch's brew that is season 2, that Bon Temp is running thick with more than smokin' hot, blood thirsty vampires and the hot pant-clad hotties that love them!! HOT! HOT! HOT!

Season 3 wasn't my favorite but it still had me glued to my seat every Sunday night, it still kept me entertained, and it managed to stay as dark and unpredictable as always. I got enough Eric, Sam, Tara, and Lafeyette to keep me satisfied for eons to come, and vampire politics aren't half as dry as human ones.

I love the show, and in about ten days, I will once again immerse myself in the delicious drama-filled lives of Bon Temps' addicting residents!! Season 4, welcome to air!

Quintessential I'm still blogging blog post.

So I'm sitting here watching a horrible reality show that shall not be named (yes I'm ashamed of myself I did create a blog post under the passionate exclamation "Scripted Television Only") and I remembered that I haven't blogged in a million years. Do not be alarmed, life has been coming at me at breakneck speed because I have decided to become an adult. Just kidding I've been an adult since I stopped believing that America was racism-free. What a lesson I learned!

Anyhow, I have no thought provoking gems of knowledge to drop, but I can't leave that damn Patriot Act dish up there (down below now) could I? More pressing issues have arisen, I haven't even taken the time to follow up with that Patriot Act to see how it's doing these days, but I digress.

My focus is shaky but taking its time and developing into a delightful juggernaut that is born of necessity. Reality bites some sooner than later. But I digress again.

What's with all the digressing? I mean, the more digressing than usual?

What am I kidding? This damn post is about Final Fantasy 12! Take a gander through this blog. I've been playing this game exclusively for nearly two maybe three years! I thought I passed it the other day and then wham! I have to go fight something some damn where else! I am a bit obsessive compulsive about video games so I won't be able to enjoy another game until I trounce FF12, but I'm simultaneously sick of the game and driven to beat it, which means long periods of time pass between my sessions with the game. If  I played it every day for about three hours a day I might get it done, but I've been playing it for sooooo looong, I've fallen out of love but am too loyal to it to leave it incomplete and collecting dust on the shelf!!

bakanaartist's rendering of FF12 characters (and my faves) Fran and Balthier.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'm going to beat it. Who wants to wager me? I can't even imagine finishing it anytime soon, remember I'm playing it THOROUGHLY! Killing marks, finding Espers, fnishing side quests, sprawling catatonic on the floor! I'm playing through every inch of the game, well maybe the last thing isn't in the game but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

I talk about myself a lot. I'm an American, so sue me.

Mmmm...National Security Legislation. Delicious!!

I woke up this morning craving something and I wasn't sure what. I got in my car and drove to McDonald's and bought a sausage egg mcmuffin and a sweet tea, yet my craving persisted. I sat on my bed staring into space, trying to digest the lump of delicious heart stopping sustenance in my stomach before I realized what it was I wanted, National Security Legislation! Why didn't I realize it sooner?

Lucky for me, President Obama just signed a four year extension of the Patriot Act which means that roving wiretaps, court-ordered searching of business records to investigate any perceived terrorist activity and secret surveillance of non-American individuals who may or may not have ties to terrorist cells is here to stay!!

The Patriot Act has always been shrouded in controversy, some believe it violates privacy (which it does, by definition) and has in the past been criticized as being misused by law enforcement, called unconstitutional, unnecessary. All of these are valid points, I don't know who can really argue with them. However, proponents for the bill claim that it has been useful in deterring terrorist attacks and since its inception following the September 11, 2001 attacks, and that may be so, but who can really know?

All I know is, the Patriot Act has and always will remind me of an episode from season seven of The Simpson's titled Much Apu About Nothing, where a bear wanders around Springfield until it is tranquilized and Homer rallies for the creation of a Bear Patrol. The question is raised, is the Bear Patrol necessary? Sure, from then on Springfield doesn't have to contend with any surprise bear encounters but the one sighting that occurred was rare anyway, and may never have happened again whether the patrol was around or not.

However, how can I argue with the government's efforts to protect the country from terrorists? I could, but I won't, if the government wants to check out a list of the books I took out from the library (yeah, I still do that) and peruse it for suspicious activity, go ahead. I am not ashamed of my penchant for trashy romances, gems of the literary canon, or gritty mysteries. Maybe they'll find something they like and curl up with a book from my list that same night with my name on their lips and a story in their heart.

Hold on wait, what was I talking about? Oh the Patriot Act. Yeah, I don't have any strong opinions. I'll save that for the day my own privacy is infringed upon for no reason. Which I don't see happening, I'm young, black and beautiful. My only concern is my never ending quest for mastery of the written word and for my freedom to express my opinions and wishes and fears--which so far, I have done unmolested.

Craving satisfied.


Peacy Weacy!!


Source

Don't know how rare of a find this is......

...but it's cool as hell!! I was nosing through one of my favorite stores (Allied Record Exchange) in beautiful Toodeeloodoo, Ohiwo and I came across this crazy cool special edition of Blur's Think Tank. If you read this  you know how much I love this album, I even ventured to call it one of my absolute favorite albums of all time. With that said, of course I was tickled when I saw this and I had to buy it even though I already own the normal version of the album.

Take a gander, it's a book with a cloth cover with Banksy's album art stamped in gold on the front and filled with  reproductions of Damon Albarn's handwritten lyrics and doodles, typed lyrics, and all around coolness. The CD is in a sleeve in the back. I love it.

Like I said I don't know when this edition came out or how rare it is or anything like that (probably not all that rare) but I am absolutely stoked to have found it. Just wanted to share!!

Peacy Weacy!!

Season 3 of Nip/Tuck Cheapened the Series....

...Which is sad because the first two seasons were simply amazing! I had to take a break from viewing season three on Netflix to express how...awful it is! Nip/Tuck is known for its over-the-top story lines--a characteristic of the show that was always well tempered by quality writing and provocative cinematography. However, the third season took things too far and while entertaining-- in the way those cheesy/soft porn style movies at wee hours of the morning on HBO or Showtime in the late 90's were entertaining--it lost a great part of the style and class it managed to maintain in previous seasons.

I watched the first two seasons as a teenager when they originally aired and I loved the show. Some lifestyle change or obsession with an unattainable boy or  or teenage angst must have stopped me from watching for a while but I returned to it in college and watched a few of the later seasons. Now I'm just engaging in a Nip/Tuck binge and I was enjoying it immensely until Season Three, which I never saw any of in re-runs or otherwise, burst out of the gate with so much ridiculousness it's unbelievable.

This is how my mind's been while watching season three:

"Come on now, no penis?!"

"Why are these doctors being made privy to all this sensitive police information? They are only plastic surgeons!"

"They operate on anything that moves if the wind blows south. Christian keeps operating on Kimber, they operate on their own son? Aren't there rules or something against this. How can they afford all these free surgeries? They're either operating on family members or pro bono cases all the time!"

 "When did the carver become a plastic surgeon? He started off just doing believably crude carvings. Hold up, he carved nine girls at once? Come on!!"

 "No, penis. How was it possible for him to be in threesome situations with air blowing around in his undies where his junk should be?"

I love Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh, Christian and Sean, but no amount of eye candy could distract me from the zany plots and implausibilities.

I have episode 15: Quentin Costa on pause as I write this, so no, some plot lines have yet to be resolved, but the damage has been done. Boo Season Three!! Off to finish it...

Edit: Season 4 I saw back when it aired, now I remember--I remember being excited about beautiful Sanaa Lathan's guest starring role, and this season is much better than season three if my memory serves. *Sigh* If the two stars weren't so damn hot I might give up on the Nip/Tuck binge but alas, they are Greek Gods and I, a moth to their flame...

Peacy Weacy!!

Bin Laden is no more!!!

...and Fox News continues its tirade of disrespect against President Obama....

Sacramento's Fox 40 makes large  Freudian slip!

Actual Freudian slip or not, Fox and its affiliates need to get off Obama's back. He's the president, not God, and therefore fallible--yet they still go hard at him--and if he weren't black (I don't play race cards I speak the unfortunate truth) I'm sure they'd give him a little more respect.

Oh well, what can you do? Typo or not I laughed a bit in my inside parts.

I don't really have a major comment on Bin Laden's death. I feel a little underwhelmed by the news. Terrorism is never the act of one particular person, and I'm sure there's some over zealous extremist foaming at the mouth to take over where Bin Laden left off--so we'll see how the next few days unfold. In effort to be positive, however, I'll congratulate Obama, he needed some big, crazy results to spawn from this term as president if he even wants to TRY to get re-elected, so kudos.

I also hope that if nothing else, this helps to vindicate any of you out there affected by 9/11 directly. We never forgot about what you lost, what you endured, and you deserve a little good news even if it doesn't completely erase the memory, or the pain.

Peacy Weacy.