"The Fantastic THREE"?

Okay, The Fantastic Four, I read that comic book as a kid. My favorite character? Of course, the one they have just announced they are going to kill off; leaving?
The Fantastic Three.
Oh man....

First, from last June 2010, I guess they only today announced who was getting the hatchet to the storyline.

"The long wait is over as the conclusion of the Fantastic Four saga ‘Three’ draws to a close as we discover which one of the four falls. Johnny Storm aka the Human Torch sacrifices himself so that his niece, nephew, and best friend Ben Grimm aka ‘The Thing’ could escape from the Negative Zone. The Human Torch leaves behind a heroic legacy and an absence which will echo throughout the marvel-verse." From Comic Book Resources

Now, this:

"The following issue #558 will follow the remnants of Marvel Comics's first family though the month following the Human Torch’s death.  Not only will writer Johathan Hickman and artist Steve Epting explore how Reed, Sue, and Ben deals with the loss of Johnny but the issue will also hint at big events just on the horizon." - From Nerd Reactor

Yet another end of yet another Era....

Why might Medicare be a good idea?

Rachel Maddow, on MediCare:

"If it was Medicaid, then it wouldn't be people being be forced to buy a product. People aren't being put under medicaid, that'd be sort of awesome. Actually what's happening is people are buying private insurance from the existing private insurance system that has a big problem. Which is why Medicare for all is a better idea."

I'm no fan of Maddow's, I don't really know her, I only know of her. But I thought that was one of the most excellent statements of what the situation is that I've heard.

Please, discuss amongst your selves....

The Cheyenne Social Club

It's Saturday night, I'm watching, "The Cheyenne Social Club".

As I watch it, I can remember, clearly, the first time I saw it, in 1970.

Interestingly enough, the famous, singer, dancer, actor, Gene Kelly, is the director. He took the two most famous people around back then, James Stewart and Henry Fonda, G-rated movie stars if ever there were two, and put them in a very humorous film with compromising situation: Stewart's character is put in the position of owning a House of Ill Repute; a House of the Rising Sun; a... whore house, left to him by his deceased brother. Fonda, is just his cowboy friend, tagging along. They are "range rats" only used to working cattle across the countryside, most likely for decades or the majority of their lives.

Henry Fonda is Stewart's straight man, as well as his ten year companion on the cattle driving trail. They are basically humble, God fearing, cowboys, who one of them, simply ends up owning a house of prostitution.

I thought it was a stroke of genius. A comedy unseen before this. I immediately loved it. Sweet, funny, almost edgy, you can't not like this movie. And it is always a fun diversion.

"The Cheyenne Social Club is a 1970 Western comedy film written by James Lee Barrett and directed and produced by Gene Kelly, and starred James Stewart, Henry Fonda, and Shirley Jones. It was one of the few off-color ventures for Stewart, who specifically suggested that his friend Fonda be cast; one of the two times the two worked together in a film (the other being in Firecreek in 1968). It was shot at the Bonanza Creek Ranch and Eaves Movie Ranch outside Santa Fe, New Mexico (exteriors), and the Samuel Goldwyn Studios in Hollywood, California (interiors).

"The Cheyenne Social Club was a minor success, but was poorly received by critics. It didn't receive any notoriety until decades later with numerous cable television broadcasts. Barrett's script earned a 1970 Writers Guild of America nomination for "Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen", but lost to Neil Simon for The Out-of-Towners." - Wikipedia

If you ever feel like a strange little classic western, with two huge old stars in it, definitely give this one a shot.

US Economy and Quality of Service issues - Cartels

David Stockman (Former Budget Director 1981-1985 and who refers to himself as a "lapsed Republican") was talking this week and said something that really caught my attention. I knew that the corporations were running the show, and have been for some time now. I knew that because of the strangleholds corporations have over their clients (and our essentially our government). I've been warning about this issue for decades and now I find past Presidents have spoken on the issue, nearly a hundred years ago, now.

But when Stockman said that the US is a "cartel" run country, "the Farming Industry, the Doctors, the Hospitals, Insurance Companies (I capitalize these words because I don't want to piss these people off), and we have a system that basically puts huge windfalls into their pockets and not good healthcare for the American Public." He went further on to say, "I don't think that Obamacare solved the problem and I don't think the Republicans (they voted for repealing "Obamacare" this past week) solved the problem, but we need to think through how we pay for Healthcare and as long as its third party where no one's accountable, it's not going to work." (wow...bummer)

Something clicked in my mind. Cartels?

So, Cartel? Like in Oil Cartel, Mexican Drug Cartel? As in Cartels that don't seem to be good for me, for the people, the citizens?

"A cartel is a formal (explicit) agreement among competing firms. It is a formal organization of producers and manufacturers that agree to fix prices, marketing, and production. Cartels usually occur in an oligopolistic industry [a cartel basically is an oligopoly, "a market form in which a market or industry is dominated by a small number of sellers (oligopolists)."], where there is a small number of sellers and usually involve homogeneous products. Cartel members may agree on such matters as price fixing, total industry output, market shares, allocation of customers, allocation of territories, bid rigging, establishment of common sales agencies, and the division of profits or combination of these. The aim of such collusion (also called the cartel agreement) is to increase individual members' profits by reducing competition." - Wikipedia

Crap. Well? So....now what?

Who is, Hollywood Girl?

[Wow, I don't know what's up this week (other than I wasn't feeling so hot) but the URLs in the article were, I just noticed, REALLY messed up. They should be working properly now. Sorry all.]

Yes, just who is, "Hollywood Girl?"

Well, it's not Quinn, the main character of the "Hollywood Girl". It's actually Courtney Zito: extremely adorable, quite talented and unarguably driven, girl o'Hollywood: actor, director, writer, and producer of her, "Hollywood Girl", web based comedy series.

Hollywood Girl: Courtney Zito Forge

You can see the first installment of her webisode here, or all of them, currently three are available, on the "Hollywood Girl web site. And no, this is not a review of her show. It's more like an introduction if you do not already know about her and her works.

I've promoted other brilliant and beautiful women who are doing webisodes, on here before (can you say, Felicia Day with her webisodes "The Guild"?).

Felicia Day

I love seeing anyone who can go grassroots to the top. This underdog attitude, taking an impossible chain of events by the throat and driving it to your desired destination, has always been my passion, going back to the days of early John Carpenter using cheaply bought, but going in the end fancy out and beyond creative powers of Hollywood. Those who have gone their own direction without big money. People who have entertained us by pulling together friends, others interested in their vision and simply going for it. One could throw others in there, although they all seem to be men; like "Swingers" writer, actor, Jon Favreau, where they couldn't get permits, so they simply walked into a bar and started shooting, trying to be unobtrusive; or Kevin Smith's early films, or even John Waters (although of a very different aesthetic, I'll admit).

But Courtney is another universe of female, one stop shoppers, type filmmakers. These new producer et al, ladies are oh so much better looking, with cleavage far more befitting and appreciated (John Waters excepted).

Hollywood Girl is a fun, cute, comedy series with three episodes and a few character blogs for Quinn. She is clumsy, adorable (as I've said), and just a common girl trying to make it in the surreal world Hollywood is, has been and probably always will be. Many of the gags and devices are tried and true but Courtney's execution pulls them off. You want her to succeed, both character and actor (and director, and writer, and producer, and, probably many other things that go unsaid; yes, Courtney, we noticed....).

Check, it out. 

From IMDB:

Birth Name: Courtney Lauren Zito

Mini Biography

Courtney is a New York native and now resides in Los Angeles. She has extensive training in Acting, Singing, and Dance and also works as a Print and Spokesmodel as well. Courtney is classically trained and studied Opera at The Crane School of Music at Suny Potsdam College where she also studied Theatre and Dance. While classically trained, her roots lie in the genres of Musical Theatre, Pop and R&B.
Courtney is a host for The Sportsbone Network, a network dedicated to the NFL.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Courtney Zito

Trivia: Started her own T-Shirt Company in 2006 - Hollywood Lines T-Shirts. Trained in the use of hand guns.

Personal Quotes: "I may be small in stature, but I am mighty in spirit." [no doubt, girl!]
From the Hollywood Girl web site:

Created by Courtney Zito, and based on her real life experiences in Los Angeles, Hollywood Girl follows the comically blundering, yet inspirationally uplifting, life of celebrity hopeful, and beautiful disaster, Quinn Monroe. A self-proclaimed cliché (aspiring actress by day and waitress by night), Quinn feels her dreams of silver screen stardom actualizing as a waking nightmare of never-ending obstacles and roadblocks. Broke, tired, confused and, constantly tripping over her mark, she's literally bruised, at times self-deprecating, but delightfully determined and never defeated. With life, heart, spirit and the carefree, fun-loving support of her three best friends, Quinn looks past the setbacks and black-and-blues to see her shining star on the walk of fame, which to her isn't too far ahead. Or maybe it is. She is determined to conquer Hollywood, but the road to stardom is full of missteps. "Two steps forward and ten steps back," like the show's original theme song says, "She's there for life: She's a Hollywood Girl."
Hollywood Girl is proud to feature original music by various artists in each episode. We have teamed up with producer Jon Santos and 1176 Studios to find the hottest new artists out there and bring them to you!

 
If you are interested in having your music featured in an episode, please email 1176 Studios at 1176studios@gmail.com.

 
If you are interested in auditioning for a role in Hollywood Girl, please add our fan page and contact us through there or email us at Hollywoodgirltv@gmail.com

We are not seeking writers at this time, but if you would like to be considered for season 2, please add our Facebook page and drop us a line. Or email us at Hollywoodgirltv@gmail.com to send some samples of your writing.

Henry Kissinger on China's visit this last week

[*I apologize for the lack of breaks between paragraphs earlier, it was only just now brought to my attention. - Murdock]

When asked about China on Sunday 1/23, Henry Kissenger said that this current group of Chinese do not really remember the weak years of China, as these past thirty years have been relatively good and stable. These new Chinese grew up in the cultural revolution, seeing much turmoil in the beginning and by contrast, the rising up of China now.

Kissinger, you may remember, was the 56th US Secretary of State, from 1969-1975, for President Nixon. He broke the ice with Mao Tse-tung by going to China at a time when people in the States didn't understand why he would do that.

This followed up by President Nixon going to China. At a time when everyone was against Nixon, I was typically the only one to say that I thought he would be remembered differently, defined not so much by mentally unbalanced and paranoid actions but by having opened up the path between China and the US.

The Chinese do not really realize that we are a country of a mixed salad of immigrants, of mixed interest groups pushing agendas, and so they think we have an intelligent whole format of our intents, rather than a more random push of various different interests; so sometimes we look like we are of a conspiratorial mindset to work against them. A little paranoid, but when you consider how they normally think and do things, perhaps, not so paranoid; just logical, from their perspective.

Kissinger said that Chinese leaders are now seeking him out, because many of them never got to meet Mao, but he spent hundreds of hours with him, so these new Chinese leaders are learning much about their past from Kissinger.

When asked if the "Tiger Moms" of China aren't raising smarter children who are now in charge over there, aren't smarter than our US Leaders, Kissinger responded that they are not smarter, they are just different. He said that a good way to look at it, is in our strategic games. The US in this area has always been quite partial to Chess, a game where all the pieces are in front of you at all time, so you can calculate your risk and your goal is to win.

The Chinese national game is "Go" has about 180 pieces, a game where pieces are added throughout the game but are not always on the board, the goal is to surround and the game may never end; a concept that encapsulates the Chinese mentality very well. In Go, your opponent is always capable of introducing new pieces. So this is how China thinks differently that the US, in strategic encirclement, which may be why we have experienced confoundment with China over the years; not to mention, China is used to playing a game that never ends (Go) as opposed to a game (Chess) that has a definite end and outcome (save for the occasional stalemate where the game is deadlocked with no conceivable end available).

In my own studies of China, I had in my University days, appreciated China for their endurance. When asked at the time of British occupation in the 1800s, why China handles this occupation as they did, with patience and restraint (up until a certain point anyway, like in the "Boxer Rebellion"), the response was that many had occupied China, but in the end, China always was left there after they were gone. It just took time and China would again be the only one left standing. And, indeed the were.

"The Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" (義和團 - Yìhétuán), or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" (known as "Boxers" in English), in China between 1898 and 1901, opposing Western imperialism and Christianity." - Wikipedia

I can understand a backlash against Christianity, as it was taking a magical paradigm of a spiritual organization and trying to force it into the round hole of a country, that was far more down to Earth in their thinking going back to Confucius, Taoism and Buddha. Japan did a similar thing when they expelled Catholic Priests and put out a mandate to kill any that remained.

A brief aside regarding Japan:

"On February 5, 1597, twenty-six Christians – six European Franciscan missionaries, three Japanese Jesuits and seventeen Japanese laymen including three young boys – were executed by crucifixion in Nagasaki. These individuals were raised on crosses and then pierced through with spears. While there were many more martyrs, the first martyrs came to be especially revered, the most celebrated of which was Paul Miki. The Martyrs of Japan were canonized by the Roman Catholic Church on June 8, 1862 by Blessed Pius IX, and are listed on the calendar as Sts. Paul Miki and his Companions, commemorated on February 6, February 5, the date of their death, being the feast of Saint Agatha."

Persecution continued sporadically, breaking out again in 1613 and 1630. On September 10, 1632, 55 Christians were martyred in Nagasaki in what became known as the Great Genna Martyrdom. At this time Catholicism was officially outlawed. The Church remained without clergy and theological teaching disintegrated until the arrival of Western missionaries in the 19th century." - Wikipedia

Few Christians, or Catholics even, know about the crucifixions in Japan.

Back to Kissinger.

He said he would be disappointed if China doesn't revalue its currency over the next year or so and that Tim Geithner (75th and current United States Secretary of the Treasury) has set things up so China can act accordingly without losing face. What this looks like to our own Citizens, can appear odd, but in the end, hopefully, this will work to everyone's advantage.

It is also important to consider what Brzezinski said this week about China, that China wants to become a major power, to support their own internal sense of themselves; but that "the definition of what they ought to be, is not going to be made by us. Precisely because they do want to be a major player. So, what is important in our dialog, and this is what I think this meeting was useful, is to itemize the issues, under which we have to work together, and begin to spell out a kind of generalized sense of direction but not one in which "direction" means "I direct and you follow." And that's much more difficult."

So in the end, although China can look confusing to us at times, even though they may think the US is suspect in many of our, admittedly confusing tactics due to our heterogeneous make up, we do have hope on the horizon ("And some of this change can take place [rapidly] in a month" Kissinger said) hope for both sides, for a path to a better life for both countries; and in the end, a path that means help more stability for the entire World.

"I am a Trekker...." - Dr. Martin Luther King.

"I am a Trekker, I am your biggest fan." - Dr. Martin Luther King.

This was according to Nichelle Nichols, "Uhuru" on the original 1960s TV show, Star Trek, as she stated on the PBS documentary, "Pioneers of Television - Science Fiction".

"SCIENCE FICTION" (Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 8-9 p.m. ET/PT): Storytellers Gene Roddenberry, Irwin Allen and Rod Serling created the storylines and characters behind the best-loved futuristic television of their time. But as Roddenberry's "Star Trek" competed for ratings with Allen's "Lost in Space," each show's creator aimed for a very different direction. This episode explores how Roddenberry and Serling (of "The Twilight Zone") used the future as a stage for modern morality plays, and William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols and other science-fiction stars describe how they prepared to interact on-camera with a malevolent alien force… or, perhaps, a giant radish. - from Healthy Aging web site article.

Nichelle told of how she was ready to quit the show. But someone changed her mind. Below, from New York Daily News article:


After a year with"Star Trek" as communications officer Lieutenant Uhura, she turned in her resignation. But at an NAACP event that weekend, she ran into King.


"One of the promoters came up and said someone wanted to meet me. He said he's my greatest fan," says Nichols, 78. "I thought it was some Trekker, some kid. I turned in my seat and there was Dr. Martin Luther King with a big smile on his face.


He said, 'I am a Trekker, I am your biggest fan.'"


At that point, Nichols thought of herself as just a cast member on the show and hadn't fully grasped the racial implications of her part. She'd dealt with race all her life, of course, even on the set at Paramount, where a security guard hurled insults at her, but she hadn't grasped the importance of an African-American woman having a position of respect on TV.


Nichols thanked King, and told him she was leaving the show.


"He was telling me why I could not [resign]," she recalls. "He said I had the first nonstereotypical role, I had a role with honor, dignity and intelligence. He said, 'You simply cannot abdicate, this is an important role. This is why we are marching. We never thought we'd see this on TV.'"


Nichols was at a loss for words. It was the first time the importance of being an African-American woman on television had sank in. She returned to "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry the next Monday morning and rescinded her resignation.


"He sat there and looked at me and said, 'God bless Dr. Martin Luther King. Somebody does understand me,'" Nichols says.


She and King stayed in touch occasionally afterward and until his death.


"I never looked back from that day," she says. "I never regretted the decision."