Crimes of the Century - No. 5 - The Black Dahlia

THE BLACK DAHLIA, 1947

Set in the post-war Los Angeles boom, the unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short is a cautionary tale about big cities, America's peripatetic population and the dangers of the new vast urban landscapes of the nation.

On Jan. 15, 1947, a severely mutilated, naked body, sliced in half at the waist and a grotesque grimace carved into her face, was found not far from Hollywood. The corpse was that of 22-year-old Short, who had moved to California to from the East Coast to pursue an acting career but ended up serving tables. Reporters gave her the nickname "Black Dahlia," perhaps inspired by the recently released Blue Dahlia, a film in the Hollywood noir style about a fighter bomber accused of the death of his faithless wife. (Short had been engaged to a major in U.S. Air Force but he died in a plane crash in August 1945.)

The case generated a huge list of potential suspects and possible motives, as well as urban legends about the victim's sexual and moral proclivities. With its morbid air of noir nostalgia, the Black Dahlia has also inspired a large number of novels and movies over the years.

***

I find it ironic that Ryan and I just finished watching the first season American Horror Story, and Short was one of the people who were murdered in the haunted house.  If you haven't seen the show, the first season is about a house haunted by ghosts of previously murdered victims, and among the people murdered in the show was Short, played by Mena Suvari.   In one of the episodes she supposedly died accidentally from anesthesia as she was sexually assaulted by a dentist who previously lived in the home. The body was later dismembered by a ghosts.

***

In the coming weeks, as you read through the 25 crimes Time Magazine has selected, you will wonder which of them will remain in the popular, perhaps even the artistic imagination in the years to come? How will they be retold and with what kinds of lessons and cautions in mind?  Visit my blog every Saturday as a new crime will be posted each week.

Movies to Watch - Game Change

I'm sure all of you know by now I'm a political junkie, and that nothing pleases me more than to piss off Gay Republicans (oxy), or Republicans in general.  haha, but I still love ya! :-).  I'm just kidding.

Everyone has their views, and I respect that. So long as it doesn't constitute using vulgar words or calling each other names. I'm cool with debating religion or politics.  I enjoy it.

My only thing is... 

I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS MOVIE!!!

A couple of weeks ago HBO released their teaser for it's upcoming adaptation of Mark Halperin and John Heilemann's book Game Change, and it seems like it's going to be a thriller of a movie.  Just so you know, Mark Halperin was suspended in 2004 from MSNBC for calling President Obama "a dick" on the Morning Joe show.  Regardless, the movie is about all the inside information Mark received from the McCain and Palin camps during the 2008 Presidential campaign.  And it doesn't look very good for Sarah Palin.  I'm thinking she won't be portrayed very nicely.  The movie stars Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, Ed Harris as John McCain, Woody Harrelson as Steve Schmidt and many others.

While the book does mention the Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama primary fight, their story is not in this movie.  This is more about what transpired when McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate.

OMG Hilarious! - Daddy Drawing

Must Watch: Move

Earlier in the year, actor Andrew Lees took a trip, and it wasn't just any 'ol small trip.  He took a 38,000 mile, 18 flight journey across 11 countries over a period of 44 days.  The short film below is titled "Move," and it's quite entertaining. Take a look.

From Vimeo description:

3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films..... [source]

WHAT-A-RECIPE - Spaghettos

I'm so definitely trying this recipe at home.  No, these are not "Spaghettios," these are Spaghettos!

You make these tasty treats by simply jabbing dry spaghetti noodles into hot dog chunks and boiling them until the pasta is limp. And don't throw out the water – the petite-flower, giver-goddess comic Judy Tenuta calls it hot dog soup. [source]

How Teachers Grade Tests

This video is too funny for words, but I bet this isn't too off the mark.  I mean, c'mon, really?  Do you actually think a teacher has enough time to go through all those essay questions on your exam?  You know he just dibbles and dabbles here and there, writes a few words of encouragement or disappointment and moves on to the next paper.  Haven't you ever noticed how some of the "red-inked" questions or comments never make sense.

Blade 7184's 2011 Top 20 +1

It literally took me all day to put this together. But I've listed the Top 20 songs of 2011 I felt were the most popular, most emotional, most danced to, most listened to, and overall, most loved. 

The "Plus One" is due to the fact, that I had to single out the artist whom I felt brought the world to it's knees. The power in her voice not only made people cry, but it made them see things in their own relationships with God or their partners they never thought was possible.  Across the seas and across our land, she moved us in a way we could feel the hair on our arms rise as she bellowed each and every lyric.  Adele, you pwned this year's Top 20.  You are my blog's most distinguished Plus One!

20. Set Fire To The Rain by Adele

19. Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera

View the remaining Top 20+1 after the jump...

Laugh of the Day: Debbie Downer and The Birthday Party

If you haven't had your laugh of the day, then by all means watch Rachel Dratch.  She will definitely make your day a whole lot brighter.  OMG, she was absolutely hilarious on Saturday Night Live with her most famous character on the show, Debbie Downer.

For those of you who never seen the show, Debbie is a woman that can take any great situation or experience and turn it into crap with negativity, some of you might know people like that in real life.

What a Hot Mess: The Twilight Thigh

OMG, I seriously hope this person never loses weight, imagine what Bella, Edward, and Jacob would look like then. What A Hot Fucking Mess!

Okay, I take that back. I shouldn't hope they never lose weight. But it's still a hot mess though.

All Grown Up - Jake T. Austin

Seriously? 

How do you go from looking like this (pictured right), to looking like the pic down below?  

Pretty impressive.  The Wizards of Waverly star has surely outgrown his dorkiness.

Look for him in several new movies next year. Including The Love Boat, New Year's Eve, and Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn.

OMG Hilarious! - Date

SIRI: The Horror Movie

Okay, so what if it's a bit campy or a bit cheesy.  Wait. Does that mean the same thing?  Oh what the hell, you knew it was only a matter of time a Siri movie would transpire. That annoying little bitch on the iPhone 4S is on a rampage, and she's taking no prisoners.

Post Secret Fridays - Issue 088

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.

 See More Secrets. Follow PostSecret on Twitter.

 Want to see older Post Secret Friday issues? Go here.

3 Minutes

This short film is really great.  I absolutely loved it.  I came across it earlier in the year, and have now found the time to blog about it.

It stars my favorite character on Glee, the lovely Harry Shum, Jr. and former So You Think You Can Dance contestant, Stephen 'tWitch' Boss.  So as not to give the story away, there is a reason the film is titled "3 Minutes". 

Check out the video after reading how this short film came to be. It's really interesting.

I liked the idea of this short story called “The Most Dangerous Game” so I adapted it back when I was in film school, but when I made it back then I didn’t have many people to help me make it so it didn’t turn out too great. After being in the industry and living in LA for a few years now, I got a chance to make new friends and really take advantage of their professional talents.

The producers of the piece, George Wang and Don Le were in talks with Harry Shum Jr. to collaborate on something when I met them. They brought me on the project, and were initially going to do a different idea involving dancing, however, the more we developed the idea, it proved to be not very feasible. That’s when we decided to do this “3 Minutes” idea. [source]

A Christmas Letter to My Gay Son

The following letter was written by retired teacher, Randi Reitan, who currently writes for the Huffington Post.  The letter was written to her son, Jacob and posted on the Huffington website. 

My intention was to share this with you before Christmas but I completely forgot about it.  But since it's almost the end of the year, there's no better time like the present.

My dear Jacob,

As I was going through a box of keepsakes, I came across a Christmas list you had written when you were a young boy. On the list were things we could easily find in stores, and I always enjoyed finding them for you, wrapping them up and putting them under our tree. You were always so appreciative and opened them with great joy. The joy Papa and I felt was even greater.

There is only one gift I want to give you this year. I have wanted to give it to you for many years. I have tried in every way possible to find a way to give it to you. It would bring me the greatest joy of all.

How do I give you equality? How do I give you back the years you have missed "not being equal" in this world?

Your high school and college years should have been ones where you dated and went to proms and dances with someone you were attracted to and wanted to spend time with as a couple. You should not have had to spend those years working for your equality. You should not have had to defend your dignity. You should not have had to miss out on the simple pleasures of a young teen and a young adult.

There is no way I can give you back those years, those times when you should have been having fun, enjoying life, and growing from those experiences.

You had a passion for justice even as a child. I remember when you were 4 and refused to eat supper until I had actually written the check for Save the Children. You were the watchdog in your kindergarten classroom after you felt your teacher was wrong to rip up a child's painting in front of the class in her effort to teach them to write their names on their papers. On that day you spoke truth to power so eloquently as you confronted your teacher after school.

As soon as you came out to us, you wanted to start a gay/straight alliance at your high school. We worried for your safety, but even more for the isolation it might have brought as you worked to make it happen. You reached out to students, teachers, and the administration and created your school's first gay/straight alliance. When you were in college and heard that there were students being kicked out of colleges simply because they were gay, you founded the Soulforce Equality Ride to confront that terrible wrong.

Each of those times you taught me to take action and not be silent in the face of injustice. You have led me, and you have taught me throughout your life.

Maybe that is why it is so hard for me to face Christmas each year and not be able to wrap up the one gift I most want to give you. As a mother, it is such a part of my being to want to nurture and love my children. It is the mother in me that wants to protect and provide for you. It is the mother in me that is hurting so much when I am helpless in being able to give you the one gift I have wanted to give you since the day you told us you were gay.

I want to give you equality. I want to wrap it up in a beautiful box, and I want to put it under our tree right now. I want to see you open it on Christmas Eve and with great joy live with it all your days.

I love you,

Mama

The Beginning (Happy Ru Year!)

Happy Ru Year!!!

Who's ready for some Drag Racing in 2012???  Can I hear an Amen up in here???? 

I, for one, am so looking forward to a whole new year of RuPaul's Drag Race!!!  Can't wait to sit down and watch this hilarious new season with our friends.  Better yet, the fights, the drama, and the couture!!

Check out this short music video of "The Beginning" by RuPaul.  The song is off her current album, GLAMAZON available on Amazon...and iTunes.  Featured in the new season of RuPaul's Drag Race - Season 4, Mondays on LogoTV, starting January 30th.

President Obama and Hillary Clinton Most Admired Man and Woman of The Year, 2011

Some of them I understand, some of them I don't. I will keep my mouth shut so as not to piss anyone off. LOL.  But just to let you know, the results of the USA Today/Gallup Poll for the Most Admired Man and Woman of they year have come in.

For the 10th year in a row, Hillary Clinton has achieved the Most Admired Woman of the year.

For the 4th year in a row, President Barack Obama has been the Most Admired Man of the year.

But here's the kicker, George W Bush, Bill Clinton, Billy Graham, and Warren Buffett round out the top five men, and Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin, Condoleezza Rice round out the top five women.  Interesting stuff.

Gallup said of the top 10 Most Admired men, four are government leaders (Obama, Clinton, Bush, and Newt Gingrich), three are business leaders (Buffett, Donald Trump, and Bill Gates), and three are religious leaders (Graham, Pope Benedict, and Thomas Monson, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

Of the top 10 Most Admired women, eight are from government roles and two are from television (Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres).

[Source-USA Today]

2011 in Gaming: The Year in Under 2 Minutes

You know I couldn't leave the year without saying a little something about the gaming community.  I don't understand much of it, but one thing I do know, my partner, Ryan loves it.

Ryan doesn't know this, but when he gets around to reading this he will be surprised.  My intention was to get him a Playstation 3 for his birthday and it didn't happen, not because I didn't want to get it for him, but because - I don't know, call it a sign from God or whatever. But there was only one in the store when I went to purchase it, and and it was an "open box".  Meaning, someone had returned it at one point.  

I told the clerk I would go ahead and take it if everything was in there, and he assured me it did.  So when I went to pay for it up at the front desk I told them I wanted to take a look inside, and sure enough there was a game missing.  There was supposed to have been two games with the bundle.  

So I was stuck with the decision of either purchasing it as it was, going to another store and buying it, or simply forgetting about it. I chose the latter, and simply never bought it.

The reason I never did, was because Ryan and I will be reaching a milestone in the new year and it's something I will share with you in a later post, but suffice it to say - it is definitely for the best.

As I mentioned earlier, I don't get the gaming community much, but my partner Ryan loves it, and if he loves it, then I support him.  I grew up in a world of Atari and the original Nintendo, whereas he grew up in the world of Xbox and Playstations 1, 2 and 3. I was used to games like Centipede, Donkey Kong, and Pac-man.  When I played the original Resident Evil on Playstation One, it terrified me. LOL.

In either case, here's an amazing tribute to the 2011 gaming world, in under 2 minutes.

From YouTube description:

2011 has been a watershed year for gaming in almost every way. With an overabundance of terrific AAA titles and creative low-budget indies, developers this year boldly took the medium into new territory. This is a salute to their work, and all the terrific interactive experiences we had in 2011.

OMG Hilarious! - Look Hands

In order to get this comic, you would have to see Timmy Got A Bike For Christmas and Timmy Got A Bike For Christmas - Take 2.

This Is My Story by Ben Breedlove

If you have not had your crying moment of the day, then I suggest watching the video below.  It will definitely do it.  I barely got through the first minute without bursting into tears.  I had to pause for an hour or so, and I have now just recently finished watching it.  Call me a sap, I don't care.  I think it's good for people to cry - happy or sad tears, it's all good.

Ben Breedlove, and 18 year old senior from Austin, Texas died Christmas Day of a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is something Ben had all his life.  Much like the kid who's video I posted two weeks ago, he uses notecards to share his story.

His parents had no idea he had recorded such a video until they started going through his belongings. To add to the pain, the hit 80's song, "Mad World" is playing in the background as Ben silently displays his cards.

What really strikes me the most about this video, is that here is a boy sharing his near-death experiences to the entire world, and the world didn't even know it yet.  I love you, Ben Breedlove.

His mother, Deanne Breedlove, says her son died after the family opened their Christmas presents.

"I just think Ben opened doors for a lot of people to think about something that maybe they've never thought about before," Deanne Breedlove told KXAN. "And that to me is a wonderful gift." [Source-Today]

People Magazine Cover Is A Fake

Sorry, gay boys.  The people magazine cover that is circulating over the web like wildfire is a fake. 

The image of the supposed January 7, 2012 issue shows Taylor Lautner above the phrase “Out & Proud,” and allegedly offers the “Exclusive” that the actor is going public with a bombshell about his sexuality.

“Tired of rumors, the Twilight star opens up about his decision to finally come out,” promises the “People” cover, which quotes Lautner as saying, “I’m more liberated, and happier than I’ve ever been.”

But the magazine cover is 100% phony. It is NOT a real People preview.

A rep for the magazine confirms to Gossip Cop exclusively that it’s “absolutely fake.”

Nevertheless, the Photoshopped fake is being circulated everywhere via Twitter and other social media on Monday. (Source-WGB)

Things That Make You Go Hmmm... The Brick

Wow, we sure have come a long way.  I remember getting excited when I got my first cell phone with a retractable antenna! That was the shit!

The Motorola Dyan TAC 8000X was the first "modern" cell phone to have fools lined up around the block of your local Best Buy or electronics store.  Released in 1984, it was known as "The Brick."  It weighed 2 pounds, only got a half hour of talk out of a recharge and cost nearly $4,000.

Interesting.  Things that make you go hmmm...

How It Came To Be...

What a Hot Mess: The Devil is Inside of You!

How this boy's mother didn't know he was gay is beyond me.  Okay, okay, I need to stop stereotyping.  But Really?

"The Devil Is Inside of You!", the mom tells her son.

But wait till you get to the good part. 

"Have you done anything with men?", she asks him.

"Everything... pretty much."  he tells her.

Then it really gets good...

"okay, I want you to repeat some things after me, okay?" she tells him.  "Look up at the sky... Now repeat this words... Jesus, I need you right now.  I need you to forgive me, for I have sinned.  The Devil is coming inside of me.  I need you to come inside of me now. With all your force."

What a Hot Mess!

The expressions are absolutely hilarious, because the son doesn't really know how to react.  He does as she asks, but it's him repeating it that makes it too strange even for him.  This happens way too often.  Once teenagers go off to college or leave home, they decide that this is the best time to tell their parents they're gay.  And who could blame them.  I would be terrified if I had to live at home with someone who hated who I was, and tried to tell me God didn't make me this way.

Kiss of the Week - Issue No. 006

Over the next few months I will be posting my original posts and slowly introducing this series to my current BLADE 7184 readers.  So without further ado, here's the sixth issue, originally posted on July 28, 2007... 

United State of Pop (World Go Boom) 2011

Not sure how many of you remember the United State of Pop (Don't Stop The Pop) mashup put together by DJ Earworm in 2010, but he recently uploaded his 2011 version, United State of Pop (World Go Boom).  It's a mashup of the 25 biggest hits during 2011 in the U.S.

You Tube Description:

It doesn't match Billboard's U.S. year-end list, since I'm basing it off of the weekly lists this year in order to more reflect what was actually popular during 2011. Because of the Billboard's early cut off date and their emphasis on chart longevity, songs that are released after August are either split between the two years or moved to the next year. I also don't want a track appearing two years in a row just because it happened to be peaking right at the cutoff. From my perspective, a song for a year-end mix belongs in the year it will be remembered from, not the year it ended its run. For instance, "We Found Love", which has been #1 for the last 8 weeks of the year, is nowhere to be seen in Billboard's Top 25, and may not make it next year either due to the bias of the cut-off date. As a bonus I am able to spend more time on the mixes and more fully realize them.

And for those who missed out on 2010's mashup, you can check out the video after the jump...

I Quote That - I Got Lucky

Can You Run As Fast or Faster Than Ryan Hall?

Think you can keep pace with an elite marathoner?  Back in November, Asics dared anyone to race their ad.  

For the 2011 New York City Marathon, Asics wanted fans to truly experience a champion marathoner's 26.2 mile pace so they installed a 60-foot video wall and challenged people passing by to race Olympic marathoner, Ryan Hall for just 60 feet.  

Pretty cool stuff.

OMG Hilarious! - Timmy Got A Bike For Christmas - Take 2

2011, Buh-Bye

As 2012 draws nearer and nearer, what better way is there to say, "Buh-Bye" than with a video by JibJab?

From Charlie Sheen's #winning tweets to the debt ceiling crisis and global protests, it seems the whole world went nuts in 2011. Join JibJab as they reminisce about the most notorious moments of the year in their 7th annual year in review... this time sung by a popsicle stick puppet choir! Catch the lyrics after the jump...

Ungrateful Christmas Twits on Twitter

SA Goon Jon “Johnny ‘DocEvil’ Titanium” Hendren — who most recently convinced Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell to eat a whole bunch of eggs for charity — spent his holiday weekend using his popular Twitter account to catalog the Christmas complaints of Twits who were pissed off at Santa for not bringing them a car or the Apple product of their choice.

via tdw

Christmas By The Numbers: The Infographic

Wow, this is pretty impressive when you consider the amount of time that's actually spent observing the day for what it's meant to be celebrated for.

350 Million future Christmas trees are being grown on farms at this very moment, because Americans buy 25-30 million trees each Christmas season. Wow.  Mind boggling, isn't it?

by Column Five Media via

Isn't This The Truth? When a Guy and Girl do Something Wrong

I'm LMAO, but this is oh, so true.

What a Hot Mess: How to Steal a Case of Beer with Your Thighs

What a hot mess!  Talk about having some strong thighs.  Unbelievable.

If The World Were A Village of 100 People: Issue No. 17 - Nationality

This is the 17th poster out of the 20 posters I have shared with you over the past several months.

Every week I have been asking, "What if the world were a village of 100 people?"  And by using statistics based on the spread of the population in the world, Toby Ng Design created these posters as another way of looking at how our world is today. 
 
If you missed any of the previous issues, click here.

OMG Hilarious! - Timmy Got A Bike For Christmas

Loving One Another - Issue No. 003

Another great series I started on Peter's Daily Blog in 2007 that I will slowly introduce to my BLADE 7184 readers every Monday.  As the issues progressed I included a quote along with each picture, much the same way as my Kiss of the Week series on Thursdays.

Here is the third issue of Loving One Another.

I Quote That - Perseverance

Movies to Watch - The Christmas Shoes

I had heard this song many times before, but never really paid attention to it, till yesterday.  I mean, I understood it, and knew it was emotionally heart-wrenching, but it wasn't until I saw the movie that it made me value the importance of loving your fellow man.  There isn't one person in this world that I hate.  Not one solitary man, woman or child, and I'm a better person because of it.

Remember to tell the people in your life how much you love them, because there will come a time when they're gone and you'll wish you had.  I call my mother 5 times a week to tell her I love her, and I tell Ryan how much I love him every day.  Embrace it!  You'll be better for it.

I bought the DVD, "The Christmas Shoes" on Amazon.com and got it in the mail just on the nick of time, on Christmas Eve.  I knew Ryan wanted this movie for our collection, so we sat and watched it on Christmas Day.  Let me tell you, I cried, and cried, and cried.  It's a tear-jerker of a film.  I highly recommend it, if you're a Christmas movie aficionado.

The movie bounces between two families--the Layton household, where the father, Robert is so consumed with his work that he misses his daughter's recital; and the Andrews home, where the mother Maggie has been diagnosed with a fatal heart ailment. Desperate to make his mother's last moments happy, Maggie's son Nathan struggles to buy a pair of red dancing shoes that seem like a pair Maggie remembers from her childhood. Naturally, the lives of these families become intertwined, particularly when Robert's wife takes over Maggie's choral program--which topples the already troubled balance between Kate and Robert. Perhaps because Rob Lowe is usually stereotyped as glib and insincere. The Christmas Shoes feels surprisingly heartfelt. The earnestness of The Christmas Shoes surprises because the story originated in the famous country song of the same name, and movies based on songs rarely feel anything but plastic and contrived. There are certainly moments when The Christmas Shoes lays on the sentiment woefully thick, but you'd have to be an ogre not to be touched when Maggie and her husband have one last dance.  --Bret Fetzer on Amazon