from September 1, 2007

People say I don’t rant enough. Well screw that! I’m gonna rant baby, and about some serious nonsense too!

I was watching TV the other day and they had some real crap on. Not the usual crap- extremely crappy crap. Thanks VH1! Go to Hell. Anyway, I’d read some review somewhere online somewhere of Grease and thought I’d watch it since A- It was on and B- I wanted to do something nasty to punish myself for having the god-awful bad sense to be a teacher. Well, it wasn’t Grease. It was Grease 2. Two! Grease frickin’ 2! Who the fuck thought it would be a good idea to make a Grease 2? Did Europe have a Bubonic Plaque 2? Did Princess Di have a second bad night in that French tunnel?

OK, I get it, the first one made money so they had to make a second. Like Battlestar Galactica became a worldwide hit (I’m bullshitting here- it was cancelled after like one season.) so they followed it with Galactica 1980 and it starred Lorne Green, an annoying brainy kid, and a couple of dicks who kind of sort of act like Starbuck and Apollo but weren’t Starbuck and Apollo. At least Johnny Bravo fit the suit! Where were the Cylons? They did the show without the freakin’ bad guys! They didn’t even have the damn robot dog! Who watched that show besides me? I got two words for you- Space Scouts. If you watched that show you know what I’m talking about . That show wasn’t just bad, it was a painful Ass-Hell show.

But Grease 2 (screw it- do your own underlining. And I ain’t gonna bother with no good grammar neither!) was worse. They took all of the background and minor characters and brought them back. They brought back the same sets. They even brought back the same plot! What they didn’t do was bring back the stars. Believe it or not, they cast a cast (yeah, cast a cast) of people even less talented than the original actors. I know what you’re thinking- “BULLSHIT! It’s impossible to cast a less talented actor than John Travolta. I saw Battlefield Earth!” But they did. Leading the cast is Adrian Zmed (snicker snicker ha ha!) “Zmed.” That’s one of those female things, right? Like a woman goes to the gynecologist for a pap smear and a zmed exam?

Here are the selected highlights of Mr. “Zmed’s” career from imdb.com:

-Shira-The Vampire Samurai

-Honey I Shrunk The Kids: The TV Show

-Little Insects, as the voice of “Sir Sneekleberry”

and 72 episodes of TJ Hooker, which I will claim to my dying breath is William Shatner at his finest.

Then there is some lummox named “Maxwell Caulfield.” I put that in quotes because I’m sure that’s an assumed name. How am I so sure, I just think so. Get it? I “assumed” it’s an “assumed” name. (Don’t like that joke? Tough. Like you’re paying for this?)

Here are some selected highlights of this jerk’s imdb:

-

That’s not a mistake- Grease 2 is, by far, the biggest highlight of his career. And it was his first credit! This dick sank even lower than Grease 2!

Genuine decent actress Michelle Puh-Fieffer is there. (Not that she’s any good here. This film would turn Anthony Quinn into Carrot Top.) I’m pretty split about her. She’s either pretty hot or pretty skanky depending on my mood. But then I remember that she did shit like this and I’m totally turned off her again.

The plot is- look, if you saw the first film you saw this one, but with two exceptions:

1- The songs are far, far worse.

2- The producers were geniuses! GENIUSES! DAMN RIGHT I’M PUTTING THIS IN CAPS! Get this- they gave the Danny part to the girl, and gave the Sandy part to the guy. Yes! They reversed the genders! WOW! (Damn, they should have done this in drag! It would have been even worse!)

As far as sequels go this is better than World War Two, but not as good as The Revenge of the Sith.

Damn, I love writing reviews where I didn’t actually watch the movie. After the opening credits I started to flip around the channels and found blog-worthy paydirt on BCAT- Brooklyn Community Access Television- AKA- “we’ll show anything.” This is a channel where anything gets on the air if you can pay the fee. Got a low-res jpeg of your dog? They’ll show it. Most of the shows are done by either

1- jerks who think they’re funny and rope in friends and family to film them doing “funny” things,

2- jerks who think the are smart and rope in friends and family to film them calling Bush a “dwad,” or

3- jerks who take their video cameras into clubs and mack on women.

DISCLAIMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going to be using very offensive terms to describe women. Now bear in mind I am referring to certain very specific women, all of whom are, and here I am being very very truthful, all of whom are over 450 pounds. Reread that again right here- over 450 pounds. So any of the stuff I say is directed solely at them and their big fat asses, not at all directed to any of the women on my friends list, all of whom are very slim, attractive, and sexy. You ladies know I love you, to quote Keith Hernandez.

Goddesses is a show by, for, and about extremely obese women. The purpose of the show is to show that big huge tractor-like women can be hot too. Let me clue them in- no they can’t! They have so much hanging flesh under their arms that they can trim it off and create a whole new person. They are all sweating badly under the studio lights. They all have eight or nine chins. They are big slobs! And I’m just talking about the parts that can fit in frame.

(And before you point it out- yes, I am overweight. But these women would be overweight if they were, say, a platoon of tanks.)

This show I saw had the “Goddesses” going to a club (that they rented) to have a fashion show (of clothes they designed) and dance with men (that they already knew.) Fine. No problem. Let them have fun. Let them delude themselves. I don’t care. If it makes them feel good to crowd 8 of them into a room with a capacity of 150, fine.

None of that was bad, really. None of that was a problem. None of that mattered to me.

Until.

The.

Wet.

T.

Shirt.

Contest.

THEY HAD A FRIGGING WET T-SHIRT CONTEST. THEY WALKED OUT ON  THE DANCE FLOOR IN THIN WHITE T-SHIRTS AND THE GUYS DRENCHED THEM WITH WATER. It was at this point that I went blind. Remember the part in Return of The Jedi where Jabba the Hutt had some girls dancing for him? One of the girls was big and fat and had eight breasts. The first girl looked like Both Jabba and the girl, stuffed in the same shirt. AND THEY THOUGHT THIS WAS SEXY!

It was not.

And the guys acted like this was a Girls Gone Wild video. Who are these guys? No, no, I really don’t want to know who would sell their soul to the devil and have to act like this turns them on and really have to go home and have sex with these house-like females. Some things should remain unknown.

This was train-wreck TV at its best/worst. You know it is awful. You know that it might harm you. But you can’t look away.

Still, it was better than Grease 2.

So I bet you’re wondering how much of this show I watched? Did I watch it all? Tape it and replay it? Do I secretly watch this in the wee hours of the morning? Christ, what is wrong with you people? I saw nearly 9 whole minutes of this before I ran through the channels again and finally settled on Spongebob Squarepants. Then I blocked the channel for good.

So to wrap this up, if you are ever up in the middle of the night and have to choose between watching Grease 2 or Goddesses, stick with Grease 2. This is the only possible scenario in which I would ever recommend Grease 2. Grease 2 may make you want to take your own life, but Goddesses may actually kill you.

Serious and thoughtful feedback is welcomed and encouraged.

I think the long title says it all!

The newest episode first aired yesterday and now it’s online for your viewing pleasure. Check it out and go to the show’s website for more info, melissacoleshow.com.

And if you don’t already follow me on Twitter, I’m @melissacoleshow and I’m always talking about the Yankees, food, green things, and of course the show.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

more about “Facebook | Your Videos: chinese math …“, posted with vodpod

New Sacramento Cable Acces Citizen Filmmaking Television Thank You.

On September 26th, the gang from Word on the Street headed downtown to the Pantages Theater for an evening of glitz and glamor. After sitting through a four hour show to honor TV programming and technical achievements throughout the upper midwest, we went home empty handed.

It’s hard to be too disappointed knowing that we were up against 11 different shows in a category that was so broad, it’s hard to compare a late-night comedy show to a memorabilia clip show.

This was the first year that our category [Community-Cable-Public Access Television – Edited Program] was recognized at the Emmys. It had the most entries and most nominations of all the categories. Out of approximately 30 some entries in our category, we really can say that it was truly an honor to be nominated.

And although we didn’t bring home the gold, HCTV news did – so a shout out to Justin and the news crew for their great work!!

Despite our loss, we still had a fabulous time, with many stories and great memories. Until next year, raise a plastic cup of wine to future episodes of Word on the Street!

* to see all the winners, click here. to view the show that took home the Emmy in our category, click here*

Rhode Island Soapbox follows the health care debate with a panel discussion featuring our host, Judy Newcomb Gross, Patrick Quinn of S.E.I.U., Dave St. Germaine and Nancy Green.

It was a lively discussion from a number of perspectives, airing live in Pawtucket yesterday and will be shown on Cox, Verizon and Statewide Interconnect. Show times are–

Friday Sept 18 6pm Cox channel 18, Verizon channel 24
Thursday Sept 24 5pm Cox channel 18, Verizon channel 24
Friday Sept 25 Cox channel 18, Verizon channel 24
Saturdays Oct 3 and 10 at 2pm Cox 13 and Verizon 32
Bristol County Oct 3 and 10 shows are on Full Channel 13 at 2pm

I nearly failed 10th grade English. Let me rephrase: I nearly failed 10th grade Honors English in public school. Nope, still not quite accurate: I nearly failed 10th grade Honors English in public school, which was taught by a mandolin-strumming, Kurosawa fetishizing toolbag. Ok, that’s better. Two points:

1) If this was an inspirational film along the lines of Dangerous Minds or Freedom Writers, perhaps the instrument and fondness for international cinema would be inspirational. However, Michele Pfeiffer he was not (nor was he Hillary Swank, thankfully, because one is enough). Nor was he Mark Harmon or Morgan Freeman (we never watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre in class nor was he ever badass enough to be arrested and stage a city-wide protest). 

2) I struggled to come up with a more sophisticated descriptor than “toolbox.” But I feel it  accurately encapsulates this man’s very essence. And, remember, I nearly failed English.

As a way of explaining my near failure of this man’s course, I should mention that I detest busy work in all its incarnations. At the top of the list of most detested incarnations would perhaps be assignments in the guise of discussion questions that are essentailly structured reading comprehension meets reading checks. My belief has always been the following: I’ll read the book/article/essay. Or I won’t. I’ll know that. And assuming I’ve lost my ability to bullshit my way through a class meeting (something that has yet to happen in any significant way), You, esteemed instructor of record, will know that too. However, if I have in fact read said text, you don’t need to check up on me. I’ll make sure that you know what I think about it. I’ll make sure to raise my hand if I have a question. You stay on your side of the desk; I’ll stay on mine. This is an academic way of being that has, with the exception of the one year in question, put me in pretty good stead through elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and graduate school.

The one year in question was an anomaly. Every day another homework handout, xeroxed from some teacher-approved manual to guide my reading of the Odyssey or Tale of Two Cities or Julius Caesar or The Old Man and the Sea. The theme of the course (officially or unofficially) was “The Quest,” perhaps fitting for a class of certified above average intellect 10th graders in suburbia who were in two years time off to various top tiered schools in the nation, which would either reinforce or shatter their isolated and potentially provincial mindframes up until that point. I don’t believe Joseph Campbell was ever referenced, but his specter seemed to hang high over the course. Or at least it did in the course I was writing for myself while sitting in this daily one hour social experiment of a class. My private quest was one of survival (more Chris McCandless and less Don Quixote) which was defined as simply keeping my head just enough above the surface so as not to cause waves but still make it through to the 11th grade honor’s section (final mission report: success, but with some unexpected bumps in the road).

What stands out from this class is the in-class essay assignment on the Odyssey. He essay question started with “Agree or Disagree” followed by a colon and then some statement about fathers and sons (I no longer recall the exact specficis of the statement). Fine, simply enough. Being the contrary individual I am, I disagreed with whatever the statement was. Theoretically, a legal move. Why?  Because “or” is a conjunction that suggests that one may select either option. Certainly there are times when one option of the “or” condition is less desirable than others (e.g. Shall I walk to the park today or slowly ingest lighter fluid over the course of several hours). Imagine my surprise when my nine page paper (the essay was written over several days in class) was returned to me with a D on the top of the paper. The reason, as explained to me upon indignantly standing in the front of the room seeking answers following the end of class: the essay questions was designed for the answer to agree with the statement provided.

Whaaa? But. But. It’s an “or.” That suggests at least two possible alternatives. And if the response had been “Well, quite frankly, your essay wasn’t very good” or “The question was designed for the student to agree, and, while disagreeing was a bold choice, sadly I don’t feel you supported your argument.” However the response of the question was designed to elicit an agreeing response… wtf. If anything, that suggests that the question, as presented, was flawed. Because, if nothing else, the “or” function gives the impression of multiple positions capable of being taken. And if there’s one thing that I do not tolerate well (particularly given my new found position as a molder of impressionable college-aged minds) it’s not acknowledging when it is not the student’s error but rather the faculty error. I admit it: I’m far from perfect as an instructor, and I absolutely own up to those situations in which less-than successful outcomes have emerged that can be directly tied to my own mishandling or miswording. Returning to the case study at hand though, I’m pretty sure that this was on him and not me. And at that moment, any last potential effort I considered putting toward this course had vanished, leading to the almost failing of the course. Meh, it seems to have worked out for the best… possibly.  

So why think of this now?

I recently discovered that he’s still teaching 10th grade at my high school. On the local cable access station, I happened to catch a recording of what was apparently a 1960s themed variety show night at the school, and there he was: living the Joe Cocker-Ian Anderson-esque life dream for the duration of two short songs. In fairness, each song contained an instrumental break in the middle (performed by a motley assemblage of current high school students, including a flute player), so, for the sake of faireness, it would probably be best to refer to them as mid-length songs, rather than short songs. Regardless, he was able to live his dream. He seemed happy, prancing around the stage in a worn green jacket complete with fringe for that evening before careening full speed back to the banality of high school literature and pre-approved, teachers’ manual derived handouts.

As the new semester is upon me, and as I’m about the start teaching again a course I taught last year, it makes me wonder: will I ever become the kind of instructor that just goes through the motions? I joke about the bobo-ism of my students and the desire to simply wing a lecture using old powerpoints rather than preparing new ones. But it does worry me that in five, ten, or fifteen years time, if I’m still teaching at the same place I currently am (please, God, don’t make it so), will I be just like my 10th grade teacher? Is that how he arrived at the intractible and intellectually stifled position that he found himself in almost a decade ago (and I’m going to wager is still in)? Is the mundacity of repetition without intellectual curiousity the road to toolbag-ness?

Great, another thing for me with which to occupy myself for all those times when I’m not working on my dissertation.

Access Sacramento, Sacramento’s local cable access programmer has a new page on Sacbee.com

And speaking of cable access, Dumbworld is  hard at work on our new show, Chinese Math.  Expect more info next month.

I know this is quick, but it’s already time to walk back a claim from our introductory post. We claimed this blog is “the most radical thing to hit the internet since someone figured out how to make an animated graphic of a letter going into an envelope and then being whisked away to become the phrase ‘Email me!’” Shortly thereafter, I discovered that Pro Wrestling Newz ‘n Viewz, the pride of Butler PA’s Armstrong Cable Channel and the greatest public access TV show since Wayne’s World, has a blog of it’s own. It’s very unfortunate, though, that it does not contain clips from the show.

-AR

…no, she’s Portland’s pop princess.

I just stumbled upon this cable access video on youtube and I can’t get the song out of my head! If you aren’t a fan of the music (which would make you crazy), you have to at least wait for the big surprise about 20 seconds in.  This song reminds me of Scout Nibblett but Morgan Gfrace is just as capable of sounding pop-punk, folk, or even bubblegum. A couple of years back she won the American Idol Underground contest and I keep waiting for her to go mainstream but so far she has stuck to her Portland roots. Anyway, check out this fun and oddly touching performance…

Two new opportunities, project management and mentoring.  This week I’ve been given the chance to develop and produce content for the local community access channel and, through the production of the shows, mentor individuals who wish to learn about the video production process.  All of this in a volunteer environment.  Interesting.

The nature of the shows, emergency/disaster/earthquake preparedness is pretty familiar territory for me.  Contacting members of the emergency services community to gain their cooperation is, based on past experience, time consuming and occasionally frustrating, but no big deal.  To be sure, there is no lack of topics to address or ways to approach them.  Strangely, in my experience that’s usually not the problem, it is narrowing down the choices to options that are “doable,” that is, something you can actually execute with the time and resources available.  This is where the project management becomes in.

From my past experience working with inexperienced groups or individuals at the planning stage of a video project, the biggest problem is calming the them down from the, “yeah, but we could do …” (insert new, unrelated, wild tangent concept here).  This is the next step in the process after someone says, “Hey, we could put on a show.  Sure, we could use dad’s barn.”  You know the rest.

The old saying, “it’s like herding cats” comes to mind.  Perhaps is this just the nature of the brainstorming process, finding the point in the process when open-ended exploration needs to end and focused development of those ideas on the table needs to begin.  For the leader of the group, convincing everyone that point has been reached can be tough.  I find myself trying to pull back members of the group who are continuing to sore off on their fight of imagination in the world they have constructed.  In this case, I’ve been lucky so far.  There are only three members of the group.  I’ve come up with a plan I think will work to produce content and provide the mentoring experience.  Next week is our second meeting, we’ll see if it works.

__DP

I suppose it’s not actually St. Patrick’s Day any more, as I post this, but still.

Last week’s post garnered a great comment about the usefulness of local cable access. I am one of those irritating snobs who doesn’t own a TV, but I am checking on what would be involved in getting a couple of different shows onto Portsmouth CATV.

The budget analysis terrifies me, but I found out yesterday that I know someone in the finance department at City Hall. No idea yet whether that will be at all useful, but it might be.

The big fun of the last week was my ever-so-exciting Monday night. As previously announced, I went to the kick-off of Seacoast Local’s Farm to Business program, but ended up talking to folks about local seafood issues. Local food movements are a good place to meet other people who are annoyed at the government; we would all have so many more choices about where we could get our food if it weren’t for the insane pile of regulations in the way. Seacoast fishers catch lots of fish—but because of licensing issues at the state and federal level, the fish all goes all the way to Boston, and then most of it goes up to York, Maine, before it even has a chance to get to a Portsmouth table. There is a huge amount of interest in changing that—but because actually changing the law is so prohibitively difficult, it becomes a matter of figuring out the right dance to do around the existing regulations.

After that was over, I caught what was left of the City Council meeting, which proved to be quite a bit. The public hearing on the Capital Improvement Plan (which is non-binding, but informs the budget process) took quite a long time, I gather, so the meeting ran until nearly 11 pm. It is the little things that interest me, though; when I got there, a woman was arguing with the Council about her business sign. She took over a business space that had a sign. She asked the business owner to leave the sign up; he took it down. Now, for her to mount a new sign in exactly the same place and of exactly the same dimensions as the previous business, she needs a business variance and permission from the Planning Commission, which will take at least two months to grant, if she’s lucky. Local government is irritating like sand in a swimsuit.

The only other point of interesting discussion was the contract for the new Superintendent of Schools. The Council had previously authorized a contract up to $130,000; the new contract is a bit under that, but the economy is more obviously bad since the authorization, and so two Councilors voted against the contract. This is kind of deck-chairs-on-the-Titanic stuff; no realistic candidate is going to work for less than $120,000, and the search committee itself will be spending money in the process. Oh, I have an idea: what if the public education was provided by a non-profit not subject to this political nonsense? Crazy! Oh, wait—it worked just fine until the late 1800s when people got paranoid about the Catholics and immigrants and their un-American educations.

Ramblin Rod, the Button King of cable access TV

Move over King of Cartoons!  Ramblin Rod, you’re our new hero.  Wearing a coat covered in buttons, Ramblin Rod hosted a popular kids tv show on KPTV.  He collected thousands of buttons over two decades of “joking with children and showing cartoons.”  Read more about Ramblin Rod, the button-wearing legend here.

Click here to make your own custom Ramblin Rod buttons with Busy Beaver Button Co.

Busy Beaver loves Ramblin Rod!

Thanks to DOUG

Apparently there is a Cable Access show called “Godesses” which is for the Plus Size gals.  They discovered quite the raw talent in the “Erotic Rapper Donald”.  Really.

Also, the vest he is wearing in the beginning of this clip is made out of the same material as the upholstery at the bar I work at.  AMAZING!  He is so much classier than the bar I work at.

Source: Best Week Ever

I thought long and hard about whether or not I should post this video and ultimately came to the conclusion of screw it, I’ll post it, but only on account of it’s sheer insanity. If you get halfway through and are waiting for it get better, don’t bother cuz it’s not going to.

For some reason lately I’ve taken an interest in clips of horrifically crazy cable access shows. Two of the best that I’ve found are Spirit of Truth, which features a cursing preacher who is most likely heavily addicted to crack, and Flaccid Ego, which a is a free psychic reading call-in show where the psychic angrily hangs on every caller before they can speak. Both shows are incredible, but much to my dismay one of the shows is just a comedian doing an act which makes it far less enjoyable.

Can you guess which one is fake? Take the poll after the videos.

Spirit Of Truth:

Flaccid Ego – Psychic

Updates! Press is okay.

(Previously we received coverage for the first “Experimentally Ill” -
featured (interview/event preview) in Metro Boston’s entertainment
section, pg. 13 of the 7/10/08 edition – “License to ILL” by Sarah Shanfield. http://www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2008/07/10/02/3327-66/index.xml?print=1
)

A bigger, two page article, with, me, Mike Phelan O’Toole on the front page of The Needham Times paper in their “Week of 9/3 ” edition is out now, available online at
http://www.wickedlocal.com/needham/news/x1001331782/Needham-resident-promotes-creativity-through-cable-access-show

“EXPERIMENTALLY ILL 2″ : An Indie Showcase of Alternative Film

A little piece of insanity returns to the historic Coolidge Corner
Theatre at 290 Harvard Street in Brookline, MA, as spoken word
performer, Vh1 hopeful, actor and video artist Mike Phelan O’Toole and
cable access
legend and WBCN radio personality Quincy Brisco (of the Toucher and
Rich Show) host a brand new entertaining, eclectic D.I.Y. filmic
tapestry!

If funky animation, quirky cult flicks, comedy and non-pretentious art
movies sound cool to you, sit back and relax in the Coolidge’s
incredible Video Screening Room from 7-9PM on Thursday, the eleventh
of September, 2008! This venue welcomes us back for another big live
event, featuring visually stunning, odd and entertaining underground
films, video shorts, music videos, and live action tomfoolery with a
crew of unique personalites like no other. Admission is two dollars to
help allow future shows. The first “Experimentally Ill” was very
popular, so plan to arrive early.

Peep out moving images never before screened at the Coolidge! Marvel
as special guest speakers provide A’s for your Q’s after the
screening!

And what flicks and which guests are in store for you this time ’round? Read on:

*Collaborations from Mike Phelan O’Toole and Lawrence Hollie’s “Random
Acts” community television show

*A spoken word audio performance by Mike Phelan O’Toole, coupled with
videography of model Jennifer Mitchell. Videography by Lawrence Hollie.

*The best, most colorfully insane of Quincy Brisco’s “Quincy’s Perspective”

*Orrin Zucker and Jerry Zucker’s EMMY-winning “It’s Jerry Time!”
animations (of the ongoing web series “It’s Jerry Time!”)

*Local artist/writer/filmmaker D.L. Polonsky’s surreal comedy “Urban
Fairy,” edited by Mike Phelan O’Toole, and starring special guest for
the evening, Richard Berman.

*Sketch comedy shorts and the docu/mocumentary “Burning Ambition of A
Solutionist – A Love Story” by comedy team “The Peanut Butter
Solutionists” (Trevor Martin and Conor Sullivan)

*The world premiere of a far-out visual collage, “Indie-visuality” by
D.L. Polonsky

*James Bernardinelli’s cult sensation series “Perfect Jimmy Gone
Wild,” featuring avant-garde sketch comedy and surreal, hilarious
animation

*Mike Clement’s latest wacky puppetry, laced with biting social commentary!

*Jesse Kreitzer’s “Pearlswig” documentary about Boston’s forty year
veteran, #1 celebrity autograph hound and paparazzi – Jerome
Pearlswig.

*Lauren Rossi’s psychedelic visual journey “Outer Layers,” and
experimental documentary/reality-based pieces.

*DJ Benny Appell’s commentary and comedy “The Price Is Wrong” music video

*Dom Portalla’s short films “Jimmy’s Birthday,” “Double Date,” and more.

*The inspiring insanity of “Monsterface TeeVee” by muli-media rock and
sock extravaganza band Uncle Monsterface

*A comedy horror film “The Leaves” by Andrew Eldridge

*A horror thriller – the award-winning “Denoucement”

*The debut of the video created by Lawrence Hollie and Mike Phelan
O’Toole for rising Boston and Ireland rock band MidAtlantic (formerly
The Bleedin Bleedins)’s song “Shine”

And more to be announced!
Line-up subject to change.

e-mail mikeovideo@gmail.com for more info or press interviews.

Visit MikePhelanOToole.com , Youtube.com/Captureman,
Youtube.com/randomacts73, MySpace.com/MikeOToole, and
MikeOCast.blogspot.com for news as it breaks!
Visit http://coolidge.org for venue info and directions.

♫ They’ll suck a dick up
til they hiccup
for a fee ♪
-Alexyss K Tylor

Warning to Gay Boys

It’s long, but it’s worth it. She gets more outrageous as she goes. I especially love how she tries to be erudite, between her fits of “goddamn!” and various ghettoness. If this were a skit, I’d likely be offended. Somehow, her earnestness makes it okay. Check our her website, YouTube, and MySpace.  Or just give her a call.
I want her to be my new best friend.
Addendum: This one is even better. I wish I’d seen it first. 03:50 – 04:05 nearly killed me.

Related posts: Lesbian Gang Rapists! - Prostitution Solution - Word of the Week: Medibation

In honor of Uppity’s post I’d like to add a classic cable access show, “Let’s Paint, Exercise, and Blend drinks.” It’s pure genius and the gang members calling in is priceless. Who knew crips watch local tv?

…a Portland original

Sister Paula Nielson is a Portland native who occupies a very difficult cultural space as a transgendered, evangelical Christian. To many people this combination of identities seems impossible, but she makes no apologies about who she is and has been out in the public via her cable access show since 1987. I keep hearing that cable access is in serious jeopardy these days and I think it would be a real shame if it went away. I don’t know about the characters out there in other cities, but here in Portland Sister Paula is one of many interesting people out there addressing the community through this unique and important medium. Even though I don’t subscribe to organized religion I admire the way Sister Paula challenges the established paradigms about what both trans-people and christians look like. Growing up gay in a small, heavily christian community in the South I really admire Sister Paula for carving out a niche for herself in spite of the resistance. With so much of the opposition to queer and trans people’s civil rights being based on a few obscure bible scriptures, we need more people like Sister Paula out there stirring shit up and challenging the christian-haters in their own language. Check out this video where she takes on the “bible-bigots.”

Being big on movies, especially those of the B ilk, I come across some real crazy stuff sometimes. So it was only a matter of time until I come to know of Charles E. Cullen. This guy is great – he writes, directs, produces, and stars in his own films. A regular Donald G. Jackson he is, producing such dandies with the titles of CURSE OF THE MUMMY CAT, and even a zombie flick entitled THE SOUTH SHALL RISE AGAIN. Spectacular stuff, decked out with the cheesiest special effects, perhaps worth the $12 he asks for them.

This is the guy B horror/action flick indie directors want to be. Starring in your films as a badass, riding horses, wearing long coats, and just generally acting like you’re a badass mouthing off one-liners that’d make Bruce Campbell proud. 

It’s guy’s like Cullen, with that “grab the VHS camcorder and shoot” attitude, that I find to be the most inspirational filmmakers of all. Few will ever see their films, even fewer will ever take notice, but they keep on marching on with their self produced DVDs for sale. Kudos!

http://cullenstudios.net