Entertainment

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Disney Princesses as role models

Apparently there is a Christian group out there that wishes girls would be more like Disney princesses. I’m assuming they mean they want women to be more lady-like and demure, and let the man save them and so on.

It should be noted that many of those Disney films are from a time where women had great trouble trying to be anything but the loving mother and wife. disney-princesses-photo Snow White, for instance, came out only 17 years after women got the right to vote. Modern Disney films find female characters taking a bit more control over their lives.

Some of you may know that I am a bit of an animation historian. (Seriously. I founded a magazine called “Animato!” that was quite successful in the ’90s, and I’ve been quoted in “Entertainment Weekly” and in a number of books about animation.) So I love discussing this sort of thing.

So let’s humor the traditionalists for a minute and look at the lessons we can get from these Disney princesses — I’m not sure they’re exactly the lessons the conservatives want given…

Snow White: Lived with seven men

Cinderella: Snuck out of the house to go to a party

Aurora: Fell in love and married the first man to kiss her while she was unconscious

Ariel: Disobeyed her father and ran away to have an inter-species relationship

Belle: Suffered from Stockholm’s Syndrome, stayed with a man who abused her, and dabbled in bestiality

Jasmine: Ran away from home and fell in love with a “street rat”

Pocahontas: Disobeyed her father and fell in love with the enemy (We can debate whether she really should be considered a “princess” — we’re kind of stretching the definition here a bit)

Mulan: Disobeyed her parents, refused to follow traditional female roles, became a cross-dresser, and broke her country’s laws

Tiana: Refused to accept a traditional female role and engaged in an inter-racial marriage at a time when it was illegal in her state (Also doubtful she should be considered a “princess” but Disney defines this very loosely for marketing purposes. I’ve seen pictures where they included Meg and Esmerelda, and that is just getting ridiculous. And “Anastasia” wasn’t a Disney film!)

Rapunzel: Disobeyed her “mother” and ran away with the first man she ever met

Merida: Refused to obey her parents, refused traditional women’s roles, dabbled with the occult

Yep! Great examples for today’s girls!

Disclaimer: I’m just having some fun here. Don’t take any of this too seriously!

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Miley Circus and the sex symbols

Look, I really don’t care about Miley Cyrus. Seriously, musical artists have been trying to be outrageous since Elvis twirled his hips on Ed Sullivan. The problem is that the bar keeps getting raised (or perhaps lowered) to the point where to outrage people any more, you have to practically be disgusting.naughty librarian

What really astounds me is that anyone finds this sexy. I admittedly have not watched the performance but I can’t miss the pictures. They’re everywhere. Now, I know not everyone has the same tastes (thankfully) but I do find it sad that the “sexy” image for girls these days seems to be this.

Now, don’t get me wrong. They have every right to dress and act as slutty as they want — and that’s not an invitation, boys. And obviously someone thinks it’s attractive or they wouldn’t be doing this.

But for me? Give me the naughty librarian any time. Looks and brains — rowr!

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Boycotting artists

Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite authors. I really enjoy his “Alvin Maker” series and I have quite of few of his books. I met him probably ten years ago at a convention and we had a nice talk.

He’s also a homophobic right-wing idiot who has absolutely hateful views about gays and gay marriage.

A movie of his most famous book (“Ender’s Game”) is being released soon, and there is a movement to boycott the film because of his politics. “Don’t give him any money!” they’re saying.9780812550702

While I agree that his politics are hateful, I’m not sure we should be judging art based on the artist’s politics, and it seems like maybe that’s where this is headed.

Oh, I understand — you don’t want him to get rich off of this, and you don’t want your money going to causes you don’t agree with. Nothing wrong with that — that’s what boycotts are for. In that sense this isn’t any different from boycotting Chik-Fil-A.

But, I dunno, when dealing with creative stuff like books or art or music … should we always ask “Does this person have political views I agree with?” before enjoying their work? There are many artists who were terrible people (Picasso comes to mind) but does that diminish their work? I hope no one is refusing to read my books because they don’t like my politics …

Years ago, many conservatives boycotted the Dixie Chicks because they were mad about their politics, and liberals criticized them for doing so. I hate to think liberals are being hypocrites here. Either boycotting artists for their political views is fine or it isn’t.

And with things like movies, do we look to all the people who will profit from this film? Movies involve thousands of people, not a handful (like a band) or an individual (like an author). Do we need to know what the key grip thinks about gay marriage? Should we ask all the Foley artists to submit to a questionnaire before deciding whether we should see the film?

So while my heart says, “Yeah, I don’t want Card to think I agree with him,” at the same time I also ask “Should I boycott art that has nothing to do with the issue I am boycotting?”

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May the 4th be with you — except the prequels

I love a good pun (as anyone who has checked out my book titles know)… And today I am being bombarded on Facebook with “Star Wars Day” — not because the film was released today or anything, but simply for the pun.

I remember seeing the first film (now known as “A New Hope”) about a week after it came out. My friend Gary Walker had seen it and was raving about it, so we went down to the local mall to see it. I enjoyed it tremendously, and anxiously awaited each sequel. Although I read a lot of science fiction, I was never a Star Wars fanboy. I didn’t buy the books or toys (I was already in college), and still can’t name all the side characters everyone knows by heart, but there’s no doubt I enjoyed the films.

Then Lucas ruined the films with the prequels — or as they are known around my house “The Films Which Shall Not Be Named.”

There are thousands of stories that could be told in the Star Wars universe (which I hope Disney will consider). Instead, Lucas gives us the earlier story of Darth Vader.

Let’s ignore the fact that the films are terribly directed and acted, full of cartoony CGI, and look like their primary purpose is to sell toys. Let’s just talk about the story of the prequels.

Where’s the suspense? We know how the trilogy ends. We know what happens to Vader. There were absolutely no surprises or twists or “Luke, I’m your father” moments in the film.

To make matters worse, anyone watching the films in order today will have all the twists in the later films spoiled. “Oh, Vader is Luke’s father? Big deal, I knew that two films ago.”

But the films also are not consistent in and of themselves. Vader creates C3PO when he’s a kid and yet C3PO never mentions this to anyone in the later films? And Vader just forgets? And seriously, if you’re trying to hide Luke from Vader, why are you putting him on the planet where he was born, using the same last name?

Besides, Jar Jar Binks.

So let’s hope Disney takes the new films they are making in the Star Wars universe and does something new. We don’t have to see the same story again. There are trillions of people in the universe, let’s have some of their stories. Disney has a good producer/director/writer in charge, and I have A New Hope that things will be better. (Heh)

Just keep Lucas away from it.

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The Beatles Challenge

It’s been 50 years since the first Beatles album was released. So let’s have a look back for a minute, and consider this.

Below are 100 songs written by the Beatles between late 1962 and late 1969. That’s right — the Beatles recorded their entire collection within seven years, in the time most bands these days produce 2 or maybe 3 albums. Moreover, they went from “She loves you, yeah yeah yeah” to “I read the news today, oh boy” in a period of a little over three years, dragging the rest of pop music behind.
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So here’s the challenge: Can you name any other group that comes anywhere close to this record? Here, look at this list of their 100 best-known songs. See how many of these songs you know.

1962
Love Me Do

1963
Please Please Me
I Saw Her Standing There
Do You Want to Know a Secret?
From Me To You
She Loves You
It Won’t Be Long
All My Loving
I Want To Hold Your Hand
This Boy

1964
Can’t Buy Me Love
You Can’t Do That
A Hard Day’s Night
I Should Have Known Better
If I Fell
And I Love Her
I’ll Cry Instead
Any Time at All
Things We Said Today
I Feel Fine
She’s a Woman
Eight Days a Week
I’ll Follow the Sun
No Reply
Baby’s in Black

1965
Ticket to Ride
Help!
Yes It Is
You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away
I’ve Just Seen a Face
Yesterday
Drive My Car
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
You Won’t See Me
Nowhere Man
Michelle
Girl
In My Life
Day Tripper
We Can Work It Out

1966
Paperback Writer
Rain
Taxman
Eleanor Rigby
Here, There, and Everywhere
Yellow Submarine
She Said She Said
Good Day Sunshine
And Your Bird Can Sing
Got to Get You Into My Life
Tomorrow Never Knows
Penny Lane
Strawberry Fields Forever

1967
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help From My Friends
Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
Getting Better
When I’m Sixty Four
Lovely Rita
A Day in the Life
All You Need is Love
Baby You’re a Rich Man
Hello Goodbye
I Am The Walrus
Magical Mystery Tour
The Fool on the Hill

1968
Lady Madonna
Across the Universe
All Together Now
Hey Bulldog
Hey Jude
Revolution
Back in the USSR
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Happiness is a Warm Gun
Martha My Dear
Blackbird
Rocky Raccoon
Birthday
Mother Nature’s Son
Helter Skelter

1969
Get Back
Don’t Let Me Down
Two of Us
Let It Be
I’ve Got a Feeling
The Long and Winding Road
The Ballad of John and Yoko
Old Brown Shoe
Come Together
Something
Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
Oh! Darling
Octopus’ Garden
Here Comes the Sun
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End

EDIT:  Ten years after posting this, I included it in my book “The Beatles on the Charts” — and no one has been able to challenge it!  🙂

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Oscars: What Won, What Should Have Won

A lighter topic today!

The Oscars are this weekend, and I’m one of those unusual straight guys who doesn’t know who won the Super Bowl, but can tell you what won Best Picture for the past thirty years.

Here’s my list of the films that won Best Picture and my choice of what should have won.  This is an entirely subjective list, although I did consider Oscar worthiness.  For instance, while “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” may be one of my favorite films, even I don’t think it deserved an Oscar.

Admittedly, I have not seen every single film on this list.  Sometimes I really don’t need to — I don’t have to see “The Greatest Show on Earth” to know that “Singin’ in the Rain” is better.  Just about every critic in the world would agree on that.

What Won What Should Have Won
1928 Wings The Circus
1929 Broadway Melody Steamboat Bill, Jr.
1930 All Quiet on the Western Front All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 Cimarron City Lights
1932 Grand Hotel Scarface
1933 Calvacade King Kong
1934 It Happened One Night It Happened One Night
1935 Mutiny on the Bounty Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 The Great Ziegfeld Modern Times
1937 The Life of Emile Zola Lost Horizon
1938 You Can’t Take it With You The Adventures of Robin Hood
1939 Gone With the Wind The Wizard of Oz
1940 Rebecca The Grapes of Wrath
1941 How Green Was My Valley Citizen Kane
1942 Mrs. Miniver Sullivan’s Travels
1943 Casablanca Casablanca
1944 Going My Way Double Indemnity
1945 The Lost Weekend Spellbound
1946 The Best Years of Our Lives It’s a Wonderful Life
1947 Gentleman’s Agreement Monsieur Verdoux
1948 Hamlet The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
1949 All the King’s Men All the King’s Men
1950 All About Eve Sunset Boulevard
1951 An American in Paris An American in Paris
1952 The Greatest Show on Earth Singin’ in the Rain
1953 From Here to Eternity From Here to Eternity
1954 On the Waterfront Rear Window
1955 Marty Mister Roberts
1956 Around the World in 80 Days The Searchers
1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai Witness for the Prosecution
1958 Gigi Touch of Evil
1959 Ben-Hur Some Like it Hot
1960 The Apartment Psycho
1961 West Side Story Judgment at Nuremberg
1962 Lawrence of Arabia Lawrence of Arabia
1963 Tom Jones Tom Jones
1964 My Fair Lady Dr. Strangelove
1965 The Sound of Music The Sound of Music
1966 A Man for All Seasons A Man for All Seasons
1967 In The Heat of the Night Bonnie and Clyde
1968 Oliver 2001: A Space Odyssey
1969 Midnight Cowboy Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
1970 Patton M*A*S*H
1971 The French Connection A Clockwork Orange
1972 The Godfather The Godfather
1973 The Sting American Graffiti
1974 The Godfather Part 2 The Godfather Part 2
1975 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
1976 Rocky Taxi Driver
1977 Annie Hall Annie Hall
1978 The Deer Hunter The Deer Hunter
1979 Kramer verses Kramer Apocalypse Now
1980 Ordinary People The Empire Strikes Back
1981 Chariots of Fire Raiders of the Lost Ark
1982 Gandhi ET
1983 Terms of Endearment The Right Stuff
1984 Amadeus Amadeus
1985 Out of Africa Brazil
1986 Platoon Platoon
1987 The Last Emperor Empire of the Sun
1988 Rain Man Rain Man
1989 Driving Miss Daisy Do The Right Thing
1990 Dances with Wolves Goodfellas
1991 The Silence of the Lambs The Silence of the Lambs
1992 Unforgiven Malcolm X
1993 Schindler’s List Schindler’s List
1994 Forrest Gump Pulp Fiction
1995 Braveheart The American President
1996 The English Patient Fargo
1997 Titanic Amistad
1998 Shakespeare in Love Saving Private Ryan
1999 American Beauty American Beauty
2000 Gladiator Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
2001 A Beautiful Mind The Fellowship of the Ring
2002 Chicago The Two Towers
2003 The Return of the King The Return of the King
2004 Million Dollar Baby Kill Bill 2
2005 Crash Munich
2006 The Departed The Departed
2007 No Country for Old Men No Country For Old Men
2008 Slumdog Millionaire The Dark Knight
2009 The Hurt Locker Inglorius Basterds
2010 The King’s Speech The Social Network
2011 The Artist Hugo