I attended the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this weekend. Hooray for books! I got to meet Lela Lee of Angry Little Girls fame, and I had her sign my copy of her new book. Hooray for me!
At the panels I went to, most of the audience was older and white. Unfortunately, most of the panelists were, too. Except for the Jada Pinkett Smith/Sistah Souljah stage, and the Writing between Races panel (which was the best! Click these words to learn about the five fabulous panelists), almost all of the people on the panels I attended were white. Most of them were male, more of them were affluent or comfortable, most of them were over 40. All of them were over 30. At least two of the panels had only white male speakers.
No, I did no select the panels I attended based on their abundance of old, rich white men. I chose topics that interested me, like authors who also write for TV, and novelists for young adults. Seeing the panelists magnified an pernicious problem of publishing: the vicious circle of who is allowed to speak in our society. To speak on a panel at the festival, you must have published a successful book. The people who have books published are usually white and mostly male, especially in nonfiction, even if the topics of their books are not other white people. Which leaves a bunch of people, like me, discouraged and dissatisfied, about the types of stories that being told, or more precisely, the types of stories that are not being told.
Outside of the panels, the crowd of thousands milling about the booths and stages was more diverse. Thought at the Patton Oswalt stage, the audience was more diverse in age and possibly in economic background than it was in color. Mostly different sizes and shades of white people. But I did stand next to one of the other two black ladies in the audience. Progress!
.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Celebrating books by certain successful people
Saturday, April 30, 2011
"They're wedding gnomes!"
Forget CNN or the BBC. Here is my favorite coverage of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton:
"Oh no. Do you know what?"
"What?"
"I'm thinking about the fact that one in five public sector workers in Britain are about to lose their jobs."
"Yes, that is very sad, actually."
"Isn't it terrible?"
"Yes."
Yeah, dude. It's horrible! Though, I do like those gnomes. Funny hats.
Victoria Mather, friend of the British royal family, has a different take on the situation:
"I think the British taxpayer is being very mean about moaning about paying for this wedding. I mean, it's a privilege, isn't it?"
Thank goodness it's not my privilege. My taxes are going to better things, like three illegal wars on foreign soil.
"I'd prefer to be paying for the royal wedding and cleaning the streets afterwards and for all the security than to be paying for illegal immigrants to claim benefits and live in sinker states."
"Oh! Why not make it a race issue?"
"Yes!"
No!
Did Mr. Oliver say that the royal wedding will cost taxpayers 20 million pounds (at 2:38)? Based on current exchange rates, that's about 33 jillion dollars! You know how many British weddings I could throw for £20 million? About 20. Wedding planners don't come cheap.
.
Friday, April 29, 2011
"Thank you for knowing my name . . . Brendan Fraser?"
| Jokes.com | ||||
| Kumail Nanjiani - Hey Kumar | ||||
| ||||
"I want to be so famous that I'm the pop culture reference that people would make to try and be racist to me."
So do I! Except not in a mean racist way. More in a model minority way, like when people compare me to Oprah or Queen Latifah or Whoopi Goldberg, or other successful black women on the TV who have some extra padding in the tuchis. Though I haven't gotten Mo'nique or Wendy Williams yet. I'm sure that day will come.
.
"We're at a research facility, and the cat's missing!"
| Jokes.com | ||||
| Kumail Nanjiani - Horror Movies | ||||
| ||||
"We're okay with you murdering people with your needle gloves. But racism?"
Tsk tsk.
.
"Why won't Barack Obama release his elementary school report cards?"
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| America Needs to See Obama's Report Cards | ||||
| ||||
"I have no proof that he's even a black man! He could be white! And if that's the case, I don't understand why we're questioning his legitimacy."
.
They're not my Republican friends.
"The issue it seems to me is with a $1.6 trillion deficit, it is insane to think that the only way you're gonna move toward a balanced budget is by slashing college Pell grants, by cutting Medicaid, by converting Medicare into a voucher program, by cutting programs that working class people and middle-class people desperately need. And at the same time, our Republican friends say, 'Well, we're gonna to do all of these terrible things to the most vulnerable people in America, but you know what, we're not going to ask billionaires to pay a nickel more in taxes.' I think that that is insane."
. . .
"Working people have rights. Health care should be a right of all people, not just a privilege of the wealthy."
.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Actor? Painter? Korean pop star? Ice cream magnate?
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Renaissance Nemesis - Frank Jameso | ||||
| ||||
"I'm so Renaissance than under my suit I'm wearing a codpiece."
I'd like to fancy myself a Renaissance Lady, or a polymath, if you will. But apparently, I need to step my game up. Let's start with the ice cream. I've got ideas, Ben & Jerry.
.
I do enjoy the little boy eating the Pill, but
I do have two questions about Bridesmaids:
1. Why is this the only movie with an all-female cast coming out this year? I need more movies about platonic lady-friends.
2. How does Maya Rudolph's character have only white friends? Does producer Judd Apatow want to maintain his consistency of keeping any brown people from mucking up the screen? (Watch his movies, and tell me I'm wrong.) This whitewashing syndrome is not exclusive to Mr. Apatow's projects, but it is glaringly apparent in this movie. It's worse than when Rashida Jones's character in I Love You, Man had only white friends and conveniently had no family at all. (What, Quincy couldn't make an appearance?) Or when Jennifer Lopez had no family either in Monster-in-Law.
3. Why did I watch Monster-in-Law?.
Please leave comments! :)
.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
"Speaking of never intending to give factual statements, Fox and Friends."
"You can get a pap smear or a breast exam at Walgreens . . . Ladies, just look for the stirrups."
Readers, that remark was not intended to be a factual statements. Keep your pants on at the drugstore.
.
Friday, April 01, 2011
"If I were you, I'd watch out for red flags."
"But what if I'm like a flag factory that only manufactures giant red flags?"
.
Monday, March 21, 2011
"Why can't you hold the camera steady?"
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Colbert PAC Ad | ||||
| ||||
"Making a better tomorrow, tomorrow."
.
Friday, March 18, 2011
"I need to keep my hand up."
"Success and likability are positively correlated for men, and negatively correlated for women."
I hear that. Preach the word, Big Bird.
.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
"The original Cosby Show, which cured racism against black people."
It's nice to see Keshia Knight Pulliam still getting work.
.
"I am a huge fan of Santorum . . . the Senator!"
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Rick Santorum Internet Search | ||||
| ||||
"You can eat your nachos again."
.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
"I never sleep on planes."
"I don't want to get incepted."
For those of you who watched the entire episode, I too would like to have a baby in Canada with John Cho, the famous Québécois mobile meth dealer.
.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Two months later
I wish my illegitimate TV dad could be played by Alan Alda. And I've never even seen M*A*S*H.
.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Who let that puppet on The Daily Show?
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Michael Steele Pt. 1 | ||||
| ||||
"Reince Priebus? Is that a name, or are you taking a final at Hogwarts?"
.
Darn those foreigners taking our jobs.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Tip/Wag - British Superman & Big Flats Beer | ||||
| ||||
"Take that, 2006!"
.
Friday, February 04, 2011
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Uncle Tom, Uncle Remus, and that guy from the Facebook movie
You know what's hilarious? A cocktail of misogyny and racism, mixed with a dollop of anti-Semitism and a dash of general body hatred.
Not Dean Edwards: Igor, man. Where'd you get that brain?
Jesse Eisenberg: Ah, from a woman who had just died.
Not Dean: What kind of woman?
Jesse: She worked at the DMV.
Not Dean: And what about the fingernails?
Jesse: From a cashier at Walgreens.
Not Dean: And where did you get the mouth?
Jesse: From a ho who didn't know her place.
The sketch continues:
Jesse: Master, I don't understand. Why doesn't he just tell her he's the man, and that she should do as he says?
Not Dean: You ever been with a sista?
Jesse: No.
Not Dean: Then you wouldn't understand.
Jesse: I've just been with Jewish girls.
Not Dean: Then you kinda understand.
Jesse: Yes.
Jesse Eisenberg, do you kiss you bubbe with that mouth? Speaking of bubbes, I should give a shout-out to my own: Hello! Thank you for reading. :) Who am I kidding? My grandmother doesn't read my blog. She doesn't even own a computer.
If only Igor and Dr. Frankenstein and his monster could find some more docile women to associate with, for example, some imaginary Asian women who will blow them in public bathrooms. I'm just saying.
Just when I was feeling happy about being me. But yet again, in the words of Joan Holloway, "No matter how powerful we get around here, they can just draw another cartoon."
.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
So right again, Stephen T. Colbert
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| The Word - Coverage of Denial | ||||
| ||||
"If you're really good at pretending, maybe you can get a job as a Republican member of Congress. Because pretending to help you is apparently a big part of what they do."
.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
"You'll be the talk of your tailgate."
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Coma Cozy | ||||
| ||||
I know I'll be talking about you, behind your back and to your face. Those are oversized baby pajamas! You cannot wear adult onesies outside of your house.
.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Apparently, it's always a good night for me.
"I wanna remember my night, and sometimes I just don't. And it sucks. So you're like, 'What did I do? Why did I end up in a garbage can?'"
End up in a garbage can? Are you sure that's not where your night began, Snook?
.
I didn't read War and Peace either.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| What's a Reince Priebus? | ||||
| ||||
Also, I think Ann Wagner's answer was a cry for help. Poor drunk lady.
.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
"You funny!"
From Comedy Central's Hot List 2010:
Chelsea Peretti: You're a lady, correct?
Natasha Leggero: Correct! Um, yes. I'm very excited to be a lady.
Chelsea: Oh, god, who isn't?
Natasha: You do a lot of shows with ladies, right?
Chelsea: Well, let's play nice. I hate ladies as much as the next lady.
Natasha: [laughing]
Chelsea: But, people do think it's like a compliment to say, "You're funny. You're the funniest girl." Or usually, here's what I get--
Natasha: "Usually I don't think women are funny."
Chelsea: "Usually I don't think women are funny," yeah.
Natasha: "But you--"
Chelsea: "But you, however--"
Natasha: "You funny!"
Chelsea: "You were pretty funny."
Natasha: "For a woman."
Chelsea: I hate it when someone says, "You're pretty funny." Like, I don't need that thrown in the mix, the "pretty funny". The intros are always the worst.
Natasha: "You guys ready for a lady?"
Chelsea: "You ready for a lady?" Like this freak show's about to march onstage.
Natasha: [laughing]
Chelsea: The worst is they're like, "She's lovely, and she's funny." And then you like trot out in a little dress and tap shoes. It's like such a stressful intro.
Natasha: [laughing]
Chelsea: This is so fun. We should hang out more.
Natasha: Uh, yeah, this is a nice place.
Chelsea: Do you want to hang out more, er . . .
Natasha: You know, I'm actually really busy right now.
Chelsea: Okay, okay.
Oh, funny ladies.
.
My new favorite Christmas commercial.
I like how it shows that not everyone who shops at Target is a wife or a mom. Other people need affordable merchandise, too.
I expect my next favorite Christmas commercial to be even better. :)
.
Friday, December 03, 2010
"Where's our thanks for introducing Indians to whiskey?"
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| John Thune Looks Presidential | ||||
| ||||
"Don't forget the Chinese!"
.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Make other plans, little ladies.
Disney Will Stop Making Princess Movies Because Boys Think They're Icky, by Tim Grierson, Yahoo! Movies.
On Wednesday, Disney will be releasing "Tangled," the studio's 50th animated film. You might think that this would be cause for celebration, but from recent stories in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times, it appears that Disney Animation is in the midst of a major freak-out/reinvention. The main takeaway from these articles was that Pixar guru (and Disney Animation bigwig) John Lasseter is in the midst of reviving Disney's slumping non-Pixar animation projects. Oh, and he's done making movies about fairy tales and princesses.
"They may come back later because someone has a fresh take on it," Lasseter's Disney Animation co-chief Ed Catmull told the L.A. Times, "but we don't have any other musicals or fairy tales lined up." One reason is because the studio is fearful of alienating young boys, who supposedly won't see something like last year's "The Princess and the Frog." The other reason, frighteningly, is that young girls consider themselves too cool to want to be princesses.
[ . . . ]
Lasseter insists that these changes at Disney are all for the good and that people should give him and his team time to work their wonders. But still it's hard not to be completely depressed by these developments. It's not that we're clamoring for a slew of new "princess movies," but it seems like Disney Animation is now trying to chase trends rather than focusing on just making good movies.
Great idea, Mr. Lasseter. Eliminate the types of franchises that built the Disney brand for almost a century, including a multi-million dollar phenomenon that jettisoned your competitors to make as many knockoffs as possible.
Are boys really that valuable that you need to forsake your core audience in a desperate attempt to attract male attention? Boys and male characters are already overrepresented in children's media (you can read the ongoing research at the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media). They don't need another media empire pandering to them, especially not at the expense of girls however controversial Disney Princess stories may be.
For more discussion:
Disney Swears off Princesses, by Melissa Silverstein, Women and Hollywood.
It's the End of the Disney Princess Fairy Tale, But It Ain't Happily Ever After, by Suzanne Reisman, BlogHer.
.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
I would like a hug from a polar bear,
even though I'm not a married homeowner who wears a suit jacket with sneakers and slouchy pants. Dude, you're in your 40s. Dress like a grown-up.
Hello, 40-year-olds! Please leave a comment. :)
.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
"I speak American."
Harry Potter Stars Learn To Speak American, by Margaret Hartmann, Jezebel.
"It's the freedom language."
.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
"There is no way I'm working with her."
"Pause before you play."
Bristol Palin and The Situation tell you all about the importance of abstinence, by Sean O'Neal, The A.V. Club.
I should have paused and left after "Sitch" called her "B. Palin." And yet, I kept right on watching this debacle.
.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Reason #1 why I miss The L Word:
Angelica!
Okay, reason #2 why I miss The L Word: Every episode of the show passes The Bechdel Test.
What is The Bechdel Test, you ask?
- From FeministFrequency.com via The A.V. Club.
The last show I remember that passed The Bechdel Test before The L Word was The Baby-Sitters Club:
Oh, early 90s children's television shows. Where would those baby-sitters be now? (Kristy would probably be on The L Word. You were thinking it, too.)
Here is one of my favorite scenes from Season 4 of The L Word:
Oh Jenny. What a mess.
Readers, can you think of any shows that pass The Bechdel Test? Not even Dora the Explorer makes the cut.
.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
I would like to volunteer
for this position!
African-American Community Calls For New Black Nerd Archetype, The Onion.
A coalition of African-American activists and scholars released a strongly worded statement Monday citing the "urgent need" for popular media to depict a new black nerd archetype that more accurately reflects the full spectrum of 21st-century American dorkdom.
"Outdated representations of African-American nerds are simply not cutting it anymore," the statement read in part. "Perhaps in the '80s and '90s it was possible for young people to identify with Steve Urkel's hiked-up pants, nasal voice, and lovable catchphrase of 'Did I do that?' But today's black nerds are different."
"They may not carry slide rules and calculators, but they do carry smartphones to make posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare," the statement continued. "Yet where are the modern-day nerds of color in our films and television programs?"
According to the Dweeb Diversity Coalition, nerds in the African-American community continue, like their predecessors, to be socially awkward, hilariously unstylish, and a source of embarrassment for their cooler black friends. But a recent survey of pop-cultural archetypes found that in the current TV lineup, almost all nerd characters are white.
[ . . . ]
The prominent African-American writer, philosopher, and activist [Cornel West] went on to stress that the highest-profile nerds in today's media—Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera chief among them—are exclusively white. According to West, this leaves many nonwhite nerds feeling as though they have no option but to follow in the footsteps of suspect characters such as the reactionary Carlton Banks, who still appears in syndicated reruns of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
I can represent for nerdy girls, nerdy black people, and grape and strawberry Nerds (my favorite!). Just put me on TV, and let the magic begin.
.
Why you don't have a job.
The Fairy Jobmother and Downsized, by Todd VanDerWerff, The A.V. Club.
Report: Unemployment High Because People Keep Blowing Their Job Interviews, The Onion.
According to the findings, seven out of 10 Americans could have landed their dream job last month if they had known where they see themselves in five years, and the number of unemployed could be reduced from 14.6 million to 5 million if everyone simply greeted potential employers with firmer handshakes, maintained eye contact, and stopped fiddling with their hair and face so much.
[ . . . ]
"If applicants would just say yes when asked if they played softball or liked golf, we could add 350,000 jobs to the private sector," Deputy Labor Secretary Seth Harris said. "The fact is, right now, today, approximately a third of the country's manufacturing positions are vacant. Auto plants across the country, especially in Detroit, are sitting there just waiting for people to come in and build cars."
"You may be a qualified candidate, but none of that matters if you walk into that interview lacking confidence," he added. "Don't act too confident, though. And don't joke around too much. And don't be overly friendly or ask too many questions. But be yourself."
If only you knew how to shake hands, you'd be running the company.
.
Monday, November 08, 2010
Take a hint, Outsourced.
What's Outsourced, you ask? This is Outsourced:
Good job, NBC. :| It's no Studio 60, but really? Man-meat?
In better news: babies!
.
Saturday, November 06, 2010
"Why do you continue to mock our show?"
"Have you seen your show?"
That's Joel McHale, bringing the funny. :)
.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
"Like being gay, being British is a choice."
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Fear for All Pt. 1 | ||||
| ||||
"By the way, what is the difference between being English and being gay?"
"It's exactly the same thing."
~
There's more!
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Fear for All Pt. 2 | ||||
| ||||
"I know that what you call equality is an attack on me. If you get more rights, I have fewer rights. That's just math."
.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
"Making pizzas and smoking meat."
There are jokes I could tell, but I will restrain myself.
But Jimmy and Elijah are testing me with this clip:
Two guys reaching under their legs and pounding hard wood? Seriously? The rumors start themselves.
.
He will be on the telly!
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Elijah Wood | ||||
| ||||
FX Orders Elijah Wood Comedy Wilfred, by Natalie Abrams, TV Guide via Yahoo! TV.
FX has ordered Wilfred, a new comedy series starring Elijah Wood as an introvert trying to find happiness, the network announced Monday.
Adapted from the Australian series of the same name, the show revolves around Ryan (Wood) and his alter ego/imaginary friend Wilfred. Wilfred appears as a dog to the outside world, and as a walking, talking man in a dog costume to Ryan. Jason Gann, who co-created and starred in the original series, will play Wilfred.
Wilfred is "part Labrador retriever and part Russell Crowe on a bender," executive producer David Zuckerman says.
Excitement! Also, I'd like to see that tattoo.
.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
"At McDonald's, I'm like Matthew McConaug-hee."
| Night of Too Many Stars | Thursday, October 21, 2010 | |||
| Jim Gaffigan - Flesh Colored Suit | ||||
| ||||
"That's right, folks. This is what a size 38 waist looks like. Read it and weep, y'all."
I do love McDonald's fries. Don't hate.
.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
"Disabled interracial lesbians with an African kicker?"
"Did not see that coming."
I saw it coming! Poor Lily. :|
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
