Jacqueline Taieb

Because there’s not enough 60s French girl pop music on teh interwebs for my taste.

“7 heure du matin”

Kay Hanley “Weaponize”

Former lead singer of  the 90s band Letters To Cleo Kay Hanley has a new album in release- “Weaponize“. Kay is one of the few artists who I will automatically purchase/download when they come out with something new.

Film Reviews, Decades Late

Many times I will read a book or see a movie because of references to it in modern culture, and the desire to simply know what everyone is talking about in relation to that book or movie. This is why I have read Moby Dick and Wuthering Heights and some of the works of Dickens and Kipling, among others. Some good flicks I’ve seen lately include Touch of Evil and Out Of The Past.

This week I saw two great movies, Wuthering Heights (1939) and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961).

With Wuthering Heights, I have now read the book and seen the movie. Suffice it to say, it’s a great story of ill-fated romance, and the movie version is far more streamlined than the novel. Merle Oberon’s acting is a little over the top by contemporary standards, and at times her machine-gun delivery had me reaching for the remote so I could replay her lines and try to understand what the hell she said. Lawrence Olivier is excellent as Heathcliff: by turns smitten, devoted, angry, and cruel; and I identified with that character, because I’ve known a woman or two who were like Cathy- come hither one minute, get the f*** out the next; ‘I’ll love you forever, but I’m marrying another man’. Yeah, I’ve known some Cathys.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s was a surprise, in that it had a few jarring elements I was not aware of in advance. I knew it was basically an Audrey Hepburn vehicle and was familiar with all the references to her iconic style and presence, but that was it- I didn’t know what the story was about. It’s implied that Holly Golightly (Hepburn) might be a callgirl or escort, and that she depends on the generosity of anonymous men to pay the rent. Paul Varjak (George Peppard) moves into the building and becomes Holly’s neighbor; he is a struggling writer who is not above whoring himself out to his older lady literary agent.

Holly and Paul ‘meet cute’ and embark upon a series of adventures and encounters around New York City, they dispense with some subplots, and eventually the movie gets to the happy ending in the rain. The element that nearly spoils the movie is fat little Mickey Rooney as the Japanese upstairs neighbor “Mr. Yunioshi”- complete with a dental appliance to give him buck teeth and makeup to appear Asian. Other than yelling down at Holly about her noisy revels and doing pratfalls in his apartment for comedic relief, this character adds nothing to the story. He has no other interaction with Holly or Paul. To my mind, the film doesn’t miss a beat if they lose this character; but if the producers had to have this character, why not just have the part played by a Japanese actor?

All of this is redeemed by Audrey Hepburn, who is adorable- there’s no other way to put it- and the Oscar-winning song “Moon River”. When Holly sits on her windowsill and signs this song, Hepburn’s star power closes the deal with the audience.

Obama’s Comments Could Set KSM Free

Obama’s Comments Could Set KSM Free

My friends, the time has come to consider whether or not the President of the United States is a complete idiot.

In our country, in civil court, the defendant enjoys the presumption of innocence. It is up to the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a defendant is guilty. This has been a bedrock principle of our legal system that predates the Constitution, and can trace its roots back to the Magna Carta.

“Presumed innocent, unless and until proven guilty”.

When a person in power who holds sway over the fate of the defendant makes prejudicial statements before trial, a defense lawyer can use those statements in an effort to free his client. Defense can move that his client cannot possibly receive a fair trial in light of such statements, and can- and if he has any brains at all, SHOULD- move to have the case dismissed, or have a mistrial declared.

President Obama, on the upcoming trial of Kalid Sheikh Muhammed, and the negative public reaction to the decision to hold that trial in New York City:

In an interview with NBC News, Obama defended his administration’s decision to try Mohammed and four other accused plotters of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack in a New York court. Critics have said it is offensive to afford Mohammed the same legal rights and privileges granted to defendants in U.S. courts but Obama said those critics will not find it “offensive at all when he’s convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him.”

“…when he’s convicted and when the death penalty is applied…”

Not ‘IF’, but ‘WHEN’.

The President of the United States has expressed the prosecutorial bias of the United States Government. He has announced IN ADVANCE not only the verdict, but the punishment.

With this flippant, ill-considered, and blatantly stupid off-hand comment, the President has greatly increased the chances that Kalid Sheikh Muhammed, the mastermind of the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, the man who claims to have personally sawed off the head of Wall Street Journal writer Daniel Pearl, will be acquitted in federal court.

The President of the United States is a fool.

 

 

 

 

NYC 9/11 Trials A Sham?

So says Anthony Dick, writing at NRO’s The Corner:

Unseriousness, Again  
The strange thing about the Obama administration’s decision to hold these civilian al-Qaeda trials is that the project is flawed even based on the premises of its staunchest defenders:  They talk about due process and the rule of law, but the trials can’t possibly provide anything close to the level of objectivity that applies in an ordinary criminal-law setting.  There is no way the defendants will get an impartial jury in New York, and there is no way the government will actually release the terrorists if they are acquitted.  Thus the courtroom proceedings in Manhattan will be, in a very real sense, show trials. 

Click on the link for the entire piece.

Broncos’ mid-season collapse, now in progress

Redskins running back Ladell Betts scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 2:44 remaining in the fourth quarter

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The Denver Broncos were defeated today by the Washington Redskins, 27-17. That’s Denver’s 3rd straight loss, having also dropped games to Pittsburgh and Baltimore in recent weeks. For their part, the Redskins break a 4-game losing streak and improve to 3-6.

And now quarterback Kyle Orton is hurt with an ankle injury, so Unknown Backup Player will be taking snaps for the time being.

Denver opened the season with 6 straight wins, building up a significant lead over division rival San Diego. Now, the Chargers (5-3 pending the outcome of today’s game) are in good position to close the gap. They’re beating Philly 20-6 at the moment (7:59 in the 3rd quarter.) Should the Chargers prevail, they will be tied with Denver at 6-3.

And the San Diego Chargers visit the Denver Broncos next Sunday, November 22.

UPDATE: Chargers win, 31-23. Tied with Denver for 1st place in the AFC West.

This man is an embarrassment to the office and the institution of the Presidency.

US PRESIDENTS DO NOT SCRAPE AND BOW

…except the fool who currently occupies the office once graced by great men.

Here is b Hussein Obama, supplicating himself to the emperor of Japan:

What an ass.

The United States of America was founded by men who risked everything to throw off the chains of tyranny; who rejected monarchy and ‘the divine right of kings’; and who believed with all their heart that ”… all men are created equal.”

The Founders pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to this proposition.

American Presidents do not bow their heads to any foreign leader.

b Hussein Obama has dishonored the institution of the Presidency with this unseemly and embarrassing behavior.

Click this link to see photos of other world leaders being greeted by the Japanese emperor without bowing

Hidden Strategy Behind NYC 9/11 Trials

Others are writing about how President Zero’s decision to bring the 9/11 conspirators to New York for trial is in part about staging a show trial of the entire Bush Administration approach to the global war against terrorism.

While there is validity to that argument, I submit there may be another reason, and it is one the Present often likes to toss at his political enemies-

Distraction.

Keep 9/11 and George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and waterboarding and Guantanamo front and center on the nightly cable news shows. While America is glued to that slow motion freak show, try to shove thru as many ridiculous executive orders and nominations and legislation you think you can get away with while no one is looking.

The Narcissist-In-Chief sees the writing on the wall: a potential Democrat wipeout in 2010, and the distinct possibility he will not be re-elected. He needs to get everything on his socialist America-destroying agenda enacted fast, before time runs out.

And we have to stop him.

Atty General has ALREADY jeopardized the outcome of the upcoming 9/11 trials

‘No, no!’ said the Queen. ‘Sentence first—verdict afterwards.’

This is the video of Attorney General Eric Holder’s press conference today, announcing that 5 detainees at Guantanamo Bay will be transferred to the US to stand trial for planning and executing the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks.

The video runs about 25 minutes, and includes Holder’s complete statement and the Q&A that followed in its entirety.

Shortly after the 18:00 mark, Holder says this:

“… we will be successful in our attempts to convict those men.”

Eric Holder has guaranteed the outcome of a criminal trial- verdict first, trial second.

I’m sure Kalid Sheikh Muhammed’s lawyers will have a field day with this statement.

Kate Beckinsale is the jelly doughnut to my Homer Simpson

Many ugly events lately. The only thing that can shake that off for me is Kate. She’s jelly doughnuts. She’s more cowbell. She’s covered in awesome.