Saturday, March 8, 2008
Franco-era clip 1974 Television Espanola New Year's Special
Someone has kindly and obsessively posted many propaganda newsreels from the Franco era, known as NO DO. He has also posted clips related to this horrific period in Spanish history related to the arts and pop culture. This is a clip from the 1974 New Year's Eve show on TVE featuring Lola Flores and, at the very end, noted comedic actress Lina Morgan and actor Andres Pajares. Priceless. This is fascinating not only because of the celebrities and the camp fashion but because it was the eve of 1975, the year the dictator finally died. I was living there in 1972-73 and returned in 1976, after Franco died.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Minister Can't Renounce His Love of Bling-Bling
My fabulous new facebook (for now though I plan to meet her in the summer!) friend in PR sent me a link to this fundamentalist propaganda film that claims that a church in the middle of nowhere in PR is the recipient of miraculous golden showers of jewels. The pastor, a former drag queen and homosexual who has renounced his "sin," alleges that since he took over the ministry, precious gems fall from the sky and appear in the humble place of worship. Clearly, Miss Thing cannot quite let go of her love of bling bling (el amol pol el blinblineo es muy fuelte) and also, this dovetails nicely with Boricuas' fascination with their Island's "specialness" and "supernaturalness."
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The Artworld's version of VOGUE (or Page Six?)
So a lot of people don't admit that they either do not read ARTFORUM any more, or that keep their stack in their bathroom (as one of the most intelligent curators I know does!) but I am not ashamed to say that I read it much like VOGUE, for the ads, which like VOGUE, take up about 75% of the "content." Also, I am not ashamed to say that the most fun part of ARTFORUM (if you exclude the Top Ten lists or the recent Feb. issue where Rob Storr *my Idol* popped off in his Letter to the Editor) is actually on-line, the ARTFORUM DIARY.
This online feature is similar to an Artworld version of HELLO! magazine but the pictures are not as interesting, and we don't get those faboo stories featuring the homes of Artworld Celebs, such as "Inside Artworld Fashionista Shamim Momin's Closet!" Speaking of, I recently learned that fashion designers lend hot curators outfits to rock in openings that are, of course, covered in places like ARTFORUM DIARY and allow for product placement, so "Sexy Powerful Curator X" wore "Prada" to Sexy Show of Powerful Artworld Insider at Establishment Museum." This is a lovely parallel to the product placement that often occurs when corporate entities fund shows whose content coincides with their product, or when gallerists partially fund their artists' shows, or finally, when artists are shown who have some familial/romantic link with a curator or gallerist married to a curator, you get the picture. For helpful examples of such incestuous Artworld pairings, you can read between the lines or check out the captions of the ARTFORUM Diary.
For a fun parody of ARTFORUM DIARY, cut and paste the link below to your browser:
This online feature is similar to an Artworld version of HELLO! magazine but the pictures are not as interesting, and we don't get those faboo stories featuring the homes of Artworld Celebs, such as "Inside Artworld Fashionista Shamim Momin's Closet!" Speaking of, I recently learned that fashion designers lend hot curators outfits to rock in openings that are, of course, covered in places like ARTFORUM DIARY and allow for product placement, so "Sexy Powerful Curator X" wore "Prada" to Sexy Show of Powerful Artworld Insider at Establishment Museum." This is a lovely parallel to the product placement that often occurs when corporate entities fund shows whose content coincides with their product, or when gallerists partially fund their artists' shows, or finally, when artists are shown who have some familial/romantic link with a curator or gallerist married to a curator, you get the picture. For helpful examples of such incestuous Artworld pairings, you can read between the lines or check out the captions of the ARTFORUM Diary.
For a fun parody of ARTFORUM DIARY, cut and paste the link below to your browser:
http://www.artforumdiary.com/
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
I will be your mirror
Thanks to Facebook, frequent travel and the fact that many people eventually pass through the New York City area, I have been introduced virtually and then actually to several absolutely amazing people who are friends of friends. People I might never have met but for the fact that someone I love went to school with, worked with, husband worked with, met at a conference etc. etc. I have spent months - often communicating several times a day or per week - with someone I have never been in the same room with, swapping amusing news stories, links to this blog, kvetching about politics...laughing hysterically over things they write or send to me. I love introducing my best friends to each other too, it makes me feel like I am less far away from them. (Many of my closest friends no longer live in the same city as me)
In order to facilitate these virtual introductions, my very articulate friends began to circulate "bios" of each of us each time a new person joined our circle of satire, tastelessness, camp, cultural critique and discussions about Anna Nicole Smith, Iris Chacon and whathaveyou. Here is my "bio":
She puts the Panic back in Hispanic. Classy, savvy, and able to negotiate HOLA magazine alongside Derrida's most complex
semiotic analyses while getting a pedicure in Manhattan. Has subverted every notion ever held on gender and performance and
ethnicity by being HOT HOT HOT in every way. Masters every linguistic register known to mankind. She can dine with HRH Elena de Borbon and bitch about Britney with a faded drag queen, all in one day. As a Hasbean she maintains a respectable level of lust for cleavage, punk rock, and Penelope Cruz's sister.
Now, if only this would also work as a way to find a boyfriend......
In order to facilitate these virtual introductions, my very articulate friends began to circulate "bios" of each of us each time a new person joined our circle of satire, tastelessness, camp, cultural critique and discussions about Anna Nicole Smith, Iris Chacon and whathaveyou. Here is my "bio":
She puts the Panic back in Hispanic. Classy, savvy, and able to negotiate HOLA magazine alongside Derrida's most complex
semiotic analyses while getting a pedicure in Manhattan. Has subverted every notion ever held on gender and performance and
ethnicity by being HOT HOT HOT in every way. Masters every linguistic register known to mankind. She can dine with HRH Elena de Borbon and bitch about Britney with a faded drag queen, all in one day. As a Hasbean she maintains a respectable level of lust for cleavage, punk rock, and Penelope Cruz's sister.
Now, if only this would also work as a way to find a boyfriend......
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
things I love right now
Iris Chacon 1970s film shown in Spain, includes the lovely voice-over to give her a fake Castillian accent.
The First Rule of Being a Colonial Exploiter: Know Your Colonies
I am sitting here after work, trying to unwind while I wait for the results in Ohio, Texas, hoping Obama wins...and my blood pressure went way up when my sister shared with me the article below. Basically, a politician in Orlando, Florida, home to almost 300,000 Boricuas, said that we are "foreign citizens." WTF??!?! Is this the one nation in history who is so fucking ignorant that they do not realize that A. they have colonies, and B. if they do, they do not know the most basic information about said colonies!! If I had a dime for every time someone educated, mind you, asked me about my citizenship, the currency we use, and other such stupid questions, I would be rocking a heinous comb-over and a smirk, that's right Donald Trump wealthy.
By the way Ginny Brown-Waite really is the actual name of the racist and stupid U.S. Representative though it sounds almost like a camp pseudonym for a bi-racial drag queen, right?
Here is the article:
Víctor Manuel Ramos | Sentinel Staff Writer
February 29, 2008
BROOKSVILLE — Ginny Brown-Waite, the U.S. representative who sparked controversy by calling Puerto Ricans "foreign citizens," was criticized again Thursday for telling a group of protesters to go to the local aquatic park "if the group needs to cool off."
Dozens of Puerto Ricans from Orlando and other parts of the state converged on Brooksville's small downtown Thursday morning to speak against the congresswoman who had offended them by referring to people from the U.S. territory as "foreign citizens."
Brown-Waite was not at her district office when the protesters arrived, but she left a written statement that offered them "a warm welcome," then suggested that "if the group needs to cool off" they should go watch the mermaids at Weeki Wachee — an invitation protesters said they found offensive and dismissive of their concerns.
"I recommend that they head down the road to Weeki Wachee for a fun afternoon at our water park," Brown-Waite said in her statement, adding: "It is disappointing that the Orlando partisan race hustlers who traveled to Hernando County today have chosen to continue the politics of division."
Brown-Waite, a Republican, also characterized the participation of Democrats in the rally as engaging in "race-based hysteria."
"She is insulting when she [tells] us to go down to Weeki Wachee, as if we were kids," said José A. Fernández, a rally organizer who is president of the Orange County chapter of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida.
"We are not kids. We are all grown-ups and we are very serious about what we are doing, and she should take it seriously too."
The crowd of about 70 protesters — mostly Puerto Ricans and some African-American supporters — said Thursday's comments by Brown-Waite added insult to injury. Brown-Waite initially angered Puerto Ricans when her office issued a news release in January about Congress' economic-stimulus package. In the process she called the people of Puerto Rico and Guam — both U.S. territories whose residents are U.S. citizens — "foreign citizens."
"She needs to get her facts straight. She needs to understand that we are not going to be her whipping boys or girls," said Samuel López, a Melbourne activist and a protest organizer.
Protesters marched down Brooksville's Main Street, stopping before the congresswoman's office as they shouted ¡Viva Puerto Rico! and "Ginny Waite has gotta go!" They also carried American and Puerto Rican flags, sang patriotic Puerto Rican hymns and carried signs with various versions of the same message: Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.
"This movement is a movement for respect," Ralph Morales, an activist from New York, told the crowd.
He cited the community's political strength, with more than 600,000 Puerto Ricans living in Florida. More than 280,000 live in Metro Orlando. "We have the capacity to change the political scene in the state of Florida," Morales said.
A sole counter-protester shouted the demonstration was "much ado about nothing!"
The man, who identified himself as A.M. Sevier of Brooksville, told protesters they had no claim in his town.
"They are a territory. How many states are there? Fifty. Are they one of them? No," Sevier said.
López said the protest was just the beginning, and predicted more demonstrations of Puerto Ricans' political power.
Víctor Manuel Ramos can be reached at vramos@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6186.
'Viva Puerto Rico'
See video of the protest by Puerto Ricans on Thursday near the Brooksville office of U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite: OrlandoSentinel.com/politicalpulse
More articles
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-prprotest2908feb29,0,2090041.story
By the way Ginny Brown-Waite really is the actual name of the racist and stupid U.S. Representative though it sounds almost like a camp pseudonym for a bi-racial drag queen, right?
Here is the article:
Víctor Manuel Ramos | Sentinel Staff Writer
February 29, 2008
BROOKSVILLE — Ginny Brown-Waite, the U.S. representative who sparked controversy by calling Puerto Ricans "foreign citizens," was criticized again Thursday for telling a group of protesters to go to the local aquatic park "if the group needs to cool off."
Dozens of Puerto Ricans from Orlando and other parts of the state converged on Brooksville's small downtown Thursday morning to speak against the congresswoman who had offended them by referring to people from the U.S. territory as "foreign citizens."
Brown-Waite was not at her district office when the protesters arrived, but she left a written statement that offered them "a warm welcome," then suggested that "if the group needs to cool off" they should go watch the mermaids at Weeki Wachee — an invitation protesters said they found offensive and dismissive of their concerns.
"I recommend that they head down the road to Weeki Wachee for a fun afternoon at our water park," Brown-Waite said in her statement, adding: "It is disappointing that the Orlando partisan race hustlers who traveled to Hernando County today have chosen to continue the politics of division."
Brown-Waite, a Republican, also characterized the participation of Democrats in the rally as engaging in "race-based hysteria."
"She is insulting when she [tells] us to go down to Weeki Wachee, as if we were kids," said José A. Fernández, a rally organizer who is president of the Orange County chapter of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida.
"We are not kids. We are all grown-ups and we are very serious about what we are doing, and she should take it seriously too."
The crowd of about 70 protesters — mostly Puerto Ricans and some African-American supporters — said Thursday's comments by Brown-Waite added insult to injury. Brown-Waite initially angered Puerto Ricans when her office issued a news release in January about Congress' economic-stimulus package. In the process she called the people of Puerto Rico and Guam — both U.S. territories whose residents are U.S. citizens — "foreign citizens."
"She needs to get her facts straight. She needs to understand that we are not going to be her whipping boys or girls," said Samuel López, a Melbourne activist and a protest organizer.
Protesters marched down Brooksville's Main Street, stopping before the congresswoman's office as they shouted ¡Viva Puerto Rico! and "Ginny Waite has gotta go!" They also carried American and Puerto Rican flags, sang patriotic Puerto Rican hymns and carried signs with various versions of the same message: Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.
"This movement is a movement for respect," Ralph Morales, an activist from New York, told the crowd.
He cited the community's political strength, with more than 600,000 Puerto Ricans living in Florida. More than 280,000 live in Metro Orlando. "We have the capacity to change the political scene in the state of Florida," Morales said.
A sole counter-protester shouted the demonstration was "much ado about nothing!"
The man, who identified himself as A.M. Sevier of Brooksville, told protesters they had no claim in his town.
"They are a territory. How many states are there? Fifty. Are they one of them? No," Sevier said.
López said the protest was just the beginning, and predicted more demonstrations of Puerto Ricans' political power.
Víctor Manuel Ramos can be reached at vramos@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6186.
'Viva Puerto Rico'
See video of the protest by Puerto Ricans on Thursday near the Brooksville office of U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite: OrlandoSentinel.com/politicalpulse
More articles
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-prprotest2908feb29,0,2090041.story
random things I love right now
The satirical blog Stuff White People Like, which I have discovered today and am LoL as I scroll through it's dead-on descriptions of objects, attitudes, and locations beloved by "white people." The only quibble I have is that perhaps the blog should be called "Stuff Privileged/Upper Middle Class/Rich White People Like." But for any New Yorker in their 30s-40s (am not sure if that is where the blogger is from, but based on the content, I assume so) it is so familiar and thus hilarious! The only thing is, if you start to read the comments, you might get a little freaked out because you will find that a *lot* of people have NO sense of humor, take the blog literally and generally fulfill the stereotype of the dour, politically-correct US-white person!
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/
While we're on the subject of "white people" and not to be hating on the white folks (though we know I do a fair amount of kvetching here) but I am half "white" after all (unless of course you believe that Africa begins at the Pyrenees as I believe Napoleon said) so here is the link to the White Folks Guide to the NYC Transit subway map. A hilarious parody that omits the stations for areas that are not (yet) gentrified. It amuses me to see it's outdated, because my stops are left out.
Nonetheless, here is a big shout out to whoever designed this site!
http://www.streeterseidell.com/whitefolksguide.jpg
If you LoL when I riff on ridiculous but true news items, you will want to check out the fabulous FARK which offers outrageous news content of all types, it's like reading an exquisite corpse, things linked to each other with no rhyme nor reason, completely surreal and disconnected.
http://www.fark.com/
Finally, a big shout out to the blogger in Jacksonville, FL who like me is a Walter Mercado fan!
ttp://jacksonvilleconfidential.blogspot.com/2006/11/biography-of-day-walter-mercado.html
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/
While we're on the subject of "white people" and not to be hating on the white folks (though we know I do a fair amount of kvetching here) but I am half "white" after all (unless of course you believe that Africa begins at the Pyrenees as I believe Napoleon said) so here is the link to the White Folks Guide to the NYC Transit subway map. A hilarious parody that omits the stations for areas that are not (yet) gentrified. It amuses me to see it's outdated, because my stops are left out.
Nonetheless, here is a big shout out to whoever designed this site!
http://www.streeterseidell.com/whitefolksguide.jpg
If you LoL when I riff on ridiculous but true news items, you will want to check out the fabulous FARK which offers outrageous news content of all types, it's like reading an exquisite corpse, things linked to each other with no rhyme nor reason, completely surreal and disconnected.
http://www.fark.com/
Finally, a big shout out to the blogger in Jacksonville, FL who like me is a Walter Mercado fan!
ttp://jacksonvilleconfidential.blogspot.com/2006/11/biography-of-day-walter-mercado.html
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