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WOULD AMERICANS ELECT A FAT PRESIDENT?

J.R. LeMar — Sat, 18 May 2013 02:17:36 +0000

It was revealed last week that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie got lap-band surgery in an effort to lose weight. He claims that it is simply a matter of health, and that he wants to ensure that he is around to see his kids grow up. But many political observers speculate that this might have something to do with his Presidential aspirations, that he needs to lose weight if he wants to win. Governor Christie has been considered a possible candidate for the GOP nomination since the last Presidential election cycle began and, despite some arch-conservatives disdain for his praise of President Obama in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, he continues to be thought of as a potential front-runner if he should ever run. However, the idea that him being overweight could negatively affect his appeal to voters has also been an underlying concern. So far, the Governor has managed to laugh off the concerns of his weight, and has many times good-naturedly poked fun @ himself. So, yes, it is possible that his decision to undergo this rather drastic medical procedure is purely motivated by health concerns, and not @ all about politics. But I can’t help but wonder, could his weight really keep him from getting elected? Does he need to get skinny in order to win? 2016 will likely not be easy for the Republicans. Unlike the Democrats, where Hillary Clinton seems to pretty much be a lock for the nomination if she runs (although that’s what many, including me, thought in 2008, so who knows what could happen), the GOP field is pretty wide open. If Governor Christie enters the race, he’s going to have a lot of competition, so he’s going to need every advantage he can get.

I read this great opinion piece by Julian Zelizer on CNN.com about it, Chris Christie’s weight: Why it matters. It points out that President William Taft was about 300 lbs, but that was a long time ago, when we didn’t have the type of media coverage that we have now. There were no 24-hour news stations or internet. Some have stated that Franklin D Roosevelt wouldn’t get elected today, because he was in a wheelchair. It’s interesting to think about. My first thought is to say, hey, a majority of American voters have no elected a Black man named Barack HUSSEIN Obama to be President twice, so that should show that there’s no barrier to anyone getting elected today. But, on the other hand, some people have argued that Fat People are the last group in America that it is “acceptable” to discriminate against. And this cuts across all racial and sexual demographics. When was the last time you heard of a comedian getting in trouble for a fat joke, the way comedians have gotten in trouble for jokes about rape, or homosexuals or any other group? That doesn’t seem to happen because people tend to look down on and judge the overweight. It’s not thought of as real discrimination (even though it clearly IS), because the idea behind it is that if you’re fat, well, that’s your own fault. Unlike skin-color or gender or sexuality (barring those numbskulls who think homosexuality is “choice”), being fat is something you did to yourself, through bad choices of food and activity, so if you don’t want people to judge you, then just get in better shape. That’s a rotten attitude, but there’s no doubt that many Americans feel that way.

Of course, the irony here is that the majority of Americans are now overweight. And not just adults, but also the kids. This why I wrote before that while I disagree with NY Mayor Bloomberg’s attempt to ban 16 oz. sodas, I do understand where he’s coming from. We have an obesity problem in this country that shouldn’t be ignored. Heck, no one who looks @ me right now would think of me as “fat” but, trust me, there’s a good 20-22 lbs. that I need to lose. There’s a reason why I’m not one of those guys who poses with his shirt off in front of the mirror and then uses that image as his Facebook profile picture. I’d need several months of weight-training before I’d feel comfortable doing that. So you’d think, if anything, Governor Christie’s weight should make him even more appealing to the electorate right now, because they should be able to identify with him. If George W. Bush could get elected twice (well, once) in part because he was the candidate that voters “wanted to have a beer with,” then maybe Governor Christie could promote himself as the candidate that you “want to eat pizza and donuts with”?

Or maybe not.

Well, whatever his reasons, I wish him luck. Even with the surgery, that’s no guarantee, he will still need a lot of will power and discipline to get fit, so it won’t be easy. But if comedienne Monique could lose over 80 lbs, then I think he can do it to. So good luck, Governor!

MY 5 FAVORITE SUPERMAN COMICS

J.R. LeMar — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:19:58 +0000

5/SUPERMAN VS. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

Written by Gerry Conway &; drawn by Ross Andru (with some help from Neal Adams and John Romita Sr.), released in 1976, this was the 1st official crossover comic between DC Comics and Marvel Comics. There have been many crossovers in the decades since then, some better written and drawn than this one (such as John Byrne’s Batman/Captain America and, of course, the massive Justice League/Avengers miniseries by Kurt Busiek & George Perez), but this is special because it’s “the first.” I like that this story portrays it as if Superman and Spider-Man have always existed in the same world, they’ve just never met before, instead of other crossovers (such as the aforementioned JLA/Avengers) which involved parallel worlds and crossing dimensions. This story starts simple enough, Superman stops Lex Luthor’s latest scheme while Spider-Man stops Doctor Octopus, and then both villains happen to be sent to the same prison, where they decide to team up to destroy each others arch-enemies, which is how Superman and Spider-Man initially come into conflict, before the two heroes figure out what’s going on and then join together. I won’t spoil the story, but it ends with Clark Kent and Lois Lane going off on a double-date with Peter Parker and Mary Jane, which just seems fitting.

There was a follow-up a few years later, where the two heroes team-up again, this time to fight a scheme by Dr. Doom and The Parasite, and also features guest-appearances by Wonder Woman and The Hulk (whom I hear where just included because they both had TV shows on @ the time), and it was a decent book but just somehow not as good in my opinion. Original copies of both books can be hard to come by, but they were included in a trade-paperback (along with Batman/Hulk and Teen Titans/X-Men): The Marvel/DC Collection: Crossover Classics Vol. 1

4/ACTION COMICS #775 “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and The American Way?”

I’m not a fan of the artwork in this comic, by Doug Mahnke and Lee Bermejo, but I can overlook it due to the great story, by Joe Kelly. Basically, Kelly uses this story to address all the complaints that many fans make about the character of Superman, that he’s too boring, and too powerful to be interesting, and this his code is out-dated, making him a “Big Blue Boyscout.” A new, extremely powerful super-hero team, calling themselves The Elite, appear on Earth and start dishing out their own brand of justice, which includes killing their enemies. As the public tide turns against heroes like Superman, in favor of the more aggressive Elite, Superman is forced into a confrontation with them, to prove that his way of working is correct.

I think this was great as a one-off story. DC Comics brought the characters back several times, even giving them their own short-lived series as a spin-off of the Justice League, but I think that diluted the effectiveness of the characters. I prefer to remember just this one first issue. The initial story is included in Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Vol. 1, and it inspired an animated movie, which I have not seen yet.

3/SUPERMAN: RED SON

Another book where I’m not crazy about the art (by Dave Johnson & Kilian Plunkett) but the story by Mark Millar (before his stories became all mostly hype instead of substance, in my opinion) is masterful. Set in an “alternate reality” where Superman’s is sent to Earth as a baby but his rocket ship lands in the Soviet Union in the 1930’s and he grows up to become a servant of Joseph Stalin and then eventually leader of the USSR himself, the story show how history progresses. Many of the classic supporting cast is here. Lex Luthor is a brilliant American scientist, working for the CIA to come up with weapons to fight Superman, and Lois Lane is his wife. Jimmy Olson is a CIA agent who eventually becomes Vice President when Lex is elected President. Brianiac is an alien originally allied with Luthor to stop Superman, until Superman takes control of it, and uses it to help enforce order in the USSR and abroad. Wonder Woman is there, as the Amazons initially ally themselves with the Soviets. Batman was a young Russian boy whose parents were killed by the Soviet police, and now he’s dedicated his life to trying to find a way to stop Superman, and Green Lantern leads a group of U.S. Marines all armed with power-rings.

Theses books, which was originally a 3-part miniseries, now collected as one, is chock full various “Easter eggs” alluding to other comic-book characters and real historical figures and events (JFK gets elected President and in his 2nd term he divorces Jackie and marries Marilyn Monroe). This is just really fascinating series that could have easily been more stereotypical, with Superman as a big evil soviet dictator, but it’s got more nuance than that, and it’s not so Black and White, with both Superman and Lex doing “bad” things for what they believe to be good reasons. I’m not surprised that Henry Cavill has praised this series as one of the books he’s studied to prepare to play Superman onscreen.

2/ALL STAR SUPERMAN

This was a 12-part series that I bought 3 times in different formats, because I love it so much. First I bought each issue as they were released (often with long delays inbetween). Then I bought the two trade paperbacks collecting all 12 issues when it was over. And last week I bought the over-sized special hardcover edition.

Written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Frank Quietly, Superman discovers that, thanks to an evil scheme by Lex Luthor, he is dying and has about a year left to live. Then time travelors from the future reveal that he must complete 12 special tasks before he dies, and this series is about that last year of Superman’s life. I don’t want to say anything for fear of spoiling it, but this series really is the ultimate “love letter” to the character. It’s Grant Morrison @ his creative best.

The particular standout is issue #10 (the cover of which is the image I’ve posted), where Superman creates his own “pocket universe” with a parallel Earth in it, because he wants to see how history would unfold in a world where he never existed. Great stuff.

There was also an animated movie but, in my opinion, it just wasn’t that good. But I think that’s a fault of the format, if you were to faithfully adapt this series it needed to be a long miniseries, not a 90 minute film, because too much had to be cut out.

1/SUPERMAN VS. MUHAMMAD ALI

I first read this book as a little kid and I liked it, but I didn’t really know who Muhammad Ali was at the time, so it was just a cool Superman story to me. Years later, as an adult, I came to consider Ali my personal role model, and have read several books about his life, and then realized how significant this book was. It was out of print, so I tracked it down on ebay, the very first item I ever bought online, which I had been reluctant to do, and found a beat-up old copy for $28. I didn’t care if the copy was “mint” I just wanted to story. Then a few years ago DC finally reprinted it in a special edition, which I also bought.

The plot is pretty bare. Clark, Lois, and Jimmy and going to interview Muhammad Ali and in the middle of it some aliens land on Earth and demand that Superman fight their greatest champion and if he loses, they’re take over Earth. Superman is ready to accept, but Ali interrupts and insists that he should be the one to fight, since he’s from Earth and is therefor their “greatest champion” and not Superman, who is from Krypton. So the aliens insist that Ali and Superman fight first (on another planet, with a red sun, so that Ali and Superman are both equal), and then the winner will face the alien champion.

I know, on the surface, it sounds like a pretty silly story, and it could have easily been that. But the creators involved (writer Denny O’Neil and artist Neal Adams) managed to craft a compelling story out of this, that doesn’t feel contrived @ all, even with Ali’s involvement. But, as I said, I didn’t really know him when I first read it, but he fit in perfectly, Muhammad Ali could have easily been another fictional character in the DC Comics universe, and this story would still have worked perfectly. I highly recommend this book.

NOW I AIN’T SAYIN’ SHE’S A GOLD DIGGER. . .

J.R. LeMar — Fri, 10 May 2013 05:10:24 +0000

Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams has gone on the offensive. He wants the 10-carat $785,000 diamond engagement ring he gave to Erin Marzouki, his former fiancée, back. Williams met Marzouki in Houston when he played for the Houston Texans football team. They got engaged on Feb. 12, 2011, when he presented her with the stunning 10-carat rock, according to a lawsuit filed in Harris County Court in Houston. But their engagement didn’t even last a year. Marzouki broke up with Williams last January, and he now wants the 10-carat diamond back. The lawsuit details just how much Williams spent on Marzouki during their relationship. Items included an American Express credit card she could use to pay her living expenses – she rang up $108,000 in charges in one year – on top of the $230,000 in other gifts he showered on her that same year, according to the court record. The lawsuit does smack of bitterness. Williams claims Marzouki used him for his fame – and fortune, according to court documents. Do the math: In one year he claimed he spent $1,123,000 on a fiancée who broke up with him just months after they’d become engaged. “On or about Jan. 21, 2013, defendant (Marzouki) unilaterally terminated the parties engagement. The termination of the relationship was caused solely by the defendant. Defendant never intended to marry plaintiff (Williams) and used the relationship as a means to get to plaintiff’s money and acquire gifts. Defendant has absconded with the diamond engagement ring,” the lawsuit alleges.

What’s the honorable thing for Marzouki to do? Give the ring back?
READ MORE

Okay, first of all, the answer to that last question is YES. But I’ll get back to that in a minute. I just want to focus on the price of this ring. $785,000?!? For a ring?!? A piece of jewelry?!? Something a woman will wear on her finger?!?

I’m sorry, but that is abso-frakkin-lutely insane! I don’t care how much I had, if I were a multi-billionaire, and were madly, passionately, completely in love with a woman, I would never spend that much money on a ring. I just wouldn’t do it. I find that to be obscene. I wouldn’t spend $785k on a car, and that has way more usefulness than a ring. I remember once I saw a woman on one of those Real Housewives “reality” shows, I think it was the one for Orange County, wearing sunglass that she said cost $20k, and I thought that was bad enough, but this is even worse.

So I say that this bloke, Mario Williams, is just a dang fool. And then you look @ all the other money he says he spent on her. I know everyone is quick to jump on her as a gold digger, and maybe she is, but did she put a gun to his head and make him spend that money? He’s a grown man, he knew what he was doing. I say that he clearly was trying to use his money to get her, and keep her. So many pro-athletes think that flashing cash is the way to attract women, and then they act shocked when the realize exactly what kind of women they’re attracting by doing that. Sheesh, it’s no wonder that 78% of NFL players end up broke within 2 years after they retire.

Still, I must say that I find his lawsuit claims a little odd. If she was just with him all along for his money, as he claims, why wouldn’t she go ahead and marry him? She could end up with a lot more than that, even if she got divorced after a couple of years, even with a pre-nup. Heck, he’s lucky she didn’t “accidentally” get pregnant, like so many athlete’s baby mamas do, and take him for 18 years of child support. Or maybe the ring was enough for her, and she decided to just cash out now. I dunno.

But I do think he should get the ring back. Yes, it was a “gift” that he freely gave to her, but that was on the condition of marriage. If the marriage is called off, then it should be returned. And I’d say this even if he was the one who called off the engagement. I know some say that engagement etiquette say if the man calls it off then the woman gets to keep the ring, but I don’t see how that make a difference. But, anyway, in this incidence, it is the woman who called it off, so I think she should give it back, and if she won’t do it voluntarily, then hopefully the law will force it.

And then let’s hope Mr. Williams uses better judgment when it comes to dating and relationships from now on. Maybe he should go on The Millionaire Matchmaker? Patti Stanger could probably give him some great tips. . .

R.I.P. JEANNE COOPER

J.R. LeMar — Thu, 09 May 2013 04:27:27 +0000

Jeanne Cooper, who played Katherine Chancellor, the “Dame of Genoa City,” on “The Young and the Restless,” has died. She was 84. Her death was confirmed by her son, actor Corbin Bernsen, on his Twitter account.
“Mom passed this morning,” Bernsen posted. “She was in peace and without fear.” Cooper had been suffering from an undisclosed illness. The cause of death was not given.
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I’ve written before about my love of the TV show DALLAS (@ least the original version, not the abomination currently produced by TNT), but that is not the only Soap Opera that I followed as a lad. For a good chunk of my teenage years into my early twenties, I also watched some daytime Soaps. I usually have a daily ritual of my 4-hour Soap Opera block, starting @ 11am with THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS one CBS and then I’d switch to NBC @ 12pm for DAYS OF OUR LIVES, followed by ANOTHER WORLD, and then ending with SANTA BARBARA. The latter two series have long been canceled, but Y&R and DOOL are still going strong, and while I no longer watch the series’, I still occasionally check out the Soap Opera Digest to keep up with what’s going on for all those characters I enjoyed.

By the time I’d started watching Y&R, Katherine Chancellor was pretty much a background supporting character, a busybody who would sometimes butt into the lives of the main characters, but when she did take center stage, she very much had an aura of authority about her. Cooper was very good @ her job. So it’s sad to hear of her passing, but @ 84 we can definitely say that she lived a long and fulfilling life. And she died while still gainfully employed, doing the job she loved so much, how people can say that?

So, Rest In Peace, Jeanne Cooper. You will be missed.

R.I.P. CHRIS KELLY (AKA MAC DADDY)

J.R. LeMar — Sat, 04 May 2013 04:49:31 +0000

Atlanta-area authorities are investigating the death of Chris Kelly, half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, as a possible drug overdose, Fulton County Police Cpl. Kay Lester said Thursday. Kelly, 34, died Wednesday at an Atlanta hospital after he was found unresponsive at his home, police said. After paramedics took him to the hospital, a woman who identified herself as Kelly’s friend told an investigator that Kelly had taken a mixture of heroin and cocaine Tuesday night, and that she had brought Kelly home “to recover from his drug use,” according to a police report. Betty Honey, with the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, said that an autopsy showed no signs of trauma or foul play. toxicology report is expected to be complete in three to four weeks, at which point, a cause of death will likely be determined, she said. Kelly, together with Chris Smith, shot to stardom in 1992 with “Jump,” which spent eight weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100.
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Man, what a damn shame. We can all act otherwise now, but if you were between the ages of 12-30 in 1992, then JUMP was the jam. We all pumped that song, over and over. The fact that it’s still remembered today is testament to it’s awesomeness. I was talking to one of my coworkers during a break today about this death. I said that, sadly, I’m not all that surprised. Not that I’d heard anything about him using drugs or getting into trouble before this, but I’ve heard how tough it is being a child star. I mean, this guy was signed to a record deal when he was 13 years old, and had mega-success right out the gate. Kriss Kross’ first album sold 7 million worldwide. The duo was everywhere. Touring the world with Michael Jackson, making their own video game, and other endorsements. Then two mediocre follow-up albums and four years later it’s all over. So now he’s 17 years old, and already washed-up, a has-been. That had to have been rough. And he wasn’t even a real rapper, neither was his partner Chris Smith. Jermaine Dupri wrote all their songs. So it’s not like he could even try to launch a solo rap career. I actually can’t find any info about what he was doing in-between the time the last Kriss Kross album in 1996, and a reunion performance, in honor of Jermaine Dupri, that they did last January. But I think it’s safe to say he wasn’t having the same level of success in his life.

Again, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before from other child stars. Look @ the messes the kids from Different Strokes went through, with two of them ending up dead. So many others end up broke, and having addiction problems with drugs and/or alcohol. He wasn’t the first, and won’t be the last. Well, Rest In Peace, Mac Daddy. You brought many of us a lot of joy, and you will be missed.

“AUTHENTIC” by LL Cool J

J.R. LeMar — Fri, 03 May 2013 03:33:17 +0000

So, I actually bought a physical CD today. That’s such a rare occasion for me, these days. Like most folks, I mostly buy music via iTunes. Stacy Clark is the only artist I make a point to still buy the hard copy of her new albums, but that’s because I know her personally, and I like getting her autograph on all her albums when I see her perform live. But I saw this in Target this morning, and I picked it up on impulse. I practically grew up listening to LL’s music. I can still recall that fateful day in Junior High when I went to the record store after school, with my best friend Ralph, to buy LL’s first album (this is way back when albums were still recorded on VINYL) “RADIO”, and then going to Ralph’s house so we could listen to it. #thosewerethedays

Anyway, this CD has 4 extra tracks that are not included on the iTunes version, so that’s a good deal. Now I’m going to through each song, as type this I’m listening to it for the first time, giving my first impressions.

1/BATH SALT: A pretty hardcore club-banger, with LL busting out his classic “I’m Bad” persona. He even has a funny line in it referencing an early song of his where he dissed rapper Ice T for being too old and still trying to rap, acknowledging the irony that now LL is a middle-aged man, still rapping. I dig it.

2/NOT LEAVING YOU TONIGHT featuring Fitz & The Tantrums with Eddie Van Halen: An upbeat love-song, LL is still @ best when he’s talking about how he loves the ladies. I’ve never heard of Fitz & The Tantrums, but they do a good job singing the chorus. And Eddie Van Halen rips a sick guitar solo.

3/NEW LOVE featuring Charlie Wilson: Another song about the ladies, but with a more banging track. Wilson sings the chorus.

4/WE CAME TO PARTY featuring Snoop Dogg and Fatman Scoop: Hardcore banger, with LL once again references his age (“oldest man in the club”) and Snoop bring the heat, like he always does but doesn’t overshine LL.

5/GIVE ME LOVE featuring Seal: The first real rap-ballad of the album, with Seal on the chorus. I was never a huge fan of Seal’s, but his voice really fits in this song. So much so that I almost wish this was a full Seal song, with LL just doing a guest verse.

6/SOMETHING ABOUT YOU (LOVE THE WORLD) featuring Charlie Wilson, Earth Wind & Fire, and Melody Thorton: Another song for the ladies. Sounds like a classic late-70′s/early 80′s R&B song.

7/BARTENDER PLEASE featuring Snoop Dogg, Bootsy Collins & Travis Barker: An awesome party song, powered by Barker’s drum-beats, with LL, Snoop, and Bootsy sounding like they’re having a great time in the studio.

8/WHADDUP featuring Chuck D, Travis Barker, Tom Morello, and Z-Trip: I loved this song when I first saw LL and Chuck perform it live during the Grammy’s. Sounds like it would fit right in on the Mama Said Knock You Out album.

9/BETWEEN THE SHEETZ featuring Mickey Shiloh: A mid-tempo track with LL once again doing his thing for the ladies. His rap style has a kind of Bone Thugs N Harmony in this one, I like it.

10/CLOSER featuring Monica: This beat is kinda mid-tempo during the verses, then speeds up in the chorus (song by Monica), it’s a good collaboration.

11/LIVE FOR YOU featuring Brad Paisley: A very good mid-tempo love song. LL raps, and Paisley sings the chorus. A much better collaboration than THAT OTHER SONG they did together…

12/WE’RE THE GREATEST featuring Eddie Van Halen: A banging rock track laced with Van Halen’s guitar, while LL boasts about his greatness.

13/WAITING ON YOU featuring Babyface & Noelle Scaggs: Babyfaces’s vocals power the chorus and background, with LL seduces the ladies.

14/JUMP ON IT: Classic LL braggadocio over a banging track.

15/TAKE IT featuring Joe: A mid-tempo joint for the ladies.

16/REMEMBER ME featuring Alicia Meyers: A really fast track, with LL rapping about the state of the world today, even addresses the mass shooting @ Newton. It’s a little out of place on this album, but still works.

This album is LL splitting his time between doing the two things he does best, remember other rappers that he is one of the baddest, and letting the ladies know that he loves them, and it works. Remember, the iTunes version only has the first 12 songs, as does the hard copy for sale via Amazon, while 13-16 are only available on the hard copy for sale @ Target. I’d recommend getting that version, to get all the songs. The only downside, really, is that there are some curse words in some of the songs that are blanked out. It’s not that I need to hear cursing, but if they went through the trouble of making this special version for Target, then LL should have just not cursed (or had his collaborators curse) @ all, instead of just covering it. Blanking out the words just draws more attention to them, IMO. Anyway, this is still a very good album, much better than LL’s last couple of albums on Def Jam. The bottom line; 28 years later, he’s still got it!

TWO THUMBS UP!

HOW TO DISAPPEAR…

J.R. LeMar — Fri, 03 May 2013 02:13:42 +0000

A Pennsylvania woman who mysteriously disappeared 11 years ago has resurfaced in Florida, saying that she just walked out on her family, her life and her problems. Brenda Heist, 54, turned herself in to authorities in Key Largo, Florida, on Friday, informing them that she thought she might be wanted in another county. The responding officer checked her name and saw that she was listed as “missing and possibly deceased” from Lititz, Pennsylvania, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Authorities in Monroe County immediately contacted the Lititz Borough Police, informing them that Heist was in their custody. After exchanging pictures and details, Detective Sgt. John Schofield confirmed that it was indeed the Brenda Heist he had been searching for since 2002. He met with her in Florida two days later. “She left just on a split-second whim and decided to just leave, and turn her back on her family and on her life, and pursue a life with these homeless people to hitchhike down to Florida,” Schofield told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin on Thursday. Heist disappeared February 2002, after last being seen dropping off her children at school. READ MORE

Wow. What a story. Y’know, I have to say that, after reading it, the person I feel most sorry for is her ex-husband. Yeah, I know the two young children having to grow up without their mother is also a terrible thing, but the ex had to endure the suspicion of being involved in her disappearance. A woman in the middle of a bad divorce suddenly vanishes without a trace, of course everyone is going to think that her husband probably killed her. And even though the police ruled him out as a suspect, you just know that cloud was still hanging over his head, all this time. A bet a lot of people who knew both of them still probably had that nagging suspicion that he probably killed her, or had her killed. But now she’s alive.

This all reminded me of some article I read in a magazine several years ago, I wish I could remember exactly where it was from so I could link to it, but it was an interview with a private investigator who specialized in tracking missing persons. Specifically, he specialized in tracking people who faked their deaths, or just disappeared and established new identities, in order to avoid lawsuits, debts, or things like that. He’d be the guy the debt collectors would hire to find someone. And through this interview he was giving types on how to establish new identities, based on his experience in finding people who did it. Having found many people over the years, he knew what typical mistakes people made, and thus could advise what to avoid. I found it interesting, because it made me think about where I would go and what I would do, if I ever wanted to just leave my life behind and start over, for whatever reason.

1/MOVING. Sure, that seems obvious. Of course you need leave the place you currently live, move away to someplace where no one knows you. But he said that doesn’t mean you have to move to some far off remote place. In fact, that tends to be a bad decision, because the point is that you want to be somewhere where you can be as inconspicuous as possible. So if you go to some small town, with fewer people, you’re more likely to stand out and be noticed. Big cities are much better, because it’s easier to blend in, and just go on about your business without anyone noticing you. So if you’re from Los Angeles, it’s better to move to New York, or Chicago, or Dallas, places like that, instead of to some little town down South.

2/PHYSICAL APPEARANCE. Another obvious one, you don’t necessarily have to get plastic surgery or anything that drastic (unless you have a noticeable, defining characteristic, like a scar, birthmark, or a mole on you face) but if there’s anything significant about you that you can easily change, then do that. Like for me, I’ve been shaving my head and face everyday for the past decade or so, so the first thing I do would be to stop doing that. Let my mustache grow back (I can’t grow a full beard) and the hair on my head grow out. Nothing too drastic, like I wouldn’t grow my hair out into a big afro, or grow it long and get cornrows or dreadlocks because, again, the whole point is that you don’t want to stand out in a crowd. So, like, if you’re a brunette, go ahead and dye your hair blonde, or red, but not blue or pink. If you wear glasses, try to switch to contacts, or vice versa (although that’s something I could never do, the very idea of putting lenses directly on my eyeballs freaks me out like you wouldn’t believe).

3/NAME CHANGE. Yes, get a new last name, but it’s actually better to keep the same first name. I believe this is a common tactic among undercover police officers, when they come up with fake names. The reason for this is that you never know when you might run into and be recognized by someone from your old life, and you want to be prepared for that possibility. If they see you, and call you by your first name, and you’re with people from your new life who know you by some other name, that could raise suspicions in everyone. Say you’re out in restaurant with your new coworkers, or neighbors, whatever, and they know you as MICHAEL, and then suddenly there’s someone you went to High School with, or used to work with, and they come up to you saying “Hey, STEVE! I can’t believe it, I haven’t seen you in years, how are you?!?” So now you’re busted, your new friends are wondering why this guy is calling you Michael, and if you try to pretend that you’re not MICHAEL, the old friend might insist it’s you, or get in touch with people from your past that you’ve left behind, like you’re family, and be like “I swear I saw Michael but he said that wasn’t him, it was someone named Steve,” and now they might come looking for you, and try to track you, and now they know your new alias. So, instead, if you’re Steve Jackson, and you change your name to Steve Washington, if you bump into someone from your previous life who calls you “Steve”, it might be easier to kinda blow them off, just be like “Hey, good to see you, I can’t talk now, but here’s my number let’s keep in touch,” and just give them a fake number. And then just tell your new friends, “Oh, that was just someone I used to know,” and then drop the subject. Plus, if you’re using the same first name, it’s easier for you to remember, and you’re less likely to screw up and answer to the wrong name, or give the wrong name to anyone.

4/CUT ALL TIES WITH THAT PAST. This is the one that he said is the most important, and it trips up the majority of people, and how he ends up finding them. People still try to somehow keep in touch with their past, on some level. People always think they can figure out someway to get in touch with someone without being traced, but don’t try it. No phone calls, emails, letters, postcards, NOTHING. If you’re going to really go into hiding, and become someone else, then you need to be prepared to give up everyone, every single family member or friend that you have. Don’t ever plan to see them, talk to them, or write to them ever again, under any circumstances. No matter how hard that is, you have to do it, if you’re going to succeed in getting away from whatever it is you’re running from.

So, there you go. I think for me, if I were going to do this, the hardest part would be deciding where to go. I’ve lived in Southern California all my live, I’m used to it and the weather. I can’t ever imagine living somewhere where they have to deal with snow in the winter, or places where they have hurricanes or floods. So that limits my options.

“DALLAS FEELS LIKE HOME” BY AUDREY LANDERS

J.R. LeMar — Thu, 02 May 2013 04:20:05 +0000

Audrey Landers is an accomplished actor, singer, writer, composer, and producer She is best known to fans all over the world for her memorable role as “Afton Cooper” for eight years on Dallas, her controversial Playboy pictorial (with her clothes on), and hundreds of television gigs in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2013 Audrey will reprise her role as Afton Cooper in the new “Dallas” TV series, see Monday nights on TNT. READ MORE

For more info about the characters that Landers played on the original series DALLAS, Dallas Decoder has a couple of great posts you can read: The Dallas Decoder Guide to Pamela’s Mother, Afton Cooper and The Dal-List: Afton Cooper’s 5 Greatest Hits. I must say that I enjoyed her all-to-brief reappearance on the show. Out of all the old characters that have been brought back for guest-spots on the new series, she is the only that I feel the writers got right. She was actually written and utilized correctly (unlike Steve Kanaly, Charlene Tilton, Ted Shackelford, and Joan Van Allen, who were all wasted), and I know that many fans of the series hope that she will be brought back in Season 3 (I won’t be watching it anyway, since I’ve given up on the show, for various reasons, but that’s a topic for another time). Anyway, just like her character on Dallas, Landers is also a professional singer. So, out of curiosity, I purchased her latest album on iTunes. It’s got 11 songs, all but one of which are written or co-written by Landers.

1/STEAL ME AWAY: A mid-temp, piano-heavy track with an nice chorus. A decent way to start the album.
2/IT TAKES TWO TO FLY: Another mid-temp song, which has a bit of an “1980′s” feel to it, and I mean that in a good way. Sounds like a song Stevie Nicks could do.
3/MONTE CARLO: The beat picks up a bit with this one. The song has a nice Latin flavor to it.
4/COMING THROUGH THE STORM: I think I’d classify this as a “power-ballad”.
5/STILL DREAMS TO DREAM: The beat picks up again, with this semi-rock track.
6/THROUGH THE EYES OF WINTER: Another decent rock power-ballad.
7/ANGELO: A slow-temp song, with Landers singing about a youthful lost-love, with some more Latin flavor.
8/HAND ON MY HEART: A faster track that I enjoyed, she’s got some kind of choir backing her up in the chorus, which really adds a lot to the song. This is probably my favorite song
from the album.
9/IT WAS DESTINY: A very strong ballad. My 2nd favorite song on the album.
10/LET ME DOWN GENTLY Another piano-heavy ballad.
11/MOCKINGBIRD LULLABYE Yep, it’s THAT classic lullaby. She sings it over a piano-track. It’s pretty cute.

The download also includes a digital booklet that include the original music-sheets of each song.

Overall, it’s a decent album. Landers knows how to write songs that fit her voice perfectly. I enjoyed it.
TWO THUMBS UP

In addition to being available on iTunes, you can also purchase the MP3′s or the physical CD (if you’re one of those luddites who still like CD’s) on AMAZON

READ THE MANY ADVENTURES OF MIRANDA MERCURY #295 FOR FREE!!!

J.R. LeMar — Thu, 02 May 2013 02:59:02 +0000

I noticed that my blog reviewing THE MANY ADVENTURES OF MIRANDA MERCURY: TIME RUNS OUT, the most excellent 176-page Hardcover collection by writer Brandon Thomas and artist Lee Ferguson, as been getting many new hits lately. This appears to be the result of the book being featuring on a couple of new blogs recently, 13 Comics To Read in 2013- Chacebook Edition and 13 Comics to Read in 2013- Indy Edition. I am rather glad to see this, as I have been pumping up this books for years now, and am glad to see it getting more recognition. Both blogs give it very high ratings, which it deserves. It has also been pointed out that the collection is available for purchase as a digital download via Comixology for only $9.99. Well, that is fantastic. As I’ve stated in WHY I LOVE READING COMIC-BOOKS ON MY IPAD I am now officially converted to being a digital reader, and prefer to get all my comic-books that way, and think the ease of access to material that digital provides can help open up the hobby of comic-books to a bigger audience. And as for this book, now those fans who may have been interested in it but were hesitant to make the purchase based on the high price (believe me, I understand, we’re in a recession), have a much cheaper alternative.

But wait, there’s more!

As I was looking through that link on Comixology, I noticed that they also have The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury available as single issues! As I said in my review, the premise of the Hardcover is that the title was an ongoing series, that lasted 300 issues, and this collecting the final arc that took place in issue #’s 295-300. Well, issue #295 was released in print several years before, but the original publisher went down, and so it wasn’t continued, but this is what prompted Thomas and Ferguson to continue the series as an original graphic novel. Well, I don’t know when this happened, but now all six issues are available individually, with #296-300 being only $1.99 ea. But, here’s the kicker, the first issue, #295, is free! That’s right, FREE! Just click right here: http://www.comixology.com/The-Many-Adventures-of-Miranda-Mercury-295-of-300/digital-comic/DEC073385 and in less than a minute, you’ll be able to read the full 28-page story of sci-fi/action awesomeness on your PC, Laptop, or Tablet!

So if you’re still hesitating about picking up this collection, now you can read this issue for free, to see for yourself if you want to purchase either the full collection of the remaining 5 issues (either way, it works out to about the same price, but I still recommend the full collection because it has extra-content, including two extra issues). And the great thing about #295 is that despite it being the opening of a larger arc (Miranda trying to find a cure for the disease that’s killing her), the comic still stands on its own as a single-issue story (Miranda and her partner, Jack, attempt to stop an alien crime lord from finding a powerful genie). So take my advice, comic-fans, and GET IT!

UpdateD to Add: And here’s an interview with Brandon Thomas, talking about the creation of Miranda Mercury, conducted by William Satterwhite, who has a webcomic called STEALTH with you should also check out:

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH BRANDON THOMAS

THIS MEANS WAR

J.R. LeMar — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:41:11 +0000

I just saw this movie on TV. It’s a romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, and Tom Hardy. Witherspoon plays a woman named Lauren who moved to L.A. six months earlier, to be with her boyfriend, who then subsequently dumped her. So now she’s living alone, working a job as a product-tester, and her only friend being a woman named Trish, who is played by Chelsea Handler. Trish tries to give Lauren advise about dating, but Lauren just has no luck with men and, to make things worse, she keeps accidentally running into her ex-boyfriend and his new fiancé. Pine and Hardy play a couple of secret CIA agents who are partners, and best friends. Pine is called “FDR” and his characters is initially seen as a bit of a womanizer, while Hardy is “Tuck”, who has an ex-wife and young son, and is more interesting in trying to find a new woman to have a relationship with. As the movies starts, FDR and Tuck are assigned to desk duty @ the local CIA headquarters, due to the fact that a Russian terrorist has vowed revenge on them for killing his brother. Tuck signs up to an online dating website, and arranges a date with Lauren, who was signed up to the site against her will by Trish, but then decides to give it a chance. Lauren and Tuck hit if off on their date, but then afterwards Lauren bumps into FDR @ a local video store (do they even still have those in L.A.?) and makes a date with him. When FDR and Tuck find out that they’re both about to date the same woman, each one initially offers to back-off, for the sake of their friendship, but then they make a gentleman’s bet to both date her until she chooses the one she wants to be with. In the meantime, they agree to not interfere with each other’s dates, and not to attempt to have sex with Lauren, until she’s chosen one of them.

Of course, both men break these rules. They each get their own CIA teams together to conduct research on Lauren to find out how to win her over, and also spy on each other’s dates with her, and then as things get more serious, they sabotage each other, eventually putting a strain on their friendship. Meanwhile, Lauren remains conflicted about dating two men @ once, turning to Trish for advice on the best way to choose who she likes better. It’s all good-natured fun, for the most part. There’s a bit of a turn in the 3rd act, when that Russian terrorist comes to L.A. and tries to kidnap Lauren in order to get to FDR and Tuck. It becomes a bit of an action movie, which changes the tone of the film, and I just felt that the action scenes felt out of place and unnecessary. Despite that, I still enjoyed the film, overall. Witherspoon, Pine, and Hardy all put on stellar performances. Chelsea Handler essentially plays herself in this film, so if you like comedy (like I do), then you’ll like her in this movie, too. There’s also a bit role by one of my favorite actresses, Angela Basset, as the CIA chief. And I was surprised when the film ended to see in the characters that one of the producers of this film was Will Smith!

Directed by McG, and written by Timothy Dowling, Simon Kinberg, and Marcus Gautesen, THIS MEANS WAR is available on AMAZON. I’d recommend it, if you want something light and fun to watch.

WHY I LOVE READING COMIC-BOOKS ON MY IPAD

J.R. LeMar — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 06:55:16 +0000

Yes, I’m a grown man who still reads comic-books. Shut up.

A couple of years back I wrote about reading ebooks in WHY I LOVE MY AMAZON KINDLE. Since then, I have received an iPad, and I’ve downloaded the Kindle App, so now I read my books on my iPad instead. I still have my Kindle, but that’s just used to actually buy new ebooks, then I sync them to my iPad via the App. So, like I said, I love reading my ebooks, it is very convenient to purchase, and to store. I currently have 99 books on my iPad, and can take them anywhere and read them. The only reason I haven’t switched 100% from printed books to ebooks, is that I’m still sometimes able to find a used copy of a book on Amazon for much cheaper than an ebook. But, otherwise, it’s all ebooks for me.

However, I held off on digital comic-books, because that was still different, to me. I was still thinking in terms of my Kindle, and how reading a comic-book on my Kindle wouldn’t be the same, because the screen is much smaller, and it’s in black and white. For whatever reason, I never considered using my iPad. I guess I was just so used to buying printed comics, that I didn’t give the alternative much thought. Much like with my initial trepidation about ebooks, before I got my Kindle, I would think about digital comics as something you read on a PC. And while I’ve enjoyed various webcomics over the years, such as Drew Edwards’ Halloween Man. But, even then, I always loved getting the printed versions, such as SUPERDEFORMED and HALLOWEEN MAN VS. THE INVISIBLE MAN

But then Robert Jeffrey II released his new comic ROUTE 3 #1 last month. This was only made available in digital form, so I had to buy it and download it through the comicsplus app. I did that, and was reading it on my PC @ home. However, I procrastinated a bit in writing a review on my blog, like I’d promised Robert, so one day I download the app on my iPad, so I could reread the comic during my lunch break @ work. And as I read this comic-book on my iPad, I was amazed @ how similar it is to reading a comic-book printed on paper. Unlike the kindle, the iPad screen is almost the same size as an average comic-book page, and I can zoom in on any part of the page, to view it larger, if I want to.

not my ipad

And people say things like “I like the feel of holding a book/comic in my hands”, well, holding the iPad in my hands while reading it isn’t all that much different from holding a comic-book in my hands. As I finished the comic, I was rather amazed @ how natural the experience felt. So I checked out the app some more, and they had a lot of other indie comics available, including titles from Image, Dynamite, IDW, and others, and I bought a few more books. It was all so easy. You just click on the comic you want, the first book you buy after you’ve turned on you iPad you have to also enter your iPad password to confirm, and then it downloads right to your iPad. And it’s charged to your iTunes account. And ComicsPlus is very fast. So far, every book downloads in less than a minute.

Unfortunately, ComicsPlus doesn’t have DC or Marvel Comics titles for sale, so I had to download another app, Comixology, for that. And I bought some books from them that I wanted. Same process, just as easy. I will say that I have noticed that comics take a little long to download on this app, and it seems to take longer the more books you buy @ once, but we’re still just talking about a few minutes here. And then just like that, the books are all available for you to read, right there are you iPad, and you can take them and read them anywhere. Even on the toilet, just like a real comic-book!

This has seriously changed my life. It has altered almost 30 years of buying and reading comics. In a couple of days I’d ordered over 20 books, and quickly realized that there was no reason for me to buy another printed comic. Digital comics are just as good, and it is way more convenient. When new comics come out on Wednesday, if I want to go to the closest comic-book store to get them, I can only make it after work, @ 5:30pm, and that adds like 40 minutes to my drive home. And I don’t buy that many new comics anymore anyway, so some weeks there many only be 1 or 2 new books that I want, and it just doesn’t feel worth making the trip. Now I don’t have to. The new books are available in the morning, I can buy the ones I want almost as soon as I get out of bed. I did that last Wednesday, got to work early, and sat in my car in the parking lot, and read one of the new comics that I’d just bought, before I had to go inside @ 9am. This is fantastic!

Another recent example of how much better this is, is that my online friend Geoffrey Thorne has a comic that he’s written called The Journeymen, which is currently being serialized in anthology book from Dark Horse Comics called Dark Horse Comics Presents. I’d gotten issue #20, which features part 1 of his story, but I somehow missed getting issue #21, which had part 2. When I saw Geoffrey post on Facebook that issue #22, with part 3 of his story, was due out that week, I quickly went on my iPad to buy #22. Dark Horse doesn’t make their books available through the other apps, so I had to download their own Dark Horse App, but that wasn’t really a problem. Once I had it, it was the same process. Click on the issue you want, wait a minute, and voila! There it is! You can start reading, just like that! Under normal circumstances, I would have either waited until Wednesday to go to the store and see if they had the current issue and the previous issue that I missed or, more likely, as I usually did when buying back-issues, I would have went to a site like midtowncomics.com, and ordered a copy of #21 and pre-ordered #22 along with it, and I would have had to pay for shipping, and then wait an extra week for the books to arrive in the mail. But not anymore. Thanks to my trusty iPad, that is a thing of the past.

Yep, as far as I’m concerned, my days of buying printed comics are pretty much over. Unless it’s a comic that’s self-published, or from a really small indie publisher, or it’s an older book that’s just not available digitally yet (I’ve looked for some old stuff that I can’t find), then I’m just going to buy the digital version. This is like what happened to me when I discovered digital music. Now, I only buy CD’s if it’s some rare older album, or I do also like to buy the physical CD’s of STACY CLARK’S music, because I like to get her autograph when I see her perform live, but otherwise I just buy the download. It saves lots of space, in terms of storage, and I can take them with me anywhere. I currently have 68 comics all stored on my little iPad.

not my ipad

Just the shelf-space I’m already saving with this already makes it worth it. The only downside is that I suppose it would be a little easier if there was just one app I needed to be able to get books from all publishers, like being able to go to iTunes to get most music. But that’s really a teeny inconvenience, which is more than off-set by the time I save not having to physically got to a store to buy my comics. It also doesn’t make sense to me that new digital comics cost exactly the same as printed comics. Really, that’s just being greedy. If a printed comic costs $3.99, shouldn’t the digital version cost half that, @ most? Why am I paying the same? For me, I’m still happy just for the convenience of access, but I think this is the type of greed on the part of the publishers that makes pirates feel more justified in just illegally downloading the comics for free. I don’t do that, and don’t think that’s a good excuse, but I know that plenty of people do. The prices tend to drop of a couple of months, so a new comic will be full price on the week of release, but then when the next issue comics out it may drop to $1.99, and then later to .99 cent, but I still don’t think that’s good enough. I think there needs to be an industry standard price for digital. Like say the average 22-page comic should automatically be $1.99. That seems fair to me.

So I believe that this is the wave of the future. Just as with ebooks, there will always be hold-outs, especially among the older readers, who will never embrace digital, and will stick with print. But the younger generations that are coming up, being raised on computers, won’t have that same connection to the format, and will prefer the ease that digital provides. In fact, I believe the convenience of digital will being new fans into the hobby.
Now, as more and more people discover superheroes through the movies and cartoons, it will be easier to get comics based on those same characters, via devices like the iPad. And I know there are those who will read these and ask “but what about the retailers? This is hurting them!” Well, yes. Yes it will. Comic-book retailer have already suffered in the past couple of decades, hence why I have to go out of my way to go to the nearest comic-book store, unlike when I was in Elementary school and could just stop @ 7/11 on my way home from school and buy new comics from their spinner-rack. And just like music stores, book stores, and video stores have been going out of business, as more people get their entertainment online, the same will continue to happen with comic-book stores. It sucks for the store owners, but so be it. As technology changes, so do the industries that support them. A lot of horse-sellers went out of business when people started driving cars, too. Not to sound cruel, but that’s progress.

Just my opinion.

I AGREE WITH SARAH PALIN

J.R. LeMar — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 22:43:21 +0000

Yeah, that’s not a sentence I ever expected to write, either. But this is one instance where my inner-Libertarian streak comes out. Last weekend, @ the annual Conservative Political Action Committee convention, Sarah Palin drank a Big Gulp from 7/11, and mocked New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who attempted to enforce a municipal ban on soda drinks that exceed 16 ounces. A NY Judge blocked the law before it had a chance to take affect, but Bloomberg says he plans to appeal the ruling.

This is exactly the sort of over-reaching “Nanny state” policies that I hate when liberals try to enforce. If you don’t like the way some people are living, pass a law, or raise taxes (or both), to force them to behave the way that you think they should live. And it’s always with the best intentions, of course (which is what the Road to Hell is paved with).

“With so many poor neighborhoods suffering the worst of this epidemic…It would be irresponsible not to try to do everything we can to save lives,” – Mayor Bloomberg

Yes, think of the POOR people! We must protect them from themselves! They can’t stop themselves from drinking big sodas, so we should take the option away from them!

Meanwhile, people like Michael Bloomberg (networth $27 billion, as of 2013) will still be able to get all the soda they want.

Believe me, I’m not trying to deny the rise of obesity in America, particularly among children, but there are some things we can’t just look to the government to solve. Y’know, when I was a kid, my friends and I used to stop @ 7/11 and get big gulps all the time, along with candy bars, donuts, and all sorts of junk food. Except the difference is that we didn’t sit on our butts all day playing video games, we actually went out and did stuff. I used to walk about 3 miles to school and back everyday, when I was Elementary School. So I got my exercise. And if I want to drink soda, then that’s my business. I don’t need any politician telling me otherwise.

Just my opinion.

THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE

J.R. LeMar — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:40:18 +0000

Written by Charles Randolph, directed by Alan Parker, and released in 2003, this film is thriller about the death penalty. Kevin Spacey stars as David Gale. He was a college professor in Texas, and a leading anti-death penalty activist in the state. One night, while @ a party, a vengeful student (Rhona Mitra) seduces him in a bathroom, encouraging him to bite her and grip her so hard that he leaves bruises on her body while they have sex, and then the next day claims that he raped her. She eventually drops the charges, but the damage to David’s life is already done. He’s been fired from the university, his wife has left him, and taken their young son out of the country, and the activist organization that he was part of is forced to disassociate from him. One night he and one of his fellow activists, a woman named Constance (Laura Linney) have sex. Then the next morning she is found murdered, and David is arrested, charged with rape and murder, found guilty and then sentenced to death.

That’s where Kate Winslet comes in as Bitsey Bloom, a journal who interviews Gale while he’s on death row, just a few days away form his execution. Gales claims that he’s innocent, and that he was set-up by those who didn’t like his activism against the death penalty (which would probably be 90% of the people who live in Texas). As Bitsey investigates his claims, she finds evidence that he may actually be telling the truth, and she races to find the proof she needs to free him before it’s too late.

I won’t spoil the ending for this one, but let me say that there are several twists before this film comes to an end that kept me on the edge of my seat (figuratively speaking). Kate Winslet speaks with a very convincing American accept in this movie, and even though she does NOT get naked in this movie, I still enjoyed it very much!

TWO THUMBS UP!

QUILLS

J.R. LeMar — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 20:56:42 +0000

This 2000 film was written by Doug Wright and directed by Philip Kaufman. It tells the story of the final years of the Marquis de Sade (played by Geoffrey Rush), as he resides in a French Insane Asylum. Despite being confined, he continues to publish he erotic novels, with the help of one of the chambermaids, a young woman named Madeline (Kate Winslet), who smuggles his manuscripts out of the Asylum, to take them to his publisher. When Napoleon learns of the controversy surrounding the content of de Sade’s books, he sends the extremely strict Dr. Royer-Collard, I don’t recall his first name ever being mentioned in the film, (played by Michael Caine) to investigate the Asylum. Dr. Royer-Collard immediately clashes with Abbé de Coulmier (Joaquin Phoenix), a Catholic priest who runs the Asylum. While Royer-Collard believes in using physical punishments to “cure” the patients, de Coulmier prefers to allow them to express themselves through art, including his tacit, if not explicit, approval of the publication of de Sade’s novels.

The majority of the film deals with that conflict between the doctor and de Sade, with de Coulmier caught in the middle. There is also a developing relationship between de Coulmier and Madeline, who enjoys a playfully flirtatious relationship with de Sade, but has much stronger feelings for the Priest, which he reciprocates. Of course, any sort of relationship with those two is forbidden, so they both try to fight their feelings, yet rumors begin to spread amongst the Asylum about them. When the doctor’s teenage wife (Amelia Warner) leaves him for a younger man, after discovering her sexuality thanks to her clandestine reading of de Sade’s books, the doctor is enraged, and proceeds to completely take over the Asylum, and confine de Sade to a solitary prison, while having Madeline transferred away, due to her complicity in getting de Sade’s books published. In a last-ditch effort to publish one more book, de Sade enlists the aid of Madeline and a group of inmates to write a finale script, but this tragically leads to a fire that puts the lives of everyone in the Asylum in jeopardy.

Everyone in this film plays their roles perfectly. Winslet is suitably innocent yet brimming with sexual curiosity, while Phoenix is man struggling between his faith and his emotions. Caine is a stern taskmaster, and Rush portrays the de Sade as a man bordering between genius and insanity. This is a man who doesn’t just want to write, he has to. When denied writing material he literally begins to go mad. I’m not familiar with the history, so I don’t know how accurate this film is, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, this is such an entertaining movie that I would recommend it even if Kate Winslet DIDN’T have one fully nude scene near the end of it.

Thankfully, she does!

TWO THUMBS UP!