It’s official folks. Platinum Dunes, the production company known for horror movie remakes such as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and most recently “Friday the 13th”, has announced that “A Nightmare on Elm Street” remake will begin production this April. Samuel Bayer, famous for directing the music video “Smells Like Teen Spirit” has signed on to direct the feature.
The question of who will portray the gloved-claw wielding villain Freddy Krueger is subject to rumor. There has been talk of Jackie Earle Haley and Billy Bob Thornton to be up for the role. But let’s face it; Robert Englund will always be Freddy Krueger.
The character of Freddy Krueger created by Wes Craven and the actor Robert Englund who brought him to life will forever be intertwined in horror cinema history. The role of Freddy cannot be replaced believably in a way that Michael Myers of “Halloween” (remade in 2007) or Jason Voorhees of “Friday the 13th”can. Those characters don’t speak and masks are part of their costumes. We don’t have “faces” to put to the names. They have no personalities. They are silent killers. They don’t know what makes their victims tick; they just know that they will kill anyone who gets in their way.
The actors who portrayed these horror icons didn’t develop the characters the way that Robert Englund did. They couldn’t. The same actors didn’t even portray them in all of the films. Also, the Michael Myers character wasn’t even in Halloween III and the original killer in the “Friday the 13th” franchise was Jason Voorhees’ mother. Englund has been Freddy in all eight films in the “Nightmare” franchise. He even portrayed himself in Wes Craven’s “New Nightmare”, the 1994 film within a film.
Horror fans aren’t attached to Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees in the way that they are attached to Freddy. Freddy has a personality. He has a voice. He has a wicked sense of humor that comes out in the dialogue of his tongue- in-cheek puns and he doesn’t need a mask. His disfigured face is scary enough. Freddy terrorizes his victims in a way that the others don’t. He psychologically tortures them. He doesn’t just go after their bodies, he goes after their souls.
Robert Englund’s portrayal of Freddy Krueger is ranked #51 on Premiere Magazine’s “100 Greatest Movie Character’s of All Time.” He is the only slasher/horror film character on the whole list. To tell you a little about where his place in character performance history stands, he is listed between Peter Finch as Howard Beale in “Network” and Clint Eastwood as Blondie in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” Finch won the Best Actor Oscar at the Academy Awards for his performance.
Englund is recognized around the world as Freddy Krueger. Could anyone pick the actors portraying Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees out of a line up? I think not.
The last time we saw Freddy on screen was in Freddy vs. Jason (2003). That was only six years ago. We haven’t forgotten about him. At the end of the film he winks at the camera in a playful way to let the audience know that he isn’t through with us yet. So why produce a remake of a classic horror film and replace a villain that hasn’t run his course?
The fact that Platinum Dunes has decided to produce this film without the help of Wes Craven or Robert Englund is slap in the face to two of the most recognizable horror icons of this generation. Whoever is hired to tackle the role must possess incredible skill as an actor because it’s going to take a superb talent to even attempt to fill Freddy’s claw.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Q & A with Democratic Candidate for Lt. Governor Thomas Castillo
This a brief, much edited excerpt from a lengthy interview I conducted with Thomas Castillo, who will be running for Lt. Gov. of Illinois in 2010. He's a man who wants to make a difference. Check out his website www.Tom4gov.org.
Over breakfast, Chicago electrician Thomas Castillo dishes about why he decided to run for Lt. Gov. of Illinois in 2010 and how his “good looking” wife will help his chances.
Q: Have you ever run for office before?
A: No I haven’t, but I’ve always been interested in politics.
Q: What made you want to run for office?
A: I got sick of complaining and I decided to do something about it. When the $700 billion bailout came out, I was so enraged from it that I was actually shouting out loud. I couldn’t sleep that night so I got up and went to my computer and started looking into public office. I put all my thoughts and feelings down, came up with my campaign slogan, “Re-instilling common sense in government” and everything just flowed out. I spoke from my heart and www.Tom4gov.org is a result of that.
Q: How do you officially run? Do you just announce it?
A: Yes. I went to the State Board of Elections and registered. To get on the ballot (for the primary election) you need 5,000 signatures, which is really nothing.
Q: Do you have any signatures collected yet?
A: No, we aren’t allowed to collect any signatures until August and then we have to file them by October.
Q: When is the primary election?
A: Feb. 2 2010
Q: What do you think you’re chances are to win the primary?
A: I think I have an excellent chance. Four years ago Pat Quinn won (the primary election) with 472,000 votes. There are over 880,000 union members in the state of Illinois. I figure if I can get half of my brothers and sisters to believe in me and my plan for Illinois, I’d be right there.
Q: You’re an electrician by trade and a union member.
A: Yes, I’m part of IBEW Local #134. I’ve been an electrician for 12 years now. But that isn’t what I want to do for the rest of my life. It doesn’t make me happy. What really makes me happy is to make a difference in people’s lives.
Q: How do you think you will make yourself stand out? Obviously a lot of people haven’t heard of you.
A: Well I stand out right off the bat because I’m young, I have a good looking wife and I actually have a plan. I have a vision for Illinois and it’s something that people can look at. If we stand together as one people, then like an army of ants we can do amazing things. Sure, some people are going to critique it and say “He’s crazy.” But you know what? This is an agenda. I don’t just have “stuff” that I want to get done. I physically have a way to do it.
Q: What does your wife think? Did you discuss it with her before you decided to run?
A: She thought I was nuts. She didn’t want me to do it. I said “Babe, I know you don’t want me to but this is something that I have to do. Nothing might come out of it, but at least I tried.”
Q: Do you think people will be afraid to vote for a democratic governor because of what just happened with Blagojevich?
A: No, Cook County and the surrounding cities are a real deep shade of blue.
Q: On your website you say you want to put a cap on business tax and ban the leasing of public assets. Can you expand on that?
A: I don’t understand why taxes keep going up. We have more people paying taxes each year because the population is growing. We outnumber the people retiring. Cook County is losing money because businesses are moving. To make up for lost revenue, they’re leasing public assets like our parking meters. They’re charging $6.50 an hour to park on a city street that the tax payers pay to maintain. Where is going to end?
Q: You want to eliminate property taxes for seniors age 72 and over and cover 50 percent of the co-pay for seniors and veteran’s medication. How do you plan to do this?
A: By lowering business tax and encouraging people to set up shop in Illinois. This along with adding a 10 cent transaction fee on all Chicago stock trades. That’s a way to bring over a billion dollars a year into Illinois without raising taxes.
Q: Do you think you can get people to go for that?
A: Yes. People love the idea. Whether they trade one share or one billion shares it’s only 10 cents. A lot of seniors have to choose between paying bills and paying for their medication. We should be allowed to live our last days in dignity. Our veterans, they put their life on the line. They put their money where America’s mouth was and for us to turn our back on them, it’s just atrocious. I have a lot of veterans in my family. It’s very important to me.
Q: You said you want to put economics and civics lessons into grammar schools. Can you expand on that?
A: We need to teach our children economics. Minimum payments should only be paid at severe times of distress. That’s why were in the trouble that we’re in, because people said “Okay, you can borrow more than your house is worth. We’ll give you an extra $10,000.” Also, civics; human nature is to be greedy. We need to teach our children that there are people out there who want to control you, who will take your money. We need to teach our children how fragile our rights are and that if we don’t take care of them and nurture them they can be gone in a couple of generations.
Q: You grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Are you a Sox fan?
A: I’m a football fan. A lot of people give me a hard time. I would say maybe 51 percent Sox just because they’re more of the underdog. I like the colors of the Cubs better, the blue and red.
Q: That’s very patriotic of you.
Over breakfast, Chicago electrician Thomas Castillo dishes about why he decided to run for Lt. Gov. of Illinois in 2010 and how his “good looking” wife will help his chances.
Q: Have you ever run for office before?
A: No I haven’t, but I’ve always been interested in politics.
Q: What made you want to run for office?
A: I got sick of complaining and I decided to do something about it. When the $700 billion bailout came out, I was so enraged from it that I was actually shouting out loud. I couldn’t sleep that night so I got up and went to my computer and started looking into public office. I put all my thoughts and feelings down, came up with my campaign slogan, “Re-instilling common sense in government” and everything just flowed out. I spoke from my heart and www.Tom4gov.org is a result of that.
Q: How do you officially run? Do you just announce it?
A: Yes. I went to the State Board of Elections and registered. To get on the ballot (for the primary election) you need 5,000 signatures, which is really nothing.
Q: Do you have any signatures collected yet?
A: No, we aren’t allowed to collect any signatures until August and then we have to file them by October.
Q: When is the primary election?
A: Feb. 2 2010
Q: What do you think you’re chances are to win the primary?
A: I think I have an excellent chance. Four years ago Pat Quinn won (the primary election) with 472,000 votes. There are over 880,000 union members in the state of Illinois. I figure if I can get half of my brothers and sisters to believe in me and my plan for Illinois, I’d be right there.
Q: You’re an electrician by trade and a union member.
A: Yes, I’m part of IBEW Local #134. I’ve been an electrician for 12 years now. But that isn’t what I want to do for the rest of my life. It doesn’t make me happy. What really makes me happy is to make a difference in people’s lives.
Q: How do you think you will make yourself stand out? Obviously a lot of people haven’t heard of you.
A: Well I stand out right off the bat because I’m young, I have a good looking wife and I actually have a plan. I have a vision for Illinois and it’s something that people can look at. If we stand together as one people, then like an army of ants we can do amazing things. Sure, some people are going to critique it and say “He’s crazy.” But you know what? This is an agenda. I don’t just have “stuff” that I want to get done. I physically have a way to do it.
Q: What does your wife think? Did you discuss it with her before you decided to run?
A: She thought I was nuts. She didn’t want me to do it. I said “Babe, I know you don’t want me to but this is something that I have to do. Nothing might come out of it, but at least I tried.”
Q: Do you think people will be afraid to vote for a democratic governor because of what just happened with Blagojevich?
A: No, Cook County and the surrounding cities are a real deep shade of blue.
Q: On your website you say you want to put a cap on business tax and ban the leasing of public assets. Can you expand on that?
A: I don’t understand why taxes keep going up. We have more people paying taxes each year because the population is growing. We outnumber the people retiring. Cook County is losing money because businesses are moving. To make up for lost revenue, they’re leasing public assets like our parking meters. They’re charging $6.50 an hour to park on a city street that the tax payers pay to maintain. Where is going to end?
Q: You want to eliminate property taxes for seniors age 72 and over and cover 50 percent of the co-pay for seniors and veteran’s medication. How do you plan to do this?
A: By lowering business tax and encouraging people to set up shop in Illinois. This along with adding a 10 cent transaction fee on all Chicago stock trades. That’s a way to bring over a billion dollars a year into Illinois without raising taxes.
Q: Do you think you can get people to go for that?
A: Yes. People love the idea. Whether they trade one share or one billion shares it’s only 10 cents. A lot of seniors have to choose between paying bills and paying for their medication. We should be allowed to live our last days in dignity. Our veterans, they put their life on the line. They put their money where America’s mouth was and for us to turn our back on them, it’s just atrocious. I have a lot of veterans in my family. It’s very important to me.
Q: You said you want to put economics and civics lessons into grammar schools. Can you expand on that?
A: We need to teach our children economics. Minimum payments should only be paid at severe times of distress. That’s why were in the trouble that we’re in, because people said “Okay, you can borrow more than your house is worth. We’ll give you an extra $10,000.” Also, civics; human nature is to be greedy. We need to teach our children that there are people out there who want to control you, who will take your money. We need to teach our children how fragile our rights are and that if we don’t take care of them and nurture them they can be gone in a couple of generations.
Q: You grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Are you a Sox fan?
A: I’m a football fan. A lot of people give me a hard time. I would say maybe 51 percent Sox just because they’re more of the underdog. I like the colors of the Cubs better, the blue and red.
Q: That’s very patriotic of you.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
WHAT THE F***?
Religious terms like ‘nun’, vicar’, ‘monk’ and ‘saint’ have been dropped from the “Oxford Junior Dictionary” to make way for terms that reflect modern youth culture. Are the new terms ‘promiscuity’, ‘breast augmentation’, ‘penile implant’ and ‘methamphetamine’?
To be con....
To be con....
Monday, February 16, 2009
The DREAM Act Benefits All of Us
Today I write in support of getting the bill known as the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) back onto the Senate floor. This bill will benefit America as a whole and I find that ignorance and fear are two of the factors that are keeping it from being passed. Ignorance, because not everyone understands that the requirements to qualify are strict and hardly a cake walk and fear, because some are afraid of the message being sent by “rewarding” what they consider “illegal activity”, which is simply not the case.
The DREAM Act is a proposal to help young illegal immigrants flourish in society and ultimately become legal residents of the U.S. To qualify to benefit, a person must have come into the U.S. before the age of 16 and not be over the age of 30. Said person would have six years to complete a two-year college degree, two years toward a four-year degree or be enlisted in the military for two years and only be discharged honorably. Said person must also be in good standing with the law. Upon these requirements said person would be eligible for legal residency.
The bill was first introduced in 2001 and was recently voted against in the Senate in October 2007 with a vote of 52-44. A majority vote of 60 is required to pass the bill. Incidentally, President Obama did vote “yay” for the bill’s passing.
Each year about 65,000 illegal students graduate from U.S. high schools. What’s to become of all of them after? Living in the U.S. is all that many of these kids know. Can you imagine what it must feel like to be moved to a strange country as a child, when you don’t speak the language and don’t fit in from the moment you step foot on the soil? Probably not. Can you imagine then working hard to assimilate, becoming a part of that country’s society, dedicating yourself to an education to better your life and then having the door of opportunity slammed in your face just when that life is supposed to begin? Hmm…not so much.
There are an estimated 360,000 high school graduates who are eligible at this time to participate in the benefits offered from the DREAM Act and an estimated 715,000 that will qualify if they graduate from high school. These young people are not going to just up and leave the country after graduation so what benefit is it to America to keep an entire class of people living in poverty deliberately?
When we deny 65,000 people a year the potential for an education and better economic standing we are losing out on a significant number of tax payers and drastically increasing our country’s welfare bill. Multiple studies show that lack of education and low income lead to an increased use of social services and an increase in criminal activity.
A RAND study determined education to be the most important factor in providing the “skills and knowledge needed by the nation’s economy.” RAND also determined that a Mexican woman who has a college education will contribute $5,300 more in taxes and use $3,900 less in criminal justice and welfare expenses each year than one without. She will also earn $13,500 more a year. While the DREAM Act will benefit all illegal immigrants, Latinos are the most prevalent in this group as a whole. The Manhattan Institute says that by 2050 Latinos will make up 46 percent of the nation’s population.
Denying those who want to further their education and become active members of American society goes against the foundation that this country was built on. Let’s give motivated, hardworking people a chance to flourish and stop punishing half of our population for the “sins” of their fathers. Break the cycle and embrace these young people because they are not going to disappear. Instead of ignoring the “problem” let’s take steps to find a solution and turn in it in to a benefit.
The DREAM Act is a proposal to help young illegal immigrants flourish in society and ultimately become legal residents of the U.S. To qualify to benefit, a person must have come into the U.S. before the age of 16 and not be over the age of 30. Said person would have six years to complete a two-year college degree, two years toward a four-year degree or be enlisted in the military for two years and only be discharged honorably. Said person must also be in good standing with the law. Upon these requirements said person would be eligible for legal residency.
The bill was first introduced in 2001 and was recently voted against in the Senate in October 2007 with a vote of 52-44. A majority vote of 60 is required to pass the bill. Incidentally, President Obama did vote “yay” for the bill’s passing.
Each year about 65,000 illegal students graduate from U.S. high schools. What’s to become of all of them after? Living in the U.S. is all that many of these kids know. Can you imagine what it must feel like to be moved to a strange country as a child, when you don’t speak the language and don’t fit in from the moment you step foot on the soil? Probably not. Can you imagine then working hard to assimilate, becoming a part of that country’s society, dedicating yourself to an education to better your life and then having the door of opportunity slammed in your face just when that life is supposed to begin? Hmm…not so much.
There are an estimated 360,000 high school graduates who are eligible at this time to participate in the benefits offered from the DREAM Act and an estimated 715,000 that will qualify if they graduate from high school. These young people are not going to just up and leave the country after graduation so what benefit is it to America to keep an entire class of people living in poverty deliberately?
When we deny 65,000 people a year the potential for an education and better economic standing we are losing out on a significant number of tax payers and drastically increasing our country’s welfare bill. Multiple studies show that lack of education and low income lead to an increased use of social services and an increase in criminal activity.
A RAND study determined education to be the most important factor in providing the “skills and knowledge needed by the nation’s economy.” RAND also determined that a Mexican woman who has a college education will contribute $5,300 more in taxes and use $3,900 less in criminal justice and welfare expenses each year than one without. She will also earn $13,500 more a year. While the DREAM Act will benefit all illegal immigrants, Latinos are the most prevalent in this group as a whole. The Manhattan Institute says that by 2050 Latinos will make up 46 percent of the nation’s population.
Denying those who want to further their education and become active members of American society goes against the foundation that this country was built on. Let’s give motivated, hardworking people a chance to flourish and stop punishing half of our population for the “sins” of their fathers. Break the cycle and embrace these young people because they are not going to disappear. Instead of ignoring the “problem” let’s take steps to find a solution and turn in it in to a benefit.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Get out and stay out you dumb, ignorant jerk.
Who needs him? If Bishop Richard Williamson has already been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church for the last 20 years Pope Benedict XVI might as well leave him out. Williamson’s vehement denial of the gassing of Jews during the Holocaust is disgusting and a denial of the lord himself. Any attempt to “rehabilitate” the man is an exercise in futility. He is backwards in his thinking and beyond help.
These Holocaust denying statements are coming from the mouth of a man who said “A woman can do a good imitation of handling ideas, but then she will not be thinking properly as a woman.” He also believes women should not attend school.
Because of his remarks, Williamson has not only hurt the remaining survivors of the Holocaust and all Jews, but the face of religion and people of the world as a whole. His statements reinforce people’s discontent and doubt about religious teachings and teachers. They also provide validation to the deniers around the world and will now put the idea into the heads of those who feel unsure about Holocaust facts vs. fiction. They will also cause great conflict between Christians and Jews in a time where there is certainly ENOUGH religious feuding in the world.
I do not always agree with the decisions that are made by the Vatican, but I applaud the Pope for his refusal of allowing Williamson back into the Roman Catholic Church. Until Williamson recants his statements and makes a public apology to the world his admittance should not be up for debate and neither should the Holocaust.
These Holocaust denying statements are coming from the mouth of a man who said “A woman can do a good imitation of handling ideas, but then she will not be thinking properly as a woman.” He also believes women should not attend school.
Because of his remarks, Williamson has not only hurt the remaining survivors of the Holocaust and all Jews, but the face of religion and people of the world as a whole. His statements reinforce people’s discontent and doubt about religious teachings and teachers. They also provide validation to the deniers around the world and will now put the idea into the heads of those who feel unsure about Holocaust facts vs. fiction. They will also cause great conflict between Christians and Jews in a time where there is certainly ENOUGH religious feuding in the world.
I do not always agree with the decisions that are made by the Vatican, but I applaud the Pope for his refusal of allowing Williamson back into the Roman Catholic Church. Until Williamson recants his statements and makes a public apology to the world his admittance should not be up for debate and neither should the Holocaust.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Toddlers & Tiaras
Has anyone else seen the new horrible show "Toddlers and Tiaras" on TLC? Frankly, it infuriates me. However, I am strangely addicted to it, as I am also addicted to "Rock of Love Bus" on VHI. This makes perfect sense to me because the little girls that are in these pageants will most likely end up in some form of reality television as adults as well, such as "Jonas Brother's Rock of Love Bus" (20 years from now) or more likely"Cathouse".
This show follows sweet but mostly spoiled little girls and their disillusioned mothers while they work the pageant circuit. The fathers are never around and I gather many of these women probably don't have husbands anyhow. Daddy left because mommy stopped paying attention to him because she's in love with their daughter and wants to live through the poor thing. "I don't have time to give you a blowjob right now honey, Sally is late for her spray tan appointment. Sorry, I didn't have time to make you any dinner, Little Amy is having her lipo today. That Easter candy really did a number on her thighs!"
And seriously, what are these mothers thinking? These girls have the whole rest of their lives to be JUDGED! We're all judged in this world, especially women! These little girls will be judged by themselves, their boyfriends or girlfriends, other women, men and society as a whole until they die. Why not delay the humiliation for as long as we can.
Let's be honest too people, most of these kids aren't cute anyway. Their mothers put so much make-up on them and fake hair and teeth and tans that they end up looking like mini drag queens! The mothers know they aren't cute too. That's why they are in these pageants in the first place, for validation that they didn't create an ugly baby.
I've always respected TLC for showing quality programming. I'm slowly losing that respect. These girls are being paraded around to be judged by strangers. Their mothers say "All little girls love to get dressed up and pretend that they're princesses." So let them be princesses at home where they are loved and they can ALWAYS win.
There are "made up" categories in these pageants like "Best Hair". You know who always wins "Best Hair"? The chubby girls. Every time these kids lose the overall title it is validation that they aren't good enough. This is going to lead to a string of problems as adults and I bet this will have extremely negative effects on their future intimate relationships. These girls are going to be self concious of themselves for the rest of their lives, no sex with the lights on here!
This show has turned me into a judge of these little girls and their mothers too. They all lose. And another thing moms, just so you know, pageants are notorious hotspots for pedophiles and they do go home and jerk off to your daughters in their little bathing suits. Think about that for a second. To be continued...
This show follows sweet but mostly spoiled little girls and their disillusioned mothers while they work the pageant circuit. The fathers are never around and I gather many of these women probably don't have husbands anyhow. Daddy left because mommy stopped paying attention to him because she's in love with their daughter and wants to live through the poor thing. "I don't have time to give you a blowjob right now honey, Sally is late for her spray tan appointment. Sorry, I didn't have time to make you any dinner, Little Amy is having her lipo today. That Easter candy really did a number on her thighs!"
And seriously, what are these mothers thinking? These girls have the whole rest of their lives to be JUDGED! We're all judged in this world, especially women! These little girls will be judged by themselves, their boyfriends or girlfriends, other women, men and society as a whole until they die. Why not delay the humiliation for as long as we can.
Let's be honest too people, most of these kids aren't cute anyway. Their mothers put so much make-up on them and fake hair and teeth and tans that they end up looking like mini drag queens! The mothers know they aren't cute too. That's why they are in these pageants in the first place, for validation that they didn't create an ugly baby.
I've always respected TLC for showing quality programming. I'm slowly losing that respect. These girls are being paraded around to be judged by strangers. Their mothers say "All little girls love to get dressed up and pretend that they're princesses." So let them be princesses at home where they are loved and they can ALWAYS win.
There are "made up" categories in these pageants like "Best Hair". You know who always wins "Best Hair"? The chubby girls. Every time these kids lose the overall title it is validation that they aren't good enough. This is going to lead to a string of problems as adults and I bet this will have extremely negative effects on their future intimate relationships. These girls are going to be self concious of themselves for the rest of their lives, no sex with the lights on here!
This show has turned me into a judge of these little girls and their mothers too. They all lose. And another thing moms, just so you know, pageants are notorious hotspots for pedophiles and they do go home and jerk off to your daughters in their little bathing suits. Think about that for a second. To be continued...
I have to start somewhere...
Hi Friends,
This is my new blog. Brand spankin new! I've never done this before. I don't necessarily have a specific idea about what I'll be writing about as of yet but I can promise that I will be posting a lot about social injustice. Not the kind that rocks humanity, but more of what would fall under the "That shit just ain't right" category.
This is my new blog. Brand spankin new! I've never done this before. I don't necessarily have a specific idea about what I'll be writing about as of yet but I can promise that I will be posting a lot about social injustice. Not the kind that rocks humanity, but more of what would fall under the "That shit just ain't right" category.
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