What's Love Got To Do With It?

So...this morning, I actually made my way to Fit to do some cardio.  I was listening to KRBE and then switched to watching the telly when Today Show started.  Even though the first 20 minutes of Today Show is composed of news that doesn't stop, I really dislike the last 10 minutes so I usually try to find something else to watch or go back to listening to KRBE.

At Fit, there are rows of television monitors and I usually scan them to see if anything looks interesting.  I can usually count on CNN to keep me entertained until Today Show starts up again.

So...this morning I see THIS yahoo being interviewed by Chris Cuomo.

The yahoo actually has a name.  His name is Bill Donohue and he is president of The Catholic League.

According to their website:

The Catholic League is the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. Founded in 1973 by the late Father Virgil C. Blum, S.J., the Catholic League defends the right of Catholics – lay and clergy alike – to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination.
Motivated by the letter and the spirit of the First Amendment, the Catholic League works to safeguard both the religious freedom rights and the free speech rights of Catholics whenever and wherever they are threatened.
 
And there's more! Why is there a need for this organization?
And today’s brand of anti-Catholicism is more virulent and more pervasive than ever before in American history. While it is true that Catholics as individuals have made progress in securing their rights, the degree of hostility exhibited against the Catholic Church is appalling. Quite simply, Catholic bashing has become a staple of American society.
 
REALLY? The Catholic Church is under attack? Am I the last (Roman) Catholic to know this?

So...this morning, Chris Cuomo talks to the yahoo about the Anti-Gay Bill (SB 1062) that was vetoed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.  The yahoo should have known better not to argue emotion because Chris was arguing facts.  And the more facts he argued, the more outrageous the answers became from the yahoo.

I actually found myself laughing in disbelief at some of the answers and the unreasonable answers.  I wish I could post the entire interview.  You can listen to a part of it here.

And I guess the thing that really got me was when he said that love has nothing to do with marriage.  According to him, marriage is about duty and commitment.  If marriage is based on love, then a brother and a sister could get married.  

And a couple of more things...
1. According to a recent survey, the views on gay marriage are shifting.
2. Bill Donohue DOES NOT speak for all Catholics.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind - 01.03.14

Congratulations to Annise Parker who was sworn in yesterday for her third term as Mayor of the United States' 3rd 4th Largest City, Houston, Texas!  Due to term limits, this will be Annise's final term.

source: OutSmart Magazine

According to The Houston Chronicle,

"...Parker called for coastal hurricane protections and, again, an end to chronic homelessness. She drew applause for saying “real progress” in street and drainage improvements will soon be visible and for promising to pass a comprehensive nondiscrimination ordinance that includes sexual orientation and gender identity."  

You can read the full story here and read coverage of her inauguration celebration via CultureMap here.

So...I ran across a couple of things that made me giggle.

The first one is from the Today Show.  There is a guy who has recreated some iconic scenes from movies using his dog.  For instance, here is his interpretation from The Graduate:

You can view the other photos here.  AND The Calvinator should be glad I haven't made him do this. Just sayin'.

Remember the Cabbage Patch Kids?

 Well today on my Facebook feed someone posted this:

You can learn more about the hats here.

Valerie Harper - Today Show Interviews

Last week I posted some comments about Valerie Harper's recent diagnosis of a rare type of brain cancer.  Yesterday on Today Show, Savannah Guthrie interviewed Valerie.  The interview made me cry.  Crying on a Monday morning before going to work isn't a good way to start the week.  Here is Part I

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And today Part II was aired.

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Valerie's attitude is remarkable and admirable. And miracles do happen. Hang in there Valerie!

I Heard The News Today

When I go to the gym in the morning, I always try to get there in time to watch Today Show while I do cardio.  This morning I was flipping channels so it could have been on one of the other morning shows that I heard that Valerie Harper has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

I remember Valerie's character as Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern lived in a big Victorian house in Minneapolis.  The house had been split into apartments and their landlord also lived in the house.  Her name was Phyllis Lindstrom.

The show was groundbreaking because it portrayed Mary as an independent women living on her own with a professional job.  Rhoda was the artsy upstairs neighbor who portrayed another aspect of the independent woman in the '70s.  Everybody loved Mary but I always liked Rhoda the best.

Rhoda and Phyllis both had spinoffs of the show and I watched both.  In addition to the opening for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the openings for Rhoda and Phyllis are still some of my favorites.

After Rhoda, Valerie Harper went on to at least one other television show and also starred onstage. 

I'm very sad to learn that she is dealing with this illness and the outlook doesn't look good.  I did find Ed Asner's comments in Daily News uplifting and it reminded me of what his character Lou Grant told Mary Richards one day, "You've got spunk!"

Valerie Harper has spunk and I hope it helps her with this fight. 

Life Is A Cabaret

Last night I woke up from an afternoon nap (yes, that was a long nap but I also didn't get much sleep the night before so I was suffering from sleep deprivation), and was flipping channels.  One station that plays Cold Case was showing an episode titled Willkommen

It reminded me about an interview on Today that I saw last week so maybe the show should be Yesterday?  This year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the movie  Anywho... you can see the interview below.

 

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I have seen the movie many times and the one thing that I never realized is that with the exception of one song, all the songs are performed inside the Kit Kat Klub.  The point was made that people don't walk around and then burst into song.  To some degree I disagree with that because, well..sometimes I do that.

I also didn't realize that this was Marisa Berenson's first movie!

This one episode brought back many memories of the movie and stage production but the one thing I will always remember about the movie first being released is the movie poster.  What a wonderful piece of art.

Golden Globes Red Carpet

So everyone has an opinion on last night's red carpet at the Golden Globes. Here is one set of critics:

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And to see more of the fashion, visit Salon.com here.

However, when it comes to fashion, there is no better fashionista than The Fabulous Miss Ginger Grant herself! Read her take on the red carpet here.

Update (01.15.13): Here is another review of the red carpet.  It was written by Clifford Pugh at Culturemap.

Update (01.16.13): This made me giggle.

Stayin' Alive

This morning I was watching Today Show and there was a story about a man who saved another man's life by humming Staying Alive. It seems that the 100 beats per minute in the song are the perfect beat to do CPR without doing the breathing. The gentleman saw Matt Lauer do the demo last year and remembered.

A doctor was part of the interview and was questioned about this technique. He was asked if it was safe? He said that technically, the person is dead so it can't hurt. LOL

The full article about doing CPR is here.

And in case you don't know the song, you can watch it:

Happines & Friendship

By now I am sure you have seen the video of the entrance down the aisle to Jill & Kevin's wedding. When I first viewed it my reaction was, "They must be a fun couple and they have a great group of friends." The video itself is below followed by an interview, a recreation of the entrance and a follow-up story. Bookmark this and if you ever need a smile, play this. How can you not smile and wish them a lifetime of happiness.

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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Dryer Fire

This is a Public Service Announcement from Str8 Up With A Twist



Up until about 3 years ago I never thought twice about leaving the dryer running when I left the house or when I went to bed. I'm not sure what incited my fear of the dryer catching on fire. This video confirms my fears.

What if you planned a party...

...and nobody showed up?

That's sort of what happened with Tropical Storm Edouard. Now I'm not saying we shouldn't be prepared for power outages, flying debris, etc. BUT when entire newscasts are devoted to the storm that is going to hit us because the meteorologists are so sure it's coming right for us and then they're wrong?

I woke up at 430a.m. to get Calvin walked before the storm hit only to find out it wasn't coming at us. In fact, it started to rain at 630a.m. and it did rain most of the day (we needed the rain) but it was really just a normal rainy day in the summer. Channel 2 didn't even show Matt Lauer in China this morning and Channel 13 didn't show The View because of the storm.

I get the feeling that the news stations hype it up to get ratings. So much so I was even planning on doing a pictorial essay for you of before and after. I have before and during photos but no photos of mass destruction and flooding.

So here are some photos for ya:

From the front porch

This is Buffalo Bayou which would have jumped its banks into Memorial Drive. On the right side is River Oaks and on the left side is NoRO aka 007/Houston.

This is Memorial Drive which should have been impassable.

Sunset in NoRO

Rain

More rain

Calvin passed out waiting for the storm.

Calvin woke up when he heard the camera shutter

alnhouston reported damage in 007/Houston. A plant fell over!

Oscar (alnhouston's dog)

Sorta looks like the same pic taken 25 hours ago.

Oops!

I saw this on the Today Show this morning and just found the YouTube clip. People are always making fun of the mirror ball trophy on Dancing With The Stars but I have never seen this happen.



I'm not sure what the Memorial Cup is all about but I guess it is something kinda special. And I'm not familiar with the Spokane Chiefs.

BTW...I didn't make it to Borders to see Mario Lopez this evening.

Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue's publicist must be working overtime or the publicist is finally earning their money!

I fell in love with Kylie several years ago and my love for her was heightened when I went to OZ in 2002.

So on Monday she was on the Today Show with Matt Lauer. Wednesday night she performed on Dancing With The Stars. Her cd dropped in the U.S. yesterday.

Pop icon. Dance diva. Sex symbol. Global phenomena. An institution. That's how Matt Lauer described her.

She overcame some health problems in 2005 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

In the interview she says that she received a letter addressed to: "Kylie Minogue. Pop princess. Australia."

If you're not familiar with Kylie, I think you will enjoy this clip.
EDIT: For some reason, the video doesn't always load. You can click here and go directly to the MSNBC website to see the interview.