Jack Scribe

Belated mega dittos on the birthday greetings! Best, Jack

EOD - Explosive Ordnance Disposal - is the subject, but it's more about the interactions between the soldiers. There is one scene of a character being blown up BUT it's not a gory, graphic depictation. The soldier is wearing safety gear - but obviously not that safe if you're too close. Here's a synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hurt_locker/

The Hurt Locker, starring Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie, is slowly rolling out from limited release. It has received an incredible 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and will make the top 10 lists at the end of the year. This may be the first Iraq War-themed film to be successful at the box office and has the potential for some Oscar nominations. Check out the film's website: http://thehurtlocker-movie.com/ Two big film stars play small character roles; one of whom gets creamed in the opening moments. I was very impressed with Jeremy Renner. Aside from being a certifiable hot dude, Renner's acting is superb. Same with Mackie. See it!

Happy Belated Birthday, James! I second the motion. Jack

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE! And thanks for the story-posting help. I toast you, sir. Jack

The blogs are going ga-ga over Freddie Stroma, a blond, 22 y.o. Brit actor. Here's the scoop: http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/07/14/freddie-stroma-nude-role/ Check out Freddie's YouTube clips at the London premiere http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGkni5ZJfwc and some outtakes of him dancing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tIY6d-N_aE&feature=related I have no idea how much screen time he has in Harry Potter, but there is a lot of buzz about the guy. He's certainly photogenic and sparkles in interviews.

Twitter is a cutting-edge tool that has the Hollywood marketing experts flapping their jaws. TIME is suggesting that negative Twitter comments sunk Bruno...many of the huge Friday audience passed on their displeasure with blasting I.M. tweets. To quote the opening paragraph: In the old days like, until yesterday movie studios judged the success of their big pictures by how much they grossed on the opening weekend. But in the age of Twitter, electronic word-of-mouth is immediate, as early moviegoers tweet their opinions on a film to millions of "followers." Instant-messaging can make or break a film within 24 hours. Friday is the new weekend. Here's the whole article: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1910059,00.html?xid=rss-arts This, ladies and gentlemen, is a marketing earthquake and a major sea change.

Also opening next week is a terrific film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. After you've done Harry (pun intended), check out (500) Days of Summer. Creative, original, fun, and a terrific cast.

...excrement! IMHO. I didn't find this 82 minute series of skits offensive; just boring. This is a film built around anal sex baffoonary, dildos, silly costumes and a hetero comedian mincing around - relying on every effeminate exaggeration available. There are a few laughs that got the audience going. A lively discussion, confusing hummus vs. Hamas between Bruno, an Israeli and a Palestinian was cute. Also, Bruno's adoption of an African boy - he claims he traded an iPod for the child and gave him an African name (O.J.). A reference to "straight" actors such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kevin Spacey was probably missed by the "straight" boys in the audience. If this was an attempt to lampoon and mock homophobic attitudes, Bruno is a failure. As far as Sasha Baron Cohen's success at this type of gay humor is concerned, Eddie Murphy and the Wanon brothers did it much better...years ago. Bruno ain't no Borat. Save your money.

(500) Days of Summer promises to be the sleeper hit this season...opens July 17. It also confirms leading man status of Joseph Levitt-Gordon. The film is difficult to categorize but essentially it's a romantic comedy. The twist is that boy meets girl/boy loses girl...he falls in love and she doesn't. This is a very contemporary, sophisticated movie that doesn't try to be. JL-G plays a role that John Cusack would have handled 20 years ago. Saw it last night and loved it. Just noticed that JL-G is also in G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, playing Cobra Commander. One of his co-stars is Tatum Channing. Should be high on the yummy scale. This film is scheduled for an August 7 release. Here's a brief story on JL-G's two summer projects: http://www.canada.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Joseph+Gordon+Levitt+star+summer/1770988/story.html

Lynn Lavner, lesbian comedian, cracked me up with this: The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision. Here's a great reference for quotes: http://www.quotegarden.com/homosexuality.html

I found this and thought it was cute and very timely in light of the Prop. 8 setback. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x976rg_a-...-homophobes_fun BTW, here's a shout-out to GA'ers in the Portland area. I visited the wine country and the city last week and loved it! Enjoy! Jack

Thank you, MABOI26, for the note. Would have answered sooner but I was up in the Portland area all last week. Finally had a chance to visit the neat wineries and vineyards (some of them) in the Willamette Valley wine country. Really lovely wines and nice people. And I hadn't been to Portland for many, many years. Very impressed with the city. I'm working on the Vegas story and will have it ready for a fall posting. BTW, I know we'll revisit the L.A. guys in the distant future. Best to all, Jack

Thanks, Tracy. I found this today...Matthew Sheppard's image and the thoughtful message in honor of the House of Representatives passing the hate crimes bill.

There was a point at the end when I seriously considered letting Rory escape with the Columbians. But it was a weak moment. You're probably right, Ginge 4, about Rory/Henry's potential "popularity" in prison. I suspect that he'll figure out a way to survive and be someone's b***h. Pupster picked up that Henry, underneath all his posturing, has some decent traits. Connor, I think Oleg and Giorgio will make a go of it. I know that Oleg will return as the main character in a story...down the road. I already mentioned that he makes a cameo appearance in Shifting Sands.

Sharon, MikeL, Librent and all. Thanks back for the feedback. It was tempting to let Rory fly of to Columbia with Raul...but justice did need to be served. As I mentioned earlier, Oleg Petrov (who in reality is an old acquitance from my Chicago days) will crossover to cameo in the third volume of the Vegas series. I'm muddling through the last third of the story and feel it'll be ready for a fall release. I'm sure we'll see more of Oleg in his own story down the road.

Actually, the stand-up stations are closer to the entrance. Plus, they seem to draw a few cuties.

"At least for now" are the operative words. You're right, MikeL, relationships come in all sorts of packages...as well as the shelf life. BTW, I'm standing at a 'puter work station in the P.S. Library - mine's with the Geek Squad. Hope to get it back on Monday. Tomorrow, I'm traveling to LA and attend a fun BritWeek party. Maybe I'll see some of the SOTW characters.

Being a former Chicagoan, I do recall the "spring" weather. Hang in there - the rocks, Oak Street beach and the bicycle paths will soon be populated. BTW, Other Avenues and Life's a Grind take place in the Windy City. In this chapter, I wanted to revisit Dave and Mike so you could get a feeling for the couple, now in their partnership for 13 years.

This is a taking-a-breath chapter. As MikeL suggests, I wanted to give the Splash series readers an update on the lives of the original characters of Volumes One and Two. Also, it was time to see where a couple of relationships are headed. As a bi-product, this is also a story about how gay men of different ages socially relate.

Who said, "It ain't over 'til it's over"? Rory is in a possible win/win situation for himself.

Totally agree with your assessment. A big HOWEVER. Adam being "current", the emo-goth image, and all the M/M smooching on the Internet may not play well in the red states. Just saying...

As they said, "Stay tuned." At this point, Rory sees a way out...and he may get his wish.

MikeL, here's a sure-fire recipe for the classic Cosmopolitan. While I prefer the these brands, lesser stuff (as long as it's not rot-gut) work well - brands like Smirnoff Lemon Twist vodka and Hiram Walker or DeKuyper triple sec. I use a 1 1/2 oz shot: Pour into a cocktail shaker that is 2/3's filled with ice cubes 1 1/2 parts Absolut Citron vodka or lemon-flavored vodka 1 part Cointreau or triple sec 1 part cranberry juice from the grocery store squeeze 1/2 fresh lime Shake for 10 seconds and pour the pinkish beverage through the strainer top into cocktail glass. A 6 1/2 oz glass is great because there's enuf space so you won't slosh out the cocktail as you serve it to your guests. Enjoy!