Bros Actor Guy Branum Blasts The Whale and Brendan Fraser’s Casting — movieweb.com In which a couple of fat gay actors complain that Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming move The Whale casts Brendan Fraser, who is not gay or especially fat, as a 600-pound gay man. “Who knows more about being an obese queer man than an obese queer man?” asks Daniel Franzese, an obese queer man. This reminds me of a story (which admittedly Dustin Hoffman has said is not quite accurate) about Marathon Man, in which Hoffman starred with Laurence Olivier. Hoffman showed up one day having not slept the night before so he could shoot a scene in which his character had not slept the night before. Olivier thought it was absurd. “It’s called acting, my dear boy,” he said. Olivier in that movie played a cold-blooded Nazi killer, that is, a cold-blooded Nazi who killed people, not a… Read more →
Author Archive: Paul Epps
What Kind of Dogs Were They?
The dogs were pit bulls. I haven't been so shocked since Claude Rains discovered gambling at Rick's Café. https://t.co/eBN7UuKLPy — Paul Epps (@paulepps) October 8, 2022 Read more →
A Total Lack of Humanity and Empathy
I’ve said this before, but progressives, who position themselves as paragons of tolerance and inclusion, are always the most hateful people I’ve ever met. pic.twitter.com/ddtcRzAC8R — Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) September 29, 2022 Read more →
USC Cardinal Divas
As a USC alum, I'm very proud of this. And there is no sane "backlash." Every time a black person does something, there's a "backlash," real or imagined. A couple of wingnuts on Twitter is not a "backlash." https://t.co/cbEJlRLQgj — Paul Epps (@paulepps) October 7, 2022 Read more →
How Hot is Hot?
Politics Obscures Our Common Humanity
If politics drives you to hate your neighbors and everyone who sees the world differently from you – instead of being angry with centers of power – then it’s playing a very distorted role in your life. . . . Politics matters. But, by design, it often obscures the common humanity that drives most of us. — Glenn Greenwald Read more →
Chess Game of the Day: Four Knights Game
One of my online chess games. Some annotations below . . . 4. Nd5 A Four Knights gambit that I like. 13. …Qd7 13. …c5 or 13. …d5 would be good here. 20. Qxb7 Looks even now. 21. …Rd5 White looks to be gaining some advantage. 33. …Kh6?? Black could put up more of a fight with 33. …Kh5. 35. …Qg5 There’s a forced mate from here but Black didn’t have any good moves left. Read more →
How is J.K. Rowling’s Transphobia Like Joseph Smith’s Golden Plates?
You have to read this! Hilarious. They cannot even tell you what J.K. said that was transphobic. BECAUSE SHE NEVER SAID ANYTHING TRANSPHOBIC YOU WINGNUTS!! https://t.co/vQJlTPKR19 — Buck Angel® Transsexual (@BuckAngel) September 29, 2022 Read more →
Verbal Blunder of the Week Competition
Competition was intense in the Verbal Blunder of the Week competition . . . First was the Joe Biden “I see dead people” gaffe: "Jackie are you here? Where's Jackie?" Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) died in a car accident in August pic.twitter.com/cHc3b7zPmE — Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) September 28, 2022 KJP tried to explain that Biden was trying to locate the deceased congresswoman in the audience because she was “top of mind”: .@CeciliaVega: "What happened at the Hunger Event today? [Biden] appeared to look around…for…a member of Congress [Jackie Walorski] who passed away last month…What happened there?" KJP: He "was acknowledging her incredible work…She was on his mind…top of mind" pic.twitter.com/LhEECd4QBR — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 28, 2022 I suppose when I listen to Beatles music or to his own music, John Lennon is “top of mind” for me but I don’t look around the room trying to locate him. These… Read more →
The Same as Everyone Else’s
Recognize that your struggle and your suffering is the same as everyone else’s, I think that’s the beginning of a responsible life. Otherwise, we are in a continual savage battle with each other with no possible solution, political, social, or spiritual. — Leonard Cohen Read more →
Transform Your Life!
People often ask me what is the most effective technique for transforming their life. It is a little embarrassing that after years and years of research and experimentation, I have to say that the best answer is— just be a little kinder. — Aldous Huxley Read more →
U.S. Gun Deaths Per Capita
This hurts the US in the gun deaths per capita stats, the fact that mass murders in other countries are often carried out with bombs https://t.co/HcHykXTOk7 — Paul Epps (@paulepps) September 30, 2022 Read more →
The Economy is Steady and Stable
The economy is steady and stable. Inflation goes up, GDP goes down, stocks go down — but all in a stable and steady manner. https://t.co/fIGabtAkhs — Paul Epps (@paulepps) September 28, 2022 Read more →
School Choice in Arizona
I think the only cases you can make for "systemic racism" are public schools and teacher unions so this is great, great news. https://t.co/WmMuv6dYdy — Paul Epps (@paulepps) September 28, 2022 Read more →
Republican Extremists
Shannon Brandt, 41, struck and killed [18-year-old Cayler Ellingson] with his Ford Explorer SUV early Sunday in an alley. His mother said Ellingson called and asked her if she knew Brandt (she did). The boy called again a short time later and said that “‘he’ or ‘they’ were chasing him.” The mother could no longer reach him after that. Court documents said, “Brandt admitted to striking the pedestrian with his car because he had a political argument with the pedestrian and believed the pedestrian was calling people “to come get him.” He claimed the teen was part of an unspecified Republican “extremist group.” Brandt was released on bond. — dailysignal.com He was a MAGA Republican, a threat to the country like Joe Biden said. So I crushed him with my truck. To make America safe for democracy. Read more →
Evil is Burning
Iran has yearned for this glorious dance for over 40 years.Evil is burning — Woman is rising pic.twitter.com/CjGFNESH91 — Mariam Memarsadeghi (@memarsadeghi) September 20, 2022 Read more →
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. — Napoleon Bonaparte
Having perfected our disguise, we spend our lives searching for someone we don’t fool. — Robert Brault
The Management of the Life of the People
Even in [1931] the Macmillan Report could already speak of “the change of outlook of the government of [England] in recent times, its growing preoccupation, irrespective of party, with the management of the life of the people” and add that “Parliament finds itself increasingly engaged in legislation which has for its conscious aim the regulation of the day-to-day affairs of the community and now intervenes in matters formerly thought to be entirely outside its scope.” — F.A. Hayek, The Road to Serfdom Read more →
The Unknown Millionaire
I’m buying a soda at a local convenience store, waiting while the guy in front of me buys about 50 dollars worth of scratcher tickets. After I pay for my soda and head out the door, I see the same guy leaning against the wall and he asks me for spare change. “For what?” I ask. “More scratchers? You haven’t even scratched the ones you have. You might be a millionaire and not even know it.” Read more →