Pop Culture, week 21 of 2010

While checking out the Danish news sites this morning, I saw that Gary Coleman had died, and wondered if this was another point in what seems to be trending as another "Summer of Star Deaths", as 2009 was.  Lena Horne, Art Linkletter, and now Gary Coleman.  I remember watching the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes and enjoying his rascally ways and suspiciously demanding, "Whatch you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" questioning of what was really going on in the world high above his head.  The commercial break could have included a "Craftmatic Adjustable Bed" ad featuring Art Linkletter, and the Cosby Show I watched that week could have been the one featuring Lena Horne.

What sounds like another obituary are the reviews of Sex in the City 2 film, which opened this weekend.  My favorite review was from Lamar, the People's Movie Critic on the Bob & Sheri radio show. His entire review is here, but I would like to quote his opening lines:

"... if you loved the TV show, don't go see this movie. In fact, if you have friends who go see this movie, and like it, stop being friends with them: they are not the kind of people you want to be associated with. If you're a guy and your wife wants you to go see this movie with her, file for divorce and seek custody of the kids, she’s unfit. If the judge has seen this movie, you will win. If you are a woman and your husband suggests this movie, he’s either gay or he’s cheating on you."

Oh, that Lamar, he's hilarious!  And I always agree with his reviews.  He also works at Anheuser-Busch; therefore, his ratings are based on a 6-pack of Bud. He gave this film 1 Bud, although he couldn't explain why he did even that, except he didn't want to anger all women (his lower ratings include warm Bud, cold Zima, and warm Zima, the absolute worst. I'm including a link to Zima for those of you who are too young/lucky to not know what it is). 

Two years ago I saw Carrie and the girls' first film on opening night. The sight of hundreds and hundreds of young women dressed up for each other and enjoying the freebie cosmo drinks at the theatre was something else.  I enjoyed the movie, as all the story lines were nicely wrapped up at the end of the film.  I knew then that they would most certainly make another film to continue raking in the non-edible dough, and that it would be terrible, because there wouldn't be much leeway with the story.

Speaking of 6-packs, I bought a 6-pack of the brand-new Danish Tuborg lime yesterday for the Mexican dinner we'll have before watching the Eurovision finale tonight.  (Corona: yuck!) Now 6-packs are not a 'thing' here, as they are in the States, so I was super excited to pick up the very convenient cardboard 6-pack and be on my way to the checkout.  Sweet!  My heart is warmed, because the new product reminds me of my last 4th of July party in '07, when I still lived in the States, where Miller Lime was the featured drink, and also of the big bonfire party my sister's neighbor had when I visited the States last year, where Bud Lime was prominent.  Ah, good times.


Another note on 6-packs and pop culture hit me while I was at the neighborhood "Average Joe's" gym yesterday. I call it Average Joe's because it reminds me so much of Vince Vaughn's no-frills gym in Dodgeball.  And the folks there can look a lot like the ones in his gym; in other words, not a lot of 6-packs or fashion sense going on.  Well neither do I, so I put myself in that sorry group too (except I do love the look and feel of my Danskin workout clothes).  While jogging a not-too-demanding 5.84mph/9.4kph, Adam Lambert's "Sure Fire Winners" came on the iPod.  My mind drifted to disbelief: Wow, I can't believe it's been a year since his loss to Kris Allen (who?), that this year's American Idol was so utterly boring, and that no one seems to have mentioned how it was also band leader Rickey Minor's last AI gig before moving on to fill Kevin Eubanks' shoes on Jay Leno's show. Poor Rickey, all the Going Away partying seems to have been only for Simon!  (note: as far as the national news reports go; I did not see any of this season except for a few minutes of rehearsals with Mrs. Beckham.)

I really love this song, because it has a good beat and the lyrics are about being a winner, and not stopping until reaching the top, and how "all the girls in the club wanna know, where did all their pretty boys go?" uh, whoops, it appears outside in the parking lot to kiss a gay friend! The true fans of Daniel Craig, like myself, know that this would not have been his first time kissing a man (he did so in the dramatic thriller Enduring Love and also in Infamous, for example). Ah, that 6-pack in Casino Royale....  My mind drifts more: these boys here at the gym, geesh.  The use of soap and detergent would be a great start.  I swear the dude on the elliptical next to me smelled of a mix of meatballs and cat.  Back to a more pleasant thought, one of my favorite actors. Well kiss or no kiss, why are people freaking out about this?  Except for the whole part that would mean cheating on his woman.  Other than that, we are in changing times, folks: not even the misogynist ways of James Bond can escape.  What a great thing!  After all, why is it OK for Angelina Jolie to have kissed everyone she has, and still be the hottest female action star, beloved by men and women alike?

"all the girls in the club wanna know, where did all their pretty boys go?" Can't get that song out of my head. On that note, I must get ready to head out to the Havnekulturfestival, which seems to be a great festival full of international flair. Just a few Saturdays ago, T-bone and I celebrated the local island's asparagus and beer.  Today it's time to go global.  I wonder who will win Eurovision tonight!