He bet me Dustin Hoffman was in Star Wars!

Thanks to the LOST writers ("a talking dog? what were you guys smokin' when you came up with that?" " we were eating rotisserie chicken") I get completely enthralled with my television for the entire hour of 9 to 10 pm, inclusive of the commercials I am subjected to. I think, normally, I tune commercials out. Somehow my hyper attentive state during lost prevents me from even considering moving to change the channel, as my mind races to figure out what the fuck just happened during the previous program segment.

But I digress. Some of the commercials they play during lost are unbelievable. A few thoughts I would like to share now, that have only just sprung to mind after lost tonight.

Firstly - Poor Luke Wilson. What the hell is up with his lack of career and personal upkeep? He is doing these pitiful AT&t ads and he looks like he has really packed it on. Come to think of it, the last film I can remember him in is Never Been Kissed - I guess that says a lot about his career (or my memory, one of them is the more flawed...you be the judge).

Conversely, my old friend Christian Slater seems to have gotten some work, some on ABC they hope will bring in some desperate ratings with the stragglers of lost who find themselves hopelessly discussing theories with their friends long after the actual show has ended. I shouldn't be so jaded, it might actually be a good show, and while I will never watch it, I only wish the best for ol' Christian.

That is the wheel of Samsara in Hollywood for ya.

I am most irked, though, but the blatant target advertising. Maybe ABC thinks that Evangeline Lily hawking Pantene during my LOST commercials breaks works well, but if they only knew how fucking annoying Kate REALLY is - they would be better off showing her commercials during Oprah. That way, housewives/husbands who probably don't watch lost would be swayed by only her beauty (yeah, i loathe her character but no one can deny bitch is good lookin') and not her annoying character. HE SAID STAY HERE KATE. DO. NOT. FOLLOW. THEM. IN. TO. THE. JUNGLE.

Well s'all for now. I will most likely follow up with some outraged post about the Toronto Mayoral race. le sigh....

Entourage is Fatigue. (and no, I don't mean PHatigue).

I just caught the latest episode of HBO's smash hit "Entourage". Admittedly, during the early seasons, I enjoyed the program - though I had to put my own feminist inclinations aside to swallow some of the horrendous verbal slander agaisnt women (and visual, plenty of visual). I appreciated the fact that the show, like many of HBO's programs, was edgy and clever and perhaps was even highlighting the hegemonic social paradigms that women face, especially in "Hollywood". I reasoned that one of HBO's other hits, Sex and the City, didn't do men any favours - indeed, it perpetuated stereotypes of men as either sex hungry, unfaithful goons or overtly sensitive deebs.

And here we are, smack in the middle of the latest season of Entourage. Aside from little to no plot line, it seems every female character in the program is either a jealous shrew or a fame whoring one night stand. It used to be somewhat laughable that Vincent Chase so confidently bedded ladies but he used to form some meaningful relationships (didn't he?) in there somewhere, making the obligatory T&A shot obsolete.

With the exception of Perry Reeves' character, Mrs. Ari Gold, it seems all the current female characters (who last more than the Vincent Chase lay) are representations of needless misogyny. They are jealous, possessive and conniving. All the while, the boys come off looking like superstars with the ultimate dreamlife.

Entourage o Entourage, where has the cleverness gone? Me thinks it is time HBO put this senseless sexist show out to pasture.

Where have all the good people gone?

You take the high road and I'll take the low road...

Liberal campaign ads were released this past weekend. As I have Michael Ignatieff on my Facebook (woooheewwwww) I was privy to be the first to know about said ads and, as such, I promptly viewed them upon learning of their posting.

I must say - despite having made my dissatisfaction with the Liberal party known in the last year - the ads are good. Finally a party (not surprisingly but thankfully it is the Libs!) are moving away from the negative slander ads that have come to define Canadian electoral campaigning. Despite the useless and offensive ads the Tories released earlier this year which criticized Ignatieff for having too "France French" an accent, among other things, the Liberals latest batch of ads actually do what a campaign ad is MEANT to...Ignatieff explains why the Liberals SHOULD be elected, not why another party SHOULD NOT be elected.

Conservaties, NDP and even Greens...take note. Canadians are tired of listening to and watching the cheesy and dramatic slander ads that typify negative campaigning in Canada. This move on the Liberals part is wise and well worth a watch.

Catch a few on Ignatieff's facebook page here or on youtube here.

You gotta fight for your right (to vote for a political) party

I started off this blog with an election rant and no less than five months later I find myself taking to the web, yet again, over the issue of a Canadian election.

Michael Ignatieff has announced that his party will not support Harper's conservatives for the fall session of parliament. This could lead, potentially, to an election. If the NDP decides to support to governement, there is a chance that there would not be an election and while Layton claims to seriously consider this option - as no one believes another election is good for our economically reeling country - it seems that the reality of another election is staring us Canucks in the face. The NDP will support the conservative government so long as Harper and co agree to work with the NDP to accomplish certain goals and stipulations as outlined by the NDP. Unfortunately, as both parties sit on near opposite sides of the Canadian political spectrum, the NDP would likely find themselves later disappointed if they did indeed support Harper in a confidence vote now. If they don't fool themselves or if Harper gives himself away, they will vote against Harper and we are off to the polls!

What to say? What to do? Well firstly, I will stress the most important thing about an upcoming election. YOU NEED TO VOTE. Our last election was shameful, having the lowest voter turnout at less than 60% of eligible Canadian voters. Enthusiasm has been consistently low since Harper won his minority government back in 2005, but what we must understand is that without the support of voters, we will be subject to a vicious cycle of minority governements who hold little to no power, who are constantly being toppled and hence, we are constantly subject to money burnin' federal elections.

I understand, it hurts. What seems like constant campaigning, a plethora of signage cluttering up the country and the childish mudslinging which ALL our recent party leaders and members have succumbed to. But this is democracy. If you would rather not care about what was happening and have decisions made for you - perhaps you are better suited living under a dictatorship? Democracy only works when the people with the power make use of this power - and in the case of elections? The power is in the hand of the voter!

Let us end this cycle of minority governments by rallying together and finding support for the best party. Let us open our ears and listen to the arguments, let us read the various platforms and policies and come to our own informed decisions about who we want to run this country, to make decisions for Canada and Canadians. Voting makes the greatest statement, by forfeiting this right you are forfeiting the greatest privilege of a free democratic citizen. Believe that your vote will make a difference and understand that change can come!

The no confidence vote can (and will) be introduced at any time when parliament returns for the fall session on September 14th. Canadians will wait with baited breath to see what the outcome of such a vote is.

Jim Balsillie should fix my blackberry!

I am no business person but I own a blackberry. I SHOULD have an iPhone but my contractual obligations to a certain phone company make this impossible. I resigned myself to the fact that the maker of Blackberry, RIM, is a Canadian company and I should be pleased to be supporting them. My newly purchased blackberry is broken, already. Not from any misuse, I have been informed that most of the track balls - especially in the blackberry pearl - act up and that if I wanted it fixed I would have to send it into RIM and wait a few weeks to get it back. Breaking down so soon? I cannot believe a phone that costs people a cool few hundred is prone to such malfunction!

Imagine my annoyance to see much despised U2 (my distaste for them is purely post 2000 Bono) doing a blackberry commercial! As I cursedly jabbed away at the cheap piece of garbage phone RIM has taken the world by storm with, I decide I no longer side with Jim Balsillie on the whole Coyotes deal - I am team NHL! Are you there Jim? It's me, Maeve - use your fast amounts of money to put out quality phones that do not need replacing within one month of purchase!

Just when I think I can get a little peace, I read that RIM is the fastest growing company in the world. Oy vey, what a day.

It's my blog, and i'll review if i want to

I had high expectations for the film 'District 9' - not because Peter Jackson had his name on it, not because it was seemingly going to have some of the finest computer graphics to date and not because I have ever been a science-fiction junkie. When I learned the premise of the film, I was intrigued. District 9 was not going to be the typical aliens-invade-humans-fight etc etc, beyond all the science-fictional premise and the incredible CGIs, it was going to be a political commentary.

When a mothership lands over the city of Johannesburg (the irony should not be lost on anyone), people of the world wait with baited breath for the invasions, for a war of the worlds. After three months of no movement from the ship, the government sends the army to cut into the ship to find out what the heck is going on. Over a million aliens are found in the ship - referred to as "prawns", because of their resemblance to the sea creatures - and are displaced in District 9, what is a mix of refugee camp, ghetto and concentration camp. It is, essentially, apartheid. It becomes a slum. Living in District 9, in the middle of Johannesburg, comes to be an issue over the two decade period. Crime within the slum is rising (and herein is an excellent sub-plot involving Nigerian gangsters), alien human interaction is becoming increasingly violent and human civilian pressure leads the South African government to build another camp, District 10, 200 km outside of Johannesburg. A private company, MNU, is hired give notice to the aliens of eviction and re-locate them to the other camp.

Here begins a film that raises important ethical questions in our society. While the aliens are given status cards and certain protective legal rights, it becomes increasingly clear that the interest in aliens is less to do with their non-human rights but with their biochemical warfare and weaponry. Further, the film brings to light the important question of media legitimacy and media control. To what length will governments and private corporations go to have the foremost technology in warring and weapons? While the story contends with large scale political issues and allusions (again, the film takes place in Johannesburg and the alien apartheid is extremely powerful), there is compelling and emotional heart to the film.

A refreshing take on the sci-fi genre, with stark political observations and commentary, filmed in an immaculate documentary style with incredible computer graphics, District 9 is a film not only to savour but one to elicit discussion for years to come.

Why Obama is the Bomb-A, Why Cheney is Lamey.

Tommy Douglas would be proud.

Our favourite president Ba-rock the vote is trying his darndest to reform healthcare in the United States - i.e losing your finger might not cost you 5,000 bones (no pun intended). The cost is an astronomical 1 trillion dollars over the next 10 years, a large but necessary sum to stabilize the skyrocketing health care costs in the US.

I can almost feel the collars tightening around the Republicans (and Blue Dog Demos) necks who may or may not have a conflict of interest due to their investments in certain Pharmaceutical corps. When all else fails? Scare tactics. War mongering, vote garnering, good ol' fashioned propaganda which leaves the mailable American mind desperately ordering the latest Swine flu vaccine.

But Obama won't let down. He called out these scare tactics today and, love him or hate him (if you hate him, you probably shouldn't read this blog) you have to respect the man's courage to stand up agaisnt some of the most powerful corporations and their investors in the "free world".

Somewhere Dick Cheney is crying into his anthrax-o's.

Image courtesy of (Jim Young/Reuters).