LADY GAGA DRESSES FOR HOLLOWEEN

Nice........

(Courtesy of Vogue.)

SLAG OF THE MONTH...NO, WAIT! SLAG OF THE YEAR.....

Today, The Adrian Spot announces it's first ever 'Slag of the Year' Award which is being handed out early this year to honor it's sole nominee and subsequent winner - alleged political pundit Liz Cheney.

Liz Cheney - devil spawn of former Vice President Dick Cheney and right hand to Mephistopheles - recently came out and criticized President Obama for going to Dover Air Force Base to meet and honor the bodies of patriotic Americans who died in the current war in Afghanistan.

During an interview late this week on Faux Radio (the mouthpiece of the now-sanctioned-right-wing-nutcase-strong Republican Party) she made the following comment:

"I think that what President Bush used to do is do it without the cameras. And I don't understand sort of showing up with the White House Press Pool with photographers and asking family members if you can take pictures. That's really hard for me to get my head around...It was a surprising way for the president to choose to do this."

Um, Honorary Slag-of-the-Year, neither 'Dubya' nor the monster that created the evil sperm that sullied an egg in your mother's lair to hatch you in the burning seas of sulfur ever bothered to make any such trips but instead publicly upheld a ban on the photographing of fallen soldiers that was implemented by...who?! NO WAY! Was it really 'Dubya's' father, failed number 41 himself - President 'H' Bush?

If it wasn't so sad and wrong it'd be funny.

President Obama is the first president in recent times to go at 3 am in the morning to meet and pay respect to our honorable fallen soldiers and their families, which makes me respect him even more as the leader of this great country.

And your actions is despicable not only as an unwanted public figure, but as an American.

It was you and your actions that qualified you as the winner of the 'Slag of the Year' award.

Please. Take it.

And put it in your place where the sun will never, ever shine.

HOT MEN

Haven't done this in a while.........enjoy!!!

POLITICAL CARTOONS

MOVIE RECOMMENDATION: "Precious"

I first heard about this movie one evening as the telly played “Entertainment Tonight” in the background. The presenter was describing this as the first real contender for the Oscars next year, so I turned around to watch the trailer.

HUGE MISTAKE. I don’t think I have the stamina to watch this guaranteed tear-jerker!!

From ‘The Movie Insider’:

With sheer audacity and utter authenticity, director Lee Daniels tackles "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire" and creates an unforgettable film that sets a new standard for cinema of its kind.

Precious Jones (Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe) is a high-school girl with nothing working in her favor. She is pregnant with her father's child - for the second time. She can't read or write, and her schoolmates tease her for being fat. Her home life is a horror, ruled by a mother (Mo'Nique) who keeps her imprisoned both emotionally and physically. Precious's instincts tell her one thing: if she's ever going to break from the chains of ignorance, she will have to dig deeply into her own resources.

Don't be misled - "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire" is not a film wallowing in the stillness of depression; instead, it vibrates with the kind of energy derived only from anger and hope. The entire cast are amazing; they carry out a firestorm of raw emotion. Daniels has drawn from them inimitable performances that will rivet you to your seat and leave you too shocked to breathe.

If you passed Precious on the street, you probably wouldn't notice her. But when her story is revealed, as Daniels does in this courageous film, you are left with an indelible image of a young woman who - with creativity, humor, and ferocity - finds the strength to turn her life around.

So what, this is another tear jerker movie.

What gives?

Well, for starters, is a collaboration between Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry. Oprah has money and can throw away 15 million and wouldn’t miss it, but Tyler Perry validated this movie – his movies always has a moral in the storyline.

Then there are the actors: Mariah Carey is getting RAVE reviews for her unglamorous role as a civil servant in the Welfare Office. Comedienne Mo’Nique seems to have put aside her notorious ego and tackled this head on. Lennie Kravitz plays a starring role also in this movie.

Already winning awards – the 2009 Sundance Film Festival Award – this is sure to be the talked about movie of the year!

Watch the trailer to see what I am talking about BUT BE WARNED: ya’ gonna need the Kleenex just to watch the trailer alone!!

WHITE HOUSE PHOTOS

Air Force One against the rising sun.

A place setting in the president's private dining room.

President Obama meets with Chris Lu in the Blue Room.

President Obama listens to his Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel.

First Lady Michelle Obama and members of the 2016 Chicago Olympic Bid team prior to take-off from Cophenhagen, Denmark.

The president's morning brief on the famed Oval Office desk.

The president and daughter Sasha at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington.

Cue settings for the heads of state during the recent G-20 summit in Pittsburgh.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama console Paul and Janet Monti, parents of Army Sgt. 1st. Class Jared C. Monti in the Blue Room following a Medal of Honor ceremony.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama help paint along with other volunteers at a Habitat for Humanity site in Washington.

The president playing basketball with members of staff during his vacation at Martha's Vineyard this summer.

C.R.A.Z.Y.: One of the best movies I've ever seen - ever, ever, ever, ever!

Simply blown away by this movie, not at all what I expected.

C.R.A.Z.Y. is the story of a family in Montreal set in the ‘60s and 70s. Zac, the fourth of five brothers, is born on Christmas Day in 1960, and at once his life starts in a turbulent way. The story focuses on the relationship between Zac, his brothers, and his father. All the boys are rough and rowdy, but Zac was special and born with a gift, his mother will tell anyone who listens. However, as they grow up Zac and his eldest brother change from boisterous kids to troubled young men, each with his own demon bent on controlling their lives.

It’s a story of growing up, self discovery, living up to expectations, living up to an image

From IMDb: “ It's a story of two love affairs. A father's love for his five sons. And one son's love for his father, a love so strong it compels him to live a lie. That son is Zac Beaulieu, born on the 25th of December 1960, different from all his brothers, but desperate to fit in. During the next 20 years, life takes Zac on a surprising and unexpected journey that ultimately leads him to accept his true nature and, even more importantly, leads his father to love him for who he really is. A mystical fable about a modern-day Christ-like figure, "C.R.A.Z.Y" exudes the beauty, the poetry and the madness of the human spirit in all its contradictions”.

The soundtrack to the movie perfectly aligns itself to the narrative of the story and features hits from Patsy Cline, David Bowie, Pink Floyd – just to name a few, woven into the storyline along classical orchestra music.

The visuals are stunning, the cinematography amazing, complete with just the right touch of symbolism without seeming too avant-garde or overpowering.

French (with subtitles), this is really a must see!

PICTURE OF THE EXTRERIOR OF MY LOCAL CATHOLIC CHURCH..

Can you say "making a point"?

Where do I start - that "babies" are not aborted - fetuses are?

That abortion is a woman's choice and the church should focus more time on prevention rather than religious rhetoric?

That if these 3300 "babies" were born, how would we care for them? We already have too many children in the system unable to find homes, who are kicked out on the streets at the age of 18 with no support and no money to help them survive on their own?

That if the church backed gay adoption we might be able to take care of SOME of of the children stuck in the system?

Let's just say I had to use all my resolve NOT to drive my car all over those crosses........idiots.....

POLITICAL CARTOONS

OBAMA AND THE GLBT COMMUNITY

Last night, President Obama addressed a dinner held in Washington, DC by the Human Rights Commission (HRC), in which he addressed the matter of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) rights. (Video available below.)

I watched the speech live last night on C-SPAN, and thought that President Obama gave a good speech, and reminded me of how much his administration has achieved for the GLBT community in his 8 months in office. It was a speech that re-enforced my belief that the president is on our side, and will do what he can to further our cause.

However, members of the GLBT community showed their ugly side in comments posted on my favorite blog Towleroad. (Click here to see all comments posted by Towleroad readers.)

I was personally insulted by comments made by obvious 'haters' who expect everything to be quick and easy, and probably live in the drive-though lanes of fast-food outlets.

Here was my response to all the negative comments:

I see the roster of bitchy venom-spewing queens were out in force with the snide comments.

Look, here's the brutal truth you constant center-of-attention grabbing whores: we're NOT the most important item on this administration's agenda right now; there are far, FAR more important issues like getting the economy back on the right track, passing health-care reform, overseeing the two wars we are fighting, trying to stop Iran from nuking the Middle East, etc.

If the White House were to focus NOW on repealing DADT or DOMA, the right wing-nuts would chip away at his popularity making the above listed and more-important issues moot, and raise questions amongst independent voters who may decide NOT to support Obama in the next general election.

Right now I am FAR more concerned about passing health-care reform than pushing for marriage rights for my non-existent partner. And that issue is also more important to GLBT families with children than getting hitched.

The nation - not just the GLBT community - needs a shrewd politician in the White House right now to get all of the above listed things done....but in order of priority that benefits the nation as a whole - not only a small minority that comprises just 10% (or less) of the population.

Also, he is NOT the person who repeals laws you morons; I didn't grow up in the USA and even I know that it's up to Congress to do that, and state laws and issues have to be approached at a local level, NOT through the White House. So the burden of responsibility of getting DADT and DOMA repealed, and ENDA and the Matthew Sheppard Act passed is for the GLBT community to be pro-active and aggressively canvass our elected representatives to repeal discriminating laws and enact tougher measures against GLBT discrimination.

Again, Prop 8 was enacted NOT because of the 'blacks' or the 'religious right'; it passed because the GLBT community was disorganized, lazy and complacent, expecting everything handed to them on a silver plate with their mai-tais, condoms and Ecstasy.

This administration has done a lot for us in a mere 8 months with repealing the AIDS ban on visas, recognizing more GLBT benefits on for federal workers, recognizing GLBT families at official events, etc.

What have YOU done recently to further GLBT rights? Or were y'all to busy trolling Towleroad and the internet for pictures of naked pretty boys that you would never, EVER have a chance at bagging?

Let's get behind our president and SUPPORT all he has to do for our country - he is a gust of fresh air after eight years of ignorance and arrogance.

MAYBE THIS TIME by Kristen Chenoweth and GLEE cast member Lea Michele

Saw this two weeks ago and am now addicted to the song (orginally sung by Liza Minelli in the movie 'Cabaret'). Enjoy!

Republicans whining why Reagan didn't win Nobel Peace Prize - there are valid reasons why he didn't.

Over and over again, the news channels are reporting that Republicans are whining that the Nobel Prize was given to Obama, Gore and Carter, but never awarded to Ronald Reagan for his role in the end of the Cold War in the 1980s. Instead, the Nobel Prize was given to then Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Look – here’s the deal with Reagan: although he had some part with the end of the Cold War, he was NOT the defacto person who effected the end of the Cold War – Gorbachev was. Until Gorbachev became premier in 1985 the USA was losing the nuclear arms race against the USSR. Gorbachev was the one who implemented glasnost ("openness"), perestroika ("restructuring"), demokratizatsiya ("democratization"), and uskoreniye ("acceleration" of economic development), and made changes in the USSR that brought the end to the Cold War– not Reagan.

I was in West Germany in December 1989 and watched on TV when the Brandenburg Gate was opened to allow East Germans access to West Germany, officially symbolizing a break in the Iron Curtain, and I can NOT recall seeing Reagan anywhere in the crowd. Nor was Reagan there marching in the Solidarity protest marches in Poland – which many credit as the beginning of the change behind the Iron Curtain. Incidentally, Lech Walesa, leader of the Solidarity movement in Poland was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.

Other reasons why Reagan did NOT get the Nobel Prize could be due to his role in the bombing of Libya, and the Iran-Contra scandal.

Also, at the start of his presidency Reagan actually implemented polices that intensified and escalated the Cold War, with his threat of the ‘Star Wars’ program, and his budgetary focus on a military agenda and less on domestic and international social programs. You can NOT award a peace prize to someone who first promoted ending a war by hinting that ‘mine gun is bigger than yours’ with regards to his defense policies. This led to a lot of doomsday scenarios floated around in the early 1980s hinting that we were at the brink of nuclear holocaust; remember the movie ‘The Day After’?

My personal opinion of Ronald Reagan has changed in recent years. (Although a lot of that shift is really based on revelations that he is credited with the start of our current conservative political climate, and is the idol god worshiped by today’s Christian right wingers…but I digress.) Growing up outside the U.S. in the 1980s I thought he was a charismatic leader, but also noted the change in American culture that began to focus more on individual monetary achievements and, to coin that infamous phrase from the iconic movie ‘Wall Street’, the concept that “greed is good”. His drastic deregulation of the financial system has been blamed as the key factor for the current economic woes, and his tax-cuts for the wealthy introduced the term ‘trickle-down’ economics to the current public lexicon.

However, I will credit Ronald Reagan as someone who had major significant influence on culture and world policies in the 1980s and beyond.

Whether you think he was a good or bad president my consensus remains: he was indeed, a memorable president.

What a difference a week can make! After losing the Olympic bid, Obama winds prestigious Nobel prize

Last night I decided to sleep on the couch to take advantage of the cool air coming from the south and woke up later than usual (as I seem to lately since I re-arranged the furniture in the living room). After the pre-requisite yawning, scratching of my nether-regions, farting, etc, I decided to make today a late and lazy day due to the constant drizzle that has been falling in the Chicagoland region for the past two days. I turned on the TV and channel surfed, settling on the remaining minutes of ‘The View’ to see out of curiosity what that uber-hypocrite Elizabeth Hasslebeck was spouting today.

Fortunately she was absent from today’s airing, and after Whoopie and Joy oohed and aahed the latest kiddies’ Halloween costumes, the program cut for commercial break. The station promo’d their top stories for the mid-day news and to my surprise announced they would have reaction to the awarding of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama.

“Huh? What?!” was my immediate reaction, and I grabbed my phone to check the latest headline from CNN. Sure enough – CNN confirmed that Obama WAS awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

I was stunned.

I instantly began surfing the news channels, flicking between CNN and MSNBC…and yes, even entering the code to temporarily unblock Fox News to see what their reaction was.

While CNN and MSNBC were covering reactions from around the world and from the White House, and whether the award was justified or premature, Fox News – keeping to their seemingly latest mission statement of being the unofficial cable news network of ‘NO’ – made the announcement partisan and focused on the angle that it was a further rejection of the Bush policies, and that it was premature and questionable. However, they did NOT spend much airtime on the story as I seriously think that they – like the rest of the world – are at a loss at this latest development.

My thoughts?

Mixed – I’m caught off-guard as everyone on this news.

According to an article in The Washington Post chairman of the Norwegian Committee Thorbjorn Jagland said this morning that the prize "is a clear signal to the world that we want to advocate the same as he has done to promote international diplomacy. We are hoping this may contribute a little bit for what he is trying to do."

This statement comes as a blow to those that accused the president of apologizing for America in his visits to other countries in the early days of his presidency, but serves as justification to those who say that Obama’s foreign policies steeped in diplomacy and international cooperation is the right direction for America. They see this as further validation that the Bush administration’s policies was sorely resented by the rest of the world and how tarnished America’s image has been with the international community.

On the other hand we can look at it as a liability for Obama. This prize was clearly awarded based on future expectations that might be hard to fulfill given the complex war in Afghanistan and the current occupation of Iraq, as well as future actions regarding aid to Third World countries and policies with developing nations such as Pakistan, India, and the Asian economic powerhouses.

Obama responded to the news this morning with a six-minute speech given in the Rose Garden. "Let me be clear — I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations," he said. "...This award must be shared with everyone who strives for justice and dignity." (Courtesy of Time.com)

Some Republicans are taking the political high road – possibly as a step in their bid for the 2012 presidential elections. Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty said the "appropriate response is to say congratulations no matter what the circumstance for the selection is.” (Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.)

The last statement has fallen on deaf ears in the Republican Party. Republican National Chairman Michael Steele, who criticized President Barack Obama's overseas sales trip on behalf of the U.S. Olympic Committee, issued a grudging statement this morning in response to the president's winning Nobel peace prize. “The real question Americans are asking is, ‘What has President Obama actually accomplished? It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights.” (Courtesy of The Baltimore Sun.)

Coming on the heels of America’s loss for the bid for the 2016 bid to host the Summer Olympics in Chicago, this latest news show how much can happen in the space of one week.

Regardless of your opinion of this latest news one thing is certain – President Obama is turning out to be one of the one of the most controversial and intriguing of American presidents.

POLITICAL CARTOONS

LAST NAME - Carrie Underwood

Normally I don't do country BUT.......