Star One Smart Blog's

There's crying in the streets that Star Trek (the latest movie's title; there's no numbering systems) plays down the 'trademark' progressive ethos for more exciting and robust (and, money-making?) action scenes.

Huh? Do you mean to tell me that the reason all of those trekkies flocked to this series for decades, decrying real lives (NTTAWWT) was to witness cultural changeyness? That's worked out well.

Dan's post yesterday drew the usual excellence in commentary, including this gem...

Comment by BJT-FREE! on 5/7 @ 7:21 am #

This sentiment from the googliest Obama lovers of the national news magazine set should come as no surprise and is completely in line with Hollywood sentiments.

Tinsel Town may just be getting the “message” that “message” movies of a progressive bent don’t … whats that word … oh, yea SELL! Forgetting all of the anti Iraq war movies which collectively made about $1.78 while losing gazillions despite slavishly favorable reviews, instead consider the gold standard for such tripe : The Good Shepherd

Mind numbing, boring, deep dark preachy, unwatchable, unsuccessful, despite a top notch cast.

The films that do preach and achieve some modicum of success (think “Wall-E”) do so because they also … oh, what’s that word … oh yea ENTERTAIN! Or, maybe, they present a point of view without sledge hammering it into our cerebral cortex (think “Atonement.”)JJ Abrams hasn’t made his pile by plying a particular political point of view. He’s filthy rich because he can make a movie true to the construct of the story and wow audiences with great action and reasonable character development.

But the narrative is all powerful and far reaching and damn that Abrams for taking out all of the Utopian mind sets of idealist Gene Roddenberry’s original series. How will that small cadre of Trekkies who have held fast to that ideal of the original Star Trek as the blueprint for a better world going to survive this wallowing in the morass of Teh Fun?!

I’d suggest getting a date.

Hmmmph. My main question: does this film include an actress approaching the quality of otherwise-dull Star Trek: Voyager's Seven of Nine? Hmmmm?


I'll just have to go see, I suppose.

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UPDATE
No spoilers. Just a couple noncommital-couple things...

What surprised me the most, and I felt was the biggest stretch, was Uhura’s newfound --uality.

I'm getting tired of seeing nice cars trashed.

You can tell that the competitive Star Wars has greatly influenced these new Trek writers. I wonder if there could be a criss-cross sort of movie, something like Alien vs. Predator? Now that would be a hoot. The Federation vs. the Sith Lords, or the Force vs. the Borg. Captain Kirk meets Darth Rove or something. (Kirk, in the Mos Eisley Cantina…what would you expect him to pick up in there? )

Oh! “Beam me up, Scotty.” One of the 'phrases that Trekkies expected', but didn't get.

Last: The timeline is trashed. It's a brave, new, boldly-go-there again! sort of Trek world, now.

Over all rating:

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UPDATE II

Smitty's added this as a R.S. McCain Rule 5 Sunday Linky. Thanks, Smitty~!

(Oh, and if I say any more about that plate, that would classify as a spoiler, and I promised! )

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Watch full-screen SWF here. Much better than this little placekeeper video.

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From Preston Taylor Holmes at Six Meat Buffet, a request that's hard for anyone to deny, no matter on which side of the political divide you reside.

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"While the USS Cole bombers are all free in Yemen, my friend the Yemeni journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani will be sentenced May 21 in a bogus trial and likely will get the death penalty or a long prison term. He is charged with insulting the president and demoralizing the military with an article about the Sa’ada war. He is an internationally renowned journalist and one of Yemen’s most prominent and outspoken democracy advocates"

This is the guy I made the online petition for in March 2005 and the bloggers all helped and he got amnesty. Since then he and I have become good friends. He loves democracy as much as I do. And he’s paid the price for it. Since he was released in 2005, Al-Khaiwani has been beaten, kidnapped, censored and imprisoned. His paper was cloned, his website blocked and his children threatened."

Al-Khaiwani was badly beaten during his arrest in June 2007. His daughter, six year old Ebba, was slapped by police so hard that she fell unconscious. After Al-Khaiwani’s arrest and release on bail, he was kidnapped and badly beaten again. The US State Department issued a statement from DC noting his abduction pointed to, “disturbing trend of intimidation and harassment of Yemen’s journalist community.”

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So, do a good deed today. Sign the petition. Do the right thing.

From today's Nashville City Paper: Reverend T.J. Graham, midday talk show host at WVOL-1470AM, a Nashville radio station with a primarily black audience, had as a guest Rev. James David Manning, the pastor of Harlem's Atlah Worldwide Church.

In the article, Rev. Graham described Rev. Manning as 'controversial'...

“This man has been trashing Barack Obama in a fashion that makes what the Rev. Jeremiah Wright said sound mild,” Graham said of Manning. “He’s called Obama’s mother trash, and is on the record as saying any black man who hasn’t been in jail can’t be trusted. He’s downing him in very specific and vicious language.”

So, being charitable and cautious, I searched the web for information on Rev. Dr. Manning. I've found some good stuff. And, Dr. Manning has a new fan! Like Dr. Bill Cosby, Rev. Manning has sharp criticism for those who deserve it.

But, there's some not-so-loving articles and put-downs from non-fans (who would rather hear the weak-link stuff that stifles self-sufficiency...)

Rev. James David Manning, the pastor of Harlem's Atlah Worldwide church, insulted Barack Obama by calling the presidential candidate "trash" and a "mack daddy".

"His African-in-heat father went a-whoring after a trashy white woman," said Manning, who is a proclaimed Clinton supporter. "[Obama] was born trash."

"He got started -- you didn't notice him 'til he brought out those big-chested white women with their tight T-shirts and their short pants," said Manning about how Obama started his campaign. "That's what a pimp does He's a mack daddy. He pimps white women and black women. Obama is a long-legged mack daddy."

This YouTube video shows some serious sermon, buddy. This man doesn't pull any punches. Just see for yourself.


Rev. Manning's telling Obama supporters to get up and be men, describing black men as "the weakest men on the planet" because of affirmative action. This is strong stuff, and something that is worth hearing. "The future of the African-American people is in my mouth..."

I would listen to this man. He speaks build strength, where others in the black community seek to enable their personal power by plying on and pandering to weaknesses. You listening, Jesse?

"Barack is an emissary of the devil...I'm your last hope"

Whoo boy, this makes me want to go out and get two or three part-time jobs and please, pass that collection plate around twice!

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It's a fact, now, that we who espouse social conservatism are left high and dry by the early departure of Fred Thompson. With Tennessee's primary election open, I've decided to vote for Barack Obama.

No, it's not a throw-away vote. A throw-away vote is an early vote that went to Fred Thompson. A throw-away vote is one to Ron Paul, or Mitt Romney, or Huckholio, or that other guy with the white hair and the fine gold chains to his leftist friends, the RINO choice of the media. No, I'm not really caring about who gets Tennessee's primary delegates. I do have a desire to vote against Hillary Clinton.

Because of the years of Bill Clinton! Because of the Clinton Assault Weapon Gun Ban. Because of Bill Clinton's disrespect for the Office of the President. Because of Bill Clinton's failure to nab Bin Laden on the two occasions where opportunity was there.

Yes, I want to vote against the Clintons. Again.

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Now, when the general election rolls around, we'll see what's left of the Republican party after the (hopefully) contentious convention. Maybe they'll be no clear winner, and a Conservative will be drafted (Newt Gingrich comes to mind.)

If McCain sweeps Florida, and Super Tuesday, and takes the nomination? Just, damn.

But I will have voted against Hillary Clinton once this year. I can say that with a smile.
;D

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Iowahawk announces a new blog...Bolus.

"Just when you thought the world blog shortage was reaching critical stage, a new group blog project arises to save the day: Bolus, featuring contributions from Coop, Cratedigger, Jim Treacher, myself, and a couple of interesting TBAs. No politics -but plenty of hotrods, beat music, vintage weirdness, boobies, and two-fisted folderol."

Yes, the vintage stuff in itself is worth the visit. That, and the writing is top-notch.

From the same page I borrowed the Club 19 graphic, an excerpt from "Thru the Keyhole"....

"A young thug decided he was going to be a big man in a night club in Naples, and made the unfortunate mistake of picking an argument with "Lucky" Luciano, who was sitting quietly in the corner holding hands with his new young girlfriend. The tough walked over and asked the girl to join him at the bar. "Lucky" managed to compose himself and snapped back, "Get out of here, Kid!" The Kid was now offended and spouted a few well-worded phrases at them both and made a lunge at Luciano. The lad was still in motion when a group of heavy-set men flung him through the door and into the street. When he tried to reenter the nightery an "unidentified" man took him into an alley and when a passerby summoned an ambulance, they took the would-be tough guy to a hospital..."

Ahhh, the heady days of days gone by, when toughs were toughs and the rest learned quickly.

Pay Bolus a visit, or else "Lucky" will send a couple boyz around...
;D

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The Reigning Grande Conservative Blogress Diva Sondra K of Knowledge is Power, desires your vote.

So, go here...


...to vote for Sondra K...

Who else is running? No one of any importance. You know, Michelle Malkin, Ann Althouse, neo-neo Con, Debbuh Schlussel...