A nonsensical statement

General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff said earlier this week during a hearing that in his view, gay sex is "immortal" and should not be condoned by the military. Later, he went on to clarify his remarks stating:"Are there wonderful Americans who happen to be homosexual serving in the military? Yes," he told the Senate Appropriations Committee during a hearing Wednesday focused on the Pentagon's 2008 war spending request.
"We need to be very precise then, about what I said wearing my stars and being very conscious of it," he added. "And that is, very simply, that we should respect those who want to serve the nation but not through the law of the land, condone activity that, in my upbringing, is counter to God's law."

Ok. He's entitled to hold whatever view he wishes. However, he needs to be consistent. If sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage is immoral, then why not make it clear that the military also does not condone sexual activity between unmarried straight people. Start questioning recruits as to whether or not they engage in sex outside of marriage. Ask them if they have children born out of wedlock.

It's only in keeping with the General's personal beliefs.

A Hard Act to Follow: The talents of Rebecca Jamison

Actually, Rebecca (a/k/a RJ) wrote a book about the veteran actress, Grayson Hall, entitled "A Hard Act to Follow" but you might as well be talking about RJ. What a character. What amazes me about RJ is that she is very right brained (makes a living as an EPA inspector) but can shift gears into the left brained area quite easily. She undertook this massive research project about an actress who was known in the theater and all areas of showbusiness but not a house hold name except for the five years as a vampire's therapist on the classic TV show Dark Shadows. I'm simplifing that on-screen relationship here. RJ is every bit as big as life as the actress that consumed her creative attention for several years, culiminating in this wonderful book available at Amazon.com.



RJ and I bonded over too many bottles of sangaria in New York at a mexican eatery on West 17th Street several years ago and have remained buddies ever since. You should check out her website and order her book. You will love it even if you are not a Grayson Hall in particular: there are great stories told about the theater world and showbiz in general.

CINEMA SALEM: A FILM GUIDE TO THE WITCH CITY

I met Peter in the mid-1990s while he was a teenager and discovering much about himself as a person and a performer. He appeared in one of the cabaret nights I produced in New York at "Don't Tell Mama's" and went on to script and appear in his own autographical productions and off-Broadway work as well. He's not yet thirty (will be next year!) and Peter has accomplished quite a bit. He's a good friend to have and a very talented, giving individual; a wicked mimic to boot.

I'm especially thrilled for Peter who has recently completed the manuscript for his first publication on a subject that has fascinated him for almost two decades - The Salem Witch Trials. Read the press release below. I promise you - you will not be disappointed reading his book. This man knows how to write!

For Immediate Release (September 26, 2007):

"CINEMA SALEM: A FILM GUIDE TO THE WITCH CITY"
ANNOUNCED FOR OCTOBER 13, 2007 PUBLICATION
----
PETER MAC'S NEW BOOK CELEBRATES
THE COALESCENCE OF MOVIE HISTORY AND THE LEGENDARY WITCH TRIALS


(New York, NY) Just in time for the witching season, acclaimed playwright/entertainer Peter Mac channels his talent to amuse -- and inform -- into an exciting new book, Cinema Salem: A Film Guide to The Witch City. This lavishly detailed and illustrated volume serves as both introduction and companion to the manner in which film, television, and stage productions have portrayed the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692 in some 97 years of large and small screen treatments. They're all here: from Arthur Miller's controversial The Crucible to TV's "Bewitched," "Dark Shadows," and "Passions," and Disney's Hocus Pocus.

Cinema Salem will be available through E-Book Time beginning on (naturally!) October 13th and retails for $23.95. The 350-page trade paperback is highlighted by fifty black-and-white photographs, many of them never-before-published.

Although it's more than 300 years since the infamous trials, those events in Salem have never failed to fascinate movie makers and moviegoers. Cinema Salem includes a detailed synopsis of scores of films and television programs that offer widely-different approaches to both the actual history and myriad legends of that era. In addition to behind- the-scenes tidbits, fun facts, and trivia, the book features:

* a special chapter entitled "Bewitched" in Salem (harking back to the seven days that the classic 1960s sitcom filmed on location in Massachusetts);

* an in-depth conversation with writer/producer Victor Pisano attendant to his landmark PBS mini-series, Three Sovereigns for Sarah (starring Vanessa Redgrave);

* a section dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne and his The House of the Seven Gables on film; and

* both an interview with and foreword by "Dark Shadows" actress Lara Parker. Parker addresses the history of the original trials and their influence on the scripting of the TV series -- as well as their impact on her new novel, Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch.

From serious drama to television sitcom to multi-media camp, Cinema Salem leaves no stone unturned!

Appropriately, the book will be launched at the Salem Chamber of Commerce Biz Bazaar on Saturday, October 13 (from 10 AM to 8 PM) and Sunday, October 14 (10 AM TO 5 PM). The book makes its New York debut on Sunday, October 28 at 6:30PM at The Gay and Lesbian Community Center, 208 West 13th Street. At each venue, author Mac will offer a discussion, a question & answer session, a video presentation, and sign copies of his book. (Those attending these events will be able to purchase Cinema Salem at the discounted price of $20.)

It is also available through E-Book Time at http://www.e-booktime.com/ and online from both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Peter Mac is a native New Yorker. He made his debut as a playwright in 2002 with the autobiographical dramedy, Judy and Me, and continues to perform in the TriState area and around the United States as an actor/singer and Judy Garland tribute artist. Cinema Salem: A Film Guide to the Witch City is his first book.



***


For more information, please contact Peter Mac at:
cinemasalem@aol.com

You can also visit http://www.cinemasalem.net/

Or call (718)290-0660.

Showtime's DEXTER

Before watching a single episode of DEXTER, Showtime's reigning jewel, I read it was like a good book that is too hard to put down.



The hype was right on target. I didn't subscribe to Showtime during DEXTER's first season so I missed it. While looking for new material at Blockbuster, I decided to rent the first season of this acclaimed series and I got hooked. I watched the entire series in two nights. It was hard to stop watching.





I should premise this with a reminder to readers of my life-long interest in organized crime and what makes serial killers tick. I read many books
on these subjects, endlessly fascinated with the inner workings and turmoil of the murderers. This interest also includes a love of all foresenic and investigative programming spread across the television map.

In DEXTER, I have it all in one place.

Dexter Morgan is a blood splatter expert in a crime lab. His adopted father recognized Dexter's unhealthy killer instincts quite early and directed the madness in a more constructive direction such as killing killers, more specifically, killing serial killers. Dexter solves crimes by day and does crime by night (usually at night). Sometimes he gets called to his own crime scene to work it.

Dexter narrates throughout the episodes, allowing the viewer a glimpse into his mind - his hopes and fears - and the questions about himself as to what produced him? How many are there like him out there? Can he find someone to talk to and completely be himself at the same time? His adopted father was the only person who knew Dexter in and out but now the adopted father is dead and buried. Dexter has no one who knows the true him.

Fortunately for viewers, Dexter's metacognition is strong: he suspects he knows why he does things; he wonders why he feels the emptiness, no emotion and wonders if others experience things the same way he does. He wants to learn about himself. There are brief moments in his life during the first season when Dexter has moments of almost feeling something in the way of love and compassion. He has gone to great lengths to learn to act normal and react normally to basic life events so no one suspects the deep void in his heart and soul. Through actor Michael C. Hall's narration speaking as the show's title character, we learn more about Dexter's life issues and questions. We are pulled along as we emphathize with his search for answers and someone to share his problems with openly. Underscoring this, we root for Dexter's private mission in killing those who escape justice and have committed heinous crimes against the innocent.

For Dexter, it's all about protecting the innocent and getting justice for the innocent.

We rooted for Charles Bronson's Paul Kersey (no relation to me, thank you) in DEATH WISE and understood from where his anger came. Dexter has the urge, no, make that need to kill.
The show leaves the views with an obvious moral quandry.

Even apart from the complex morality at play in this series, it's great to be able to enjoy good, strong writing. The performances are good too especially Michael C. Hall who I enjoyed as David in SIX FEET UNDER. This series will sucker you right in and thankful that the second season starts on September 30th.

Just keep those kitchen knives out of sight.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The blazing morning sun promises another triple-digit day, and inside Stage 16 at Sunset Gower Studios, things already have heated up.

Dexter (Michael C. Hall, left) sizes up a crime scene with a colleague played by Vince Masuka.

Michael C. Hall still hasn't broken a sweat, though, as he moves with steely quickness in a pivotal scene for Showtime's "Dexter," in which he plays a blood analysis expert for Miami's finest who spends his off-hours offing bad guys.
At the moment, Dexter Morgan is carefully manipulating blood samples.
Then he pauses.
With no dialogue, the day's call sheet reveals Dexter's voice-over in which he's torn but resolved about framing an innocent man to cover his own misdeeds, even if it goes against a tenet of his father's: Never hurt the innocent.
"But there's also the No. 1 rule," the voice-over continues: "Don't get caught."
Wouldn't want that to happen -- considering there's a city rife with cold-blooded killers ripe for execution.
"Dexter," which returns Sunday, is one of those dark, complex cable dramas with a tragic, yet appealing antihero -- the sociopath we love to root for.
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"The days of 'Magnum, P.I.' are gone," says executive producer Clyde Phillips. "Part of what we love in our antiheroes now is that shadow side, that part of what we love in ourselves because we all have that shadow."
As the second season opens, it's some 38 days after Dexter saves the city, and foster sister Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter), by murdering his only brother, the notorious Ice Truck Killer.
"For all that was resolved (last season), there are some really open wounds for Dexter," says Hall in his trailer during a break as he fusses with the laces on his sneakers. "I mean Dexter, on all fronts, has people closing in on him."
What with Sgt. Doakes (Erik King) stalking him around every corner, even leading Dexter's ally, Lt. Maria LaGuerta (Lauren Velez), to believe that Dex may have something to hide. And his girlfriend, Rita Bennett (Julie Benz), suspects him of framing her ex-husband and sending him to prison.
The noose tightens even more when evidence of Dexter's killing sprees surface, bringing FBI serial-killer hunter Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine), out on the prowl. He's teaming with Dexter's own comrades on the force, Angel Batista (David Zayas), Vincent Masuka (C.S. Lee) and Debra.
Now Dexter finds himself unable to relax or kill.
"I cant believe how stressful this guy's life is," Hall says, "and he can't talk about it with anybody."
Except with those closest to him -- the viewers.
"I'll tell you, if you couldn't hear his internal dialogue I think it would be a very different story," Velez says of Hall's haunting voice-overs, which offer glimpses into the mind of this madman. "That's the genius of the show."
It premiered with a positive critical push and became the highest-rated drama on the channel, according to Showtime President Robert Greenblatt, and he gave the show an early second-season greenlight after only five episodes.
"I hesitate to use the word because it can signify something that is dull or boring," says Carradine, an admitted fan, "but this show appeals on a more intellectual level, but it's a viscerally entertaining show."
Carpenter offers: "It's kind of like Showtime serving up this really stiff drink and every once in a while they are going to throw it in your face, but you'll still keep coming back. It's intoxicating."
And sometimes perplexing.
"One of the great things about Dexter is that he means something different to different people," says co-executive producer Daniel Cerone of the character based on the Jeff Lindsay novels.
"You can talk to one fan of the show and they connect with this guy's insatiable need to kill," Cerone continues. "Then you talk to another fan who thinks Dexter's a good guy killing bad guys. It can be confusing but it's accessible to people because they can bring their own moral center to the show."
The thing that the show aims to explore, says executive producer John Goldwyn, are the absolutes: Am I absolutely evil or am I absolutely good? The answers lie in Dexter's relationship with his foster father, former cop Harry Morgan (James Remar, who's seen in flashbacks).
"Therein lies the eternal conflict," Goldwyn says. "Did Harry make him the way he is, or was he born the way he is? Is it nature or is it nurture?" E-mail to a friend
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Senator Happy Feet

I'm sure most readers have heard or read something about Senator Craig's arrest for allegedly soliciting another man in a public bathroom, and that man turned out to be an undercover policeman.

Do our police have nothing better to do than wait for horny gay men in public bathrooms?

Why is it illegal for a gay man, closeted or otherwise, to make a pass at another man but quite legal for a hetrosexual person to make a pass at another person they presume to be straight? I can personally attest that plenty of straight women receive "passes" they have no interest in acting on. And even after the initial rejection, the guy can come on quite strong. That's not illegal unless, of course, he becomes physical.

I don't see what Senator Craig supposedly did as being wrong. My complaint is that this homophobic conversative has gotten caught practicing the very thing he publicly reviles. Having sex in a bathroom is not my idea of a good time, it's not a fantasy, but for others it is a fantasy to receive that kind of solicitation and for closeted gays it can be one of the few ways to hook up.

I don't see prostitution as a problem other than what law enforcement chooses to make of it. The industry could be regulated for safety of both the johns and the prostitutes. Why is it against the law for someone to pay another for sex? Does that make any sense? We pay for many services that involve our body including for pleasure. There are those who prefer paying for sex without having any obligation or further involvement. They just want sex. Why can't they be free to buy it and specify what they want as they are paying for it?

Our view of sex and sexual orientation in this country leaves much to be desired. Our technological advances move forward at an alarming rate, the human factor removed more and more, and it's no small wonder since we cannot deal with the human factor in a productive way. The human body and personality is vastly complex.

But here we are still witnessing a strong, intelligent, assertive woman having her sexuality called into question. I am speaking of Hillary Clinton. Some of the news reports state there are supposedly people wondering about her sexual orientation. Her TRUE sexual orientation. The question isn't about the desire to have a deeper understanding of what makes Hillary tick as much as implying she has something to hide or has been less than honest about her life and views. There is nothing wrong with being a lesbian, of course, unless the supposed revealation is designed to bring the subject of the claim down and attack her credibility. That's what this is all about in regards to Hillary. Whether or not she is living as a sexually fulfilled woman in a life she wants isn't the concern. Hell, no.

This is the Hillary version of playing Happy Feet in the john.

The Tale of Gizmo's Ears

I have a very querlous cat named Gizmo. She fascinates me. Sometimes she seems to endure things that are against her nature to tolerate, but she does anyway because it's me doing it.



I have loved from afar scottish fold cats and American curls whose ears curl such as this:

Love those ears. Well, Gizmo, for all her calico wonderfulness, does not have the curling ears. I wondered if I could manufacture these lovely curl ears on her. Gizmo normally looks like this below:

This is Gizmo in one of her favorite pasttimes - chewing on my toes. Sometimes I do wonder how she has managed to live as long as she has, going on four years now.

So I decided to try curling Gizzy's ears the way I would like them.

Doesn't she looked pleased? I sure was.

But only crazy glue could make them stay in place.

Gizzy would not go for that. What an uncooperative cat I have.

Returning from an unexpected hiatus

It's been quite awhile since I posted here. The reason is being preoccupied with treatment I've been getting in regards to my being diagnosed with melanoma (skin cancer) last December. I didn't tell anyone at all for several months and now I can't remember whose been told and who hasn't so this post will be news to some friends and family alike, I'm sure. I dislike being asked questions I don't know the answer to hence my decision to keep the diagnosis to myself while I pursued treatment options and plans available for the uninsured.

The growth I detected and investigated by doctors proved to have not invaded any body organs. Still, the growth was enough to make me feel weak and sick to my stomach many days. I am not used to not having any energy. I usually have too much.

The treatment was not aggressive as the situation did not warrant it; a treatment called immunuelogy was used. That also made me sick and feel lifeless.

While I was a child, I had a few very severe sunburns. I've been more careful since my 20s when I am out in the sun. I wear a hat and light clothing on the beach and sometimes even in the ocean when I'm swimming at the beach. It looks mighty silly and hot but that's how I must take care of myself to avoid any more bouts with skin cancer.

Cancer sucks big time. I don't want anymore.