The 31 Days of Horror- #31
...And were off and running!
The 70's 
Nosferatu: The Vampyre (1979)- This is a pretty good telling of the Dracula story, with a Nosferatu style twist. Isabelle Adjani is STUNNING as Lucy Harker (yes, a deviation from the book), seriously looking just about as gorgeous as a woman can; Klaus Kinski is pretty creepy as Dracula too... I love the Nosferatu look. The way it ends is interesting to me; it's nothing like the book, much like the rest of the movie, but it's still effective. If you love vampire movies, you need to see this one.
The 80's 
The Keep (1983)- This is seriously one of the most underrated and mishandled movies of the 80's. The Keep is a sweet bunch of Michael Mann (Manhunter,Heat,Collateral) goodness; A bunch of greedy Nazi's decide to steal some gold crosses from a keep that their holed up in, pissing off the Demon who lives there. The best part? Only a Jew can stop the Demon. I love that little bit of irony. Mayhem naturally ensues. Visually this movie is stunning; unfortunately, the studio forced Mann to cut the film which made it an almost Dune-like mess, but it's still a hell of a movie. Then again, I also love Dune.
The 90's 
The Exorcist III (1990)- I told myself that I didn't want to include sequels on this list, letting the originals speak for a series if need be, and to allow more unique movies to make the cut, but I had to include this one. The second sequel (the first one really blew) to arguably the best horror movie ever made, was pretty good and gave me a few scares that I wasn't quite expecting. The scene with the nurse is one of the scariest scenes ever filmed. In a pretty weak decade for horror, this was a solid movie that managed not to crap on the original.
The 2000's 
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)- This movie seems to be hated just as much as it's loved by horror fans, but I think it's fantastic. In a time when Hollywood was churning out cardboard cut out fluff that they called horror, along came Rob Zombie and brought it back to the grimy exploitation style of the 70's. You can tell he's a horror fan, and though it's far from perfect, it was at the very least fresh and different. House of 1000 Corpses gave us a much needed change of pace from the mundane state that horror found itself in earlier this decade. Good effort for his first film.
See you tomorrow with #30...
Nosferatu: The Vampyre (1979)- This is a pretty good telling of the Dracula story, with a Nosferatu style twist. Isabelle Adjani is STUNNING as Lucy Harker (yes, a deviation from the book), seriously looking just about as gorgeous as a woman can; Klaus Kinski is pretty creepy as Dracula too... I love the Nosferatu look. The way it ends is interesting to me; it's nothing like the book, much like the rest of the movie, but it's still effective. If you love vampire movies, you need to see this one.
The Keep (1983)- This is seriously one of the most underrated and mishandled movies of the 80's. The Keep is a sweet bunch of Michael Mann (Manhunter,Heat,Collateral) goodness; A bunch of greedy Nazi's decide to steal some gold crosses from a keep that their holed up in, pissing off the Demon who lives there. The best part? Only a Jew can stop the Demon. I love that little bit of irony. Mayhem naturally ensues. Visually this movie is stunning; unfortunately, the studio forced Mann to cut the film which made it an almost Dune-like mess, but it's still a hell of a movie. Then again, I also love Dune.
The Exorcist III (1990)- I told myself that I didn't want to include sequels on this list, letting the originals speak for a series if need be, and to allow more unique movies to make the cut, but I had to include this one. The second sequel (the first one really blew) to arguably the best horror movie ever made, was pretty good and gave me a few scares that I wasn't quite expecting. The scene with the nurse is one of the scariest scenes ever filmed. In a pretty weak decade for horror, this was a solid movie that managed not to crap on the original.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)- This movie seems to be hated just as much as it's loved by horror fans, but I think it's fantastic. In a time when Hollywood was churning out cardboard cut out fluff that they called horror, along came Rob Zombie and brought it back to the grimy exploitation style of the 70's. You can tell he's a horror fan, and though it's far from perfect, it was at the very least fresh and different. House of 1000 Corpses gave us a much needed change of pace from the mundane state that horror found itself in earlier this decade. Good effort for his first film.
See you tomorrow with #30...
Top Ten Black Blogs (Oct 2008)
This is the 14th month in a row that we publish the Villager's Black Blog Rankings (BBR)! The highlight of this month is a brand-new technology blog that blazes into the Top Ten this month.
Do any of you recall when we started the BBR with 75 Black blogs in Sep 2007. This month we publish over 1,440 Black owned & operated blogs! I don't pretend that we have all Black owned & operated blogs on this list. If you see any that are missing ... please let me know in the COMMENTS section below.
Here are some of the blog lists from the past 14 months:
HONORABLE MENTION (11-25): Sandra Rose, How To Split An Atom, Necole Bitchie, La Shawn Barber's Corner, The Field Negro, Real Talk NY Provides The Latest Hip Hop News, AfroBella, What About Our Daughters, Raw Dawg Buffalo, SoulBounce.com, Keith Boykin, Angry Black Bitch, Ill Doctrine, Electronic Village and Womanist Musings.
This ranking is open to any blogger of African descent. We invite all Black bloggers to apply for membership into The AfroSpear or join our Facebook group known as the Afrosphere Bloggers Association.
Black Blog Rankings lean heavily on the Technorati Authority and Rank score for each blog. The Technorati authority and rank numbers are shown in parenthesis. The authority figure includes a number of factors including the number of blogs that are linked to this blogger over the past six months. The rank number indicates how many blogs are between the one listed and The Huffington Post, which is the #1 overall blog in the universe.
We do think that these Black blogs are important spheres of influence. Let them know that you appreciate the work they have put in over the past few months and years to get on this list.
I encourage all bloggers to provide some link-love to this post so that your readers can learn about the Villager's Black Blog Rankings! Next step is yours ... what say u?
Do any of you recall when we started the BBR with 75 Black blogs in Sep 2007. This month we publish over 1,440 Black owned & operated blogs! I don't pretend that we have all Black owned & operated blogs on this list. If you see any that are missing ... please let me know in the COMMENTS section below.
Here are some of the blog lists from the past 14 months:
- October 2007 - 300 Black blogs
- January 2008 - 602 Black blogs
- April 2008 - 1,045 Black blogs
- July 2008 - 1,269 Black blogs
- Pam Spaulding: Pam's House Blend (Authority: 1,194 / Rank: 1,768) - [Politics] Pam's blog is growing faster than anything I'
ve ever seen. One reason for her success is the talented bloggers that cross-post on her site about all aspects of politics. Also, it is evident that Pam's House Blend is the go-to location for anything related to the lesbian and gay community. Check out excellent article on Pam recently written in Washington Post - Ahsmi Rawlins: Nah Right (Authority: 918 / Rank: 2,728) - [Entertainment] Ashmi (a.k.a., ESKAY) is firmly planted as BBR #2 behind Pam Spaulding. Br. Rawlins currently has the top-ranked gossip or entertainment blog on our list. He has been at the blogging game since May 2005. One reason for the success of his entertainment blog is his ability to share MP3 versions of songs before they go public.
- The Bossip: Bossip.com (Authority: 839 / Rank: 3,117) - [Entertainment] Bossip.com leap-frogged into BBR #3 slot. I figure that The Bossip must be male. I base that assumption on the occassional controversy when his blog denigrates women of color, such as Elizabeth Acevedo and Maya Angelou. Anyhow, click here to see index of the people that are blogged about on Bossip.com.
- Angel Laws: Concrete Loop (Authority: 829 / Rank: 3,161) - [Entertainment]
Angel Laws is the young sister who started this blog as a hobby. She has lived in more than 6 different states, and graduated high school in Hawaii. Angel has been on the web scene since she was 13 years old; making random graphics and images for friends and family. She started her own graphic designing business in 2005 and it was around that time that cshe created Concrete Loop. It appears that Angel and The Bossip will battle over BBR #3 and #4 slots over the coming weeks and months. Take a moment to see a list of the last 50 posts on her blog. - Oliver Willis: Oliver Willis (Authority: 716 / Rank: 3,891) - [Politics] Oliver has been blogging since April 2005. One of the common elements of these top bloggers is that they have been at it for many years. Oliver has an added advantage of being featured in the Huffington Post with his political commentary. You can find Oliver on Twitter.
- Natasha Eubanks: Young, Black & Fabulous (Authority: 694 / Rank: 4,063) - [Entertainment] I anticipate that this blog will move into the BBR Top 5 next month. Natasha Eubanks is the writer & editor of the site. She converted from blogger.com platform to her own domain earlier this year. It appears that folks have found the new site as she moved straight up the rankings. It appears that having your own domain is a common denominator for the top Black owned & operated blogs.
- Baratunde Thurston and Cheryl Contee: Jack and Jill Politics (Authority: 624 / Rank: 4,709) - [Politics] Baratunde (a.ka. Jack Turner) and Cheryl (a.k.a. Jill Tubman) continue to have the fastest moving blog on the BBR this month. Jack and Jill have both been featured recently on Meet the Bloggers, a weekly podcast sponsored by Brave New Films. You can find both Jack and Jill on Twitter.
- Kimberly Kira: The Angry Black Woman (Authority: 459 / Rank: 7,383) - [So
cial Commentary] This blog is the top-ranked 'social commentary' one on our list. Kimberly Kira (a.k.a., Tempest) grew up in Cincinnati OH. She describes herself as a "bisexual polyamorous pagan gamer geek" ... which might explain the focus that her blog places on sexism and racism. I encourage villagers to check out this excellent article on RaceWire in which Sis. Kira describes the evolution of her blog. - Fresh Crunkjuice: Crunk & Disorderly (Authority: 456 / Rank: 7,364) - [Entertainment] Does anyone have a photo of this blogger? For that matter ... who is 'Fresh Crunkjuice' anyhow? One thing is for sure ... this gossip blog, created in August 2004, is one of the hottest blogs on our rankings. This blog inspired others to create blogs as well.
- Corvida: SheGeeks (455 / 7,386) - [Technology] Remarkably, this is the first
month that we are ranking this blog ... and it arrives at BBR #10. Corvida is a 20 year old sister with a penchant for technology and social media who has been in the blogging game for about five years. SheGeeks is the place to go to find the latest news on social networks, social media, twitter, friendfeed, web apps, web services and more. It is nice to see another technology-based blog still in the BBR Top Ten!
HONORABLE MENTION (11-25): Sandra Rose, How To Split An Atom, Necole Bitchie, La Shawn Barber's Corner, The Field Negro, Real Talk NY Provides The Latest Hip Hop News, AfroBella, What About Our Daughters, Raw Dawg Buffalo, SoulBounce.com, Keith Boykin, Angry Black Bitch, Ill Doctrine, Electronic Village and Womanist Musings.
This ranking is open to any blogger of African descent. We invite all Black bloggers to apply for membership into The AfroSpear or join our Facebook group known as the Afrosphere Bloggers Association.
Black Blog Rankings lean heavily on the Technorati Authority and Rank score for each blog. The Technorati authority and rank numbers are shown in parenthesis. The authority figure includes a number of factors including the number of blogs that are linked to this blogger over the past six months. The rank number indicates how many blogs are between the one listed and The Huffington Post, which is the #1 overall blog in the universe.
We do think that these Black blogs are important spheres of influence. Let them know that you appreciate the work they have put in over the past few months and years to get on this list.
I encourage all bloggers to provide some link-love to this post so that your readers can learn about the Villager's Black Blog Rankings! Next step is yours ... what say u?
The 31 Days of Horror- Master List (Live, as it happens!)
Here is where we will keep running track of the top 31 flicks for each decade. I get confused very easily, so just let me do this... lists help me. Also, medication helps too. Lists of medication... even better. I know I have issues.
The 70's
1- The Exorcist (1973)
2- Halloween (1978)
3- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
4- Dawn of the Dead (1978)
5- Alien (1979)
6- Suspiria (1977)
7- Jaws (1975)
8- Salem's Lot (1979)
9- The Omen (1976)
10- The Brood (1979)
11- Zombie (1979)
12- Black Christmas (1974)
13- The Last House on the Left (1972)
14- When a Stranger Calls (1979)
15- The Amityville Horror (1979)
16- The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
17- Phantasm (1979)
18- The Tourist Trap (1979)
19- Carrie (1976)
20- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
21- Don't Look Now (1973)
22- Deep Red (Profondo Rosso) (1975)
23- A Bay of Blood (1971)
24- The Wicker Man (1973)
25- The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970)
26- Martin (1977)
27- The Legend of Hell House (1973)
28- Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1972)
29- I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
30- The Fury (1978)
31- Nosferatu: The Vampyre (1979)
The 80's
1- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
2- Hellraiser (1987)
3- Poltergeist (1982)
4- The Thing (1982)
5- The Evil Dead (1981)
6- Day of the Dead (1985)
7- The Fly (1986)
8- The Howling (1981)
9- Friday the 13th (1980)
10- Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
11- The Shining (1980)
12- An American Werewolf in London (1981)
13- The Fog (1980)
14- Pet Sematary (1989)
15- The Lost Boys (1987)
16- Near Dark (1987)
17- The Hitcher (1986)
18- Return of the Living Dead (1985)
19- Re-Animator (1985)
20- From Beyond (1986)
21- The Gates of Hell (1980)
22- The Beyond (1981)
23- Prince of Darkness (1987)
24- The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
25- Child's Play (1988)
26- The Blob (1988)
27- The Entity (1981)
28- Maniac (1980)
29- The Stepfather (1987)
30- Inferno (1980)
31- The Keep (1983)
The 90's
1- The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
2- Se7en (1995)
3- Army of Darkness (1992)
4- Scream (1996)
5- Cemetery Man (1994)
6- Audition (1999)
7- Dracula (1992)
8- From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
9- The Blair Witch Project (1999)
10- IT (1990)
11- Misery (1990)
12- Interview With the Vampire (1994)
13- The Sixth Sense (1999)
14- Event Horizon (1997)
15- Jacob's Ladder (1990)
16- Ringu (1998)
17- Demon Knight (1995)
18- The People Under the Stairs (1991)
19- Candyman (1992)
20- Tremors (1990)
21- Sleepy Hollow (1999)
22- John Carpenter's Vampires (1998)
23- The Prophecy (1995)
24- Lord of Illusions (1995)
25- The Frighteners (1996)
26- Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead (1992)
27- Innocent Blood (1992)
28- Stir of Echoes (1999)
29- Blade (1998)
30- Nightbreed (1990)
31- The Exorcist III (1990)
The 2000's
1- A L'interieur (Inside) (2007)
2- Saw (2004)
3- American Psycho (2000)
4- Zodiac (2007)
5- The Ring (2002)
6- The Devil's Rejects (2005)
7- Battle Royale (2000)
8- 28 Days Later (2002)
9- Session 9 (2001)
10- Wolf Creek (2005)
11- Haute Tension (2003)
12- The Descent (2005)
13- The Mist (2007)
14- Land of the Dead (2005)
15- Them (Ils) (2006)
16- Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
17- Rec (2007)
18- Dawn of the Dead (2004)
19- Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
20- Grindhouse (2007)
21- Hostel (2005)
22- Slither (2006)
23- Frontiere(s) (2007)
24- Wrong Turn (2003)
25- Halloween (2007)
26- Feast (2005)
27- 30 days of Night (2007)
28- The Hills Have eyes (2006)
29- Underworld (2003)
30- Resident Evil (2002)
31- House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
The 70's
1- The Exorcist (1973)
2- Halloween (1978)
3- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
4- Dawn of the Dead (1978)
5- Alien (1979)
6- Suspiria (1977)
7- Jaws (1975)
8- Salem's Lot (1979)
9- The Omen (1976)
10- The Brood (1979)
11- Zombie (1979)
12- Black Christmas (1974)
13- The Last House on the Left (1972)
14- When a Stranger Calls (1979)
15- The Amityville Horror (1979)
16- The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
17- Phantasm (1979)
18- The Tourist Trap (1979)
19- Carrie (1976)
20- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
21- Don't Look Now (1973)
22- Deep Red (Profondo Rosso) (1975)
23- A Bay of Blood (1971)
24- The Wicker Man (1973)
25- The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970)
26- Martin (1977)
27- The Legend of Hell House (1973)
28- Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1972)
29- I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
30- The Fury (1978)
31- Nosferatu: The Vampyre (1979)
The 80's
1- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
2- Hellraiser (1987)
3- Poltergeist (1982)
4- The Thing (1982)
5- The Evil Dead (1981)
6- Day of the Dead (1985)
7- The Fly (1986)
8- The Howling (1981)
9- Friday the 13th (1980)
10- Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
11- The Shining (1980)
12- An American Werewolf in London (1981)
13- The Fog (1980)
14- Pet Sematary (1989)
15- The Lost Boys (1987)
16- Near Dark (1987)
17- The Hitcher (1986)
18- Return of the Living Dead (1985)
19- Re-Animator (1985)
20- From Beyond (1986)
21- The Gates of Hell (1980)
22- The Beyond (1981)
23- Prince of Darkness (1987)
24- The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
25- Child's Play (1988)
26- The Blob (1988)
27- The Entity (1981)
28- Maniac (1980)
29- The Stepfather (1987)
30- Inferno (1980)
31- The Keep (1983)
The 90's
1- The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
2- Se7en (1995)
3- Army of Darkness (1992)
4- Scream (1996)
5- Cemetery Man (1994)
6- Audition (1999)
7- Dracula (1992)
8- From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
9- The Blair Witch Project (1999)
10- IT (1990)
11- Misery (1990)
12- Interview With the Vampire (1994)
13- The Sixth Sense (1999)
14- Event Horizon (1997)
15- Jacob's Ladder (1990)
16- Ringu (1998)
17- Demon Knight (1995)
18- The People Under the Stairs (1991)
19- Candyman (1992)
20- Tremors (1990)
21- Sleepy Hollow (1999)
22- John Carpenter's Vampires (1998)
23- The Prophecy (1995)
24- Lord of Illusions (1995)
25- The Frighteners (1996)
26- Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead (1992)
27- Innocent Blood (1992)
28- Stir of Echoes (1999)
29- Blade (1998)
30- Nightbreed (1990)
31- The Exorcist III (1990)
The 2000's
1- A L'interieur (Inside) (2007)
2- Saw (2004)
3- American Psycho (2000)
4- Zodiac (2007)
5- The Ring (2002)
6- The Devil's Rejects (2005)
7- Battle Royale (2000)
8- 28 Days Later (2002)
9- Session 9 (2001)
10- Wolf Creek (2005)
11- Haute Tension (2003)
12- The Descent (2005)
13- The Mist (2007)
14- Land of the Dead (2005)
15- Them (Ils) (2006)
16- Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
17- Rec (2007)
18- Dawn of the Dead (2004)
19- Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
20- Grindhouse (2007)
21- Hostel (2005)
22- Slither (2006)
23- Frontiere(s) (2007)
24- Wrong Turn (2003)
25- Halloween (2007)
26- Feast (2005)
27- 30 days of Night (2007)
28- The Hills Have eyes (2006)
29- Underworld (2003)
30- Resident Evil (2002)
31- House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
John McCain: Economic Disaster
Am I the only villager who is scared to death of having John McCain and Sarah Palin in charge of the political decisions impacting on the American economy? We will see what Sarah Palin has to say about the economy in her upcoming debate later this week.
We already have some history on John McCain's judgement regarding the economy. Check out this video:
McCain stopped his campaign last week in order to broker a deal on the Wall Street bailout. He took credit for the deal during his campaign speech on Monday morning in Columbus OH. Then the deal was defeated. Where does he stand now?
We already have some history on John McCain's judgement regarding the economy. Check out this video:
McCain stopped his campaign last week in order to broker a deal on the Wall Street bailout. He took credit for the deal during his campaign speech on Monday morning in Columbus OH. Then the deal was defeated. Where does he stand now?
What Do You Watch on Television?
What do you watch on television? I figure that most folks that venture through our village are doing so with the television on in the background. That is how I do it. It made me wonder what people are watching on television nowadays.
For example, I've never seen more than 15 minutes of the show, Heroes. I figure since the I missed the first season there is no point in catching up.
I'm very
happy that NCIS is back on with original episodes. NCIS can be seen in syndication on one of the cable stations. I realized today as I watched the season premiere via 'free episode' feature of CBS.com that I don't have a clue what happened to the Black female character who was on awhile ago. Any villager remember the super-clean, super-persnickity sista? It turned out that she has a brother who is in a coma from an Iraq bomb ... but, I haven't seen her recently. Where did she go? 
I'm also happy to see that The Unit is back on with original episodes. They killed off the brother that was in The Unit last year. It seems that he is being replaced by a woman. The season premiere brought the action back home with terroist attacks on the president, vice-president, president-elect and vice-president-elect. Add to that the fact that Mac now knows that his wife was sleeping with his boss. It is going to get interesting this season for any villager that is a fan of The Unit.
A show that I'm watching for the first time is House. It is on cable syndication. I was able to see the pilot episode and a number of episodes since then. House is a truly unique character. And it's nice to see Omar Epps with a regular gig as well. Any villagers watching House nowadays?
Anyhow, I wanted to take a break in the midst of the financial upheaval and presidential politics to see what you watch on television. Care to share?
For example, I've never seen more than 15 minutes of the show, Heroes. I figure since the I missed the first season there is no point in catching up.
I'm very
happy that NCIS is back on with original episodes. NCIS can be seen in syndication on one of the cable stations. I realized today as I watched the season premiere via 'free episode' feature of CBS.com that I don't have a clue what happened to the Black female character who was on awhile ago. Any villager remember the super-clean, super-persnickity sista? It turned out that she has a brother who is in a coma from an Iraq bomb ... but, I haven't seen her recently. Where did she go? 
I'm also happy to see that The Unit is back on with original episodes. They killed off the brother that was in The Unit last year. It seems that he is being replaced by a woman. The season premiere brought the action back home with terroist attacks on the president, vice-president, president-elect and vice-president-elect. Add to that the fact that Mac now knows that his wife was sleeping with his boss. It is going to get interesting this season for any villager that is a fan of The Unit.
A show that I'm watching for the first time is House. It is on cable syndication. I was able to see the pilot episode and a number of episodes since then. House is a truly unique character. And it's nice to see Omar Epps with a regular gig as well. Any villagers watching House nowadays?Anyhow, I wanted to take a break in the midst of the financial upheaval and presidential politics to see what you watch on television. Care to share?
The Day Before the Top 31 Begins... The Honorable Mentions
The Horror Club presents:
The 31 Days of Horror!
What is about to unfold over the course of the next 31 days will not be a perfect compendium of each decade's horror films; the order as well as the inclusions and exclusions of certain films could be argued for days. Weeks. Forever even... and we would still not be able to make a truly 100% definitive list of the genres best offerings.
What we can do, and what we will do beginning tomorrow, is offer 31 of the best horror films from the 70's, 80's, 90's, and 2000's, and pay them homage. One post with one movie from each decade per day, until we get to the best movie that each decade had to offer us.
Before we do that though, let's take a moment to mention a few movies from each decade that got left off of the lists, but certainly could have made them. For the record, each decade had more than 5 movies that deserved honorable mention, the 80's being the craziest; I swear I had a list of 21 movies from the 80's that didn't make the top 31 cut.
Anyways...
The Honorable Mentions:
The 70's
The Horror Express- I can still hear the creepy theme song in my head.
Magic- Dolls are freaking creepy. Another genre movie by Anthony Hopkins! (Audrey Rose)
Salo- I include this because it may be the most disturbing movie ever filmed. Google it.
The Stepford Wives- The story of my dating life.
Trilogy of Terror- The Zuni Fetish doll... seriously one of the creepiest things ever filmed.
The 80's
Demons- Another Argento classic. He may not have directed this, but it has his name ALL over it.
The Entity- One of the creepiest ghost stories I've ever seen.
Fright Night- The 3rd best 80's vampire movie. You'll see the others soon enough...
The Lady in White- One of the most underrated/unknown ghost stories ever made. Proof that a "PG" horror movie can actually work.
Scanners- Cronenberg's 6th best movie, it has one of the most iconic scenes in horror history.
Silver Bullet- An absolute sentimental fave.
The 90's
Bordello of Blood- Ok, not the best movie, but what a great bunch of vampire fun!
The Craft- One of the better "teen horror" movies of the 90's.
Cronos- Del Toro is a master film maker. End of story.
In the Mouth of Madness- Clive Barker... Where has he been?!?
The Ugly- An underrated gem.
The 2000's
House of Wax- Paris Hilton gets murdered... need I say more? A surprisingly good flick.
May- A great little movie that you May not know about. See what I did there?
The Mothman Prophecies- For some reason, this one gives me the willies.
Undead- A fun, funny zombie flick from down under!
Vacancy- Far from perfect, this one had me creeped out for most of it. The ending could have been better though.
And because we didn't include anything earlier than 1970, we definitely owe these classics at least a mention...
The 60's
The Birds
Black Sabbath
The Haunting
Night of the Living Dead
Psycho
Rosemary's Baby
Village of the Damned
Wait Until Dark
The 50's
The Blob
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Godzilla, King of the Monsters
Horror of Dracula
House of Wax
The House on Haunted Hill
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1900- 1949
Cat People
Dracula (1931)
Frankenstein (1931)
The Mummy
Nosferatu The Vampire
Phantom of the Opera
The Wolf Man
See you all tomorrow, with Day One!
The 31 Days of Horror- Criteria and errata explained...
This is just a quick post to give a little info on how we picked these movies. It can be one thing that makes a horror movie great, or a combination of a bunch of different things. Read on...
The Criteria:
Was is scary/terrifying/horrific?
Was it bloody/gory?
Was it well made?
Did the plot make sense?
Was it visionary?
How big of an impact did it have when it was released?
Did it change or define the genre?
Are we sentimentally attached to it?
Did it stay with us after all of these years?
Be sure to keep this in mind too; every decade that we're dissecting here had its strong and weak points.
The 70's were basically Horror's birthplace; That's not a knock on anything that came before 1970 at all, but just think about it. It really wasn't until Romero came out with Night of the Living Dead and Polanski gave us Rosemary's Baby, both in 1968, that audiences became obsessed with the occult, and wanted a harsher brand of terror. They changed an entire genre.
Horror made the jump from being mostly campy, to being visceral, gory and terrifying on a whole different level. Blood and sex replaced rubber suits and cheesy monsters. The movies became raw and brutal, offering a dystopian view of society, in some ways reflecting the horrors of Vietnam. This was a feeling out period for horror film makers, exploring the genre in ways that both shocked and delighted audiences. It was raw and fresh in many ways. Much of it was new.
The MPAA instituting a ratings system in 1968 changed things too.
The main themes of the decade (although not the only ones):
The Devil
Possession and Reincarnation
Evil children
Vampires
Exploitation
The Deluge of Euro Horror
The birth of the Stephen King movie
The 80's saw Horror moving ahead full bore, the major theme being "masked maniac preying on helpless female victims." The slasher violence was basically a metaphor for rape in most cases. Werewolves also had a strong run for a while, and were better represented on screen throughout the decade than vampires were for the most part. The market for horror was absolutely flooded, which ultimately lead to the genre's decline by the beginning of the 90's.
The main themes of the decade:
Slashers
Teen Horror
Horror Icons and the series they spawned
Sequels
The Decay of Suburban America
The Birth of VHS and Direct to Video Horror
The 90's saw a serious decline in Horror, both in quality and demand. Audiences were so bombarded in the 80's that they just lost interest, and apparently, Hollywood lost the ability to come up with a bunch of fresh, new ideas. There were a bunch of other reasons too, but this isn't a term paper, so lets just say that the 90's was a weak decade for horror for the most part. We can basically thank Wes Craven and 1996's Scream for putting the paddles on the chest of horror and shocking it back to life.
The main themes of the decade:
Sequels- Too many of them, and most of them crap.
Teen Horror- You know, that late 90's Dawson's Creek crap.
Cerebral Horror
High End Horror
The Emergence of J-Horror
The 2000's started off dead quiet. Luckily for us though, the remake machine began to roll and liven things up! Ugh. There have been some great horror movies so far this decade, but they sit side by side with an equal amount of remade, cookie cutter, unimaginative crap. Thank God for the French.
The main themes of the decade:
Remakes
Reality Horror
Psychological Horror
A return to violence and gore- Thank you torture porn.
The Emergence of French Horror- Thank you France!!!!!!!!!
Revisiting old themes from other decades.
So you may look at some of the top 31 films we have selected for the 90's and say "Really? That made the list?" and the answer is yes. The 90's was pretty weak overall.
You may say "Why in the blue hell was XXX left off of the 80's list!?!" That answer is easiest of all; there are about 60 movies that could easily be in the top 31, so at some point you just have to pick and choose.
"Where are the Sequels? Evil Dead 2 was much better than the first one!" Yeah, maybe so, but it didn't have the same impact as the first one.
Were not perfect, but we think we got it mostly right:
The top half of the 70's was easy to pick; pretty much any of the top 20 could have been top 10. Once you start looking at #20- 31 though, some more obscure films come into play; films that deserve to be included, but may baffle some people who haven't seen a ton of old horror movies.
The 80's was the easiest and hardest to do; Tons of great movies to choose from, but good luck fitting all of the deserving one's in, and getting the order right. No matter how many times I rearrange that list, I won't be satisfied. Most likely, neither will you.
The 90's was the hardest; it was a thin decade for really good horror movies. If you omit the 12,000 sequels that make up a majority of what was released, you don't have much left. Still some good quality though, just less of it.
The 2000's were perplexing; how do we tell what is a modern day "classic" when most of it is still fresh to us. Do we include remakes? What about these foreign films that a lot of people may not have been exposed to? In many ways, this decade was the most fun to do though, because of these questions. This is where we get to say "See it if you haven't yet!"
Fun times. See you on October 1st!
The Criteria:
Was is scary/terrifying/horrific?
Was it bloody/gory?
Was it well made?
Did the plot make sense?
Was it visionary?
How big of an impact did it have when it was released?
Did it change or define the genre?
Are we sentimentally attached to it?
Did it stay with us after all of these years?
Be sure to keep this in mind too; every decade that we're dissecting here had its strong and weak points.
The 70's were basically Horror's birthplace; That's not a knock on anything that came before 1970 at all, but just think about it. It really wasn't until Romero came out with Night of the Living Dead and Polanski gave us Rosemary's Baby, both in 1968, that audiences became obsessed with the occult, and wanted a harsher brand of terror. They changed an entire genre.
Horror made the jump from being mostly campy, to being visceral, gory and terrifying on a whole different level. Blood and sex replaced rubber suits and cheesy monsters. The movies became raw and brutal, offering a dystopian view of society, in some ways reflecting the horrors of Vietnam. This was a feeling out period for horror film makers, exploring the genre in ways that both shocked and delighted audiences. It was raw and fresh in many ways. Much of it was new.
The MPAA instituting a ratings system in 1968 changed things too.
The main themes of the decade (although not the only ones):
The Devil
Possession and Reincarnation
Evil children
Vampires
Exploitation
The Deluge of Euro Horror
The birth of the Stephen King movie
The 80's saw Horror moving ahead full bore, the major theme being "masked maniac preying on helpless female victims." The slasher violence was basically a metaphor for rape in most cases. Werewolves also had a strong run for a while, and were better represented on screen throughout the decade than vampires were for the most part. The market for horror was absolutely flooded, which ultimately lead to the genre's decline by the beginning of the 90's.
The main themes of the decade:
Slashers
Teen Horror
Horror Icons and the series they spawned
Sequels
The Decay of Suburban America
The Birth of VHS and Direct to Video Horror
The 90's saw a serious decline in Horror, both in quality and demand. Audiences were so bombarded in the 80's that they just lost interest, and apparently, Hollywood lost the ability to come up with a bunch of fresh, new ideas. There were a bunch of other reasons too, but this isn't a term paper, so lets just say that the 90's was a weak decade for horror for the most part. We can basically thank Wes Craven and 1996's Scream for putting the paddles on the chest of horror and shocking it back to life.
The main themes of the decade:
Sequels- Too many of them, and most of them crap.
Teen Horror- You know, that late 90's Dawson's Creek crap.
Cerebral Horror
High End Horror
The Emergence of J-Horror
The 2000's started off dead quiet. Luckily for us though, the remake machine began to roll and liven things up! Ugh. There have been some great horror movies so far this decade, but they sit side by side with an equal amount of remade, cookie cutter, unimaginative crap. Thank God for the French.
The main themes of the decade:
Remakes
Reality Horror
Psychological Horror
A return to violence and gore- Thank you torture porn.
The Emergence of French Horror- Thank you France!!!!!!!!!
Revisiting old themes from other decades.
So you may look at some of the top 31 films we have selected for the 90's and say "Really? That made the list?" and the answer is yes. The 90's was pretty weak overall.
You may say "Why in the blue hell was XXX left off of the 80's list!?!" That answer is easiest of all; there are about 60 movies that could easily be in the top 31, so at some point you just have to pick and choose.
"Where are the Sequels? Evil Dead 2 was much better than the first one!" Yeah, maybe so, but it didn't have the same impact as the first one.
Were not perfect, but we think we got it mostly right:
The top half of the 70's was easy to pick; pretty much any of the top 20 could have been top 10. Once you start looking at #20- 31 though, some more obscure films come into play; films that deserve to be included, but may baffle some people who haven't seen a ton of old horror movies.
The 80's was the easiest and hardest to do; Tons of great movies to choose from, but good luck fitting all of the deserving one's in, and getting the order right. No matter how many times I rearrange that list, I won't be satisfied. Most likely, neither will you.
The 90's was the hardest; it was a thin decade for really good horror movies. If you omit the 12,000 sequels that make up a majority of what was released, you don't have much left. Still some good quality though, just less of it.
The 2000's were perplexing; how do we tell what is a modern day "classic" when most of it is still fresh to us. Do we include remakes? What about these foreign films that a lot of people may not have been exposed to? In many ways, this decade was the most fun to do though, because of these questions. This is where we get to say "See it if you haven't yet!"
Fun times. See you on October 1st!
Dragging Death of Black Man in Paris TX
Paris, TX is back in the news. Villagers remember Shaquanda Cotton was unjustly sentenced in Paris, TX in a manner that was racially-charged. Now we learn that the Paris law enforcement officials are covering up a dragging death of a Black man ... similar to the infamous James Byrd Jr. dragging death in another part of Texas over 10 years ago.
Brandon McLelland was found on the side of a road outside Paris on September 16th. Family members were told he was hit by a vehicle and dragged 60-feet. Officials said the vehicle fled the scene.
But the 24-year-old's body was dismembered and that leads relatives to believe whatever happened was intentional. "The back of his head was split about this wide," Jacqueline explained motioning with her hand. "And right here over his heart was a spot about as big as my hand."
We learn today that two white men have been charged with his murder. Charles Crostley and Shannon Finley were with Brandon the night he died. The vicious nature of the death alone has a number of people convinced it was a hate crime.
Jacqueline McLelland worries that authorities will avoid investigating her son's death as hate crime, because of bad publicity and the town's racial history. "I feel like if a lot of people hadn't have been listening and paying attention to what was going on maybe they would have just swept this under the rug."
Jacqueline says nobody's child should have to suffer and go through what her son did before he died. I agree with her. I wonder when the people of Jasper TX will take these racially charged incidents seriously?
Solo Review- The Entity
The Entity (1981)
Sub-Genre- Supernatural
In Attendance- Only me... and it sucked, because this movie is freaking creepy.
Cast Members of Note- Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, and Alex Rocco (Moe Greene from The Godfather!)
What's it about?- You know, I really want to inject my usual amount of sarcasm and humor into this, I really do, but just having finished watching this movie leaves me feeling not so witty... I will give it my best though.
A single mother of three, who was possibly molested by her father; was married and knocked up at 16 to an alcoholic punk (who died pretty much after they got married); was abandoned by the dad of her other two kids; and who looks really good taking a bath, is abused and raped by a vengeful spirit. Repeatedly.
Luckily for her, she goes to see a Doctor who really wants to help her, and maybe get in her pants, but he thinks she is insane. Still, he offers her his "Help."
Some serious mayhem ensues from this point on; the ghost raping and attacking her a bunch of times; her son is attacked when he tries to help her; her friends house is demolished when the ghost follows her there; She actually ghost rides her whip; and all the while, everyone thinks she is a fucking nutjob.
I wont ruin the ending other than to say the last scene is seriously fucking scary.
The Good- The Entity is based on a true story; whether you choose to believe that it was "real" or not, this movie is a serious creep-fest. Is there a more disturbing premise for a movie other than "Angry spirit violently rapes woman?" Perhaps the premise of Inside, but I don't know. This is some harsh stuff.
This is one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen; and that's saying an awful lot. From the beginning, everything about this movie is scary. The music, the lighting, even some of the dialogue is just damn creepy. I actually got goosebumps when I watched this, and I've seen it before... I knew what was coming.
I swear that the music in this movie may be some of the creepiest ever.
Ron Silver is a hell of an actor. I've always loved his work, and I wonder why he was never a "Bigger" star. He was pretty much the prototypical 80's character actor. Barbara Hershey is pretty damn good too. And hot. We must never forget that she's hot.
The Bad- Ok, so you've been raped by an evil, violent spirit once, attacked a second and you flee the house; you're so terrified, that you don't come home until the next night. When you do come home, you walk around the house without turning one light on? Screw that.
The Downright Horrendous- Moe Greene, you are not a man sir! Pussy.
The Gory- No gore. This is a psychological horror movie, not so much visceral. There are 6 rape scenes though, that while being bloodless, are quite disturbing.
The Naked- You know, normally I'd be all excited because Barbara Hershey was all kinds of naked in this, and she looked great. Since she was naked only when she was attacked/raped though, it's a creepy kind of naked. Not good creepy either.
Best Line- "Welcome home C**t." A seriously creepy line, from a seriously creepy scene. And yes, it's a harsh word at the end of the sentence, so I didn't type it outright. I have hardly any class, but I do have some.
What did we learn?- Don't watch creepy shit at night. Ever. Especially if you are prone to peeing yourself. Also, screw this movie.
Rating- A I have no choice but to give The Entity an A; This is one of the most effective ghost stories I've ever seen, and it still creeps me out to this day.
Final Thoughts- Any woman that Sayid Jarrah (from my favorite show, Lost) loves, is aces in my book.
Blog Safari #13
Every week or so I like to take you for long walks outside of our Electronic Village. We call it our 'Blog Safari'. I hope you enjoy these blog post referrals:
- BlogHer - Anyone Remember Uncanny 2005 TV show “Commander in Chief” - Did It Predict Palin?
- Blog of Hilarity - The 11 Best Film Moments of Samuel L. Jackson Yelling
- Jack and Jill Politics - Chris Rock Tells the Truth
- The Harkness Report - The Nasty Politics of Racial Resentment
- What About Our Daughters - Reginald Whatshisname Forced Out at BET
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (.pdf)
UPDATE: The bill was defeated by House of Representatives. Stock market dropped 777 points. Methinks that we are in for a roller coaster ride with the economy.
I invite all villagers to download or read the 106-page draft bill documenting the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street. The formal name of this legislation is Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
Do you support passage of this legislation? Or would you vote against it?
Do You Support Philosophy of McCain or Obama?
ABC has an online test you can take to determine whether you agree with McCain or Obama the most. It will help some people learn about the issues and the campaign.
They don't tell you who made the statements, of course, but a statement made by each candidate on the same topic (economy, immigration, judiciary, etc.) will be side by side.
You just click on which statement you agree with and, after selecting all of 'em, you'll find out which candidate's philosophy you support.
Click here to take the test!
Are You Wearing a Feel Good Watch?
Not all villagers are impacted by the Wall Street Bailout. Some have done well in life and find themselves in position to collect or wear vintage and modern pre-owned wristwatches. In fact, this might be a good place to invest some of your money. These watches have become the hottest collectibles of the 21st Century.
Enthusiasts and collectors are willing to pay a lot of money to get these watches. In 1999, a Patek Philippe pocket watch was sold for astonishing $11 million.
You can use the Internet to trade or purchase vintage and modern pre-owned watches. Dealers and collectors collectors can communicate efficiently. One such dealer is Ira Schneider. He owns FeelGoodWatches located in Scottsdale AZ. Mr. Schneider has been buying and trading these watches for 30 years and established a very good reputation.
He has a remarkable collection of new arrivals and more established brands like the Breitling watches available for your review. Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Sohne, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Breguet, and Audemars Piguet are some of the brands you will find on his website. However, he can obtain any brand for you, including Cartier, Breitling, TAG Heuer, Officine Panerai, Omega, Graham and Ulysse Nardin. They also consider all reasonable trades ... although, I'm fairly certain that the watch I'm wearing won't bring back much in trade!
I encourage all villagers to check out FeelGoodWatches. Even if we can't afford these men's or women's watches today ... it is always good to have a dream!
Am I Not Human? Bombing Darfur
Drumbeats from Amnesty International tell us that the Sudanese government used a Russian-made Antonov plane with the “UN” symbol on its wing to drop bombs on Darfur. This act shows that the Sudanese government does not intend to comply with the UN arms embargo. This is a clear violation of international humanitarian law and a clear example of why the current UN arms embargo needs to be expanded to cover all of Sudan.
Amnesty International issued its new report Blood at the Crossroads with accounts of Russian and Chinese weapons used to violate human rights in Darfur. In one case, the report describes Russian-supplied Mi-24 attack helicopters being delivered to the Sudanese government in 2006. Since then, the Sudanese government has used these helicopters in indiscriminate aerial attacks in Darfur.
It is undeniably clear that the current UN arms embargo cannot effectively restrain the arms flow into Darfur. At the same time, Sudanese armed opposition groups in Darfur are allegedly receiving their weapons from Chad. The innocent people of Darfur are left in the middle of this conflict.
With our encouragement, our Senator and Representatives can help stem the flow of weapons to Sudan. Senate Resolution 660 and House Resolution 1462 1) condemn the ongoing flow of weapons into Darfur and 2) call for an expansion of the UN arms embargo to cover all of Sudan. Leadership from the United States is necessary to signal to the rest of the world that ongoing violence in Darfur will not be tolerated.
Valentine (2001)
Valentine (2001)
Sub-Genre- Teen Terror/Slasher
In Attendance- Me, Geo, Chris, Christian and Machine.
Cast Members of Note- The yummy Denise Richards, The yummy (X2) Marley Shelton, Katherine Heigl's boobs, and the guy who played Angel.
What's it about?- A long time ago at the school dance, the poor ugly geek of the school asked the pretty girls to dance with him. Of course they all laughed at him, because ugly guys don't really count, and he had to resort to making out with the fat chick of the class. The hungry ones are always easy pickings, even for greasy geeks.
When the popular kids catch geek boy and hungry girl making out, she cries rape, and they proceed to strip and beat geek boy unmercifully. It was a sort of quasi gay-geek bashing thing, which really, makes you realize that fat chicks cant be trusted.
Years later, all of the kids are grown up and still assholes, even the fatty (who is now mostly cute.) Of course their all still friends, because it moves the plot along far easier that way. When they start to disappear and show up dead, they all start to worry. "OMG, who is killing us! And like, why and stuff!" Yep, turns out the world is a better place without them anyhow.
I wont say anymore so as not to ruin the end of the movie (also, because I don't want to talk about it anymore), but suffice it to say that you're in for a shock!
Not really though.
The Good- So this one is an average stalk and slash movie, packed with hot chicks, some good kill scenes, and not much else. I'm all for some mindless horror, but this is basically the same movie that's been recycled 1000 times since 1980:
Someone was wronged/humiliated/mutilated/killed in the past... years later all of the people who wronged/humiliated/mutilated/killed said victim are all still in contact with one another... The victim, now a revenge seeking maniac, returns to even the score... The "Bad" people are all shallow, pathetic, no one-will-miss-them type yuppies... One by one, the "Bad" people are picked off, oblivious to what's truly happening until the third reel of the film starts... Then, the final girl is left to face the killer, and the "Shocking" reveal happens... Then the final twist/shock/jump/ oh-my-god moment happens, and the credits roll.
Again, this type of flick serves its purpose, I just wish it would have offered a little bit more in the way of originality is all.
The Bad- Too many Hotties, not enough nakedness. Also, haven't I seen this movie before? And wasn't it done better?
The Downright Horrendous- What was with "Jason"? Do guys actually think that talking about yourself in the third person is manly or attractive? Loser.
The Gory- This movie did have some good kills in it, although nothing overly spectacular.
The Naked- A lot of teasing, but not much skin. With all of the hotness on display in this movie, couldn't at least one of them have gotten naked?!?
Best Line- "Wax it!" or "Roses are red, Violets are Blue, They'll need dental records to identify you." Aww, how sweet.
What did we learn?- Hot chicks need to be punished. Also, speaking in the third person is really annoying. Also, don't pick on the loser kids in school, because they will eventually kill you.
Rating- C- A fairly typical, yet mostly decent teen slasher; it's far from perfect, but it's not horrible either. Catch it on cable, or give it a rent rather than buy it.
Final Thoughts- Damn, she's special...
John McCain Must Release His Health Records
John McCain has not yet released his medical records to the public. McCain is 72 years old, and has been diagnosed with invasive melanoma. In May of this year, a small group of selected reporters were allowed to review 1,173 pages of McCain's medical records that covered only the last eight years, and were allowed only three hours to do so. John McCain's health is an issue of profound importance.
We call on John McCain to issue a full, public disclosure of all of his medical records, available for the media and members of the general public to review.
Don't we deserve to know if John McCain is healthy enough to serve as our next President?
We call on John McCain to issue a full, public disclosure of all of his medical records, available for the media and members of the general public to review.
Don't we deserve to know if John McCain is healthy enough to serve as our next President?
Coming in October: 31 Days of Horror!
Sounds really original, right? Bear with me here...
We have to do something fun for October; as horror fans, it's our month. We get 31 days to celebrate horror, and everyone in the country pretty much does the same. It's our month long party!
I originally thought that doing a "1 movie a day" thing counting down the 31 best (of course that's subjective as hell) horror flicks of all time would be cool, then I got to thinking... That's a hard thing to do. There are so many classic horror movies, all with different things about them that make them classic, that it makes picking one over the other tough as hell; and the amount of great movies that would be left off of the list would be unfair.
I can give you a list of a bunch of them though, and tell you why they're so great. So...
Why not do one post a day, with one movie from each of the 70's, 80's, 90,s and 2000's, counting down the 31 best movies of each decade simultaneously? By the time we get to the top 10 (7 actually), the 31 best movies will all be represented, and all of the "Damn, that should have been on the list!" flicks will get the recognition that would have escaped them if we were doing a straight top 31 list.
Chances are, 1000 of us could come up with an "All time" list, and we would have 1000 very different lists. Now, 124 movies will get some props, and the best will still be at the top of the list.
I think. LOL.
This should be fun.
That's us, hand in bloody hand, getting along. Aww...
*Note- I'm leaving out anything Pre-1970 for a few reasons, but mainly because we all know Dracula, Frankenstein, Psycho, etc... are classics. Plus, 4 decades is enough. Geesh.
We have to do something fun for October; as horror fans, it's our month. We get 31 days to celebrate horror, and everyone in the country pretty much does the same. It's our month long party!
I originally thought that doing a "1 movie a day" thing counting down the 31 best (of course that's subjective as hell) horror flicks of all time would be cool, then I got to thinking... That's a hard thing to do. There are so many classic horror movies, all with different things about them that make them classic, that it makes picking one over the other tough as hell; and the amount of great movies that would be left off of the list would be unfair.
I can give you a list of a bunch of them though, and tell you why they're so great. So...
Why not do one post a day, with one movie from each of the 70's, 80's, 90,s and 2000's, counting down the 31 best movies of each decade simultaneously? By the time we get to the top 10 (7 actually), the 31 best movies will all be represented, and all of the "Damn, that should have been on the list!" flicks will get the recognition that would have escaped them if we were doing a straight top 31 list.
Chances are, 1000 of us could come up with an "All time" list, and we would have 1000 very different lists. Now, 124 movies will get some props, and the best will still be at the top of the list.
I think. LOL.
This should be fun.
*Note- I'm leaving out anything Pre-1970 for a few reasons, but mainly because we all know Dracula, Frankenstein, Psycho, etc... are classics. Plus, 4 decades is enough. Geesh.
Oregon Campus Lynches Life-Size Figure of Barack Obama
We still have some in America who think that lynchings are a legitimate form of expression. Officials of a small Christian university say a life-size cardboard reproduction of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was hung from a tree on the campus, an act with racial undertones that outraged students and school leaders.
George Fox University President Robin Baker said a custodian discovered the effigy early Tuesday and removed it. University spokesman Rob Felton said that the commerciall
y produced reproduction had been suspended from the branch of a tree with fishing line around the neck. In other words, someone on this campus thought it a good idea to lynch the Black man running for President.Taped to the cardboard cutout of the Black senator from Illinois was a message targeting participants in Act Six, a scholarship program geared toward increasing the number of minority and low-income students at several Christian colleges, mostly in the Northwest.
The message read, "Act Six reject."
About 1,800 students are enrolled at the campus in Newberg, southwest of Portland. It also has centers in Portland, Salem and Boise.
The odd thing is that law enforcement says that even if they find the ones who did this ... it may not even be a crime. It seems that intimidation of voters and students should be a crime of some sort ... perhaps even a hate crime.
What say u?
What Politician Is In Touch With the People?
I jumped all over John McCain when he indicated that he is no longer in touch with the common citizen. One of the villagers asked the question, "What politician is in touch with the people?"
I always felt that Coleman Young stayed in touch with the people in Detroit during his time as mayor. He was regularly seen around town. He surrounded himself with some good people. He was unafraid to support Black people in a town that was majority-Black. He was unafraid to speak truth to power. Coleman Young was a politician that I think was in touch with the people.
I always felt that Bill Clinton was in touch with the people during his time as president. Even the mistakes that he made seemed to be mistakes that regular folks would make. I smile at the memories of him stopping in the local McDonalds for a Big Mac. H
e lost a little of his magic during the Democratic primaries this past year ... but, while in office as President, I felt that Bill Clinton was 'feeling our pain'. During times of national tragedgy ... like the bombing of the building in Oklahoma City ... President Clinton understood the pain being felt by all Americans.
Those are the two politicians that I think were in touch with the people.
I'm curious as to your answer to that question. Are there any politicians that you have known on local, state or national level that you felt were 'in touch' with the people? What say u?
I always felt that Coleman Young stayed in touch with the people in Detroit during his time as mayor. He was regularly seen around town. He surrounded himself with some good people. He was unafraid to support Black people in a town that was majority-Black. He was unafraid to speak truth to power. Coleman Young was a politician that I think was in touch with the people.
I always felt that Bill Clinton was in touch with the people during his time as president. Even the mistakes that he made seemed to be mistakes that regular folks would make. I smile at the memories of him stopping in the local McDonalds for a Big Mac. H
e lost a little of his magic during the Democratic primaries this past year ... but, while in office as President, I felt that Bill Clinton was 'feeling our pain'. During times of national tragedgy ... like the bombing of the building in Oklahoma City ... President Clinton understood the pain being felt by all Americans.Those are the two politicians that I think were in touch with the people.
I'm curious as to your answer to that question. Are there any politicians that you have known on local, state or national level that you felt were 'in touch' with the people? What say u?
Change the Debate
The first presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama takes place this week. I join with Media Matters and others in looking to 'change the debate' from the silliness that we saw during the debates in the primary season. Check out the following video as a reminder of debate questions that were unworthy of being used for POTUS candidates:
I encourage villagers to sign the online petition asking the moderators of the upcoming presidential and vice-presidential debates to do the right thing for the American public.
Hmmmm ... what is the question that you hope Obama or McCain are asked at the first debate later this week?
I encourage villagers to sign the online petition asking the moderators of the upcoming presidential and vice-presidential debates to do the right thing for the American public.
Hmmmm ... what is the question that you hope Obama or McCain are asked at the first debate later this week?
The Great Black Vote
Villagers, this is one of the most important national elections of our lifetime. Don't miss it. Please ensure that you are registered to vote!
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