Silent Bob makes a porno

Kevin Smith (a.k.a, Silent Bob) has made a movie called Zack and Miri Make a Porno which apparently has offended the precious sensibilities of some towns and their city councils.
The film's marketers decided to display posters using stick figures to represent the actors. Apparently it's not the stick figures that bother them so much, it's the word PORNO!
There are newspapers, tv stations and outdoor advertising companies that have all jumped on the ban-bandwagon.
Amazingly, the impetus for this ludicrous issue was down to a father who complained of having to explain to his young son, during a commercial break from a football game where the ad for the film aired, what the word PORNO meant.
The movie is about two platonic best friends (boy and girl) who decide to make their very own porn to get out of debt. Funny, right?
Well, apparently some people don't think so.

I read this just today:

Diane Levin, an education professor specializing in child development at Boston's Wheelock College, said the posters at city bus stops send a message to children that working in the porn industry is an acceptable occupation.

"It's drawing attention to a movie which is mainstreaming and normalizing pornography, saying if you need money, this is what you do," said Levin, co-author of "So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids."

The stick-figure images are especially appealing to youngsters, since "stick figures are something for children," she said.

A marketer for the film had this to say in their own defense:

"It's a comedy. It's a joke. We're not advertising a porno. It's not a porno. The word `porno,' it's not supposed to turn you on. It's supposed to make you laugh."

Finally, the voice of reason!

Crooked Grind

Well, the AST Dew Action Sports Tour cup finals were held this afternoon, wrapping things up with the skateboard park competition.
We were treated to some priceless commentary from Kevin Harkin, Paul Sitzer and Chris Miller.
Stand out riders from the day were Chaz Ortiz, Rodolfo Ramos and Paul Rodriguez.
Surprisingly disappointing: Ryan Sheckler who's usually a crowd favorite.
A lot of old school street style dominated the runs, with plenty of entertaining technical tricks (my personal fave, the Japan Grab).
Chaz Ortiz took the competition in the end and what's most astonishing about this is that he's all of 14 years old, making him the youngest on the tour. Last year he was considered an amateur and this year he's a pro...amazing!
One of the best moments - Jason My Name is Earl Lee and Chris Pastors dropped in to the commentators booth to watch the event. For those youngsters out there, before Jason became a famous actor, he was a pro skater back in the day.
Upon watching Chaz do his thing this afternoon, he had this to say: These kids are skating like their from another planet! It makes me so sad, I was never that good! Chaz Ortiz does his runs and tricks like he's making a sandwich in his kitchen! He makes it look so easy!!!
In the end, as Ace of Spades from Motorhead blared over the loudspeakers, the kids rounded things up after their two solo runs and took an additional 7 minutes of freestyle on the course. This is where they're judged on their makes, not their falls...Chaz was hands down, the best and took the day, going home with a purse of $95K!
Wonder how long it will take 'til he decides he's had enough of homework and wants to do this full time?

Adrenalin Jump

It's officially fall when the AST Dew Action Sports Tour has started. My favorite riders are back on the BMX scene - Corey Bohan, TJ Lavin, the best Brit Jamie Bestwick and the beautiful and newly svelt, Rob Darden, who really threw it down today with some technical tricks and jaw dropping stunts. Whatever your passion, be it dirt, park or vert, this tour has it all. Tonight is the skateboarding competition and I am seriously chuffed to see Bucky Lasek, Paul Zitzer and our very own Quebec boy - Pierre Luc Gagnon, who was, in 2005, ranked the number two skater in the world. He also gained notoriety for having broken his knee cap while skating at Tony Hawks house. As a result, he missed two years in a row of competition but surprised everyone later and came back as a champion. I for one know that I'd much rather be sitting in the bleachers in Florida watching this weekend, but the tv will have to do.

No speculation?

I've been traveling all week and the one thing I've noticed, there's little spending going on out there. Consumerism is at such a low point right now, it seems like there's no hope for change in sight. I visited a very posh mall in the Chicago area, replete with beautiful stores like Burberry, Max Mara, Coach, Neimans...and no surprise really - the place was dead!
Stephen Harper, just on the heels of his big re-election win, refuses to admit that we're in the same boat as our American cousins on the sea of imminent recession.
He says that the Canadian economic system and our banks are sound, but I honestly can't believe that this is true, considering how the US is faring and how incredibly frightened people are to buy pretty much anything these days. The number of seats occupied on my flight home was uncharacteristically low, as was the traffic in the airport itself - a bizarre thing to remark, since O'Hare is one of the busiest in the world.
Harper actually said that he refuses to "speculate" on the Canadian economy but given the volatility of the world market, as it stands right now, I think it pretty much means one thing, a national deficit and higher taxes for us all. I've read that the Canadian government have taken measures to secure our financial institutions and that we can't end up like the US...sorry, I'm not convinced.

Where's my golden parachute?

Upon further inspection of my financial portfolio during this millenial depression, the verdict is in, I will now have to work for the rest of my life.
I think I'll go lie down now, I feel sick.

Matters Liberal

A staff member from Stephen Harper's camp resigned after it was discovered that a speech he gave in 2003 was in fact plagiarized from an address days earlier by then Australian prime minister John Howard.
You can see it here
What a lazy sod.