Check out this Mockumentary Short from Wizard World Philadelphia 2017.
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Saturday, March 25, 2017
The Ultimate Con... and it's against Donald Trump!
Normally I don't post about politics... but I had a realization that I just couldn't keep to myself. And it's a doozy.
Check this out:
Many people in the U.S. are upset that Trump became our President. But he still has supporters who think his "outsider" status will help him speak for the little guy. But in this case, I think Trump has just entered an arena where he is the little guy. And he may have been conned worse than anyone who voted for him.
Let's go back before the election. The Democrats had Hillary. The Republicans ended up with Donald Trump. But when you think about it... would any of the other potential Republican candidates have been able to beat Hillary? Even just with the Electoral Vote? It's unlikely... Trump was able to motivate people who would have likely stayed home if any other Republican candidate came forward. So at first Republicans were all about stopping Trump... until it became apparent they couldn't. That's when I think a new plan was formed.
I believe Trump was used to gain the Presidency for the Republican Party. Which he did. But I don't think the Republicans intend for him to stay in that Office.
Look at what's been happening since Trump became President. He has ranted about fraudulent voters. His White House administration has sprung so many "leaks" that tell us how unqualified he is, how he prefers one or two page documents and how he gets his information from Fox and Friends. How his own staff has to manage his moods.
Now there is a lot of talk about connections by his campaign to Russia. Which sheds a lot of doubt on his entire administration. Investigations are under way and it's looking more and more that either Trump was aware of Russia's help or oblivious to it... either one doesn't look good for him.
He has Sean Spicer and Kellyanne Conway out there as his spokespeople... and they don't seem to be the best people for the job. Spicer has said some ridiculous things in defense of the President and Conway clearly violated ethics regulations... among other gaffes.
It's a little over 2 months into his Presidency and he has the lowest approval ratings of any President at this point in their term. People who voted for him are now regretting it. Members of the Republican party invent lame excuses for him every day. His appointments are called into question and he even already had one resign.
But even worse... he has signed executive orders that have been suspended by Federal Judges. He accused President Obama of wire tapping his phones with no evidence. And the latest situation... he tried to force through a health care bill that failed... when his Party has both the Senate and the House.
Do you want to know why? Because it's NOT his Party. And here's why.
Here's what I think the Republicans had decided to do when it became clear the only way to get the White House was to have Trump win it for them. Back his candidacy 100%. But now that he's done it... they will "regretfully" impeach him. Or convince him to resign. The Republican Party rides to the rescue and removes an unqualified President from the White House before he could do too much damage. A large percentage of Americans would be so relieved. Our heroes, the GOP!
You know who has been pretty quiet? Who has been doing his best to seem statesmanlike and... compared to Trump... sane? Mike Pence. A man who would never have beaten Hillary Clinton in a race for President. But who will become President if Trump leaves office. Putting Paul Ryan as Vice President.
This is what the Republicans want. After they remove Trump, they will state that his more dangerous policies were never what they wanted. That Trump pressured them into it. Even the Health Care Bill. And at this point, if Trump claims he was manipulated into this situation or led into dangerous territory, few will believe him. Because he has lost credibility with a number of his claims... the fraudulent voters, the inauguration crowd and the supposed wiretapping. That is if Trump even tries to dispute them.... since it would mean admitting that the "Master Negotiator" was manipulated.
Then they are free to slowly put their own agenda in place. In small, seemingly sane steps... at least compared to Trump. And before you know it, they get everything they want. Obamacare repealed and replaced with a "better" plan. Tax cuts for corporations. Reduced "entitlements." And they will have Donald Trump to thank for it... not that they'll tell him that. He'll be kicked to the curb, disgraced as a failed President.
This is just a theory, but it fits with the facts. Only Trump could beat Hillary. Anyone else would have been just the same type of "business as usual" politician and would not have had the same theatrics that won Trump the Presidency. But now that he has won for the Republicans what they could not win for themselves... his days are numbered. Whether he is convinced to resign or gets impeached... the Republicans get the White House.
And all they need to do... is let Trump be Trump.
Insert maniacal villainous laughter here.
Food for thought.
Check this out:
Many people in the U.S. are upset that Trump became our President. But he still has supporters who think his "outsider" status will help him speak for the little guy. But in this case, I think Trump has just entered an arena where he is the little guy. And he may have been conned worse than anyone who voted for him.
Let's go back before the election. The Democrats had Hillary. The Republicans ended up with Donald Trump. But when you think about it... would any of the other potential Republican candidates have been able to beat Hillary? Even just with the Electoral Vote? It's unlikely... Trump was able to motivate people who would have likely stayed home if any other Republican candidate came forward. So at first Republicans were all about stopping Trump... until it became apparent they couldn't. That's when I think a new plan was formed.
I believe Trump was used to gain the Presidency for the Republican Party. Which he did. But I don't think the Republicans intend for him to stay in that Office.
Look at what's been happening since Trump became President. He has ranted about fraudulent voters. His White House administration has sprung so many "leaks" that tell us how unqualified he is, how he prefers one or two page documents and how he gets his information from Fox and Friends. How his own staff has to manage his moods.
Now there is a lot of talk about connections by his campaign to Russia. Which sheds a lot of doubt on his entire administration. Investigations are under way and it's looking more and more that either Trump was aware of Russia's help or oblivious to it... either one doesn't look good for him.
He has Sean Spicer and Kellyanne Conway out there as his spokespeople... and they don't seem to be the best people for the job. Spicer has said some ridiculous things in defense of the President and Conway clearly violated ethics regulations... among other gaffes.
It's a little over 2 months into his Presidency and he has the lowest approval ratings of any President at this point in their term. People who voted for him are now regretting it. Members of the Republican party invent lame excuses for him every day. His appointments are called into question and he even already had one resign.
But even worse... he has signed executive orders that have been suspended by Federal Judges. He accused President Obama of wire tapping his phones with no evidence. And the latest situation... he tried to force through a health care bill that failed... when his Party has both the Senate and the House.
Do you want to know why? Because it's NOT his Party. And here's why.
Here's what I think the Republicans had decided to do when it became clear the only way to get the White House was to have Trump win it for them. Back his candidacy 100%. But now that he's done it... they will "regretfully" impeach him. Or convince him to resign. The Republican Party rides to the rescue and removes an unqualified President from the White House before he could do too much damage. A large percentage of Americans would be so relieved. Our heroes, the GOP!
You know who has been pretty quiet? Who has been doing his best to seem statesmanlike and... compared to Trump... sane? Mike Pence. A man who would never have beaten Hillary Clinton in a race for President. But who will become President if Trump leaves office. Putting Paul Ryan as Vice President.
This is what the Republicans want. After they remove Trump, they will state that his more dangerous policies were never what they wanted. That Trump pressured them into it. Even the Health Care Bill. And at this point, if Trump claims he was manipulated into this situation or led into dangerous territory, few will believe him. Because he has lost credibility with a number of his claims... the fraudulent voters, the inauguration crowd and the supposed wiretapping. That is if Trump even tries to dispute them.... since it would mean admitting that the "Master Negotiator" was manipulated.
Then they are free to slowly put their own agenda in place. In small, seemingly sane steps... at least compared to Trump. And before you know it, they get everything they want. Obamacare repealed and replaced with a "better" plan. Tax cuts for corporations. Reduced "entitlements." And they will have Donald Trump to thank for it... not that they'll tell him that. He'll be kicked to the curb, disgraced as a failed President.
This is just a theory, but it fits with the facts. Only Trump could beat Hillary. Anyone else would have been just the same type of "business as usual" politician and would not have had the same theatrics that won Trump the Presidency. But now that he has won for the Republicans what they could not win for themselves... his days are numbered. Whether he is convinced to resign or gets impeached... the Republicans get the White House.
And all they need to do... is let Trump be Trump.
Insert maniacal villainous laughter here.
Food for thought.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Changing Ethnicity of Comic Books Characters for TV/Movies
A few days ago, the trailer for the new Netflix series Iron Fist came out. Some people are excited... some people don't care... and some people are pissed. But why are they pissed?
Other than some thinking the main character isn't muscular enough for the role... the main reason some people are mad is because... the actor they cast is NOT Asian.
I certainly understand the desire to have actors who aren't Caucasian play various roles. I understand in our diverse society it better represents reality. I'm all for that, especially with Hollywood still not casting non-Caucasians as frequently for high profile roles as they probably should.
But in Iron Fist's case, casting an Asian would have been wrong.
The story of Iron Fist is that of an outsider to Asian culture... in this case a Caucasian boy... who was raised and trained by the mystics of K'un L'un after the death of his parents. In the original comics, a treacherous business partner of his father's was to blame... in the new Netflix series it appears to be a plane crash, though whether it was caused by a business partner is yet to be revealed.
Danny Rand is gifted and eventually has the opportunity to take the mystic power of the Iron Fist... which he does after a great battle. He eventually returns to New York to find his parents' killer... you get the idea.
Part of the conflict in this story is because Danny Rand is not Asian. Now you can go back and say when the character was created, they decided to go with a Caucasian character because Asian superheroes weren't marketable. There might even be some truth in that. (You could also say that by having the main character be white, it introduced Asian culture in a way that revealed it to the reader in the same way it was revealed to the character.) But the story possibilities with Danny Rand being an outsider are much more interesting than if they made the character Asian.
On a side note, why is it that a martial artist needs to be Asian? Isn't that promoting a stereotype that "all Asians know karate or kung fu?" I'm sure there are plenty who don't. Just as plenty of non-Asians have studied the martial arts that have originated in Asian countries.
So Danny Rand should not be Asian for this story, in my opinion. Could they have accomplished the same effect if he had been African American or Latino? Quite likely. Though if they made him African American it might change the dynamic with his old partner (though not yet on Netflix) Luke Cage. But yes, they could have chosen to go with someone who wasn't Caucasian. But they decided to go with the source material. Some people complain when they ignore the source material and some when they don't. You can't win.
I've heard that a potential casting of Nightwing might be Asian. That would be awesome. In cases where the ethnicity of the character won't change the dynamic of the character, I believe it's perfectly fine to cast a bit differently from the source material.
When FOX rebooted the Fantastic Four, Michael B. Jordan being cast as Johnny Storm wasn't that big of a deal for me. Though personally I thought it would have been better to avoid the whole adoption of Susan Storm... they could have made Susan also black and that would have been fine. I actually thought if they were going to cast a member of the team as African American, it should have been Reed. Making the leader and smartest member of the team African American would have made a better statement if that's what they were trying to do. And if they weren't trying to make a statement, it totally avoids having the explain anything about adoption. Not that adoption isn't a viable explanation for the casting choice they made (or anything to be ashamed of)... I just thought it a needless element. Fantastic Four didn't fail because of the casting or having Johnny Storm be black. It failed because it was a badly written piece of drivel. I enjoyed the previous two Fantastic Four films a great deal more.
The point is... casting existing characters as a different ethnicity can be a good thing... if it makes sense for the story and doesn't change the character on a fundamental level. (Because then... why not just make a new character?) The amount of source material from the original comics that can often inspire or be translated into a TV series or movie is incredible... and in most cases, should be respected. Can some stories be modernized? Certainly. But they should be true to the spirit of the original character.
So give me a black Batman. A Latino Flash. A female Thor (oh, they did that in the comics). Lots of changes can be made and still remain true to the spirit of the source material and in line with what the original creator intended.
But I'm glad they didn't make Danny Rand an Asian. Nuff said.
Other than some thinking the main character isn't muscular enough for the role... the main reason some people are mad is because... the actor they cast is NOT Asian.
I certainly understand the desire to have actors who aren't Caucasian play various roles. I understand in our diverse society it better represents reality. I'm all for that, especially with Hollywood still not casting non-Caucasians as frequently for high profile roles as they probably should.
But in Iron Fist's case, casting an Asian would have been wrong.
The story of Iron Fist is that of an outsider to Asian culture... in this case a Caucasian boy... who was raised and trained by the mystics of K'un L'un after the death of his parents. In the original comics, a treacherous business partner of his father's was to blame... in the new Netflix series it appears to be a plane crash, though whether it was caused by a business partner is yet to be revealed.
Danny Rand is gifted and eventually has the opportunity to take the mystic power of the Iron Fist... which he does after a great battle. He eventually returns to New York to find his parents' killer... you get the idea.
Part of the conflict in this story is because Danny Rand is not Asian. Now you can go back and say when the character was created, they decided to go with a Caucasian character because Asian superheroes weren't marketable. There might even be some truth in that. (You could also say that by having the main character be white, it introduced Asian culture in a way that revealed it to the reader in the same way it was revealed to the character.) But the story possibilities with Danny Rand being an outsider are much more interesting than if they made the character Asian.
On a side note, why is it that a martial artist needs to be Asian? Isn't that promoting a stereotype that "all Asians know karate or kung fu?" I'm sure there are plenty who don't. Just as plenty of non-Asians have studied the martial arts that have originated in Asian countries.
So Danny Rand should not be Asian for this story, in my opinion. Could they have accomplished the same effect if he had been African American or Latino? Quite likely. Though if they made him African American it might change the dynamic with his old partner (though not yet on Netflix) Luke Cage. But yes, they could have chosen to go with someone who wasn't Caucasian. But they decided to go with the source material. Some people complain when they ignore the source material and some when they don't. You can't win.
I've heard that a potential casting of Nightwing might be Asian. That would be awesome. In cases where the ethnicity of the character won't change the dynamic of the character, I believe it's perfectly fine to cast a bit differently from the source material.
When FOX rebooted the Fantastic Four, Michael B. Jordan being cast as Johnny Storm wasn't that big of a deal for me. Though personally I thought it would have been better to avoid the whole adoption of Susan Storm... they could have made Susan also black and that would have been fine. I actually thought if they were going to cast a member of the team as African American, it should have been Reed. Making the leader and smartest member of the team African American would have made a better statement if that's what they were trying to do. And if they weren't trying to make a statement, it totally avoids having the explain anything about adoption. Not that adoption isn't a viable explanation for the casting choice they made (or anything to be ashamed of)... I just thought it a needless element. Fantastic Four didn't fail because of the casting or having Johnny Storm be black. It failed because it was a badly written piece of drivel. I enjoyed the previous two Fantastic Four films a great deal more.
The point is... casting existing characters as a different ethnicity can be a good thing... if it makes sense for the story and doesn't change the character on a fundamental level. (Because then... why not just make a new character?) The amount of source material from the original comics that can often inspire or be translated into a TV series or movie is incredible... and in most cases, should be respected. Can some stories be modernized? Certainly. But they should be true to the spirit of the original character.
So give me a black Batman. A Latino Flash. A female Thor (oh, they did that in the comics). Lots of changes can be made and still remain true to the spirit of the source material and in line with what the original creator intended.
But I'm glad they didn't make Danny Rand an Asian. Nuff said.
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