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WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 8 2012 9:03 PM

Ur W33K 1N G33K (February 1 – 7)

Submitted by Saccora

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Blog, Comics, Entertainment, Gaming, Geek, Internuts, Movies, TV

by A.J. Focht

Who needs an army when you have a Hulk on your side? The newest trailer for The Avengers aired this weekend as part of the Super Bowl ad lineup. The Avengers will be released this May and each trailer just makes it looks better and better.

Amazing Spider-Man also released its second trailer this last week. After the CGI wreck they released first time around, this second one was a pleasant surprise. A new trailer wasn’t the only thing to come forth from the Amazing Spider-Man camp, more photos and characters bios were released on the official website. Spider-man is looking up, but I still don’t know if it will be able to stand against The Avengers or The Dark Knight Rises.

It’s starting to look like Hollywood is going to be packed with superheroes in the summer of 2013 as well. The Wolverine has a July 26, 2013 release date, joining The Man of Steel, Iron Man 3, and Thor 2 for the 2013 summer superhero season. Now, I love my superhero movies, but if Hollywood keeps putting them out at this frequency they are going to burn us all out. I personally have tired of the old X-Men series since the third movie bombed.

The big event happening over at Marvel Comics this year is Avengers vs. X-Men, but there is one other major happening -- Spider-Men. Not much was known about this till the last week when Marvel released a graphic of two Spider-Man logos meshed together. It is clear the logos are that of Peter Parker and Miles Morales. Most are complaining, assuming they are bringing back Peter Parker in the Ultimates universe that Miles Morales now acts as Spider-Man in. I would like to raise a new theory however, they are introducing Miles Morales into the main Marvel line, or Earth-616. As the Ultimates universe is a variation of their main verse (the one Amazing Spider-Man takes place in), I argue that Miles Morales could exist in that world to. If he became a Spider-Man there, we would then have three Spider-Men, including the new Scarlet Spider. That puts Marvel half way to creating some Spider-Man knockoff of Batman Incorporated.

Marvel’s Spider-Men logo was small news compared to DC officially announcement of Before Watchmen. The series will star the Watchmen heroes in events that happen before the graphic novel Watchmen. There will be seven books total: Rorschach, Minutemen, Comedian, Dr. Manhatten, Nite Owl, Ozymandias, and Silk Spectre. Each issue will also feature a two page back up story of Curse of the Crimson Corsair. There has been a lot of talk about the whether or not DC should publish these comics. Allen Moore, the creator of Watchmen, had a falling out with DC and does not want them to use his properties. However, from a legal standpoint DC have retained the rights.

After losing their first choice for the female lead, the Evil Dead remake has cast Jane Levy (pictured in our header) to fill the role. Levy will be playing Mia, the equivalent of Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams. Hopefully this casting sticks as they only have about a year left since the film releases on April 12, 2013.

Despite the a low domestic gross total, Robert Rodriguez intends to make good on his promise to make two more Machete films. That dream is coming even closer as he has teamed up with producer Alexander Rodnyansky to begin work on the second film in the trilogy. Despite its low gross totals, the first film was a cult success and it almost doubled its cheap budget.

commentary
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3 2012 12:20 AM

Rachel Federoff: Fighting To Stop The Choking Game

Submitted by SG_Blog

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Activism, Blog, Society, the choking game

by Blogbot

Millionaire Matchmaker, glam-goth reality TV star, mother, all round awesome person, and longtime friend of SG, Rachel Federoff, recently became a spokesperson to raise awareness for the dangers of the choking game. It’s estimated that between 250 and 1,000 children die each year from the practice, however hard statistics are difficult to come by since many coroners record such deaths as suicide. This is one the reasons Federoff got involved and reached out to SG, since she’s currently championing a petition and letter writing campaign to persuade our government to devote resources to the issue so it can be properly investigated. Though numbers a hard to come by, the choking game seems to be especially prevalent in middle school aged children, with the median age of death from it being just thirteen. We checked in with Federoff to find out more.

Question: What inspired you to get involved in raising awareness for the dangers of the choking game?

Rachel Federoff: I met two ladies on Twitter who are uber fans of me, Barb Dibben and Neecy Jarman. Neecy lost her 13-year old son from this awful act and told me about it [see ABC News report]. Being a mom, I was, of course, devastated to hear about it, and knew exactly what he died from as I had a close childhood friend die from it in high school. I felt it was so important to help spread the word on this and, as of Monday, the ladies asked me to be the spokesperson for this. I was so honored and touched to help be a part of making the world aware and hopefully stop more children from dying.

Q: Can you tell us more about the organization you'll be acting as spokesperson for?

RF: I will be working with Neecy and Barb and other non profit organizations such as the DB Foundation (Dangerous Behaviors). Both ladies received grant money from Pepsi Co. and we are looking at having the first national conference.

Q: It's shocking that kids are playing this "game" at such a young age. Why do you think that is?

RF: It's so crazy to me that people are so unaware of this as it's been going on forever. I knew plenty of kids that did it growing up. I think kids are always looking at new ways to get "high." If it's not whip-its, it's pot or whatever. Now it's getting high by strangulation. They think it's harmless but it's not. They really do think it's just a game, and when you're young you have that "I’m going to live forever" mentality.

Q: And I guess kids being kids, there's a lot of peer pressure involved...

RF: Absolutely, especially at middle school age like Neecy's son. He was just thirteen. That's why it's so important that parents are aware of this behavior and have open relationships with their kids. Parents need to teach their kids that it's not a game and will not make them "cool" if they participate. When I saw friends doing it I thought it was stupid and dangerous so I stayed away from playing.

Q: What resources are out there to give parents a better understanding of this issue? Are there any websites you could recommend?

RF: Sadly there just isn't enough and that's why people have no idea this exists and what it is. But there are some: GaspInfo.com and ChokingGame.net.

Q: What can people do to help?

RF: We are currently asking everyone we can to sign a petition and send letters to congress to make them open their eyes that the choking game needs to be addressed seriously. The more signatures and letters we send the better. All you have to do is go here. Also we’re asking people to post the link on their Twitters and Facebooks and anywhere else. We have over 1000 letters already! I also created a cause page people can join for more info and support.

Q: Finally, you know I have to ask; Millionaire Matchmaker is my guilty pleasure for many of us at SG. I'm totally addicted. What can we expect from the new season and when will it air?

RF: LOL Well it looks like we are scheduled to start filming Season 6 in March or April. As for when it airs, I have no idea yet. So many people are having Millionaire Matchmaker withdrawal. We're coming back, so hang in there!

Related Posts:

SG Interview with Rachel Federoff - Millionaire Matchmaker
SG Interview with Destin Pfaff: Millionaire Matchmaker

commentary
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1 2012 2:39 PM

Ur W33K 1N G33K (January 25 – February 1)

Submitted by SG_Blog

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Blog, Comics, Entertainment, Gaming, Geek, Internuts, Movies, TV, sgmember:saccora

by A.J. Focht

Many a rumor about the upcoming The Avengers film has been laid to rest. On January 31, the official Avengers Twitter had a chat with fans answering the most pressing questions. For a portion of the chat, Joss Whedon was on hand and the ‘For JW’ tag started trending. One of the rumors squashed was talk of an Amazing Spider-Man cameo. Whedon personally put this rumor down.

More information has come out about Arrow, the Green Arrow pilot in production by the CW. Instead of tying the show back to Smallville and trying to capture that audience, they have really reworked the Green Arrow's story. Oliver Queen’s mother is still alive and he will have a little sister that seems to be a catalyst for most of the trouble he has to stop. Some DC characters will show up, such as Black Canary, but they will not play their superhero roles, at least not as of yet. The part of Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow has been given to Stephen Amell.

Marvel’s major comic event this year, Avengers VS. X-Men will be starting this March. Marvel has released a sneak preview of the Avengers VS. X-Men #0 where all the problems will start. This first issue sets up the crucial roles of Scarlet Witch and Hope Summers. The two most powerful ladies in the Marvel universe will be going head-to-head, each with a super powered team to back them.

Speaking of new comics, IDW Publishing, will be starting a Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms comic series. D&D fans have a chance to have their characters featured in the comics. You can find all the rules for the character creation contest here.

One of the biggest names in comics, Stan Lee, is launching his own website. You can sign up for updates from the site and a chance to win autographed merchandise right now, but the full site won’t launch till February 8. On top of contests and games, the sites main function will be behind-the-scenes looks into Stan’s new projects.

Zoe Saldana talked Star Trek 2 in a recent interview. While she couldn’t say much, she all but told us that there is more to come between Spock and Uhura. Star Trek writer Robert Orci also came out with a few comments, these ones directed at fans. In a fan driven industry like Star Trek, the fans are the best and worst part of it, and Orci has had enough of them second guessing him. In short, Orci pointed out that they did well with the first remake and that success has earned them a lot of leeway with the studio. He doesn’t promise the movie will be good, but he does promise it will be exactly what they want it to be.

On a final note, you can stop holding your breath waiting for Blizz Con 2012 to be announced, it’s not happening. Blizzard Entertainment would rather focus on releasing Diablo 3, Heart of the Swarm and Mists of Pandaria than wasting their time organizing another convention. This doesn’t mean they don’t love their fans and the convention will be back in 2013. As someone who has personally attended multiple Blizz Cons, they should take a break. Doing it yearly means they never have enough new news to justify bringing out thousands of fans from around the world. Hopefully, this way they will have something substantial to show us next time.

commentary
TUESDAY JANUARY 31 2012 9:03 PM

SuicideGirls Group Therapy: Some Like It Raw

Submitted by Ackley

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: All Things SG, Blog, Food & Drink, Vegan, Vegetarian, Geek, ll Things SG

commentary
FRIDAY JANUARY 27 2012 10:47 AM

NEW SG Interview: Jeremy Kasten – The Theatre Bizzare

Submitted by SG_Blog

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Blog, Entertainment, Interviews, Movies

by Justin R. Beckner

Jeremy Kasten has forged a name for himself in the filmmaking business as a brilliant, ego free person whose resume includes producing, directing, and editing films and feature content. Some may remember Kasten’s work on the Suicide Girls Must Die film or The Wizard of Gore which also starred several Suicide Girls along with Crispin Glover. When he’s not directing feature films, he spends his time editing behind the scenes footage for major films including Step Brothers, Spider Man 3, and Water for Elephants to name but a few. We caught up with Kasten to discuss his most recent work, The Theatre Bizzare which opens January 27th, 2012 in select cities.
The Theatre Bizzare takes a rare and unique approach to the horror genre. The movie is comprised of six segments, each with its own director: Buddy Giovinazzo (“I Love You”), Douglas Buck (“The Accident”), David Gregory (“Sweets”), Karim Hussain (“Vision Stains”), Tom Savini (“Wet Dreams”) and Richard Stanley (“Mother of the Toads”). Jeremy Kasten was given the demanding job of tying all the segments together with a cohesive storyline of his own featuring the legendary Udo Keir.
For cities and screenings, check out The Theatre Bizzare Facebook page. If you’re a fan of horror films, you won’t want to miss this summit of brilliant directors doing what they do best.

Justin R. Beckner: May I start off by saying how much I enjoyed The Theatre Bizzare. I’ve always been a fan or horror films and I’m not quite sure why. Why do you think people are so drawn to horror films? Why do people like to be scared from time to time?

Jeremy Kasten: I think movies in general are cheap thrills. There are lots of ways people get thrills – there’s chick flicks where you get emotionally attached to the character and then you get worked up. Then there’s the shock factor which goes all the way back to silent film, The Kiss, where people were first seen kissing in a film. I think horror taps into that primordial part of our brain that responds to fear because fear is a part of us. There’s another way horror affects us in a more surreal way where a film can replicate the experience of having a nightmare. It’s like when you have a nightmare and you wake up and you’re happy to be alive, So I think horror movies can tap into our fears and affect us in that kind of way.

JB: The Theatre Bizzare is a very unique movie in that it is several short story style films within a film – each with its own director. How did all of the directors come together for this unique style of film?

JK: David Gregory and the executive producers handpicked the directors to make the film. I came on after all the films were written and a couple of the directors had already made their films but they did not have a director for the wrap around at that point. I suspect that because of the film The Wizard of Gore, which I did with SuicideGirls, they knew I could deliver a theatrical Grand-Guignol quality to the wrap around part and hold the movie together. They knew they wanted it set in a theatre, they knew they wanted some sort of lead character who would pull you through all of those short stories and give a sense of grounding to the overall story. So I got together with Zach Chassler who is my creative partner who writes a lot of my movies and he had some great ideas. I knew I wanted to do something automatons so we put our heads together and we came up with the idea that became what you see in the film after Udo [Keir] came in and added his own specific and phenomenal sensibility to it.

JB: I noticed several connections between HP Lovecraft stories and the stories in the film. Was that an intentional parallel or simply the result of each director’s influences showing through?

JK: HP Lovecraft has been a huge influence on every horror filmmaker in the twentieth century. I don’t know if it was intentional but it’s hard to look at a horror movie from the era that Lovecraft is known and not see an influence on the movie. I know that there are a couple scenes in a couple of the films that are pure Lovecraft influence – it’s not like anyone talked about it, but it’s certainly there. David Gregory took away a lot of the constraints on the directors for this film and I think that freed them up to let that Lovecraft influence shine.

JB: Did you and the other directors work in close proximity throughout the making of the film?

JK: I’m not sure anybody knew each other until this film happened. I knew David Gregory, the producer – he brought me on – but I didn’t know any of the other directors and I’m not sure that they knew each other. We’ve been to film festivals and done panels together and we all get along very well but there was not of communication among the filmmakers leading up to the movie other than reading each other’s scripts. Because I was doing the wrap around I was given all the scripts and was able to get a glimpse at a couple of the films before making the wrap around. We really all met at the first film festival the movie was at. There wasn’t a lot of communications between us until the movie was done. Since the movie has been done, we’ve formed some friendships that I think will last a long time. I was really glad to have the opportunity to work alongside some filmmakers that I admire and some of them I’ve even been influenced by their work.

JB: The Theatre Bizzare opens on Friday, January 27th, where can people go to check out this movie?

JK: It’s opening in select cities which can be found on the film’s Facebook page or at Shocktillyoudrop.com. Its opening this weekend and then they’re doing a platform release over the next couple weeks in other cities. Then eventually it will be coming out on DVD and will be available in that format as well. But if you look on the Facebook page and the film is not paying in your city, you can demand it on there and a theatre chain in your city will be more likely to book it. That’s the way it goes these days in the movie business. All the theatre has to do is pay for a person to run the projector, so if they know people will show up it makes sense for them to book the movie for a couple days. So if you’d like to see The Theatre Bizzare and it’s not in your town, I’d encourage you to be vocal about it and demand it on the Facebook page.

JB: You mentioned previously that you worked with SuicideGirls in the movie The Wizard of Gore. How was that experience?

JK: I have to say, it was really an amazing experience because when I first started that project, SG was not the brand that it has become today, it was still very much coming up. As one of the producers and editors of the Suicide Girls Must Die video, I joined that after they shot it, I was lucky enough to work with Sean and Missy on that project and get closer to SG and seeing what it had become was pretty amazing.

JB: With all the directing, producing, and editing, you’re a busy guy. What have you been working on lately aside from The Theatre Bizzare?

JK: Last fall I did the recut for the movie 11/11/11 and that came out on 11/11/11 of this past year. So it was a movie that had a really obvious promotional release date which made for an intense end of the summer for me because we basically did a total recut. But it was really cool and I learned a lot. Now I’m back doing what is essentially my day job which is where I produce and edit behind the scenes specials for movies. I’m currently working on Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter and Men in Black 3 which is going to be out this summer.

JB: Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter, that sounds pretty awesome.

JK: Yeah, it’s gonna kick ass. It’s by the guy who did Nightwatch which was the movie that really broke him out and then he did Daywatch. He’s pretty much a genius.

JB: Do you have any advice to people who may want to enter the filmmaking business?

JK: I would say if you’re going to do it, take yourself seriously – don’t half ass it. I think a lot of people dip their toes in the water and think that maybe they might want to try to make a movie. You’ve got to commit to it and really go for it and make every effort to know what you need to know for something, that makes a big difference. The people who are successful are usually the ones who immersed themselves and educated themselves about something. In order to break the rules, you have to know what the rules are; that’s a big part of filmmaking now in an age where everything is so wide open as far as independent films go.

JB: I really want to thank you for taking the time to talk to us. Do you have any final thoughts comments or plugs?

JK: I guess I’d like to say about this movie that I was most pleased about was what a pleasure it was to work with one of my heroes. I’ve always been a huge fan of Udo Keir, and it was a privilege to work with him because he’s so much fun and he’s so good at what he does. That was really special to me, it was a dream come true.

commentary
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25 2012 9:05 PM

The Art of SuicideGirls feat. Vivid

Submitted by Vivid

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: All Things SG, Art, Blog, Books, DIY

by Blogbot

["Honey" - Manko]

["Blue So Blue" - Blue]

Artist / SG Member Name: Vivid Vivka a.k.a. Vivid Suicide

Mission Statement: I sling paint, and if someone likes it...that's a bonus.

["Brim"]

Medium: Acrylic, pen, marker, wood, canvas, spray paint, coffee grounds, blood, sweat, spit, tears.

Aesthetic: Naked and distorted. Usually with big hair, empty eyes, a lot of pink.

["Yellow" - Yellow]

Notable Achievements: I believe three people have my work tattooed on their persons. To me, that’s a helluva achievement and intensely flattering. Ink aside, I have a BFA from the College for Creative Studies, in Detroit, MI. I majored in Illustration with a graphic background. I’ve made pieces for childrens’ hospitals in Detroit, had a few gallery shows, and had my work stolen for a ton of shitty band/party flyers. (Stop. Doing. That.)

Why We Should Care: 9 out of 10 viewers agree: it's art.

["The Queen of Crows (and Three Little Insects)"]

I Want Me Some: Much of my past art projects can be found on my DeviantArt (as well as many of my modeling photos). For prints and originals, I sell my work at vivka.etsy.com (more originals up soon...kinda sold out right now). Proper website and webstore to be unveiled with glitter and sparkles around mid 2012.

["This Time..." - Adria]

["Not This Times..." - Rambo]

["Booty" - Pirate]

["Dead Fish // Live Fish"]
***

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commentary
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25 2012 12:31 PM

Ur W33K 1N G33K (January 18 -24)

Submitted by Saccora

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Blog, Comics, Entertainment, Gaming, Geek, Internuts, Movies, TV

by A.J. Focht

As we get closer to the release of The Dark Knight Rises, we’re finally establishing the truth behind many of the numerous past rumors that have surrounded the project throughout production. Liam Neeson has put another one to rest when he confirmed he will reprise his role as Ra’s al Ghul in the film. Neeson couldn’t say much more about the project, because apparently his part is so small that he didn’t get much access. The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20, and a line of figurines are already being prepped to hit the market. These twelve inch models do an amazing job of capturing the outfits from the upcoming film and will be on sale in June.

The Deadpool movie is going into production this year. The ‘merc with a mouth’ will be getting his own film, and Rob Liefeld has seen eight minutes of the test footage. Ryan Reynolds is returning as Deadpool. Now we can only hope the film does the character more justice than Wolverine Origins did.

New high resolution images of The Avengers have been released. We’ve seen similar shots before, but we do get decent ones of each main character -- sorry Hawk Eye didn’t make the cut. The only big thing of note here is we get some of the first clear shots of the Hulk.

Some lucky little fan got to take a photo with Superman and the picture has made its way online. The shot from the set of Man of Steel gives a clear look at the new Superman suit. Not to mention it really makes Henry Cavill look the part of Superman.

Last week, DC Comics logo change made its way around the web. Everyone, including myself, criticized the look of the new logo. DC has since revealed how they plan to use the logo. In a rather interesting twist, the logo was designed so it could be customized. Each logo keeps the same basic style, but changes its color and look depending on the comic it appears on. Despite my comments last week, I have to say this is pretty cool.

One other big story coming from DC Entertainment, the company announced a multi-million dollar campaign to raise money to fight hunger in the Horn of Africa. The campaign is called We Can Be Heroes. Using the Justice League of America as mascots, DC hopes to inspire the hero in everyone to end this crisis.

A few weeks back, Lily Collins was announced as the main character in the upcoming Evil Dead remake. However, due to scheduling conflicts, she has had to give up the part. There is still no news on who is going to take over the role, but time is running out as the film is scheduled in theaters April 12, 2013.

The first trailer for Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock videogame has been released. It’s set to release on the PS3, PS Vita, and PC later this year.

Speaking of Doctor Who…the show’s producer and chief screenwriter Russel T. Davies (who was also responsible for spin-off show Torchwood), has created a new series for BBC Wales. Aliens vs. Wizards is a 26-part series aimed at a younger audience. It’s about a young wizard, Tom Clarke, and his struggle against the aggressive aliens, the Nekross. While the show is being made for children, that doesn’t mean Doctor Who fans shouldn’t give it a shot.

On a final note, Cryptic Studios has made Star Trek Online free to play. The game is now free through the silver membership, which gives full game access but limited community access. There is still a gold membership with full access for $15 a month.

commentary
TUESDAY JANUARY 24 2012 9:04 PM

SuicideGirls Group Therapy: SG420

Submitted by Spliff_

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: 420, All Things SG, Blog, Geek

commentary
THURSDAY JANUARY 19 2012 2:46 PM

SG Political Contributor David Seaman Discusses SOPA and NDAA

Submitted by SG_Blog

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Activism, Blog, Geek, Internuts, Politics, David Seaman, NDAA, Occupy, Occupy Congress, PIPA, SOPA

by David Seaman

News Corporation chief executive and chairman Rupert Murdoch lashed out on Twitter against the changing tide of public opinion with regards to SOPA and PIPA. In this video post, SG Political Contributor David Seaman talks about why big media corporations such as Fox and Disney support these ugly sister acts, and gives us an overview of yesterday's day of internet action against them.

He also gives us an update on NDAA - one of the most treasonous bills ever signed into law by Congress according to some – and points us in the direction of the grass roots groups who are seeking to recall every congressman that supported it. Also, David talks about last night's NDAA segment on Coast to Coast, in which he participated.

***

David Seaman is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth... For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.

Related Posts:
NDAA And Occupy Congress: What If You Now Live In A Dictatorship, And No One Told You?

commentary
TUESDAY JANUARY 17 2012 8:46 PM

Stop SOPA Now!!!

Submitted by SG_Blog

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Activism, Blog, Politics, PIPA, SOPA

While, as a subscriber funded site, we cannot blackout on #J18, we would like to express our profound gratitude and support to those that do. Wikipedia, Google, Reddit, CraigsList, BoingBoing, RawStory, and YourAnonNews are among the 7,000+ sites that are going dark or marking their opposition to SOPA in some form.

Many internet users know SuicideGirls as a pinup site, but, as a social network that predates both MySpace and Facebook, much of our content is user generated. Under the restrictive and open-ended terms of SOPA it would be virtually impossible for us to operate. It would be an utterly impractical and economically unviable task to police the providence of all the content our users upload and the links they post prior to publishing, and being forced to do so would seriously stifle the free speech our members currently enjoy.

Despite reports to the contrary, SOPA is far from dead, and there are powerful lobbying groups with deep pockets working to ensure it passes in some shape or form. Please join us and voice your opposition to SOPA and its sister act PIPA.

SuicideGirls
XOX

commentary
TUESDAY JANUARY 17 2012 12:51 PM

NDAA And Occupy Congress: What If You Now Live In A Dictatorship, And No One Told You?

Submitted by SG_Blog

Edited by SG_Blog

Tags: Activism, Blog, Politics, David Seaman, NDAA, Occupy, Occupy Congress, PIPA, SOPA

By David Seaman

Judge Napolitano on FOX Business Network has a great on-air rhetorical device, "What if?"

I'm going to blatantly steal -- er, borrow -- that device for this column because it does a brilliant job of covering one's ass completely, while still pointing out obvious truths. Here goes, take a deep breath.

WHAT IF your government has lost all legitimacy to lead?

WHAT IF the media, once the American people's last safeguard against corruption, is now corruption personified?

WHAT IF there was a protest of thousands of people converging on Capitol Hill tonight, January 17th, 2012, and the corporate broadcast media barely even mentioned it as of 1:12pm Eastern, save for a below-the-fold hat tip on msnbc.com?

WHAT IF there is a quiet battle brewing right now between dying TV broadcasting dinosaurs, and vibrant Internet companies like Google, Facebook, and Reddit?

WHAT IF that battle finally becomes public knowledge tomorrow morning, when the homepage of Google.com will display a message blasting the SOPA/PIPA Internet censorship legislation that Congress seems absolutely hell-bent on passing in one way or another, regardless of how many phone calls they receive from outraged constituents.

WHAT IF there was a separate battle, waged online and via telephone by tens of thousands of Americans...a battle we've already lost?

WHAT IF that battle was a desperate cry against the NDAA's indefinite detention provisions, which President Obama quietly signed into law on New Year's Eve, while the rest of us were drunk and distracted?

WHAT IF, as a result, your own government -- according to some of the planet's foremost legal minds -- now has the very real ability to detain you without trial, access to an attorney, and without bringing formal charges against you.

WHAT IF suspicion alone is enough.

AND WHAT IF some government insiders, such as Colin Powell's former chief of staff, have gone on record stating they believe this indefinite detention power will be used to silence political protesters, including Occupiers.

Makes today's Occupy Congress seem rather important given all of that context, no? So where's the media attention?

***

Image courtesy of Dustin M. Slaughter

View #Occupy Congress live via Livestreams from citizen journalists @TimCast, @OccupyFreedomLA, @Punkboyinsf, and @OakFoSho

David Seaman is an independent journalist and has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth... For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.

commentary
SUNDAY JANUARY 15 2012 9:03 PM

What’s Cooking In SG’s Kitchen? Ryker Suicide’s Chicken Soup and Dumplings

Submitted by Ryker

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: All Things SG, Blog, Food & Drink

by Ryker Suicide

Yesterday I made my momma's recipe for Chicken and Dumplings. I've changed it a little bit over the years, but its one of my favorite comfort foods. Especially on a cold day in the winter when I can't stand the thought of going outside Enjoy! – Ryker Suicide

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breast

1 lb chicken thighs (skins removed)

1 carton of chicken stock (home made is even better)

Fresh Parsley

Fresh Thyme

2 1/4 cups of Bisquick

2/3 cup of milk

Salt & pepper

1 1/2 TBS Poultry Seasoning

Flour (for dredging)

2-3 cups of water

1/2 TBS Garlic powder

1 bag baby carrots (chopped)

1 bunch of celery (chopped)

2-3 small onions (2 onions chopped, 1 grated for dumplings)

Olive oil

Directions:

Heat large pot with olive oil over medium-high heat. Pat chicken dry and make sure skins are removed from breasts. Dredge in flour, poultry seasoning, about 1/8 cup of chopped fresh parsley and thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Brown chicken in pan, After chicken is browned, add vegetables and 1 cup of water, cover pot immediately and turn heat down to medium low. Let chicken/veggies cook for about 15 minutes.

Add another cup or two of water until chicken is JUST covered. Allow to cook about 20 minutes, flip chicken/stir veggies. Add chicken stock and 1/2 cup of chopped parsley, and 3-4 sprigs of chopped thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot again and allow chicken/vegetables to cook another 20 minutes or so until chicken is fork tender. You may have to turn the heat up to medium after adding stock. While you are allowing chicken to cook last 20 minutes, start on your dumplings.

In a mixing bowl, mix milk and Bisquick. Add grated onion, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Mix well. Remove cooked chicken from pot and cool. In near boiling broth, add dropfuls of dumplings to pot. When they float to the top they are ready. For a thinner broth, go easy on dumplings as they will thicken up the broth. Alternatively, you can cook them separately if you like a lot of dumplings. (I prefer a thicker broth for this dish.) If you are not familiar with making dumplings, I suggest testing one or two first to make sure they are at your preferred consistency. For thicker dumplings, add more Bisquick, for lighter, add more milk (not much!). Dumplings are always an experiment. You can also add potatoes to your dumplings as well. After dumplings are in your broth, turn heat down to low. When chicken is finished cooling, pull it off of bone and into bite sized pieces. I even shred some of it, but this is all to preference. Add to soup, and enjoy!

Related Posts:
What’s Cooking In SG’s Kitchen? Ryker Suicide’s Prosciutto Wrapped Figs & Spicy Cocktail Meatballs
What’s Cooking In SG’s Kitchen? Ryker Suicide’s Best Ever Chicken Enchiladas!
What’s Cooking In SG’s Kitchen? Ryker Suicide’s Butternut Squash And Black Bean Tacos!
What’s Cooking In SG’s Kitchen? Ryker Suicide’s Yummy Tomato Bisque
What’s Cooking In SG’s Kitchen? Ryker Suicide’s Pumpkin Lasagna
What’s Cooking In SG’s Kitchen? Mimmi Suicide’s Vegan Chili With Guacamole
What’s Cooking In SG’s Kitchen? Ryker Suicide’s Mahi-Mahi Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw, Avocado-Tomato Salsa and Pineapple Hot Sauce

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WEDNESDAY JANUARY 11 2012 9:03 PM

The Russian Protests in Context

Submitted by SG_Blog

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Blog, Politics

by RedBstrd

Recently, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Moscow, Russia to voice discontent with parliamentary elections that they argue - with good reason - were rigged. These protests have attracted notice from both an international audience and the Kremlin - which claims that they represent unrest spurred on by foreign agitators within the US State Department, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Unlike much of the protest within Russia since 1991, those who added their voices to the calls for new elections were not simply Communist Party pensioners railing against a social system which has no use for the elderly. Instead, the 60,000 protesters tended to be young, college educated, and organizing through social networking sites.

While the numbers on Prospekt Akademika Sakharova seem to have fallen short of the 120,000-200,000 turnout figures that some activists have offered, these protests are the largest that Russia has seen since the end of the Soviet system. Likewise, they are the longest lived, snowballing from small rallies into the mass protests in Moscow's Bolotnaia Square on December 10th and the even larger December 24th protest. Incensed at the results from the December 4th parliamentary results, which emerged amid a storm of Youtube videos of ballot-stuffing, Russian blogger Aleksei Navalny helped organize a rally against Putin's United Russia party, which he labeled "the party of crooks and thieves." This rally attracted a few thousand people and drew condemnation from government officials. Navalny became an internet sensation when Duma member Konstantin Rykov labeled the blogger a "cocksucking sheep." Whether by accident or hack, President Medvedev's twitter account repeated the slur. A number of these smaller protests led to the December 10th mass rally, which drew praise from famous Russians such as Gorbachev and Kasparov, and encouraged similar protests in St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, and many other Russian cities. The celebrity voices were joined by Russians less well known outside of the country, such as Boris Nemtsov (a liberal politician), Boris Akunin (an author), and Aleksei Kudrin (the former finance minister).

The election results were a clear rebuke to Vladimir Putin, offering only 49% of the popular vote and barely over 50% of the parliamentary seats to United Russia, despite over 5300 cases of documented voting fraud (according to Russian election monitor Golos) and implausible turnout. According to official numbers, for instance, the war-torn Chechnya had a 99% turnout and 99% of those who voted did so for United Russia, including 90% of those registered for the social democratic A Just Russia party. 

[ Image: Saddam Hussein would be jealous of the 146% turnout depicted here. Source.]

By the official count nationwide, Putin's United Russia won half of the vote, trailed by the Communist Party in second place (with 19% of the vote), A Just Russia (the social democratic party) in third place with 13% of the vote, and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (a right-wing nationalist party) in fourth place with 12% of the vote. The liberal party, Yabloko (Apple), failed to meet the 5% Duma threshold, securing only 3% of the vote. While these numbers are unreliable due to the widespread fraud, they represent a nearly 15% drop in United Russia's control over parliamentary seats (from 64% to 50%) since 2007. While 2011 has turned out to be an important year in protest and mass politics, the drop in support for Putin among Russians over the last four years is remarkable.  

The Background

Much of the reason why Putin's popularity has dropped in recent years and months can be explained through two articles drafted for the occasion of 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Coinciding nicely with the outbreak of protest in Russia, historian and "Sovietologist" Stephen Cohen and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev each drafted an article for the occasion for The Nation. What they write likely comes as a surprise to American readers, who have been subjected to two decades of triumphalist narration claiming that the Soviet Union collapsed due to its inability to keep up with Reagan's military spending (they never tried to do so), economic collapse (the economy was stagnant, not in crisis until the market reforms), or democratic/nationalist revolution (even today the majority of Russians regret the breakup of the Soviet Union as a political entity).  

Cohen writes: 
 

This history-changing event took place surreptitiously at a secluded hunting lodge in the Belovezh Forest near Minsk, in what is now Belarus. On December 8, 1991, heads of three of the Soviet Union’s fifteen republics, led by Boris Yeltsin of Russia, met there to sign documents abolishing the Soviet state.

Elsewhere, he adds: 
 

No less important, most Russians do not share the nearly unanimous Western view that the Soviet Union’s “collapse” was “inevitable” because of inherent fatal defects. They believe instead, and for good empirical reasons, that three “subjective” factors broke it up: the unduly rapid and radical way - not too slowly and cautiously, as is said in the West - Gorbachev carried out his political and economic reforms; a power struggle in which Yeltsin overthrew the Soviet state in order to get rid of its president, Gorbachev, and to occupy the Kremlin; and property-seizing Soviet bureaucratic elites, the nomenklatura, who were more interested in “privatizing” the state’s enormous wealth in 1991 than in defending it.

Likewise, Gorbachev explained: 

Contrary to what is sometimes asserted, the Soviet Union was not destroyed by any foreign power, but as a result of internal developments. First, in August 1991 the anti-perestroika conservative forces organized a coup against my leadership that failed but weakened my position. Then, on December 8, defying the will of the people, who had supported renewal of the union in a referendum in March 1991, the leaders of three Soviet republics - Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the leaders of Ukraine and Belorussia - meeting in secret, abolished the Union.

Whatever feelings individuals may have about the plausibility of a Soviet reformation, what is important for understanding the subsequent two decades of political and economic life in Russia is acknowledging that the breakup of the USSR was the result of a small group of political elites for their own interest. While their goals lined up with those of many Western observers, the pro-market "shock therapy" was deeply unpopular in Russia. In fact, a constitutional crisis broke out in late 1993 after the Duma rejected Yeltsin's nomination of Egor Gaidar as prime minister - due to his support for Yeltsin's economic plan. Yeltsin won the constitutional struggle by calling on the army to suppress and abolish the Duma with force - something not within his constitutional authority.  

Yeltsin's actions were, according to Cohen:  

[...] “neither legitimate nor democratic.” A profound departure from Gorbachev’s commitment to social consensus and constitutionalism, Yeltsin’s actions were a return to the country’s “neo-Bolshevik” tradition of imposed change, as many Russian, and even a few Western, writers have characterized it. The ramifications were bound to endanger the unprecedented democratization achieved during the preceding six years of perestroika.

There's no surprise regarding the kind of system which emerged out of a neo-liberal president who was willing to order military force against an intransigent parliament: Russia became an even more corrupt state, one marked with endemic organized crime and systemic benefits to the nomenklatura who were able to seize public assets without fair market competition. In major ways, the Russian state mirrors those of the regimes challenged by the Arab Spring: it is deeply undemocratic, is built upon a massive disparity of wealth, demands civic non-participation in politics, and is helplessly corrupt. In fact, it's really only surprising that the public has taken so long to mobilize against the Russian state in mass protest.  

Despite the overlap in imagery of Russian gangsters, this picture of political and economic life contrasts strongly with the mythology underwriting Western applause for the Yeltsin reformation of Russia. Still, this history is essential for understanding the political and economic system still in place in Russia and what unofficial contract developed between Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin, and the public over the past decade.  

Cowed by the use of military force on the Duma and free of the mobilization campaigns of the Soviet period, older generations had sank into non-involvement in politics in the 1990s. While they often did not welcome the turmoil of the early Yeltsin years, they also had next to nothing to lose after the economic collapse accompanying the breakup of the Soviet Union and no ability to challenge the force of the army. Putin offered no major adjustment to the Yeltsin system in relation to public control over economics or politics. However, when Putin's two terms as president (from 1999 to 2008) ended, he had ruled over almost a decade of consistent economic growth. Russians had few illusions regarding their system: it was set up to benefit the few, but their surrender of political activity and say in the economy was finally being bought with very real increases in pension sizes, real wages, and life expectancy.   

The popularity of Putin and United Russia began to plummet in a manner easily recognizable to many in the United States: during the current economic crisis, the Kremlin used its emergency funds to bail out the wealthy, including oil barons. Ordinary people (and indeed industries such as the automobile industry) saw little remedy from state actions and found themselves struggling more desperately for public or private resources. Meanwhile, individuals who faced injustice from the social and legal systems of Russia found supporters from those who felt that they were likewise wronged. In general, critics of the government felt that their contract with the government (political inactivity in exchange for benevolent policies) was not being honored. Unsurprisingly, the public - emboldened by global protest - began demanding that the government honor its unofficial promises, step down, or offer comparable concessions. 

Immediately after the December 4th elections, in a disgusting but informative example, Russian nationalists took the opportunity to stage anti-immigration rallies over a few days. These embryonic rallies faced rival pro-Kremlin rallies but contributed to the anti-government, anti-corruption sentiment which exploded on the 10th. 

What to Expect

Rallies during the Arab Spring exceeded the expectations that most of us would have wagered on only a few months prior to their outbreak. Unfortunately, the protest movements in Russia do not seem to offer the same prospects of success. The opposition movements lacks the institutional and economic base necessary for challenging United Russia within official channels of power. An electoral recount, for instance, will only take place if Putin and Medvedev decide that such a thing is in their best long term interests. On the streets, prospects look equally bleak in the short term: the oppositions are splintered into three major groups (Communists, social democrats, and nationalists), without a strong liberal bloc. While a Communist-nationalist alliance might be strategic (along the lines of the Patriots of Russia party or the anti-European Union alliances of the early 2000s), it would sit poorly with liberals and a social democratic-liberal alliance would not be able to outnumber United Russia even assuming that the ruling party only legitimately won a third of the vote. Navalny may unite nationalists and liberals into an anti-government front - albeit a scary one.

Fortunately, the opposition movements have neither called for nor initiated violence, aside from Navalny's violent rhetoric. Likewise, the state has not felt threatened enough to opt for such a solution either. 

In the short term, my best prediction is that the Kremlin will continue to offer limited reforms through Medvedev while relying on their control over media, voting regulations, and police force to ensure that Putin wins the presidential election. As long as United Russia can offer the illusion of the possibility of playing the reforming Medvedev against the hard line Putin, the party can gamble against radical actions by the public and try to make gradual concessions to the public on the party's terms.  

In the long term, however, I suspect that Putin's reign is entering its twilight. Voters are moving into larger political parties (especially compared to 2003), some of which may be able to challenge United Russia in the near future. Likewise, the opposition is gaining public personalities which can rival Putin on an individual level. Aleksei Navalny is the most notable of these rivals at the moment. Though his prior participation in the liberal Yabloko party was largely ineffective, he has an undeniable charisma and has shown himself to be competent in mobilizing the youth. Personalities don't always make politics, but they can transform protest votes (which I think the 2011 votes largely were) into enthusiastic political participation or, alternately, into fund raising. A strong liberal candidate might be something of a kingmaker in the next decade, either forming a successful coalition with the social democrats or in forcing United Russia to transform itself from a party dedicated to protecting the privileges of a small nomenklatura into a liberal-conservative party more typical of Western political parties. While Putin will remain a major figure in Russian politics for years to come, the nature of his presence will likely change incrementally so that his personal voice will diminish and power will be shared more widely than the present circle of elites who dictate policy in the nation.

commentary
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 11 2012 8:12 AM

Ur W33K 1N G33K (January 4 – 10)

Submitted by Saccora

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Blog, Books, Comics, Entertainment, Gaming, Geek, Movies, TV, Internuts

by A.J. Focht

[Bob and Kemper in Droids You’re Looking For]

Superheroes are taking back Saturday mornings. A few weeks ago, Cartoon Network announced they were doing a new block of programing called DC Nation that would feature the DC heroes. Now its Marvel’s turn for the kind of cartoon resurgence we’ve been waiting for ever since Disney bought them out. The mouse-eared company will be starting their own superhero programming block called Marvel Universe. It will provide exclusive Marvel content including series of The Avengers, Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor. They will also be doing a Spider-Man series based on the Ultimate Spider-Man line, but it will feature Peter Parker, not the new Miles Morales.

Thor 2 has seen a lot of trouble pre-production, but they’ve finally settled on a writer. Robert Rodat, whose previous credits include Saving Private Ryan, will be penning the sequel to the Marvel blockbuster. The script needs to be completed pretty soon as they plan to start filming this summer.

The live action Star Wars television series is not just a myth, and now it has a name. In a recent interview with IGN, Rick McCallum, producer and right-hand man of George Lucas himself, announced the working title for the series is Star Wars: Underworld. There is no sure date when it will launch; they are apparently waiting until they can economically produce it for $5 million an episode.

Star Trek 2 has added a new cast member in the form of Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch. While his exact role has not been named, it is widely considered he will be a new villain in the J.J. Abrams sequel.

There is a new face to Ash William from the Evil Dead series, and she looks nothing like Bruce Campbell. Lily Collins (The Blind Side) is the first official member to join the cast of the new incarnation, taking the lead role. Now, to be fair, she will not be Ash, her name will be Mia. She will however being playing a part very similar to that played by Campbell in the 1981 original. I hope her name is actually Michael or something of the like just as a throwback to Ashley (Ash) Williams.

While were thinking about zombies, is this a good time to mention that World War Z will be a trilogy. After a chorus of complaints about the first one taking place during the actual Zombie War and not after like the book does, this may be Paramount Pictures way of making up for that, or more likely just a way to capitalize on the fad. Either way, we can hope the second and third movie will do the book some justice where it looks like the first will fail.

AMC is on a roll with innovative programming like Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, and now they are bringing a mafia classic back to life. The company is producing a cable series based on the Martin Scorsese 1990 mobster classic, Goodfellas. To make the news even better, Nicholas Pileggi, writer of the movie and the original non-fiction book it was based on, Wiseguy, is set to co-write the series.

We have another classic being brought back to life, albeit in a different medium. After twenty-five years as a cult favorite, The Labyrinth will be getting a prequel in the form of a graphic novel. The long rumored project will explore the story of how Jareth, the guy played by David Bowie, comes to the Labyrinth for the first time.

Finally, just a friendly reminder to everyone wanting to attend San Diego Comic-Con 2012, they have changed their registration system. If you would like to register for a ticket to go, you first have to preregister for a Member ID. You can start this process now via the Comic-Con website. Just don’t get stuck being unable to snag a ticket the day they go on sale because you didn’t preregister.

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TUESDAY JANUARY 10 2012 5:29 AM

In Review: Yes and Also Yes by Mike Doughty

Submitted by SG_Blog

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Blog, Entertainment, Music, Mike Doughty, Yes and Also Yes

by Jamila

Let's be quite clear, I am not an objective reviewer here. Mike Doughty's music stole my heart in the summer of 2003, when I borrowed a mix CD from my roommate to listen to in the car and track 8 was "The Only Answer" –– two minutes and 9 seconds of sheer heaven that I repeated about 6 times before grilling said roommate about who had created this incredible tidbit of music and how had I missed it before. I am such a biased Mike Doughty fan that I have the robot from the cover of Rockity Roll tattooed on my ankle. Okay, disclaimer taken care of.

Doughty's latest album, Yes and Also Yes is the perfect mix of all of the little quirky styles his other albums showcased. Haughty Melodic (a.k.a. the masterwork), was folksy and acoustic and haunting, with bright spots of silliness (and is still my favorite of his albums, to this day). Golden Delicious was a bit more experimental and electronic, while also serving to put MD on the mainstream map, at least a little bit. That album's redux of "27 Jennifers" was the first of his songs I ever heard on a regular radio station –– not counting Sirius or college radio, etc –– and I grinned until the last strains died out.

Yes and Also Yes has the earnest, sweet, hopeful simplicity of Haughty Melodic with a twist of the edginess and electronic embellishment that he used on Rockity Roll and Golden Delicious. The most glaring difference though? The naive trust, the little boy looking for love and happily ever after who was so present on Haughty Melodic, even in the sad songs about love gone bad like the glorious "Unsingable Name," is startlingly absent on this album. These are songs written by a man who's had his heart ripped out and stomped on and knows so well how to tell the story.

While this isn't the first time his fragile heart had been broken, it was the last time it will happen like this. This is not an album to cry yourself to sleep to whilst it spins endlessly on repeat, it's much subtler and far more seductive. The kind of songs that pretty much everyone who has lost their virginity will be able to relate to. The first single "Na Na Nothing" is about as close to a universal anthem of getting fucked over as it gets. And there are so many moments on this album that made me think, “Yeah, me too!”

And yet, despite the bitterness Doughty wisely lets seep into some of the tracks, that youthful, exuberant hope is still ever present. He continues on his path of growth and exudes a ready-to-learn attitude that makes him and his music so incredibly likeable. You never really know what you will get when you buy one of his albums, but so far, I haven't been disappointed.

Verdict? Definitely worth buying. And also worth paying extra for overnight shipping. Yes, that does mean I was talking about actually purchasing the *gasp* CD. This is one to tangibly hold in your hands.

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THURSDAY JANUARY 5 2012 9:04 PM

I’m With Pamela: Confessions of Pamela Des Barres

Submitted by SG_Blog

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Blog, Books, Entertainment, Interviews, Music, Groupie, IÃ�ï¿½Ã�Â¢Ã�Â¯Ã�Â¿Ã�Â½Ã�Â¯Ã�Â¿Ã�Â½m With The Band, Pamela Des Barres

By Nicole Breanne

The Stones, Bowie, Elvis, Hendrix, The Beatles, they all played on vinyl throughout my formative years. These guys are the soundtrack of my childhood. I was also intrigued by photographs from that era. Candid shots of the rock stars were my favorite. I would also notice the beautiful girls that were with them. I didn't know who they were or what they did, but one in particular stood out. As I grew older and the internet came into play, I did my research, Pamela Des Barres was the name.

Pamela Des Barres - known as Miss Pamela, Queen of the Groupies - is world famous, mostly for the company she's kept. But after reading her books, watching her documentaries, and being part of the music scene myself, I realized she was so much more. And as I got into journalism (I started as rock writer), my desire to meet and know Pamela grew and grew. Finally, I got the balls to shoot her an email and ask her for an interview…

Nicole Breanne: I grew up in a very musical household, not only did we have vinyl, but we had a lot of candid shots of rock stars. Those were my favorite. I always saw these really beautiful girls, you in particular, and I would think to myself, “I want to be those girls.” Now I look at groupies and I'm like, “Ugh, really?”

Pamela Des Barres PDB: You can't use groupie in a negative way like you just did, I forbid it

NB: Well, that's kind of my point, I don't see them as groupies like I see you as one. I just didn't know if I could call them star fuckers in your living room.

PDB: [laughs] I don't call them that, I don't call them anything. That wasn't what we were about. I didn't have sex for a long time, I wanted it to be special and I wanted to really love the person and have them really love me. But I did give oral sex - I really wanted to show my appreciation.

NB: Exactly! You weren't there to just screw rock stars. You were these beautiful girls that were there for the band, you appreciated the music. I really feel like you guys did so much more.

PDB: I'm glad you feel that way because a lot of the bands felt that way. It wasn't us just trying to be with them, they wanted us there. The super groupies got to be up on stage, we felt what they were feeling. It was thrilling beyond words to be up on stage when The Who was doing Tommy, The Stones with “Gimme Shelter.” I've been in some pretty amazing places.

NB: You're so good about giving details, and not giving too much. You don't go into who's big and who's not.

PDB: People ask that all the time! Who was the best? Who was the biggest? The funniest question I get asked, and I get asked it a lot, is, “What is jimmy pages dick like?” [laughs] So many people want to know that! It's like wow, sorry, if you can't find out for yourself, I’m not gonna go that far. They don't ask about Jim Morrison or Jagger. I guess everyone saw Jagger, but Jimmy is the one they ask about.

NB: You really loved these guys, was it hard to watch them live that extreme lifestyle?

PDB: Yeah, I had to walk away sometimes. I was scared for them, sure I was. I saw them doing more and more, and the drugs got harder, it wasn't just hash. I won't lie, I did it too. I did it all. I never shot up though. I guess I'm lucky that I'm not an addictive person, I could walk away. But there were a few times when I had to leave because I couldn't watch.

NB: Again, you really cared about these guys — but you weren't the only girl that was around. When I watched the documentary based on your second book, Let's Spend The Night Together: Confessions of Rock's Greatest Groupies, I was struck by how there was no jealousy. Was there any of that?

PDB: No. We all really liked each other and we were careful not to step on each other’s toes. When the scene changed and some younger girls came in — that's a different story. They just wanted us out, and there was name-calling and that kind of thing. Not all of them. There are a few good girls that I still keep in touch with. But the original girls weren't like that. I loved doing that documentary because I got to spend double time with the girls. They're still some of my best friends.

NB: What's it like when you listen to the music of that time - do you still feel that same?

PDB: Some of it is way too emotional. It brings back way too many emotional things. I get very heady. I can't even listen to “Stairway.” It brings back way too many memories. When it's on the radio I can't wait to turn it off, especially if I'm driving. I still listen to Graham Parsons. I was moved by him and his voice and his intense desire to share what he was doing with music. He was so dedicate and I’m obsessed with him still. There was a girl from France who was interviewing me because she's doing a comic book series on the GTO's and I asked if she knew him and she said no [so] I gave her CDs. I'm like that, because if someone really loves music, they need to know Graham. That's what he was about, spreading music.

NB: In your second book you talk about your divorce, your son — it's a very personal book. Did you just decide that you were going to go balls out with this and tell it all?

PDB: I did that with all my books. But my second book...it's a different book, its my favorite one. It's not as well read as the first one, the first one was a bestseller for a long time. I have fans, they're reading them, but I wish more people knew about the sequel.

NB: You're working on your fifth book now...

PDB: Yeah, my fifth book will be about my spiritual journey. My agent is having a hard time selling it because I am perceived as a “groupie” and a “groupie” shouldn't have spirituality I guess. But we have interest from a smaller house.

NB: You teach a writing class - how did that start?

PDB: I would periodically go take a refresher creative writing course throughout my life. Moon Zappa said, “I've got this really cool writing teacher you may want to check it out.” So, I went and half-way through the class I thought – I should be teaching this, I could be teaching this! So I thought about it for a year, then I decided to take the plunge and just go for it. I advertised on MySpace, because that's what was happening at the time. My first group met right here, about 10-12 girls, and they loved it. It's just great groups of women who are all like-minded, and they have these amazing stories, so life long friendships are made. It's worked out. I've been doing it for 12 years now. I've been traveling and now I teach all over and I’m doing my first European trip too.

NB: How do you feel about music today?

PDB: There's a lot of things I like, nothing like the renaissance I lived though where every thing was great – The Stones, The Byrds, The Doors. I had to choose between The Stones and The Burrito's. I remember Mercy invited me to Monterrey and I said, “I can't go I can't miss The Burrito Brothers!” Now that is one of the few things I regret. But I love Lucinda Williams. She’s the only singer that has moved me like that in decades. I liked Ryan Adams for a while. He went off the rails for a bit, but his new album is good. My boyfriend Mike Stinson is the greatest songwriter. I still go to see Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dylan always, always. I set my alarm to make sure I get up to get the best seats. Paul McCartney. Mainly the bands I liked then I'll go see now.

NB: Do you feel like it could happen again? That someone can come along and just revolutionize music?

PDB: It happened in rap, Eminem is a real big favorite of mine because he took that whole other part of music and created it for himself. That was amazing. He's the last person that has moved me in that kind of way, in the way that I was like, “Wow, this guy is doing something.” Not since Kurt Cobain. Kurt Cobain was the dude.

***

I left Pamela's house completely elated. She was more than I had ever dreamed she could be. She was poised and kind, and still insanely beautiful. Part of me hoped that meeting her would quell my thirst for that time. Maybe it wouldn't be as great as I thought it was, maybe she wouldn't be. But, alas, I'm left with even more of a longing – so much so, that I'll be at her January writing class. If, like me, you can't get enough of Pamela, be sure to sign up for one of her creative writing workshops. Alternatively, you can join one of her Rock Tours, during which she takes groups around Hollywood to her old haunts and reads excerpts from her book. It's a pretty kick ass trip down memory lane!

commentary
TUESDAY JANUARY 3 2012 9:04 PM

SuicideGirls Group Therapy: SG Lounge

Submitted by Jeckyl

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: All Things SG, Blog, Geek

commentary
TUESDAY JANUARY 3 2012 9:03 PM

Ur W33K 1N G33K (December 28, 2011 – January 3, 2012)

Submitted by Saccora

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Blog, Comics, Entertainment, Gaming, Geek, Internuts, Movies, TV

by A.J. Focht

The New Year is off to a good start as nerd rage scores one over the film industry. After the massive amount of complaints surrounding Bane’s voice in The Dark Knight Rises, Warner Bros. has cracked and made it easier to understand in the audio mix. While Christopher Nolan had no intentions of changing the voice, the studio’s fear of the fan outrage won out.

That wasn’t the only news from The Dark Knight Rises to break last week. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Anne Hathaway released some previously unknown details about scenes in the film. As if that wasn’t enough, the forty second montage from the prologue was leaked last week, and promptly removed.

Marvel Studios has released a new movie poster for The Avengers. The poster taps into the recent fad for classic looking movie posters. While the art style rather interesting, the poster is just about what you would have expected.

After five years of legal wrangling, the courts have made a decision as to the proper owners of Ghost Rider. No shocker, but Marvel will retain the rights. The case was brought to the court by Gary Friedrich, the modern re-creator of Ghost Rider. Marvel commissioned him to update their original Ghost Rider, a cowboy, and he delivered with the well-known skeleton motorcycle rider. Unfortunately for Mr. Friedrich, he signed over all rights of his character to Marvel, twice. It was on this grounds that the court decided that Marvel would keep all rights, and Friedrich, whose complaint stemmed from being cut out of the profits from the first movie, won’t be seeing profits from the upcoming sequel either. Just a good reminder to all artists to make sure they keep track of their intellectual rights.

Some more legal bullshitting coming out of Marvel; their lawyers are now proposing the case that the X-Men are not human. While the Mutant versus Human status has long been an issue in the comics, this time it’s being used in the real world for capitalistic gain. Certain countries tax less on figures that are not human, and thus, Marvel must insist that the X-Men are not humans. Perhaps these countries should change the wording to ‘humanoid’ to avoid confusion.

The largest scale model of Serenity has been found in the depths of the Universal Archives. The replica builders at Quantum Mechanix came across the model used in the Firefly series and had a chance to take several photos. Someone really should consider rescuing this piece and putting it some sort of science fiction museum, lest it disappears again into the depths, never to be seen again.

One last bit of news, Netflix has released a three minute trailer for their first original series Lilyhammer. It follows the story of an ex-mobster who enters the witness protection program. Sopranos veteran Steven Van Zandt plays the role of the protagonist, Frank ‘The Fixer’ Tagliano. This is the debut original series to come from Netflix, but they have several others in the works, including the final season of Arrested Development.

commentary
SUNDAY JANUARY 1 2012 9:04 PM

The Essential Gear Guide For The Occupy Journalist

Submitted by SG_Blog

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Activism, Blog, Politics

by Zach Roberts

There are many different kinds of press that cover OWS: the citizen journalist (personal blog, CNN ireporter/scab), the streamer (Livestream, Ustream, etc.), the social media micro-blogger/tweeter, and the pros who make their living from it. This may be one of the first large stories that all four types have worked together on for the most part with a common goal - getting the word out. It's tough, there's many factors working against all of us - the weather, the time of day, and the biggest problem - the police. Whatever your level, I’ve compiled a list of equipment that’ll keep you and what you’re witnessing covered.

1. Like the OWS protestor, Occupy journalists are at risk from pepper spray and tear gas - but we need to keep on working through it. A face mask with full facepiece that has a large unobstructed viewing area is therefore a great accessory to have on hand.

2. Come rain or shine journalists need to be there - and so does our gear. Pics or it didn't happen - that's the mantra. So you'll need some rain covers. There are more expensive ones out there, but they take up room in your bag and once they're wet you can't put them back in your bag. The great thing about these is once the sun is shining again you can just chuck them in the trash - or hang them to dry if you're a hippy.

3. Whether you're a social journo or a pro, you'll need to be tweeting/texting your followers/editors. And unless you work off a Blackberry (I mean, really who does?), you'll need to be able to touch your screen. If you're covering OWS in NYC, Chi-town, Boston or Anchorage (yes there is a OWS in Alaska), it gets cold out there - so you'll need special touchscreen compatable gloves.

4. Speaking of phones, you're gonna need something like the Samsung Vibrant with 5 MP camera / HD 720p camcorder and GPS. And, unless you're grandfathered in on AT&T plan like I am, you won't have unlimited bandwidth on your phone – unless you’re on the T-Mobile network. The streamers on the ground at #OWS tell me it's the only way to go. Also the 4G speed will give you the quickest streaming and uploads for Twitpics. Make sure you get the Ustream and Tweetdeck apps.

5. The Nikon D7000 camera body is pricey - but when compared to the rigs the big pro's use it's a deal. It's what I use to get shots like these. For a pro-sumer level camera, it's built like a tank - but most importantly it shoots photos in the dark. No, not Blair Witch Project-style with green eyes, but with real colors that are almost better than what the human eye sees. To take full advantage of the camera's sensor though you'll want to pick up a lens with a wide 1.4 aperture - like this excellent Sigma 30mm 1.4 lens. It's what I used to shoot video with down at Zuccotti Park.

6. Finally you'll need some inspiration when you get hit with a bad case of writers block. For me it's Laurie Penny's book Penny Red. Hands down the best protest journalism I've read since...well, I'm not really sure when I've read better.

Related Posts

#D17 – Sitting on the Group W Bench – Arrested for Committing Journalism

Occupy Wall Street: The Cleansing of Zuccotti Park

***

Zach Roberts is a photojournalist for SuicideGirls, Greg Palast, and The Mudflats. His work on #OWS has appeared on The Guardian Online, in Portfolio, and now in a new book out by Alternet called The 99%: How the Occupy Wall Street Movement Is Changing America.

For more visit his website, Facebook, and Twitter.

commentary
SATURDAY DECEMBER 31 2011 12:24 PM

50 Things To Do To Kick Your New Year Into High Gear

Submitted by SG_Blog

Edited by nicole_powers

Tags: Activism, All Things SG, Blog, Books, Entertainment, Love, Movies, Music, Politics, Relationships, Society, Vegan, Vegetarian, 2012, New Year

by Blogbot

[Olga in http://suicidegirls.com/girls/Olga/photos/Party++Girl/ " target="_blank">Party Girl]

SuicideGirls’ team of Bloggers and Agony Aunts share their suggestions on how you can give 2012 a kick-ass kick start.

1. There's someone you haven't spoken to in a long time. Too long. You fear by now you've procrastinated so long that it's lame to reach out, so you've effectively paralyzed a valuable friendship that could easily re-blossom with a single call. You're not paralyzed, it's just a head trip. Guilt is useless. Make that call. Say Hi. Apologize. Laugh. Love. Life's too short. Do it right now. “Happy New Year! I suck” is a great way to start a conversation! – Steve Altman

2. Cut off deadwood! Start by defriending, hiding or blocking the toxic individuals from your Facebook and Twitter feeds. – Dalila Suicide

3. Spend time with people that make you feel taller, brighter, and more capable than you did before. – Darrah de jour

4. Try dating someone you wouldn't ordinarily date. Like, say, maybe an introverted writer-type that contributes to your favorite alt-beauty blog. Or an evangelical Christian. Those are your only two choices though: the writer or the evangelical. Choose wisely. – Matt Dunbar

5. Spend some time with a niece, nephew or cousin who are growing up and could use your advice. – Atlea Suicide

6. Talk to someone from your Facebook list face-to-face. – CoyoteMike

7. Come to terms with the fact that you mom has a Facebook. – Shotgun Suicide

8. Eating vegetarian style meals reduces the green house gas production. Try to incorporate this in to your lifestyle one day a week. It's good for you and the earth. – Aadie Suicide

9. Eat lots and lots of cupcakes!!!! What? They’re epic and always put a smile on my face! – Kraven Suicide

10. Unfuck your habitat! There's nothing like vastly improving your quality of life by having a clean, organized living space. Need tips and/or motivation? Visit unfuckyourhabitat.tumblr.com/, because "no matter what our situations are, we deserve better than to live in filth." – Perdita Suicide

11. Clean your car and your house through and through. – Atlea Suicide

12. Rearrange a room to get a fresh perspective on life. – Rambo Suicide

13. Go through all your clothes and decide if someone could make better use of some of them. Drop the excess baggage off at a shelter or contributing organization in your area. – Atlea Suicide

14. Donate those holiday presents that you don't like. – Shotgun Suicide

15. Shop local whenever possible. – Salome Suicide

16. Eat at your favorite mom & pop restaurant, before it goes bankrupt too. – Shotgun Suicide

17. Set up a computer backup plan. Be ready for World Backup Day. – Bob Suicide

18. Start and finish a project you've had in mind for a long time. Renovations, painting a vase, knitting, really anything. – Atlea Suicide

19. Set a stupid goal and accomplish it, to prove to yourself that you can. – Darrah de jour

20. Quit saying you will do something and actually do it. When tasks, errands, and commitments are followed through with you feel much more productive. – Kraven Suicide

21. Take a risk. – Darrah de jour

22. Spend an hour with a happy dog, scratching his or her ears. – CoyoteMike

23. Try to go outside each day. Go for a walk. Make sure you have at least 20 minutes of "me" time. This way you’re incorporating self-thought and exercise. It's very important to get to know yourself. You could be pleasantly surprised. – Aadie Suicide

24. Learn a new skill: baking, crocheting, taxidermy, etc. – Rambo Suicide

25. Take a college class that you want to take, not one that you need. – Shotgun Suicide

26. Find a hobby you can dedicate some time to. Something you love and have passion for. It keeps us young at heart and sane when we can lose our selves in something. – Kraven Suicide

27. Splurge on some really fancy underwear. – Rambo Suicide

28. Add a little color to your life however you see fit. A colorful world is so much better than a black and white one. – Kraven Suicide

29. Make time for yourself. Seriously. Put it in your calendar. Whether it is daily, weekly or monthly, schedule some time and don't cut out on it for anyone. You're the only one looking out for you. – Smythe Suicide

30. Treat yourself to an energy renewal weekend, be it at the spa or simply just by unplugging the phone and reading a book. – Atlea Suicide

31. Set up an automatic transfer of money into a savings account each month. – Salome Suicide

32. Watch Fight Club. – Darrah de jour

33. Listen to Valleyheart by She Wants Revenge – Nicole Powers

34. Read Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (snag a free copy here) - EisMC2 and JackalAnon

35. See more live comedy and live music. - Squee Suicide

36. Support non-profit journalism - American Independent News Network, Truthout, GregPalast.com, BradBlog.com are all 501c3's - donate to support the news that you read for free. Oh, and it's tax deductible. – ZDRoberts

37. Protest the NDAA, unless you don't care to plead the 5th. – Shotgun Suicide

38. Join the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) if you care about stopping SOPA. If you spend any time online, you should do. (For that matter, if you’re breathing, you should do!) – Nicole Powers

39. Protect your vote. The election is less than a year away, and you'll need to start working now to make sure your vote actually counts. Find out why and how by downloading Steal Back Your Vote for free. SuicideGirls helped promote the project so you know it's awesome and worth a read. – ZDRoberts

40. Get to know your presidential candidates. Look beyond the big social issues like abortion, and research their tax plans, health care ideas, and how they've voted in the past. You might find out they aren't who you thought they were based on a few Facebook posts and Twitter campaigns. The election is coming soon. – Damon Martin

41. Stop by and say hi to your local Occupy. Shake someone's hand and say “Thank you.” You’d be surprised how much it means to them. Oh, and give them a pair of mittens, it gets cold out there. – ZDRoberts

42. Write “Thank You” notes and post them to people who have helped you get through 2011. – Atlea Suicide

43. Send a letter to a friend, the kind with a stamp. – Shotgun Suicide

44. Create good karma. Treat others as you would want to be treated. In this day in age too many people are being hurtful towards one another in many forms. From anonymous hating via the internet, to being rude to a stranger just because your day didn’t go so well, to physical acts of hate out of spite, jealousy or lack of confidence. Think about how you can be a positive impact on others around you, from your family, friends, neighbors and strangers. Small gestures of kindness can go a long ways and karma will make its way back to you. – Dorsal Suicide

45. Pay for the next person in line at the coffee shop. – CoyoteMike

46. Find joy in the small things. It will help you appreciate the big things so much more. – Kraven Suicide

47. Make today count, because one day you will be nostalgic for it. – Shotgun Suicide

48. Spend more time living in the moment, and less time worrying about the past and the future. Neither of these exist – so live in the present! – Fabrizia Suicide

49. The past is over. Now move your ass. Welcome to 2012. – Darrah de jour

50. Have no regrets. It’s a New Year and that means progress. Do not look back, only forward to the happiness ahead! – Kraven Suicide

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