A very late review

So let's talk about the Sex and the City movie. To be honest I became a fan of the series after it hit TBS in an extremely edited form. I never had access to HBO regularly before college. Even with half the content cut out of each episode I could see how this series was so groundbreaking. Even if you hated it you have to admit it pushed the limits of how women were seen on the television.

Warning Spoilers Ahead (thought if you haven't seen the movie yet and you're reading this, you're a little behind).

Throughout the series the characters were pushed to their limits and forced to grow. Samantha eventually got over her promiscuous sex life and "settled down" into a loving relationship with a younger man, who stayed with her through her battle with cancer. Charlotte found true love, not with a beautiful and perfect model/doctor type from CT, but with a Jewish lawyer. A man who supported her and loved her for who she was, and who was more than happy to adopt a little girl with her and start a family. Miranda finally allowed love permanently into her life when she married her on and off again boyfriend/sex partner, who is also the father of her child. She allowed someone passed her lawyer defenses into her heart, and even moved to Brooklyn to raise a son. Carrie got past the "labels and love" lifestyle and was able to finally find out who she was as a person. She left an emotionally abusive relationship that she moved to Europe for and found true love in a man in whom she invested a great deal of emotion.

That all being said I feel the movie may have hurt some of what the series accomplished. Don't get me wrong, it's a guilty pleasure of mine to sit down with a snack and watch the girls parade around in high fashion outfits, however the writing lacked the original spark of the series.

First let's deal with the guys of the SatC world. They came into the girls' lives for important reasons with witty and biting dialogue that really hit home. Every action they took was important in some way or another, whether it hindered one of the fabulous female stars or boosted them to new heights, their presence always had a meaning. However in the movie a lot of the male characters pop in from the sidelines or stand around just looking pretty. They were part of what made the women so strong and groundbreaking. In the movie their screen time is minimal and I think that hurts the overall plot. I would have liked to see more of Steve suffering over his separation from Miranda, or Big's anguish over losing Carrie (when for example did he sit down and decide to start writing her love letters), or Harry being a father, or Smith trying to deal with working all the time and Samantha jetting back and forth across the country every other week. It was scenes like these in the series that made the men of SatC real to us. I know this movie is about the girls, but let's give them more depth and importance by seeing them reflected in the eyes of the guys.

Second, Samantha leaves her loving relationship. Granted she's moved cross country, is having problems dating a younger man who her career revolves around, and misses her old sex life - all of this I understand. But the way she left Smith felt like she was regressing and leaving behind all the emotional growth she accomplished over 6 seasons. She leaves mostly because her male sex-craved neighbor reminds her of her old lifestyle. I think perhaps we could have focused more on how much she felt she was investing in Smith, or how much she hated living on the West coast, and less on ass shots of her male temptation.

Charlotte, nothing bad happens to Charlotte. Well she craps her pants in Mexico because she accidentally drinks bad water and her water breaks a week earlier than it's supposed to, but that's all. I'm not saying that she should have suffered a miscarriage or marital problems, however give her something challenging. The only thing she gets is being worried about losing her pregnancy by regularly running, a problem she overcomes in about a week. Are women supposed to look at her character and think that she's the only one who didn't suffer because she's a married-stay-at-home mom? She has everything she ever wanted: a loving husband, a beautiful apartment, an adopted daughter, and finally a biological child of her own. Maybe I should just sit around and fulfill all domestic stereotypes as well, this way I can be set for life!

In the movie the girls have grown up and their bond tto each other is tighter than ever. They are no longer just the 30-somethings fighting in a 20-something world. They have set careers and financial security. They have men who love and cherish them (for the most part). And they've learned that in the words of Samantha "relationships aren't always about being happy." But they lack the flair and edginess of their 6 season youth. I'm hoping the second sequel can do better.

So when it's on the move, does that make it a house boat?

An interesting situation where relocating to Long Island is a good idea.

A Gaiman Rant with a Dash of Colbert

So it's no big secret that one of my favorite author's is Neil Gaiman. I love his work. Whether it be comics like Sandman or 1602, his fantastic works of fiction like American Gods and Neverwhere, his short stories such as Smoke and Mirrors, his movies like Mirrormask, or even his blog - I love everything he's written that I've gotten my hands on. I'm pretty sure, if I read them, I could even say I enjoyed the news articles he used to write as a journalist in England.(Though maybe not, he claims that he was a "rotten journalist" and he quit when he refused to spin a story - I think quitting was the right thing to do. But I would at least love to take a look at his writings.) Hmm, I might take that back. I believe I found the one book that Gaiman will not admit to writing. Not sure if I'd enjoy that one, though I don't hate Duran Duran. Forgive me Neil, I had to search for it.

But one type of his work I really find incredably creative and important, especially for the current education system in American schools. I am amazed at his children's books. They are descriptive, fun, dark and hopeful all at the same time. I guess I'm not the only one to feel this way because his latest work, The Graveyard Book, has just won a Newbery Award.

However, another idol of mine, Stephen Colbert may disagree. Though I do love the free promotion that Gaiman is going to get from this. And the fact that Gaiman was so pumped over his mention on the show. Bravo Colbert, I approve, good luck getting that Emmy!

Born In Pittsburgh, Always a Steelers Fan

Well it's been a while since I've dusted this thing off, pretty sad I know. I really am going to try to make an effort to actually post entries of substance in here in the near future.

And to start it off let's address the Superbowl.

I have never been a huge football fan, or a big sports fan at all for that matter. In fact I barely know the rules of the game, but I can figure out enough to follow along and have fun cheering for my team. And of course I know that if I don't support my team I'm not welcome home.

My hometown is Pittsburgh. Considering all we have for baseball is the Pirates, even the casual sports fan takes football seriously. Loyalty to the Steelers was drilled into me before I could even walk. And that's impressive because neither one of my parents are fanatic sports fans - and my mother is originally from New York. But I know if I don't show team spirit, at least during a season where the Steelers are doing well, then I might as well not go home to visit.

All that being said let's move on to Sunday night. I believe the word amazing will do the game justice because damn, was it entertaining. Even with the Steelers leading for most of the game, I was much happier with the amusement this Superbowl then the last time the Steelers decided to go for the Lombardi Trophy. To be honest their win against the Seahawks was pretty disappointing for a Superbowl game. But this year they really brought their A game. And to be honest that helps when you are stuck in an apartment full of West Coast Cardinals fans.

I suppose it also helped that the Cardinals were playing very conservatally for most of the game. Or maybe it was that they got sloppy with their passes, allowing James Harrison (now "Defensive Player of the Year") to make a record 100 yard dash in order to score a touch down with his head. A moment that took my breath away with amazement and sympathy pain for Harrison's neck.

Granted Larry Fitzgerald finally got a chance to shine for the Cards, but in reality they should have utlized him more from the start. Talk about wasting a wide reciever till the very end of the game. Granted he was the main focus of the Steelers defense, still I think he could have grabbed the win for the Cards if used correctly.

But the combined efforts of Big Ben Roethlisberger (who when he's not getting in serious accidents and damaging brain cells is a damn fine player) and Santonio Holmes (now "MVP") did in the hopeful dream of an Arizonan win. Roethlisberger and Holmes, with all the eyes of Pittsburgh on them, made a two minute drive that gave the Steelers their SIXTH Superbowl win. I will forever remember their trek down the field that ended in one of the most memorable passes and beautiful catches that I've seen in my football watching career. They may have waited till the last minute, but the Steelers finally decided to really bring their offensive game to the table.

I was also thankful for the big screen TV that I was parked in front of, it allowed me to clearly rub in the fact that the touchdown counted for all those Doubting Thomas West Coasters.

And please don't give me the argument that Holmes used the ball as a prop at the end of the game, and that an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty should have been enforced. The man JUST won the Superbowl. Are you going to tell me that Fitzgerald wouldn't have done the same thing? Anyways it doesn't matter, because Arizona won't get to find out, at least not THIS year.

And Hey - I heard this theory that every time the Steelers win the Superbowl the stock market takes an upswing. Now who would cheer against that?! It pays to be a Pittsburgh fan!