The Future is Now

SAN FRANCISCO — Chief Judge Vaughn Walker struck down Proposition 8 today, finding that it violated gay Californians’ equal protection and due process rights under the U.S. Constitution.

In a 136-page decision released just before 2 p.m., Walker said that the measure “fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples.”

Paolo Bacigalupi has expanded upon his earlier short fiction work, “The Calorie Man” ( Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner, Hugo Award nominee, 2006) and “Yellow Card Man” (Hugo Award nominee, 2007) to create a darkly complex and mesmerizing post-petroleum future.  It’s not so much a cautionary tale as it is an urban nightmare filled with decay, poverty and genetic terrorism. Set in a very crowded and apparently, sinking Thailand, the novel moves about with varied, compelling perspectives.

At the risk of sharing too much about the book, the overall premise is this…

Environmental destruction has exceeded Al Gore’s worst nightmare.  Ecological mainstays have collapsed and the world’s food supplies are in grave danger (the source of actual calories becomes  a monetary staple making world economies dependent on basic sustenance).  In a vicious cycle, Calorie conglomerates offer sterile seeds at high prices while bio-engineered “accidents” unleash horrific diseases and insects obliterating competing foods and driving up the costs of seeds, let alone food.  The world’s calorie markets become a dangerous, high stakes business.

The novel has ghosts, plague, bio-engineered sex dolls, Gestapo-like military police, roving chameleon-like tigers, political intrigue and all under a suffocating jungle heat.

Go out and get “The Windup Girl” by Paolo Bacigalupi, and treat yourself to a mesmerizing reading experience.

A pitch for a horror movie may be something like…”Part Omen, part Jaws, part Bull Durham.”  The producer and studio will then sit back and digest the combination and see if it sounds marketable.

“It’s part Rambo, part The Sting!” A combination that sounds like money.

The Daily Helping loves a good pitch as much as the next blog, but there are certain pitches that sound too good to be true.  We think we found one that sounds pretty darn good.

“Middle Men” is an independent film that just found a home at Paramount following  lots of buzz at the recent Santa Barbara Film Festival.  What’s the pitch on “Middle Men”?  According to Variety’s Todd McCarthy, it’s “Boogie Nights” meets “Goodfellas”.

That sounds pretty good.

It has a fantastic cast.  Luke Wilson (“Royal Tenenbaums”, “Old School”), James Caan, Giovanni Ribisi and Gabriel Macht. In what is called the “true story” of  Jack Harris, a husband and father who helps re-organize struggling but potentially lucrative businesses. He goes to work on a company that launches one of the very first view for pay porn sites.  His clients (Ribisi and Macht) are geniuses who are suddenly flush with money, and up to their eyes in  women and drugs.  Harris (Wilson) must try to keep the business on the rails (not those kind of rails) and in doing so, becomes entangled with the Russian mob, a porn star, and the FBI.

Now that the movie has a distributor, a trailer has finally emerged. Take a look and see if this excites you as much as it does us.  It’s an extended trailer and we’re pleased to say, Not Safe For Work. (Look for great cameos by Kelsey Grammer (Frazier) and the great Kevin Pollack (Usual Suspects, A Few Good Men). Don’t ask when it’s going to be released because you won’t like the answer: Fall of next year.

“Invictcus“. It’s a movie you’re going to hear a lot about, and for good reason. There are also going to be a lot of Americans who will get their first taste of rugby and it will have them wondering which is more brutal,  American football or Rugby?

“Invictus” is based on a book called, “Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the game that Changed a Nation” (by John Carlin). It chronicles a fairly recent and very highly charged period of time in South Africa. Apartheid was falling and Nelson Mandela had been released from prison; then quickly elected President.

In an effort to bring a divided country together, he sought the efforts of the nation’s rugby team and since South Africa was the host of the games, Mandela urged the black South Africans to support what was a widely-hated team  .  A decent showing at the 1995 Rugby World Cup would have been effective, but no one expected them to win.

Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film stars Morgan Freeman as President Mandela, and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, the Rugby team’s captain.

The movie is out on December 11, 2009, and is already generating Academy Award buzz.

The Daily Helping also loves Rachel Maddow on MSNBC. It’s not often she breaks from the hard news to touch on a story about the Seattle Mariners, but as mentioned, this is kinda special.  Please take a look at this clip, as Ms. Maddow shares the tale.

Spy and crime fiction is a favorite literary genre at Daily Helping.  As much as this site will alert it’s readers to new releases of interest, there are many wonderful older novels that deserve some attention.  Works by such luminaries as Elmore Leonard, John LeCarre’ and Mickey Spillane can often prove to be every bit as enjoyable as the most recent Best Selling thriller.

It’s with this affection for the undiscovered gems that leads us to the island of Cuba and it’s most famous crime and espionage writer Arnaldo Correa.  Though relatively unknown in American literary circles, Correa is regarded as the “Godfather of Cuban Noir”.

What distinguishes Cuban Noir from any other? A unabashed acceptance of island magic, revolutionary politics and a deep seeded distrust and appreciation for the well-heeled way of life just 90 miles away in America.  In reading “The Spy’s Fate”, it’s quite refreshing to identify with a hero at odds with our notorious Central Intelligence Agency and F.B.I.

Correa was born in the Escambray Mountains of Cuba, in 1935. He studied mining engineering at the University of Alabama, and traveled extensively through the U.S. in the 1950s. It was in the mid-sixties that he published his first book of short stories, which were praised by no less than Fidel Castro himself.  He has worked on development projects in Cuba, Vietnam, Angola, and Mozambique. The nature of his work is somewhat unclear and leads one to believe that like Le Carre’, his insight into the Cuban intelligence community is derived from personal experience.

Daily Helping suggests you go online or to your local bookstore and find the two novels Correa has written that are translated into English.   Spy’s Fate (2002)  and Cold Havana Ground (2003).

Get Spy’s Fate. You’ll love it and appreciate it’s unique locale and characters.

There are many photographers around the world who gravitate toward the artistic, but find commercial work will pay for the film and keep the lights on.

Vladimir Archipov is one such artist.  At 49, he’s an established professional photographer living and working in Moscow.  A rough-edged, hard-playing character who fought in the Russian army, learned graphic design by working on banknotes and official documents.  His portfolio ranges from the gritty (topless bikers and western/cowboy images) , the conventional (fashion wear, babies and portraits) to the Daily Helping’s favorite, (erotica and nudes).  A look at some of his work will confirm what most already know.  Archipov is a master.

He’s a member of the Union of Photo Artists of Russia and of the Advertising Photographers Guild, he teaches in the Moscow Academia of Photography, holds master-classes in Russia and abroad during Kodak-Professional seminars, and gives individual lessons. His students have gone on to become critical successes themselves.  When he travels to teach master-classes photography, his audiences are impressive; indicative of an established and vibrant reputation.  To pay the bills Archipov is commissioned to work on  exclusive corporate calendars, advertising and VIP family portraits. He has done work for Reebok, DHL , Diesel and Mont Blanc.

Enjoy his work.

The models are all referred to as Suicide Girls, and there’s nearly 2000 of them, each known by their first name or a nickname.  These aren’t Hef’s Girls Next Door. These girls are often well tattooed, pierced and sporting interesting hair styles and colors (and a few notables are quite bald).

What began as an alternative website has grown to quite a diversified industry. There are burlesque tours, dvds, radio shows and magazines. Their interviews include the likes of Deborah Harry, Bill Murry, Neal Gaiman, Nina Hartley, Dave Navarro and Woody Allen.  Their website which enjoys nearly 200, 000 unique visitors a month has columns on politics, music, film, celebrity, gaming and technology, philosophy, love and relationships, spirituality, and food. There’s more here than just pierced nipples and for that reason they boast that nearly 40% of their membership are women.

What’s with the name? The term “suicide girl” comes from the  novel, Survivor, written by Chuck Paluhniuk. He’s more widely known as the author of Choke and Fight Club.  The founders of Suicide Girls are obviously big fans. How big? Check this out…

The film adaptation of Fight Club is 10 years old. To celebrate the “girls” have gotten together for a very special pictorial. In homage to Tyler Durden and his bare knuckled comrades, the Suicide Girls have recreated a few of the more brutal scenes.  In order to see a few pictures from the series….click here.