The Poor, Discomfited George Clooney

The usually debonair George Clooney looks discomfitted, here with his new wife, Amal Alamuddin

I wonder why?

Here's the scoop on her, from last March 2014 (I collected these from a variety of sources - there may be more to add):

- She’s Druze, which is an offshoot of Islam.

- She is defending Julian Assange, of the Wikileaks fame in his extradition case with Sweden

- Her mother, Baria, is a foreign affairs editor at Al Hayat, a Lebanese newspaper

- She attended NYU School of Law

- After graduation, she joined the New York firm Sullivan & Cromwell, where she worked for three years before moving to London

- She clerked for Sonia Sotomayor when the future Supreme Court justice was a judge at the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, which covers New York

- She's worked as an adviser to the UN Special Envoy, Kofi Annan, on Syria

- She has been been Counsel to the inquiry launched on the use of drones in counter-terrorism

- She's the legal advisor to the King of Bahrain

- Sh has written on international criminal law

- She has edited a book entitled The Law and Practice of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon

- At the Doughty Street barristers' chambers, she represented Yulia Tymoshenko, the former Ukrainian Prime Minister

- She represented Abdullah Al Senussi, former Libyan intelligence chief and Muamar Gaddafi’s right-hand man in a case of alleged crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court


Alamuddin with Julian Assange

Clooney looks peaked and stressed. I don't think it is the new life as a married man, as the new life as a man married to Alamuddin. I wonder what they talk about? The terrible United States, with all those war criminals? The wonderful Middle East, blighted and maligned by the West?

Alamuddin looks like she's close to her family. Family dinners must be something special. Debbie Schlussel writes this about her experience with the family:

Over the past few months, actor George Clooney’s been photographed all over the place with Amal Alamuddin, a very anti-Israel Lebanese Arab who worked for the United Nations and represented Wikileaks’ anti-American former chief, Julian Assange. The Lebanese legal book she authored is extremely anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian. Alamuddin, who was Clooney’s date to the Obama White House last month, is not Muslim. I’m familiar with Ms. Alamuddin (pronounced “Ah-lah-muh-DEEN”) and her family because I met her and them at the wedding of her cousin in the mid-1990s. They are extremely anti-Israel, and I was subjected to their absurd, non-stop anti-Israel questions and comments as the only non-Arab (other than the bride and her family) at a dinner the night before the wedding.

I went to law school with Alamuddin’s cousin (who has the same last name) and the cousin’s wife. I was friends with the cousin’s wife (who is not an Arab), and when they were dating in law school, I repeatedly heard from him about how he hated Israel and sided with the Palestinians and the P.L.O. Later, when I was invited to the the Alamuddin wedding, I was on the receiving end of more of that. As I noted, I was the only non-Arab at the pre-wedding dinner at Chicago’s now-defunct “Uncle Tonoose” restaurant. They all knew I was Jewish, and the conversations and questions directed at me were a mix of myself as both Jewish museum exhibit and target of anti-Israel questioning. Clooney’s future girlfriend was there, too, and she was in her late teens at the time (I was in my mid-20s).

The situation with the Alamuddin family was surreal, as I was asked repeatedly about “Jewish Europeans” “invading” Israel, er . . . “Palestine.”

Clooney, I think, is in over his head. His Druze-lawyer-anti-Israeli wife will be nothing but a handful. What a stupid man.

And one strange thing. He wore the same suit he wore to his wedding at the Golden Globes. Yes he was there for Golden Globes' lifetime achievement award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, but doesn't that warrant its own "special" suit?

This is the confident and debonair Clooney of a couple of years ago.



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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat

Reclaiming Religion from the Left

Moses and parting of the Red Sea, from Cecil B. Demille's The Ten Commandments

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This post is about the abuse of the message and festivities of the Seder. This year, the White House also "celebrated" the Seder. This year, it is really a repeat of three years ago, where I posted about President Obama's Seder dinner at the White House "after his dismal treatment of Prime Minister Netanyahu during his recent visit to the United States."

Obama is no closer friend of Israel, God's and the Bible's Israel. And the Israeli leaders who accept his blatant hostility, occasionally camouflaged with friendliness, haven't learnt anything from the great lessons of the Bible.

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Reclaiming Religion From the Left
Frontpage Magazine
April 19, 2010
Kidist P. Asrat

[Commentary on the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille film The Ten Commandments, which was also screened this Easter Saturday, March 31, 2013]

Two television networks showcased Cecil B. DeMille’s epic 3 ½ hour The Ten Commandments this Easter: ABC and Canada’s CBC. The 1956 film had no need for our 21st century Computer Generated Imagery to convince us that the Red Sea was indeed parting, and that the “bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2). I wondered if the networks made this choice because there is really no superlative modern narrative of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection? We have Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ, but its gore and blood is too hard to take at Easter. The Last Temptation of Christ by Martin Scorsese is too idiosyncratic, and would be something to watch and study at another time in the year. There are plenty of bland and insipid made-for-television versions of Christ’s story, many of which are programmed during Christmas, but for some reason they were not screened this Easter.

Perhaps these channels chose to commemorate Passover rather than Easter, which fell around similar dates this year. Or they’re simply following the ritual of politically correct inclusiveness. Even President Obama has made Passover Seder-at-the-White House a new tradition, hosting it for the second time as President. No other President before him has hosted the Seder at the White House. Obama’s Seder started on a whim, it seems. During his campaign trail, two young Jewish aides were celebrating their Seder in a basement of a Pittsburgh hotel, away from home and family, when Obama joined their festivities.

Obama’s interest in Jewish celebrations may indeed be a liberal’s outreach to cultural diversity – after all, the White House now hosts Ramadan dinners. But, it fits his narcissistic personality, conforming the Seder to any situation he may be experiencing at the time of the holiday. At the first, impromptu, Seder in Pennsylvania when his campaign was steeped in the Reverend Wright controversies and was “in the desert,” as another campaign aide put it, Obama proclaimed “Next year at the White House” as an addition to “Next Year in Jerusalem” commonly said at the end of the dinner. Perhaps, as suggests Judi Kantor from the New York Times, this year’s focus could have been one of the universalist themes that Obama is so fond of: to free Americans from the bondage of capitalist healthcare and to give them the abundance of Obamacare.

The Center for American Progress has another suggestion. In it’s article on Obama’s Seder celebration this year, CAP cleverly used the Bible’s New Revised Standard Version to quote from Exodus 22:21: “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” Almost all the other versions use “stranger”, “foreigner” or “sojourner” in lieu of “resident alien,” clearly portraying a temporary dweller and not the long-term inhabitant that “resident alien” implies. The CAP’s advice to President Obama is that he treat Mexican illegal aliens with the same compassion they interpret from the NRS, and pass comprehensive immigration reform. But when we parse the words, it is clear that illegal aliens are not the “resident aliens” implied by CAP, but emboldened Mexicans, foreigners and strangers, who wish to take advantage of the lax rules and borders that makes it possible for them to enter and reside in the country with impunity.

One has to marvel at the President’s Seder chutzpah after his dismal treatment of Prime Minister Netanyahu during his recent visit to the United States. It is one thing to celebrate an ethnic festival, but another to respect the significance that the celebrants give their rituals. The Israelites that Obama commemorates in these Seders were freed from bondage in Egypt, and their descendants later received their Promised Land. Yet, Obama seems intent on removing this sacred land from the Jews, and forcing on them new enemies who are probably far more ruthless than the Egyptians.

Modern Christians are in as much danger as modern Jews. Our liberal neighbors, with their feel-good, made-up Christianity are destroying our religion and our communities. Liberal church leaders support issues ranging from comprehensive immigration reform to same sex marriage. Atheists, who have nonetheless constructed their own religion, now have their prophets. In the April 2010 publication of Vanity Fair, atheist Christopher Hitchens performs an iconoclastic dismantling of the Biblical Ten Commandments and then gives us his own petty ten. Like the Old Testament’s Jews, we have to trust that God will free us from our current tribulations.

In fact, End Time preachers use the exodus as an allegory for our liberation. Our ultimate release is entry into God’s heavenly land. But the Passover and Easter stories are also our personal stories. The journey from bondage to freedom reflects our own mundane ordeals. And we experience death and resurrection with each sin and atonement. Celebrating these holidays each year gives us the hope that we too will inherit our particular Israel.

The liberal, politically correct television stations were right after all. The story of Moses, recounting a people’s freedom from slavery, and culminating with the abiding Ten Commandments, was an apt choice for these holidays. Would that our leaders understand and practice its significance. Not just as at religious celebrations, but throughout the year.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat

Nasty Gals Do It Better, But In a Pretty Way

Nasty Gal in Awesome Shredded Jeans

My yahoo email page spouts out ads which at the moment I can't be bother to block. The most recent said this:

"Nasty Gal," with a subheading "Awesome shredded jeans."

When I returned to the main page to click on the ad, it had changed to something else. I googled "Nasty Gal" (nothing else, and with no quotes) and the first link I found said:

Nasty Gal.com - Nasty Gals Do It Better

Under the website's "About" page, this is who the nasty gal is:

Who is a Nasty Gal? We like to think of her as the coolest girl in the room‚ pulling off whatever wildly unique piece that suits the mood. At Nasty Gal, we are our customer. Because of this, our job is an easy one: inspire and be inspired by cool girls the world over.

And who is the inspiration?

The name was inspired by the song and album “Nasty Gal.” Betty Davis [NOT Bette Davis, who another kind of gal who could run circles around this crude and crass one], the patron saint of badass women, was known for her unapologetically sexy funk music which comprises our vision of femininity - complete with lamé platform thigh-high boots.

And of course, the perennial disclaimer:

“Nasty Gal is inclusive, but also cool. A lot of companies make the mistake of being one or the other.” - Brett, Producer

Nasty Gal makes insipidly pretty clothes (my theory has always been that all girls want to look pretty, and all women want to look beautiful, except the rabidly angry ones like the singer). A name like "nasty" gets turned around to mean "cool" which is the quintessential claim to fitting in with the crowd these days. Nasty means cool, cool means fitting in, fitting in means looking pretty, since, as I wrote here in Camera Lucida, even sluts at Slut Walks want to look pretty.


Nasty Gals Trio: Betty Davis, Girl in the Ad, and the Real Bette Davis

Here is the quintessential pretty gal (via Mark Richardson's Oz Conservative blog), who has a website to showcase her pretty items. Well, it actually is all about her. Almost every post has a photo of her, in various poses of happiness at discovering all the pretty things around her which make her look so pretty. This is where it ends, the narcissistic desire of girl-women. The Aussie Pretty Gal is not really a gal. She looks like she is in her mid-thirties. Can't she find something serious to do, like start a charity, or better yet, have children?

Her poor husband pops up in some of her photos, but he's probably quite content to have a prancing girl-woman around without the responsibilities of raising a family. I bet she works too, and the reason why she acquires these relatively, cumulatively, expensive items for herself. (My intuition was right about this. Here's an interview where she talks about having a day job.) I tried to find the meaning of her blog's name Esme and the Laneway. Laneway is a British variation on Lane.

But Esme is more obscure (it's not her real name, which is Marianne). Wikipedia lists Esme Cullen as one of the vampires from the latest series of vampire books The Twilight Series. I've written before that young women these days have a fascination for vampires. This youth-worshiping Esme surely is into that as well. Her literary activity is limited, though. Her list of books are either beauty instructional ones (what else) or she uses books as accessories for her photos. So I doubt she's read the vampire books, but the culture now is so infused with vampirism, she must be aware of them.

Below are photos of Esme (Marianne). It looks like she has someone taking some of the photos  (the outdoor ones, for example), but she can make clever adjustments by shooting her reflection in a mirror.


Ecstasy


Pretty frock for a pretty gal, posing under a sunlight spotlight


The Mirror of Naracissus


Exhibitionism, that's what it all amounts to


Thirty-something year-old pretty gal who is almost middle-aged

The fact that her hsuband allows his wife to parade herself says a lot about modern men. He could rein her in, tell her to get a hobby like cooking, or decorating their house. Or, he could insist that they start a family.

But, perhaps it is for the best that children don't have a mother such as this. She would turn up to be one of those "artist" moms who photograph their children naked for all to see.

Shadows of Glamour at the Oscars

The Art Deco stage at the 2013 Oscars
I watched the whole Oscar's show last night. It wasn't for the movies, since the only one I've watched is Anna Karenina (which I blogged about here). I don't go to the movies anymore. We are made to watch violently ugly films in claustrophobic theaters with unbearably loud speakers. Movie going (even the popcorn) is an unpleasant experience.

I have read some articles and reviews on a few of these movies. Based on what I'd read, and the interviews I watched of the filmmaker and actors, here is what I wrote about Django Unchained, the (evil) film that Quentin Tarantino directed.

So why watch the Oscars? I find it fascinating that actresses who will act in sado-masochistic, nihilistic or (I should probably write "and" since these films usually encompass the whole gamut of ugliness) violent films want to still show up all glizted-up. As one actress said at the "red carpet" interview: "It's like dress-up."

But it is more than that. Some of the gowns I saw were reminiscent of the glamorous movie stars when Hollywood was at its filmmaking peak, which was also its glamorous peak. I think this era is from around the thirties to the mid-fifties. These 21st century actresses want to evoke that spirit: of beauty, of glamour, of style and of stardom. None qualify. I really cannot think of one actress who personifies any of these movie star qualities. Many are talented, but they cover up that talent with those horrible characters and roles they play. Of course, one can blame the real big-shots, the writers, directors, producers and the whole army behind a film. The actresses have no choice but to oblige, unless they want to sit at home without a job.

Before I go into fashion critique, here are a couple indications that Hollywood is trying to return to its glamorous image.

- The musical numbers were from old Broadway musicals, replete with men in tuxedos and women in ball gowns dancing elaborate stage productions.

- The funny, diminutive host, Seth MacFarlane, sang a couple of those songs in a very good voice. Here is MacFarlane's muscial background:

MacFarlane is a skilled pianist and singer who, in his early years, trained with Lee and Sally Sweetland, Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra's vocal coaches. In 2009, he appeared as a vocalist at the BBC Proms with the John Wilson Orchestra in Prom 22 A Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals.[69] In 2012, it was announced he would again appear at the Proms with the John Wilson Orchestra in a concert celebrating Broadway musicals.[70]

His day job is designing cartoons for TV shows, a skill he acquired after many years in art and design schools.


Comedian host Seth MacFarlane.
- The stage was designed in Art Deco, old Broadway style.

So what did these shadows of movie stars come up with, that showed me they really want to look beautiful and worthy of the noble Hollywood tradition?

Below are the styles of dresses that I saw. This is 21st century Hollywood, so the nihilistic, anti-beauty was fighting to get through.

1. Structured Black and Gold Art Deco Style Dresses
- Naomi Watts looks like a Rolls Royce figurine (see below)
- Nicole Kidman's dress was a less structured, but she looked pretty with her curly hair (but whose wispy style didn't really go with the formal dress).
- Halle Berry's front opened up almost down to her belly, but she (or her designers) covered the exposed area with additional material. (see below)
- Selma Hayek showed up in what looked like a medieval metal girdle, all the way up to her neck. She usually shows up with exposed breasts. She recently married a French business man, so he probably told her to shape up.
- Sandra Bullock tried with her lacy black gown. But the dress designers were too smart to go with pure, sheer lace, and put a "nude" - as the fashion commentators kept saying, but which really means skin-colored - slip underneath. It looked cheap and improvised.

The Best of the Art Deco:
Naomi Watts looked like a Rolls Royce figurine

Naomi Watts

The Most Like Art Deco:
Halle Berry Could have been a human form of an Art Deco building

Halle Berry

2. Ball Gowns
- Jennifer Aniston in a coral/red Cinderella dress. But I wish she would return to her famous "Rachel Hair" from Friends. (see below)
- Amy Adams in a feathery grey (see below)
- Jennifer Lawrence wore a crumpled white gown. "Edgy" is how one commentator desribed it. Yes, an "edgy ball gown." Perfect fit for an "edgy" modern girl.

The Best of the Ball Gowns:
Jennifer Aniston came in a full-blown ball gown

Jennifer Aniston

The Most Whimsical Ball Gown:
Amy Adams in a light grey Cinderella dress

Amy Adams

3. Gowns with Trails
- Zoe Saldana in variations of grey (see below)
- Jennifer Garner with a ruffled trail (see below)
- Reese Witherspoon in electric blue
- Helen Hunt in another one of those crumpled, "casual" looks. But she did make that horrible "sex" (read pornographic) movie, of which she is "very proud." What we do affects who we are, and who we become. How do these smart women not realize this?

Wave-like trail:
Zoe Saldana's beautiful gown with variations of grey and white. The belt was unnecessary though.

Zoe Saldana

Trail with ruffles:
Jennifer Garner in a plum gown with ruffles at the back

Jennifer Garner

4. Gowns with Applique
- Kristen Stewart with applique leaves on chiffon. Even "vampire girls" want to look pretty.
- Ditto (in film and fashion choices) Amanda Seifried (see below)
- Catherine Zeta Jones trying too hard in gaudy gold (at least she's lost that fake American accent, although it's more chic to sound British these days).


Amanda Seyfried

5. Gowns with Jewels
- Jessica Chastain in a crystal-bedecked peach gown
- Kerri Washington in a coral gown with a beaded bust
- Jane Fonda in a canary yellow dress, with a wide belt of jewels. I don't know how Jane Fonda manages to look so young. It is probably a mixture of plastic surgery and her famous exercise routines. (see below)


Jane Fonda

6. Gowns in Silver or Gold
Renee Zellweger all in gold. But, she could have left out the clumsy bracelet.

Renee Zellweger

And who was the Oscar fashions "designer" commentator? Vera Wang was video taped making commentary on the best dressed of Hollywood stars at the Oscars over the years. She showed up looking something like this (the video, for some reason, is not online).


Vera Wang

Georgian Champan, of the beautiful Marchesa line, was also making commentaries. What a contrast from the aggressive Wang.


Georgina Champan
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat