Sunday, May 10, 2009

Finally, a President With a Sense of Humor!

I didn't actually watch the coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, instead, I watched a very entertaining and quirky film called In Bruges (starring Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell). I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but had read good reviews of this film, so when I saw it recently on the sale table for $3.99 I snapped it up, then promptly forgot I bought it ... until tonight, when I was clearing up some of the DVD clutter and rediscovered it. Since Fernymoss was closing tonight (and I knew he had little to no interest in this one), I sat down with my dinner and popped it in. And I was very pleasantly surprised that this film --ostensibly about two hit men hiding out in Bruges after a job gone sour in England -- turned out to be so humorous and full of enjoyable plot twists throughout. Yes, there's a fair amount of pretty bloody violence (they are hit men after all) and coarse language, but there are also some pretty funny scenes in it, some almost worthy of classic Monty Python sketches.

I won't even try to summarize its plot, because this is one of those "little" films that is best experienced "cold" to fully appreciate its quirky charms. And if you are a fan of Colin Farrell, it's a must see (I have to admit that I find him quite hot) to see him successfully tackle a role that demands that he not only be callous and cold, yet incredibly funny at other moments, while still conveying an underlying sense of humanity. That's an odd mix to have to pull off, but I think he did a great job ... and the supporting cast is equally adept at turning this bloody tale into a satisfying mix of drama and comedy. So, if you can get past the basic thematic elements (hit men, violence), it's well worth a look. Obviously this is not one of the classics for the ages, but it is very well directed and does have a tightly written script with a lot of truly witty contemporary social commentary (not particularly kind to Americans, I might add). I'd give it 3.5 Hibiscus Blooms out of a possible 5.0!


On to the real subject of this post, our President's speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night. As I mentioned, I didn't watch it in real time because I figured I'd catch the highlights later on MSNBC or online ... and happily, these two videos (the entire segment Obama did) were promptly posted on YouTube, so if you're interested in seeing how he did, you've got them right in front of you now! Just click on the image below for Part I.

Isn't it great to have a President with a smart sense of humor? After the last eight years of a bumbling wannabe tyrant who mangled the English language on a daily basis, it's just so refreshing to see a President who can not only express himself intelligently, wittily and demonstrate a self-deprecating sense of humor. Not to mention, some of his best zingers are well worth quoting (note the comments about Rush Limbaugh, Darth Cheney, Michael Steele and John Boehner). For Part II, click on the image below.

Fernymoss and I just about fell out of our chairs laughing at the Boehner quip, and it has to be seen to be believed. I'm sure there are a lot of Rethuglicans foaming at the mouth out there tonight because of Obama's mockery of them. One could (theoretically) I suppose debate the propriety of such a political skewering, but in my estimation, after having been demonized for the past eight years by bloviating Rethuglican gasbags, my response is basically: get over it. Payback is a bi$ch, eh? If you can't take a joke, you're seriously in need of an attitude adjustment (but we already knew that didn't we?). In case you're interested in a bit of Wanda Sykes' follow up to Obama, you can catch an excerpt here.

Ok, on to what you're really here for: the vicarious, gratuitous puppy pics! So, without further delay, here are some shots that Fernymoss took just a while ago of Hanna attacking her new favorite toy, the Monster Mouth, filled with treats. She loves this new toy that we got her for her birthday last weekend ... it has little chambers inside where you can hide small treats ... and since Hanna loves solving puzzles, this one didn't take her long to crack, but she still gets a real kick out of working it for all it's worth. And the rubber is so tough she can't crack it, something we've come to realize is an essential feature of any toy we give her....

What are you looking at? I'm workin here!

I just know I can get that last bit out if I work a bit harder at it....

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there! We're taking Fernymoss' Mom out to lunch today, then have some garden tasks ahead of us for the afternoon (clean up and more planting!) so it looks to be a busy day shaping up for us, and best of all for Hanna, she'll get to spend much of the day outside with us supervising, her favorite job! Aside from catching and shaking (to death) the dandelions and other weeds we dig out of the gardens!

10 comments:

Cash Gifting Practice said...

The hint at a media bailout got my attention.

I admire his enthusiasm but you can't override the voice of the people.

Devoting more money to print media/newspapers won't change people's viewing habits.

I have not picked up a newspaper in 2 years. I can get whatever I want news-wise from my laptop in seconds. Free and convenient.

I would like to see an even balance between print/internet but the manner in which the news media has evolved has made any equilibrium and impossibility.

Ryan

boran2 said...

I caught part of this on c-span but missed the president himself. Wanda Sykes was amazing. Kudos to her!

CONEFLOWER said...

I usually love Wanda, but she had a very hard act to follow and it showed. Our President is totally awesome!! He could be a standup commedian and would up-stage the best of them including Wanda. Rahm Emmanuel was in tears he was laughing so hard. D and I were laughing so hard we were nearly screaming and I'm sure all the neighbors heard us. Every breath was genius from Michelle having every legal right to "bare arms" to Rahm Emmanuel having a tough time on Mother's Day because he never puts the word "day" after "mother".

It really makes me proud to have a President that has a witty and dry sense of humor and the genius to show it and not make anybody made....well, not any Dems at least.

Nope, poor Wanda did have a chance at winning that showdown and I must admit she said a couple things that didn't go down so well. She was well aware of those also. She's a very smart lady.

Thanks for the adorable Hanna photos.

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Ryan, thanks for stopping by...

I tend to agree with much you said ... we don't need another big bailout, that's for sure. And I too haven't picked up a newspaper in several years, for precisely the same reasons ... I find what I want to read much more quickly and easily online. I'm not sure what kind of business model is going to eventually emerge for newspapers + online, but the subscription schemes that have been tried so far don't seem to work. It's going to be fascinating to see what emerges.

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi B2,
Well glad I was able to provide the Presidential portion for you ... I was actually rather surprised that Wanda seemed as restrained as she did ... I've seen her do much edgier and wicked stuff before. Loved the Rush Limpbag and Hannity shots she did get in...

"I could put Hannity in a middle seat in coach and break him in no time!" That was so hilarious ... and sadly true!

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Coneflower,
I see we all had similar reactions and conclusions about Obama's portion ... some priceless stuff in there. I howled at the Boehner one and the Rahm joke too.

If you like these Hanna shots, just wait until you see the video I'm posting tonight! She put on quite the performance!

Shanster said...

bloviating Rethuglican gasbags

O.k. - that is FUNNY. I don't care who you are! Thanks for the laugh.

I also LOVE our president. I love listening to him talk. he is so articulate and thoughtful.

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Shanster,
Glad you liked that turn of phrase, lol. That's the most polite one that I could use on the blog, but I have many more less printable or charitable!

Agreed ... such a great change not to have to cringe and foam at the mouth whenever I hear the President speak. I never miss his Saturday YouTube addresses to the nation ... they are well worth viewing, IMHO.

Annie in Austin said...

Thanks for the reminder about In Bruges - my son recommended it awhile ago but I forgot to add it to the queue...

Glad you took Mom of Fernymoss to lunch - as a mother of adult children, I enjoy times like that, too, whenever they happen.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Annie,
I wondered if you'd seen In Bruges (I figured you had already)... I think you'll enjoy it, but you are forewarned it is quite violent at times. Ralph Fiennes is positively demonic as his character ... and I really liked Brendan Gleeson, an actor I'm not really familiar with. Let me know what you think when you see it!

Mother's Day lunch was laid back but nice... we went to a new Italian place we hadn't been to before and it was quite good for that genre. (We have way too many Italian-American style places here in DM ... lots of Italian neighborhoods!) We plan on going back sometime when we're feeling a bit flush, because it's kind of pricey. His mom is worth it though! His family has basically adopted me and refer to me as "one of the boys," which is much nicer than my mother who has basically disowned me. Oh well!