Rihanna – Umbrella – The Song To Change All Songs

Most people would ask why don’t songwriters write good song any more and up to 2007 I was asking the same thing. But out of the blue, without warning, like a bolt of lightning on a cloudless day came the song to change all that. The song was Umbrella sung by the unbelievably gorgeous Rihanna who comes from our not so friendly neighbor, Barbados. I know you might be saying a song that calls itself Umbrella cannot be taken seriously but you only have to listen to it once or, better yet, look at the uncluttered Yahoo and Pepsi video version.

When you think about it, an umbrella is a very romantic device, and like many other romantic devices, it comes in several colors and sizes. Both lovers, and bedfellows can huddle under an umbrella in the rain, or they can use it to sneak a kiss pretending no one is secretly photographing the moment on a cell phone for blog purposes. Umbrellas have also been featured in many romantic movie scenes which I can’t remember the names of right now.

If you remain skeptical about the song just Google umbrella. If you want the lyrics just click this link. If you are in the mood for steamy romance I strongly recommend you try the Step 2 Naturally Playful Umbrella.There is nothing more to say about Umbrella other than just continue singing these infectious lines:

(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

George Carlin (1937 – 2008) a Tribute in Blog

George Carlin died on June 22^nd, 2008 from heart failure at age 71. He would be missed by many, not missed by a few, and the rest perhaps did not know about George Carlin until the news of his death appeared on Yahoo and MSN under the entertainment section. George Carlin graced many stages, made HBO worth paying for and won four Grammy awards for comedy albums, which I am ashamed to say I did not buy any of because I thought both he and I would live forever. Now I will have to contribute to his estate.

George Carlin was a brilliant American standup comedian, actor and author who spoke bluntly about the quirks of pop culture and life. George Carlin’s style and frankness made people laugh but offended those who needed to be offended. His motto was “I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.”

I am sure there would be hundreds of tributes paid to George Carlin both in print and in blog. This blog is paying tribute to George Carlin not because his death reminded me he was once alive but because it reminded me I have one of his books to read, which I will only identify as ISBN 1401301347. I will start the book tonight because death generally reminds me what time is all about and why saving the best underwear for that special occasion is a mistake.

I will end with some quotes by George Carlin:

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

“I am” is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that “I do” is the longest sentence?

Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.

If a man is standing in the middle of the forest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him… is he still wrong?

If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

If you can’t beat them, arrange to have them beaten.

When someone is impatient and says, “I haven’t got all day,” I always wonder how can that be? How can you not have all day?

Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.

I credit that eight years of grammar school with nourishing me in a direction where I could trust myself and trust my instincts. They gave me the tools to reject my faith. They taught me to question and think for myself and to believe in my instincts to such an extent that I just said, “This is a wonderful fairy tale they have going here, but it’s not for me.”

At a formal dinner party, the person nearest death should always be seated closest to the bathroom.

The End

Why Do people Love to Hate M. Night Shyamalan

Why do so many people love to hate M. Night Shyamalan is more a mystery than why trees want to kill people in Philadelphia. Some say Shyamalan is hated because he is different, and that could be true. Some say he is hated because his movies are lousy, but that will always be debatable.

As detractors predicted, his latest movie, The Happening, did not get the blessings from most critics since the movie’s main character couldn’t turn green, fly with a suit of amour, or even spin a web between two buildings. Critics of The Happening took note of this abnormality and made sure to condemn M. Night in their reviews as if he was the cause of the war in Iraq or for Obama beating Hillary. Unfortunately, M. Night is not in the habit of blowing up things or having actors and actresses show more skin than character, which can be exasperating for those who have come to expect otherwise. It appears that M. Night does not conform to the rules of Hollywood and for this his critics and hate wishers want him to pay. What is interesting is that there are probably an equal number of people, not critics, loving as well as hating M. Night, which production studios have noted.

Critics have an important role to play in forming public opinion on movies and are the unsung heroes of the popcorn industry. However, last weekend, these critics’ vocal and premeditated dislike for anything Shyamalan spiked public curiosity to the point where The Happening made over $30 million on its opening weekend in the US plus an additional $32 million internationally, thus causing his critics to throw even bigger tantrums.

Something New From mayarobeach.com

Here is something new from mayarobeach.com.

This is my second attempt at a flash photo album with the first being in 2005 and best forgotten.

Most of the photos in this “something new” album are recent Trinidad and Tobago photos but one or two are about eight months old. Remember, this is just an experiment in entertainment and flash.

Please excuse the music and I will make changes along the way.

I hope you like it 🙂

The Happening – A Review

The Happening opened today, 11^th June, 2008 in Trinidad and this is my incomplete review that may seem a bit disjointed.

Walking forward out of the cinema, as opposed to walking backwards, I came up with some alternate taglines for The Happening:

Froward Ever, Backward Never

The Answer, My Friend, Is Blowing In The Wind

If you have to see one movie for the summer you must see The Happening. That sounds like a marketing line from a biased reviewer but it is just my opinion. The Happening was a haunting movie that was fun, gruesome, intense, dramatic, sad, chilling, disturbing, intelligent, believable and yet sprinkled with humor. Though The Happening is an R-rated movie you would love, it is not for the squeamish regardless of age. I am not sure if Shyamalan wanted to prove something to his critics but he wasted no time in getting to the point. It was pure cinematic efficiency. As usual, Shyamalan’s characters were mostly believable except when there was a need or two for an unbelievable one. The atmosphere created was one of suspense and hope. You will jump, believe me, you will. The cinematography by Tak Fujimoto under Shyamalan’s direction was once again outstanding so please, finish your popcorn early. But that wasn’t all as Shyamalan called on James Newton Howard once again to settle the score, and settle it good.

Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez, Betty Buckley and M. Night Shyamalan pulled it off and pulled it off in style. Mark Wahlberg was outstanding with Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo giving good support. Ashlyn Sanchez has a bright future ahead. Betty Buckley was simply bloodcurdling. M. Night – spoiler ahead – did not appear; at least physically.

I can’t figure why, but The Happening is a movie that is strangely satisfying in an unsettling way.

But in the end they wanted more.

Wednesday 12th June, 2008 – update: – I want to see this movie again and who is this Joey character anyway.

Friday 13th June, 2008 – further update:I just had this thought – People and critics are once again going to end up reviewing Shyamalan and not The Happening which will be an injustice to the movie.

Why We Emit Gases and How to Save the Planet

With the exception of a contractor bulldozing a strip of land on the lush green mountainside and leveling a couple dozen 100-year-old trees, World Environment Day was uneventful in my neighborhood.

In 1972 the UN created World Environment Day to make governments aware, on the 5^th June every year, of the need to strike a balance between clean air and civil unrest. From the start, policymakers at the UN agreed that destroying the environment in order to provide employment and wealth was like smoking a cigarette to relax. Every Year World Environment Day has a tagline and this year the tagline is, CO₂, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy. Basically the theme suggest to countries they should work towards reducing carbon emissions in amounts that would make Al Gore proud but without starving the people.

Countries emit carbon gases to please the Carbon God, who, if pleased, will shower these countries with jobs, wealth and tall buildings. The need for jobs and the addiction to wealth and elevated structures makes it difficult for any carbon-emitting country to reduce emissions without causing mass unrest and the installation of a new leader. Carbon is not only the stuff people are made off but also the stuff the wealth of a nation is measured by.  Unfortunately, the the happiness of the people cannot be measured using carbon.

Trinidad and Tobago is currently listed as the 5^th largest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita in the world, a fact that has made our Prime Minister blush with pride and our trees to die without dignity. Luckily, the total emissions from Trinidad and Tobago is not large since the population is small and preoccupied with the ridiculously high levels of crime and the availability of rice.

Experts and Al Gore predict if the levels of carbon gases emitted are not drastically reduced in a hurry the World could die sooner than expected. To reduce the carbon footprint of the planet people must consume less since this will cause factories to reduce production and thus emissions. Consuming less means not only eating less but also it means recycling more. It means reducing your electrical energy consumption by using compact fluorescent bulbs, hanging clothes out to dry and by not paying your electricity bill. Consuming less means driving less and walking more. Think about it, we can help save the Planet by not only doing what comes natural like showering in the rain, we can save the Planet by enjoying the simple things in life.

Movietowne – Living in the Past

Today is the 8^th June, 2008 and Movietowne is advertising on their website, and also on the newspapers, that Karaoke night at the Movietowne mall is June the 6^th. But this is not the first time Movietowne has outdated information on their website. Their lapses are frequent and this is just the latest. About a year ago Movietowne’s website ran an ad for a sidewalk sale at the mall for several months after the two-day sale ended. This is sad since it doesn’t give site visitors much confidence in the information available. I have become very doubtful about, not only the show times for movies, but even which movies are being shown. Sometimes I call just to be sure. I emailed Movietowne about these lapses on at least two occasions but I never received any acknowledgement other than being repeatedly put on their mailing list for show times. Maybe next time I email them they may invite me to a back-in-time karaoke night. What is even more worrisome is that the errors weren’t even fixed. Needless to say, the show times being emailed are sometimes different from the newspaper ads. This is not an all out criticism of the way the Cineplex is run since the Cineplex is first class, but I only wish the management could appreciate how important accurate information is to customers who are willing to help them make their loan payments.

Must Love Dogs

People can be divided into three major categories; dog lovers, dog haters and those who are indifferent to dogs. I am a dog lover and I can’t understand why there are the other two types of people. It’s not so much I am intolerant to people who don’t like dogs but I am bewildered by these people’s bizarre nature just as they are about my indifference to ice cream. Even though I find dog-indifferent people to be odd, I accept the fact they do exist and are probably just like me except they don’t share my love for this fine, furry and irrespirable animal. Dog haters, on the other hand, I am wary about and won’t trust them with my pet cockroach much less the second best reason for living.

What I have discovered over the years is that you can tell more about somebody by their attitude to dogs, and by extension animals, than their attitude to money, sex or butt tattoos. Some people believe that because humans can make land mines, cluster bombs and touch screen phones they are superior, more deserving, and in charge of deciding which creatures live, which creatures die, and which creatures end up as road kill. Having intelligence doesn’t mean being superior, it doesn’t even mean being happy, it only means being powerful. Every superhero comic book reminds us that with great power comes great responsibility and that is a given. But when those with great power claim no responsibility or act irresponsibly then the end result can only be the tragic end.  What is certain is that dogs are our unconditional friends and our intelligence our lifelong curse.

—

I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren’t certain we knew better. They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying. ~George Bird Evans