I could give two shits about Brad Pitt, but give me a break! Sorry the structures are not "esthetically pleasing" to some armchair architect who probably bid on the job and lost out because it wasn't green, practical or efficient. Pitt may not have the most pleasantly appealing taste when it comes to having things built, but you gotta admit, houses on stilts? Genius.
@kookla: Houses on stilts are a south Louisiana staple... along the bayous, you see tons of them (when I was younger, I lived in one raised house that was over 100 years old).
In fact! My entire family still lives along the bayous, and they all -had- to raise their houses in order to keep their home insurance. (Another post-hurricane gripe: The Road Home program was supposed to fund all these house raisings, and went bankrupt before they could pay out, leaving hundreds without the funds to save their homes / insurance policies.)
@kookla: This was my exact reaction. He's trying to do something good for a cause he cares about - celebrity or not, no one deserves to have that thrown in their face over 'aesthetics,' and in light of Vee's post about how much of a staple houses on stilts are, the comment makes even less sense.
Anyone else see Whoopi Goldberg's rather insane rant on the View just now about how if Chris Brown is deserving of "punishment" (not singing) then so must Rihanna be, for continuing a relationship with him?
Holy intimate partner abuse 101, Batman! Someone needs to write a long, indignant letter, but I'm still too full of turkey.
@Kate Kieran: I usually think of Whoopi as the voice of reason on that show (inasmuch as anyone is,) but she has been dead wrong about this and the Polanski thing. Start to finish, her comments have been victim-blaming and cracked, but she keeps digging the hole and doesn't back down. I wonder where all of her anti-woman weirdness is coming from.
Here's the Japanese Nylon cover for anyone not willing to experience more taylor momsen sad junkie quasi-debbie harry face overload. I know it doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon, but she's young and hopefully she'll find a new look that sports a smile or two.
I lurve the item quoting Britney as having "banished" her manager-manfriend from Australia. It just reminds me of Romeo and Juliet--"Thou art banished!" teehee.
Meryl Streep, I love you. That quote sums up much of why, apart from your talent.
Mike Holmes (a Canadian tresure) built a few of those Make it Right homes with Brad Pitt and filmed it for a tv show. The crew was working their asses off in heat and humdity to get the homes done as quickly as possible in the greenest, most affordable way as well as the safest in case of another storm. While it was a different look for the city, the time and effort donated by the crew was incredible.
@slightlyhardup: This! Oh, I'm so sorry the houses built for you weren't "visually appealing." I'm sure they didn't have to pay for them. Beggars can't be choosers.
@madeofawesome: In the article, the aesthetic complaints come from a designer (who is based out of Manhattan, an entire universe away from New Orleans), and a broker (read: landlord praying for gentrification so she can hike up the rent on the properties she owns in the Ninth). I guarantee neither of these people will be living in these houses.
From the article: To most residents, the construction is simply good news. "It’s hard living here now, but it’s going to be worth it," said Melba Leggett-Barnes, a cafeteria worker, who is concerned about crime in the neighborhood. The lack of commercial activity is also disappointing. "We used to be able to go to the corner store," she said. "Now we don’t have a grocery; we don’t have a laundry."
This is a legitimate complaint, especially for their area. Consider that people living in lower-income housing don't have reliable transportation (and New Orleans' public transit isn't great)... BUT, maybe it'll come together in good time.
We are all just grateful that someone is doing something.
Also, I had a slight chuckle at the thought of the lower Ninth becoming a "tourist attraction."
@vee: My bad. Thanks for clearing that up. I just got a little ticked because I was always taught to never look a gift horse in the mouth and all that.
@madeofawesome: It's all good. I admit, I might be a little defensive about New Orleans.
I'm very home proud, and it feels like Katrina's impact is poorly understood by people who don't live in the soup, you know?
BREAKING! "Jay Leno Losing Audience To Books, Mp3s, Laundry, Scrubbing The Grout, That Crazy Dude On The Corner Who Shouts About Jesus, Anything Else That Doesn't Actually Feature Jay Leno."
Has anyone seen The Blind Side? I haven't seen it, but my immediate thought upon seeing the trailer was "Wow. Yeah. Um totally not racist at all. It's a good thing that nice white lady was around to save the dumb black man that's good at sports. No...no racism here at all."
@Sarcasmatic: I think this movie has been getting way too much shit from Jezzies. It isn't the best movie I've ever seen, but I really don't think it is racist.
It is about a white family who helped a black teenager, but it is also based on a true story/bestselling book so I have a hard time reading too much into the races of the characters. They also make a pretty big point of the fact that he was struggling in school because of structural factors and not that he was stupid.
@clevernamehere, @fulanita, @Lucylooo Thanks for the clarifications. I really have no knowledge of the movie outside of the trailer. I'm glad to hear that there was more to the film than I initially perceived.
@Sarcasmatic: I saw the trailer before Where the Wild Things are and was appalled. I don't know if the movie is racist, but the trailer sure as shit was.
Also, "based on a true story" does not equal documentary, and does not give anything a pass.
@clevernamehere: I'm glad to hear this. A) I like to think that Sandra Bullock is too aware to sign on for something so blatantly racist (this is based on my lifetime of not knowing her at all), and B) I really want to watch Phil Fulmer try to act. Really.
@lisas: I had qualms with the trailer, too, but I grew up in the South, and I didn't see anything inaccurate in the portrayal of the self-congratulatory white characters (especially the scene where the rich women are sitting around a table, talking about all the good they're doing). I'm hoping the movie will take a look at lot of the assumptions and blind privilege that I saw every day growing up. I may be hoping for too much.
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In fact! My entire family still lives along the bayous, and they all -had- to raise their houses in order to keep their home insurance. (Another post-hurricane gripe: The Road Home program was supposed to fund all these house raisings, and went bankrupt before they could pay out, leaving hundreds without the funds to save their homes / insurance policies.)
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Holy intimate partner abuse 101, Batman! Someone needs to write a long, indignant letter, but I'm still too full of turkey.
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I can't get behind the stringy extensions and raccoon eyes, tho.
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Meryl Streep, I love you. That quote sums up much of why, apart from your talent.
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From the article:
To most residents, the construction is simply good news. "It’s hard living here now, but it’s going to be worth it," said Melba Leggett-Barnes, a cafeteria worker, who is concerned about crime in the neighborhood. The lack of commercial activity is also disappointing. "We used to be able to go to the corner store," she said. "Now we don’t have a grocery; we don’t have a laundry."
This is a legitimate complaint, especially for their area. Consider that people living in lower-income housing don't have reliable transportation (and New Orleans' public transit isn't great)... BUT, maybe it'll come together in good time.
We are all just grateful that someone is doing something.
Also, I had a slight chuckle at the thought of the lower Ninth becoming a "tourist attraction."
11/30/09
11/30/09
I'm very home proud, and it feels like Katrina's impact is poorly understood by people who don't live in the soup, you know?
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Was this the case?
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It is about a white family who helped a black teenager, but it is also based on a true story/bestselling book so I have a hard time reading too much into the races of the characters. They also make a pretty big point of the fact that he was struggling in school because of structural factors and not that he was stupid.
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Also, "based on a true story" does not equal documentary, and does not give anything a pass.
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@lisas: I had qualms with the trailer, too, but I grew up in the South, and I didn't see anything inaccurate in the portrayal of the self-congratulatory white characters (especially the scene where the rich women are sitting around a table, talking about all the good they're doing). I'm hoping the movie will take a look at lot of the assumptions and blind privilege that I saw every day growing up. I may be hoping for too much.
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I really think people should see the movie before calling it racist.
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