GNN is now ThissenThat (say it, you’ll hear This ‘n’ That).  

Same basic premise though with more news (current events, politics, and human interest) and possibly something personal on occasion.  At this moment, the aim is to put news blogs on one page, and entertainment/gossip/snark on another.  However, the best laid plans and all that…  

Hopefully updated more often (yes, yes, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa).  

For updates as they do come head over to http://thissenthat.wordpress.com   Bear in mind it will be rather bare for a day or two until I can get it set up.

The story was Vote Board to Robbins: Turn Pissy into PSA! and the part that struck me was a comment, meant to be prideful, from a representative of the BoE (Board of Elections):

“In our city of 8 million people with 4.6 million registered voters, 2.6 million registered voters went to the polls on Election Day.”

Now, okay.  I can deal with only 57.5% citizens being registered.  Really.  Because I’m guessing that a significant percentage of the remaining 52.5% are minors or otherwise ineligible.

No, the part that struck me was pride in a not even 57% voter turnout rate!  4,600,000 registered voters, and 2,600,000 turned out to vote.  (Please note the preceding figures apply only to NYC).

In a country where ALL citizens have only been eligible to vote since 1957 (see a note at the end), and blacks and poor whites were often forbidden from voting because they couldn’t pay the “poll tax” or pass a literacy test until 1964, a 56.5% voter turnout rate is utterly and TOTALLY inexcusable.  Even on the federal level, it’s estimated that only around 62% turned out.

To this I can only say:  WHAT THE FUCK, AMERICA?!

Voting is a privilege that can be and has been taken away, whether by the government or by other citizens so desperate for their candidate to win that they would tell voters that they are to vote on a different day (as happened in the last election).

It is still your right, but dammit, if you don’t USE your right, you may well LOSE IT!

Why am I shouting? you ask.

Am I angry? you say.

YOU DAMN WELL BET I AM!

We live in a country where we are lucky enough to have the right, the privilege, to vote.  Many, MANY millions of world residents do not.  And people are apathetic or just LAZY enough to ignore it!

*sigh*

The sad thing is… this projected turnout…?  It’s the highest in FORTY FOUR YEARS.  In 1964, 61.9% of registered voters turned out.  In 1996, not EVEN half did–only 49.1%.

It’s your right, use it or lose it.

PS: If you didn’t vote in the last election, and you were eligible, I better not hear you bitching at ALL about a) how the election turned out, or b) the state of affairs for the next 4 years.  You all that didn’t exercise your right to speak up, just lost your right to bitch.

Election statistics from:
2008: Dr M. McDonald, George Mason University
All previous years: InfoPlease

*American Indians, despite becoming legal US citizens in 1924, were not always allowed to vote.  That right was governed by the individual state until 1957.  “Indian Citizenship Act” Library of Congress, American Memory, Today in history

Talks ended shortly before 1 am (no time zone desgination given) and no new talks are scheduled.

Talks started to fail after studios “sought the right to create productions for new media, such as the Internet, using nonunion actors and without paying residuals, said Doug Allen, SAG national executive director and chief negotiator.”

Residuals, payment made to actors every time a production airs (such as TV reruns or a feature film running on HBO) are the life bread for most actors, making up more than half their income, according to Allen.  Despite popular thought, the majority of actors earn nominal pay, and rely on those recurring payments to see them through lean times.

Not surprisingly, the AMPTP is criticising SAG’s call-to-strike.  “‘Now, SAG is bizarrely asking its members to bail out the failed negotiating strategy with a strike vote — at a time of historic economic crisis,’ a producers’ statement said. ‘The tone-deafness of SAG is stunning.’”  They claim that it is untenable that actors should seek a better deal than writers, directors, and others accepted, especially with the worsening economy.

I might counter that the tone-deafness of the producers at LEAST matches that of SAG, seeing as they were unwilling to yield to writers and now to actors. And perhaps if the actors now secure a better deal than writers and directors were able, when it comes time for those two to once again re-negotiate, they’ll finally get what they ought to’ve last time around.  Once again, this isn’t about greed (the producers have that nailed, honestly), it’s about fairness.

And, as I once supported the writers, so shall I now support actors should they have to throw down the gauntlet.  Hopefully the AMPTP will finally come to the realisation that they cannot keep lording over the people who make the films that support them.

SAG represents more than 120,000 actors in TV, film, and other media (including commercia advertisements).

Source: Yahoo.com News

Photo Credit to Amy Graves

Now, his music is getting better known.  For the last 3 months, his band has had a video (Shreveport 2 LA) in Great American Country (GAC)’s top video countdown, and it’s done quite well.

They want to make GAC’s Top 50 of 2008 list, which requires voting.  So, check out the song at Keni’s MySpace (his player has the audio single, or click here for the video.

To vote, click here

Voting ENDS starting MONDAY DECEMBER 1ST!!

PS: Gunslinger is a good album, but make sure to also check out Flags of Our Fathers!

Two today:

The first is a hilarious take on a popular movie (not saying what one, you’ll have to go watch O:-) ).  This one, they only needs views, so you just have to watch it.
http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/gallery/video/1223/

This second one, they need votes. Clck on the link below, and find the one titled “Krazy Wedding.” Watch it, and if you like it (I think you will, click the vote button.  It takes about 7 minutes to watch both of these.
http://commercialsgonekrazy.com/videogallery.aspx

The name of the town?
Why, Batman of course.
Never mind that the series started nearly 70 years ago.
Never mind that it’s a reflection of the character’s alter-ego (ie LITERALLY Bat Man)

“There is only one Batman in the world,” Kalkan said. “The American producers used the name of our city without informing us.”

No one from the town of Batman has explained why it took so many years to take legal action. Batman first appeared as a comicbook character in 1939 and the “Batman” TV series started in 1966. Tim Burton‘s first bigscreen rendition for Warner Bros. came out in 1989. Undoubtedly the fact that “Dark Knight” is about to pass the $1 billion mark at the B.O. played a part in stirring the ire of the Turkish hamlet.

The mayor is prepping a series of charges against Nolan and Warner Bros., which owns the right to the Batman character, including placing the blame for a number of unsolved murders and a high female suicide rate on the psychological impact that the film’s success has had on the city’s inhabitants.

Just… wow.

Source: Variety.com

Source NY Post

Danny Bonaduce is finally (um, yay?) divorced and back on the market.  He’ll have to part with $15,000 a MONTH in child and spousal support, though.

So, who’s first for a shot at this… hunk?

According to Fandango, Twilight is accounting for two-thirds of all ticket sales and more than 100 premiere screenings have already sold out.

Okay, so maybe not so psychic…