Epilogue: "...and that's why I made The Number 23

from imdb.com/WENN Movie/TV news:

Carrey To Pen Depression Self-Help Book

Actor Jim Carrey is writing a self-help book for sufferers of depression who want to avoid using drugs to beat the condition. The Fun With Dick And Jane star battled with depression for years after his meteoric rise to fame in the 1990s, using Prozac and other medication to try and control his dark thoughts. But the 46-year-old states numbing the pain with medication is not the way to deal with the problem, and hopes his new book will help people focus on where their problems stem from. He says, "I dealt with depression for a while by medicating with Prozac and although it was good for dealing with the problem there and then, I wasn't getting to the bottom of my anger and frustration. I think we have a real problem these days in that everything is treated with a drug. I think there's a whole new way of healing depression that doesn't require drugs, and I'm writing a book about it. Who better than a comedian to talk about depression right?"

"I think there's a whole new way of healing depression that doesn't require drugs..."? I'm not sure which is more annoying: that Jim Carrey wants to invent psychotherapy; or that he's planning to ignore decades of clinical research because he's an actor with a theory.

On the other hand, how many scientists and doctors have back-to-back Golden Globe Awards? Take that biochemistry!!!

PS: You're welcome for the Christmas presents

Next week is Holy Week, the most sacred time of the Christian year and the basis of Jesus Christ Superstar. This came up in conversation last night (Holy Week, not JCS) when I was out with Paul and the Pinko. They both took swipes at Christianity, which the Pinko then confused with Catholicism (we're called Protestants, dumbass, and we exist).

Now, I have many criticisms of organized religion myself, and my spiritual life has been marked by a skepticism that borders on hypocrisy. I understand the logic behind atheism and can see how a person comes to adopt that point of view. A lot of my friends are atheists and that's fine with me. It's their choice, I accept it, and it becomes a jumping off point for banter.

But mocking Lent and Holy Week? What the fuck? Seriously, would you make fun of Jews on Yom Kippur? And is this not a display of the same sort of intolerance we're accused of practicing ourselves (it exists, yes, be we're not all like that)?

I let it go at the time (hence the venting here) with the same eye roll I use on people who think my love of showtunes is an indication of my masculinity. Grow up and get a fucking clue.

Revealing Statements

I find him suspiciously nice.

I'm just sick of everyone else's positive attitude.

I've said both of these things in the past week and I think they say far more about me than I intended. The first was about a guy from a pick-up site gentleman caller. The second about my current job situation. I used to embrace my cynicism, but I'm starting to worry that it's overtaking me and devolving into bitterness. On the other hand, considering what I've been through in the last 18 months, both statements are completely warranted.

The Dina Show

From Reuters:

Lindsay Lohan's mom to star in reality TV show

Dina Lohan took a lot of heat for managing daughter Lindsay Lohan's rise to stardom and U.S. television viewers now can watch as she shepherds 14-year-old daughter Ali into a show business career.

Full story

Last November, Vanity Fair ran a story, "Moms Gone Wild" about Dina Lohan, Lynne Spears and Kathy Hilton. Money quote:

And yet Lohan,...does not appear to have a close personal relationship with reality. "Lindsay's no different than any other 20-year-old girl who's doing some experimenting," Dina says to me during our brief phone conversation, which took place several days before Lindsay, fresh out of rehab, got arrested again, this time for D.U.I. and cocaine possession. "It's just that when we did this kind of thing we didn't have cameras turned on us all the time. What were you doing when you were 20, for goodness' sake?" I didn't have the heart to say, Well, not crashing my Mercedes into a tree! But nor was I beautiful, talented, and surrounded by people who couldn't say no to me.

Any bets on how soon we'll see the words, "edited to make me look bad," in a press release?

Ugh.

Sunday was such a lovely day, I decided to top it off with Chinese for dinner and ended up with food poisoning. So I stayed home yesterday and watched Now, Voyager. I watched Dark Victory on Sunday - part of the aforementioned loveliness. She was one hell of an actress. Granted, these are two of her very best performances, but both were much more detailed and nuanced than I had remembered.