Me & My Dad & Bob Seger

It’s 10 AM on a Thursday morning in Ottawa. As “Main Street” by Bob Seger plays in the cafe, the memory comes flooding back of the last time I heard this song...


A few nights before Christmas last year, Dad dragged me down to our seedy and centipede infested basement in Woodstock to show me what he’d been working on for weeks. Past all the boxes that had yet to be unpacked (and possibly never would be) was Dads make shift workshop...a downgrade from our previously spacious garage that was all his.

Amongst all the half taken apart (of half constructed, depending on how you looked at it) speakers and other audio equipment and tools that littered the small space, was a fully operational turntable, complete with an equalizer and a set of speakers. The entire ensemble sat proudly in the middle of all the works in progress, turntable on top of equalizer, speakers on either side. A set up that was obviously meticulously planned.

The whole thing looked like it belonged in the 1970‘s. Vintage grills adorned the speakers, while the equalizer had blue accents and silver knobs. The wood on everything matched...maybe it was Maple or something, I can never remember what different types of wood look like. I do remember that it was all the same type though, and that it looked really nice, all of it uniform and intentional. It almost looked like it had all been made from the same tree. One tree, one perfect system, one little family of equipment.

As Dad began to tell me the different features of the thing, turning knobs on and off as he went, I listened with curiosity and genuine impress at what he had made. I always knew that Dad was good with this kind of stuff, but to make a something that works out of nothing is a concept that is entirely beyond my comprehension or ability (something that was always painfully obvious growing up). Admittedly, I only understood a portion of what he was explaining, but it didn’t dilute my intrigue.

It was around this time that Dad dropped a Bob Seger record onto the thing to christen it. Seger was one of Dad's all time favourites, and therefore, I had a soft spot for Bob, too. Funny how the music our parents listen to stays with us no matter how old we get. We either loathe it for the rest of our lives or love it, and for me, it's the latter. From The Who to Peter Gabriel, I always loved whatever Dad played.

The opening chords started in, loud and intentional, distinct but with that warm tone only vinyl paired with an excellent system can achieve. It was at this time that Dad told me that he wasn’t going to sell the set like he had planned on. Instead, Dad said, he had made the entire thing for me. Merry Christmas. As Main Street filled the basement, I realized that this was one of the first times in a long time that we had something that we both enjoyed, and that we had both found something (finally something, after seventeen years) that we could do together, bond over, enjoy.

And so it was that despite all the fights and the tears and all the phone calls that never got made and all the missed visits and the general bullshit that had gone on over the years, here we were, listening to that dusty Bob Seger album in the basement of a house that had never felt like home to me, and never would...but at least for half a second, it felt inhabitable, and almost warm.
The record revolved and the speakers did their job, and for at least two minutes, we were father and daughter, at peace for a little while, even if that peace would only last for a moment.

I imagine that maybe moments like this are common for ‘normal’ parents and kids, but for me, moments like this don't happen, and it’s one of the few good memories I have left of Dad and me.

Me & The Toronto Star: A Writers Rant

So today I was skimming through the Toronto Star, and I came upon a piece that faired to be (dare I say it) potentially interesting: Robert Cribb, a columnist for the Star, was sent to take his six year old daughter out shopping to your average little kid stores (H&M, Gap Kids, Joe Fresh, the Lollipop Guild's Factor Warehouse) to show the differences between the clothes that little girls like...and the ones that their fathers would have them wear.
Okay, I thought to myself, this can go either one of two ways: they'll make an interesting piece of out something that could be nothing; show how little girls are obsessed with looking older and older while their fathers would have them stay young (and then subsequently look at how some older women try to dress younger...coincidence?). Or they could go for something explosive and analyze the little girls crop top choices and show how perhaps, we're allowing our daughters and little sisters to become too sexualized at a young age. That, or they could do a cop out and make it a Three Stooges-style fluff piece that could have it's own laugh track for every time a 'Oh no! Alexandra wants a mini skirt but Dad doesn't like it! Oh Dad, you just don't get fashion!!' moment occurs.
Guess which angle they went with?
Now, I'm not saying that I expect A LOT from the Star...but at the same time I'm not saying that they're anything from an established and well read publication...what I AM saying is that by going with the later option, making this almost-interesting story into a cringe inducing mish-mash of clashing pants preferences between a father -daughter duo that is as generic as it is unoriginal, the Star has made me loose a little respect for it. Why? Because they didn't take it far enough.
As I've mentioned before, I feel that our jobs as writers, columnists, journalists, etc is to make people think. After reading this story, I can honestly say that the only thought it inspired was something along the lines of 'I really have to go read something with substance' (so I guess you could say that through literary inaction, the Star DID kind of make me think by pushing me to read something GOOD, but I really don't think that's the goal here).
The Star had a perfectly good opportunity to present the public with something really worth discussing, something that I don't think enough people are talking about, and that is the sexualization of little girls, and specifically the psychology behind it all, from the marketing of it, to it's sources, to the mind set of the poor tots themselves. Perhaps that's a large area to cover, but at the very least they could have published a snippet of it, along with a link to their blog so readers could further read about it.
Personally, I believe that if you're going to do something, you shouldn't do it half assed. You should go all out, go all the way, and push things to the greatest extent that you can take them to. This is what the Star failed to do. When faced with the decision to create something intellectual or something that was pure people-pleasing at it's core, they took the easy route, knowing it wouldn't require too much effort, and they wouldn't get any heat for it later (imagine the angry letters the editor would get if we even from the H&M loving Moms if for a second it was insinuated that perhaps a mini skirt the size of a napkin isn't the most decent thing for a first grader to be wearing).
Now, I just have one thought left for the Toronto Star. I don't want to have to be literally crude and put everything down to it's simplest form and appeal to the lowest common denominator of readers....but since that's what the Star seems to like to do I have no choice:
Dear Toronto Star, please commence in 'growing a pair' and get back to me when you're ready to do some REAL journalism.
Thank you, and I hope you enjoy your recently acquired audience of people with an elementary school education.

(If you want to read the Star article that's under fire, click here and prepare to be horrified).

Me and My Philosophy: Making You Think.

So I have a personal philosophy when it comes to writing. I feel that many people think that for the most part, a writers job is 'easy' or could be done by anyone, but for me I don't think that statement could be farther from the truth. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to coherently and eloquently translate their thoughts, philosophies, ideas, etc into written word that can not only be read by other people, but that can be truly absorbed and taken into consideration. And that's where my philosophy stems from: the fact that if you are a writer, your job isn't necessarily to write, it's to make people think.
Today, we live in a world where not enough people think for themselves. Because of the internet, we have an endless myriad of sources to get our ideas from, and while this is a great thing (imagine the digital think tank we've created), this also means that people have gotten sloppy when it comes to forming their own opinions. After awhile, people stop researching events and people for themselves, and rely on bloggers to get all their information and opinions from. And while I'm not trying to degrade blogging by any means, I am saying that there is a dark side to the fact that we have so many sources from which to draw from, which is where the problem lies: there are so many places to get knowledge that people stop hunting and settle for just one.
Now, I'm not trying to say that I wouldn't be honored if the only blog you read was mine. On the contrary, that would be outstanding, but at the same time, I would only hope that my reading my blog, you weren't just taking everything I saw and repeating it when certain subjects came up.
I feel like this happens a lot, that people are starting to become opinion parrots, taking what someone else researched and thought of and making it their own idea as well. This is a problem.
In order for the world to work, we have to have a society where everyone has an opinion that is based from their own philosophies, ideas, research, experience, and beliefs. When you take someone else's opinion and allow them to think for you, you're really taking away your own worth as an intelligent, thoughtful human being.
At the end of the day, you might not agree with what I say. You might think that I'm completely and utterly wrong, and that I'm somewhat of an idiot, or a liberal, or a neo hippie, or anything from the book of conservative insults that people tout with them and whip out whenever confronted with something new(zing). As long as what I said inspired you to write your own rebuttal, or do your own research, or watch a documentary on the subject, as long as what I said inspired you to think,that it sparked an original thought to pass through your head, then I consider that the biggest reward to what I do. I will have considered my piece a success, my job well done, and my philosophy achieved.

Just Thought You Should Know....

So in case you are infatuated with what you see here, I thought that you might be interested in my other blog Collectively Chloe. It's essentially just a mish mash of my sketches and photographs that I naively label as 'art'.
Check it out here, and enjoy!

Just a Quickie...

Just thought I should let all of you know that yes, my annual Oscar Wrap-Up piece is coming! I just have to find the time to finish and finesse it. Thanks for your patience as we all say goodbye to another award season!

Golden Globes 2010!

So by now the Golden Globes have come and gone and all that's left are the remains of a pretty interesting awards show. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the GG's are the award shoe equivalent of dipping your toes into the water to test it: this is just the beginning, and it's a sign of what's to come. So let's get right down to the winners (note that I'm only going to cover the film categories...if I did tv I'd be here all night...)Oh and before I begin, let me say that Ricky Gervais was a bloody brilliant host. Just his one joke of 'I like a beer as much as the next guy...unless the next guy's Mel Gibson!' was worth watching the entire show for. Let's hope that Baldwin and Martin can live up to it when they co-host the Oscars together in February. MOVING RIGHT ALONG!

The Cecil B. DeMille Award
Martin Scorsese
I can honestly say that the introduction/tribute that DiCaprio did for this was truly one of the most heartfelt things that I've ever heard. DeNiro's was also good, but there was a quality to DiCaprio's that just screamed 'you are my hero'. The following video and speech by Martin himself was also great, and you can watch all of it here (sadly the DeNiro part is cut out).

Best Motion Picture - Drama
Avatar
Wow, who saw this one coming, right? It seems to me that the Golden Globes is the award show that's catered to the audiences of the world, and the Oscars are the award show for the true film lovers and critics. That being said, it's easy to see how Avatar beat out The Hurt Locker for this one, which shocked both no one and everyone at the same time. If you know your film, you know this should've gone to something else, and if you're a casual movie goer, you were content to see James Cameron hit a home run once again. Speaking of Cameron, his acceptance speech was far from the 'King of the World!' stint he did at Oscars when he won for Titanic. Seems Cameron (as apparent after thanking the whole room for making such great art) had quite a few slices of humble pie during his hiatus.


Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Sandra Bullock (for The Blind Side)
Can I be the first to say that I am so sick of hearing about this film? While it is true that yes, I haven't seen it, I hate the type of movie that it is. You know the kind that I mean: the feel good movie that can appeal mildly to critics and veraciously to audiences? The 'based of a true story' up-lifter on the list that captures the hearts of housewives? Yeah, that's the kind of movie that this is. I would've liked to have seen Gabourey Sidibe win for Precious, but hey, why shine light on a movie about a young black girls struggle when you could shine light on an already highly advertised movie about a white woman that graciously lends her time and help to a struggling young black man? Oh I'm sorry, was that too political?


Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture- Drama
Jeff Bridges (for Crazy Hear)
The dude abides! Yes I know that joke has been tweeted about a thousand times over but I just had to say it too. Sadly I haven't had the chance to check out this film yet, but from what I hear its simply amazing. What can I say? Out of the group of nominees, I'm happy to see Bridges win this one.


Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
The Hangover
Okay let me start by saying why the hell are musicals and comedy's tied in together in one category? I can kind of understand that not many musicals get released per year, but really? We're talking about two completely different genres! Don't believe me? Nine (based off of the classic Fellini film 8 1/2) is a film about a tormented artist, and it was up against It's Complicated, a 50 and up sex comedy. Really? No one else sees anything wrong with that? Okay, moving on: what else can really be said about The Hangover? It's hilarious, and a must see of 2009. Really, even my dad saw it and just had to tell me about it: 'Hey, have you seen that movie The Hangover? It's hilarious! Well....it's kind of vulgar...I don't know if I really want you seeing it...but it's sooo funny!'
Thanks Dad.


Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)
Well, T Bone Streep has done it again! And I must say that this one really is well deserved. Maybe it's because I'm a total 'foodie' but I fell in love with this movie. And it's not just the fantastic story (of Julia Child, that is. In my opinion, Amy Adams' plot could've been totally cut out) but it's also the fact that Streep completely becomes Child herself, it's completely uncanny. In her speech, Streep said 'I portray so many great women, that I get mistaken for one myself.' I beg to disagree, Ms.Streep.


Best Performance by an Actor - Musical or Comedy
Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes)
My man Downey! Now I hate to say it, but I'm a bit biased on this one because it's a fact that I am in fact, completely in love with Robert Downey Jr. I know that I'm supposed to have journalistic integrity and all that, but everyone has their kryptonite. But here's where my heart is torn: my other (not so guilty) guilty pleasure is the incredible Joesph Gordon Levitt, who, coincidentally, was also nominated in this category for the indie darling of 2009, (500) Days of Summer, the turned on it's head, realistic rom com that captured the hearts of thousands (my review of it will be up soon!) So you can understand that I was both over joyed and depressed when Robert won over Joesph. But with his acting ability, I'm sure that Gordon-Levitt will get his gold in the near future.


Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Mo'nique (for Precious, based on the novel Push by Sapphire)
Now I'm one of those people that read the book, and judging by that alone, Mo'nique must have given her all in order to do this role right (and judging by her award, I'm guessing she did, and she did it right). I have yet to experience the film for myself, but I'm sure that it will completely move me when I do. I'm almost emotionally physc-ing myself up for this one, because I know there will be tears. And lots of 'em.


Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Christopher Waltz (for Inglorious Basterds)
Tarintino's bloody, twisted, World War II epic has yet to capture my imagination, but I have to say that I am so excited to see it. There are two camps of people on this one: the ones who love it for the dialogue-rich sequences that show case Quentin's knowledge of film, and the ones that hate it for that. I'm interested to see where my opinion will land.


Best Animated Feature film
Up
To the surprise of absolutely no one I was thrilled by this. While I love Wes Anderson's old school take on stop motion animation in Fantastic Mr.Fox (a story that I read when I was a kid) my heart will forever be with Up. In case you didn't already know my thoughts on this, I am of the opinion that this is not just one of the best animated films of all time, it's one the best films of all time. Period. Full review here.


Best Foreign Language Film
The White Ribbon (Germany)
Now I can honestly say that I hadn't heard about this film before last night. Last year, I had a little bit of knowledge of a few of the films nominated, but this one is completely (mind the pun) foreign to me. But from the small clip and brief overview that was made last night, I am genuinely interested in seeing it. Germany on the brink of World War I with kids? Genius.


Best Director - Motion Picture
James Cameron (for Avatar)
Again, this came as a surprise to no one and everyone. Most people thought that at least either this, or best motion picture would go to the Hurt Locker, but no, it seems that the world has gone Avatarded (sorry) for Cameron's latest outer space epic. Like the governor said 'If you haven't seen the film, the numbers show that you're pretty much the only one that hasn't'. My review here.


Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner (for Up in the Air)
I have to say that this is one of the movies that I'm excited to see. I love everything else that Reitman's done, and I have yet to hear something bad about Up in the Air, so this is definitely on my 'to do' list. I think that quite a few people were surprised that this one didn't go to Inglorious Basterds, though. Surely Tarintino would win something for his version of WWII right? Well, wrong. Apparently.


Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Micheal Giacchino (for Up)
Yes. Yes yes yes yes. I'm so happy about this, despite my love for Karen O, because the music for Up is, simply put, brilliant, and fits the film to a tee. The best example of this is the other day, when I was writing and had the score for Up playing in the background. At one of the sadder, heavier parts in the music, I had to stop writing because I was so over come with emotion. Tears welled up and I almost cried just from the MUSIC. Awhile later, when I pulled it together, the films main, cheery film came on and I felt a huge sense of elation that I haven't experienced in a long time...all from just a few notes strung together! Re-watching the film also made me see how brilliantly the music fits it. As I sit here typing this, I'm listening to it right now, and I'm still feeling that sense of elation and joy. Only a true genius could do this, so my hat is tipped to Giacchino for creating something that could evoke this kind of emotion.


Best Original Song - Motion Picture
The Weary Kind (theme from 'Crazy Heart')
What can I say about this? I haven't seen the movie, I haven't heard the song! I'll get back to you when I have a good idea of what the other contenders sound like!


So that's it! Those were the 2010 Golden Globes! Were you happy with the outcomes? Sad? Enraged? Tired beyond all belief because it's 12:30 and you're writing a blog about what happened last night? Oh wait, maybe not all of those apply to you....but anyway, the point is that the HFPA put on a damn good show every year, and they manage to make a great jumping off point for this whole crazy time we call Awards Season. Next stop, The Oscars!