JOSS WHEDON - Anything he does, I am there. Below is the post he wrote at Whedonesque.com, sparking the creation of the I am Dua Khalil blog. Joss is a self-avowed atheist, yet he cares very deeply for humanity and particularly for the rights of women (his mother had a hand in the creation of Equality Now). The link below leads to an essay he wrote about violence and misogyny. The best piece of writing I've seen in 2007:
For Fun:
The Employee Song Sing it Loud, Sing it Proud (or just hum it at work). Keep your cool at work with this little revenge fantasy: Ray's Employee Song
Theatre
I've done quite a bit -- but have been in stasis for several years; hopefully for not too much longer.
Great Play: Morticians in Love
Music
Opera, Broadway, Classical, Jazz, Blues, International, Big Band ...
Two covers of Wild Horses on video follow. The Stones originated the song and it's nice to see them actually perform something mellow (though Jagger leaves a lot to desire as far as singing goes). The Sundays took all their music off their MySpace profile so I can't use Wild Horses as my profile song anymore. So I found a YouTube. Enjoy:
Movies I love: Once; Talk to Her; The Godfather I & II; Chinatown; Last Tango in Paris; The Conversation; The Big Lebowski; Fargo; Dominick & Eugene; Out of Sight; Insomnia (original); The Loved One; It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; Night of the Living Dead; Dawn of the Dead; Sophie's Choice; A Room With A View: A Passage to India; Dr. Zhivago; Rosemary's Baby; Carrie; Sisters; A Tale of Two Sisters; Psycho; Halloween; The Thing; Frenzy; Vertigo; Rear Window; The Man Who Knew Too Much; Somewhere in Time; Once Upon A Time In America; The Gambler; Thief; The Aviator; The Bostonians; Nashville; A Clockwork Orange; MASH; The Company; Gosford Park; A Wedding; McCabe and Mrs. Miller; The French Connection; Gods and Monsters; Superman I & II; Hell Boy; Cronos; La Cite des Enfants Perdus; Frenzy; Vertigo; Alien (all of them); The Haunting; Far From the Madding Crowd; Women in Love; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; Memento; The Searchers; Red River; Stagecoach; True Grit; M; El Cid; Jaws; Grand Prix; Glory; Pulp Fiction; Jackie Brown; From Dusk Til Dawn; Squirm; Ssssssss; The Hunger; The Comfort of Strangers; The Shuttered Room; Every Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing film made; Theatre of Blood; Cry of the Banshee; Innocent Blood; An American Werewolf in London; Cure; The Grudge (original); Audition; Forbidden Planet; Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me; The Elephant Man; Dune; The Dead Zone; The Brood; The Man Who Fell To Earth; ~~ There's about a million more ~~
Favorite Horror (to name a few): Monkeyshines; The Exorcist; The Exorcist II: The Heretic; The Shuttered Room; The Innocents; All Vincent Price films (but in particular Cry of the Banshee; Conqueror Worm; Dr. Phibes); The Little Shop of Horrors (Corman); The Terror; Them; Nosferatu; Psycho; Frenzy; Badham's Dracula; Coppola's Dracula; Count Yorga Vampire (both); Frankenstein; Bride of Frankenstein; The Mummy; The House That Dripped Blood; The Haunted House of Horror (but it used to be a different name); The House on Haunted Hill; The Haunting; Phantasm; Play Misty For Me; Halloween; The Fog; The Howling; Texas Chainsaw Massacre; Terror Train; Bad Moon; Scanners; The Dead Zone; The Devil's Backbone; Cronos; Rosemary's Baby; Insomnia (original); Sisters; Carrie; Body Double; Dressed to Kill; The Hunger; Dominion: The Exorcist Prequel (Schrader); Final Destination; The Grudge (original); Ringu; Suicide Club; The Isle; Audition; A Tale of Two Sisters; Cure .... to be continued
Television
Episode: The Prom ~~~ Music by The Sundays // Wild Horses ~~~
Current favorites:
Most of the Law & Order. SVU is at the top.
Dexter, Lost, Supernatural, Criminal Minds, BTVS, Angel, Firefly, House, CSI Vegas; Criminal Minds, Heroes, Bones, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Rome ... Past Favorites: The X-Files, Millennium, Beauty & The Beast, All In The Family, A Year In The Life, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Twin Peaks, Hill Street Blues, The Wild, Wild West, Dark Shadows, VR-5, My So-Called Life, V, St. Elsewhere, Lost in Space, The Munsters ...
Books
... Under consideration
Heroes
Some Big Damn Heroes to start off with - Firefly:
Which Firefly Line Are You?
"Mercy is the mark of a great man." (Mal, Shindig) Take this quiz!
It is my hope that people will discover and rediscover the work of Joss Whedon. That they know that he was and is a great artist and humanitarian deeply concerned about the state of women's rights in our world. Some might say "Well, he was just an entertainer who wrote comic books and directed television series about monsters and science fiction." You couldn't be more wrong. Through his "entertainment," people have met, married, gained friendships, and explored themselves through his artistry.
What does Joss Whedon mean to me? (has stroke from sheer emotional response) Seriously though, if I said the sun, the stars and the moon, it wouldn't be too far off. Joss' work has gotten me through at least one deep depression and even when I didn't want to feel, especially more pain, I kept going back to watching Buffy and then Angel. I think those shows kept me a) human, and b) sane. Because Joss is us and we are him. He is an intellect fused with a large heart (not en-larged, just large). He's the Mozart of his age; a genius who writes for the people, not the rich and influential. It's his calling and while he must write for himself first, he shared it with us lucky mortals. And I love him for it and all the above.
And in addition to that gush from my viscera, Joss Whedon looks into the human heart and soul in a way that very few artists ever do. He's not a man you could ever call mundane. He questions why human beings do the things they do. He is curious and delving and not a little bit humorous in his examination and delight in the human condition.
Just as George Romero uses his zombies to make political statements, Joss Whedon has used demons, magic, westerns and outer space as metaphors for a young girl's journey to womanhood and all that that entails, a troubled man's journey towards redemption, and big damn heroes who sought to change the status quo in a huge universe. It's not that he doesn't want to scare us or cause us pain -- that's part of life. But through great fear, sorrow, and pain comes strength and understanding.
If you have waited to experience his artistry, wait no longer. Jump into the deep end and be rewarded exponentially.
Let me leave you with these words uttered by Mr. Whedon when he accepted his award from Equality Now: "Because, equality is not a concept. It's not something we should be striving for. It's a necessity. Equality is like gravity. We need it to stand on this earth as men and women. And the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance, and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and woman who is confronted with it. We need equality ... And kinda now."
Buffy - "It's all about power; who has it and who knows how to use it."
The Dalai Lama
Tina Turner; Pam Grier; Robert Altman; Helen Mirren;
I always remember what the character Catherine Chandler said in the TV series Beauty and the Beast: "I'm just a woman living in the city and trying to be happy." What more can any of us do? You find things you love and let them fill you up as much as possible and then try to figure things out.
I'm still trying to find my place in this world - a place that doesn't involve a 40-hour a week "job." I want to act, write, do musical theatre and I don't care how small-scale it is. Just want to be free of these shackles, once and for all.
I have, even at this age, a deep desire to spend the rest of my life with someone dear to me. Who knows? But if it does come to me, it must be someone with whom I have a deep soul connection. It's the only way or I'll just stay solitary, as I have been.
Apropos of all of the above, I tripped over this poem last weekend (10/13/07). Love Emily Dickinson. She's right up there with William Blake as far as I'm concerned. Wish I had more time, more time, more time, to read poetry and study it. I've added the first line of this to my little representative MySpace photo (enjoy):
I Dwell In Possibility
I dwell in Possibility
A fairer House than Prose
More numerous of Windows
Superior--for Doors
Of Chambers as the Cedars
Impregnable of Eye
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky--
Of Visitors--the fairest--
For Occupation--This
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise
ts..
Anyone can make a list of things they like, but are you willing to answer questions about yourself, some more revealing than others?
My first job was:
Working in a movie theatre.
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I have been to:
2 countries. Sad, isn't it? I'm hoping for England next year. I have an Internet friend in Oxford.
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How old were you and where did you lose your virginity?
17, on a country road in the back seat of an English sports car.
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The first R movie I remember seeing at least part of is:
The Groove Tube and Kentucky Fried Movie on a double bill.
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Are you happy?
(Edited 10/20/07) I'm very happy today. Tomorrow may be another story. But this last year, even though it's been one of the toughest of my life, with a lot more hard work and sacrifice to come, I have felt that something wonderful was coming toward me, from ... somewhere, and part of that has happened. Now, another journey will begin, I think.
(Edited 10/20/07)
People who use the word "cunt." It's a filthy word that describes the female sexual organs and I don't like what it implies. Dear Robin Williams. I saw part of his appearance again today on Inside the Actor's Studio. This time I watched him answer the Bernard Pivot Questionnaire and he said it was his least favorite word. Pussy, however, was a different matter and I'm fine with that.
In general? Rudeness, lying, or subterfuge, which is a better word, gossip. Basically anything that diminishes another person. Also, genital or tongue piercings. Ears are fine - mine are. Shaved pubes. Good lord.
Yes, because sometimes I feel incredibly weary soul-wise. A psychic told me once (someone my brother trusted) that I was an old soul. I've been a nun, actually several religious people, and was also a warrior in the early centuries of humanity, helping to save many people's lives during a time of terrible upheaval. Hey, that could explain my affinity for Buffy!
* I'm a slave to Joss Whedon and his creative kung-fu
* I eat horror, sci-fi, and crime drama like it's ice cream
* One branch of my mother's side of the family is related to Lord Admiral Nelson
* A relative on my father's side in early 1900's Chicago was murdered by the Mafia and shoved into a trunk, delivered to a hotel room (Uncle Mike) -- Is this why I relate to The Godfather?
EDUCATION
5 1/2 years of University
* Music Major, B.A. Cal State Chico -- 1985-1987
* Theatre Major, BFA Program, Southern Oregon State College -- 1992-1995
* Meisner Process: Brad Whitmore and Larry Silverberg - total about three years on and off in Ashland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington
* Scene Study at Freehold Studio and Northwest Actors Studio in Seattle with Mark Jenkins, Troy Mink, Jessica Marlowe-Goldstein, George Lewis.
Who I'd like to meet: Too many people to name. I'm afraid if I name them here I'll put a hex on myself, so for now I'll just whisper them on the inside.
* Actors who are coping with having to work a regular job and do theatre on the side.
* Perhaps some discussion on process and effective teachers. What has worked for you?
* Film fans, most genres; I love Horror, Sci-Fi and Fantasy the most, closely followed by B-Movies and Guilty Pleasures.
* Independent film industry people, to keep abreast of films news and possibly doing film work in the future.
* I'd also like to meet the people who inspire me, who make me laugh with delight and reduce me to a sobbing child, like Joss Whedon and a lot of other folks out there. I would've liked to meet J.T. Walsh when he was still alive. I'd like to meet Christopher Lee before he passes. HUGE fan of his Dracula and just him in general; what an interesting career he's had.
Whoa... I was going to leave you a love note for adding me, but I got sidetracked by Christian Kane. I sent him one instead. ;-)
Not really, but, guh. He should be up in the sexy dudes thread if he hasn't made it already. Ahem. I adore him for his *many* talents. I wish he would act more. Don't they need another squint on Bones? The rebellious one. I loved the chemistry between he and David Boreanaz in Angel. Very well played.
Thanks for the blog, Tonya. Wouldn't it be nice if people could get soon to the point of thinking that we're all the same and perfect??? What we would lose is the joy of the sparkles and reflections of great art...
