On November 8, 2015, the 24th annual St. Louis International Film Festival presented Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. Set in 1950s New York, Carol is a poignant and significant love story between Carol (Blanchett), an older woman – and Therese (Mara), a younger department store clerk. It’s a beautiful film that builds upon a trend that sees gay characters survive, with…
Category: Special / Other
Let’s Trumpet & Roar August 10-12
My birthday is fast approaching (August 12) and in the lead up to it, there are a couple noteworthy dates: AUGUST 10: World Lion Day, would be my Grandma Sarah’s birthday AUGUST 12: World Elephant Day, my birthday! As you may be aware, the previous two years, in lieu of gifts, I’ve requested donations be…
New Art in neon layers
It’s no secret that for the past year, I’ve been creating layered art pieces. I’ve wanted to play with textures and bright colors. In February of this year, I started thinking of art – and my life, really – in terms of bold color and choices. With this post, I present three bright and boldly…
Olive Garden: From a Business Perspective
Have you heard about the new “breadstick sandwiches” coming to the Olive Garden? It’s the Italian food chain’s response to sluggish sales. No seriously, it is. Not making money? Solution: Offer breadstick sandwiches that come with more [endless] breadsticks. Just last year, Olive Garden’s investment group (Starboard Value) infamously blamed the company’s servers for giving out too…
Gardeners of Eden + my pledge to DSWT
Tonight, Gardeners of Eden (2014), produced by Kristin Davis (Sex and the City), premieres on Pivot TV at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Described as a gripping story of Kenya’s struggle to combat elephant poaching, Davis’s documentary features The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Visit Pivot TV’s Gardeners of Eden page As a supporter of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and…
A Media Comment: Hollywood’s New Obsession with Bizarre Sex
UPDATE (February 13, 2015): Forget about how bizarre Gone Girl was because this week, the film adaptation of E.L. James’ wildly popular book, Fifty Shades of Grey, opens nationwide. A lukewarm reception from American critics says expectations are met – and that the adaptation is a flatly acted soft-core porn that almost can’t survive against the…
#ThanksMichelleObama: Why it’s a stupid trend.
I wasn’t going to bother writing something people probably weren’t going to read anyway – that’s how it goes with political opinions or comments – but I just couldn’t resist. For two days, I’ve noticed the trending hashtag “#ThanksMichelleObama.” Behind the hashtag are pictures, of school lunches that look less than appetizing, backed by sarcastic commentary about…
New Art: Endanger Cancer, not Elephants
I created this piece, Endanger Cancer, not Elephants, because I love and am passionate about saving elephants – and because I know several breast cancer survivors. I want this to be a symbol of hope for them. On the surface, elephant poaching and cancer may seem like vastly different issues – and you’d be right to say…
A Media Comment: Animated Feature ≠ “Kid’s Movie”
Have you seen DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon 2 yet? If not, do so – it’s a fantastic animated feature that, in a roundabout way, is the basis for this post. While I was surfing Facebook, I saw Moviepilot Animation’s article: So Let’s Talk About How To Train Your Dragon’s Gay Character. Upon completing the…
New Art: Nina, Mya and Queen Isis
Last week, there was a bit of a clown craze. This week, I’m tackling sexy. The three pieces I present here, Mya, Nina, and Queen Isis, all began with an idea for hair. Nina was first in this group. On my wall there’s a Marilyn Monroe poster. I looked at that to draw inspiration, but…
BOBBY JAMES 