Queens

Songs for the Deaf
$13.98
Should be played loud, obviously, this record has some interesting music, that's hard to define, hard rock, possibly alternative, not really metal, sounds a little like grunge, but really is not grunge. The label isn't important though, other than the fact that it's good music, and worth checking out.

Queens
$19.95
I saw this at my local video (video...oooh, I'm I dating myself?), and was really tired. It was Friday night, didn't want to go out, and too tired for to be outraged by another Michael Myers or expose film. I saw this, and thougt, "okay, this is going to be silly, but needed a gay escape movie.

Within the first 10 minutes, I thought, "okay, the usual suspects, incredibly happy, model couples, living a lavish lifestyle that most gay and lesbians really can't afford (at least not without racking up the cards)." As the movie started to unfold, and I recognized many of the actors from Almodovar and other Spanish languaged, films. They kept appearing, and yet more. I thought,"Well Antonio Banderas started his career with great films, but had to do films that paid the bills too, why not these folks?" It was clear, that the actors chose to participate in this movie, because they wanted to (sure, they got paid, but actors need "green love," too). They all did a great job.

This film really surprised me. In fact, so much, that I watched it with my roommate, and later with a friend. A total of 3 viewings in 1 weekend! Everyone really enjoyed it.

I ended up buying this film. Yeah, this film will never win a Golden Globe Award, nor does it deserve one, but it was a great escape, yet left me with things to think about. In particular, the timeliness of this movie, as nations and communities around the world are starting to valid gay marriages (and Spain, or course, in the fore front). I'll leave it at that.

I'll be watching this one with other friends, in years to come. Enjoy!

Doomed Queens: Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends, From Cleopatra to Princess Di
$14.95
Kris Walherr has created herself 176 pages of nonfiction wonder. She claims this book to be "a chronicle of the trials and tribulations of queens across the ages, a quirky, funny, utterly macabre tribute to the dark side of female empowerment." I would have to say that I couldn't agree more. I so thoroughly enjoyed this book that I read it in one night. The book contains over 50 mini-bios of women from biblical times to modern, including Cleopatra, Boudicca, four of Henry VIII's wives, Marie Antoinette, and Princess Di. The book has fascinating, relevant quotes, and sarcastic "quizzes" and side notes. In the front, there is a "doomed queens" timeline and author-drawn illustrations that each contain "death" in them somewhere. It's like a morbid "Where's Waldo?"

Each queen is categorized by her means of death. You have your usual - beheaded, deposed, or died in childbirth, but you also have assassination, poison, drowned, strangled, and starved to death - to name a few. Each story also has contains a "moral" -

"Don't marry a man in love with another man."
"Avoid boats rowed by your enemies."
"Have an exit strategy."
"Don't let your education make you stupid."
"There are no rules for love."
"Don't mess around on the king."

Those are a few of my favorites :). This book is very educational, but also immensely entertaining. And remember, "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

There are also "doomed queens" paper dolls, scenery, scaffolds, and other extras at [...]

Era Vulgaris
$13.98
Era Vulgaris is an album that took a while to grow on me. I bought the original CD when it was first released. I bought this 2 CD "Tour Edition" for the two remix songs and the live material on the bonus disc. I'm glad I made the investment, this new live material is good stuff. The high price means this is mostly for die hard fans of the band like me, but if you put yourself in that category, it's well recommended.