I’m not going to lie to you, Marge, these Oscar stories have been really hard. I’m not sure I’m going to keep the tradition up next year, if this is how it goes. maybe, I’ll just have gained enough wisdom so as not to pick something as unfunny as “guilt” to tie the stories together.
The movie is “Precious,” which has enough horrible guilty content that I couldn’t bear to add to that burden. Instead, I’m passing the guilt on to the director.
Today’s Word:
embonpoint
As in:
Director Lee Daniels waited on the curb outside the theater where “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire” as being screened as part of the Cannes Film Festival. He was worried. How would this movie appear to the outside world? Did he dare go in? Should he hide to avoid the crowd which would be exiting at any moment?
As he sat, cradling his head in his hands, doubt invaded his brain bringing with it reinforcements. He *knew* he had pushed the content too far. His anxiety-ridden brain was certain that the movie was going to be seen as nothing more than another negative portrayal of African-Americans, and that he’d turn race relations back to pre-Obama levels.
As his anxiety got the better of his sanity, he got up to flee the scene before the audience could murder him on the red carpet. He was too late. The crowd was emerging from the theater.
Maybe they wouldn’t recognize him.
No such luck.
“Monsieur Daniels, I loved your movie very much. Where did you find such fine actresses? I have not seen such, shall we say, embonpoints. I am much moved.” said a young woman.
A man called across the crowd “Bah! This movie is nothing but torture-porn! You are a blaxploiter! Can you not be more like Tyler Perry?”
And yet other voices shouted their opinions:
“It was painful! Brutal and honest, but, beautiful! An accomplishment!”
“I for one think you and your Oprah Winfrey group therapy partners should take your incest addictions elsewhere! You are a monster!”
“You make the baby Jesus cry! How dare you!”
“I liked it much better than Cats! I’m going to see it again and again and again.”
*********
I worked on this in my spare moments all day. It was a tough one to get completed.
embonpoint / ah – bah – pohn / plumpness of a person. Given its French root, make sure each syllable is good and nasal, and pretend the consonants are only suggestions…