There are currently three major news stories in the U.S.: the Epstein client list, the Coldplay cheater cam, and Colbert losing his show because CBS is spineless. I’m so angry on Stephen Colbert’s behalf, as many other people are. Legions of people have come out in support of him, which is nice to see. I hope he finds a better avenue for his show, but it sucks too because a lot of his staff are going to lose their jobs. It’ll be easier for him than for them.
A fourth major news story happened yesterday while I was getting ready to leave work. Ozzy Osbourne died, only a few weeks after his big farewell concert with Black Sabbath. 😢 I wasn’t a huge fan or anything, but I still shed a few tears. Especially when Puddles Pity Party did a tribute when he opened at the concert yesterday. He sang a slow ballad version of “Crazy Train” with a photo of young Ozzy on the screen behind him, and my face was wet.
Puddles Pity Party was otherwise funny, and unique. He opened for Weird Al. We saw Weird Al for the second time! The last time we saw him was 9 years ago. We were so close this time! Center Row F, so maybe 10 rows from the stage. I didn’t need to watch him on the screen this time, which is always awesome. The show was different, but it had many of the same songs and video clips from last time. It’d be difficult not to; as Luis pointed out, it’s not like he’s been in a hundred new TV shows and movies since 2016. He did a big medley of all the classic songs. His costume changes and use of media are impressive. When he did “White & Nerdy” I briefly worried he might Segway off the stage, but he didn’t. He’s a professional.
I went to bed an hour late last night because of Weird Al. I’m groggy, but it was worth it.
On Saturday, Luis and I got food poisoning. Typical me, I then spent the next two days being paranoid about it, but I got over it within 24 hours. We’re going to avoid the place that made us sick, though, just to be safe. The worst thing about it, at least in my case, was that it came out of nowhere. I was fine one minute and then–. Bodies can be the worst sometimes. Then again, bodies are like that in order to keep us alive…
Speaking of being sick*, we saw Eddington, the new movie starring Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix, and Emma Stone (she’s not in it that much.) It’s… certainly a movie. It’s a very long, confusing movie. I’m not sure what Ari Aster’s message was supposed to be. It felt oddly timed. I prefer Midsommar and Hereditary. The acting and cinematography were good, but the writing was ehh. Disappointing. I thought the promotional campaign with the Tiktok-esque stuff was more interesting.
I’ve read quite a few articles and social media posts about Gen Z not liking sex scenes in novels and movies. It’s a turn-off for them, pun intended. In my opinion, sex scenes are necessary and expected in romance novels, at least the ones that are widely popular. That’s not to say they have to be heavily graphic or anything, but sex is one way of becoming intimately close with a partner, so it’s a way for the romantic leads to bond. It shouldn’t be the only way they bond, but it’s realistic and natural. If done well, sex scenes can even be cute.
I err on the side of cute. I do my best to always make them cute. There are no “throbbing members” to be found in my novels, I promise. And the scenes move the plot forward and matter to the characters, they’re not just in there because romance = sex. That’s such a shallow way of viewing both romance and sex.
Sorry. Rant over. Until next week.
* It makes sense if you see it, but I’ll also just tell you: there’s a lot of Covid stuff in it.
Sara Mazariegos 