Lilith.

15 Things I Liked in 2011, Part 2.

Landed in India yesterday and already hit the ground running, it’s going to be a hectic three weeks ahead of me. While on the plane I finished scripting my short film, and am in the process of locking down two locations. I’m going to try my level best to keep everyone in the loop on the short, which is titled A Brief History of Love, but as I’m operating out of a mobile office, updating might be a bit spotty.

But on to unfinished business, the final Top 5 of of the 15 Things I Enjoyed in 2011:

5) Vegenaise. I’m not a vegan. Nor am I a vegetarian. I eat meat and animal byproducts regularly, albeit in very controlled portions and it has to be organic, hormone-free, locally-sourced and free range. Those might seem like buzzwords but they are the few that I’ve found to have real nutritional and economic meaning, and not simply some food company passing off a vague idea of being healthy. Case in point, the whole gluten free phenomenon, where people are buying gluten-free products with the idea that they’re making a healthier choice. When you buy gluten-free, you’re not cutting out the carbs, you’re cutting out the protein – gluten – that many people don’t have the ability to digest. Don’t buy gluten-free unless you’re a Celiac or allergic – otherwise you’re robbing yourself of protein and texture, and you’re paying more for it than a regular loaf of bread or box of pasta.

Going vegan is, to me, more of an ethical choice than a dietary one (unless, of course, you are allergic to dairy or lactose-intolerant), and after much thought I do derive a very balanced diet from a limited intake of eggs, meat and dairy. I try to pay as much respect as I can to the animal when I consume their products by using everything, tail to snout – bones go towards making stock, eggshells are composted and whatever little is left of meat is cooked and goes to the cats.

Which brings me to Vegenaise. My wife brought some home after reading an article about it, and at first I was skeptical. First of all, was it even necessary? I did an audit of how many sandwiches I eat in a given year and yeah, I go through a ton of mayo and mustard. My mayo of choice is the Kewpie brand you find in most Japanese grocers, and it’s murder in terms of saturated fat and cholesterol. So it made sense to find an alternative. I had my doubts, but I made a ham and smoked gouda sandwich with Vegenaise and was ready to be revolted.

I wasn’t. Far from it. In fact I think it might even taste even better, and being that it has a very real sense of flavor, I tend to use less of it. I’m sold, and now we’re making more efforts to find healthier replacements to high-fat / cholesterol foods. I’ve tried cashew cheese, and I’m not sold on it. Strike one, likely the first of many. But it’s an exploration worth taking.

4) Andy Serkis’ performance as Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.. Rise of the Planet of the Apes just barely missed my top list of films for this year, but that doesn’t change my thoughts that it contains one of the strongest contenders for the best performance of the year, and it’s an odd one at that. Andy Serkis, best known for his motion-capture work as the CGI creature Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, dons the ping-pong MOCAP suit once again, this time playing Ceaser, the legendary chimp-turned-military mercenary from the classic Planet of the Apes series. Caesar has been played by a number of actors who have given him his gruff, gravel-eating toughness and determination, but in Rise of the Planet of the Apes the story focuses on Caesar’s origins, which means an extraordinary amount of time is spent on Caesar’s life as an ordinary chimp. Blessed by an ever-evolving CGI technology, Serkis makes the most of the tools at his disposal, and imbues Caesar with a heavy-but-nuanced sense of pathos, and through the use of facial and body manipulations, Serkis bridges the uncanny valley and creates a character that is very real, and very relevant. It’s a real work of performance art, bolstered by technology.

There’s been a bit of a controversy brewing as to whether or not Serkis has earned a right to be mentioned in the Best Actor category for this year’s Academy Awards, and I think it’s a no-brainer. Yes. He should. And he should be considered as a top contender to win it. The Academy set the precedent when it handed the Best Cinematography honors to Maurio Fiore for Avatar a film that was so heavily CGI manipulated that one had to wonder if it was better placed as an animated film. According to the Academy, apparently not, and Fiore’s creative and conceptual contributions were deemed enough to be his sole work and skill, which includes giving lead to the small army of CGI artists who rendered his work into reality.

The same applies to Serkis, who provides all the motions, emotions, expressions and eyes to Caesar, and should be considered as an all-round performance, and not just as a motion capture performance. I challenge any actor to do what he did, as well as he did it. He’s emerged as a specialist in the field, and should be rewarded accordingly for it, and in my mind he joins Michael Fassbender (for his blisteringly brutal work in Shame, which I saw last week and will write more on in the future) in a two-horse race for the Best Actor award.

3) Tim Tebow. Like Lilith, will I be forever cast from the Garden of Eden for speaking the Lord’s name? TEBOWTEBOWTEBOW. The religious furor over Tim Tebow is epically ridiculous, so let’s set the record straight on a few things. Tim Tebow is not Jesus. The only Jesus I know is the one who makes amazing al pastor burritos at the taqueria down the street from my office. Tim Tebow is not being victimized for his religious beliefs. Not being allowed to put Biblical verse on your eye black or to be able to kneel in prayer in the end zone is not an attack on Christianity. It’s simply showing deference to all beliefs. Would there not be an uproar if one of the many Muslim players in the NFL kneeled in Islamic prayer after scoring a touchdown? Should not a player who is a Scientologist be able to thank the Thetans for clearing the path to the winning touchdown, thereby dashing Emperor Xenu’s dastardly design? If we allow Tim Tebow to do it, then everyone should be allowed to do it, and that’ll put the panties of all of Tim Tebow’s evangelical Christian flock into a collective bunch. So rather than face hypocrisy, the NFL wisely turned the other way and said keep your religion to yourself, and just play football on the field. It’s the right choice.

That said, I find Tim Tebow’s faith fascinating and inspiring. Not the faith he has in his God, but rather the faith he has in himself, his teammates, and everyone else around him. Rarely have I seen an athlete that simply makes everyone around him believe that they can achieve anything. And while the Broncos’ crazy run to make the playoffs is ugly and unworthy, it is a testament to dogged belief in achieving a goal. Love him or hate him, Tim Tebow is a winner, and you know he’ll do anything in his power to get his team a victory. You’d have to be a heartless, soulless thug to not rally behind someone like that. And despite his infinite references to god and the Bible, Tebow is ultimately respectful, kind, and ridiculously charismatic. He’s the kid of guy who is so nice that you want to punch him in the face, and when you do punch him in the face he’ll turn to you and say “are you ok? God forgives you for your transgression.” Fuck it, you just can’t beat this guy down. I’m a convert to the Gridiron Church of Tebow.

Oh and let’s debunk one more thing. Tim Tebow is not the next John Elway. John Elway is the fourth-highest passer in NFL history with 51,475 yards. He could throw the ball with pinpoint accuracy and with deadly velocity. Tim Tebow has a long, long way to go before being mentioned in the same air as Elway, Marino, Fouts, Bradshaw, Unitas, Manning, Kelly, Favre, Brees, Brady and the like. To quote Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, who, when asked about his thoughts on Tim Tebow, Urlacher shrugged and said “he’s a pretty decent running back.”

2) Protests. While The Occupy Movement has been dissolved, it has accomplished one of its primary objectives, which was to establish itself as a real player in the national dialogue on our planet’s crippling economic disparity. We cannot ignore this voice, and now s the crucial step to legitimize it on Capitol Hill. Grassroots must transform into a legislative organization. It’s vital, or else all the effort of the Occupy protestors will go to waste.

But the people who participated in the Occupy movements did so under minimum duress, although the kids at UC Davis would highly, and rightfully, disagree. Where the Occupy Movement created the start of dialogue, the rising in the Arab Spring was done in the face of brutal dictatorships, a rising that was paid in blood. One has to applaud and support the courage of the people of Egypt, Libya and Syria, and their efforts have shone the spotlight on other regions of strife, the crux of which is Palestine.

Because of our rampant cynicism we’re unable to full appreciate the scale of change we are seeing. What has and what continues to transpire is what will be recorded in history books as true, monumental revolutions that rival that of The American Revolution, the Tearing of the Iron Curtain, or Indian Independence. People have died for the freedom of their people, for Democracy. We are living in a time of historic, unimaginable change. And by all accounts, it is change for the better, change that is necessary in our evolution as a respectful, compassionate Family of Man.

Tyranny cannot survive. Not when people are committed to justice, and are willing to give their lives for it. For that, I am in complete awe, and must look at myself honestly in the mirror, and ask if I am doing my part. I am not. I have to do more.

1) Life. In the end I have to simply be thankful for the life that I have. Every day we creep towards the inevitability of death, and in that regard I can’t help but find the beauty in the struggle to live, to create, to leave something of value on this Planet.

It was a tough but gratifying year for my wife and I. We finally finished Lilith, Patang has been praised worldwide and has won many prestigious awards, we got a beautiful new kitty in Ezra the Pound Cat, and we celebrated five years of marriage. Five years. My grandparents recently celebrated their 60th. Which means we’ve still got a hell of a journey ahead of us, and so much more to discover, to create, to suffer with, to enjoy.

We plant seeds and take tremendous pains to make them grow, and few words can describe the feeling of seeing that first little shoot of green emerging from the soil which you relentlessly tended. I get that feeling when I see Lilith, when I see this blog surpassing 25,000 followers, when I see the enjoyment on my guest’s faces when the take a bite of the food I cooked. It’s the gratification of feedback, of knowing, by means of appreciation and discourse, that you’re on the right path.

And with the humblest of hearts and modesty, I am affirmed that my wife and I are on the right path. We share smiles, tears and small happiness with each other, our family, our friends, and with you. Whether you know it or not, you’ve been on this journey with us, and we thank you for your support, your kind words, and your belief in us. It means the world to us.

Have a great new year!