Kristen Stewart: an actress with (so far) limits

OK, here we go again, another character from ancient Greece: Athena, goddess of Wisdom. She personifies the rational, the thinker in us all.

When I have said that Kristen Stewart's emotions are 'suburban', I am really thinking of Athena. Stewart was incredibly good as a traumatized young teen in "Speak"; and as a well-to-do teenager in "The Land of Women." But she never 'lost control'. She was always 'civilized', even in her despair in "Speak".

But in Twilight, she fell short of what I at least expected from Bella. Meyer's Bella is among other things, sardonic, acerbic, and witty. Maybe she was taking direction from Hardwicke, here, but really, Stewart never went much beyond glum. Which is why I went to the trouble of buying her other movies to see if she can, indeed, 'act.'

Then, there was a rumor that Joan Jett made Kristen cry, during the filming of "The Runaways." Here, I'm going to drag you over to ANOTHER Greek god: Dionysius (Bacchus in Rome.)

This god exemplifies the ecstatic, uncivilized, chaotic side of human nature.

And this is what rock and roll and Joan Jett is all about. And it is here that
I believe Stewart has had difficulty keying into. So far, she seems to see Jett's story as one of women's liberation. It is much more than that, though. "Cherry Bomb" is an amazing experience, a female rock group being all that intensely passionate women can be. If Stewart does indeed come to understand this, and portray The Runaways, in all its wildness, she will be a much better actress, one with a future without limit.

Rob Pattinson, Orpheus, and the maenads of NY

Apart from my outrage at Pinnacle Productions for allowing such lax security around their prime asset, Rob Pattinson, I was reminded of another figure, from ancient Greece, who also was attacked by maenads, or wild women. In the latter case, of course, Orpheus (for that was the man's name) was in fact torn apart by those ecstatic women. Like Orpheus, Rob Pattinson is an artist, not a musician, but an actor, who has captured the imagination of literally millions of women. It is quite rational of him to be terrified of this craziness. During the recent Comic-Con, his friend, Kristen Stewart, was asked if she would like to go in costume and mingle with the Twilight fans. She was emphatic with her "No", and even said she was afraid of physical attacks (did she mention knives??? I think she did.)

Those old time Greeks understood humans and our capacity for ecstatic evil.

and More on Smoking Cigarettes!

This is a true statement: the worst thing about smoking cigarettes is that very probably sometime you will have to quit, and that process is gawdawful. On the other hand, failing and failing again, is a excellent lesson in humility which is a Good Thing, no?

The trouble with the anti smoking jihad is that it is no longer "medical." To be a smoker is to be bad, immoral and/or evil. Those are religious words. And all that stuff about second hand smoke is very very questionable.

I think it is very interesting that so many people for so long have loved tobacco. Pipe smoking was well established throughout Europe by the early 1600s. Big corporations and advertising did not exist back in the 1500s, when huge numbers of Europeans took up smoking tobacco. My theory is that ALL of our ancestors spent many hours around smoky hearths, and those hearths connoted home and food and warmth... and of course, in all those aeons, our bodies have loved that feeling of smoke being sucked into our lungs.

I am not crazy enough to say that smoking tobacco is healthy. However. My own ideal would be this: spend your youth smoking and drinking and hanging out in dark places, discussing the Great Ideas of your times. Between ages 30 and 35 quit smoking (it will take that long, but will be necessary because you will begin to feel the effects of all that tobacco.) Then, lead your life, building a family, a reputation, whatever life offers. And THEN, when you hit 65 or 70 years old, TAKE UP SMOKING AGAIN!!!

Another hint, from a wise old guy of my acquaintance: avoid tailor made cigarettes and learn how to roll your own. To up the 'cool' factor, learn how to roll that cigarette with one hand!

first, about all those smokers!

I am on the side of the smokers. Now, I have had to quit that habit because of fear (yep, only fear, what a thing to admit.) Smoking is fun. It feels good, your breathing finds a purpose other than keeping you alive. Smoking gives you something to do with your hands aside from - say - knitting.

It has been so depressing: from where I sit, the anti smoking movement had seemed to have won, enough so that our new rulers are Medical Doctors, who can hardly wait to pack us all into hospital wards after we spend a lifetime jogging and eating tofu.

And now! The coolest of the cool, stars of Twilight, wander around SMOKING. And not just marijuana, but TOBACCO! In PUBLIC!!!

Let Freedom ring!