--WHEN YOU SAID THAT THING YOU SAID, DID YOU REALLY MEAN IT?


...I wasn't planning on watching "The Academy Awards" but I ended up there anyway.
The thing you have to remember before you start watching is it's never going to be as good as you think. The whole thing is just people getting up in front a microphone and thanking all of these other people you've never heard of. That part is necessary and quite boring.
The interim bits are hit and miss, as they were again this year, though jowly Billy Crystal was more on than off.
I did think--for the most part--the winners did a nice job of congratulating the people they were up against in the same category.
It's pretty tough to win, if you think about it.
Mara Rooney--my fave--who was brilliant in "Dragon Tattoo", was up again stellar performances by Glen Close, Octavia Davis and eventual winner, Meryl.
But you get nominated and you have that for all time and it's a good thing.

...I had this piece published in the UK print journal Turbulence:


Master of the Ring

Even at my death
You boast of grandeur
And your time at the circus
Again again
Clowns gather round
To toss plates while riding unicycles
The gray elephant sprays spittle on the crowd
You crack your whip
And the lion sits
A fat lady sings
Two double-headed monkeys curtsy
For the finale you press your pop gun
Against my forehead
Pull the trigger
Putting bullets in me
While people applaud
And plead
For an
Encore