Voting in Film, Actors and their Audiences

There are three actors currently in the running for a spot as King Dong this month. They include Daniel Craig, Gerard Butler and Jeremy Renner. So, I’ll make this week’s Monday Movie Meme theme simple and easy: Poll the Jury.

Share on your blog, or in the comments section, movies where the main characters are involved in some aspect of the voting process. The film does not have to be centered on politics but there has to be some type of election or voting setup going on -- in the government, at a corporation, between a family, in a hospital, etc. If your responses are on your own blog, remember to link to this post and visit the blogs of other Monday Movie Meme participants. Here are my selections for this week’s Poll the Jury topic.

Napoleon Dynamite

High school student government campaigns have never been cooler. Vote for Pedro!

Murder in Mississippi

This TV movie, based on real life events, is about civil rights activists who endured major hardships while trying to register people to vote.

That’s all I have right now. What about YOU?

Awkward Shower Scenes in Film, Daniel Craig and Friends

The bathtub and shower are treated as two different animals with regards to bathroom scenes in film.

In Fact, aside from maybe Joe Swanberg’s “Hannah Takes the Stairs,” I myself have a hard time recalling characters taking a bath in one scene and taking a shower in another scene -- during the same movie. This is one of the reasons why I specifically chose Bathtub scenes as the topic for one of the Monday Movie Memes back in May -- films either have one (the tub) or the other (the shower). So, we’re tackling the flipside with this week’s Monday Movie Meme theme, which is: Rain on me.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, the most memorable shower scenes that you’ve seen in a film. If you participate by listing movies on your own blog, make sure to link to this post and remember to visit the blogs of fellow Monday Movie Meme participants. Here are my selections for this week’s Rain on me theme.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Ving Rhames plays a firefighter named Fred who treats his co-workers to a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I’m Every Woman” song while dancing in the shower room at the fire station. I know this is supposed to be a funny scene because it follows an awkward moment where one of these men drop the soap and are afraid to pick it up in front of Chuck (played by Adam Sandler) and Larry (played by Kevin James).

However, the singing was not easy for me to watch because I had a hard time picturing Ving Rhames as a flamboyant homosexual movie character. Some actors (Sean Hayes, maybe) can pull that off without a hitch but I don’t buy this one, especially after watching Ving Rhames as a military vet in “Rosewood” and a mob gangsta “Pulp Fiction.” Hmm, I guess this view from an audience standpoint could bring that whole typecasting matter back up, because my views are also based on his large and muscular physical stature.  

Baby Boy
The main character Jody barges into his baby momma’s bathroom, pulls the shower curtain open and yells at her to cook something for him to eat because he’s hungry. Nevermind the fact that she’s wet, naked and completely startled by his disrespectful behavior, the following scene features him scarfing down a plate of food that she quickly put together for him. I don’t know what’s worse -- Jody’s actions or the fact that she actually got out of the shower and cooked something for this jerk.

Bad Boys II
The night scene where Marcus finally comes down from his ecstasy high during a cold shower in the police captain’s bathroom is funny.

Marcus: Mike, I got an erection! Call the wife and tell her I am on-the-way!

Boys Don’t Cry
Brandon’s heart-wrenching shower scene was brutal to watch because he was forced to hide his feelings and the pain of being assaulted by two friends -- well, two former friends, while trying to gain his composure enough to try escaping from a deadly situation.

What are the most memorable shower scenes that You’ve watched in a movie?

Also, it’s time to nominate a new King Dong! My nominations are:

-        Daniel Craig

-        Gerard Butler

-        Jeremy Renner

VOTE for one of these actors in your comment OR nominate another actor not listed here that YOU think embodies the looks, talent, personality or related qualities that make him a good fit for the King Dong throne.

'Prometheus' Actor Idris Elba on Popularity, Power and Prince's Trust

Idris Elba accepts the 2012 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV movie for his performance in "Luther"

“It’s important to know who you are as an actor or you’re bound for failure. In Hollywood, power is when someone does not have to green-light your projects. I have popularity but not so much power.” - Idris Elba

For all of the power Idris Elba says he lacks in Hollywood, this British actor surely makes up for it by having major influence -- which he uses for good, in underserved communities throughout England.

Elba is currently an anti-crime ambassador for Prince’s Trust, a U.K. based organization that provides career training, employment, mentoring and personal development skills to at-risk, disadvantaged and offending or ex-offending young people aged 14-30.

Idris Elba supports the programs at Prince’s Trust through various activities including round-table discussions, film events and fundraising efforts -- as a way to give back to the very people who believed in his potential as an actor; and to inspire young people to believe in themselves.

When Idris Elba was a teenager, he won a place in the National Youth Musical Theatre (NYMT) based in London. A $1,500 grant from Prince’s Trust helped him further develop his acting skills at NYMT. It is at the National Youth Musical Theatre that Elba began to take acting seriously with regards to a career pursuit.

After successfully landing acting roles in his hometown, Elba saved up some money from working at his other job -- as a wedding DJ -- and moved to the United States. He struggled to find work here in the U.S. for three years, particularly the kind of roles that he wanted to play. So, Elba supported himself financially by working nights as a DJ in New York.

Even now as he sports accolades for stellar acting performances in major primetime crime dramas such as HBO’s “The Wire” and BBC’s “Luther,” Idris Elba still maintains a love for music -- DJing celebrity parties and releasing R&B/Soul/Pop albums under the name Driis. He also co-produced and performed on the into to rapper Jay-Z’s “American Gangster” album.

All music and acting aside, Idris Elba changes lives by being someone who leads by example -- going after his dreams full-force rather than wondering what-could-have-been while botching Ford Fiestas during a night shift at an auto manufacturing plant. His confidence is powerful enough to show young people the possibilities of what happens when you believe in yourself, and no green light in Hollywood can make or break that -- it comes from within -- although, a little nudge from community-centered organizations like Prince’s Trust doesn’t hurt either!

Do YOU think Idris Elba would play a convincing James Bond?

What were YOUR favorite fields of study during your teenage years?