Oh, Jimmy...

I saw Rebel Without a Cause again this afternoon and couldn't quite shake the feeling of wistfulness and a bit of regret that I wasn't born while he was alive...to see the quiet greatness of the first Hollywood Rebel...the soft-spoken words...those beautiful soulful-tortured eyes...

"If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, … if he can live on after he's dead, then maybe he was a great man."

STARK'S FAST FACTS:
Birth Name: James Byron Dean
Nickname: Jimmy Dean

Birth Date: February 8, 1931
Birth Place:Seven Gables Apartments in Marion, IN
Death Date: September 30, 1955
Death Place: Cholame, CA
Burial Location: Park Cemetery in Fairmount, IN

Height: 5'8" (1.73m)

Parents: Winton and Mildred Dean
High School Education: Fairmount High School, IN
College Education: Santa Monica Junior College and UCLA
Occupation: Actor
First Professional acting Job: Pepsi Commercial

STARK'S FAVES:
Hobbies: Painting, Writing, Bullfighting, Photography, Sculpting, Car Racing, Horse Riding and Playing the Bongos

Drink: Coffee

Ice Cream Flavor: Coffee and Raspberry

Music: A few genres and artists include: African Tribal Music, Afro-Cuban Songs and Dances, classical (Bartok, Stravinsky), Judy Garland, Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra.

Song: Billie Holiday's "When Your Lover Has Gone"

Album: Frank Sinatra's Songs for "Young Lovers"

Jim Stark: You can wake up now, the universe has ended.

credits: http://www.jamesdean.com/about/favorites.htm www.jamesdeangallery.com

ACHERON: FINALLY!

WARNING: LONG ASS POST!!!

After an of eternity waiting, finally, I got a copy. I can’t believe the shit I had to go through just to get a copy of this long-awaited book. Hell, it’s been 3 years. Three-fuckin-years. If that isn’t dedication, I don’t know what is. I had to resort to lying and cheating and a beating from my mother just so I could buy this. Gawd. Good thing I didn’t pay attention to that cheesy book trailer they posted on the Dark Hunter site.

>
(Notice how this dude is TOTALLY NOT Acheron.)

I don’t usually like reading vampire novels that doesn’t have the name Anne Rice emblazoned all over the cover. Until Piwi introduced me to that hot piece of Roman ass, Valerius (Seize the Night), I was sort of used to debauch bisexual vampires from France. At first, I would admit that I scoffed at it but Piwi reassured me that it was witty and the protagonist is hot. She got me at hot. Also, I would imagine that Valerius looked like Rodrigo Santoro.

Rodrigo: A Dream

It was my point of no return. I was hooked.

Piwi and I would read every Dark Hunter novel that came out. And in all of those novels, one guy would always stand out. Their leader, Acheron Parthenopaeus. He would always be described as that tall, sexy guy with long dark hair and strange, swirling eyes. He was witty, mysterious and ultra-powerful. He was a bad ass but he was also compassionate and kind. He loved his little deranged demon, small children and he liked riding around on his bike. He liked drinking beer but he doesn’t like to eat. He always saves the day.

Artemis once described him as:

He had been built to please, and trained to pleasure. Everything about him from the sleek muscles that rippled to the deep, erotic timber in his voice seduced anyone who came into contact with him.

Like a lethal wild animal, he moved with a primal promise of danger and masculine power. With the promise of supreme sexual fulfillment.

(### They went overboard with this but what the hell, let’s just go with it)

Ash’s book was a thrill to read because it was divided into two parts: The past and the present. It pleased me that I don’t have to put up with those annoying flashbacks in every few pages. That sort of writing just makes me dizzy. Plus, it made me understand Acheron’s past more clearly. The Dude is 11,000 years old, the first few thousand years of his life should be presented to the public--- no matter how brutal and degrading it was. And no matter how depressing. If you think you had it bad, try reading the first part of Acheron’s book and you’d think your life is one giant wonderland. His clearly isn’t.

(SPOILERS!)

Some readers were rather uncomfortable about the detailed portrayal of Ash’s past (esp. allusions to giving someone a blowjob) but it couldn’t be helped. He was a whore so it goes without saying and it’s expected of him. It didn’t faze me that much. Rice’s Vampire Armand pretty much numbed me. Acheron’s life is full of pain and suffering. If you think it couldn’t get any worse, it will. His real father wanted to kill him when he was a baby that he had to be hidden in the human realm; He was made into some sort of a whipping boy; He was given away and turned into a whore. When he finally fell in love, his heart chose a selfish goddess who won’t even dare to acknowledge him in public. Yeah, Acheron’s life is no glitters and stardust. The only good thing in his life is his sister, Ryssa. She loved him unconditionally, but at times, it even turns out badly.

It also didn’t help that he was so beautiful everybody wanted a piece of him. He never had normal relationships…except for his nephew---who got killed eventually, along with his sister, Ryssa. Who was also not immune to Ash’s amazing sex appeal. As if this wasn’t enough, he was also castrated. Unfortunately, he didn’t die. Apollo did the honors for him and it wasn’t pretty. Artemis, the heifer-bitch-goddess disappointed me. Again. Why I keep on hoping that she would redeem herself just once is beyond me. Artemis was a selfish bitch who has insecurity issues and no backbone to speak of. It was a good thing she didn’t end up being Ash’s heroine. That would be too much. I might end up hating Acheron because, really, how stupid can one get? One lifetime’s okay, but two? Artemis kept saying she loved him. Everytime she does I keep imagining my fist buried in her mouth.

Good thing it turned out that he actually had a mother. She wasn’t normal either but she loved him so much. So much, in fact, that she sank Atlantis and brought on the Dark Ages when she found out that her beloved son had died. Frankly, this is the part where I almost licked my lips in satisfaction. Forget the naked Ash part (although that was good too), a good revenge always turns me on. The only thing that saddens me is that Ash finally found someone who would touch him with all the love in the world without lust or malice and yet, he couldn’t. One hug from his mother could bring on the end of the world.

Irony’s a bitch.

Onward, 2008…

We now know Ash as the sexy, powerful god who leads the Dark-Hunters. His past was kept a secret and the ones who knew him from before was, luckily, all tight-lipped. Thank the Source that Savitar is no Perez Hilton. Ash finally had friends and was more aware of his powers. He found a place where he belonged but since his past is deeply ingrained in him, he was, at times, still isolated. He was wise and he believed in the power of love, having seen it on several of his Dark Hunters whom he had freed. He believed in it, he just didn’t expect it to happen to him.

Until he met Tori.

Tori was described as tall with beautiful hair. But that’s about it. She was plain looking, a direct contrast from that evil bitch Artemis, who is stunning. But Tori had grit---and a hammer she wasn’t afraid to throw.

Grit would always trump beauty anytime. I’d like to think so.

Anyway, the first time Tori met Ash, he was an asshole. But we couldn’t really blame him. Tori had discovered Ash’s deepest, darkest secret: in the form of Ryssa’s diary. Hale and whole but written in Atlantean. Good thing that nobody from Atlantis is running around the New Orleans street except for our delectable hero. Aside from the fact that he would be exposed, discovering Atlantis would also be a bit of a problem since it can bloody well end the world.

So a dude’s got to do what a dude’s got to do: Discredit the smart lady.

But Ash was mistaken if he thought the lady would just forget about Atlantis. He didn’t take into consideration the determination of a woman who wants to clear her family name from being labeled as a bunch of loons for trying to locate the sunken city. He then finally decided to employ the adage from Art of War: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

As their individual quests goes on, they got to know more about each other and both found out the other wasn’t always what they seemed. Tori, despite looking mousy and rather plain was a daredevil by heart and Ash, despite his forbidding persona, is nothing but a marshmallow inside. Together, they make a nice contrast and theirs was a love unexpected but nonetheless welcomed, if not immediately. ^_^

Kenyon picked the perfect heroine for Ash. Well, almost perfect. There were times when I just want to drop kick Tori. Those times were when she keeps harping on about Ash not understanding humiliation and such. Sure, she didn’t know anything about Ash’s past but that doesn’t give her the right to assume she had the worst of it. As they say, there are worse things.

“It’s easy to look at people and make quick judgments about them, their present and their pasts, but you’d be amazed at the pain and tears a single smile hides. What a person shows to the world is only one tiny facet of the iceberg hidden from sight. And more often than not, it’s lined with cracks and scars that go all the way to the foundation of their soul.”

Unlike Artemis though, Tori redeemed herself. When she fell for Ash, she fell wholeheartedly. Past be damned. If anything, it made her love him all the more and you feel triumphant for Ash, that finally, somebody loved him for who and what he was and what he is. It was heart wrenching when he keeps on expecting her to reject him or be repelled by him and she, in turn, never cease to surprise him.

Artemis, as expected, didn’t help any. If anything, she made it difficult. But she had her comeuppance and in my opinion, she had finally seen the light. Or at least, a small sliver of it. I’d like to think Artemis had realized how important Ash was to her.

As far as I’m concerned, I absolutely loathed waiting for this book. It tried my patience but on finally reading it, it was worth it. I didn’t have ay expectations, to be honest, because that would just add another irritation in my life. I gave up two days and one night of Arki review so I could read Acheron. I was glad the Big Dude finally got his happy ending. He deserved it. For all the sufferings, the heartaches and the pain, he deserved Tori. I admit I keep comparing him to Lestat, my original fanged hero, but the two is as similar as North and South. Where Lestat is arrogant, Ash is humble. Both are powerful but their powers are used for different reasons. If that were Lestat in place of Ash in Artemis’ temple, God help the bitch goddess…she’s going to be gutted and toasted while Lestat dance a waltz over her entrails.

Hmmm…Should I try writing Ms. Rice and Ms. Kenyon?

The final line of the book is interesting though.

Artemis: "Would you be my friend, Nicholas? I promise you, you won't regret it."

Does this mean some sort of a relationship would start between Nick and Artemis? Will he be Ash No.2 or what?

I love speculations and such but this is turning out to be a novel in itself if I don’t stop yammering. This isn’t much of a review anyway despite the long ass post. I was just relieving my spleen.

Anyway, toodles!

Please Adopt Keanu!

Dear Kee,

Keanu, dude, I knew you were heartbroken and all when we broke up but sincerely, you have got to move on. And start shaving again. Just because it didn't work out between us that doesn't mean you should morph into some sort of a homeless/hermit/hobo. When was the last time have you had a bath? Bought clothes? You were raking in millions just from Speed alone, not to mention The Matrix franchise. What happened to your money?

Would you like me to recommend you a less expensive hairstylist if you're that strapped for cash? I know a gay beautician who does haircuts for 40pesos with blow drying and hair ironing. With your looks, he might not even charge you for a shave. Or for a bath, for that matter. Of course, it's located in one of the most dangerous barangays in Bacolod but that wouldn't matter, right? I mean, hell, you're Neo, The One, you know 200 or more kung-fu moves, surely you could beat up those homicidal junkies with bloodshot eyes should the need arise.

How do I know what's going on in your life, you ask. Well, there's the internet. I've seen some of your photos and I'm not happy about it.

Perhaps, if you take a good look at these, you would realize that you are morphing into a primate.

Evidence #1: I don't know how to even begin describing this. Have you spent a week in an Al Qaeda training camp? I want to strangle you with that horrible scarf.

Evidence#2: If you're going to have a damned coffee-to-go, you don't have to bring both the goddamned cup and saucer. I believe there are such a thing as a Styrofoam cups. Or a small thermos.

Evidence #3: God, there are such things as TABLES! Are you not allowed inside the coffee shop? Can't blame them. You need a bath, Theodore!

Evidence #4: OMG! You are sleeping on the pavement...WTF? You drive a vintage Porsche and you own at least 2 Norton Commandos and yet, you can't afford a house? Even a room?

Let's take a closer look, shall we...

Those boots are horrible! Burn them!


Evidence #5: Is that you, Judas Iscariot? Would you like to use your 30 pieces of silver for a bath and a shave?
(The background is badass, dude!)

Evidence #6: If you think throwing up at the side of the road would bring me back to your arms for a sweet reconciliation, think again. I love you, but this just doesn't cut it.

Evidence #7: What, is that gesture for me? Do that again and I'll break all your fingers. That belligerent attitude would get you nowhere. Besides, Lola won't approve. She won't read a Novena for you.

Evidence #8: What are you doing gallivanting in the middle of the road without your shoes on? Are you crazy? You might splinter your feet or something. Get a flip-flop, at least!

Evidence #9: Kee, pay attention: There is NO such thing as hobo chic.

Evidence #10: Is that shoe your new girlfriend? You take it everywhere and it looks horrible.

You used to look like this, remember? Don't you miss this face?
Please, do NOT fight the hotness.

With All My Love,

Pines

FOOTNOTE:

The images that started the goddamned gay rumors...

These are some publicity shots for some damned theater production that Keanu starred in when he was younger. I forgot the name because, well, who cared about it? It's probably crap anyway. Like Chain Reaction---an awful waste of the brilliantness that is Morgan Freeman.