Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Overlooked Talent of Alex O'Loughlin

by carol

Alex O’Loughlin is a man of many talents and fine qualities. There is much to admire about my favorite actor but there is one attribute I admit I admire above all his others … the man can hang onto a pair of sunglasses.

Like the single sock that never comes out of the dryer, sunglasses have a habit of disappearing … or rather, being abandoned by their owners. Left behind in restaurants, laying on your car roof as you drive off, or falling out of your backpack, sunglasses seem to have a limited lifespan.

There is also a theory that the more expensive the sunglasses, the shorter the time you can expect them to not get lost or broken. Fans have priced a variety of sunglasses worn by Alex in the past and they are not cheap. Yet I have photographic proof that Alex has hung onto the same pair for almost two years.
While the rest of us resort to shoelace neck cords or beaded spectacle straps, Alex casually hangs his sunglasses on his shirt, looking cool and debonair. What’s left to say?  Well, he looks good in hats too.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Quick "fix" if You're Jonesing for Hawaii Five-0 - Week #2

By Pam

There’s still one more week before we see a new episode of Hawaii Five-0 *sigh*.  Here are15 more things you might want to do to ease the pain.

16. Trade the computer you got for Christmas for a Hello Kitty laptop.
17. Send all your friends a picture postcard from New Jersey.
18. Buy a shaved ice machine (on sale for $34.95, regularly $59.95).
19.  Go out for drinks with a friend and forget your wallet.
20. Call your Governor.
21. Have a luau (indoors, if it’s snowing).
22. Visit your County Jail.
23. Mow the lawn and fashion the clippings into a grass skirt.
24. Wear flip-flops/thongs/slippers everywhere.
25. Order a Blue Hawaii when you go out for dinner.
26. Buy a can of Spam (you don’t necessarily have to eat it).
27. Dust your house for fingerprints (get creative with your method).
28. Sleep on your fold out couch.
29. Buy a 6 pack of Longboard Beer.
30. Convince your friends to download the Hawaii Five-0 ringtone and all play it at once.

If none of the 30 in total suggestions work, and your addiction to Hawaii Five-0 is so bad you can’t function without a new episode, go to your nearest hospital and tell them you think you have CBS (Chronic Boredom Syndrome).  I’ve heard the only known cure is a large dose of WTF5-0.


Good luck all!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas Is Every Day


by carol

The gifts already underneath my Christmas tree:
  • the hugs, kisses, and giggles I’ll share with the beautiful children in my life;
  • a loving mother who lets me feel like a child when I need to;
  • family standing ever-ready to give support and love;
  • friends with so much caring I call them my family;
  • the animals, those who live in our homes with us and those who live wild and free;
  • a home where I am comfortable and feel safe;
  • work that is so satisfying I can’t believe I get paid to do it;
  • challenges every day - some to win and some to lose, all with a lesson to teach me;
  • a world, damaged and in pain, but still filled with hope and people trying to do what’s right.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Our Quick "fix" if You're Jonesing for Hawaii Five-0 - Week #1

By Pam


If you're jonesin’ for a new episode of Hawaii Five-0, and your withdrawal symptoms are becoming unmanageable, here are 15 things you might do to ease the pain this week.

Photobucket  1. Make a pineapple and ham pizza.
  2. Ask your local police if you can take a ride in a squad car and argue.
  3. Google West Orange, New Jersey.
  4. Buy an artificial palm tree for your living room.
  5. Take a trip to your nearest Army-Navy store and try on stuff.
  6. Get a tattoo.
  7. Wear a tie to work.
  8. Practice talking with your hands while arguing.
  9. Tackle your neighbor as he’s walking to his car.
10. Test drive a Chevy Camaro.
11. Order a Kevlar vest online.
12. Sign up for a Mixed Martial Arts class (men, make sure you wear a cup).
13. Take ukulele lessons.
14. Do a needlepoint of the Navy SEALs emblem.
15. Learn to speak pidgin.

More suggestions next week.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Alex O'Loughlin Comes With Death Benefits

By Pam

PuddinKitty and IHEARTTHATGUY were kind enough to share with us the most unique plan we have ever heard of.*

In their devotion to Alex O’Loughlin, they have created a deathbed wish list. It will somehow be communicated to Alex, and he, of course, will feel it would be something he is obliged to fulfill. At the time of an imminent demise, the un-dying one would summon Alex to the bedside. Alex, being the compassionate person they so love him for being, would drop everything and catch the next plane out. The un-dying would bear witness and be sworn to secrecy. The Back-up Plan soundtrack will be playing softly in the background.
These are the last wishes of PuddinKitty or IHEARTTHATGUY (whoever dies first). It is with the deepest respect for the dying that we request Alex O’Loughlin (the actor) to:

 1. Come to my deathbed shirtless and sweaty.
 2. Speak to me in his low, sultry, sexy Mick St. John voice.
 3. Tell me what Nina Tassler whispered to him at the upfronts.
 4. Reveal what he did between the ages of 15 and 20, known as “the lost years.”
 5. Divulge if he was shaved or waxed for the movie Feed.
 6. Tell me he remembers each of the 2,000 cards and letters I have sent him over the years.
 7. Tell me that every Christmas he still wears the Santa/Rudolph penis cozy I crocheted for him in 2007.
 8. Spoon-feed me my last Jell-O cup.
 9. Serenade me with his guitar and sing Monkey Magic as I start to fade.
10. Kiss me on the lips and promise he will think of me every day for the rest of his life.
11. Give the survivor his personal cell phone number (to stay in touch) and his recipe for meatballs.
In anticipation, knowing that either one of us could succumb to a fatal disease or get hit by a bus at any moment, we have vowed to look our best for Alex at all times.
Well, how very interesting. We offer our condolences in advance.

Oh…and ladies, I’d watch your backs if I were you. I hear Alex’s meatballs are "killer."


*PuddinKitty and IHEARTTHATGUY are fictitious screen names. Any similarity to real screen names is strictly coincidental.  I made all this up.  Sheesh....who would really do something nutty like this?

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Fans, Friendships and Frauds

By Pam

A lot of people join fan forums to make a connection with those of like minds and interests. Some join just out of loneliness, hoping to find a more personal, intimate connection. For whatever reason, these people are really not your best friends, or “sisters/brothers.” You don't know anything about them, other than their thoughts posted in a forum. "Mindy1982" could be 16 year old Anthony from the Bronx. "Puddinkitty" could be a student doing a study on gullibility.  "IHEARTTHATGUY" could be a person with mental issues, playing with whoever will take the bait...sucking you in. "IamMe" could be someone who has the need to control someone else.

It amazes me that complete strangers who have never spoken feel close enough to one another to trust each other explicitly. From what I've seen, and mind you I have only had a taste of fan forums for three years, any one of those "sisters/brothers" will throw the other one under the bus should the occasion arise. You're only a sister/brother if you agree with all the other ones. Once you decide to have your own thoughts, or deviate from the majority, you're no longer a sister/brother in solidarity. You have broken from the fold and will most likely be ignored, or your posts will be buried. Might as well stick your head in the oven. Your life is over as you've known it. Pity that you'll be talked about, rather rabidly, in PMs. It's unconscionable how some people are treated just for having a differing opinion.

Bottom line, don't be a lemming or a minion. They get no respect in life. Stay away from the "mean girls." They give no respect. If you must attach yourself to someone, choose that person wisely. Don't just jump on the first person who tells you you're awesome. Take the time to read posts and seek out the person with your own sensibilities. Also, try to find the "smartest" person and see whose posts s/he comments on the most. They would be the ones to follow. Don't be afraid to express your own thoughts. You may need to test the waters on several fan forums before you find the one that suits you. Remember, be careful, but have fun. Once the fun stops for you, consider finding another hobby.

I'm one of the lucky ones. I did find someone on a fan forum that has become a terrific long distance friend. Without her, there would be no O'Laughing Press. She's Carol, my writing partner and confidant.

I wish everyone could be so lucky.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Anti-heroes come in different shades of gray

by carol

So, who doesn’t want to play the Hero?  The Hero gets to be the winner, the character everyone admires and praises who triumphs over badness.  He/She gets rewarded and usually winds up with the girl (or guy).  Epic ballads are written about the Hero.  Great gig, right? Heroes embody the forces of good and everyone cheers as they overcome great odds to succeed in the story.

Alex O’Loughlin: “I’m not very good at playing the hero; I play an anti-hero really well.”
The distinction between an Anti-hero and a Villain may not be clear to an audience. And that is the element that makes the story more than a simple tale of Heroes and Villains. Within the character of the Anti-hero you may find some of the qualities of a Villain, up to and including brutality, cynicism, and ruthlessness, but with the soul or motivations of a more conventional Hero. They always possess an underlying pathos.  Often riddled with paradoxical traits and qualities, they resemble real people more than any other type of fictional characters do.

An Anti-hero is often unorthodox and might flaunt laws or act in ways contrary to society’s standards. In fact, and this is important, the Anti-hero often reflects society’s confusion and ambivalence about morality, so the writer can use this flawed character for social or political comment.

An Anti-hero can be a bad ass, a maverick, or a screw-up. Anti-heroes may be obnoxious, pitiful, or charming, but they are always failed heroes or deeply flawed. The writer uses the story events to make the Anti-hero understandable.  The audience comes to know his motivations and inner demons.

And audiences often come to love these characters because they are realistic and relatable—just like the people in real life, they’re imperfect and roiling with contradictions. It takes talent to create an Anti-hero because this character requires a great deal of nuance to arouse complicated reactions in the audience.

Who are the modern Anti-heroes?  Travis Bickle in “Taxi Driver.”  Vic Mackey in “The Shield.”  Dexter Morgan in “Dexter.”  Tony Montana in “Scarface.”  Rick Deckard, and Roy as well, in “Blade Runner.”


 O'Loughlin as Vincent Rowlings in "Criminal Minds."

ALEX O’LOUGHLIN:  “None of us are just purely benevolent or malevolent.  I mean, it’s not possible in human nature … the more flaw you bring to a character or the more balance you give your character with flaw, the closer that character moves towards everyman, you know.  And if that character is an everyman, then we can all sit back and relate to them like we can’t relate to a superhero.”