Puff Pieces by Adrian: May 2014

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Anchorman II Oscar snub, L.A. Ninja Rewrite: Update

Ok, so I noticed that these stupid puff pieces are turning into random update posts on bullshit that only I care about. Oh well, so be it –I’m still not changing the name of this blog, so you guys can stop asking.

I noticed that the brilliant minds over at “The Academy” have chosen to snub Anchorman II for any nominations in any category. I won’t say much about it because I’m really not surprised, given their history. Noted exceptions: Under Siege and Con Air –both of these awesome movies should have won Oscars. It’s too bad about that. The Oscar should have gone to you boys over on the Anchorman set.

Anyways, aside from that, while we were recently out and about in this huge small town I call San Diego, we found ourselves at this place called Seaport Village. As far as tourist attractions go, I guess it is one, but we don’t care. We just go there because sometimes there is nothing better to do. Why else does anyone go anywhere?

So while we were there, this guy set up in the courtyard and no shit started playing the flute. He even went as far as sending the sounds through an amplifier and speakers so that people a hundred yards could hear the joyous groove. Now, I hate to be offensive to people I don’t know, but this guy was a total loser. We were laughing, cause, well, you know, we are the cool kids, and we’ve always been the cool kids. Laughing at losers is just what we do. Anyways, to paint an accurate picture, this wasn’t just one of the regular hobos off the street setting up next to a hat for handouts. This guy had equipment for his soundtracks that he played along with, and he had a poster of himself, wearing some hippie white gown while he sat on a chair. Haha, I’m laughing right now thinking of it.

I of course thought of Ron Burgundy. There was no doubt that he inspired Ron Burgundy’s flute scene in Anchorman I. It had to be because this guy epitomized the vibe that Ronny gave off in his infamous table stomping scene. I can just picture the guys from the Anchorman crew hanging out at SeaPort Village and coming across this guy and deciding to write that in somehow. Tell me I’m wrong.

We all had a good laugh. Enough of that drivel though. I’m about two or three chapters away from finishing LA Ninja II. It will be quite the accomplishment for me, and I gotta say, I’m very happy with it. My style of writing just continues to change and evolve, and because of that, I’ve never been more sure that it will require me to edit LA Ninja I. So now that’s on my plate. Ugh, so much work to do!

Aside from that, the good people at the Latina Book Club have put PUMPS on the list of best books of 2013! I honestly have been blown away by this measure of recognition for anything that I’ve created. I wish I could buy that entire organization lunch, and not some cheap Arby’s lunch either, I’m talking lobster salad, filet mignon, caviar, or whatever else the fancies eat at the Chez Snooty’s of the world. Fine dining! But alas, I am but a humble servant of humanity with a meager budget. If I ever get to Manhattan, it will be Arby’s on me for the good people at the Latina Book Club.

I hope that others will find the same kind of appreciation and enthusiasm for PUMPS that the LBC found. So far there are a few reviews in on Amazon, and they are both good. I’m extremely thrilled by that news, and I would be lying if I didn’t admit that news like that keeps me motivated to keep writing. I’ll end this

Revolution of the Soul. A Mission Statement.

I am by default, and through no fault of my own, different. I’m not out cruising the boulevard on the weekends, blasting oldies-but-goodies with the homies. I am also not listening to rock en Espanol, speaking in Spanish-only with my friends. I could fit into either stereotype perfectly though, and to an outsider, I probably appear to be from either or both worlds. I have brown skin, which is pretty much all it takes. It’s not that simple though, as others like me surely understand. I speak some Spanish but I also speak perfect English. I went to college. I love hamburgers and fries, and hip-hop, and alternative music. I have simply integrated into American culture from the start, because I was born here, and because I wanted to.

I’m glad that I’m not still stuck in Mexico somewhere, growing up a third world existence, which statistically would have been the case, had my familia never come here. But I am glad to have come from a country and peoples with such a rich and vibrant history. There are many reasons having such a heritage is a good thing, and I am proud to be a part of it. I am glad to have been born here in America, and happy to be part of this system. I’m happier yet that I didn’t grow up as a cholo gang-banging, tagger, too-cool-for school type of guy, even though I’ve had plenty of chances, given my surroundings. That subculture is not all bad either, depending on the level of involvement and the choices one makes. In other words, you can look the part without being a thug, or a social, or immigrant, or anything else, que no? This is true of all life.

So even though I am different, I am by no means alone, and I know this. The problem for me is that I’m not seeing enough representation out there in the media. I’m not seeing a lot of works written, or filmed, for people like me. It annoys me, too, for a lot of political reasons, because our image is grossly misrepresented. Sure the gangbanger cholos are fun to include in film, because violence sells. However, that only perpetuates a false image. These days, it seems as though everyone in this country sees us either as cholos or as immigrants that refuse to assimilate, legal or not. This angers me because we are so many different things including a multitude of diversity within our own subculture. It’s pretty frickin’ beautiful, if everyone only knew…

Either way, I decided to make the changes I wanted to see, on my own. I’m writing stories for me, for you, and for everyone else, and my main characters are all Latino, and not just Mexican-Latino either. My stories are not about quinceaneras or growing up as a pocho in high school. They are not about crossing the border, or starting any revolutions. The only revolution I write about is the Revolution of the Soul. My stories are meant to entertain and inspire people, and hopefully many of you will relate to them in one way or another, and see yourselves there in them, wherever that may be.