Hippocratic Oaf's Open Salon Blog

The Tom Cruise Conundrum

Thu, 5 Jul 2012 19:07:13 -0400

A search using "Tom Cruise" revealed only 2 recent posts on Open Salon. Allow me to make it 3. :)

News of Katie Holmes filing for divorce has once again thrust him in the spotlight. What transpires over the next few months is anyone's guess, but the shocking turn of events once again makes me contemplate this enigmatic man.

Many will no doubt scoff. After all, Cruise has always embraced - even courted - media attention. His effusiveness occasionally attracts ridicule, but he never gives a boring interview.

I've followed his career for decades, from The Outsiders, Top Gun and A Few Good Men to Mission: Impossible, Jerry Maguire and Valkyrie.

Somewhere along the way, his ties with Scientology began to take an ugly turn. This spiked in 2008 following the release of Andrew Morton's unflattering and unauthorized biography, which not only poked fun at the secretive group's activities, but also included interviews with high school friends who labelled him a cold-hearted hypocrite.

The effect was strong enough to make me boycott Cruise's films for a couple of years, but as he slowly made amends, I finally decided to forgive his past transgressions and ended up watching Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol twice at the cineplex.

News of the split affected me significantly, for reasons I can't quite explain. Yes, feel free to scoff again if you like. Celebrities and their volatile love lives, bah! Tom Cruise must be gay! etc.

A few years ago, I would've joined the ranks who enjoy having a field day with his assorted troubles. Now, as I read the countless jokes and insults posted on the Internet, I can't help feeling sorry for the guy.

He turned 50 just a few days after the scandal broke. Forbes named him the top-earning Hollywood actor for 2011/12, buoyed by MI4's tremendous box-office success. And yet, his starlet wife is leaving him and fighting for sole custody of his only biological child.

That, plus the couch-jumping Oprah interview, which will haunt him forever.

Ouch.

Cruise has always been known to be meticulous where image is concerned. He works hard, is impeccably nice to everyone, and rarely preaches his beliefs in public. His devotion to fans is unprecedented - 2-hour autograph sessions are the norm - and his insistence on forgoing stunt doubles is widely praised.

I, for one, watched MI4 twice because I just couldn't wrap my head around the jaw-dropping Burj Khalifa scene.

So I wonder why someone so accomplished, rich and famous needs to shop around for a willing partner. There were rumors of a 5-year marriage contract being presented to Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson, both of whom sensibly declined. Penelope Cruz supposedly fled as a result of the Scientology Church's meddling. And even star-struck Holmes called it a day after 6 years.

Are Cruise's minders giving him bad advice, or is he making these dumb decisions on his own? Would marrying a fellow Scientologist bring him the happiness he seeks?

A lot may depend on how the divorce pans out. Holmes or "inside sources" may reveal unsavoury details, and if the court grants her sole custody of Suri, Cruise's reputation may never recover.

My humble advice: stay single, or if you absolutely can't manage that, then for pete's sake, marry a Scientologist.

The Tipping Point

Wed, 4 Jul 2012 08:07:54 -0400

After 13 years of medical practice, I've experienced at least 5 major burnouts, most within the past 5 years.

As a resident, I worked longer hours, had fewer days off and had to cram for tests or exams during each new rotation. Somehow, I survived without suffering a meltdown.

2 years ago, I finally became an attending, with a roster which mandates 2 days off per week, slightly shorter shifts, and ( hopefully ) no exams ever again.

And yet, I have never felt more exhausted.

Does age have something to do with it? Definitely - my newly sprouted strands of white hair are proof of that.

Are other factors responsible? If you count additional "attending" duties such as teaching, administration and research - most of which occur outside clinical hours - then the answer is yes.

Plus, the practice of medicine is constantly evolving. So even though my shifts don't last as long, the ever-increasing patient loads and myriad protocols effectively turn my brain to mush.

In answer to the 3 questions asked in the Open Call:

I'm too busy for my own good.

I don't think I've deluded myself - so far.

But I'm certainly re-evaluating my priorities.

In 2010, someone from my clinical group at medical school passed away from aggressive stomach cancer. He was 35.

I'd bumped into him just a couple of months earlier, jogging at a park with his wife. We hadn't seen each other for years, and stopped to chat for 10 minutes.

He told me about his 3-year-old son and how he was looking for a new home after a recent promotion. We made plans to meet up for dinner sometime.

I never heard from him after that, and naturally shrugged it off. Like me, he was an attending at a busy hospital. Dinner would have to wait.

The next time I saw him, I was standing beside his casket at the wake.

Hundreds turned up to pay their respects. He was - and always will be - one of the best people we have ever known, and no-one could come to terms with why such a tragedy was allowed to occur.

My religious beliefs have taught me not to question God's intentions, but what I did question was my own mortality. My friend was perfectly healthy before his diagnosis. Any one of us could be next.

This July marks the 2nd anniversary of his death, and while I continue to slog in a job I don't entirely enjoy, I also realize how blessed I am in so many other ways.

Perhaps the most profound effect my friend's passing has had on me is the constant reminder to live my life as fully as possible, no matter how busy I may be.

Travel, theatre, music, books, film, television, writing, food, good conversation... things I used to take for granted and neglected are now permanent fixtures in my existence.

Even at work, I manage to discover memorable moments everyday - a beautiful sunset, a hilarious joke a patient told me, and of course, every precious life saved on my watch.

I'm still tired as hell, but every night, I go to sleep with a big smile on my face.

My friend may have left us too early, but I hope he knows how much he's missed, and how deeply he's touched us.

My Love-Hate Relationship With American Idol

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:05:32 -0400

My American Idol journey had a rocky start - 2003: the year Ruben Studdard beat my favorite contestant, Clay Aiken, by a mere 0.6% of the total 24 million votes cast.

But like millions of viewers all over the world, I kept tuning in to each new season, and before I knew it, 10 years had passed.

There've been many ups and downs - Fantasia and Jordin Sparks bored me, and Adam Lambert was clearly robbed of a title he so obviously deserved. Winner Taylor Hicks - a personal fave - went nowhere in spite of an impressive 6% lead over Katharine McPhee, while runner-up David Archuleta's career appears to have stalled a mere 4 years after an impressive debut.

I lost interest in 2011, when teens belting country songs hogged the top spots.

And somehow, I was back in front of the TV in January, when audition rounds for season 11 began yet again.

There've been a few shakeups over the years - reshuffling of judges, different show and voting formats - but the basic framework remains. Granted, I missed Simon Cowell's acerbic comments in early season 10, but quickly recovered when it became clear that watching people get hurt didn't add that much to my enjoyment.

Steven Tyler's initial kooky charm wore off this time round ( especially after he took off his pants in one episode, gah! ), and Jennifer Lopez needs a hearing aid if she finds it necessary to scream into her microphone during critiques.

2012, therefore, was truly the year the contestants shone.

It's been a while since the Top 10 group showed so much promise, and the teen set held their own against older and considerably more experienced contenders.

Jessica Sanchez may be the runner-up, but she is, in my opinion, the best female contestant in the competition's history.

Joshua Ledet joins her in the powerhouse category, and Hollie Cavanagh showed tremendous improvement these past few months, beating the likes of Skylar Laine and Colton Dixon.

But it is Phillip Phillips, the unassuming, down-to-earth 21-year-old who rebuffed Tommy Hilfiger's advice to stop wearing grey T-shirts, who emerged the victor.

I've been watching Phillip closely since his first performance with the top 24. And I'm sure many will agree that he isn't the best singer on the show. Neither is he the best-looking nor the most charming. If you check the video clips of Ryan Seacrest reading out phone number and text message information for each contestant after the judges' comments, Phillip is the only one who doesn't mug for the camera. He just stands there with his guitar, or with his hands stuffed into his pockets, looking uncomfortable.

For some reason, this resonated with viewers and the votes kept pouring in. Phillip is the only person from season 11 who's never been in the bottom 3. At one point, I started to worry because every song he performed started to sound alike. And yet, he stayed safe, week after week.

But last week, there was a turning point. Jimmy Iovine picked We've Got Tonight for Phillip, and timed it perfectly ( top 3, final song of the night ). And that was the moment I knew he would win.

And just when we thought he was impermeable to any form of corny emotion, he broke down halfway through an encore performance of Home at the finale, running down to his parents for comfort.

Such surprises have been missing from American Idol for far too long, and it's great to have them back. Phillip and Jessica still have to prove themselves in the cut-throat music industry, but they've done a lot to revive a fading reality show which is facing stiff competition from the equally entertaining The Voice.

Good luck to you both, and I'll definitely be back next year when the auditions air. :)

Fifty Shades Of Grey And Other Hype By-Products

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:05:30 -0400

Hype ( noun ):

1. exaggerated publicity; hoopla.

2.an ingenious or questionable claim, method, etc., used in advertising, promotion, or publicity to intensify the effect.

3. a swindle, deception, or trick.

[ taken from www.dictionary.com ]

I'm currently on page 350 of EL James' novel, joining millions of others who follow the sexual adventures of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey.

Before this, I had never heard of FanFiction.net, and didn't know a single person who'd read the Fifty Shades trilogy ( I don't live in the U.S. or the U.K. ).

Interestingly enough, I came across it in a recent issue of Time - aka one of the publishing industry's more reputable, "serious" magazines - in which editor-at-large, Belinda Luscombe, discussed the Fifty Shades phenomenon with a mixture of disdain and resignation.

I don't think she'll be pleased by the fact that I bought all 3 books the very next day. :)

So far, I concur with Ms. Luscombe's critique of James' repetitive and relatively unimaginative literary style ( suggestion for a drinking game: down a shot every time you see the words "oh my", "holy hell", "inner goddess" and "release" ).

But I'm still reading. Late into the night.

Romance novels are not my thing. Sure, I pick one up occasionally, but haven't done so since ploughing through the Twilight series in 2008. Hmm, that was triggered by media hype too. Dammit.

That said, I also consider myself familiar with the genre, counting Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood and even ( ahem ) Barbara Cartland on my list of favourites.

Plus, I used to sneak my mom's copies of Sidney Sheldon, Jackie Collins and Harold Robbins novels into my room when I was a kid. Though whether those can be classified under "romance" is open to debate.

James' writing pales in comparison to these well-established authors, but she is already poised for superstardom, thanks to a movie deal and more hype surrounding the casting of Anastasia and Christian.

Which makes me wonder - is this the future of literature?

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight novels are angst-ridden, mopey tales but struck a chord with teenage girls who made it their mission to turn the bestsellers into billion-dollar box-office blockbusters.

Against my better judgment, I sat through all four films, snoring through Eclipse and cursing with disappointment at the watered-down childbirth scene, at the same time thinking: If I had a young daughter, I wouldn't want her reading or watching this drivel.

Word of mouth is a powerful force. Far more persuasive than the most respected critic's assessment, and often with much more lucrative results.

The upside: teenage girls and older women are now as prized as their young male counterparts, with Hollywood moguls wooing female hearts and purses with film adaptations of their most beloved novels.

Not so great: mediocre works of fiction hogging bestseller lists; children obsessing about vampires and werewolves; all forms of media propagating the cycle further, while more deserving writers languish in the shadow.

Hype, unfortunately, is like an infectious disease. It starts insidiously, spreads exponentially, and hits you when you least expect it. Preventive measures won't offer complete protection, and sometimes you just have to ride it out and hope you survive.

So yes, I will finish the Fifty Shades trilogy, after which I will atone for my sins by focusing my attention on "proper reading material".

In the meantime, I intend to enjoy my moment of frivolity, and hope that the stars will align and place Ryan Gosling in the Christian Grey role.

It never hurts to dream a little. :)

Writer's Block

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 09:02:52 -0500

It's been a month since my last entry at Open Salon, for a number of reasons - work, family, writer's block ( though I don't officially consider myself a writer ), more work...

After deciding a few months ago to take my blogging efforts more seriously, I've come to realize that the road ahead of me is long; that Blogger is nothing compared to the standards at Open Salon; that constructing a coherent short story, never mind a full-length novel, causes insomnia and the occasional bout of angina.

How on earth do professional writers do it?!

Poring over numerous articles to get writing tips has proven both useful and frustrating. On one hand, I'm grateful for the many writing exercises suggested ( particularly those that claim to overcome writer's block ); on the other, it seems doing these same exercises won't get anyone very far if they end up ignoring their writing projects.

So far, here's what I've learned from the experts:

1) Write what you know - in my case, medicine, or more specifically, emergency medicine.

2) Write every single day, even if it's only for 10 minutes - sounds good on paper, but daily routines are near impossible for me, and 10 minutes probably won't get me beyond one sentence.

3) Write anywhere, anytime - quite do-able, since I'm typing this during a lull in the ER. :)

4) Join a writers' support group / online community - something worth considering, though most people I know describe me as a 'solitary creature'.

5) Never give up on your dream - excellent advice, but takes superhuman strength to sustain.

The main difference between writing as a hobby versus as a potential career is the end-point: a deadline, a word count quota, making sure your work focuses on the reader rather than yourself.

That last point is proving to be the most difficult obstacle to overcome. My blogs attract their fair share of readers, but I don't always put their interests first, preferring to rant and rave about subjects of my own selfish choosing.

Perhaps this works for some writers whose most intimate details are appealing to the masses ( celebrities ), or whose skills with the written word are reward enough.

I don't fall into either group, so I've got my work cut out for me.

And what's the best angle for any budding author hoping to break into the mass market? I could take a successful formula and try to modify it, but somehow that feels like selling out.

The good news is, the short story idea hasn't faded into oblivion. I've got a pretty clear plotline and characters mapped out. Now if only I can settle on a satisfying finale.

This is a lot tougher than I thought.