Hello, fellow wiki-ans. Citizens of the hallowed Wikipedia, the democratic public domain internet-encyclopedia. Yeah, this is the page where I give you all the rundown on myself.
I'm a man of the world. This world. The world of Wiki. I'm Dane Youssef. Dane R. Youssef.
Who are you? Me, I'm an artist at heart. A self-expressionist. I write, create, conceive. I express myself. In pretty much any possible artistic medium I can find. A filmmaker first and foremost. I also have the kind of critical eye, a mind for commentary on this world.
I've written a high volume of reviews for movies and television, not to mention biographies for celebrities and other likewise artists. The likes of Amazon, IMDb, Epinions, MySpace, Facebook, Borders, moviereviews.com, Living Social, Yahoo, TV.COM and MovieTome. Why Wiki, too? I wanted to spread myself out even further.
So far, my most personal project that contains a home movie that I made when our dear kitten departed in 2002.
I was voted Junior Prince of my graduating class. Class of 2001, m----rf----r! And hard proud of it!
Because of my health problems, my stress and bad condition (and altogether boredom), I also get into working out. I practice the likes of yoga, Pilates, ballet, cardio, bodybuilding.
I was a mess for the longest time. I abused unsafe substances. Let's just leave it at that.
I've gotten to perform classical ballet with the Alameda School of Dance and the College of Alameda. Performing has always been a big part of me.
I used to drink. Pretty hard, actually. I started small. Some basic Heineken beers, half of one every evening. Then I moved on up to one flavored beer a night. Hard Lemon and Limeades. Then I moved on up to pounding the wine coolers by the four-pack in one evening. My peak was Jaggerbombers. Like a liquid speedball. I kicked in clean in 2009. And I remain as sober as if it was for lent. I know some good people.
I've gotten honors, kudos for my art, my creative writing. I've painted, even.
A life-long fan of movies, I've been a film-o-phile for as long as I have been. The likes of my faves like "American Beauty," "Sideways," "The War of the Roses" among others. A big fan of the band KISS, I've got a whole shelf of overpriced glam-band merchandise.
I've been developing something of a competitive edge. Trying to. People say to me constant: "You have the talent. You just need to make the effort. Prove yourself. Strike that hot iron."
The works of cartoonists like Bill Watterson, Aaron McGrundler, Bill Amend, R. Crumb, Shannon Wheeler, Stan Lee, Todd McFarlane. They didn't just draw. They bled their greatness onto the paper. Anyone who saw what they did... knew they were doing something that was moving the world.
Filmmakers like David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, Christopher Nolan, Larry Clark and Harmony Korine... they have such a... well, something you can't really describe in any one word. It's what "art" is all really about, or can be about.
Writers like R.L. Stine, Roald Dahl, Rod Serling, James Ellroy bedazzled me. I fell in love with the likes of them. The just had that way, that magic on paper. Like angel dust. Anyone who saw them at their best (or even their worst) knew they were something special.
Self-help motivational guru Tony Robbins was the one who convinced me there was hope for after all.
Convinced me to turn it all around and try and make life something special. Believe it, it was harder than usual. I've got a phone book of health problems.
I'm now as pure as virgin bottled water. Except in the more popular traditional sense. As I write this... (three times, the way! Two intercourse, two oral). I'm looking forward to
My mother has told me many times, many ways... "you're such a special, special child" and "there's just something wrong with you."
I'm a believer in ballet. The ballet. No, it's not just exercise. It's not just an art form. It's not just a practice, or hobby. And no, it aint' just dance class. It's a way of life. Like a faith, a religion.
So, here I am, Wiki. Here to stay. This is my home now.