'TBH Politoons'
Baron Dave Romm
Support Songs Inspired By Literature
By Baron Dave Romm
Songs Inspired by Literature had its 3rd Annual Songwriting Competition. The Competition is over, and now they're just waiting for the resources to press the third CD. The SIBL Project is non-profit, and you can donate to the cause.
Right now, You can listen to many of the winning songs, inspired by Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Octavia Butler's Kindred, Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird and many others. The previous two SIBL CDs, recommended in this column, are still available.
The SIBL Project is a terrific idea and we should all support it. Buy the CDs!
As long as I have a bit of room, let me expand my usual recommendations into DVDs. Here are a few of my favorite rentals from Netflix. These recommendations take into account the DVD extras in addition to the movie, so I'm going to link to the Netflix page (which you can't get to unless you subscribe) and the Internet Movie Database page (free registration).
Shaolin Soccer (2003) (Netflix, IMDB may be the best sports movie ever and the best Bruce Lee movie ever. Even though the sports are incidental to the theme and Bruce Lee isn't in it. Most reviewers compare it to The Karate Kid, but Shaolin Soccer owes as much to The Matrix as The Longest Yard. Nifty special effects, lots of wire work (ala Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and a dash of romance. It misses being a great movie; too formulaic, not enough depth. Still, you won't have more fun at a sports movie. The DVD has both the English release and the Original Chinese release. I only watched a few minutes of the longer original, but one of the main differences is that the signs are in English for us occidentals. Few other extras. On the Shockwave Scale of 9 to 23, where 23 is the best, I'd give Shaolin Soccer about a 19.
High and Low (1963) (Netflix, IMDB) is Akira Kurosawa's take on film noir. A crime drama of the high and mighty vs. the low and downtrodden; the film's title can be translated as Heaven and Hell. Someone is kidnapped and a ransom demand is made... but they've kidnapped the wrong person and the rich man (Toshiro Mifune) winds up paying for his chauffeur's child. The police techniques are very 60s. Indeed, this seemed very much like the spark for the series Hawaii Five-O. There are no bad Kurosawa films, and this foray into action/adventure has some nail-biting moments as well as tangled ethical dilemmas. Onthe Shockwave scale of 9 to 23, I'd round down due to lack of extras and give the DVD about an 18.
The Persuaders! (1971) (Netflix, IMDB) Fun to watch! Tony Curtis plays Tony Curtis and Roger Moore plays Roger Moore, and the best moments are when they squabble. Moore's style is derived from The Saint (hint: "Sinclair" is an old family associated with the Templars), Curtis gets into his "brash fast talking Brooklyn kid who made it" character with zeal (hint: "Danny Wilde"), and The Avengers contribute various writers, directors and producers. The plots are secondary but click along nicely; not quite as odd as The Avengers, but sometimes they strayed from formula. The women are eye candy with brains and guts in the Petula Clark vein. The music is great: theme by John Barry (many James Bond moves, Born Free amid a long career) , Music Supervision by Don Kirshner and the production values are solid. The Persuaders is a buddy crime show, like I Spy or It Takes A Thief, and it works for you if you like the characters. It works for me. (Too bad it didn't work for Curtis and Moore, who are reputed to hate working with each other, hence the cancellation.) The first season is a four-disk set. Even though the extras are limited to a couple of commentaries and some photo galleries, resuscitating a series I haven't seen in over 30 years pops it up and the DVD gets credit for a four disk set. On the Shockwave scale of 9-23, I'd give the set about a 20.
Thunderbirds (1965) (Netflix, IMDB) Brilliant set design and detailed modeling combined with cheesy marionettes. Intricate plots that keep you on the edge of your seat as long as you ignore the plot holes and unlikely scenarios. Terrific characters supermarionating stilted dialog. The exploits of International Rescue contain wonders: The pool that slides open to launch Thunderbird 1! The trees that fall back to make the runway for Thunderbird 2! The space station, the mole, the submarine. Lady Penelope and Parker! Brains! The Tracy family all named after Mercury astronauts! You can't really appreciate these unless you're eleven years old, and fortunately I still am. The DVD transfer is incredibly clean, far cleaner than our B&W tv in the mid 60s. As much as I loved the series as a kid, I can only take a disk or two at a time, but I really appreciate all the episodes in a 12-disk set. I've avoided the recent movie, but maybe I'll rent the DVD. The last disk looks like mostly extra materials, but the main disks don't have much. It's worth it to see the uncut, hour-long, original versions. The kid in me wants to give it the highest rating possible while the adult in me... aw, what the heck... FAB! On the Shockwave Arrested Development scale of 9 to 23, I give the set a 23!
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia with a radio show, a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E , and you can hear the last two Shockwave broadcasts in Real Audio (scroll down to Shockwave). Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
--////
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Matt Taibbi: PRAVDA, IZVESTIA, TIME
Time lay with the president. Time big-time lay with the president. What was great about Sullivan's "Year of the Insurgents" column last week was how beautifully it threw the rest of the "Person of the Year" issue into contrast. Here's Sullivan bitching about bloggers needing to stay on the margins where they belong; meanwhile, his "respectable" media company is joyously prancing back and forth along 190 glossy pages with George Bush's cock wedged firmly in its mouth.
Helen Thomas: 'Don't expect miracles in second term'
WASHINGTON -- The American people are about to get a taste of what they voted for -- the most conservative domestic policies in modern times. On that score President Bush did not fool the voters. He was quite clear that he would turn the country even further to the right in his second term. He also stressed his determination to stay the course in Iraq although it is beginning to look more and more like Vietnam every day. No exit strategy is apparent, even as public support for the war is waning.
David Podvin: THE NINTH LEVEL
Cocytus is the ninth level of Hell, the home of the fallen angel Satan. The ninth level is that frigid dungeon reserved for traitors who have been consigned to agonize eternally while frozen motionless. This is the pit where Judas is confined, and Cassius, and Brutus. It is also where the current leaders of the Democratic Party will one day reside.
Laura Miller: The 2004 Falsies Awards
Remembering the people and players responsible for polluting our information environment.
Lisa Stone: Kind of a Drag-- A Short History of Spin Alley and the Press
Stone, a journalist, on the life and times of Spin Alley, one of the strangest places ever founded in American politics. It required the cooperation of journalists who were also the intended victims. Linda Wertheimer in 02: "If a clever reinterpretation of an event can wriggle its way into a reporter's story, why not keep doing it?" Stone has the answer.
ROGER EBERT: Woodsman' puts Bacon's chops to test
"I wanted to do something more mainstream," Kevin Bacon said. "I wanted to do something where I actually got paid, you know. I was just coming off of 'Mystic River' and I didn't want to do anything dark." He certainly didn't want to play a child molester who is released from prison and tries to control his obsession, lead a normal life, even have a normal relationship.
Mad Magazine
Reader Comment
jeb is going?
what I want to know is WHY THE HELL IS JEB BUSH, Governor of Florida, GOING WITH COLIN POWELL TO TSUNAMI-RAVAGED AREAS HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD??????
are they already prepping him for a presidential run in 2008? photo-ops for the future?
or do they think hurricanes and tsunamis are almost the same thing? seen one, seen 'em all? (as if Jeb has a clue).
at least they didn't choose Ahnold.
I've been doing too much surfing online today and it's made me cranky. Sometimes I wonder just how America got so STUPID.
ducks
Thanks, ducks!
Wonder if Jebby's hoping for some of Neilsie's action with hot babes knocking on his door?
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Showers all afternoon, heavy rain most of the night.
The kid is not excited about returning to school. Tonight he decided Long Beach sucks because we don't have 'snow days'.
Getting company from Seattle this week - Erin's coming to town.
Fox Affiliate Dumps
'Who's Your Daddy'
At least one Fox Broadcasting Co. affiliate has balked at airing Monday night's 90-minute special "Who's Your Daddy," which has raised the ire of adoption advocacy groups for a premise that revolves around an adopted woman trying to pick her biological father from a group of eight candidates.
WRAZ-TV (Fox 50) in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., has yanked "Daddy" and instead will air a documentary, "I Have Roots and Branches: Personal Reflections on Adoption," in the 8-9:30 p.m. EST block slated for "Daddy."
Fox and News Corp. executives have been catching flak from adoption advocates and many other critics since it formally announced the scheduling of "Daddy" last month. The show challenges a woman who was adopted as an infant to pick her father from a group of eight men for a $100,000 prize. If the woman picks the right man, she wins the $100,000, but if not the impostor gets the money. Fox has shot a total of six episodes of "Daddy" but so far has scheduled only one airing as a special.
Fox reps have stressed that despite the show's provocative title, all of the people featured in "Daddy" were willing participants and that regardless of the competitive element, all of the women are reunited with their biological fathers as a result of their participation in the show.
'Who's Your Daddy'
'Sonic Rhythm Dress'
Jon Fishman
Drummer Jon Fishman's offbeat "sonic rhythm dress" - which is stitched together from recycled cassette tapes - is going on display at a museum this month.
The dress commissioned by Fishman, of the enormously popular jam band Phish, is going on display at Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, The Boston Globe reported in Thursday's editions.
The dress includes sound collages of some of Fishman's favorite artists. The bodice includes Jimi Hendrix, Sun Ra, Led Zeppelin and Prince, the newspaper reported. The fabric retains its magnetism and emits a sound when rubbed with a tape head.
The dress was commissioned by the Vermont rocker and designed by New York artist Alyce Santoro.
Jon Fishman
Benefit For Tsunami Victims
Wales
Plans are underway to organise a huge charity concert in Wales' 70,000-capacity Millennium Stadium in the city of Cardiff, with all profits going to the victims of the Asian tsunami disaster.
Paul Sergeant, general manager of the stadium, said the date of January 22 had already been retained for the event, which he said could raise a million pounds (1.4 million euros, 1.9 million dollars).
"We have already been in touch with a number of A-list celebrities and of course they are the vital ingredient in this," he said.
"I can't say at this point who they are but if two or three of them come on board we will have something to sell.
Wales
Ride Elephants
Venus Willams & Maria Sharapova
Tennis stars Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova rode elephants before playing an exhibition match in Thailand as part of preparations for the Australian Open.
"I would never imagine that I would ride an elephant in Thailand," she said. "I've never had this kind of experience because we don't have things like this back home in California."
Chiang Mai is a town in the hills of northern Thailand, hundreds of miles from the devastation and death wreaked on the nation's southern beaches by the Dec. 26 tsunami.
Venus Willams & Maria Sharapova
Seen as Top Paramount Candidate
Brad Grey
Brad Grey, executive producer of the hit television show "The Sopranos" and chairman of a top Hollywood talent management firm, has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Sherry Lansing as head of Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
Viacom co-President Tom Freston is in advanced negotiations with the chairman of Brillstein-Grey Entertainment but talks are at a delicate stage and there is no guarantee a deal will be reached, the Journal reported in its online edition, citing people familiar with the situation.
Grey, 47, was expected to meet with Viacom executives on Monday and was said to be the top choice of Freston, who has made fixing the studio a priority, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.
Brad Grey
Column May Be Done in Miami
Dave Barry
Popular humorist Dave Barry said Sunday's column for The Miami Herald was his last - maybe. Barry, who has written humor columns for three decades, including 22 years at the Herald, says he's holding out the possibility of a return.
But for now, he says, "I want to stop before I join the horde of people who think I used to be funnier. And I want to work on some other stuff."
Barry says he will write occasional pieces, weighing in "from time to time if something really important happens, such as a cow exploding in a boat toilet."
Dave Barry
Tale In Hieroglyphs
Peter Rabbit
Beatrix Potter's classic children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit has been translated into ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs by the British Museum.
The "time seemed appropriate" for the hieroglyph version, due in April, translators said, as the story had already been published in 35 languages.
The hieroglyphics were based on those of the Middle Kingdom, from the 21st to 18th Centuries BC.
Peter Rabbit
Survives Rabies with New Treatment
Jeanna Giese
A 15-year-old Wisconsin girl who received an experimental treatment to become the first person known to survive rabies without a vaccination has been released from hospital, a spokeswoman for the hospital said on Sunday.
Jeanna Giese of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, was released on Saturday from Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where she had been treated for the disease since mid-October.
The teenager, who contracted the virus from an infected bat on Sept. 12, did not seek medical care until symptoms appeared and it was too late for the vaccine.
The girl, who regained weight, strength and coordination in recent weeks and will continue to receive therapy at home, is expected to make a near-full recovery, the statement said.
Jeanna Giese
The 'Have Mores' Flock
Yellowstone Club
There's no dry cleaner here, no carwash, nowhere to get a blow dry or a manicure. Looking for a sushi restaurant? You'll have to settle for a buffalo burger at the Corral Bar. The closest place to park your private plane is at the airport in Bozeman, an hour's drive down a two-lane road.
Big Sky is no Aspen, Colo. But the super rich are flocking here anyway.
The lure: the Yellowstone Club, a private, millionaires-only resort community whose amenities more than make up for Big Sky's lack of a traffic light or a designer boutique. Occupying 22 square miles of mostly wilderness, it's the only private club in the U.S. with its own ski mountain and world-class golf course.
So few skiers use the 2,700 feet of vertical slopes that a blizzard can take weeks to pack down, guaranteeing so much untracked snow that the club has trademarked the slogan "Private Powder."
Perhaps as important, the resort, whose borders are discreetly patrolled by helicopter, employs a 28-year veteran of the Secret Service as its "director of privacy."
Yellowstone Club
Rough Disaster Images
Reporters
Editors at The New York Times and Los Angeles Times showed similar judgment one day last week in running large, front-page pictures of tsunami victims. Faces of dead babies in makeshift morgues were clearly visible.
They were the type of images you were hard-pressed to see during hours of television coverage.
In a cataclysm notable for its staggering loss of life, U.S. television news was reluctant to convey that fact graphically.
When bodies were seen, they were mostly from a distance and usually covered up. From television's perspective, they didn't have a face.
Reporters
