'Best of TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Baron Dave Romm
To Touch The Stars
By Baron Dave Romm
More than a year ago I reviewed I CD that hadn't come out yet. But now it has! And better than the promotion release, with three more songs and at least one song re-recorded. The following is an update of the original review.
To Touch The Stars has finally been released from Prometheus Music. Quick review: Filk music done right; a great compilation of great songs wonderfully produced and arranged. The Prometheus Music site has reviews and mp3s of several of the songs. The successful Mars landers (at last!) and Bush's proposed mission to Mars in the far future have sparked an interest that this CD can only flame.
The US Space Program is the single most successful undertaking in
human history. It's only failure: We stopped going out into space
(because Nixon hated Kennedy and couldn't stand his success, but
that's a different essay). As an ideal of human achievement, the US
Space Program reigns supreme. Explorers climb Mount Everest because
it's there. Explorers go to the moon to open up new worlds. Leslie
Fish's Hope
Eyrie captures the emotion surrounding the moon landing. I have
many recordings of Fish's song and this is the version I've been
waiting for. Superbly sung by Julia Ecklar, Hope Eyrie
captures the drama and sensawonda of July 20, 1969.
Worlds grow old and suns grow cold
And death we never can doubt.
Time's cold wind, wailing down the past,
Reminds us that all flesh is grass
And history's lamps blow out.
But the Eagle has landed; tell your children when.
Time won't drive us down to dust again.
As a victory in the Cold War, the US Space Program trumped
Russia's initial Sputnik launch, demonstrated our technological
superiority and set the stage for the collapse of the Soviet Union.
They never spent a dime on Star Wars, but they tried and failed to
catch up on rocket/missile technology. We won that battle, and now
share the fruits of victory with all humans. Russia, the US and many
countries are part of the International Space
Station project. Leslie Fish comes up with another great song in
Surprise! about Sputnik,
the Russian satellite in 1957 that surprised and panicked the US in
many ways similar to 9/11, since launching space satellites was
directly applicable to launching nuclear missiles. Fortunately, back
then our leaders took this blow to national pride and raced to the
moon, leaving behind weather satellites and the internet. Done as
Russian balalaika, with stern humor.
Beep beep
beep beep
hello there.
Sputnik sails giggling through the skies.
Red flags, red faces,
jump in the race as
the space age begins with a surprise.
As a return on investment, the space program has paid for itself
many times over. From CAT scans to kidney dialysis machines to
athletic shoe design to major advanced in metallurgy and weather
prediction, looking up helped us greatly here at home. R&D always
pays for itself, if you're bold. One of the people who understood
that best was Queen Isabella, as recounted in a song by the
prolific Leslie Fish.
Here's to old Queen Isabella of Spain,
Who was more than a little deranged.
A bigot, fanatic and greedy for souls -
To baptize the world was the first of her goals.
But she bet on a dreamer,
That's how the world rolls,
And afterward all the world changed.
To Touch The Stars goes beyond a Leslie Fish songbook.
Other great songs include Fire In The Sky by Jordin Kare,
comparing the dangers of rocketryto Prometheus' hubris; we must do
it, because. Christine
Lavin wonders If We Had No Moon, giving the history of the
creation of the moon and reminding us of all its benefits... and some
of the dangers.
The moon is moving away at the rate of an inch and a half a year.
Someday, and I'm not sayin' it'll be soon,
but it just won't be the same down here
and speculating on how we can replace it with another planet's
moon... A long, awe inspiring and sometimes scary song. Judy Collins
flies around the stars in Beyond the Sky. People on the
ground cheer shuttle liftoffs in Witnesses' Waltz. In the
title song, a kids chorus joins Karl Franzen in Michael Penkava's
Now's The Time To Touch A Star.
Three cuts look forward to Mars: A powerful song, The Pioneers of Mars; a hopeful song, I Want To Go To Mars; and a cynical song, Dog On The Moon. These are new to me, and add a 21st Century dimension to the collection. The moon was the first small step and one giant leap.
I still get choked up just reading the liner notes. We've got to think about the future, because that's where we're going to live. To Touch The Stars was conceived and largely put together before 9/11. The songs on the CD represent the hope and awe of success and courage in the face of failure. Terrorism is not new, but neither is bravery in the face of the unknown. Mankind's ventures out into space are an antidote to the internecine hatred between a species who dwell on artificial differences. Going back to the moon, and beyond to Mars, can only serve to energize the pride of all who dream of a loftier purpose for the human race.
To Touch The Stars is highly recommended. A much needed jolt of optimism in these pessimistic times.
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.
--////
from Mark
Ima War President
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny & warmer.
Really running late!
Tonight, Monday, CBS opens the night with a FRESH 'Yes, Dear', followed by a FRESH 'Still Standing', then a
FRESH 'Raymond', followed by a FRESH '2½ Men', then a FRESH 'CSI: Miami'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave are Dr. Phil McGraw, snowboarder Tara Dakides, and original footage of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan (40 years ago they debuted on Sullivan - Letterman tapes in the old
Ed Sullivan theater).
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers are Gary Cole and Nona Gaye.
NBC begins the night with a FRESH 'Fear Factor', followed by a FRESH 'Las Vegas' (starts 1 minute before the top of the hour), then a FRESH
'Average Joe: Hawaii' (starts 1 minute before the top of the hour).
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are Pamela Anderson, and Erykah Badu.
On a traditional Monday-night-RERUN Conan (from 11/14/04), are Russell Crowe, Alicia Silverstone, and Andrew W.K.
Scheduled on a FRESH Carson Daly are Donald Trump, Dennis Rodman, and Elefant.
ABC fills the night with the movie 'The Mummy Returns'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are Jim Florentine and Jennie Finch.
The WB offers a FRESH '7th Heaven', followed by a FRESH 'Everwood'.
Faux has a RERUN 'That 70s Show', followed by another RERUN 'That 70s Show', then a
FRESH 'Big Fat Obnoxious'.
UPN has a FRESH 'The Parkers', followed by a FRESH 'Eve', then a FRESH 'Girlfriends', then a
FRESH 'Half & Half'.
A&E has 'American Justice', 'Biography' (Jayne Mansfield), 'House of Dreams', a FRESH 'Airline', and another 'Airline'.
AMC offers the movie 'Urban Cowboy', followed by the movie '9 to 5', then the movie 'Heartburn'.
BBC -
[6pm] 'BBC World News';
[6:30pm] 'Cash in the Attic' - Brown;
[7pm] 'House Invaders' - Lewisham;
[7:30pm] 'Changing Rooms' - East Dulwich;
[8pm] 'Red Cap' - Betrayed;
[9pm] 'Wire in the Blood' - Sharp Compassion;
[11pm] 'Red Cap' - Betrayed;
[12am] 'Wire in the Blood' - Sharp Compassion;
[2am] 'House Invaders' - Lewisham;
[2:30am] 'Changing Rooms' - East Dulwich;
[3am] 'Wire in the Blood' - Sharp Compassion;
[5am] 'Red Cap' - Betrayed; and
[6am] 'BBC World News'. (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'West Wing', 'Queer Eye', followed by the movie 'To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything', and 'West Wing'.
Comedy Central has the movie 'Black Sheep', 'South Park' and 'Jay Mohr'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jon Stewart is TBA.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'Mail Call', 'Mail Call', and 'Unconventional Warfare'.
SciFi is all 'Stargate SG-1' all night.
TCM - Day 9 of '31 Days of Oscar™', where every movie is either an Oscar™ winner or nominee.
[6am] 'Sister Kenny' (1946);
[8am] 'Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman' (1947);
[9:45am] 'Mrs. Parkington' (1944);
[12pm] 'Ninotchka' (1939);
[2pm] 'Lady For A Day' (1933);
[4pm] 'The Little Foxes' (1941);
[6pm] 'Mogambo' (1953);
[8pm] 'The African Queen' (1951);
[10pm] 'Private Benjamin' (1980);
[12am] 'Victor Victoria' (1982);
[2:30am] 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown' (1964);
[4:45am] 'Emma' (1932). (ALL TIMES EST)
Comedienne Margaret Cho arrives at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2004, in Los Angeles.
Photo by Mark J. Terrill)
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Wins a Grammy
Bill Clinton
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton won a Grammy Award on Sunday, but not for his famed saxophone playing.
Clinton was honored in the spoken word album for children category for a project he worked on with fellow winners, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev and Italian screen siren Sophia Loren.
None of them was at the ceremony to pick up the award for "Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Beintus: Wolf Tracks."
Clinton's wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, was nominated in the spoken word album category for the audiobook version of her bestselling memoirs "Living History," but she lost to satirist Al Franken's "Lies And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair And Balanced Look At The Right."
Bill Clinton
Wins Top Directors Guild Award
Peter Jackson
The Directors Guild of America saved its best for last when it came to honoring "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, giving its top award Saturday night to Peter Jackson for the story's final chapter, "The Return of the King."
In the 56 years since the guild began presenting its top honor, the winner has gone on to receive the Academy Award for best director all but six times.
Jackson became the first filmmaker ever nominated for the prize three years in a row, and this is the first time he won. He spent seven years putting the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy books on film.
Also honored was director Mike Nichols, who took the award for TV movie direction for HBO's two-part "Angels in America."
Christopher Misiano, directed the TV drama series award winner for an episode of NBC's "The West Wing," while Timothy M. Van Patten was recognized in the TV comedy series category for an installment of HBO's "Sex and the City."
Peter Jackson
Directors Guild of America
Latest to Make Pitch on Amazon
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola has become the latest celebrity to offer his talents for free to Amazon.com.
Coppola has made a couple of short films about the making of his feature film "One From the Heart," which was a bit of a bomb when released in 1982 but got a new life last week with the film's DVD release.
One five-minute short has Coppola welcoming shoppers to Amazon.com, and then describing his favorite scenes from the movie, which starred Teri Garr, Nastassia Kinski and Lainie Kazan. An accompanying one-minute short has Coppola getting a bit technical, explaining why he shot the film using the square-framed 1.33:1 aspect ratio. It was an homage to classic musicals.
Coppola joins a host of celebrities who previously offered Amazon shoppers exclusive streaming content. The celebs give their sometimes-unusual wares free to Amazon in the hope of spurring sales of their products, be they CDs, movies or books.
Francis Ford Coppola
The Osbourne family poses with the guys from the television show 'Queer Eye for the Straighgt Guy' as they arrive at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2004, in Los Angeles. From left are, Jack Osbourne, actress Lindsey Lohan, Kelly Osbourne, Kyan Douglas, Sharon Osbourne, Carson Kressley and Thom Filicia.
Photo by Mark J. Terrill
Nine Annie Awards
'Finding Nemo'
The fish story "Finding Nemo" took top honors Saturday at the animation industry's 31st annual Annie Awards, earning nine awards, including best theatrical feature, best directing and best voice acting.
"Nemo" also captured the best music and best writing prizes.
Comedian Ellen Degeneres received the best voice acting award for her portrayal of the absent-minded "Dory." Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich took home best directing honors.
Among the other winners: the Fox Network's "The Simpsons, which won for best animated television production, and "The Animatrix," a home video companion to the "Matrix" movies produced by Warner Bros.
The Annie Awards are presented by The International Animated Film Society to honor outstanding animation in television and film. Last year's winner, "Spirited Away," went on to capture the Oscar for best animated feature.
'Finding Nemo'
www.asifa-hollywood.org
Cambodia Visit Opens Eyes
Minnie Driver
Actress Minnie Driver said she was ignorant about the conditions that women in poor countries work under until she visited garment factories in Cambodia and Thailand.
"The poorest people with the least are making sacrifices for those of us who have the most," said Driver, 33, who visited Southeast Asia as part of the British charity group Oxfam International's "Make Trade Fair" campaign.
"Every time they squeeze to get lower production costs, faster production, it's nobody but the working women who suffer," said Driver, who earned an Oscar nomination in 1998 for her role in "Good Will Hunting."
She spoke Sunday after a fashion show in Phnom Penh where garment workers modeled clothes bearing large tags reading "Made in Cambodia ... by us ... US$0.25 per hour."
Minnie Driver
Takes Show on the Road
Conan O'Brien
Florida in the winter is a natural road trip. Not to Conan O'Brien: He's heading north this week, the second time NBC's "Late Night" has ventured out of New York during his 10 years as host.
What began as an effort to boost the city's tourism industry, still recovering from last year's SARS outbreak, has become a celebration of Canada's contribution to the entertainment industry.
Michael J. Fox, Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, "Will & Grace" star Eric McCormack and the bands Nickelback and Barenaked Ladies are among the Canadian acts that will appear on four nights of shows taped at Toronto's Elgin Theater.
Conan O'Brien
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Overplayed Dean's Iowa Scream
CNN
It probably means little now to Howard Dean, but CNN's top executive believes his network overplayed the infamous clip of Dean's "scream" after the Iowa caucuses.
The breathtaking media explosion turned the former Democratic presidential front-runner into a punch line and arguably hastened his campaign's free fall. It's also an instructive look at how television news and entertainment works today.
The cable and broadcast news networks aired Dean's Iowa exclamation 633 times — and that doesn't include local news or talk shows — in the four days after it was made, according to the Hotline, a Washington-based newsletter.
For the rest, CNN
Orders Label To Ditch Remix
Norah Jones
Last year's Grammy sweep winner, Norah Jones, has ordered her record label to ditch a dance remix of her international smash single "Don't Know Why" because it was too commercial, Teenmusic.com reports. Jones says, quote, "The reason people liked it in the first place was that it wasn't commercial... I didn't sign to a classic jazz label to be pushed down everybody's throat."
Norah Jones is signed to the label Blue Note.
Her second album, titled, Feels Like Home, hits stores on Tuesday (February 10).
Norah Jones
Comedian Chris Rock, left, blows out candles on his birthday cake Saturday, Feb. 7, 2004, in his dressing room after performing in at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucke, Conn. Rock, currently on his Black Ambition Tour, celebrated his 39th birthday. Thomas L. Cantone, vice president of the resort looks on.
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Banned In Shanghai
'Vagina Monologues'
Shanghai has abruptly banned the U.S. play "Vagina Monologues," said the theater that had planned a one-month run beginning Tuesday, adding that conditions in China are "not ripe" for the taboo-breaking drama.
While the play has been performed in English in China, the Shanghai Drama Arts Theater was to stage a Chinese-language version in the country for the first time. Tickets, which sold for 100 yuan (US$12), will be refunded, said a theater employee reached by telephone Sunday. She refused to give her name.
The ruling against "Vagina Monologues" follows praise for the play in China's state-controlled media. The Web site of the English-language China Daily includes interviews with the producer and director of the now-canceled Shanghai performances, who say the play is inspirational and teaches women not to feel embarrassed about their sexuality.
'Vagina Monologues'
Surprise Visit to Iraq
Prince Charles
Prince Charles paid a surprise morale-boosting visit to British troops in Iraq on Sunday, and spoke to local officials about their concerns over the country's future.
Charles arrived on a Chinook helicopter at a British base that was one of Saddam Hussein's lavish palaces, shaking hands with soldiers and officials of the U.S.-led civil administration.
The prince, who later flew on to Iran to begin a landmark visit, spent nearly six hours in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, where he heard prominent Iraqi officials discuss a wide range of political and economic problems plaguing postwar Iraq.
It was a rare visit by a British royal to a country that won independence from Britain in 1932. Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Basra last month.
Prince Charles
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Tough-Guy Image Is 'All An Act'
Mickey Spillane
For 50 years, crime novelist Mickey Spillane has written about tough guys. He even has a hard-boiled image himself.
But it's all an act, says Spillane, whose 53rd book, Something's Down There, was published in December. "I'm actually a softie," Spillane said. "Tough guys get killed too early."
Once one of the five most translated writers in the world, Spillane says his major achievement has been staying alive.
"I've got a full head of hair and don't wear eyeglasses," he says. "And I've kept the smoke coming out of the chimney for a very long time."
Mickey Spillane
Canadian actor Eric McCormack from the TV show 'Will & Grace' sings the U.S. and Canadian national anthems prior to the 2004 NHL All-Star Game in St. Paul Minnesota February 8, 2004.
Photo by Eric Miller
Pilot Promotes Christianity on Flight
American Airlines
An American Airlines pilot asked Christians on his flight to identify themselves and suggested the non-Christians discuss the faith with them, the airline said.
The case was handed over to the airline's personnel department for an investigation, spokesman Tim Wagner said Sunday.
American's Flight 34 was headed from Los Angeles to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on Friday when the pilot asked Christians on board to raise their hands, Wagner said.
The pilot, whose name was not released, told the airline that he then suggested the other passengers use the flight time to talk to the Christians about their faith, Wagner said.
American Airlines
U.S. actor Peter Fonda flashes a victory sign as he arrives at an award ceremony of the European 'Shooting Stars 2004' competition at the 54th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin February 8, 2004. Twenty-one talented actors, nominated by members of the European Film Promotion (EFP) took part in the initiative run by the EFP, which is mainly financed by the EU.
Photo by Fabrizio Bensch
Genitals To Go On Display
Uncle Sam
The 12-foot (4-metre), Styrofoam Uncle Sam is at present in a guarded warehouse of the Sao Clemente samba school, one of 14 groups who will parade over the nights of February 22 and February 23 in the Sambodromo hoping to win the champion's crown.
Uncle Sam is also be gagged, symbolising a perceived U.S. clamp-down on freedoms.
In a display that should put into perspective the furor in the United States over the glimpse of Janet Jackson's breast at the Super Bowl, a Grande Rio float will feature statues and dancers locked in embraces from the Karma Sutra sex guide.
The Roman Catholic church in Rio has complained but, said Grande Rio artistic director Joaosinho Trinta: "The church's attitude is very hypocritical, medieval and very wrong. The theme boosts the campaign for safe sex that prevents that terrible epidemic AIDS.
Uncle Sam
A huge carnival float with the effigy of US resident George Bush, center, holding up French President Jacques Chirac with a UN flag, British Premier Tony Blair, left, and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi goes through the streets during the annual carnival parade in Viareggio, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2004.
Photo by Riccardo Dalle Luche
'The Osbournes'
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