Baron Dave Romm
Marscon Next Week
By Baron Dave Romm
Shockwave Radio Theater podcasts
Marscon: March 6-8, 2009CE
Next week is Marscon, a local science fiction convention with a Dementia Music track. I'll be on several panels and maybe even on stage briefly. So probably no column next week, and this week will be a bit on the short side.
Wally Pleasant Podcast
The Music Guest of Honor at the 2009 Marscon is Wally Pleasant. I've been a Wally fan for many years, and suggested him to the convention.
Last week, I interviewed him for a Shockwave Radio Theater podcast, which includes four songs. Direct link to Baron Dave interviews Wally Pleasant podcast. Windows friendly version Baron Dave interviews Wally Pleasant (mp3, 32:51).
Pictures, reviews and maybe an interview or two coming after the con.
Dollhouse
I'm officially off the bandwagon.
The third episode of Dollhouse was better than the first two, but that's not saying very much. It still doesn't work. The funny computer geek made me appreciate Xander (on Buffy, a previous Joss Whedon show) all the more. The plot, involving a singer with a stalker, desperately tried to make a capital-I-Important capital-P-Point about how fame creates the famous, in parallel to the imprinted life of the Dolls in the Dollhouse. It fails. Some good singing wasted.
I'll probably continue to record the show out of ennui and hope but at this point I don't have much optimism. With Monk and Psych done and Numb3ers in a rut, Fridays are looking bleak. Thank heaven for Netflix.
The Man From Earth
The Man From Earth was Jerome Bixby's last project, completed by his son many years later. Bixby, probably most well known for having written the "Mirror Mirror" episode of Star Trek (one of four he wrote in the original series) and for the short story "It's A Good Life" adapted into several Twilight Zone incarnations. He was a good writer and a solid craftsman, though was never at the top of the heap.
The Man From Earth is a science fiction film shot on a very low budget. No sfx, no gadgets. Mostly, it's a group of college professors sitting around and talking. I won't spoil any of the twists and turns the conversation wends around, but it works in a My Dinner with Andre sort of way. The film isn't great, but it should be seen. The direction is good, given the limited sets, and the actors get into the parts.
I listened all the way through both commentaries, which is unusual. Maybe I've been bored lately. The DVD has an annoying lack: No Closed Captioning. For a movie that's mostly dialog, I couldn't follow along while listening to a commentary. A comparatively minor point, but I wish they'd taken the trouble.
Political Thoughts
As predicted, the empty barrel makes the most noise. The GOP Assault On Reality is gearing up, with attacks on FDR and a cover-up of Bush administration duplicity. We shall see. Be on the alert, and don't let right-wingers get away with saying out-and-out lies. Challenge them, gently and politely if possible, and get the facts into the discussion.
Obama's speech was pretty good, and seemed to lay out his administration's keyword: A New Foundation. And it looks like he has the chops to pull if off. Go Barack!
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog maintains a Facebook Page, plays with 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. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Betsy Perry: "Breakfast with Bernie: New Yorkers Hungry For Information with Their Bacon and Eggs" (huffingtonpost.com)
New Yorkers are spoiled because we have access to instant news and the people who make it, so getting us quiet and anticipatory on the edge of our seats isn't easy - until you hear Elie Wiesel talk about Madoff. It wasn't just that both he personally in addition to his foundation lost everything, it was that this is a crime so despicable Wiesel will never forgive Madoff - and this from a man who has forgiven a lot in his life.
Scott Burns: Your Wealth Is Not Your Standard of Living (assetbuilder.com)
Here's a challenging thought: Things aren't as bad as they seem. Since there is plenty of bad news out there, how can I say this? We see things dark and hopeless because we are looking at the world through a wealth window, not an income window. ... Has your standard of living dropped by 20 percent? Has it fallen by 25 percent? Unless you've lost your job or lost your house, the answer is no. You may be worried. You may feel poorer. You may be poorer. But your standard of living hasn't dropped much. More important, it probably won't.
JUSTIN DIMOS: "Beautiful Agony: The New Naked" (popmatters.com)
Erotica website Beautiful Agony continues to revolutionize how both men and women approach sex and intimacy by revealing individual facial expressions of real, vulnerable human beings orgasming.
Tim Dowling: 'I feel guilty about drinking their coffee ... but I drink it anyway' (guardian.co.uk)
The kitchen is padlocked shut. "Something bad happened in there," says the woman from reception.
This column will change your life (guardian.co.uk)
It's no joke - frugality can be fun, says Oliver Burkeman.
"Is God a Mathematician?" by Mario Livio: A review by Marc Kaufman (powells.com)
Did you know that 365 -- the number of days in a year -- is equal to 10 times 10, plus 11 times 11, plus 12 times 12? Or that the sum of any successive odd numbers always equals a square number -- as in 1 + 3 = 4 (2 squared), while 1 + 3 + 5 = 9 (3 squared), and 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 16 (4 squared)?
Chris Suellentrop: In Bloom (slate.com)
Flower is the only video game I've played that made me feel relaxed, peaceful, and happy.
Andrew Billen: How Clint Eastwood became a New Man (timesonline.co.uk)
At 78, Clint Eastwood still likes to play the tough guy but he is also a doting father and a champion of great female roles.
Robert W. Butler: 'Che' director Steven Soderbergh's revolutionary filmmaking (McClatchy Newspapers)
It's a face recognized even by those who know nothing about the man behind it. He peers at us fromT-shirts and posters and magazines, a bearded man in a beret who 42 years after his death remains the stuff of myth.
"Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli: A review by Sarah Miller (powells.com)
For the nondescript town of Mica, Arizona, being different is not a way of life. When Stargirl arrives, walking around with a ukulele and a pet rat named Cinnamon, she is the definition of different.
David Bruce: "Jerry Spinelli's 'Stargirl': A Discussion Guide" (lulu.com)
Free download.
Hubert's Poetry Corner
Big Hair Big Trouble at the 7-11
Coffee, cream - and?
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The "Guilty by Association" Issue
Amnesty International is urging the suspension of US military aid to Israel in a report that details the recent use of US weapons in Gaza. (CommonDreams.org)
Do you support their call to do so or not?
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to
Results tomorrow.
One of the most memorable episodes of All In The Family featured an appearance by Sammy Davis, Jr. Who wrote that episode?
responded:
Contributor Suggestion
Billboard
Reader Comment
Turtles
Dear Marty,
I read with interest about your new, female red-eared slider turtle - and the way it was acquired. That is exactly what happened when we got our turtle, with the broken shell, that I wrote about in a trivia reply a while back. There is something about the way a kid looks at you (especially a grubby little boy) with the subtle pleading in the back of his eyes - that melts your heart.
Okay, a turtle lacks the "cute" factor, but they are relatively easy to care for...
Enjoy your new pet - she'll probably be spending a lot of time with you in the future - as "they" say: she'll grow on you...
Sally P :)
PS: We just gave our turtle some veggie scraps and maybe some store-bought turtle food. He didn't cost much to maintain at all. Enjoy...
Thanks, Sally!
While I hope someone will call about her, we're now working on a name.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Beautiful summer day - too bad that's not the current season.
Take Final Bow For Charity
Siegfried and Roy
Illusionists Siegfried and Roy - and the Bengal tiger that ended their careers - shared the stage again Saturday night for a haunting final performance.
The brief charity show saw Roy Horn and Siegfried Fischbacher side by side with Montecore, the massive white tiger that brutally mauled Horn during a 2003 performance.
The Saturday performance at the Bellagio hotel-casino was the highlight of a lavish benefit for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The center, which will treat brain disorders like those Horn now suffers, is set to open later this year in a building designed by architect Frank Gehry.
Siegfried and Roy's performance will air Friday in a one-hour special on ABC's "20/20."
Siegfried and Roy
Dubs 'Slumdog Millionaire' Ridiculous
Salman Rushdie
British-Indian author Salman Rushdie has attacked the plot of multiple Oscar-winning film "Slumdog Millionaire" as a "patently ridiculous conceit".
Rushdie wrote in Britain's Guardian newspaper that the central feature of the film -- that a boy from the Mumbai slums manages to succeed on the Indian TV version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" -- "beggars belief."
Rushdie said the central weakness of the film -- which won eight Oscars -- was that it was adapted from a book by Indian diplomat-novelist Vikas Swarup called "Q&A" which is itself "a corny potboiler, with a plot that defies belief."
"It is a plot device faithfully preserved by the film-makers, and lies at the heart of the weirdly renamed Slumdog Millionaire. As a result the film, too, beggars belief," wrote Rushdie, who was born in Mumbai.
Salman Rushdie
30-Year Ban Lifted In Wales
'Life of Brian'
A Welsh town which banned the classic Monty Python movie "Life of Brian" 30 years ago has decided to screen it later this month, the mayor said Sunday -- and two of the original Pythons will attend.
Michael Palin and Terry Jones are expected to travel to Aberystwyth, west Wales, for the screening on March 28 after being invited by mayor Sue Jones-Davies -- herself a star of the film, having played Brian's girlfriend.
It is thought the 1979 comedy, which critics said was blasphemous for telling the story of a Jewish man who is mistaken for Jesus and crucified, was banned by a committee of Church leaders in the town.
"Life of Brian" is now viewed as a classic and includes oft-quoted lines such as Brian's mother's quip on her son: "He's not the messiah -- he's a very naughty boy", as well as the jaunty song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", sung by Eric Idle as he and Brian are nailed to crosses at the end.
'Life of Brian'
Bird Man
Brian Wilson
When US fireman Brian Wilson had a traffic accident 14 years ago, medical experts said he would spend the rest of his days in a nursing home, unable to speak or do much besides stay in bed.
"Two birds taught me to talk again," Wilson told AFP as he walked through the kitchen of his modest home in this rural suburb of Washington, which he currently shares with around 80 brightly plumed exotic birds, from snow-white cockatoos to scarlet or blue and green macaws to African grey parrots.
"I had such a bad head injury I was never supposed to talk any more than a two-year-old," Wilson said.
To show his gratitude to the birds who helped him on the path to rehabilitation, Wilson has devoted his life to feathered pets whose owners are no longer able or want to keep them.
Brian Wilson
40th Anniversary
FESPACO Pan-African Film Festival
Big-screen tales of township gangsters and cattle-preying lions compete at next week's 40th anniversary FESPACO Pan-African film festival, showcasing the continent's wide-ranging cinematic talent.
Far from the red carpets and paparazzi of Cannes and Venice, film lovers will throng movie halls in dusty Burkina Faso, where every two years cinema comes to the masses in one of the world's poorest countries.
Conference halls have been transformed into cinemas for the week and in outlying districts of the capital Ouagadougou viewers will perch on concrete pews in open-air theatres beneath the Sahelian star-scape for 200 CFA ($0.40) apiece.
Instead of the usual imported kick-flicks and Bollywood blockbusters on show at disheveled cinema halls, FESPACO offers a broad wealth of African imagery.
FESPACO Pan-African Film Festival
Dobson's Doppelganger?
Iran
An adviser to Iran's president on Sunday demanded an apology from a team of visiting Hollywood actors and movie industry officials, including Annette Bening, saying films such as "300" and "The Wrestler" were "insulting" to Iranians.
Without an apology, members of Iran's film industry should refuse to meet with representatives from the nine-member team, said Javad Shamaqdari, the art and cinema adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The film "300," portrays the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., in which a force of 300 Spartans held off a massive Persian army at a mountain pass in Greece for three days. It angered many Iranians for the way Persians are depicted as decadent, sexually flamboyant and evil in contrast to the noble Greeks.
Iranians also criticized "The Wrestler" starring Mickey Rourke as a rundown professional wrestler who is preparing for a rematch with his old nemesis, "The Ayatollah." During a fight scene, "The Ayatollah" tries to choke Rourke with an Iranian flag before Rourke pulls the flagpole away, breaks it and throws it into the cheering crowd.
Neither movie was shown in Iran.
Iran
Standoff In Cyprus
Asparagus
U.N. peacekeepers have upset traditional wild asparagus harvesters on the ethnically divided island of Cyprus by preventing them from entering a buffer zone to gather the tasty shoots.
U.N. soldiers, restricting access to the buffer zone which splits the island from east to west after Cyprus was divided in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a Greek-inspired coup, say they are only doing their job, but residents are livid.
"This is unacceptable behaviour and I have demanded that action is taken," said Nicos Kotziambashis, leader of the Greek Cypriot village of Mammari which has been particularly hit by the U.N. ban. "The situation is explosive."
Plentiful rains ensured a bumper crop of "aggrelia" this year exacerbating the standoff between soldiers and the army of locals who flock to pick asparagus, which tied in green and red burgundy bunches, sells for up to four euros at local markets.
Asparagus
Man With An Opinion
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood has slammed political correctness, saying he believes people are now "walking on eggshells".
The writer and director, whose plays racist Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino, said the world has "become boring".
"I think the PC madness is what's refreshing about playing this character. When I grew up there were a lot of people like this, and everybody didn't take themselves so seriously. People would kid themselves about everybody's... whatever race they were, whatever ethnic, religious groups they were. Everybody would joke about it and everybody got along just fine," he told GMTV.
"But then we've come to this now where everybody has to be walking on eggshells - kind of very... sensitive. And so it's become boring, kind of, and I think everybody would like to be Walt Kowalski for about 10 minutes," he continued.
Clint Eastwood
Study Offers Insight
Spit
Bacteria found in people's spit does not vary much around the world, a surprising finding that could provide insights into how diet and cultural factors affect human health, researchers said on Thursday.
Because the human body harbours 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells, scientists are trying to understand more about the bacteria we carry.
The human mouth is a major gateway for bacteria into the body and it contains a diverse array of microbial species. Yet scientists know little about this diversity and how it relates to diet, environment, health and disease, they added.
In their study published in Genome Research, the team sequenced bacteria found in saliva samples taken from 120 healthy volunteers from North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
Spit
Weekend Box Office
'Madea'
"Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail" locked up $16.5 million in ticket sales to claim the top spot at the box office for a second straight weekend, beating out "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience."
"Slumdog Millionaire," riding high after collecting eight Oscars last week, finished third with $12.1 million, bringing its total to $115 million and giving it the biggest post-Academy Awards weekend for a best picture Oscar winner in 10 years.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail," $16.5 million.
2. "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience," $12.7 million.
3. "Slumdog Millionaire," $12.1 million.
4. "Taken," $9.9 million.
5. "He's Just Not That Into You," $5.8 million.
6. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," $5.6 million.
7. "Coraline," $5.2 million.
8. "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li," $4.6 million.
9. "Confessions of a Shopaholic," $4.4 million.
10. "Fired Up," 3.8 million.
'Madea'
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