Baron Dave Romm
Watchmen
By Baron Dave Romm
Shockwave Radio Theater podcasts
Back from Marscon
I had a great time, and wrote about it in my LiveJournal. I picked up several CDs and will review them as I listen. Later.
Watchmen: some background
The comic book Watchmen has an interesting history, both internally and externally. First, come history (as seen through my comic collection):
Writer Alan Moore was the darling of DC comics, having moved from British comics to America. His Swamp Thing (the DC version of Man-Thing by Steve Gerber, one of Marvel's best comics; both variants on Theodore Sturgeon's horror short story It).
Moore belongs to a class of comic book writers I'm going to call the Fourth Wave. When comic books as we know them became popular just before and during WWII, comics could do pretty much anything they wanted as long as it sold. Especially if it sold to our troops overseas. The First Wave lated until the McCarthy Era in the mid-50s, when sphincter conservatives realized that children might be reading them. 1954 saw the publication of Seduction of the Innocent by Dr. Frederick Wertham (who wrote a poem for one of my fanzines which I had to edit...) in 1954. This lead to the Comics Code Authority and the emasculation of the industry.
The Second Wave of comic writers had to play by a different set of rules. Superman encountered different types of Kryptonite, Sugar and Spike were ascendent. It wasn't necessarily bad, but comics were for kids.
Partly to fill the gap, a few years later Stan Lee starts writing and editing a series of titles that became Marvel Comics. Stan Lee instilled three elements into superhero comics: Fear of radiation, superhero insecurity and the soap opera. Comics in the 50s had warned of the dangers of the atom bomb, but Stan made heroes that were created when bitten by a radioactive spider, or who gained powers when they flew through a cosmic storm, or who were mutants. And these heroes were not always happy; they were not always heroes. And very much unlike the comics in WWII or even DC comics at the time, the storylines continued from issue to issue. The Third Wave of comic writers were under the umbrella of the Managing Editor (or whatever title happened to be at the time), so the storylines were consistent when writers changed, and characters were consistent when guest starring in other comics. The story and art was simple enough for the kids, but powerful enough for the college student.
The Fourth Wave of comic writers got all baroque on your ass. They assumed the readers were educated adults who were familiar with comic traditions and the history of the character. It was primarily, but not solely, a Baby Boomer phenomenon. Unlike comics of the 50s, where the average readership turned over every six months, comics of the 70s and early 80s could assume that a large portion of their readership had been around for decades. Comic prices took off, and comics needed to be different than they were in the 40s. Storylines became more complicated and heroes became more reflective. Comics made fun of themselves or played off expectations. Art and text became denser and more experimental, even in mainstream titles.
Eventually, the center could not hold, and both DC and Marvel tried to "reinvent" themselves with Crisis On Infinite Earths and the Mutant Massacre and such. This is when I stopped reading comics. They had a good 50-year run. But I digress.
I haven't read them since they came out, but my favorite Fourth Wave writers were Steve Gerber (especially Man-Thing) and Alan Moore (especially Watchmen). This is where you came in.
DC had bought the rights to Charlton Comics in 1983, and Moore wanted to use their WWI-vintage action heros for his plan to deconstruct the superhero mythos. DC wouldn't let him, so he started with loose variants of the Charlton heroes as background and made up new ones sort of in that vein, but not in the DC timeline.
The comics/trade paperback are wonderful and I hope the movie sparks sales. Moore is ticked off because he didn't think the comics could translate to the movies. Well, no, Alan, the movie is rarely as good as the book and this is no exception. However, it's a pretty good movie and you were foolish to take your name off the credits. Artist Dave Gibbons is given Creator credit; while he deserves plaudits for his tremendous artwork, the lack of Moore's name on the project makes him look like an idiot and doesn't harm the movie.
Watchmen: A Few Spoilers
After all that, I'm not actually going to talk about the movie very much. You should see it. I won't give away most of the major plot elements, but there will be some spoilerish discussion of theme and background, so if you're a purist you should skip to the next section.
I loved the opening montage, under the credits, with all sorts of pop culture stuff going on. The back story is deep. If you haven't read the comics, much information flies by quickly. The montage sets up the time and place of The Watchmen, establishing it firmly in the mid-80s. The world of the Watchmen in the montage is not that different from our world... yet. For the most part, it's our world with the addition of costumed heroes. Somewhat farther to the right, with Nixon winning a third term and Vietnam War protests handled roughly. Dick Cheney's wet dream. You might like this world, grudgingly, on the surface.
We later find out the downside of Nixon's "Law and Order" presidency: Lawlessness at home and a nuclear confrontation in the world. The costumed heroes and one real superhero, Dr. Manhattan, won the Vietnam War for the US. Their presence has caused villains to get tougher and the Soviet Union to take an apocalyptic stand. You don't like this world, as you go deeper into the story.
I thought Watchmen did better than The Dark Knight in exploring the theme of a hero's duty and responsibility, and it did much much better than Lost with overlapping flashbacks to drive the back story.
On the Shockwave Radio Theater scale of 9 to 23, I'd give Watchmen about a 20. I may flix the DVD for deleted scenes. 2 hours and 43 minutes goes by fast. I hope the DVD reprints the comics so I don't have to unbag mine and can sell them Near Mint.
There is no extra material after the credits.
Castle
I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon after one episode, but I liked it. Nathan Fillion (Mal on Firefly/Serenity) is fun. He fills the much needed gap between Jessica Fletcher and Patrick Jane.
Political Thoughts
If you haven't seen it yet, you should look at the whole week of March 9-12 of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as he singlehandedly does what the mainstream media doesn't have the balls to do: Tell the truth about the conservative news media. The first three days are an escalating smackdown of CNBC. Thursday features an interview with conservative media elite Jim Cramer of "Mad Money" on CNBC. More of the interview is on the website, though the aired segments are wonderful.
The public is starved for post-partisan leadership (not "bi-partisan" bickering). With Stewart giving the public hope that the criminally liable financial system will be investigated. They were aided and abetted by the criminally liable "news" networks, starting with CNBC and including CNN and Fox. Because Stewart and the tremendous team on The Daily Show gave a ray of hope, the stock market had its first up week since their last ray of hope shortly after Obama was elected in November. Coincidence? Perhaps, but a telling one.
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
Scott Burns: A Modest Proposal: Limited Purpose Banking (assetbuilder.com)
In case you hadn't noticed, the foxes are still guarding the banking henhouse. The only change: President Obama is reducing how many hens the foxes can kill while on guard duty. The foxes, of course, are the financial wizards whose leadership almost entirely wiped out the capital of the banking system. The old system relied on trusting people who lied and cheated. They are still running the show. They will lie and cheat again. We will be called upon to pay the bill, again.
Daniel Gross: Jump! (slate.com)
If the economy is going to recover, Americans need to start taking risks again.
Froma Harrop: Don't Surrender to Recession Stress (creators.com)
Do recessions make people sicker? Some studies say yes, some say no. The better question might be, "How is this recession affecting health?" Not in a good way, comes the answer. This recession - depression? - seems different.
The boys back are in town (guardian.co.uk)
The Pet Shop Boys, that unlikely pop duo with a penchant for sharp suits and lairy sportswear, are back in vogue, says Alexis Petridis. They're writing hits for Girls Aloud, being feted by the Killers and have a new album on the way. Just don't call them a national institution ...
20 QUESTIONS: Bibio (popmatters.com)
British electronic artist Bibio has just released his third album, "Vignetting the Compost." He tells us about his work and love for Walt Whitman in these 20 Questions.
Q&A (guardian.co.uk)
Comedian Harry Enfield on eight hour walks, eating and fighting like Batman.
GLENN O'BRIEN: Milla JOVOVICH (interviewmagazine.com)
Milla Jovovich is the action hero after the last action hero, and she has become a huge star on the ultrawide screen by alternately threatening the world and saving it in films such as "The Fifth Element" (1997) and the "Resident Evi"l series. ... But when you think about it, saving the earth is kind of a woman's gig, isn't it?
Rene Rodriguez: Abel Ferrara is as notorious as the characters in his films (McClatchy Newspapers)
Only a certain kind of person took up residence at New York's notorious Chelsea Hotel. Arthur Miller, William Burroughs, Charles Bukowski, Bob Dylan and Dennis Hopper all lived there. Andy Warhol directed a film there. Sex Pistols lead singer Sid Vicious was charged with stabbing his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death there. Jack Kerouac wrote "On the Road" there.
Robert K. Elder: Gary Sinise defends the military against 'one-sided' filmmakers (Chicago Tribune)
Gary Sinise fumes. As we talk and tour Chicago's National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, Sinise's gravel-and-coffee-grounds growl picks up momentum and passion. At one point, he's hard to interrupt to ask a question as his voice succumbs to infuriated frustration. Especially when talking about director Brian De Palma.
Will Harris: A Chat with George Wendt, Co-star of "Saturday Morning" and "Cheers" (bullz-eye.com)
On people calling constantly calling out "Norm!" when they see him: They're always going to remember me that way. I decided a long time ago that if I'm going to let this make me crazy, I'm going to be certifiable, so I just roll with it.
Joe Weider: Omega-3 -- a Key to Healthy Living (creators.com)
Tip of the Week: Train larger muscle groups first, then smaller ones.
Joe Weider: Do-It-Yourself Home Gym (creators.com)
Tip of the Week: Whatever it is you're looking for as you aim to reach your fitness goals, the odds are you won't find it in a pill.
Video: South Park Hates On Jonas Bros Pic & Disney For "Selling Sex To Little Girls"
David Bruce: "Dante's 'Inferno': A Discussion Guide"
Free Download.
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'Wars and Rumors of Wars' Edition'...
President Obama, aka 'The Man', certainly has his hands full in the foreign affairs arena at the moment with the belligerent behavior shown by our fellow passengers on Spaceship Earth. Naughty, naughty, I'm sayin'... It's like, don't they realize he's trying to solve a world-wide financial crisis? Or what? Jeesh! That said, which one of these provocations is the most worrisome?
A. Russia's (the Putin Oligarch Soviet Republic) probing Canadian airspace in the Arctic with a long-range bomber coinciding with BHO's first official 'foreign' visit outside the US to Ottawa?
B. China's (Shylock and Landlord) playing 'tag, you're it' with an unarmed US Navy ship in the international waters of the South China Sea?
C. The 'Hive Collective' known as North Korea threatening a 'counter-strike' if their erstwhile 'satellite' long-range ballistic missile launch is interfered with. Yeah, like we want to limit their TV channels from two to their present one...
D. Iran's (R-Theocracy) hell-bent-for-leather pursuit of atomic weapons. Quit lying! Everyone knows you suffer from Israeli penis-envy...
E. Israel's (R-Rethug) trying to bully the US into letting them remake Iran into a glass covered nuclear iridescent parking lot?
This bullshit is getting tiresome, don't ya think?
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to
wrote:
Purple Gene Reviews
'Throw Down Your Heart'
Purple Gene's review of the movie "Throw Down Your Heart" (2008).
Directed by Sascha Paladino
Trailer.
Link
'Some Guy'
Some guy thought this was interesting.
Contributor Suggestion
Roller Derby
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Still sunny but cool.
Still can't open anything in the Hotmail account.
Show Will Go On
Steve Martin
Steve Martin has offered to pay for an off-campus production of his play "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," which was banned from a high school because parents objected to what they called adult content.
The actor and comedian said in a letter to a newspaper that he wants to keep the play, conducted in other high schools without controversy, "from acquiring a reputation it does not deserve."
Last month a parent objected to the production planned by La Grande High School teacher Kevin Cahill and gave school officials a petition signed by 137 people. The school board halted rehearsals.
Since then, plans have been afoot for the students to present the play instead at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, with a Student Democrats group raising money.
Steve Martin
Washington Protester
Concepcion Picciotto
She is President Barack Obama's closest neighbor, but don't expect her to be invited over for tea any time soon -- not while carrying on the longest continuous act of political protest in the United States.
Each morning like she has for the past 28 years, Concepcion Picciotto pulls back the plastic flap of her makeshift shelter in Lafayette Park and stares across the street at the White House, but the protester-in-residence voices little hope that the new president will make a difference on issues that dominate her life: ending US interventionist wars and banning nuclear weapons.
"No, they're all the same," Picciotto laments about the commanders-in-chief she has literally watched come and go since 1981, when she and fellow activist William "Doubting" Thomas began their 24-hour White House peace vigil.
Obama and the other presidents she has outlasted -- Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush -- "don't support peace."
Concepcion Picciotto
Union OKs Concessions
San Francisco Chronicle
Members of the San Francisco Chronicle's largest union have agreed to contract concessions that parent company Hearst Corp says are essential to keeping the newspaper open.
Members of the California Media Workers Guild voted by a 10-1 margin to approve concessions that would allow the Chronicle to cut at least 150 union jobs and eliminate various benefits and rights, according to a statement on the union's website posted on Saturday evening.
New York-based Hearst had threatened to close the paper unless it could secure immediate concessions. The company also says that it may close the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper, or possibly take it online only with a much smaller staff. A decision may come next week.
The Guild represents 483 Chronicle employees -- 218 in editorial and 265 in advertising, circulation, finance, ad production and other functions, the paper said on its website.
San Francisco Chronicle
Show Moving To Connecticut
Jerry Springer
Connecticut's Gold Coast, a bastion of suburban perfection including both Martha Stewart and the Stepford Wives, is about to become home to Jerry Springer's bawdy TV show, which features wife swappers, strippers and skinheads.
Subject to negotiations, Springer's show will move from Chicago this summer into the new production studio at the Rich Forum Theater in Stamford, about 50 kilometres from New York City and next to one of the region's largest and oldest Catholic churches. The pastor says he plans to talk to church lawyers to see if they can stop the plan after hearing complaints from parishioners, including one who called the show "low-brow."
Fairfield County is one of the country's richest regions and inspired the classic film "The Stepford Wives" in which the men in a seemingly perfect town find a way to turn their spouses into beautiful, compliant housebound robots. Stewart's television show focusing on fine living was filmed for many years in nearby Westport.
The deal would also bring two other shows with similar formats. "Maury," hosted by Maury Povich, would move from New York, and "The Steve Wilkos Show," hosted by the former security director of "Springer," would move from Chicago this summer to start producing shows for next season.
Jerry Springer
Baby News
Max & Bob Sheen
Brooke Mueller, the third wife of "Two and a Half Men" and "Spin City" star Charlie Sheen, has given birth to twin boys, People magazine reported Sunday.
The babies, Max and Bob, were born late Saturday, the celebrity magazine said on its website. Although premature, the twins were "doing great," Sheen's publicist Stan Rosenfield told People.
Sheen, 43, is now the father of five. He married Mueller, 31, in May 2008. The television and film actor also has two daughters with former "James Bond girl" Denise Richards, whom he divorced in 2006 after a four-year marriage.
He also has a 23-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
Max & Bob Sheen
Six Hurt At Audition
'America's Next Top Model'
Six women received medical treatment on Saturday and three people were arrested after what local radio described as a stampede as thousands waited in New York to audition for the reality show "America's Next Top Model."
A New York Police Department official said two women and a man were arrested on charges of inciting to riot and disorderly conduct.
WINS radio reported that chaos erupted outside a midtown Manhattan hotel after a car belching smoke pulled up near the line of women late in the afternoon, leading to a cry of "fire" that sparked panic. Witnesses told the station the situation was compounded when a man leapt from a car and began grabbing women's purses.
The police spokesman could not confirm the details of the radio report. Police said six women in the crowd were treated after complaining of feeling faint. Some of the women had lined up all night to audition for the show that airs on the CW network and stars former model Tyra Banks.
'America's Next Top Model'
Wnn't Appear In Court Today
Lindsay Lohan
A lawyer for Lindsay Lohan says the actress won't be going to court Monday to respond to a warrant that has been issued for her arrest.
Attorney Shawn Chapman Holley told The Associated Press on Sunday that she will appear in court on Lohan's behalf.
Holley says the warrant issued Friday by a Beverly Hills court resulted from a "misunderstanding."
Lindsay Lohan
Cases Hit Record In 2008
Cybersquatting
Companies and celebrities ranging from Arsenal football club to actress Scarlett Johansson filed a record number of "cybersquatting" cases in 2008 to stop others from profiting from their famous names, brands and events, a United Nations agency said on Sunday.
Web sites in dispute in 2008 included references to Madrid's 2016 Olympics bid, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), Yale University, Research in Motion's Blackberry as well as Arsenal and Johansson, and company names such as eBay, Google and Nestle.
The most common business sector in which complaints arose was pharmaceuticals, due to websites offering sales of medicines with protected names. Other top sectors for complaints were banking and finance, Internet and telecommunications, retail, and food, beverages and restaurants.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) handled 2,329 cases under its dispute procedure for Internet page names.
Cybersquatting
Gospel Singer Charged
BeBe Winans
Gospel singer BeBe Winans has been charged with misdemeanour domestic assault after a dispute with his ex-wife in Nashville.
An arrest warrant filed Wednesday says 46-year-old Benjamin "BeBe" Winans got into argument with his ex-wife about their children at her home on Feb. 13.
The warrant says Debra Winans told authorities Benjamin Winans pushed her to the ground.
He was released from the Davidson County jail Thursday after posting $1,000 bond.
BeBe Winans
Weekend Box Office
'Witch Mountain'
Disney's "Race to Witch Mountain" raced to No. 1 at the weekend box office, bypassing expectations with $25 million in ticket sales.
The PG-rated sci-fi flick starring Dwayne Johnson as a cab driver with a pair of alien teenagers along for the ride topped the R-rated superhero epic "Watchmen," which earned $18.1 million in its second week.
Factoring in 2009's higher admission prices, the weekend box office total was down 16 percent compared with last year, making it the first down weekend in six weeks. Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers, does not believe the shift signals the end of 2009's otherwise stellar year at the box office.
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. "Race to Witch Mountain," $25 million.
2. "Watchmen," $18.1 million.
3. "The Last House on the Left," $14.7 million.
4. "Taken," $6.7 million.
5. "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail," $5.1 million.
6. "Slumdog Millionaire," $5 million.
7. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," $3.1 million.
8. "He's Just Not That Into You," $2.9 million.
9. "Coraline," $3.3 million.
10. "Miss March," $2.4 million.
'Witch Mountain'
In Memory
Altovise Joanne Gore Davis
Altovise Joanne Gore Davis, a dancer and actress and the widow of Sammy Davis Jr., has died. She was 65.
Davis worked her way to the Broadway stage where she met the legendary entertainer when they performed together in the musical "Golden Boy" in 1967.
She became his third wife when they wed in 1970 (Davis was previously married to dancer Loray White and Swedish actress Mai Britt). They adopted a son and remained together until Davis died of throat cancer in 1990 at the age of 64.
After his death she was left to sort through his multimillion IRS tax debt and oversee his troubled estate. Last year, she sued two former business partners in federal court, claiming they tricked her into signing away the rights to the estate. The suit is pending.
Davis is survived by her son Manny.
Altovise Joanne Gore Davis
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