9.16.2008
Dance!
I've been watching the audition shows for the Canadian version of So You Think You Can Dance, because I got quite caught up in the American version this summer (and if Katee couldn't win it all, I'm glad the title went to Joshua). I was impressed that the show actually included some world dance this season, in the form of Bollywood routines and a Russian trepak with its impressive kazotskys. I hope they continue that concept in the Canadian version but expand on it... after all, we have some fabulous "world dance" right here in North America.
There's a movement in Native American dance that is taking off at the moment: dancers are combining traditional Indigenous dance practices with contemporary techniques and creating an exciting fusion of form. I would LOVE to see someone like Santee Smith of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre on the show as a guest dancer or guest choreographer. (Speaking of guest choreographers... I thought Sonya was a fabulously fierce addition to the SYTYCD arsenal.) I also hope to see some Celtic flavour included in some of the routines. This is Canada, after all, and whether you're from the Maritimes or you're Métis, Highland dance and jigging are part of the Canadian identity as far as I'm concerned.
Anyway, I certainly hope that the show's producers here in Canada will continue to expand on the tradition started by their American counterparts this season and incorporate more world dance into the So You Think You Can Dance repertoire.
There's a movement in Native American dance that is taking off at the moment: dancers are combining traditional Indigenous dance practices with contemporary techniques and creating an exciting fusion of form. I would LOVE to see someone like Santee Smith of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre on the show as a guest dancer or guest choreographer. (Speaking of guest choreographers... I thought Sonya was a fabulously fierce addition to the SYTYCD arsenal.) I also hope to see some Celtic flavour included in some of the routines. This is Canada, after all, and whether you're from the Maritimes or you're Métis, Highland dance and jigging are part of the Canadian identity as far as I'm concerned.
Anyway, I certainly hope that the show's producers here in Canada will continue to expand on the tradition started by their American counterparts this season and incorporate more world dance into the So You Think You Can Dance repertoire.
Labels: dancing, pop culture, tv
5.19.2008
Ripley's Return
I finally have Ripley back, my beautiful '95 Honda Civic! But it was a battle royal. The insurance company wanted to write her off. Said that to make her pristine would cost over 80% of her value. My outside voice response was "she was in very good condition before she was stolen, but certainly not pristine." My inside voice response was "value according to whom?!" Because I Ripley is my baby. So I fought for her and in the end the insurance company gave me a settlement that would allow me to keep Ripley and get her fixed. I know the insurance guys thought I was nuts. The mechanics at the first garage thought I was nuts. But it was worth it to me.
Looking back, I realized that out of the six cars that I've owned in my lifetime, three of them have been Honda Civics. I've also come to realize that my devotion to Civics is not isolated. Apparently, people who love their Civics, really LOVE their Civics:
Looking back, I realized that out of the six cars that I've owned in my lifetime, three of them have been Honda Civics. I've also come to realize that my devotion to Civics is not isolated. Apparently, people who love their Civics, really LOVE their Civics:
Labels: film, pop culture, ripley
1.15.2008
Come With Me If You Want To Live
"This season a mother will become a warrior, a son will become a hero, and their only ally will be a friend from the future."
I've started watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I may have been dissatisfied by the TV adaptation of Painkiller Jane, I may have been disappointed by the remake of The Bionic Woman, but I finally have my "women who kick ass" show! (Just to be clear, the only reason that Battlestar Galactica doesn't fill that bill is because it's an ensemble show. Yes, it does have plenty of women who kick ass but it has an equal number of men who kick ass. Different category. But I digress…)
Perhaps I'm simply blinded by my love of the James Cameron Terminator movies, but I don't think that's the case; I love it because it's faithful to Cameron's vision. I love how Lena Headey's Sarah Connor stays true to Linda Hamilton's Sarah from T2. I love how the opening and closing narration mirrors the films. I love the nods to the films, with the line used as the subject for this post being a prime example.
But I also appreciate the new directions: the time travel, the presence of Cameron (nice choice of name, btw) and the questions that her presence raises: Why couldn't the other terminator identify what kind of cyborg she is? What is her special relationship to John and/or Sarah? Basically, what's her secret? Because you KNOW she's got one.
One quibble: I get that the TV show has a fraction of the budget of a feature film, especially when that feature film is Terminator 2: Judgement Day, but they should have at least taken a moment to explain why we wouldn't be seeing any of the high tech T-1000 terminators with that cool liquid metal. But if that's my only problem with it, I'll learn to deal.
Overall, I think it succeeds where Painkiller Jane and The Bionic Women fail because of the power of its mythology. Yes, it has the advantage of movies to provide backstory for that mythology (mind you, Painkiller Jane should have had the advantage of comic books to provide backstory, but they didn't really bother to use that advantage). But I think it could stand on it's own without the films. The epic nature of their struggle, combined with their solitary existence as they hide from the world, gives it far greater scope than the other two series mentioned here.
If anyone believes that I'm overrating Chronicles and underrating the other shows, I would be very interested in your opinions so feel free to comment.
Addendum: Just realized another interesting name choice. The FBI agent in the show is named Ellison. James Cameron's original Terminator story was inspired by the writings of Harlan Ellison
. Pretty cool, dontcha think?
I've started watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I may have been dissatisfied by the TV adaptation of Painkiller Jane, I may have been disappointed by the remake of The Bionic Woman, but I finally have my "women who kick ass" show! (Just to be clear, the only reason that Battlestar Galactica doesn't fill that bill is because it's an ensemble show. Yes, it does have plenty of women who kick ass but it has an equal number of men who kick ass. Different category. But I digress…)
Perhaps I'm simply blinded by my love of the James Cameron Terminator movies, but I don't think that's the case; I love it because it's faithful to Cameron's vision. I love how Lena Headey's Sarah Connor stays true to Linda Hamilton's Sarah from T2. I love how the opening and closing narration mirrors the films. I love the nods to the films, with the line used as the subject for this post being a prime example.
But I also appreciate the new directions: the time travel, the presence of Cameron (nice choice of name, btw) and the questions that her presence raises: Why couldn't the other terminator identify what kind of cyborg she is? What is her special relationship to John and/or Sarah? Basically, what's her secret? Because you KNOW she's got one.
One quibble: I get that the TV show has a fraction of the budget of a feature film, especially when that feature film is Terminator 2: Judgement Day, but they should have at least taken a moment to explain why we wouldn't be seeing any of the high tech T-1000 terminators with that cool liquid metal. But if that's my only problem with it, I'll learn to deal.
Overall, I think it succeeds where Painkiller Jane and The Bionic Women fail because of the power of its mythology. Yes, it has the advantage of movies to provide backstory for that mythology (mind you, Painkiller Jane should have had the advantage of comic books to provide backstory, but they didn't really bother to use that advantage). But I think it could stand on it's own without the films. The epic nature of their struggle, combined with their solitary existence as they hide from the world, gives it far greater scope than the other two series mentioned here.
If anyone believes that I'm overrating Chronicles and underrating the other shows, I would be very interested in your opinions so feel free to comment.
Addendum: Just realized another interesting name choice. The FBI agent in the show is named Ellison. James Cameron's original Terminator story was inspired by the writings of Harlan Ellison
. Pretty cool, dontcha think?Labels: film, pop culture, tv
12.31.2007
Migraine Trumps Sleep Restriction
Well, my sleep restriction therapy went by the wayside on day three of my migraine (that Christmas day headache was, in fact, the migraine coming back and setting up camp for the rest of the week). I have an appointment with my sleep doc on Wednesday, so I'm just going to wait and talk to him before I try anything further.
As my last post of the year, I had been planning to post a 2007 "Hot vs. Not" List about my random opinions, such as:
Friends you can make films with... HOT
Friends who only know how to gossip... NOT
Intelligent and entertaining independent films (Walk All Over Me)... HOT
Yet another Hollywood sequel or remake (Spiderman 3, Pirates, etc.)... NOT
Evan Biddell, fashion designer who won Project Runway Canada... HOT
Elina Viola, local fashion designer... NOT
Bob Rae, politician with a brain and a heart... HOT
Stephen Harper/George W. Bush, politicians with neither brains nor hearts... NOT
And so on and so forth...
But I really can't be bothered with such trivialities right now. So let me sum up 2007 on a personal level: I overextended myself for people who weren't worth even extending myself for in the first place and my health has been declining all year as a result, but thankfully these people are out of my life and I'm working hard at getting my health back on track. My various and sundry opinions about pop culture, politics and pugilism will have to wait. (Okay, so I've got nothing on pugilism, but doesn't it make for an intriguing triple alliteration?)
I'm hopeful that if I can avoid toxic people and keep my health as a priority, 2008 will be a much better year. So I guess those are my two main New Years resolutions. And resolution number three is to finish the second draft of my feature-length screenplay (my film work being necessary fodder for my mental health). Now excuse me while I continue to hibernate in an attempt to recover from this sleep stuff and the mother of all migraines.
As my last post of the year, I had been planning to post a 2007 "Hot vs. Not" List about my random opinions, such as:
Friends you can make films with... HOT
Friends who only know how to gossip... NOT
Intelligent and entertaining independent films (Walk All Over Me)... HOT
Yet another Hollywood sequel or remake (Spiderman 3, Pirates, etc.)... NOT
Evan Biddell, fashion designer who won Project Runway Canada... HOT
Elina Viola, local fashion designer... NOT
Bob Rae, politician with a brain and a heart... HOT
Stephen Harper/George W. Bush, politicians with neither brains nor hearts... NOT
And so on and so forth...
But I really can't be bothered with such trivialities right now. So let me sum up 2007 on a personal level: I overextended myself for people who weren't worth even extending myself for in the first place and my health has been declining all year as a result, but thankfully these people are out of my life and I'm working hard at getting my health back on track. My various and sundry opinions about pop culture, politics and pugilism will have to wait. (Okay, so I've got nothing on pugilism, but doesn't it make for an intriguing triple alliteration?)
I'm hopeful that if I can avoid toxic people and keep my health as a priority, 2008 will be a much better year. So I guess those are my two main New Years resolutions. And resolution number three is to finish the second draft of my feature-length screenplay (my film work being necessary fodder for my mental health). Now excuse me while I continue to hibernate in an attempt to recover from this sleep stuff and the mother of all migraines.
Labels: bush bashing, fashion, health, odds and ends, pop culture
5.24.2007
Buffy Extravaganza
If you're a regular reader here, you probably already know that I'm a wee bit of a Buffy fan. (Holy understatement, Batman!) Well, I was over visiting the Internet Movie Database for that Movie Meme when I noticed they have a new FAQ for Buffy the Vampire Slayer! And I just learned that they've started "season 8" in the form of a comic book. I just might have to return to my comic book roots for that. And do ya wanna see the original unaired pilot? Me too! And you can watch it here: Buffy Unaired Pilot Season 1 Episode 0. I haven't read through them all yet but just picture me rubbing my hands together with glee. 
Labels: buffy, pop culture, tv
4.25.2007
Beauty From Pain
Browsing through the Blogger's Choice Awards again (I've got new votes... yay!), I found that someone had nominated PostSecret. A friend of mine sent me a link to this blog a while back and I'd meant to blog about it but got sidetracked.
What is PostSecret? It's an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. Some of them are amusing, some of them are insightful, but what keeps me coming back are the ones that are frightening in their truth and beautiful in their pain. If you haven't visited this site before, I highly recommend it.
Unfortunately, the award categories weren't really made for a blog like this. If I were to invent a category for it, I think I would call it "Best Humanist Blog" or "Best Blog about Truth" but those aren't categories that people would typically think about or use. So it's in the Pop Culture category. Yes, yet another post for a "pop culture" blog.
In keeping with the spirit of viewing this as a pop culture blog, I've uploaded "Beauty from Pain" by Superchick to My Music Box for you to listen to while you explore. I've also decided to change the other songs to create a sort of theme of pain and secrets. So there's also Blue October's "Razorblade" sung by Zayra Alvarez and "Merry Go Round" by Athena Reich.
What is PostSecret? It's an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. Some of them are amusing, some of them are insightful, but what keeps me coming back are the ones that are frightening in their truth and beautiful in their pain. If you haven't visited this site before, I highly recommend it.
Unfortunately, the award categories weren't really made for a blog like this. If I were to invent a category for it, I think I would call it "Best Humanist Blog" or "Best Blog about Truth" but those aren't categories that people would typically think about or use. So it's in the Pop Culture category. Yes, yet another post for a "pop culture" blog.
In keeping with the spirit of viewing this as a pop culture blog, I've uploaded "Beauty from Pain" by Superchick to My Music Box for you to listen to while you explore. I've also decided to change the other songs to create a sort of theme of pain and secrets. So there's also Blue October's "Razorblade" sung by Zayra Alvarez and "Merry Go Round" by Athena Reich.
Labels: art and photography, blogging, music, pop culture
4.24.2007
Galactica Station
I don't know if you remember, but a while back I mentioned this great blog called Galactica Station. For those Battlestar Galactica fans who haven't browsed that blog yet, I highly recommend it. Especially with the long summer ahead and no new BSG for months. Galactica Station is the place to get your BSG fix.
Which is why I nominated it for Best Pop Culture blog in the Blogger's Choice Awards. And yes, I nominated it in a category that I'm already nominated in, but I really think it deserves the award more than I do. But there's a long way to go to get them noticed by the voting public. So here I am providing blatant advertising, wishing I had bribes to offer people to get them to vote (just kidding)!
So at the very least, check out Galactica Station. And if you want to go even further... vote!
Which is why I nominated it for Best Pop Culture blog in the Blogger's Choice Awards. And yes, I nominated it in a category that I'm already nominated in, but I really think it deserves the award more than I do. But there's a long way to go to get them noticed by the voting public. So here I am providing blatant advertising, wishing I had bribes to offer people to get them to vote (just kidding)!
So at the very least, check out Galactica Station. And if you want to go even further... vote!
Labels: battlestar galactica, blogging, pop culture, tv
4.22.2007
Not At All Plain Jane
Whilst browsing through the Blogger's Choice Awards, I discovered that Jane Espenson has a blog! And it's not just a this-is-what-happened-to-me-today sort of blog, it's Jane's screenwriting advice. (Mentally clapping my hands with glee.)
And I just realized that not everyone knows who I'm talking about. (Sad but true, I guess.) Well, Jane Espenson is a TV writer extraordinaire. A Joss Whedon crony who worked on Angel, Firefly and Buffy (she wrote two of my favourite Buffy episodes, granted I have many favourite episodes but these are definitely amongst them: Earshot and Life Serial), I've recently noticed her name on Battlestar Galactica episodes! (Dirty Hands was hers... the one where I said that the Chief was Savio-like in his glory; I'm rather fond of that line of mine and I'm rather fond of that episode of hers.)
Now I just saw something on her blog that makes me want to imitate a girl I went to elementary school who would get so excited when she knew the answer to something that she didn't just raise her hand but she slapped her other hand under her raised hand (right around armpit level) saying: "oh, oh, oh!" So what's making me want to behave in this ridiculous fashion? Jane has a short story in "Flirting with Pride & Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives on the Original Chick-Lit Masterpiece." Must! have! that! book!
And I just realized that not everyone knows who I'm talking about. (Sad but true, I guess.) Well, Jane Espenson is a TV writer extraordinaire. A Joss Whedon crony who worked on Angel, Firefly and Buffy (she wrote two of my favourite Buffy episodes, granted I have many favourite episodes but these are definitely amongst them: Earshot and Life Serial), I've recently noticed her name on Battlestar Galactica episodes! (Dirty Hands was hers... the one where I said that the Chief was Savio-like in his glory; I'm rather fond of that line of mine and I'm rather fond of that episode of hers.)
Now I just saw something on her blog that makes me want to imitate a girl I went to elementary school who would get so excited when she knew the answer to something that she didn't just raise her hand but she slapped her other hand under her raised hand (right around armpit level) saying: "oh, oh, oh!" So what's making me want to behave in this ridiculous fashion? Jane has a short story in "Flirting with Pride & Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives on the Original Chick-Lit Masterpiece." Must! have! that! book!
Labels: battlestar galactica, blogging, buffy, pop culture, tv, writing
I'd Like to Thank the Academy...
Hey, I've been nominated for the Blogger's Choice Awards. Now I just need some votes!
Given the competition that's out there, I don't actually expect to win in any of these categories. (It's an honour just being nominated, isn't that how the old chestnut goes?) But it would be nice to get enough votes so that it's not embarrassing. So please help out a weirdgrrl and vote. (Particularly in the Geek & Pop Culture categories... pretty please!)
P.S. I feel like I should now add a label for shameless self-promotion!
Given the competition that's out there, I don't actually expect to win in any of these categories. (It's an honour just being nominated, isn't that how the old chestnut goes?) But it would be nice to get enough votes so that it's not embarrassing. So please help out a weirdgrrl and vote. (Particularly in the Geek & Pop Culture categories... pretty please!
)P.S. I feel like I should now add a label for shameless self-promotion!
Labels: blogging, odds and ends, pop culture
4.02.2007
They Blinded Me With Science
I just came across a brand new site… think MySpace for brainiacs (or geeks, depending on your preferred vernacular). It's called Sci-edge and it offers social networking for science hobbyists, technology and gadget geeks and science fiction fans. (I'm not so much into the gadgets, but would consider myself a bit of a science hobbyist and a definite sci-fi geek.)
They've already got some games up (though I haven't played any of them yet) and a couple of polls (hey, maybe I'll revise my "Is Starbuck Really Dead?" poll and post an updated version of it on Sci-edge). There's also a place for quizzes (still empty, so far… it just launched today, remember) and chat. Plus there's a community blog that makes for some interesting reading. There's also this wish list genie that I haven't tried yet and I'm not quite sure what it's all about, but I'll let you know once I've played around with it some more.
But one of the cool things about the site being so new is that they really want suggestions from the users. So if you sign up now, you're getting in on the ground floor and could really help shape this thing. I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty cool.
Labels: cool sites, math and science, pop culture
4.01.2007
Wine Zingers
Did you know that Francis Ford Coppola, best known as an award-winning filmmaker also happens to make wine? I gather he's been doing this for around 25 years on his Napa Valley Estate, so I could see where this is something that other people know already. But I only discovered it by the merest chance. I was looking for a good wine quote and I found one by Mr. Coppola himself.
He says the two professions of filmmaking and winemaking are almost the same and that both depend on quality source material and both take a lot of time to perfect. The big difference according to Coppola: "Today's winemakers still worry about quality."
Ouch! Nice one.
He says the two professions of filmmaking and winemaking are almost the same and that both depend on quality source material and both take a lot of time to perfect. The big difference according to Coppola: "Today's winemakers still worry about quality."
Ouch! Nice one.
Labels: film, humour, pop culture
3.26.2007
So Say We All: BSG Season 3 Posts
I am fully aware of the fact that I now have those handy Blogger labels, so you could find the Battlestar Galactica posts on your own. But I just thought I would make things a little simpler (and the links in brackets are to the episode descriptions):
3.25.2007 — Said the Joker to the Thief: What the Frack?! (Season Finale: Crossroads, Part 2)
3.21.2007 — Battlestar Galactica Poll (Re: Starbuck's destiny)
3.18.2007 — There's a Storm Coming (episode 19: Crossroads, Part 1)
3.04.2007 — Starbuck's Destiny (episode 17: Maelstrom)
3.03.2007 — Chief Norma Rae (episodes 15 & 16: A Day in the Life & Dirty Hands)
2.11.2007 — Do The Right Thing (episode 14: The Woman King)
1.28.2007 — Maybe It Was Gaeta... (episode 13: Taking a Break From All Your Worries)
1.21.2007 — Is Starbuck a Cylon? (episode 12: Rapture)
11.15.2006 — Battlestar Galactica Webisodes
10.15.2006 — A New Crew In Town (YouTube music video)
And I know this one was for season 2, but it's still one of my fave BSG posts:
7.02.2006 — The Gears & The Levers (Season Finale: Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2)
I'm a little disappointed in myself that I didn't start posting at the beginning of the season, but hindsight and all that. And now comes the long wait for season 4... *sigh*
3.25.2007 — Said the Joker to the Thief: What the Frack?! (Season Finale: Crossroads, Part 2)
3.21.2007 — Battlestar Galactica Poll (Re: Starbuck's destiny)
3.18.2007 — There's a Storm Coming (episode 19: Crossroads, Part 1)
3.04.2007 — Starbuck's Destiny (episode 17: Maelstrom)
3.03.2007 — Chief Norma Rae (episodes 15 & 16: A Day in the Life & Dirty Hands)
2.11.2007 — Do The Right Thing (episode 14: The Woman King)
1.28.2007 — Maybe It Was Gaeta... (episode 13: Taking a Break From All Your Worries)
1.21.2007 — Is Starbuck a Cylon? (episode 12: Rapture)
11.15.2006 — Battlestar Galactica Webisodes
10.15.2006 — A New Crew In Town (YouTube music video)
And I know this one was for season 2, but it's still one of my fave BSG posts:
7.02.2006 — The Gears & The Levers (Season Finale: Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2)
I'm a little disappointed in myself that I didn't start posting at the beginning of the season, but hindsight and all that. And now comes the long wait for season 4... *sigh*
Labels: battlestar galactica, pop culture, tv
3.25.2007
Said the Joker to the Thief: What the Frack?!
Well, I may have been right about Starbuck (thank the gods... of course she could still be a Cylon, so I guess "is Starbuck a Cylon?" could be the "who shot J.R.?" equivalent... but she's back and that's all I care about right now) but holy frack was I wrong about so much other stuff! The Chief?! Seriously... the CHIEF?!?! My "Savio-like in his glory" Chief? Say it isn't so.
And I guess skin jobs have been around for a looong time. And I guess they do have the ability to appear to age. Who knew? (Apart from Ron Moore and the BSG writers, I mean.) But I have to say that I respect Tigh more now, after his little speech (I wish I had it on DVD so I could quote him exactly). Actually, I don't think I ever respected him before, so I should say that I finally respect him. Ironic, dontcha think? The method of reveal was interesting though and I find myself wondering how each of them is going to react in the next season.
But I'm particularly looking forward to watching the unfolding storyline connecting the President, Athena, Caprica Six and Hera. THAT should be good.
Oh and the song, for those who haven't figured it out yet, was "All Along the Watchtower" written by Bob Dylan (I'm not sure whose version... Hendrix maybe?):
"There must be some way out of here,"
said the joker to the thief
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief
Businessmen they drink my wine, plowman dig my earth,
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth."
"No need to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke,
"There are many here among us who think that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that, and that is not our fate,
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late"
All along the watchtower, princes kept the view,
while all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,
two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.
And I guess skin jobs have been around for a looong time. And I guess they do have the ability to appear to age. Who knew? (Apart from Ron Moore and the BSG writers, I mean.) But I have to say that I respect Tigh more now, after his little speech (I wish I had it on DVD so I could quote him exactly). Actually, I don't think I ever respected him before, so I should say that I finally respect him. Ironic, dontcha think? The method of reveal was interesting though and I find myself wondering how each of them is going to react in the next season.
But I'm particularly looking forward to watching the unfolding storyline connecting the President, Athena, Caprica Six and Hera. THAT should be good.
Oh and the song, for those who haven't figured it out yet, was "All Along the Watchtower" written by Bob Dylan (I'm not sure whose version... Hendrix maybe?):
"There must be some way out of here,"
said the joker to the thief
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief
Businessmen they drink my wine, plowman dig my earth,
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth."
"No need to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke,
"There are many here among us who think that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that, and that is not our fate,
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late"
All along the watchtower, princes kept the view,
while all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,
two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.
Labels: battlestar galactica, music, pop culture, tv
3.23.2007
Science Fact-ish
Last Thursday, my friend and I went to hear Robert Sawyer talk, courtesy of the Calgary chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. The topic was "Astronomy and Science Fiction." I haven't actually read any of Sawyer's books, but I've heard good things about them. And I'm always game for hearing people talk about real science in the context of fiction writing.
Sawyer talked about new scientific discoveries as the launching pad for most science fiction authors. While the scientists are looking for the most likely explanation, the science fiction writer is looking for the most entertaining explanation. And good science fiction is based on theories that cannot be scientifically invalidated at the time that it was written. And that even when the theory has been proven impossible, that shouldn't lessen the literary merit of good science fiction. Because all literature should be read in the context of when it was written.
He went on to say that often in science fiction movies they lean more towards fantasy than hard science fiction, not worrying as much about the scientific accuracy of their story. So he suggested that fans of truly scientific science fiction should read more and watch less. Something that I used to do but seem to have drifted away from. But I think it's time that I return to more reading.
I found myself wishing that I had a notebook and could jot down things that he said or things that I thought as a result of what he said, but alas… no such luck. I have to assume that the points that are important to me have stuck in my head and that the points that I no longer remember weren't worth the real estate in my memory.
The only other thing that I remember, even though I don't recall the context, is when he spoke of our solar system with 9—then he corrected himself—8 planets. FYI, Mental Floss sells a "Pluto R.I.P." T-shirt that Sawyer might enjoy (I'm tempted to get one myself):
But the "9… I mean… 8 planets" made me laugh so hard because it reminded me of the scene in Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I when Moses comes down off the mountain with THREE stone tablets and announces the 15… crash… 10 commandments.
Sawyer talked about new scientific discoveries as the launching pad for most science fiction authors. While the scientists are looking for the most likely explanation, the science fiction writer is looking for the most entertaining explanation. And good science fiction is based on theories that cannot be scientifically invalidated at the time that it was written. And that even when the theory has been proven impossible, that shouldn't lessen the literary merit of good science fiction. Because all literature should be read in the context of when it was written.
He went on to say that often in science fiction movies they lean more towards fantasy than hard science fiction, not worrying as much about the scientific accuracy of their story. So he suggested that fans of truly scientific science fiction should read more and watch less. Something that I used to do but seem to have drifted away from. But I think it's time that I return to more reading.
I found myself wishing that I had a notebook and could jot down things that he said or things that I thought as a result of what he said, but alas… no such luck. I have to assume that the points that are important to me have stuck in my head and that the points that I no longer remember weren't worth the real estate in my memory.
The only other thing that I remember, even though I don't recall the context, is when he spoke of our solar system with 9—then he corrected himself—8 planets. FYI, Mental Floss sells a "Pluto R.I.P." T-shirt that Sawyer might enjoy (I'm tempted to get one myself):
But the "9… I mean… 8 planets" made me laugh so hard because it reminded me of the scene in Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I when Moses comes down off the mountain with THREE stone tablets and announces the 15… crash… 10 commandments.
Labels: books and literature, math and science, pop culture
3.21.2007
Battlestar Galactica Poll
Okay, so I've mostly mastered the embedding of videos (though I'm still waiting for a fix on the stand up comedian video), so I decided to try my hand at a poll. It might not be the prettiest poll around, but I think it does the job. Now I just need you Battlestar Galactica fans to actually vote!
Is Starbuck Really Dead?
[Make your own poll]
Please feel free to comment. Whether you think my answers are incomplete, idiotic or right on the money... let me know. And thanks for participating in my first poll!
Is Starbuck Really Dead?
[Make your own poll]
Please feel free to comment. Whether you think my answers are incomplete, idiotic or right on the money... let me know. And thanks for participating in my first poll!
Labels: battlestar galactica, pop culture, tv
3.19.2007
The Christians and the Pagans
Ever since I wrote the last post, I've had the song "The Christians and the Pagans" going through my head. So I figured I should write a wee post and try and leave the song here on the page, literally and figuratively. So here's a live version to listen to (courtesy of LookIt). Personally, I prefer the version that's on Mortal City. But you can only listen to a tiny snippet of that one on the web. This version is pretty much the same, just different production value obviously.And just in case you'd like lyrics and chords, here's a link: The Christians and the Pagans.
Labels: music, pop culture
3.18.2007
There's a Storm Coming
*SPOILER ALERT*
A Battlestar Galactica storm. A lot of questions asked but unanswered this week. And I have a feeling that only a fraction of them will be answered next week, with it being the season finale and all.
President Roslin has cancer again? Why did it return? Will they be able to treat it this time? The same way as before? Something new? They wouldn't kill her off, would they? And what's up with her assistant? And what's the deal with that snippet of song? Is Saul finally cracking up? Or is there something more sinister going on? (Someone suggested that maybe Saul is a Cylon, but I find that hard to believe if he's Adama's oldest friend. Just how long have the Cylon's been making skin jobs? And do they program them to show signs of age?)
As for Apollo… well, let's just say that if I were Dee I would have left him long ago. Y'know, I never thought I'd say this but I would be okay if Apollo were the one to leave the show. Which brings me to my theories…
As I've said before, I don't believe that Starbuck is really dead. Okay, so her name's not in the credits. And yes, the survivor count is one lower. But I don't believe that's permanent. Denial? Or good instincts? Only time will tell. Personally, I think her "death" (I'll remove the quotes once we're into episode 2 of season 4 and there's still no sign of her) is a red herring and if somebody is actually leaving the show—and it's not just rumours started to create some BSG buzz—it will be another character, a different character, a less crucial character… or Apollo.
Of course, the most logical other character to remove would be Baltar. If he loses the trial and is put to death, that would make perfect sense. Although we could still have Head Baltar. And Baltar could still turn out to be a Cylon (though I doubt it). But if Baltar is going to stay, how? Will he win the trial? Will the Cylon's take him back? Will he somehow become indispensable?
As for "the storm," I don't think it's much of a stretch to theorize that Helo's instincts will turn out to be correct and there will be a honkin' big fleet of Cylons at the nebula (or something we can't even imagine yet). Whatever it is, next week should be good. And it bloody well better hint at some way that Starbuck could still be alive. Let us talk about that all summer, Mr. Moore. "Is Starbuck alive?" could easily surpass "Who shot J.R." in pop culture history… I swear!
P.S. Love, LOVE, LOVE Mark Sheppard in the role of Romo Lampkin, Baltar's lawyer. Delightfully sleazy!
P.P.S. I just found a new (to me) online BSG resource: BuddyTV. Great articles... check it out!
A Battlestar Galactica storm. A lot of questions asked but unanswered this week. And I have a feeling that only a fraction of them will be answered next week, with it being the season finale and all.
President Roslin has cancer again? Why did it return? Will they be able to treat it this time? The same way as before? Something new? They wouldn't kill her off, would they? And what's up with her assistant? And what's the deal with that snippet of song? Is Saul finally cracking up? Or is there something more sinister going on? (Someone suggested that maybe Saul is a Cylon, but I find that hard to believe if he's Adama's oldest friend. Just how long have the Cylon's been making skin jobs? And do they program them to show signs of age?)
As for Apollo… well, let's just say that if I were Dee I would have left him long ago. Y'know, I never thought I'd say this but I would be okay if Apollo were the one to leave the show. Which brings me to my theories…
As I've said before, I don't believe that Starbuck is really dead. Okay, so her name's not in the credits. And yes, the survivor count is one lower. But I don't believe that's permanent. Denial? Or good instincts? Only time will tell. Personally, I think her "death" (I'll remove the quotes once we're into episode 2 of season 4 and there's still no sign of her) is a red herring and if somebody is actually leaving the show—and it's not just rumours started to create some BSG buzz—it will be another character, a different character, a less crucial character… or Apollo.
Of course, the most logical other character to remove would be Baltar. If he loses the trial and is put to death, that would make perfect sense. Although we could still have Head Baltar. And Baltar could still turn out to be a Cylon (though I doubt it). But if Baltar is going to stay, how? Will he win the trial? Will the Cylon's take him back? Will he somehow become indispensable?
As for "the storm," I don't think it's much of a stretch to theorize that Helo's instincts will turn out to be correct and there will be a honkin' big fleet of Cylons at the nebula (or something we can't even imagine yet). Whatever it is, next week should be good. And it bloody well better hint at some way that Starbuck could still be alive. Let us talk about that all summer, Mr. Moore. "Is Starbuck alive?" could easily surpass "Who shot J.R." in pop culture history… I swear!
P.S. Love, LOVE, LOVE Mark Sheppard in the role of Romo Lampkin, Baltar's lawyer. Delightfully sleazy!
P.P.S. I just found a new (to me) online BSG resource: BuddyTV. Great articles... check it out!
Labels: battlestar galactica, pop culture, tv
Start Spreading the News...
Okay, I'm not actually "leaving today" but I wouldn't mind making "a brand new start of it in old New York."
I've often thought that I wouldn't mind living in New York City. For starters, since Torontonians (which I still consider myself) believe that Toronto is the centre of Canada, I've already got the right attitude. I mean, don't New Yorkers believe that New York is the centre of the known universe? Okay, so that's not actually why I would consider moving there. Well, not for the attitude, I mean. But New York is kind of the centre of the world… at least the world of art and culture, at least in North America.
But now that I'm trying to make a go of it with independent film, is that the right place to be? Am I better off moving to Vancouver? (I will NOT move to L.A.) Or back to Toronto? Or to Montreal? (No, I think the Francophone Quebecois filmmakers would not welcome me with welcome arms.) Then again, there's so much indie art stuff happening in New York, there must be a thriving film community there.
Mind you, I haven't actually been to New York since I was a teenager (and I don't even want to think about how long ago that was), so maybe I should start with a visit. I do have one high school friend who lives there now that could be my tour guide. I don't know how big her place is, though, so I may have to find someplace else to stay. The last time my mother went to New York, she stayed at the Hotel Chelsea. She said it had a great atmosphere and was very reasonable. I remember finding a quote about it when my mother asked me to look it up on the internet:
I've often thought that I wouldn't mind living in New York City. For starters, since Torontonians (which I still consider myself) believe that Toronto is the centre of Canada, I've already got the right attitude. I mean, don't New Yorkers believe that New York is the centre of the known universe? Okay, so that's not actually why I would consider moving there. Well, not for the attitude, I mean. But New York is kind of the centre of the world… at least the world of art and culture, at least in North America.
But now that I'm trying to make a go of it with independent film, is that the right place to be? Am I better off moving to Vancouver? (I will NOT move to L.A.) Or back to Toronto? Or to Montreal? (No, I think the Francophone Quebecois filmmakers would not welcome me with welcome arms.) Then again, there's so much indie art stuff happening in New York, there must be a thriving film community there.
Mind you, I haven't actually been to New York since I was a teenager (and I don't even want to think about how long ago that was), so maybe I should start with a visit. I do have one high school friend who lives there now that could be my tour guide. I don't know how big her place is, though, so I may have to find someplace else to stay. The last time my mother went to New York, she stayed at the Hotel Chelsea. She said it had a great atmosphere and was very reasonable. I remember finding a quote about it when my mother asked me to look it up on the internet:
"The building sits on 23rd Street with the air of a great dame who finds herself in the midst of a party of her social inferiors but instead of complaining decides to join right in the fun."And lo and behold, this site that I was checking out about New York listed the Chelsea as one of the best New York City Hotels for folks on a budget. The site also lists best NYC attractions, restaurants and clubs, all of which helps a grrl plan her trip. And then, should I actually decide to move there, there's even a page about moving to New York. If the site had more links to the places it talks about, it would be even better. But it's a good launching pad.
~ The New York Times
Labels: film, fun, pop culture, travel
3.15.2007
Pump Up The Volume
This is a very cool concept. Did you ever see the movie "Pump Up the Volume" with Christian Slater? The one where he runs a pirate radio station and causes an uproar when he speaks his mind and enthrals fellow teens. Well, now you can do the same thing (or something completely different) with a lot less trouble than Christian Slater went through in the movie, just by signing up with this site.
So if you think you're the next Alan Freed, Wolfman Jack or Rush Limbaugh *shudder* (how come the only talk radio personalities that come to mind make me want to shudder... surely there are some progressive, liberal radio personalities out there; of course, it might help if I actually listened to traditional radio rather than just internet radio... but I digress). Anyway, if you're burning to broadcast, Radio Free TriBeCa is where you want to be. And if you just want to listen? Well, they've got a 24/7 streaming Beatles station that works for me!
Labels: cool sites, music, pop culture
Stand Up
No, not the political Bob Marley kind of "Stand Up" but the entertaining comedy kind...
I was surfing over at this site called the Tribeca Network and checked out their comedy channel. I just randomly clicked on one of their "Latest Shows in Comedy" which happened to be jacquetta live... talk about getting lucky: this chick is funny! Check her out for yourself:
Hmm... I seem to be having trouble embedding the video. For now, just click on the jacquetta link above. Hopefully, I'll sort this out soon.
I was surfing over at this site called the Tribeca Network and checked out their comedy channel. I just randomly clicked on one of their "Latest Shows in Comedy" which happened to be jacquetta live... talk about getting lucky: this chick is funny! Check her out for yourself:
Hmm... I seem to be having trouble embedding the video. For now, just click on the jacquetta link above. Hopefully, I'll sort this out soon.
Labels: cool sites, humour, pop culture
3.14.2007
Bollywood or Bust
I have to confess that my introduction to Bollywood movies was the Canadian-made "Bollywood Hollywood" by Deepa Mehta. I had previously seen her more dramatic films "Fire" and "Earth" (I still haven't seen "Water" but I hear it's the best of that trilogy). But "Bollywood Hollywood" opened up a whole world of film to me that I hadn't even realized existed. Quirky, over-the-top musicals with plots that are almost Shakespearean... too perfect. I followed that up with "Bride & Prejudice"—think Jane Austen meets Bollywood—and now I think I'm ready to try some less Westernized Bollywood flicks. I'm just not quite sure where to start.
I found this blog that talks about Indian movies that I'm hoping can give me some ideas. It assumes you already know some of the major players, but that's okay. It's kind of amusing and even has one post that talks about who would be the Bollywood version of Rocky. (I went to the Internet Movie Database to check out the actor they chose, but there's no photo for him. Pity, I wanted to see for myself. *sigh*)
Like I need another genre of movies to get hooked on!
I found this blog that talks about Indian movies that I'm hoping can give me some ideas. It assumes you already know some of the major players, but that's okay. It's kind of amusing and even has one post that talks about who would be the Bollywood version of Rocky. (I went to the Internet Movie Database to check out the actor they chose, but there's no photo for him. Pity, I wanted to see for myself. *sigh*)
Like I need another genre of movies to get hooked on!
Labels: film, pop culture
The Year You Turned 18 Music Meme
Okay, so this meme has been going around for several months now, but I just recently had it forwarded to me and it looks pretty cool so I'm gonna do it anyway.
The Year You Turned 18 Music Meme
Go to popculturemadness.com and select the year you turned 18. Paste the list of the top 75 songs. Bold the ones you liked; strike the ones you disliked; and italicize the ones you know but don't exactly like or dislike. The ones you don't know will stay plain text.
1. That's What Friends Are For - Dionne & Friends
2. Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer
3. Kiss - Prince
4. Walk This Way - Run D.M.C./Aerosmith
5. Living In America - James Brown
6. You Give Love A Bad Name - Bon Jovi
7. Take My Breath Away - Berlin
8. Burning Heart - Survivor
9. Walk Like An Egyptian - The Bangles
10. The Sweetest Taboo - Sade
11. Higher Love - Steve Winwood
12. Never As Good As The First Time - Sade
13. Greatest Love Of All - Whitney Houston
14. Tarzan Boy - Baltimora
15. Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel
16. You're A Friend Of Mine - Clarence Clemons & Jackson Browne
17. Manic Monday - The Bangles
18. Glory Of Love - Peter Cetera
19. Like A Rock - Bob Seger
20. I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock and Roll) - Nick Lowe
21. Word Up - Cameo
22. Conga - Miami Sound Machine
23. The Men All Pause - Klymaxx
24. In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
25. Live To Tell - Madonna
26. Venus - Bananarama
27. Typical Male - Tina Turner
28. Take Me Home Tonight - Eddie Money
29. Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
30. I Can't Wait - Nu Shooz
31. If You Leave - O.M.D.
32. You Be Illin' - Run DMC
33. Crush On You - The Jets
34. The Rain - Oran "Juice" Jones
35. Papa Don't Preach - Madonna
36. Mad About You - Belinda Carlisile
37. R.O.C.K. In The USA - John "Cougar" Melloncamp
38. Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins
39. Words Get In The Way - Miami Sound Machine
40. Walk Of Life - Dire Straits
41. I'm Your Man - Wham!
42. All Cried Out - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam With Full Force
43. West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
44. Dancing On The Ceiling - Lionel Richie
45. We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off - Jermaine Stewart
46. My Hometown - Bruce Springsteen
47. On My Own - Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald
48. Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung
49. All I Need Is A Miracle - Mike & the Mechanics
50. Tuff Enuff - Fabulous Thunderbirds
51. The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk3
52. Love Walks In - Van Halen
53. Shot In The Dark - Ozzie Osbourne
54. The Next Time I Fall - Peter Cetera & Amy Grant
55. Move Away - Culture Club
56. I Wanna Be A Cowboy - Boys Don't Cry
57. Superbowl Shuffle - Chicago Bears
58. Rumors - Timex Social Club
59. The Power Of Love - Jennifer Rush
60. One Step Closer - Gavin Christopher
61. A Love Bizarre - Sheila E.
62. Sex As A Weapon - Pat Benatar
63. More Than Physical - Bananarama
64. Everybody Dance - Ta Mara and the Seen
65. Day By Day - Hooters
66. Live Is Life - Opus
67. Great Gosh A'Mighty - Little Richard
68. Pleasure and Pain - Divinyls
69. Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads
70. Don Quichotte - Magazine 60
71. Crazay - Jesse Johnson and Sly Stone
72. Why Can't This Be Love - Van Halen
73. Baby Talk - Alisha
74. Jungle Boy - John Eddie
75. Caravan of Love - Isley Jasper Isley
The limited number of songs that I bolded led me to muse upon what I was listening to back then. I guess I was already into more alternative stuff. Some of my favourite artists at that time (in no particular order) were Jane Siberry, Sting, Suzanne Vega, David Bowie and Depeche Mode. But the number of songs I italicized suggests that I at least listened to the radio more than I do now.
The Year You Turned 18 Music Meme
Go to popculturemadness.com and select the year you turned 18. Paste the list of the top 75 songs. Bold the ones you liked; strike the ones you disliked; and italicize the ones you know but don't exactly like or dislike. The ones you don't know will stay plain text.
1. That's What Friends Are For - Dionne & Friends
2. Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer
3. Kiss - Prince
4. Walk This Way - Run D.M.C./Aerosmith
5. Living In America - James Brown
6. You Give Love A Bad Name - Bon Jovi
7. Take My Breath Away - Berlin
8. Burning Heart - Survivor
9. Walk Like An Egyptian - The Bangles
10. The Sweetest Taboo - Sade
11. Higher Love - Steve Winwood
12. Never As Good As The First Time - Sade
14. Tarzan Boy - Baltimora
16. You're A Friend Of Mine - Clarence Clemons & Jackson Browne
17. Manic Monday - The Bangles
18. Glory Of Love - Peter Cetera
19. Like A Rock - Bob Seger
20. I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock and Roll) - Nick Lowe
21. Word Up - Cameo
23. The Men All Pause - Klymaxx
24. In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
25. Live To Tell - Madonna
27. Typical Male - Tina Turner
28. Take Me Home Tonight - Eddie Money
29. Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
30. I Can't Wait - Nu Shooz
31. If You Leave - O.M.D.
32. You Be Illin' - Run DMC
33. Crush On You - The Jets
34. The Rain - Oran "Juice" Jones
35. Papa Don't Preach - Madonna
36. Mad About You - Belinda Carlisile
37. R.O.C.K. In The USA - John "Cougar" Melloncamp
38. Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins
39. Words Get In The Way - Miami Sound Machine
40. Walk Of Life - Dire Straits
42. All Cried Out - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam With Full Force
43. West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
44. Dancing On The Ceiling - Lionel Richie
45. We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off - Jermaine Stewart
46. My Hometown - Bruce Springsteen
47. On My Own - Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald
49. All I Need Is A Miracle - Mike & the Mechanics
50. Tuff Enuff - Fabulous Thunderbirds
51. The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk3
52. Love Walks In - Van Halen
53. Shot In The Dark - Ozzie Osbourne
54. The Next Time I Fall - Peter Cetera & Amy Grant
55. Move Away - Culture Club
56. I Wanna Be A Cowboy - Boys Don't Cry
57. Superbowl Shuffle - Chicago Bears
58. Rumors - Timex Social Club
59. The Power Of Love - Jennifer Rush
60. One Step Closer - Gavin Christopher
61. A Love Bizarre - Sheila E.
62. Sex As A Weapon - Pat Benatar
63. More Than Physical - Bananarama
64. Everybody Dance - Ta Mara and the Seen
65. Day By Day - Hooters
66. Live Is Life - Opus
67. Great Gosh A'Mighty - Little Richard
68. Pleasure and Pain - Divinyls
69. Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads
70. Don Quichotte - Magazine 60
71. Crazay - Jesse Johnson and Sly Stone
72. Why Can't This Be Love - Van Halen
73. Baby Talk - Alisha
74. Jungle Boy - John Eddie
75. Caravan of Love - Isley Jasper Isley
The limited number of songs that I bolded led me to muse upon what I was listening to back then. I guess I was already into more alternative stuff. Some of my favourite artists at that time (in no particular order) were Jane Siberry, Sting, Suzanne Vega, David Bowie and Depeche Mode. But the number of songs I italicized suggests that I at least listened to the radio more than I do now.
Labels: memes, music, pop culture
3.13.2007
And the Oscar Goes To...
Or should I call it a Grover or a Big Bird or a Bert? I'm talking about the results of the CSIF $100 Film Fest (see previous post).
I ended up only making it to Friday and Saturday night of the festival. Migraine on Thursday... ack phooey! Fortunately they showed the best of Thursday on Saturday, except for the Film/Music Explosion (which was, according to my cousin, the very best part of Thursday night's line-up).
What is a Film/Music Explosion? You might ask. Well, it's when someone makes a silent film and screens it with a live band playing an original soundtrack. Each night of the film festival was kicked off with a different explosion, made specifically for the festival. Very cool concept!
There were five awards presented at the end of the festival:
Best of Alberta
"Bronwen's Ark"
Hans Olson (Camrose, AB)
2006, 16mm, 5:00 min
Despite her young age, Bronwen is angered by talk of selling the family farm. Things come to a head when her cousin and his friend arrive for a visit.
My comments: This was a nice, cleanly shot black and white film with a nice story line. Unfortunately, that's the best way I can sum it up... nice.
Best 16mm
"Avery's Gnome"
John Driftmier, Christina Takahashi, Evan Warner (Vancouver, BC)
2006, 16mm, 12:00 min
After a near car accident, Avery, an elderly man, begins to see gnomes. When his wife starts questioning his sanity, Avery must risk everything he cares about to uncover the truth.
My comments: I enjoyed this film. It was cute and funny and whimsical. I would have liked to see some kind of resolution between Avery and his wife, but otherwise I quite liked this one.
Best Super 8
"Fish Arms"
Mike Maryniuk (Winnipeg, MB)
2006, Super 8, 2:30 min
Fish Arms got Fish Forearms; Fish Arms really really strong; Fish Arms really tip the scales; Fish Arms, strong like 50 whales.
My comments: Umm... I go back and forth on this one. Sometimes I think it was funny and catchy and wildly original. Other times I think it was just plain odd. Nothing wrong with odd, though.
Jury Award
"Breakfast in America"
Anu Jindal (Halifax, NS)
2006, 16mm, 1:02 min
The most important meal of the day!
My comments: The description does not do this short, short film justice. Think of it as a horror film with a runny egg as the villain. Hilarious!!!
Audience Choice
"Photosynthesis"
J. Scott Portingale (Didsbury, AB)
2006, 16mm, 5:34 min
An emerging fashion photographer and his spouse go to a party of the senior editor of a well established fashion magazine. When they close the door to their humble abode, all is quiet... or is it?
My comments: Highly entertaining use of stop motion animation. And the story had a sweet and sappy heart, to boot.
Personally, I would have selected "Photosynthesis" for best of Alberta. "Bronwen's Ark" was a nice enough film, but I just enjoyed "Photosynthesis" more. But at least it got something. Even though I voted for "Breakfast in America" for the Audience Choice. But I'm willing to be generous on that point since my pick got the Jury Award.
A few other films that I thought worthy of mention:
"Swings" (Mark Borowski, Victoria, BC): This insightful Super 8 film peers into the thoughts of two female friends before and after their first kiss. Interesting yet simple approach. Nicely done.
"Solie's Dream" (Jeanne Ju, Halifax, NS): A sensitive look at Solie as she sleeps, her grumbling muzzle and twitching paws and the answer to the question, "What do dogs dream about?" Really sweet.
"Rage of Silence" (Justin Lovell, Toronto, ON): Forget killing Bill — this sword-weilding assassin is ready to deliver swift retribution to those who dare to pursue her. Beautifully shot, black and white martial arts film with a hint of humour.
"A Day in the Park" (Rhys Bevan, Toronto, ON): A silent film about a Mime, a Flower Girl and a Villain. Oh so very funny!
I ended up only making it to Friday and Saturday night of the festival. Migraine on Thursday... ack phooey! Fortunately they showed the best of Thursday on Saturday, except for the Film/Music Explosion (which was, according to my cousin, the very best part of Thursday night's line-up).
What is a Film/Music Explosion? You might ask. Well, it's when someone makes a silent film and screens it with a live band playing an original soundtrack. Each night of the film festival was kicked off with a different explosion, made specifically for the festival. Very cool concept!
There were five awards presented at the end of the festival:
Best of Alberta
"Bronwen's Ark"
Hans Olson (Camrose, AB)
2006, 16mm, 5:00 min
Despite her young age, Bronwen is angered by talk of selling the family farm. Things come to a head when her cousin and his friend arrive for a visit.
My comments: This was a nice, cleanly shot black and white film with a nice story line. Unfortunately, that's the best way I can sum it up... nice.
Best 16mm
"Avery's Gnome"
John Driftmier, Christina Takahashi, Evan Warner (Vancouver, BC)
2006, 16mm, 12:00 min
After a near car accident, Avery, an elderly man, begins to see gnomes. When his wife starts questioning his sanity, Avery must risk everything he cares about to uncover the truth.
My comments: I enjoyed this film. It was cute and funny and whimsical. I would have liked to see some kind of resolution between Avery and his wife, but otherwise I quite liked this one.
Best Super 8
"Fish Arms"
Mike Maryniuk (Winnipeg, MB)
2006, Super 8, 2:30 min
Fish Arms got Fish Forearms; Fish Arms really really strong; Fish Arms really tip the scales; Fish Arms, strong like 50 whales.
My comments: Umm... I go back and forth on this one. Sometimes I think it was funny and catchy and wildly original. Other times I think it was just plain odd. Nothing wrong with odd, though.
Jury Award
"Breakfast in America"
Anu Jindal (Halifax, NS)
2006, 16mm, 1:02 min
The most important meal of the day!
My comments: The description does not do this short, short film justice. Think of it as a horror film with a runny egg as the villain. Hilarious!!!
Audience Choice
"Photosynthesis"
J. Scott Portingale (Didsbury, AB)
2006, 16mm, 5:34 min
An emerging fashion photographer and his spouse go to a party of the senior editor of a well established fashion magazine. When they close the door to their humble abode, all is quiet... or is it?
My comments: Highly entertaining use of stop motion animation. And the story had a sweet and sappy heart, to boot.
Personally, I would have selected "Photosynthesis" for best of Alberta. "Bronwen's Ark" was a nice enough film, but I just enjoyed "Photosynthesis" more. But at least it got something. Even though I voted for "Breakfast in America" for the Audience Choice. But I'm willing to be generous on that point since my pick got the Jury Award.
A few other films that I thought worthy of mention:
"Swings" (Mark Borowski, Victoria, BC): This insightful Super 8 film peers into the thoughts of two female friends before and after their first kiss. Interesting yet simple approach. Nicely done.
"Solie's Dream" (Jeanne Ju, Halifax, NS): A sensitive look at Solie as she sleeps, her grumbling muzzle and twitching paws and the answer to the question, "What do dogs dream about?" Really sweet.
"Rage of Silence" (Justin Lovell, Toronto, ON): Forget killing Bill — this sword-weilding assassin is ready to deliver swift retribution to those who dare to pursue her. Beautifully shot, black and white martial arts film with a hint of humour.
"A Day in the Park" (Rhys Bevan, Toronto, ON): A silent film about a Mime, a Flower Girl and a Villain. Oh so very funny!
Labels: film, pop culture
3.06.2007
Indie Industrial Immersion
Unsigned.com is a music site that I've talked about before (see "Indie Artists Unite"), but I consider it worthy of another post because it's growing fast.
I love almost all kinds of music (not so much a fan of country, but even I will admit to enjoying a little Patsy Cline once in a while). One of my favourite genres is industrial goth, in the style of Evanescence, Kidneythieves, Switchblade Symphony, Tapping the Vein, etc. So on this visit I was browsing Unsigned's industrial music section. Here are some of the bands that made the biggest impression on me:
Acid Void… I could totally imagine using them to create the soundtrack for one of my short films. Hmm, I wonder if they actually would?
Curiosity Valentine… Strange, but I like it. I particularly like the quote in their bio: Author Warren Ellis described Curi by saying, "She has a big, smoky, whisky-sharp voice: like Tom Waits if he were an angry 24-year-old woman preoccupied with Doom and Hate." (LMAO)
Eldest… A little too metal for me in the chorus, but otherwise I like both their sound and their message.
Papa Zombi… Gothic rap? Cool.
Syncro Nine Factor… Good balance of industrial, metal and alternative without being too much of any.
Violent Sleepers… Great sound, check out their lugubrious version of "People are Strange" (although their original stuff is actually better).
If you don't like industrial goth, try another category. Whether you're looking for Jazz, Trip-Hop, Hip-Hop, Punk, Funk (okay, they don't actually have a category for funk—yet—but I was in a beat poetry groove), Folk or World Artists... trust me, there's something there for everyone. And, like I said, there are more artists every time I visit. So check it out!
I love almost all kinds of music (not so much a fan of country, but even I will admit to enjoying a little Patsy Cline once in a while). One of my favourite genres is industrial goth, in the style of Evanescence, Kidneythieves, Switchblade Symphony, Tapping the Vein, etc. So on this visit I was browsing Unsigned's industrial music section. Here are some of the bands that made the biggest impression on me:
Acid Void… I could totally imagine using them to create the soundtrack for one of my short films. Hmm, I wonder if they actually would?
Curiosity Valentine… Strange, but I like it. I particularly like the quote in their bio: Author Warren Ellis described Curi by saying, "She has a big, smoky, whisky-sharp voice: like Tom Waits if he were an angry 24-year-old woman preoccupied with Doom and Hate." (LMAO)
Eldest… A little too metal for me in the chorus, but otherwise I like both their sound and their message.
Papa Zombi… Gothic rap? Cool.
Syncro Nine Factor… Good balance of industrial, metal and alternative without being too much of any.
Violent Sleepers… Great sound, check out their lugubrious version of "People are Strange" (although their original stuff is actually better).
If you don't like industrial goth, try another category. Whether you're looking for Jazz, Trip-Hop, Hip-Hop, Punk, Funk (okay, they don't actually have a category for funk—yet—but I was in a beat poetry groove), Folk or World Artists... trust me, there's something there for everyone. And, like I said, there are more artists every time I visit. So check it out!
Labels: cool sites, music, pop culture
$100 Film Fest
Get your ticket, grab your popcorn, it's time for the CSIF's $100 Film Festival. (And no, that's not for "CSI's" who got an "F"... that would be the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers.)I had so hoped to finish "Coda in G Minor" in time for this year's festival, but alas... for a laundry list of reasons it didn't happen, maybe next year.
Hopefully, I'll be able to make all three nights of the festival. Partly because I just like to watch movies, partly because I'm curious to see what got selected (planning ahead, dontcha know) and partly to support the CSIF, a not-for-profit, artist-run centre... okay, so it's mainly just to watch movies, but the other reasons sound so much more intelligent and cultured.
Anyway, the film festival runs from March 8-10. Check out their website for details about what's being screened when. And enjoy!
Labels: film, pop culture
3.03.2007
Is This For Reel?
Well, I just spent the last 20 minutes watching "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, Chapter 1: Purple Death" thanks to ReelTime.com. Oh my, what delightfully cheesy story lines and what wonderfully bad acting. (I always knew that Captain Proton from "Star Trek: Voyager" was based on the old Flash Gordon, but I had never realized just how closely the one resembled the other.) And, oh my gawd, Queen Fria has Princess Leia hair. Or, technically, I guess that would be the other way around. Too fun!
I'm really quite excited by the ReelTime.com website. It's a DVD quality streaming video site offering movies and vintage television shows. Its content may be a little limited at the moment but it's growing. And it's cheap!!! Whether you buy a membership or opt for the pay per view route or just enjoy their free content (like the aforementioned cheesy Flash Gordon).
Now, you may be wondering why I'm touting watching movies on your computer when I recently questioned whether people really want to watch TV shows on their cell phones. Well, (a) the ReelTime website shows you how to hook your PC up to your TV so that you could actually stream the movies directly to your TV set, and (b) my computer monitor is actually larger than my TV and I have a love seat in my office, so watching a movie on my computer is a pretty enjoyable experience for me.
I'm kind of keen to check out the short films they have available (what a surprise). Now I just have to decide whether to pay the whopping $0.49 up front, or get a membership first. Decisions, decisions.
I'm really quite excited by the ReelTime.com website. It's a DVD quality streaming video site offering movies and vintage television shows. Its content may be a little limited at the moment but it's growing. And it's cheap!!! Whether you buy a membership or opt for the pay per view route or just enjoy their free content (like the aforementioned cheesy Flash Gordon).
Now, you may be wondering why I'm touting watching movies on your computer when I recently questioned whether people really want to watch TV shows on their cell phones. Well, (a) the ReelTime website shows you how to hook your PC up to your TV so that you could actually stream the movies directly to your TV set, and (b) my computer monitor is actually larger than my TV and I have a love seat in my office, so watching a movie on my computer is a pretty enjoyable experience for me.
I'm kind of keen to check out the short films they have available (what a surprise
). Now I just have to decide whether to pay the whopping $0.49 up front, or get a membership first. Decisions, decisions.Labels: cool sites, film, pop culture, tv
3.02.2007
TV To Go
I just read this article called "Get Tuned In: TV Programming on Cell Phones." It's kind of interesting to see what's coming down the pipe in terms of TV on cell phones; the article gives a sneak preview of what the various cell phone carriers will be offering. Verizon really looks like it's got the best package as far as television programming goes, with plans to offer network shows after they've been aired on regular TV plus their intention to expand their FiOS TV service to wireless handsets, which would let users control their DVRs from their phones without having to be at home. Both very cool features. (They don't mention Bell Mobility... is that only a Canadian service? Because their commercials make their package look pretty good, with their movie service and everything. It would be interesting to see how Bell stacks up to the carriers mentioned in the article.)
The article goes on to discuss the downside of mobile TV features in terms of bandwidth, but I have to ask this… do people really want to watch an entire TV show (or movie, for that matter) on a screen that can fit in the palm of their hand? I mean, people complain about my 14" TV being too small, but they'll watch it on their cell phone instead? As the Scots say (okay, it's actually a Yorkshire expression, but I first heard it from a Scotsman so I still hear it with a Scottish accent in my head): there's none so queer as folk.
The article goes on to discuss the downside of mobile TV features in terms of bandwidth, but I have to ask this… do people really want to watch an entire TV show (or movie, for that matter) on a screen that can fit in the palm of their hand? I mean, people complain about my 14" TV being too small, but they'll watch it on their cell phone instead? As the Scots say (okay, it's actually a Yorkshire expression, but I first heard it from a Scotsman so I still hear it with a Scottish accent in my head): there's none so queer as folk.
Labels: cool stuff, film, pop culture, tv
2.23.2007
This Is For You
This post is actually for a play called "This is for You, Anna: A Spectacle of Revenge"... but the first part of the title makes me think of the movie "Dead Again" when the creepy young Frankie saying "THIS is for you!" just before he stabs one of the other characters with a pair of scissors. But I'm digressing before I even begin...This is for You, Anna: A Spectacle of Revenge
Tag line: When a child is taken away, what can be taken in return?
The play is being directed by one of the actresses who was in my workshop film last summer and who was also in one of the films for the workshop that I'm in right now: Elizabeth Kirkland. (This girl's going places, so keep your eyes open.) I believe it's her directorial debut, so I'm really interested to see the results. And the play itself sounds fascinating. Check out the description.
It runs from February 28 to March 10. For more information, head over to the Downstage Performance Society website.
Labels: film, pop culture, theatre
2.13.2007
Femme Fatale Carnivale
At the open mike night a couple of weeks ago, one of the artists that caught my attention was Marsha Meidow, director of the Vagina Monologues. She read one of the monologues from the show and, having never seen the show and not really knowing what to expect, it blew me away. So beautiful and yet so disturbing at the same time. Delivered in Marsha's breathy girlish voice... it was haunting.
Marsha also works with Safe Haven, a program for young girls at risk of prostitution and exploitation. So Marsha and Monologues producer, Shone Abet, decided to put on this carnival to raise money for the program. I think it's a great idea. And I wish like anything that I could be there, but I start my IN:Camera Film Production Workshop the following day, so I think I need to take care of myself and take a quiet night at home. Otherwise I would be at the Femme Fatale Carnivale in a heartbeat. There are going to be burlesque acts, fire eaters, belly dancers and all things strange and sexy (strange meant in the best possible way, of course)! Oh what crazy adult fun!
For those of you who want to go (please, please go!), it's this Valentine's Day (as in tomorrow) at The Twisted Element Nightclub, 1006 11th Ave SW. Tickets are $25 at the door and $20 in advance at Blame Betty, 829 17th Ave SW. Have fun! And don't do anything I wouldn't do...
Labels: cool stuff, fun, politics, pop culture, weird stuff
2.12.2007
No News is NOT Good News
I keep having ideas about current topics that I want to blog about (such as Democratic Senator Barack Obama throwing his hat in the presidential ring, or George Dubya's insane "troop surge" plan, or the death of tabloid princess Anna Nicole Smith… okay, I don't really want to blog about that last one, but you get the idea). But I keep not getting around to writing those posts. Why? Partly because I'm really busy, partly because I feel like everyone else is already blogging about it and partly because I want to know the facts about something before I form an opinion that I'm going to be posting on the internet for all to see.
Don't get me wrong… I love research. But when life gets crazy busy, it would be nice to do a little less. I already have headlines emailed to me from my local paper and from CNN, but that hardly represents a wide variety of sources and perspectives. Which is why I end up spending so much time searching the internet in a variety of ways, looking for that new angle or some interesting aspect of a story that I moves, inspires or vexes me. Some way to write about it that would only be written by me.
So today I checked out this website called Newscribe that provides an avenue for news readers to obtain unbiased, quality news articles from multiple news streams. You can also comment on articles, read other people's comments, read reviews about articles, rate the reviews and, to top it off, you can also customize it to your tastes and needs. For example, you can click to "keep" interesting news articles for quick reference and then you'll receive recommendations based on those stories that you chose to track.
I'll have a better idea of how it all works once I've had a chance to play around with it for a while, but it seems like an intriguing idea that has a lot of potential. Whether it lives up to that potential partly depends on the people who end up using the site and the quality of their comments and reviews. So I'll definitely follow up and let you know who's using it and how it's working for me.
Don't get me wrong… I love research. But when life gets crazy busy, it would be nice to do a little less. I already have headlines emailed to me from my local paper and from CNN, but that hardly represents a wide variety of sources and perspectives. Which is why I end up spending so much time searching the internet in a variety of ways, looking for that new angle or some interesting aspect of a story that I moves, inspires or vexes me. Some way to write about it that would only be written by me.
So today I checked out this website called Newscribe that provides an avenue for news readers to obtain unbiased, quality news articles from multiple news streams. You can also comment on articles, read other people's comments, read reviews about articles, rate the reviews and, to top it off, you can also customize it to your tastes and needs. For example, you can click to "keep" interesting news articles for quick reference and then you'll receive recommendations based on those stories that you chose to track.
I'll have a better idea of how it all works once I've had a chance to play around with it for a while, but it seems like an intriguing idea that has a lot of potential. Whether it lives up to that potential partly depends on the people who end up using the site and the quality of their comments and reviews. So I'll definitely follow up and let you know who's using it and how it's working for me.
Labels: news, politics, pop culture
2.11.2007
Do The Right Thing
I was originally going to call this Battlestar Galactica commentary "The Mayor of Dogsville" but changed my mind. I picked my current title because Helo, like Apollo in the original series, is that stand-up guy who always tries to do the right thing, always has the best intentions, always stands up for what he believes no matter who opposes him. Then I realized the title was even more appropriate than I first thought. Circumstances creating heightened tension, racial intolerance leading to violence and death... sound like any particular Spike Lee movie you know?
I suppose it may be obvious at this point to say that I really enjoyed tonight's episode (and not just because it featured Helo). Confession time: even I was glad not to be subjected to the Starbuck-Apollo love quadrangle this week, much as I've tried to be tolerant and defend this storyline to the naysayers. And oh what a lovely tease: the Baltar inside Caprica Six's head is back! I think we'll be seeing more of Head Baltar in the future...
I suppose it may be obvious at this point to say that I really enjoyed tonight's episode (and not just because it featured Helo). Confession time: even I was glad not to be subjected to the Starbuck-Apollo love quadrangle this week, much as I've tried to be tolerant and defend this storyline to the naysayers. And oh what a lovely tease: the Baltar inside Caprica Six's head is back! I think we'll be seeing more of Head Baltar in the future...
Labels: battlestar galactica, film, pop culture, tv
2.09.2007
The Cutting Edge
I went to the CSIF screening of Edge Codes last night. Very interesting documentary about the history of film editing (and no, that sentence is not an oxymoron). I plan on posting more about it over on my Film Blog, where I'll also be talking about both my upcoming Lamp Operator Workshop and my upcoming IN:Camera Film Production Workshop over the next few weeks. So check it out.
Labels: film, pop culture
2.05.2007
Temba, His Arms Wide
I originally misread this week's Sunday Seven question as favourite TV episodes, each from a different series. As you will see, that's not really what Patrick intended. But I decided to keep what I wrote anyway because I wrote so damn much!
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name your top seven favorite individual episodes of any single television series. If you feel especially enterprising, give a few lines explaining why you think makes your chosen episodes so good.
1. The West Wing, "A Proportional Response"
One of my favourite shows on TV until Aaron Sorkin left, there are countless episodes that I would call favourites. Here I opted for the one where Charlie was first hired. I love how he keeps insisting that he's just there for the messenger job but keeps getting pulled deeper into the West Wing. And the dialogue at the end provided a wonderful example of what I call a "West Wing moment." After Charlie has figured out where the President left his glasses, and gets yelled at for his pains, he decides that he should just leave. Then President Bartlet pulls him aside...
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Once More With Feeling"
So many Buffy episodes to choose from, I was tempted to follow Carly's example and list all my favourite Buffy episodes, but I didn't want to be a copycat. Given my intense love of musicals and all things Buffy, this particular episode seemed like a natural choice.
3. Battlestar Galactica, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2"
I've made no secret of the fact that BSG is one of my favourite TV shows, so again, tough to choose. But Chief Tyrol's speech, and its echoes of Mario Savio, made me opt for this one hands down.
4. Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Darmok"
The first TV episode I ever purchased, back when you had to buy them on VHS one episode at a time. Such a brilliant, thought-provoking episode. I attempted to address it in a previous post (The Language of Metaphor), but was overwhelmed by how much I wanted to say about it. So maybe that's a post for the future. (In case you're wondering, the title of this post is from Darmok and means "giving; receiving.")
5. Star Trek: Voyager, "Drone"
Expanding greatly on concepts first presented in the Star Trek: TNG episode, "I, Borg" I found this episode truly moving, especially at the end when Seven says, "You're hurting me," a line that One had used previously in a literal context. Ironically, this oh-so-touching episode also contains one of my favourite bits of funny dialogue from Voyager:
6. Rock Star: Supernova, "Week 10"
This may sound like a strange choice, but this was the week when Storm Large sang her original song, "Ladylike." Her performance still rocks my world.
Do you want Storm to come to Calgary?
7. Sex and the City, "An American Girl in Paris: Part Deux"
I wish I'd thought of this one for the Sunday Seven about our favourite series finales. Anyway, I loved how all the storylines wrapped up in such touching ways, while remaining completely true to the characters.
Best line...
Sounds good to me.
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name your top seven favorite individual episodes of any single television series. If you feel especially enterprising, give a few lines explaining why you think makes your chosen episodes so good.
1. The West Wing, "A Proportional Response"
One of my favourite shows on TV until Aaron Sorkin left, there are countless episodes that I would call favourites. Here I opted for the one where Charlie was first hired. I love how he keeps insisting that he's just there for the messenger job but keeps getting pulled deeper into the West Wing. And the dialogue at the end provided a wonderful example of what I call a "West Wing moment." After Charlie has figured out where the President left his glasses, and gets yelled at for his pains, he decides that he should just leave. Then President Bartlet pulls him aside...
BARTLET: Listen, Leo McGarry filled me in on the situation with your mother. I'm so very sorry. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of calling Tom Connolly, the FBI Director, and we had the computer spit out some quick information. Your mother was killed by a Westing 38 revolver firing KTWs, or what are known as "cop killer" bullets. Now, we have not had a whole lot of success yet in banning that weapon and those bullets off the streets, but we're planning on taking a big whack at it when Congress comes back from recess.
(beat)
So, What do you say, you wanna come help us out?
CHARLIE: (pause) Yes sir, I do.
After a bit more banter between other characters, Charlie whispers to Josh...
CHARLIE: I've never felt like this before.
Josh smiles...
JOSH: It doesn't go away.
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Once More With Feeling"
So many Buffy episodes to choose from, I was tempted to follow Carly's example and list all my favourite Buffy episodes, but I didn't want to be a copycat. Given my intense love of musicals and all things Buffy, this particular episode seemed like a natural choice.
3. Battlestar Galactica, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2"
I've made no secret of the fact that BSG is one of my favourite TV shows, so again, tough to choose. But Chief Tyrol's speech, and its echoes of Mario Savio, made me opt for this one hands down.
TYROL: There comes a time when you realize that the engine you built with your blood and your sweat and your tears is being used for something so foul, so perverted, it makes you sick in your heart. And it's then that you must throw your body on the gears, and on the levers, and on the machine itself and make it stop! And you have to show the people who run it, the people who control it, that unless we're free that machine will be prevented from working at all!
4. Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Darmok"
The first TV episode I ever purchased, back when you had to buy them on VHS one episode at a time. Such a brilliant, thought-provoking episode. I attempted to address it in a previous post (The Language of Metaphor), but was overwhelmed by how much I wanted to say about it. So maybe that's a post for the future. (In case you're wondering, the title of this post is from Darmok and means "giving; receiving.")
5. Star Trek: Voyager, "Drone"
Expanding greatly on concepts first presented in the Star Trek: TNG episode, "I, Borg" I found this episode truly moving, especially at the end when Seven says, "You're hurting me," a line that One had used previously in a literal context. Ironically, this oh-so-touching episode also contains one of my favourite bits of funny dialogue from Voyager:
ONE: I was an accident?
DOCTOR: Call it a random convergence of technologies.
ONE: Am I unwelcome here?
DOCTOR: On the contrary. Our primary mission is to explore new forms of life. You may have been unexpected but given time, I am sure you'll make a fine addition to the crew. After all, you've got my mobile emitter driving your neo-cortex so you're bound to make a dazzling impression.
(beat)
That's called a joke.
ONE: Joke. A verbal comment or gesture designed to provoke laughter.
DOCTOR: I see you've got your mother's sense of humour.
6. Rock Star: Supernova, "Week 10"
This may sound like a strange choice, but this was the week when Storm Large sang her original song, "Ladylike." Her performance still rocks my world.
Do you want Storm to come to Calgary?
7. Sex and the City, "An American Girl in Paris: Part Deux"
I wish I'd thought of this one for the Sunday Seven about our favourite series finales. Anyway, I loved how all the storylines wrapped up in such touching ways, while remaining completely true to the characters.
Best line...
CARRIE: I am someone who is looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love.
Sounds good to me.
Labels: battlestar galactica, buffy, memes, pop culture, rockstar, tv
2.02.2007
Harry's Back
Scholastic announced that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final book in the best-selling series, has been scheduled for release at 12:01 a.m. on July 21, 2007. Very exciting! And if anyone is about to mock me for being a fully grown woman excited about the release of a children's book... just know that I am definitely not alone on this one. Speculation continues as to which character will die in the seventh and final chapter of J.K. Rowling's wildly popular series and I, for one, want to find out.
So beat the rush and pre-order yours today (but first you have to decide between the standard edition or the deluxe edition. Don't ask me what the difference is, I think it only really matters if you've been collecting the deluxe versions all along).
So beat the rush and pre-order yours today (but first you have to decide between the standard edition or the deluxe edition. Don't ask me what the difference is, I think it only really matters if you've been collecting the deluxe versions all along).
Labels: books and literature, pop culture
1.30.2007
Rap Opera?
Chatting with my friend's son yesterday, he was telling me about his music project for school: to write an original song. He and his friends had decided to write a rap song, which led me to talk about rap music being street poetry and how its rhythms and rhyme schemes remind me a bit of sixties beat poetry. And me being me, I of course had to do a little research.
Which leads me, very indirectly, to the topic of my post: rap opera. While searching for interesting tidbits on rap music, I landed on this article on Opera at Encyclocentral. In amongst the generic information about opera was this innocent sentence: "In more recent news, radical styles of opera buffa, rap opera and even opera electronica have been very popular with audiences." I've heard of rock opera but rap opera? I admit, I'm intrigued.
But I also wonder, when people create this kind of opera are they intending to develop a new artistic form or are they hoping that contemporizing the opera style will renew interest in classical opera? Enquiring minds want to know.
P.S. Hey, maybe if my friend's son turns out to be a whiz at songwriting, he'll need the Encyclocentral article on Talent Agencies.
Which leads me, very indirectly, to the topic of my post: rap opera. While searching for interesting tidbits on rap music, I landed on this article on Opera at Encyclocentral. In amongst the generic information about opera was this innocent sentence: "In more recent news, radical styles of opera buffa, rap opera and even opera electronica have been very popular with audiences." I've heard of rock opera but rap opera? I admit, I'm intrigued.
But I also wonder, when people create this kind of opera are they intending to develop a new artistic form or are they hoping that contemporizing the opera style will renew interest in classical opera? Enquiring minds want to know.
P.S. Hey, maybe if my friend's son turns out to be a whiz at songwriting, he'll need the Encyclocentral article on Talent Agencies.
Labels: music, pop culture
1.27.2007
And All That Jazz
My friend and I went to see a production of Chicago this afternoon, presented by the Front Row Centre Players. I've always loved the play. I saw it for the first time when I was a kid and one of my mother's acting students used to work the box office at the Royal Alex Theatre in Toronto. We used to hang around until everyone else was seated and then he would let us sit in the empty seats. That's where I saw Chicago and Sweet Charity, and others that I can't remember… I think it's the Bob Fosse shows that tended to stick in my head. And obviously I saw the movie and I thought they did a fabulous job with it (even if Renée Zellweger was distractingly skinny).
But back to today. I had seen the ads for this production of Chicago but hadn't been planning on going just because I'm so busy (and currently rather broke after buying my new couch). But then I got an email from Nikki—who played the female demon in my short film last summer—saying that she was the understudy for Velma and would be performing that role in the matinées. So I bought my tickets and off I went.
Already a huge fan of the script and the music, I was curious to see how it would be handled by a community theatre group. Overall, I think they did well. The singing, acting and musicianship were all very good. The choreography, however, was just so-so. Maybe it was that the dancers weren't up to anything more challenging, maybe it's because we were watching the understudies, but the choreography and dancing were definitely the weakest link. The energy, however, was great and the actors were obviously having loads of fun which makes up for a lot in community theatre, as far as I'm concerned. And I got to introduce a friend of mine to live theatre for the first time… so that was pretty cool, too.
And that's
Good, isn't it?
Grand, isn't it?
Great, isn't it?
Swell, isn't it?
Fun, isn't it?
But nothing stays
In fifty years or so
It's gonna change, you know
But, oh, it's heaven
Nowadays.
(listen to sample)
But back to today. I had seen the ads for this production of Chicago but hadn't been planning on going just because I'm so busy (and currently rather broke after buying my new couch). But then I got an email from Nikki—who played the female demon in my short film last summer—saying that she was the understudy for Velma and would be performing that role in the matinées. So I bought my tickets and off I went.
Already a huge fan of the script and the music, I was curious to see how it would be handled by a community theatre group. Overall, I think they did well. The singing, acting and musicianship were all very good. The choreography, however, was just so-so. Maybe it was that the dancers weren't up to anything more challenging, maybe it's because we were watching the understudies, but the choreography and dancing were definitely the weakest link. The energy, however, was great and the actors were obviously having loads of fun which makes up for a lot in community theatre, as far as I'm concerned. And I got to introduce a friend of mine to live theatre for the first time… so that was pretty cool, too.
And that's
Good, isn't it?
Grand, isn't it?
Great, isn't it?
Swell, isn't it?
Fun, isn't it?
But nothing stays
In fifty years or so
It's gonna change, you know
But, oh, it's heaven
Nowadays.
(listen to sample)
Labels: film, music, pop culture, theatre
1.26.2007
Eventful Revisted
I'm having way too much fun with that Eventful site and decided to add Sarah Slean to their database so I could create a demand for her to come back to Calgary. When I saw her here before, it was one of the most incredible concert experiences of my life. Her voice, her energy, her words, her music... I was transported. I would love to experience that again.
Sarah Slean
Do you want Sarah Slean
to perform in your city?
Do you want Sarah Slean
to perform in your city?
Labels: cool sites, music, pop culture
Indie Artists Unite
I've just discovered a new site for unsigned artists. Unsigned.com is dedicated to providing independent artists the best possible outlet to be heard globally on the Internet, as well as providing the artists with a new revenue and distribution model for their music.
Having recently had the "joys" of putting together a MySpace Filmmaker's site, I no longer think MySpace is the answer for any indie artists. It's so glitchy and has no real tech support that it drives me crazy most of the time, and I can't imagine it's much better if you're in the music area of MySpace.
Granted, Unsigned.com is still in Beta and I haven't tested it out, but anything's gotta be better than MySpace!
Having recently had the "joys" of putting together a MySpace Filmmaker's site, I no longer think MySpace is the answer for any indie artists. It's so glitchy and has no real tech support that it drives me crazy most of the time, and I can't imagine it's much better if you're in the music area of MySpace.
Granted, Unsigned.com is still in Beta and I haven't tested it out, but anything's gotta be better than MySpace!
Labels: cool sites, music, pop culture
1.25.2007
Ugly Side
I noticed that someone landed on my blog searching for the meaning of the Blue October song "Ugly Side" (sample). Although on the one hand I think the general meaning is self-evident, I decided to write about it because the specific lyrics might seem a little odd to some people.
Ugly Side lyrics:
I must have sneezed
On knees I freeze
I mean I just choked up
Somehow I slept
I dream, I mean
I dreamt of nothing
Able to breathe
A sweet relief
Now that you're here with me
A northern degree
Dove into me
Now I'm recovering
[Chorus]
I only want you to see
My favorite part of me
And not my ugly side
Not my ugly side
Hook up a C.B. Wave a way
For conversation flow
I'm shoved in your cave, to wage this rage
Don't let me go
A kick and a scream is all that seems
To mean a lot thus far
I won't let you on my stage, my page
You can't know
Yet you have to know
[Chorus]
So calm... and now it's dark
I look for you to light my heart
I'm in between the moon and where you are
I know... I can't be far
The most general interpretation is simply how hard it is to share your those parts of yourself that you don't like with someone that you actually want to share your whole self with. More specifically, I believe it relates to Justin Furstenfeld's history with drugs, his recovery and his ardent desire not to have to share that part of his past and himself with someone he's starting a new relationship with.
As for specific phrases that may or not make grammatical sense… I say don't analyze that stuff too deeply. It's poetry. It elicits an emotional reaction of confusion and melancholy and fear and love. In Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg writes:
P.S. Blue October is coming to Calgary!!!!! They'll be playing at Mac Hall on April 7. Get your tickets soon. I know I will!
Ugly Side lyrics:
I must have sneezed
On knees I freeze
I mean I just choked up
Somehow I slept
I dream, I mean
I dreamt of nothing
Able to breathe
A sweet relief
Now that you're here with me
A northern degree
Dove into me
Now I'm recovering
[Chorus]
I only want you to see
My favorite part of me
And not my ugly side
Not my ugly side
Hook up a C.B. Wave a way
For conversation flow
I'm shoved in your cave, to wage this rage
Don't let me go
A kick and a scream is all that seems
To mean a lot thus far
I won't let you on my stage, my page
You can't know
Yet you have to know
[Chorus]
So calm... and now it's dark
I look for you to light my heart
I'm in between the moon and where you are
I know... I can't be far
The most general interpretation is simply how hard it is to share your those parts of yourself that you don't like with someone that you actually want to share your whole self with. More specifically, I believe it relates to Justin Furstenfeld's history with drugs, his recovery and his ardent desire not to have to share that part of his past and himself with someone he's starting a new relationship with.
As for specific phrases that may or not make grammatical sense… I say don't analyze that stuff too deeply. It's poetry. It elicits an emotional reaction of confusion and melancholy and fear and love. In Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg writes:
"The aim is to burn through to first thoughts... to the place where you are writing what your mind actually sees and feels, not what it thinks it should see and feel. It's a great opportunity to capture the oddities of your mind. Explore the rugged edge of thought."I believe these lyrics are definitely the stuff of "first thoughts." Not to say that I don't have my ideas about what Justin means in certain phrases, but I'm more concerned with what he's feeling and how he makes me feel. So my advice is not to try to deconstruct the song, just feel it.
P.S. Blue October is coming to Calgary!!!!! They'll be playing at Mac Hall on April 7. Get your tickets soon. I know I will!
Labels: music, poetry, pop culture
Eventful
I just discovered this new site where you can request (or as they say "demand") that your favourite performers come to your city. So I entered a "demand" for Rachael Sage (since I discovered this on her MySpace page), even though I'm not sure she would ever venture this way. But hey, if you don't ask... right? So I started the demand, but it needs to reach a critical mass before they actually contact the performer. So if anyone else wants to make a demand for Rachael Sage to come to Calgary, please do so.
I am a little disappointed, however, that most of the codes on the Eventful site don't seem to work for me. So this is as interesting a "demand" image as I could muster:
Rachael Sage
Do you want Rachael Sage
to perform in your city?
For those of you who aren't familiar with Rachael Sage and her music, she's a New York City songstress whose music is an eclectic mix of literate folk-pop-rock with a variety of world music influences. Trust me, that description will make sense once you listen to her. One of my favourite tracks off one of my favourite albums of hers (Smashing the Serene) is "Bruises without Blue." Give it a listen and if you actually like it, then please help me drum up some demand!
I am a little disappointed, however, that most of the codes on the Eventful site don't seem to work for me. So this is as interesting a "demand" image as I could muster:
Do you want Rachael Sage
to perform in your city?
For those of you who aren't familiar with Rachael Sage and her music, she's a New York City songstress whose music is an eclectic mix of literate folk-pop-rock with a variety of world music influences. Trust me, that description will make sense once you listen to her. One of my favourite tracks off one of my favourite albums of hers (Smashing the Serene) is "Bruises without Blue." Give it a listen and if you actually like it, then please help me drum up some demand!
Labels: cool sites, music, pop culture
1.22.2007
Are You Listening?
As a big fan of indie music, I felt the need to post about this Singer/Songwriter contest that I just heard of. It's sponsored by a London based artist development group called We Are Listening. But it's not just for artists from the UK or Europe, it's completely international and open to both signed and unsigned artists. (There's even a Canadian judge… Katia Cadet (Babykat)… I just wish I'd actually heard of her, but I'm not really a hip hop person so I guess that's as good an excuse as any).
Anyway, back to the contest. They'll be picking six artists and flying them to London for a luxury weekend production extravaganza which will include an exclusive recording session with producer Steve Williams who has produced artists like Sting, Seal and Eric Clapton. Can you imagine? Holy opportunity, Batman!
There are also other prizes like the Master Writer software suite, a scholarship for the Summer Songwriting Workshop at Berklee College of Music and a bunch of artist services at CDfuse.com, including one week as a "featured artist" on the front page of the site (to name just a few).
I hope Jasmine Whenham decides to enter. I still remember when she won the local Ship & Anchor songwriting contest. When she got up to sing I felt transported from a local amateur competition to a world class musical performance. Maybe this contest will be her chance to play with the big boys… and girls.
So is it worth it? Well, it only costs $30 to enter and one of last year's winners, Jag Star, is going to be included on the soundtrack to MTV's "The Hills" as the only independent act on the recording. I don't know about you, but I think that makes for a pretty impressive credit.
But don't wait too long to enter… the deadline is March 1, 2007!
Anyway, back to the contest. They'll be picking six artists and flying them to London for a luxury weekend production extravaganza which will include an exclusive recording session with producer Steve Williams who has produced artists like Sting, Seal and Eric Clapton. Can you imagine? Holy opportunity, Batman!
There are also other prizes like the Master Writer software suite, a scholarship for the Summer Songwriting Workshop at Berklee College of Music and a bunch of artist services at CDfuse.com, including one week as a "featured artist" on the front page of the site (to name just a few).
I hope Jasmine Whenham decides to enter. I still remember when she won the local Ship & Anchor songwriting contest. When she got up to sing I felt transported from a local amateur competition to a world class musical performance. Maybe this contest will be her chance to play with the big boys… and girls.
So is it worth it? Well, it only costs $30 to enter and one of last year's winners, Jag Star, is going to be included on the soundtrack to MTV's "The Hills" as the only independent act on the recording. I don't know about you, but I think that makes for a pretty impressive credit.
But don't wait too long to enter… the deadline is March 1, 2007!
Labels: music, pop culture
1.21.2007
Blue October
Apparently the last time my cousin went to the movies, they showed a pretty cool music video. Unfortunately, they gave neither the title of the song nor the artist. But my cousin liked the song quite a lot so he went home and Googled some of the lyrics and discovered it was "Into the Ocean" by Blue October.
Why is this noteworthy? Well, I first discovered Blue October when Zayra Alvarez sang their song "Razorblade" on Rock Star: Supernova (watch the video). I think it was her best performance on the show and yet it was the night that she got kicked off… so unfair. Anyway, after the show I downloaded the Blue October version along with a few of their other songs and I was hooked. I had suggested to my cousin that he download "Weight of the World," a song of theirs which I love but that he didn't like much at all. I now see that I should have recommended more than the one song. Oh well, hind sight and all that.
But now I'm curious: Is this band bigger than I originally thought? Or are they just now gaining in popularity and getting good airplay? I never know these things because I don't listen to the radio. Sometimes I "discover" a band that everyone else already knows about. Other times one of my indie bands makes it big and all of a sudden everybody knows who they are which kind of weirds me out. (I'm really pathetic when it comes to popular music… totally my own fault, I know, but obviously I don't care enough about it to bother to change and actually start listening to the radio and paying attention to these things.) But I think it's a riot that these guys are obviously doing extremely well right now, and just last summer the Supernova guys were giving Zayra a hard time for doing a song by a band they'd never even heard of.
There are still a lot of Blue October songs that I'm not familiar with, so I can't offer extensive reviews or recommendations, but aside from the songs I've already mentioned I also really like "Independently Happy" and "18th Floor Balcony" and I LOVE "Ugly Side" (listen to sample). I was really hoping that somebody would buy me Blue October's live album "Argue with a Tree" for Christmas, but no such luck. Oh well, I think I can manage to buy it for myself.
Why is this noteworthy? Well, I first discovered Blue October when Zayra Alvarez sang their song "Razorblade" on Rock Star: Supernova (watch the video). I think it was her best performance on the show and yet it was the night that she got kicked off… so unfair. Anyway, after the show I downloaded the Blue October version along with a few of their other songs and I was hooked. I had suggested to my cousin that he download "Weight of the World," a song of theirs which I love but that he didn't like much at all. I now see that I should have recommended more than the one song. Oh well, hind sight and all that.
But now I'm curious: Is this band bigger than I originally thought? Or are they just now gaining in popularity and getting good airplay? I never know these things because I don't listen to the radio. Sometimes I "discover" a band that everyone else already knows about. Other times one of my indie bands makes it big and all of a sudden everybody knows who they are which kind of weirds me out. (I'm really pathetic when it comes to popular music… totally my own fault, I know, but obviously I don't care enough about it to bother to change and actually start listening to the radio and paying attention to these things.) But I think it's a riot that these guys are obviously doing extremely well right now, and just last summer the Supernova guys were giving Zayra a hard time for doing a song by a band they'd never even heard of.
There are still a lot of Blue October songs that I'm not familiar with, so I can't offer extensive reviews or recommendations, but aside from the songs I've already mentioned I also really like "Independently Happy" and "18th Floor Balcony" and I LOVE "Ugly Side" (listen to sample). I was really hoping that somebody would buy me Blue October's live album "Argue with a Tree" for Christmas, but no such luck. Oh well, I think I can manage to buy it for myself.
Labels: music, pop culture
1.17.2007
So Many Movies, So Little Time
I came across this movie trailers website that I wish I'd found before Christmas, so I could have posted their trailer for "Black Christmas"… would have been appropriately seasonal, no? I have to admit, now that I've seen the fake trailer that morphed "Sleepless in Seattle" into a horror film, I realize that all horror trailers are pretty formulaic… it's kind of funny, actually.
Speaking of funny, this site has a good selection of trailers for comedy movies, too. (I REALLY want to see "Stranger than Fiction.") And I like their Random Videos feature—a very useful tool for discovering movies that you might never have heard of. That's how I found "Notes on a Scandal" which I would also like to see, now that I know about it. Like I said: So many movies, so little time.
Speaking of funny, this site has a good selection of trailers for comedy movies, too. (I REALLY want to see "Stranger than Fiction.") And I like their Random Videos feature—a very useful tool for discovering movies that you might never have heard of. That's how I found "Notes on a Scandal" which I would also like to see, now that I know about it. Like I said: So many movies, so little time.
Labels: film, pop culture
1.13.2007
Crazy for Kiosks
I have to start off by mentioning an incident that happened many years ago when I was still living in Toronto. I don't remember a lot of the circumstances, but I think my sister had just written the MCAT (she had briefly thought she wanted to be a doctor, before she found her true calling as a teacher). I don't remember if she thought she hadn't done very well or what was going on, but for some reason I got it in my head that she simply had to watch "Gross Anatomy" and that would cheer her up. So we went to the local video store but they didn't carry it. There was another video store a couple of blocks away, but their copy had been rented. We might have given up at that point, if someone hadn't mentioned that the nearest subway station had a video kiosk. Huh?Neither my sister nor I thought we'd understood this guy correctly, but we went over to the subway station and, sure enough, there was this vending machine where you could rent movies just as easily as buying a pop. Unfortunately, that particular kiosk didn't have our movie, but there was a 1-800 number you could call to find out the closest kiosk that had that movie in stock. And there was one just a subway stop away. Success!
Since that time, I have told that story to many people but found no one who had ever even heard of these kiosks. I began to think that I'd made it up (I have a very active imagination and dream up all sorts of things that I manage to convince myself really happened, because of which I am quick to believe that I might have made something up even if it's actually true... making me quite a target for people who take pleasure in teasing me).
Anyway, this is a very long winded way of saying that I now feel vindicated. Check out these DVD video rental kiosks! Granted, this isn't what I rented from all those years ago (back in ancient times, before DVDs) but it's the same premise. Which is a pretty good case to support my hazy memory. Or, if I did dream it up, I was obviously way ahead of my time!
Labels: cool stuff, film, pop culture
1.11.2007
Ouch!
Get a load of some of the latest Japanese footwear trends. Um, so... the Chinese have footbinding and now this is how Japanese women torture their feet?
Not to say that I've never worn shoes (or clothing or hairstyles) that others have considered crazy, but they didn't even come close to comparing to these boots. How do you even walk in them?
And now I am reminded of a Buffy quote, from "Earshot" the episode where she can hear people's thoughts. And she hears Giles think: "Look at her shoes. If a fashion magazine told her to, she'd wear cats strapped to her feet."
Yep, I think that pretty much sums up the shoes shown here.
Not to say that I've never worn shoes (or clothing or hairstyles) that others have considered crazy, but they didn't even come close to comparing to these boots. How do you even walk in them?
And now I am reminded of a Buffy quote, from "Earshot" the episode where she can hear people's thoughts. And she hears Giles think: "Look at her shoes. If a fashion magazine told her to, she'd wear cats strapped to her feet."
Yep, I think that pretty much sums up the shoes shown here.
Labels: buffy, fashion, pop culture, weird stuff
1.10.2007
A Dark and Wondrous Dream
I had the opportunity on Monday night of going to an advance screening of Pan's Labyrinth. It is one of those rare movies that I found completely satisfying on all levels: A gothic fairy tale worthy of the Brothers Grimm, with familiar classic elements that are made to feel fresh and original; a backdrop of the all too real man-made evil of the Spanish civil war; a fantasy that is neither escape nor horror, but a dark refuge; a rich visual tapestry reminiscent of Terry Gilliam or Tim Burton; an eerily lilting lullaby that haunts the recesses of your brain; and a perfectly cast young girl at the centre of it all. (Watch the trailer.)
I was enthralled as a viewer. I was inspired as a filmmaker. In the application that I just submitted for the Herland IN:Camera Workshop, the short film I proposed was based on a modern retelling of the Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter. There were definitely elements of that myth present in the movie: the underworld, the pomegranates in the bowl of fruit that she's not supposed to eat. Not that either of those are restricted to my particular myth, but the association pleased me. As did the young girl's name: Ofelia, the Spanish form of Ophelia. Perhaps it was not intended to reference Shakespeare but, once again, the association pleased me.
I also particularly appreciated the ending. Do you believe only in the tangible, corporeal world? Or do you believe in dreams and fantasy? It doesn't really matter; you can interpret the ending to suit either.
Me? I'm a dreamer.
I was enthralled as a viewer. I was inspired as a filmmaker. In the application that I just submitted for the Herland IN:Camera Workshop, the short film I proposed was based on a modern retelling of the Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter. There were definitely elements of that myth present in the movie: the underworld, the pomegranates in the bowl of fruit that she's not supposed to eat. Not that either of those are restricted to my particular myth, but the association pleased me. As did the young girl's name: Ofelia, the Spanish form of Ophelia. Perhaps it was not intended to reference Shakespeare but, once again, the association pleased me.
I also particularly appreciated the ending. Do you believe only in the tangible, corporeal world? Or do you believe in dreams and fantasy? It doesn't really matter; you can interpret the ending to suit either.
Me? I'm a dreamer.
Labels: books and literature, film, pop culture
1.09.2007
Dazlious
I went to see Snow Cake on Sunday. It was a wonderful film. And the more I think about it, the more I like it. But this post is not about writing a review (there are numerous reviews of it out there; like the one at Future Movies), this is about one of my favourite moments in the movie: the scrabble scene. It's "comic book scrabble," where you can make up any word you like as long as you can use it in a sentence. In a piece of dialogue that is beautiful and poetic and wonderfully delivered (even if it's not true to the character's voice; yes Brendan, I admit it... you're right), Sigourney Weaver's character makes up the word "Dazlious." When Alan Rickman's character asks for her example of the word, she weaves this intricate story:
Mr. Fantastic from the fantastic four. He's got arms made of elastic so they can stretch for two maybe three hundred miles. He's been imprisoned in a cave for seven days with no food and no water and no light. And on the eighth day, he manages to loosen a rock and push his way up through the top. And up into the daylight, just as the sun is coming up over the mountains and filling the sky with this white yellow light. And there's a stillness. And in the few minutes he's got before his captor—the evil Dr. Doom—returns, he stops for one second. And all he can hear is his own breathing. And he's totally overwhelmed by how big the world is, and how small and unimportant he is. And as he turns around, you see his face look to the sky and he says very quietly, so that no one can hear him, he says, "Dazlious." (Watch the Scrabble clip here.)Dazlious. I think it's a fabulous word. One that I intend to add to my vocuabulary of awe and wonder. Dazlious.
Labels: film, language, pop culture
12.23.2006
Movies, Movies and More Movies
Watch Trailer
Free API to the web's largest collection of movie trailers! I just came across this massive collection of streaming movie trailers and music videos on the web. On Video Detective, I watched a trailer for "Curse of the Golden Flower" (shown above); it looks REALLY good. Then I headed over to Video Detective's sister site Singing Fool and watched the music video for "Lithium" by Evanescence. Definitely enjoyed that, too.
Essentially, these sites provide free API interface for web applications to stream these trailers and videos. And it's open to web developers from any site. How cool is that?!
Labels: film, pop culture
12.07.2006
Hellacious D
I'm not entirely sure that I want to see "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny" but I came across this interview with Jack Black and his cohort, Kyle Gass, that is wildly funny. An excerpt:
I definitely had to laugh at the Supernova reference (see my previous Supernova post).
Still not sure about the movie, though. There are times when I think Jack Black is hilarious ("High Fidelity") and other times when he makes me cringe ("Saving Silverman"). So which will this be? I'm not sure. I've heard some people comment that they wished it were a weird little super low budget film more in keeping with the cult trappings of "This Is Spinal Tap," but that it comes off instead as your typical lowbrow comedy. I have a feeling that I'll wait for the video on this one.
But go read the interview. It's funny!
Other than The Pick of Destiny, what's the high point in the history of metal?
KG: Led Zeppelin IV is pretty good.
JB: Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." Metal at its most metal.
And the low point?
KG: Rock Star: Supernova.
JB: Did you know that Dave Navarro's not in Supernova?
KG: He is. He joined. First he was a host, and then he realized... Actually, I don't know what he realized.
JB: I realized they'd be lame without him...
I definitely had to laugh at the Supernova reference (see my previous Supernova post).
Still not sure about the movie, though. There are times when I think Jack Black is hilarious ("High Fidelity") and other times when he makes me cringe ("Saving Silverman"). So which will this be? I'm not sure. I've heard some people comment that they wished it were a weird little super low budget film more in keeping with the cult trappings of "This Is Spinal Tap," but that it comes off instead as your typical lowbrow comedy. I have a feeling that I'll wait for the video on this one.
But go read the interview. It's funny!
Labels: film, pop culture
Apathy Reigns Triumphant
I went to an excellent Director's Eye talk at the CSIF tonight with Sandi Sommers (interdisciplinary artist extraordinaire and co-founder of Road Pictures). The talk was excellent, the turnout depressing: the organizer, me and one other person. It's not THAT cold out. It's not THAT close to Christmas. Come on people, what's the deal? Afraid you might learn something new?
And coming home in that state of mind, I did a little internet surfing and ended up at Boing Boing reading this:
I followed the link to the Globe & Mail article "Classic docs sent back to the vault: Copyright material too costly to renew" to read the further depressing statement: "The [Documentary Organization of Canada's] white paper also details how imminent changes to Canadian copyright law—probably coming early in the new year—could make matters even worse."
Great. People suck. Well, not all people. Not the people who showed up tonight. But a lot of other people.
In the immortal words of Bill the Cat: "Ack Thpppbbt!!"
P.S. All ranting aside, my thoughts about the Director's Eye talk itself are posted on my Film Blog.
And coming home in that state of mind, I did a little internet surfing and ended up at Boing Boing reading this:
Canada's documentaries lost to copyright
Canada's taxpayer-funded National Film Board has underwritten many brilliant documentaries that are no longer available due to the prohibitive cost of re-licensing the copyrights for the materials they incidentally feature... Quebec filmmaker Sylvie Van Brabant's film Remous/Earthwalk has been withdrawn from public circulation because its main character sings 30 seconds of a recognizable tune whose rights the National Film Board has deemed too expensive to renew.
I followed the link to the Globe & Mail article "Classic docs sent back to the vault: Copyright material too costly to renew" to read the further depressing statement: "The [Documentary Organization of Canada's] white paper also details how imminent changes to Canadian copyright law—probably coming early in the new year—could make matters even worse."
Great. People suck. Well, not all people. Not the people who showed up tonight. But a lot of other people.
In the immortal words of Bill the Cat: "Ack Thpppbbt!!"
P.S. All ranting aside, my thoughts about the Director's Eye talk itself are posted on my Film Blog.
Labels: film, pop culture
12.06.2006
Coda Title Cards
I know I said that I would track my film activities in my My Space, but I just had to post the main title card for my short silent film here just because I want to and I can. 
But if you want to know more about my progress with the film, I suggest you head on over to my Film Blog.
But if you want to know more about my progress with the film, I suggest you head on over to my Film Blog.
Labels: film, pop culture
12.05.2006
Lucky Number 13
While exploring the sites of other meme participants, I came across this entry: "Thirteen Favorite Joss Whedon Moments".
It was both amusing and informative. I had no idea that Joss Whedon had written a few Roseanne episodes (the blog has a clip from one of the episodes; I never had any desire to watch that show, but I must admit the clip was good). I didn't realize that there were Joss Whedon graphic novels that take place in the Buffyverse (cool!). Nor had I realized that he had written Alien Resurrection (but I guess I can forgive you for that, Joss, because of everything you've done since).
In my opinion, they missed a couple of key Buffy moments. Particularly Becoming, part 2 (Season 2 finale)...
In the moments before Buffy kills Angel, he gets her cornered and disarms her. Then he says, in that mocking way of Angelus: "Now that's everything, huh? No weapons... No friends...No hope. Take all that away... and what's left?"
Buffy looks up at him with one of her famous Buffy stares and says:
"Me."
Then she stops his sword with her bare hands.
Yep, I would definitely swap that one for the Gingerbread episode doodle moment.
But you've gotta head over to the blog just to check out he video of Angel dancing at the end. It's hysterical!
It was both amusing and informative. I had no idea that Joss Whedon had written a few Roseanne episodes (the blog has a clip from one of the episodes; I never had any desire to watch that show, but I must admit the clip was good). I didn't realize that there were Joss Whedon graphic novels that take place in the Buffyverse (cool!). Nor had I realized that he had written Alien Resurrection (but I guess I can forgive you for that, Joss, because of everything you've done since).
In my opinion, they missed a couple of key Buffy moments. Particularly Becoming, part 2 (Season 2 finale)...
In the moments before Buffy kills Angel, he gets her cornered and disarms her. Then he says, in that mocking way of Angelus: "Now that's everything, huh? No weapons... No friends...No hope. Take all that away... and what's left?"
Buffy looks up at him with one of her famous Buffy stares and says:
"Me."
Then she stops his sword with her bare hands.
Yep, I would definitely swap that one for the Gingerbread episode doodle moment.
But you've gotta head over to the blog just to check out he video of Angel dancing at the end. It's hysterical!
Labels: buffy, pop culture, tv
11.28.2006
Eenie Meme Miny Mo
This weeks Word Beads:
My latest attempt, somewhat longer than my last:
"There are some lines from movies that, as a writer, I wish I'd written (and maybe... just maybe... a little envy creeps into the picture). One of my favourite bits of dialogue is actually from My Cousin Vinny (Marisa Tomei was awesome in that movie): "Imagine you're a deer. You're prancing along. You get thirsty. You spot a little brook. You put your little deer lips down to the cool, clear water — BAM. A fuckin' bullet rips off part of your head. Your brains are laying on the ground in little bloody pieces. Now I aks ya, would you give a fuck what kind of pants the son-of-a-bitch who shot you was wearing?"
"But obviously I didn't write that line of dialogue, so it would behoove me to shake that feeling off so I can eventually come up with brilliant lines of my own... eventually. But for now, I should probably just live by the aphorism: Whatever is clearly expressed is well wrote."
P.S. You can hear Marisa deliver the line here in all her brilliance, courtesy of The Movie Sounds Page.
Deer
Shake
Envy
Behoove
Aphorism
My latest attempt, somewhat longer than my last:
"There are some lines from movies that, as a writer, I wish I'd written (and maybe... just maybe... a little envy creeps into the picture). One of my favourite bits of dialogue is actually from My Cousin Vinny (Marisa Tomei was awesome in that movie): "Imagine you're a deer. You're prancing along. You get thirsty. You spot a little brook. You put your little deer lips down to the cool, clear water — BAM. A fuckin' bullet rips off part of your head. Your brains are laying on the ground in little bloody pieces. Now I aks ya, would you give a fuck what kind of pants the son-of-a-bitch who shot you was wearing?"
"But obviously I didn't write that line of dialogue, so it would behoove me to shake that feeling off so I can eventually come up with brilliant lines of my own... eventually. But for now, I should probably just live by the aphorism: Whatever is clearly expressed is well wrote."
P.S. You can hear Marisa deliver the line here in all her brilliance, courtesy of The Movie Sounds Page.
Labels: film, memes, pop culture
11.27.2006
Lucky Number 7
I've decided to participate in Sunday Seven - Episode 65, and in a more timely manner this go 'round.
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name the top seven gifts on your Christmas list this year. (They must be tangible gifts that one could buy for you; items like "Peace on Earth," while a beautiful sentiment, are not allowed on this particular question.)
1. 19" flat screen computer monitor
2. Computer upgrades sufficient to run Adobe Creative Suite
3. Movie Magic Scheduling software
4. Re-upholstering my couch
5. Art Deco pendant watch
6. Framed poster of "I and the Village" by Chagall
7. DVD double feature: Donnie Darko (The Directors Cut) & Memento (Widescreen Special Edition)
P.S. When in doubt, there's always the Amazon.com Wish List!
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name the top seven gifts on your Christmas list this year. (They must be tangible gifts that one could buy for you; items like "Peace on Earth," while a beautiful sentiment, are not allowed on this particular question.)
1. 19" flat screen computer monitor
2. Computer upgrades sufficient to run Adobe Creative Suite
3. Movie Magic Scheduling software
4. Re-upholstering my couch
5. Art Deco pendant watch
6. Framed poster of "I and the Village" by Chagall
7. DVD double feature: Donnie Darko (The Directors Cut) & Memento (Widescreen Special Edition)
P.S. When in doubt, there's always the Amazon.com Wish List!
Labels: film, memes, pop culture
11.25.2006
Weirdgrrl's Belated Sunday Seven
I've just discovered this concept of "memes." What is a meme? You might ask. In the context of blogs, it's some kind of list of questions that you saw somewhere else and you decided to answer the questions. While browsing The Daily Meme, I came across this Sunday Seven at Patrick's Weekender that I decided I had to play, even if I am a little late...
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name seven of your all-time favorite lines from the movies.
You can see how I couldn't resist. So here we go, off the top of my head...
1. "Yeah man, but it’s a dry heat" ~ Hudson, Aliens
2. "I'm voting for Dukakis." ~ Elizabeth, Donnie Darko
3. "It's not easy being a cast-iron bitch. It takes discipline, years of training... A lot of people don't appreciate that." ~ Lindsey, The Abyss
4. "It’s so easy for you to die dramatically! It's a hell of a lot tougher for those of us who have to keep on trying!" ~ Jean, Billy Jack
5. "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead." ~ Butch, Pulp Fiction
6. "I am only resolved to act in a manner which will constitute my own happiness without reference to you or any person so wholly unconnected with me." ~ Elizabeth, Pride & Prejudice
7. "Get away from her you bitch!" ~ Ripley, Aliens
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name seven of your all-time favorite lines from the movies.
You can see how I couldn't resist. So here we go, off the top of my head...
1. "Yeah man, but it’s a dry heat" ~ Hudson, Aliens
2. "I'm voting for Dukakis." ~ Elizabeth, Donnie Darko
3. "It's not easy being a cast-iron bitch. It takes discipline, years of training... A lot of people don't appreciate that." ~ Lindsey, The Abyss
4. "It’s so easy for you to die dramatically! It's a hell of a lot tougher for those of us who have to keep on trying!" ~ Jean, Billy Jack
5. "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead." ~ Butch, Pulp Fiction
6. "I am only resolved to act in a manner which will constitute my own happiness without reference to you or any person so wholly unconnected with me." ~ Elizabeth, Pride & Prejudice
7. "Get away from her you bitch!" ~ Ripley, Aliens
Labels: film, memes, pop culture
11.19.2006
More Music
We were at the Rose & Crown last night and heard a new band (well, new to me) called Urban Divide. They remind me of the Mocking Shadows with their funk/r&b/soul thing goin' on and their horn section (gotta love the horns). But they've got a chick on lead vocals which is pretty cool, especially because her voice is low and bluesy. I don't think they're quite as tight as the Shadows, though, or maybe I just prefer the rock edge that the Shadows bring. Regardless, I would still definitely recommend them.
Speaking of new bands, when we were at the Rose & Crown for my birthday a couple of weeks ago, we caught a band called The Heavyweights. Good solid rock & roll cover band. Great for dancing!
Check 'em both out!
Speaking of new bands, when we were at the Rose & Crown for my birthday a couple of weeks ago, we caught a band called The Heavyweights. Good solid rock & roll cover band. Great for dancing!
Check 'em both out!
Labels: music, pop culture
11.17.2006
Jasmine CD Release!
Come one, come all to the Jasmine Whenham CD release party tonight at Club Paradiso in Inglewood. I've been eagerly awaiting this new CD... I'm really hoping this will launch her big break. *fingers crossed*
Labels: music, pop culture
11.15.2006
Battlestar Galactica Webisodes
Those of you who know me are probably aware of just how big a Battlestar Galactica fan I am... both old and new. Well, I just found out that there are BSG Resistance Webisodes that fill in the four-month gap when the humans were living on New Caprica under Cylon rule. My cousin first noticed "Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance" on the Internet Movie Database. Then some kindly reviewer on that page pointed the way to SciFi.com's Battlestar site, explaining that these were short webisodes.
I don't know if they will stay as webisodes or if there's any plan of putting them together for some kind of two-hour special or if they'll go on the Season 3 DVD when it comes out... I haven't looked into that yet. Right now, I'm just trying to watch them. I'm having some issues and I haven't figured out whether it's my browser or what. The pre-clip commercial plays just fine, but not the clip... very frustrating. Anyway, once I get that sorted out, I'll let you know what I think of the episodes (although I doubt it will be as insightful as my Gears & Levers post, but what can you do?).
Addendum (2.01.2007): I still haven't managed to get these damn webisodes to work. I've tried different browsers to no avail. Does anybody have any suggestions?
I don't know if they will stay as webisodes or if there's any plan of putting them together for some kind of two-hour special or if they'll go on the Season 3 DVD when it comes out... I haven't looked into that yet. Right now, I'm just trying to watch them. I'm having some issues and I haven't figured out whether it's my browser or what. The pre-clip commercial plays just fine, but not the clip... very frustrating. Anyway, once I get that sorted out, I'll let you know what I think of the episodes (although I doubt it will be as insightful as my Gears & Levers post, but what can you do?).
Addendum (2.01.2007): I still haven't managed to get these damn webisodes to work. I've tried different browsers to no avail. Does anybody have any suggestions?
Labels: battlestar galactica, pop culture, tv
11.12.2006
Persian Teardrop
Some time ago, I downloaded a song that was entitled "Persian Teardrop" but turned out to be a brilliant mix of "Persian Love Song" by Dead Can Dance and "Teardrop" by Massive Attack with Elizabeth Fraser (of the Cocteau Twins). I had assumed it was a remix that was available on a CD somewhere but I've had no luck finding it. I'm now beginning to think it's a homemade remix that has just been circulating on the internet. I posted on the Massive Attack forums hoping someone there might know for certain, but no joy. So I figured I would try posting on my blog on the off chance that someone might stumble across it and know if (and where) I can find a legitimate copy of this remix.
Labels: music, pop culture
11.08.2006
Generic Update Post
I can't believe I didn't even post myself a Birthday Greeting (Remember, Remember the fifth of November... anybody see "V for Vendetta"?).
Anyway, things have continued to be crazy and my blog has continued to be the innocent bystander of that craziness. I'm beginning to wonder if that's what I should expect from now on if I continue to pursue this film thing. I'm still in the process of trying to catch up with everything that I fell behind on after getting sick for a month after filming this summer. And now that film is finally back from the lab and I'm about to start editing, but I'm also trying to throw something together for the CSIF film festival. (Am I nuts? Okay, in general I'm nuts... but is this particular decision pushing me even closer to the loony bin? Probably.)
In light of all this, it probably comes as no surprise that I'm not participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year. Makes me a little sad, but unless somebody starts a National Screenplay Writing Month, I may well be finished with these intense group writing months (how the heck would you abridge that into a short and pithy abbreviation: NaScreWriMo? That just doesn't quite flow... or look particularly benign, for that matter... but I digress).
Hmm, I guess
t-t-t-that's all folks...
for now.
Anyway, things have continued to be crazy and my blog has continued to be the innocent bystander of that craziness. I'm beginning to wonder if that's what I should expect from now on if I continue to pursue this film thing. I'm still in the process of trying to catch up with everything that I fell behind on after getting sick for a month after filming this summer. And now that film is finally back from the lab and I'm about to start editing, but I'm also trying to throw something together for the CSIF film festival. (Am I nuts? Okay, in general I'm nuts... but is this particular decision pushing me even closer to the loony bin? Probably.)
In light of all this, it probably comes as no surprise that I'm not participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year. Makes me a little sad, but unless somebody starts a National Screenplay Writing Month, I may well be finished with these intense group writing months (how the heck would you abridge that into a short and pithy abbreviation: NaScreWriMo? That just doesn't quite flow... or look particularly benign, for that matter... but I digress).
Hmm, I guess
t-t-t-that's all folks...
for now.
Labels: film, pop culture
9.11.2006
Storm Large and the Balls
So I see that Storm took my advice and has recorded "Ladylike" already, both clean and explicit versions. (What? You don't believe that she might have stumbled across my blog, saw my suggestion that she go directly into the studio to record "Ladylike" and said, "Hey man, that sounds like a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?"... What? You don't think it could have happened that way? Yeah, well, neither do I... *sigh*)Anyway, you can buy her single "Ladylike" by Storm Large & the Balls through CD Baby or download the song from iTunes (I assume they have both song versions available there as well). Then get ready to rock!
Labels: music, pop culture
9.09.2006
Great Tempest
Tempest = Storm
Great = Large
I know I haven't been commenting on Rock Star: Supernova this year, even though I was a two-posts-a-week Rock Star: INXS grrl last year. That doesn't mean I haven't been watching, just that I've been too insanely busy with my short film to blog (said film is now in the can, except for one insert shot, then it's off to the lab when the rest of the students finish filming). But enough preamble...
I was keenly disappointed to see Storm Large leave the show. Especially after her incredible, anthem-like original song the night before: "Ladylike." I hope she goes straight into the studio to record this song (both the PG and R-rated versions). I simply can't get it out of my head which, in this case, is a wonderful thing. Aside from the fact that it's crazy catchy, the sentiment is so relatable for all of us women who feel constrained by society's desire for us to fit a girly-girl mold. And I HIGHLY recommend watching the video!!! You can either follow the links on the Rock Star site or go here to watch it without commercials (albeit with lower quality).
Anyway, since I'm commenting on the show, I'll throw in a couple of other observations. Love Dilana! Even if she did have a bit of a meltdown a couple weeks ago. I think she's pulled herself together and is back to her rocking, original self. Can't stand Lukas Rossi, even if he is Canadian. He's kind of like this year's JD for me. Though I confess that he's probably more talented than JD and I did actually download his original song, "Headspin." To take the comparisons further, I kind of feel like Dilana is the new Jordis, Toby Rand is rather Mig-like (though I think Toby is a stronger contender than Mig was) and, for me, Storm was this year's Marty. To clarify that last statement, Marty Casey was the guy that I didn't even realize I loved until I noticed that the Rock Star songs that I played most were his... all of his. Same with Storm. That girl can sing the sh*t out of a phone book.
Tempest = Storm
Great = Large
I can't wait for the storm to pass this way.
P.S. Check out this awesome video of Storm, Inc. (Storm's old band).
Great = Large
I know I haven't been commenting on Rock Star: Supernova this year, even though I was a two-posts-a-week Rock Star: INXS grrl last year. That doesn't mean I haven't been watching, just that I've been too insanely busy with my short film to blog (said film is now in the can, except for one insert shot, then it's off to the lab when the rest of the students finish filming). But enough preamble...
I was keenly disappointed to see Storm Large leave the show. Especially after her incredible, anthem-like original song the night before: "Ladylike." I hope she goes straight into the studio to record this song (both the PG and R-rated versions). I simply can't get it out of my head which, in this case, is a wonderful thing. Aside from the fact that it's crazy catchy, the sentiment is so relatable for all of us women who feel constrained by society's desire for us to fit a girly-girl mold. And I HIGHLY recommend watching the video!!! You can either follow the links on the Rock Star site or go here to watch it without commercials (albeit with lower quality).
Anyway, since I'm commenting on the show, I'll throw in a couple of other observations. Love Dilana! Even if she did have a bit of a meltdown a couple weeks ago. I think she's pulled herself together and is back to her rocking, original self. Can't stand Lukas Rossi, even if he is Canadian. He's kind of like this year's JD for me. Though I confess that he's probably more talented than JD and I did actually download his original song, "Headspin." To take the comparisons further, I kind of feel like Dilana is the new Jordis, Toby Rand is rather Mig-like (though I think Toby is a stronger contender than Mig was) and, for me, Storm was this year's Marty. To clarify that last statement, Marty Casey was the guy that I didn't even realize I loved until I noticed that the Rock Star songs that I played most were his... all of his. Same with Storm. That girl can sing the sh*t out of a phone book.
Tempest = Storm
Great = Large
I can't wait for the storm to pass this way.
P.S. Check out this awesome video of Storm, Inc. (Storm's old band).
Labels: music, pop culture, tv
8.28.2006
Filming!
Shot my short film over the weekend. Short, ha, what a laugh (you get that it's a barked, ironic, humourless kind of laugh... right?). Not counting the countless hours of pre-production, I just spent 40 HOURS setting up and filming a FIVE MINUTE film! Yikes. Exhausted is not the word. My dreams of Sundance are rapidly disappearing. *sigh*
Labels: film, pop culture
8.21.2006
The Ultimate in Geekiness
Okay, here's the deal... I was planning on inventing a made-up language for the demons in my short film. It was going to be a mash up of Russian, German, Finnish, Ojibway and Klingon. Yes... Klingon. I was able to find regular online translation sites for most of the... er... non-alien languages (and I have a human source for Ojibway), but I wasn't sure how much luck I would have with Klingon. As it turns out, the Klingon was almost the easiest one. I came across a Universal Translator that will translate (or "relexify," to use their word) into Klingon, Vulcan and Romulan: Universal Translator Assistant Project.
I had loads of fun making up my language, but I didn't end up using it for my script. Why? Because I my film course doesn't include a sound workshop... *sigh*... Not that I was going to let that stop me, but after my "Directing Survival On the Set" Workshop yesterday I'm thinking that I should follow the advice of those who know more than I. So I'll just be dubbing in guttural gibberish mixed in with a bunch of clicks and clacks. It'll probably actually work better in the long run, but I did have fun coming up with my "language."
I had loads of fun making up my language, but I didn't end up using it for my script. Why? Because I my film course doesn't include a sound workshop... *sigh*... Not that I was going to let that stop me, but after my "Directing Survival On the Set" Workshop yesterday I'm thinking that I should follow the advice of those who know more than I. So I'll just be dubbing in guttural gibberish mixed in with a bunch of clicks and clacks. It'll probably actually work better in the long run, but I did have fun coming up with my "language."
Labels: film, language, pop culture
7.02.2006
The Gears & The Levers
I finally got around to watching the season two finale for Battlestar Galactica (why it took me so long to watch the season finale to my favourite show is a long and boring story... and by the way, for any Americans who might be reading this, the finale was only aired here in Canada about a month ago. So I'm not THAT late in watching it).
While watching the part where Chief Tyrol gives his union speech, I thought it seemed somewhat familiar. When he got to the "gears and levers" bit, I realized why. The Chief's speech was paraphrased from the speech given by Mario Savio on the steps of Sproul Hall in 1964 as part of Berkeley's Free Speech Movement. Compare:
Chief Tyrol: "There comes a time when you realize that the engine you built with your blood and your sweat and your tears is being used for something so foul, so perverted, it makes you sick in your heart. And it's then that you must throw your body on the gears, and on the levers, and on the machine itself and make it stop! And you have to show the people who run it, the people who control it, that unless we're free that machine will be prevented from working at all!"
Mario Savio: "There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part, you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies on the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop! And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!"
Now I hope you don't see this as Battlestar Galactica ripping off Mario Savio. I think Mario Savio was an incredible man and see this as more of an homage. And I think it's amazingly cool that a BSG writer would be familiar with the Savio speech, identify the perfect context in which to use it and reword it in the Chief's unique voice. Bravo!
P.S. I did a little research and found out that BSG actually got permission from Savio's family to use the speech. Maybe this sounds a little corny (or Klingon-ish), but it kinda makes me proud that they acted with such honour.
P.P.S. Allow me to highly recommend the documentary "Berkeley in the Sixties" by Mark Kitchell. That film is what made me fall in love with Mario Savio in the first place.
Update May 1, 2007: I've just embedded a video of Mario Savio's speech in a new post: Watch Mario Savio's Gears & Levers Speech.
Update May 16, 2007: I've just embedded video of Chief Tyrol's speech in a new post: Watch BSG's Gears & Levers Speech.
While watching the part where Chief Tyrol gives his union speech, I thought it seemed somewhat familiar. When he got to the "gears and levers" bit, I realized why. The Chief's speech was paraphrased from the speech given by Mario Savio on the steps of Sproul Hall in 1964 as part of Berkeley's Free Speech Movement. Compare:
Chief Tyrol: "There comes a time when you realize that the engine you built with your blood and your sweat and your tears is being used for something so foul, so perverted, it makes you sick in your heart. And it's then that you must throw your body on the gears, and on the levers, and on the machine itself and make it stop! And you have to show the people who run it, the people who control it, that unless we're free that machine will be prevented from working at all!"
Mario Savio: "There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part, you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies on the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop! And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!"
Now I hope you don't see this as Battlestar Galactica ripping off Mario Savio. I think Mario Savio was an incredible man and see this as more of an homage. And I think it's amazingly cool that a BSG writer would be familiar with the Savio speech, identify the perfect context in which to use it and reword it in the Chief's unique voice. Bravo!
P.S. I did a little research and found out that BSG actually got permission from Savio's family to use the speech. Maybe this sounds a little corny (or Klingon-ish), but it kinda makes me proud that they acted with such honour.
P.P.S. Allow me to highly recommend the documentary "Berkeley in the Sixties" by Mark Kitchell. That film is what made me fall in love with Mario Savio in the first place.
Update May 1, 2007: I've just embedded a video of Mario Savio's speech in a new post: Watch Mario Savio's Gears & Levers Speech.
Update May 16, 2007: I've just embedded video of Chief Tyrol's speech in a new post: Watch BSG's Gears & Levers Speech.
Labels: battlestar galactica, film, politics, pop culture, tv
5.15.2006
Poseidon
Went to see Poseidon at the IMAX. The special effects were fantastic, which one would expect with that budget in this day and age, but I must confess that I prefer the original The Poseidon Adventure. With all it's dated cheesiness, the original is just a better story with more relatable characters. Or maybe it's just nostalgic for me. No, I won't wimp out on my opinion. The remake relies too much on the effects, as so many action movies do nowadays. And I'm going to shut up now before I start saying things like "back in my day..."
P.S. I was excited to see my old friend Gordon Thomson seated at the table with the Richard Dreyfuss character, but unfortunately his character must have died when the ship first capsized because we never saw him again after that.
P.S. I was excited to see my old friend Gordon Thomson seated at the table with the Richard Dreyfuss character, but unfortunately his character must have died when the ship first capsized because we never saw him again after that.
Labels: film, pop culture
4.30.2006
Spoof Trailers
Okay, so I know these have been around for a while but they're new to me... so here are some of my favourites:
The Shining: a heartwarming family film
Sleepless in Seattle: a horror movie
West Side Story: a zombie flick
Labels: film, pop culture
11.21.2005
What I Learned Today...
3-D sucks when you're astigmatic.
Labels: film, pop culture
11.19.2005
The Screaming of The Lambs
Okay, it's still National Novel Writing Month and I'm still writing away. One of the things that I like to do when I write is come up with a "soundtrack" for my story. Then I listen to certain songs from my soundtrack while I write certain scenes; it helps me visualize what I'm writing.
But my muse seems to be playing a sick joke on me at the moment. One of the songs from my soundtrack won't get out of my head. Whenever I turn off the TV, get off the phone, finish listening to a CD... whenever the silence falls, this one particular song starts playing in my head again without fail. I swear it's going to drive me insane (insaner?).
I'm hoping that maybe when I finish writing the story, my muse will release my mind from this musical torture. Kind of like Clarice and the lambs, right?
Hannibal Lecter: You still wake up sometimes, don't you? Wake up in the dark, and hear the screaming of the lambs?
Clarice: Yes.
Lecter: And you think if you save poor Catherine you could make them stop, don't you? You think if Catherine lives you won't wake up in the dark ever again to that awful screaming of the lambs.
...
So here's hoping that at the end of November, that creepy Hannibal Lecter voice will come back into my mind and ask: "Well, Cara, has the song stopped screaming?" And I can answer: "Yes!!!!!"
But my muse seems to be playing a sick joke on me at the moment. One of the songs from my soundtrack won't get out of my head. Whenever I turn off the TV, get off the phone, finish listening to a CD... whenever the silence falls, this one particular song starts playing in my head again without fail. I swear it's going to drive me insane (insaner?).
I'm hoping that maybe when I finish writing the story, my muse will release my mind from this musical torture. Kind of like Clarice and the lambs, right?
Hannibal Lecter: You still wake up sometimes, don't you? Wake up in the dark, and hear the screaming of the lambs?
Clarice: Yes.
Lecter: And you think if you save poor Catherine you could make them stop, don't you? You think if Catherine lives you won't wake up in the dark ever again to that awful screaming of the lambs.
So here's hoping that at the end of November, that creepy Hannibal Lecter voice will come back into my mind and ask: "Well, Cara, has the song stopped screaming?" And I can answer: "Yes!!!!!"
Labels: film, pop culture, writing
11.16.2005
More From The Onion
I found this article particularly amusing, since I'm in the midst of trying to invent a reality show for my current NaNoWriMo character to be on:
Animal Planet Reality Show To Put Bear, Antelope, Hawk, Cheetah In Same House
November 16, 2005 | Issue 41•46
LOS ANGELES—Producers of The Zoo auditioned over 80 different species to find the right mix of personalities. (Click here for the full article.)
Animal Planet Reality Show To Put Bear, Antelope, Hawk, Cheetah In Same House
November 16, 2005 | Issue 41•46
LOS ANGELES—Producers of The Zoo auditioned over 80 different species to find the right mix of personalities. (Click here for the full article.)
Labels: pop culture, tv
11.10.2005
The Onion: News in Brief
Cameron Crowe To Release Only Soundtracks
November 9, 2005 | Issue 41•45
LOS ANGELES—Explaining that his movies were but a small step in the pursuit of a career he has always dreamed about, Almost Famous director Cameron Crowe announced Monday that he is retiring from filmmaking to focus exclusively on soundtracks. "For me, the moving image has become redundant, and I believe that I can more effectively tell stories with carefully chosen music," said Crowe, backed by Electric Light Orchestra's "Do Ya." Crowe's first soundtrack, Walking With Headphones, will begin compilation later this winter for a summer release, with the soundtrack's soundtrack available on Polydor Records.
For more irreverent misinformation (such as U.S. Dollar Slips Against Canadian Acorn), check out The Onion.
November 9, 2005 | Issue 41•45
LOS ANGELES—Explaining that his movies were but a small step in the pursuit of a career he has always dreamed about, Almost Famous director Cameron Crowe announced Monday that he is retiring from filmmaking to focus exclusively on soundtracks. "For me, the moving image has become redundant, and I believe that I can more effectively tell stories with carefully chosen music," said Crowe, backed by Electric Light Orchestra's "Do Ya." Crowe's first soundtrack, Walking With Headphones, will begin compilation later this winter for a summer release, with the soundtrack's soundtrack available on Polydor Records.
For more irreverent misinformation (such as U.S. Dollar Slips Against Canadian Acorn), check out The Onion.
Labels: film, music, pop culture
10.13.2005
Musicians Who Blog
I came across this blog with a post about "Cool musicians who blog." I would argue with their guidelines of "cool" but I like the concept of the list and might have to do something similar at some point with musicians that are cool by my definition (don't ask me what that is yet, but I'll come up with something). In the meantime, a few of the musicians on the aforementioned list:
Pete Townsend
Franz Ferdinand
Radiohead
David Byrne
Sleater-Kinney
Sarah Slean
The Barenaked Ladies
Dave Navarro
And now I'm off to Toronto for a week. If anything blog-worthy happens while I'm away, I'll be sure to mention it here when I come back. Ciao.
Pete Townsend
Franz Ferdinand
Radiohead
David Byrne
Sleater-Kinney
Sarah Slean
The Barenaked Ladies
Dave Navarro
And now I'm off to Toronto for a week. If anything blog-worthy happens while I'm away, I'll be sure to mention it here when I come back. Ciao.
Labels: blogging, music, pop culture
9.26.2005
Cellar Door
I'll confess, the title of this post should just be "Cellar" which is the name of the midnight movie I saw on Saturday night, part of the Calgary International Film Festival. But when I started writing the word cellar, I remembered the part in Donnie Darko when the English teacher (Drew Barrymore) says that a famous linguist once described "cellar door" as the most beautiful phrase in the English language (actually, it was Tolkien and he never said that it was the most beautiful... just beautiful). So my fingers just took over and wrote the whole phrase. Now on to the actual point of this post...
As I already mentioned, I went to see "Cellar" this weekend: "Two men awake in a locked cellar. There's canned food, a trickle of water and a gun with a single bullet."
Not a bad premise, not a bad movie (pretty low budget, but nothing wrong with that). There are a couple of plot points that I would definitely want to discuss were I having a chat with writer/director Ben Hickernell, but they didn't really impact on my enjoyment of the movie. I did, however, find it a little predictable and realized that audiences in this day and age are pretty hard to sneak up on. It doesn't take a genius IQ to be a sophisticated viewer; just watch a couple of M. Night Shyamalan movies and you'll get the hang of it. So I had a pretty good idea where we were going with this movie and what we were going to "discover" about the characters. I didn't even mind that, because the film actually did the reveals well, even if they weren't surprises. My major issue was with the last few minutes of the movie.
I tried to figure out why the ending didn't sit well with me. At first, I thought it was because my macabre mind had come up with about three other, much darker endings that I would have found far more thought provoking. But I don't think that was it. Then, in a completely unrelated conversation, I was talking to someone about this old English teacher of mine who insisted on hammering home religious imagery in books that were actually bereft of any intentional religious imagery. It drove me nuts (I dropped his class). But I had an insight, a slightly uncomfortable insight, one that I'm not sure Hickernell intended. But I felt like I saw the ending clearly now: the main character had finally confessed his sins and been absolved. That instant gratification offered by the Catholic church... doesn't matter what you've done, just confess it, ask forgiveness, and you're off the hook. That's what the ending felt like to me.
And now I'm left trying to decide whether I should hope that Hickernell intended that metaphor, in which case my opinion of the movie sinks lower. Or whether I should hope that it's just my brain imposing an interpretation on the film, in which case I have become that English teacher that I hated. Hmm... I'm gonna hope it was intentional and I'm just damned insightful.
As I already mentioned, I went to see "Cellar" this weekend: "Two men awake in a locked cellar. There's canned food, a trickle of water and a gun with a single bullet."
Not a bad premise, not a bad movie (pretty low budget, but nothing wrong with that). There are a couple of plot points that I would definitely want to discuss were I having a chat with writer/director Ben Hickernell, but they didn't really impact on my enjoyment of the movie. I did, however, find it a little predictable and realized that audiences in this day and age are pretty hard to sneak up on. It doesn't take a genius IQ to be a sophisticated viewer; just watch a couple of M. Night Shyamalan movies and you'll get the hang of it. So I had a pretty good idea where we were going with this movie and what we were going to "discover" about the characters. I didn't even mind that, because the film actually did the reveals well, even if they weren't surprises. My major issue was with the last few minutes of the movie.
I tried to figure out why the ending didn't sit well with me. At first, I thought it was because my macabre mind had come up with about three other, much darker endings that I would have found far more thought provoking. But I don't think that was it. Then, in a completely unrelated conversation, I was talking to someone about this old English teacher of mine who insisted on hammering home religious imagery in books that were actually bereft of any intentional religious imagery. It drove me nuts (I dropped his class). But I had an insight, a slightly uncomfortable insight, one that I'm not sure Hickernell intended. But I felt like I saw the ending clearly now: the main character had finally confessed his sins and been absolved. That instant gratification offered by the Catholic church... doesn't matter what you've done, just confess it, ask forgiveness, and you're off the hook. That's what the ending felt like to me.
And now I'm left trying to decide whether I should hope that Hickernell intended that metaphor, in which case my opinion of the movie sinks lower. Or whether I should hope that it's just my brain imposing an interpretation on the film, in which case I have become that English teacher that I hated. Hmm... I'm gonna hope it was intentional and I'm just damned insightful.
Labels: film, pop culture
9.23.2005
Athena Reich
Went to see Athena Reich and Jasmine Whenham at the Ironwood Stage & Grill last night (see my Upcoming Gigs post). They were amazing, as anticipated. Unfortunately the turnout was not as good as I would have expected, given the level of talent. Hopefully, it will be better attended when Athena plays at Karma tonight (who else can deliver cabaret punk pop with an activist edge?).
I'm not sure yet if I'll be able to make it (busy weekend, what with the Calgary Film Festival starting and the Johnny Summers benefit on Sunday). But Athena had some new songs that I really enjoyed, like Bogey Man and White Bandages, and she said she'll be playing some other new ones tonight, so I'm thinkin' about it. In any case, I'll definitely be ordering her new CD as soon as Goldenrod, her new distributor, makes it available on their website.
Labels: music, pop culture
9.21.2005
It Ain't Pretty: Rock Star Wrap Up
My last Rock Star: INXS post. (I may well follow up on my favourite rockers as I find out what they're up to, but that will be about their own careers, not Rock Star: INXS)
For starters, I'm surprised the finale didn't recap any of the reality episode footage of the final three rockers writing songs with Andrew Farriss (watch songwriting video). Both MiG and Marty actually prepared for this opportunity. What did J.D. do? Listen to the track once and jot down about three words. Does this remind anybody else of the recording studio episode, where everyone else actually learned the song they were supposed to sing the next day and J.D. had some beer and passed out early? And INXS actually wants to work with a guy who so obviously doesn't want to do any of the prep work?! Why?!? But I'm getting ahead of myself.
On to the performances: J.D.'s song choice was fine and his performance was fine... I'll give him that much. (And that's a lot given how much I don't like the guy.) I don't think MiG made the right choice with "Bohemian Rhapsody." I think all the reasons that he had for not picking it the first time around still stood. How does reminding INXS about his stage career help show them how he fits with them? (Plus, I think Suzie McNeil's version was much more impressive.) Now for Marty... some people criticized him for choosing "Wish You Were Here," a song that he'd already done. But it was a fabulous song the first time around and really seemed to strike a chord with the band, both in its subject matter and the tone of Marty's voice when he sang it. I think it was a good choice. (Watch the videos.)
Then MiG was cut and J.D. and Marty fronted INXS for one song each (I had a feeling it would come down to the two of them). I think Marty rocked his song and made it feel fresh and new. Once again, J.D. was fine... and very firmly inside the INXS comfort zone.
And I think that's what it all came down to. A comfort zone. Which, I would like to point out, is not the same thing as a good fit. A comfortable fit does not set the world on fire. And nor will INXS with J.D. Fortune fronting them.
Marty Casey and INXS would have been a good fit, a symbiotic relationship, each bringing out the best in the other. But I think Marty was too ambitious for INXS, had too many ideas about the future that I now see were outside their comfort zone. INXS just wants Michael Hutchence back, which they obviously can't have. So they went with the person that they considered to be the next best thing: a controversial, "sexy" bad boy with a tendency to impulsively indulge in everything in excess. (Who even looks just a bit like Hutchence, dontcha think...)
I'll wrap this up by quoting from llamabean: "The only way their decision could be rationalized would be that INXS was afraid to select Marty because he would have taken the group in new, daring and ultimately groundbreaking directions, while J.D.'s former life as a musical whore (ie. elvis impersonator) makes him a perfect pushover; willing to submit to the elderly and obviously senile INXS leftovers."
Here, here!
And finally, my previous Rock Star posts for anyone who's interested:
INXS Mis-Fortune (9.20.2005)
Sweet Suzie McNeil (9.15.2005)
Two Words (9.14.2005)
I Searched Afar The Land (9.07.2005)
Top 5 (9.06.2005)
Rock Star Ramblings (9.05.2005)
Such Sweet Sorrow (8.31.2005)
Suzie McNeil is a Goddess (8.31.2005)
Colour Me Stunned (8.25.2005)
Just a Bad Dream? (8.24.2005)
Top Three Good, Bottom Three Baaad!! (8.18.2005)
MiG Joins the Game (8.17.2005)
Rock Star Volleyball (8.10.2005)
The Man Who Sold the World (8.07.2005)
Just Jordis (8.05.2005)
Ty TV (7.26.2005)
For starters, I'm surprised the finale didn't recap any of the reality episode footage of the final three rockers writing songs with Andrew Farriss (watch songwriting video). Both MiG and Marty actually prepared for this opportunity. What did J.D. do? Listen to the track once and jot down about three words. Does this remind anybody else of the recording studio episode, where everyone else actually learned the song they were supposed to sing the next day and J.D. had some beer and passed out early? And INXS actually wants to work with a guy who so obviously doesn't want to do any of the prep work?! Why?!? But I'm getting ahead of myself.
On to the performances: J.D.'s song choice was fine and his performance was fine... I'll give him that much. (And that's a lot given how much I don't like the guy.) I don't think MiG made the right choice with "Bohemian Rhapsody." I think all the reasons that he had for not picking it the first time around still stood. How does reminding INXS about his stage career help show them how he fits with them? (Plus, I think Suzie McNeil's version was much more impressive.) Now for Marty... some people criticized him for choosing "Wish You Were Here," a song that he'd already done. But it was a fabulous song the first time around and really seemed to strike a chord with the band, both in its subject matter and the tone of Marty's voice when he sang it. I think it was a good choice. (Watch the videos.)
Then MiG was cut and J.D. and Marty fronted INXS for one song each (I had a feeling it would come down to the two of them). I think Marty rocked his song and made it feel fresh and new. Once again, J.D. was fine... and very firmly inside the INXS comfort zone.
And I think that's what it all came down to. A comfort zone. Which, I would like to point out, is not the same thing as a good fit. A comfortable fit does not set the world on fire. And nor will INXS with J.D. Fortune fronting them.
Marty Casey and INXS would have been a good fit, a symbiotic relationship, each bringing out the best in the other. But I think Marty was too ambitious for INXS, had too many ideas about the future that I now see were outside their comfort zone. INXS just wants Michael Hutchence back, which they obviously can't have. So they went with the person that they considered to be the next best thing: a controversial, "sexy" bad boy with a tendency to impulsively indulge in everything in excess. (Who even looks just a bit like Hutchence, dontcha think...)
I'll wrap this up by quoting from llamabean: "The only way their decision could be rationalized would be that INXS was afraid to select Marty because he would have taken the group in new, daring and ultimately groundbreaking directions, while J.D.'s former life as a musical whore (ie. elvis impersonator) makes him a perfect pushover; willing to submit to the elderly and obviously senile INXS leftovers."
Here, here!
And finally, my previous Rock Star posts for anyone who's interested:
INXS Mis-Fortune (9.20.2005)
Sweet Suzie McNeil (9.15.2005)
Two Words (9.14.2005)
I Searched Afar The Land (9.07.2005)
Top 5 (9.06.2005)
Rock Star Ramblings (9.05.2005)
Such Sweet Sorrow (8.31.2005)
Suzie McNeil is a Goddess (8.31.2005)
Colour Me Stunned (8.25.2005)
Just a Bad Dream? (8.24.2005)
Top Three Good, Bottom Three Baaad!! (8.18.2005)
MiG Joins the Game (8.17.2005)
Rock Star Volleyball (8.10.2005)
The Man Who Sold the World (8.07.2005)
Just Jordis (8.05.2005)
Ty TV (7.26.2005)
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
9.20.2005
INXS Mis-Fortune
Well, J.D. Fortune just became the new lead singer of INXS. Pretty much guaranteeing that I won't be buying any future INXS albums. I'll save my money for Marty Casey CDs instead, thank you very much.
I'll be posting my Rock Star: INXS post-show commentary later. Not much in the mood now.
I'll be posting my Rock Star: INXS post-show commentary later. Not much in the mood now.
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
9.18.2005
Upcoming Gigs
A couple of notable music gigs coming up in Calgary:
Thursday, September 22
Athena Reich & Jasmine Whenham
Ironwood Stage & Grill
Athena is the very cool musician from New York that I talked about at length in my post: Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition, where I described her as a cross between Ani DiFranco, Kate Bush and Liza Minelli. Jasmine is the local singer/songwriter that I've talked about many times on this blog, most recently as the winner of the Calgary Folk Festival's Best Song by a Newcomer songwriting contest this summer (Music, Music, Music).
Sunday, September 25
Johnny Summers
New Orleans Benefit Concert at Centre Street Church
I've also mentioned Johnny on this blog once or twice (Jazz Epiphany). He's a local jazz musician that I like to compare to Chet Baker. Because of the overwhelming disaster in the Gulf area, Johnny and a group of his musical friends are donating their time to raise money for Samaritan's Purse. Johnny has asked that if you only come to one event this year, to make it this one. The concert will be from 2:00 - 4:00 pm on Sunday Sept 25th, and will consist of New Orleans Traditional jazz music, otherwise known as dixieland jazz. Admission by donation, minimum $10. Centre Street Church main campus, 3900 2nd St NE.
Thursday, September 22
Athena Reich & Jasmine Whenham
Ironwood Stage & Grill
Athena is the very cool musician from New York that I talked about at length in my post: Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition, where I described her as a cross between Ani DiFranco, Kate Bush and Liza Minelli. Jasmine is the local singer/songwriter that I've talked about many times on this blog, most recently as the winner of the Calgary Folk Festival's Best Song by a Newcomer songwriting contest this summer (Music, Music, Music).
Sunday, September 25
Johnny Summers
New Orleans Benefit Concert at Centre Street Church
I've also mentioned Johnny on this blog once or twice (Jazz Epiphany). He's a local jazz musician that I like to compare to Chet Baker. Because of the overwhelming disaster in the Gulf area, Johnny and a group of his musical friends are donating their time to raise money for Samaritan's Purse. Johnny has asked that if you only come to one event this year, to make it this one. The concert will be from 2:00 - 4:00 pm on Sunday Sept 25th, and will consist of New Orleans Traditional jazz music, otherwise known as dixieland jazz. Admission by donation, minimum $10. Centre Street Church main campus, 3900 2nd St NE.
Labels: music, pop culture
9.15.2005
Sweet Suzie McNeil
I had pretty much given up my hopes that J.D. would be sent home before the Rock Star: INXS finale, but I was still upset to see Suzie go home last night. The most upset I've been so far. But she was very gracious, which was nice to see... not that I would have expected anything less from her. While I think she will have an awesome career, whatever path she chooses, I kind of hope that she fronts a band rather than goes solo. She just has such an amazing rapport with people, the way she interacts with everybody while she's performing... not that she can't do that solo but, call me crazy, I think she'd have more fun with a band.
Now for the final three... INXS may think they have a hard choice in front of them but, with Suzie gone, I think it's a no-brainer.
While MiG can certainly sing and perform and fit in with the band, I think that (a) he really is a stage performer at heart, not a rock star (having said that, I would LOVE to see him on stage) and (b) I think he's too firmly in INXS' comfort zone and wouldn't push them into the future of the music industry. People would just want to hear their back catalogue and not really care what they're doing next.
And J.D... oh J.D. *exasperated sigh*. As my erudite, laconic, guitar-playing lothario friend Brian said: "J.D. was that obnoxious, clueless loser kid in school who is 'cool' now that he's on TV, but doesn't realize that he's still an idiot." Obviously, he has a huge fan base of silly women who want to sleep with him (and pick up their penicillin on their way out the door), but if INXS wants a serious place in the future of music they won't get that with him. (Does anyone else think that when J.D. sings in his lower register, he still sounds like an Elvis impersonator?)
Marty Casey... now he's the real deal. He's passionate and intense, his voice is captivating and unique and he can bring something fresh to the INXS back catalogue as well as propel them into this new millennium. He's definitely the future of INXS. I just hope they realize it.
Now for the final three... INXS may think they have a hard choice in front of them but, with Suzie gone, I think it's a no-brainer.
While MiG can certainly sing and perform and fit in with the band, I think that (a) he really is a stage performer at heart, not a rock star (having said that, I would LOVE to see him on stage) and (b) I think he's too firmly in INXS' comfort zone and wouldn't push them into the future of the music industry. People would just want to hear their back catalogue and not really care what they're doing next.
And J.D... oh J.D. *exasperated sigh*. As my erudite, laconic, guitar-playing lothario friend Brian said: "J.D. was that obnoxious, clueless loser kid in school who is 'cool' now that he's on TV, but doesn't realize that he's still an idiot." Obviously, he has a huge fan base of silly women who want to sleep with him (and pick up their penicillin on their way out the door), but if INXS wants a serious place in the future of music they won't get that with him. (Does anyone else think that when J.D. sings in his lower register, he still sounds like an Elvis impersonator?)
Marty Casey... now he's the real deal. He's passionate and intense, his voice is captivating and unique and he can bring something fresh to the INXS back catalogue as well as propel them into this new millennium. He's definitely the future of INXS. I just hope they realize it.
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
9.14.2005
Two Words
For once, I will be brief. I have just two words about tonight's episode of Rock Star: INXS...
Marty Casey
(Hey Brian... when you're right, you're right.)
Marty Casey
(Hey Brian... when you're right, you're right.)
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
9.07.2005
I Searched Afar The Land
Tonight was bittersweet on Rock Star: INXS. As soon as they announced that J.D. Fortune had the encore, I knew he wouldn't be going home. Actually, I guess I knew after his performances last night that he probably wouldn't be going home. And then, by simple elimination, I knew it would be Jordis Unga.
If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that I struggled with my shifting top three and that Jordis was no longer in it. (To be clear, I speak only of my top three to win this competition. Not my three favourite singers on the show... because Jordis is still firmly in that category.) So I had made my peace with the fact that she wouldn't stay forever. (As if I'm the one who actually needs to make peace with that.) I had kinda hoped that J.D. would go home before her, just out of sheer cussedness, I guess. But I also knew that the sooner she left, the sooner her solo career could start.
Now she can go back to being true to herself. I'm looking forward to that. And to her debut CD. (I don't suppose you can pre-order a CD that hasn't even been written yet... No? Oh well, worth a shot.) I have searched afar the land for a voice like hers and I will follow it to the ends of the earth if that's what it takes. (Though my local record store would be a little more convenient, if rather less poetic.)
P.S. If you're looking for Jordis downloads, head over to JordisUnga.org and check out the music download page.
If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that I struggled with my shifting top three and that Jordis was no longer in it. (To be clear, I speak only of my top three to win this competition. Not my three favourite singers on the show... because Jordis is still firmly in that category.) So I had made my peace with the fact that she wouldn't stay forever. (As if I'm the one who actually needs to make peace with that.) I had kinda hoped that J.D. would go home before her, just out of sheer cussedness, I guess. But I also knew that the sooner she left, the sooner her solo career could start.
Now she can go back to being true to herself. I'm looking forward to that. And to her debut CD. (I don't suppose you can pre-order a CD that hasn't even been written yet... No? Oh well, worth a shot.) I have searched afar the land for a voice like hers and I will follow it to the ends of the earth if that's what it takes. (Though my local record store would be a little more convenient, if rather less poetic.)
P.S. If you're looking for Jordis downloads, head over to JordisUnga.org and check out the music download page.
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
9.06.2005
Top 5
My comments on the top 5 performance episode of Rock Star: INXS...
Original songs: Marty's was easily my favourite original. Next up would be Jordis, with Suzie following very closely behind. After that... um... er... I'm rather reluctant to admit that I liked J.D.'s song better than MiG's. (I would have liked J.D.'s song even better if someone else had sung it!) But I just felt that MiG's songwriting seemed a little simplistic.
My top three tonight (though not my top three overall):
1. Marty Casey — He made a wise choice with his arrangement of "Everlong" and his original song rocked!
2. Suzie McNeil — She showed off her beautiful vocals on the Bonnie Raitt song (with far more control than Deanna had) and I enjoyed her original song.
3. Jordis Unga — I found her version of "We Are The Champions" left quite a bit wanting. I think part of it is that while her voice is beautiful when she sings softly and she does the shouting-with-tone thing better than anyone else I can think of, she doesn't have the power to deliver a Queen song the way it needs to be delivered (and I agree with Dave that her lower register needs work). But I really enjoyed her original song. (And I found it interesting how much the lyrics reminded me of what I wrote about Jordis just yesterday.)
Encore prediction: Marty's original song "Trees" (watch video)
Random thoughts:
~ Why was Brooke Burke wearing a nightie? (granted, there may be a little "meow" in that comment, but really... her dress — and I use that term loosely — was pretty awful)
~ How short is MiG Ayesa anyway? (okay, I looked that one up: he's actually 5'10"... I guess Marty and J.D. are both taller than I thought, because MiG looks so short next to them)
~ I realize that many women think J.D. is the sexiest man on the show **shudder** but I hope that INXS can see that he's simply the flavour of the week. And once that wears off, they would just be left with a guy who arranges other people's songs well. (P.S. I hope those women just think he's the sexiest performer on the show, because Dave Navarro is by far the sexiest man on the show overall!)(P.P.S. I dropped in on a Rock Star thread over at Television Without Pity and found that somebody had said: "JD is the only rocker who can bring the sex," to which someone else replied: "But you end up hoping he brought the penicillin, too." Hehehe.)
Original songs: Marty's was easily my favourite original. Next up would be Jordis, with Suzie following very closely behind. After that... um... er... I'm rather reluctant to admit that I liked J.D.'s song better than MiG's. (I would have liked J.D.'s song even better if someone else had sung it!) But I just felt that MiG's songwriting seemed a little simplistic.
My top three tonight (though not my top three overall):
1. Marty Casey — He made a wise choice with his arrangement of "Everlong" and his original song rocked!
2. Suzie McNeil — She showed off her beautiful vocals on the Bonnie Raitt song (with far more control than Deanna had) and I enjoyed her original song.
3. Jordis Unga — I found her version of "We Are The Champions" left quite a bit wanting. I think part of it is that while her voice is beautiful when she sings softly and she does the shouting-with-tone thing better than anyone else I can think of, she doesn't have the power to deliver a Queen song the way it needs to be delivered (and I agree with Dave that her lower register needs work). But I really enjoyed her original song. (And I found it interesting how much the lyrics reminded me of what I wrote about Jordis just yesterday.)
Encore prediction: Marty's original song "Trees" (watch video)
Random thoughts:
~ Why was Brooke Burke wearing a nightie? (granted, there may be a little "meow" in that comment, but really... her dress — and I use that term loosely — was pretty awful)
~ How short is MiG Ayesa anyway? (okay, I looked that one up: he's actually 5'10"... I guess Marty and J.D. are both taller than I thought, because MiG looks so short next to them)
~ I realize that many women think J.D. is the sexiest man on the show **shudder** but I hope that INXS can see that he's simply the flavour of the week. And once that wears off, they would just be left with a guy who arranges other people's songs well. (P.S. I hope those women just think he's the sexiest performer on the show, because Dave Navarro is by far the sexiest man on the show overall!)(P.P.S. I dropped in on a Rock Star thread over at Television Without Pity and found that somebody had said: "JD is the only rocker who can bring the sex," to which someone else replied: "But you end up hoping he brought the penicillin, too." Hehehe.)
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
Broken Hallelujahs
I recently added an addendum to my Hallelujah post (probably the single most popular post on my blog) and I decided that perhaps the addendum deserved a post of its own:
A lot of people are searching for the meaning of Leonard Cohen's song "Hallelujah." (If I were feeling philosophical, I might argue that one might as well search for the meaning of life... which I do, so what's my point? Moving right along...)
I would start with Cohen's own words on the subject:
For more of Cohen's own comments on the song, check out Diamonds in the Lines: Leonard Cohen in his own live words.
There is also some interpretation of the song's religious imagery on Songfacts:
[It was hard to miss the Delilah reference, but my lack of biblical knowledge prevents me from commenting on the other references there.]
And some articles about the song on Speaking Cohen: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen and His Words. And a whole discussion about it on the radio hidebound forum.
My interpretation? I would have to borrow and paraphrase some of Cohen's own words for that...
To me the song is a fundamental truth, affirming that all the broken hallelujahs (the loves gone bitterly wrong) have value, too.
A lot of people are searching for the meaning of Leonard Cohen's song "Hallelujah." (If I were feeling philosophical, I might argue that one might as well search for the meaning of life... which I do, so what's my point? Moving right along...)
I would start with Cohen's own words on the subject:
Hallelujah is a Hebrew word which means "Glory to the Lord." The song explains that many kinds of Hallelujahs do exist. I say: "All the perfect and broken Hallelujahs have an equal value." It's, as I say, a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal religious way but with enthusiasm, with emotion. (from a magazine interview in "Guitare et Claviers," 1985)
For more of Cohen's own comments on the song, check out Diamonds in the Lines: Leonard Cohen in his own live words.
There is also some interpretation of the song's religious imagery on Songfacts:
Cohen used a lot of religious imagery, including references to some of the more notorious women in the bible. Here's some lyrical analysis:
"You saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you." — Bathsheba, who tempted the king to kill her husband so he could have her.
"She tied you to her kitchen chair, she broke your throne and she cut your hair" — Delilah, who cut off Sampson's locks that held his superhuman strength.
"But remember when I moved in you and the holy dove was moving too" — This could be a reference to the divine conception and Mary.
[It was hard to miss the Delilah reference, but my lack of biblical knowledge prevents me from commenting on the other references there.]
And some articles about the song on Speaking Cohen: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen and His Words. And a whole discussion about it on the radio hidebound forum.
My interpretation? I would have to borrow and paraphrase some of Cohen's own words for that...
To me the song is a fundamental truth, affirming that all the broken hallelujahs (the loves gone bitterly wrong) have value, too.
Labels: music, pop culture
9.05.2005
Rock Star Ramblings
I was trying to limit my Rock Star: INXS posts to the two per week that I've been doing but, after watching tonight's reality episode, I found I had a few things to say.
First off, the recap of last week reminded me of J.D. crashing and burning in the recording studio. Did INXS even take that into account when they chose to send home Ty Taylor instead? Or were they only thinking about the ratings when they chose to keep the less talented but more controversial J.D. Fortune?
Secondly, I have decided who Suzie is replacing in my top three (with the disclaimer that it could well change again tomorrow night). My new top three is Suzie McNeil, Marty Casey and MiG Ayesa. I still LOVE Jordis Unga but her lack of experience is becoming evident in all of the stuff that goes along with being a rock star. Like choosing to go for that nearly impossible note in "Dream On" but then going ahead and changing the melody of the new INXS song. Or her inability to bounce back after disappointment (which is why I think her performance in the bottom three was so underwhelming). Or her lack of communication skills and confidence when trying to arrange her original song with the house band. (I want to hear what the real Jordis sounds like, not what somebody thinks she should sound like. As talented as the house band is, they can't get inside her head and translate her thoughts into sound.) So I'm thinking that maybe she needs to grow some more on her own before being thrust into the international spotlight as lead singer for such an established band. I'm afraid that she might lose some of herself in the process.
By contrast, I think that INXS pushes Marty to be more than just a metal guy, which I fear he might lapse into if he doesn't make it here. Not that I don't like Angry Marty, but he has so much more to offer than that. So for him, I think that INXS would help him be the best Marty that he can be (ick, that sentence sounded really touchy-feely, self-help-book-ish to me... do me a favour and strip away that sickly sentiment when you read it).
Finally, I've had a few people looking for information on the house band. And given how much I've been raving about them, I was a little curious myself. So here's the link to the information posted on the Rock Star website: The House Band. And here are a few more links that I found:
Paul Mirkovich, House Band Musical Director/Keyboardist/Background Vocalist — no website, but you can read his interviews on Native Instruments & TASCAM
Jim McGorman, Guitarist/Keyboardist/Background Vocalist — also no website, but you can read his interview on Rock Star Go Home
Rafael Moreira, Lead Guitarist/Background Vocalist — visit Rafael's website
Nate Morton, Drummer — you gotta love a guy who cites Animal from The Muppets as his primary influence... visit Nate's website (P.S. If you go to "central casting" on the Muppets website, Animal's bio includes his "must" list: "Food, Women, Drums, rinse and repeat," which I thought it was chuckle worthy.)
Sasha Krivtsov, Bassist — visit Sasha's website
First off, the recap of last week reminded me of J.D. crashing and burning in the recording studio. Did INXS even take that into account when they chose to send home Ty Taylor instead? Or were they only thinking about the ratings when they chose to keep the less talented but more controversial J.D. Fortune?
Secondly, I have decided who Suzie is replacing in my top three (with the disclaimer that it could well change again tomorrow night). My new top three is Suzie McNeil, Marty Casey and MiG Ayesa. I still LOVE Jordis Unga but her lack of experience is becoming evident in all of the stuff that goes along with being a rock star. Like choosing to go for that nearly impossible note in "Dream On" but then going ahead and changing the melody of the new INXS song. Or her inability to bounce back after disappointment (which is why I think her performance in the bottom three was so underwhelming). Or her lack of communication skills and confidence when trying to arrange her original song with the house band. (I want to hear what the real Jordis sounds like, not what somebody thinks she should sound like. As talented as the house band is, they can't get inside her head and translate her thoughts into sound.) So I'm thinking that maybe she needs to grow some more on her own before being thrust into the international spotlight as lead singer for such an established band. I'm afraid that she might lose some of herself in the process.
By contrast, I think that INXS pushes Marty to be more than just a metal guy, which I fear he might lapse into if he doesn't make it here. Not that I don't like Angry Marty, but he has so much more to offer than that. So for him, I think that INXS would help him be the best Marty that he can be (ick, that sentence sounded really touchy-feely, self-help-book-ish to me... do me a favour and strip away that sickly sentiment when you read it).
Finally, I've had a few people looking for information on the house band. And given how much I've been raving about them, I was a little curious myself. So here's the link to the information posted on the Rock Star website: The House Band. And here are a few more links that I found:
Paul Mirkovich, House Band Musical Director/Keyboardist/Background Vocalist — no website, but you can read his interviews on Native Instruments & TASCAM
Jim McGorman, Guitarist/Keyboardist/Background Vocalist — also no website, but you can read his interview on Rock Star Go Home
Rafael Moreira, Lead Guitarist/Background Vocalist — visit Rafael's website
Nate Morton, Drummer — you gotta love a guy who cites Animal from The Muppets as his primary influence... visit Nate's website (P.S. If you go to "central casting" on the Muppets website, Animal's bio includes his "must" list: "Food, Women, Drums, rinse and repeat," which I thought it was chuckle worthy.)
Sasha Krivtsov, Bassist — visit Sasha's website
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
8.31.2005
Such Sweet Sorrow
I was so sure, after J.D. sang his INXS song tonight, that he would be the one to go home. But then both Jordis and Ty messed up and nothing was certain anymore.
I knew that Ty Taylor would be going home soon, I just didn't want him to be next. I hope some smart record producer was standing in the wings to offer him a sweet deal. And I know that we'll all be hearing from him again soon. In the meantime, I'm listening to "Everybody Hurts" and letting myself get a little sentimental.
Peace Please
I knew that Ty Taylor would be going home soon, I just didn't want him to be next. I hope some smart record producer was standing in the wings to offer him a sweet deal. And I know that we'll all be hearing from him again soon. In the meantime, I'm listening to "Everybody Hurts" and letting myself get a little sentimental.
Peace Please
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
Suzie McNeil is a Goddess
So much to say about tonight's episode of Rock Star: INXS...
1. Holy amazing song list, Batman! Not only was it a line-up of iconic rock songs, but it included "Imagine" — one of my all time favourite songs — along with "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Wish You Were Here" — two other sensational classics that I count among my faves.
2. The house band ROCKS!!!
3. After MiG performed "We Will Rock You" a few weeks back, I fleetingly wondered if they would do "Bohemian Rhapsody" at some point, but promptly dismissed that possibility because the song is so damn hard. Well, it IS bloody hard but that rockin' house band and the exceptionally talented Suzie McNeil (the aforementioned goddess) pulled it off beautifully (watch video).
4. Once again, my top three is in flux. It's not that I ever disliked Suzie, and I thought that her version of "Losing My Religion" was kick ass, but she was never in my top three before. Until tonight. But who am I displacing? Jordis Unga, MiG Ayesa or Marty Casey? That's a tough call. Do I count the fact that I will absolutely follow the individual careers of Jordis and/or Marty if they don't win? Or do I consider the fact that MiG is probably better suited to INXS than either of them? I haven't quite decided yet, but Suzie is displacing somebody.
5. I got misty during Marty's performance of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" (watch video); there were actual tears during Jordis' version of John Lennon's "Imagine" (watch video); I was dancing around my living room while MiG sang Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die" (watch video); and I was bursting with pride or joy or something during Suzie's rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (watch video). Amazing night. (For the record, Ty's performance of the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" was flawless and immensely enjoyable, but it just failed to move me the way the others did. Sorry, Ty.)
6. Will Suzie get the encore two weeks in a row?
P.S. I almost entitled this post "Zack Werner has Rock Star Envy" but decided it wasn't sufficiently relevant. It was, however, a thought that I had when I watched Canadian Idol earlier in the evening and witnessed Zack's surly mood towards all of the young amateurs on that show. I think he wishes he was judging the Rock Stars instead.
1. Holy amazing song list, Batman! Not only was it a line-up of iconic rock songs, but it included "Imagine" — one of my all time favourite songs — along with "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Wish You Were Here" — two other sensational classics that I count among my faves.
2. The house band ROCKS!!!
3. After MiG performed "We Will Rock You" a few weeks back, I fleetingly wondered if they would do "Bohemian Rhapsody" at some point, but promptly dismissed that possibility because the song is so damn hard. Well, it IS bloody hard but that rockin' house band and the exceptionally talented Suzie McNeil (the aforementioned goddess) pulled it off beautifully (watch video).
4. Once again, my top three is in flux. It's not that I ever disliked Suzie, and I thought that her version of "Losing My Religion" was kick ass, but she was never in my top three before. Until tonight. But who am I displacing? Jordis Unga, MiG Ayesa or Marty Casey? That's a tough call. Do I count the fact that I will absolutely follow the individual careers of Jordis and/or Marty if they don't win? Or do I consider the fact that MiG is probably better suited to INXS than either of them? I haven't quite decided yet, but Suzie is displacing somebody.
5. I got misty during Marty's performance of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" (watch video); there were actual tears during Jordis' version of John Lennon's "Imagine" (watch video); I was dancing around my living room while MiG sang Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die" (watch video); and I was bursting with pride or joy or something during Suzie's rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (watch video). Amazing night. (For the record, Ty's performance of the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" was flawless and immensely enjoyable, but it just failed to move me the way the others did. Sorry, Ty.)
6. Will Suzie get the encore two weeks in a row?
P.S. I almost entitled this post "Zack Werner has Rock Star Envy" but decided it wasn't sufficiently relevant. It was, however, a thought that I had when I watched Canadian Idol earlier in the evening and witnessed Zack's surly mood towards all of the young amateurs on that show. I think he wishes he was judging the Rock Stars instead.
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
8.30.2005
Jump the Shark
I was over at I Am Bored.com and followed the link to the To Coin a Phrase - Mythbusters Quiz (fyi... apparently, a mythbuster I am not). One of the questions on the quiz was: The phrase "jump the shark," which describes the point at which the quality of a television series begins to decline, was inspired by an episode of Happy Days. True or False? The answer (to one of the few questions I got right):
Naturally, I had to check out the Jump the Shark website. I thought it was kinda cool to compare my reasons for ditching a show with others. First stop, The West Wing. My opinion: the jump the shark moment was when Aaron Sorkin left. Survey says:
Yep, feeling pretty validated on that one. Checked out a few more shows but was moved to write this post after checking out CSI: Miami. I'm a big fan of the original CSI but never warmed up to the first spin-off. Why? Because David Caruso takes himself waaay too seriously. So it was a laugh-out-loud moment when I read the survey results:
Perfect!!!
The correct answer is true. In 1977, ABC aired an episode of Happy Days in which the character Fonzie jumped over a shark in a tank on water skis in an attempt to boost the show's ratings. While the show continued for several more seasons, it just wasn't the same.
The phrase "jumped the shark" was coined in the mid-1980s to describe the deterioration of a TV series after a pivotal episode or plot twist, and, in 1997, the www.jumptheshark.com Web site was launched to document this phenomenon. The phrase is widely used today, particularly within the television industry.
Some examples of how a TV show can "jump the shark" include having any of the main characters die, get married, have a baby or leave the show; introducing a new character or a special guest star; replacing an actor; changing the show's setting; or failing to adequately resolve a season-finale cliffhanger.
Naturally, I had to check out the Jump the Shark website. I thought it was kinda cool to compare my reasons for ditching a show with others. First stop, The West Wing. My opinion: the jump the shark moment was when Aaron Sorkin left. Survey says:
1. 198 votes (26%) for "Never Jumped";
2. 86 votes (11%) for "Exit...Stage Left (Sorkin and Schlamme)"...
Yep, feeling pretty validated on that one. Checked out a few more shows but was moved to write this post after checking out CSI: Miami. I'm a big fan of the original CSI but never warmed up to the first spin-off. Why? Because David Caruso takes himself waaay too seriously. So it was a laugh-out-loud moment when I read the survey results:
1. 46 votes (23 %) for "Caruso thinks he's Brando"...
Perfect!!!
Labels: pop culture, quizzes, tv
8.29.2005
Party & Prejudice
My weekend update in two parts:
1. Party — Saw in FFWD that the Butchers were playing at Morgan's this weekend (formerly the New Butchers, formerly the Lonely Butchers, guitarist and leader singer both formerly of Zuckerbaby), so I ditched my curling-up-with-a-movie plan on Friday night and went dancing instead. I haven't been to see this band in ages... I wish they had a website so that I could actually plan to see them ahead of time and have a dance partner and everything. Though I fared quite well on my own. Especially because the bass player recognized me and I chatted with him quite a lot between sets. I was only planning to stay for one set, but ended up staying to the bitter end and dancing to every song. And, boy, am I out of shape... every muscle was complaining when I woke up the next morning. Still well worth it, though.
2. Prejudice — Watched Bride & Prejudice yesterday (the movie I ditched on Friday night). A very faithful adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, if you can imagine the story transported from Regency England to modern day India. Jane Austen meets Bollywood... who'da thought that would work? Well, Gurinder Chadha, I guess. And she was right. One thing that worked exceptionally well: the social commentary — so apparent in Jane Austen's writing, but missed in so many movie adaptations of her work — was very prevalent in this film. I don't know if it was intentional or simply a happy by-product of the clash of cultures in the movie, but it worked. My only disappointment: the resolution of the Wickham storyline. In the original, one of my favourite parts is when Elizabeth discovers Darcy's selfless act of saving the day without wanting the credit. It kind of starts a warm glow that continues to grow until the happy ending. Unfortunately (probably due largely to time constraints), this adaptation has Lalitha (Elizabeth) accompany Darcy to save the day. More modern, perhaps, and certainly easier to condense, but less romantically satisfying. If you're not bothered by that particular flaw, however, I would definitely recommend the movie.
1. Party — Saw in FFWD that the Butchers were playing at Morgan's this weekend (formerly the New Butchers, formerly the Lonely Butchers, guitarist and leader singer both formerly of Zuckerbaby), so I ditched my curling-up-with-a-movie plan on Friday night and went dancing instead. I haven't been to see this band in ages... I wish they had a website so that I could actually plan to see them ahead of time and have a dance partner and everything. Though I fared quite well on my own. Especially because the bass player recognized me and I chatted with him quite a lot between sets. I was only planning to stay for one set, but ended up staying to the bitter end and dancing to every song. And, boy, am I out of shape... every muscle was complaining when I woke up the next morning. Still well worth it, though.
2. Prejudice — Watched Bride & Prejudice yesterday (the movie I ditched on Friday night). A very faithful adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, if you can imagine the story transported from Regency England to modern day India. Jane Austen meets Bollywood... who'da thought that would work? Well, Gurinder Chadha, I guess. And she was right. One thing that worked exceptionally well: the social commentary — so apparent in Jane Austen's writing, but missed in so many movie adaptations of her work — was very prevalent in this film. I don't know if it was intentional or simply a happy by-product of the clash of cultures in the movie, but it worked. My only disappointment: the resolution of the Wickham storyline. In the original, one of my favourite parts is when Elizabeth discovers Darcy's selfless act of saving the day without wanting the credit. It kind of starts a warm glow that continues to grow until the happy ending. Unfortunately (probably due largely to time constraints), this adaptation has Lalitha (Elizabeth) accompany Darcy to save the day. More modern, perhaps, and certainly easier to condense, but less romantically satisfying. If you're not bothered by that particular flaw, however, I would definitely recommend the movie.
Labels: film, pop culture
8.25.2005
Colour Me Stunned
Surprising results on the elimination show of Rock Star: INXS tonight. Jordis did NOT end up in the bottom three. Don't get me wrong, I think the chick is absolutely awesome but hers was easily the worst performance last night. (To her credit, she fully expected to be singing for survival tonight.) And Marty?!? What was he doing in the bottom three?! That's just wrong in so many ways. But I am glad for Suzie that she never hit the bottom three at all during the voting AND she got the encore. After ending up in the bottom three after her last two rockin' performances, she deserves a break.
As for Deanna, I had been expecting that she would be the next to go home. But I actually liked her original song last night and thought she performed it well. And, much as it pains me to say it, I thought she sang her INXS song better than Ty, so I kinda thought that Ty would be going home instead. Ultimately, I don't think Ty is going to end up as the lead singer, but I'm not quite ready for him to go home yet (he's just so damn pretty). But I confess to some dampness around the eyes when Deanna was told that she "just wasn't right for the band."
I have a feeling these upcoming weeks are just gonna get harder and harder, watching them leave one by one. I've grown attached to all of them at this point. (Well, all but one of them... but who knows, I might even get sentimental when it's J.D.'s turn to leave.)
As for Deanna, I had been expecting that she would be the next to go home. But I actually liked her original song last night and thought she performed it well. And, much as it pains me to say it, I thought she sang her INXS song better than Ty, so I kinda thought that Ty would be going home instead. Ultimately, I don't think Ty is going to end up as the lead singer, but I'm not quite ready for him to go home yet (he's just so damn pretty). But I confess to some dampness around the eyes when Deanna was told that she "just wasn't right for the band."
I have a feeling these upcoming weeks are just gonna get harder and harder, watching them leave one by one. I've grown attached to all of them at this point. (Well, all but one of them... but who knows, I might even get sentimental when it's J.D.'s turn to leave.)
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
8.24.2005
Just a Bad Dream?
What to say about tonight's episode of Rock Star: INXS? A lot of great performances, except for the one I was most looking forward to... Jordis Unga singing Aerosmith's "Dream On" (watch video). I was fully prepared for her to rock that song even better than Fisher (if you haven't heard Fisher's version, listen now... it's amazing). Unfortunately, Jordis was so focused on that one note she couldn't hit, her performance was kind of a mess. I still love her to death, and she's still one of my top three, but I confess I was disappointed.
On the up side, I thought MiG and Deanna did well with their original songs. I realized I was actually kinda nervous for them. I found myself thinking about the first time I went to hear my friend Brian's band (that would be my erudite, laconic, guitar-playing lothario friend Brian). I was so nervous that his band, Burning the Ground, would suck and that I would have to spout meaningless platitudes afterwards to cover up the fact that I thought they sucked. Fortunately, they turned out to be really good and I was so relieved that I think I gushed a little too much, probably making it completely transparent that I had previously expected them to be awful. But I digress...
I think all of the competitors remaining on Rock Star: INXS are pretty damn good. So now it's not so much about sending home the weakest link (though I could do without J.D.'s attitude) as deciding who is best for the band. Any chance of having a show of all INXS songs? That might be helpful right about now.
P.S. My psychic ability seems to have deserted me... I have no idea who will get the encore.
P.P.S. I love RDTV! This little local television station for Red Deer, Alberta is carrying the reality episode of the show on Monday nights. RDTV rocks!
On the up side, I thought MiG and Deanna did well with their original songs. I realized I was actually kinda nervous for them. I found myself thinking about the first time I went to hear my friend Brian's band (that would be my erudite, laconic, guitar-playing lothario friend Brian). I was so nervous that his band, Burning the Ground, would suck and that I would have to spout meaningless platitudes afterwards to cover up the fact that I thought they sucked. Fortunately, they turned out to be really good and I was so relieved that I think I gushed a little too much, probably making it completely transparent that I had previously expected them to be awful. But I digress...
I think all of the competitors remaining on Rock Star: INXS are pretty damn good. So now it's not so much about sending home the weakest link (though I could do without J.D.'s attitude) as deciding who is best for the band. Any chance of having a show of all INXS songs? That might be helpful right about now.
P.S. My psychic ability seems to have deserted me... I have no idea who will get the encore.
P.P.S. I love RDTV! This little local television station for Red Deer, Alberta is carrying the reality episode of the show on Monday nights. RDTV rocks!
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
8.21.2005
You Know You've Watched Too Much HGTV When...
The home decorating shows on the Home & Garden Television Network are great but I've realized that it is possible to reach viewer saturation. How do I know that I've watched too much HGTV?
~ It's not because I've seen every single episode of Designer Guys (although I have).
~ And it's not because I know all the Changing Rooms decorators by name (although I do).
~ And it's not because I'll start decluttering my bathroom at midnight just because Neat is on (though it's been known to happen).
~ And it's not even because, after five years of decorating my 450 square foot apartment, I still manage to come up with new decorating projects (sad but true).
Nope, the big clue that I've been watching too much HGTV...
~ I've started having sexy dreams about Mike Holmes from Holmes on Homes. Yep, move over Heathcliff and Mr. Darcy... Mike Holmes is the romantic hero for the modern age.
...
Should I be looking for a support group?
~ It's not because I've seen every single episode of Designer Guys (although I have).
~ And it's not because I know all the Changing Rooms decorators by name (although I do).
~ And it's not because I'll start decluttering my bathroom at midnight just because Neat is on (though it's been known to happen).
~ And it's not even because, after five years of decorating my 450 square foot apartment, I still manage to come up with new decorating projects (sad but true).
Nope, the big clue that I've been watching too much HGTV...
~ I've started having sexy dreams about Mike Holmes from Holmes on Homes. Yep, move over Heathcliff and Mr. Darcy... Mike Holmes is the romantic hero for the modern age.
...
Should I be looking for a support group?
Labels: decorating, pop culture, tv
8.19.2005
Family Guy's Freakin' Blog
Hey, I just found out that there's a Family Guy blog with posts from writers, directors, interns and others that work on the show. I've only read a few bits and pieces, but it looks like fun. Hell, anything to do with Family Guy looks like fun. Even the Family Guy: Live in Las Vegas CD!
Labels: pop culture, tv
8.18.2005
Top Three Good, Bottom Three Baaad!!
(Forgive the Orwellian reference in the title. It was an urge I could not resist.)
I was glad to see that the three singers I singled out in my last post comprised the top three on tonight's elimination episode of Rock Star: INXS. And MiG got the encore! (Am I good or what? Maybe I should become a psychic...)
I was not at all surprised to see Jessica in the bottom three (yet again) and Deanna's presence there also made sense. But, once again, why the hell was Suzie there? And, more to the point, why the hell wasn't J.D. there? He had the worst performance last night, did he not? Has his fan base gone deaf? Call me naive, but I just don't get it.
I was glad to see that the three singers I singled out in my last post comprised the top three on tonight's elimination episode of Rock Star: INXS. And MiG got the encore! (Am I good or what? Maybe I should become a psychic...)
I was not at all surprised to see Jessica in the bottom three (yet again) and Deanna's presence there also made sense. But, once again, why the hell was Suzie there? And, more to the point, why the hell wasn't J.D. there? He had the worst performance last night, did he not? Has his fan base gone deaf? Call me naive, but I just don't get it.
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
8.17.2005
MiG Joins the Game
After last week's Rock Star: INXS, I predicted that Jordis Unga would be the one to volley the top performance back into play (see my Rock Star Volleyball post). And she came soooo close with her stellar performance of Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (watch video) but at the last second MiG Ayesa beat her to the ball by singing Peter Frampton's "Baby, I Love Your Way" (watch video). (Okay, volleyball analogy ends here, 'cause I really don't know enough about that game, for one thing, and analogies that go on for too long become pretty tedious in any case.)
The fact that MiG accompanied himself on the piano was definitely impressive, but I think the clincher for me was when MiG's song ended and I found myself thinking: "that poor man must love his wife so deeply and miss her so terribly much," because that's what he clearly transmitted through the song. In the same way that Jordis communicated so eloquently about her friend who died through "The Man Who Sold the World" (right click on song title to download), which is still the standout performance of the whole series for me. It's all about communication, baby.
And I have to give major kudos to Marty Casey for his version of Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" (watch video). Yep, you read that right: INXS gave Marty a Britney song... how's that for a challenge? But Marty came through with a darker, edgier version of the song that I honestly enjoyed. I gotta admit, that guy and his intense voice is really growing on me. If he doesn't make it as lead singer of INXS, I fully intend to follow whatever career path he ends up on. (I already KNOW that I'll follow Jordis' music to the ends of the earth, no questions asked.)
The fact that MiG accompanied himself on the piano was definitely impressive, but I think the clincher for me was when MiG's song ended and I found myself thinking: "that poor man must love his wife so deeply and miss her so terribly much," because that's what he clearly transmitted through the song. In the same way that Jordis communicated so eloquently about her friend who died through "The Man Who Sold the World" (right click on song title to download), which is still the standout performance of the whole series for me. It's all about communication, baby.
And I have to give major kudos to Marty Casey for his version of Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" (watch video). Yep, you read that right: INXS gave Marty a Britney song... how's that for a challenge? But Marty came through with a darker, edgier version of the song that I honestly enjoyed. I gotta admit, that guy and his intense voice is really growing on me. If he doesn't make it as lead singer of INXS, I fully intend to follow whatever career path he ends up on. (I already KNOW that I'll follow Jordis' music to the ends of the earth, no questions asked.)
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
8.10.2005
Rock Star Volleyball
I realize that I've been devoting a lot of blog space to Rock Star: INXS, but it's been so great these past few weeks that I can't help myself.
This week it was Ty Taylor who, once again, stole the show — and my heart — with his soulful and passionate rendition of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" (watch it here). But I have every confidence that it will be Jordis' turn to wow me again next week (I'm still reeling from her version of "The Man Who Sold the World"... see my previous post). Ty and Jordis seem to be volleying the phenomenal performances back and forth.
Also deserving of kudos this week: Marty Casey singing an intense, unplugged rendition of The Killers' song "Mr. Brightside" (watch video) and Suzie McNeil (from my hometown of Toronto!), who sang a kick ass arrangement of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" (watch video). Suzie had a little arranging help from J.D. — I gotta say, that guy may rub me the wrong way and I'm not so keen on his vocals sometimes, but that boy sure knows how to come up with some cool arrangements.
Elimination Night Update: I CANNOT believe that Suzie was in the bottom three!!! Fortunately, the band seemed as stunned as I was and Suzie rocked out with the INXS song "Bitter Tears" and was sent straight back to rejoin the others. Phew.
This week it was Ty Taylor who, once again, stole the show — and my heart — with his soulful and passionate rendition of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" (watch it here). But I have every confidence that it will be Jordis' turn to wow me again next week (I'm still reeling from her version of "The Man Who Sold the World"... see my previous post). Ty and Jordis seem to be volleying the phenomenal performances back and forth.
Also deserving of kudos this week: Marty Casey singing an intense, unplugged rendition of The Killers' song "Mr. Brightside" (watch video) and Suzie McNeil (from my hometown of Toronto!), who sang a kick ass arrangement of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" (watch video). Suzie had a little arranging help from J.D. — I gotta say, that guy may rub me the wrong way and I'm not so keen on his vocals sometimes, but that boy sure knows how to come up with some cool arrangements.
Elimination Night Update: I CANNOT believe that Suzie was in the bottom three!!! Fortunately, the band seemed as stunned as I was and Suzie rocked out with the INXS song "Bitter Tears" and was sent straight back to rejoin the others. Phew.
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
8.07.2005
The Man Who Sold the World
I've been listening to Jordis Unga's version of "The Man Who Sold the World" almost constantly since last Wednesday. [I was actually prepared to pay to download it from MSN Music, but if you don't have a credit card with a U.S. billing address (which, as a Canadian, I definitely don't) then you're screwed. So I resorted to downloading it through LimeWire. I don't imagine that Jordis is actually getting royalties from the version on MSN, though, so I don't feel too bad about that. Now for the actual point of this post...]
I've been listening to the very interesting lyrics of the song and trying to make sense of them:
We passed upon the stairs,
We spoke of was and when
Although I wasn't there
He said I was his friend
Which came as a surprise
I spoke into his eyes — I thought you died alone
A long long time ago
Oh no, not me,
We never lost control,
To face the face
Of the man who sold the world
I laughed and shook his hand,
I made my way back home,
I searched afar the land,
Years and years I roamed,
I gazed a gazely stare,
We walked a million hills — I must have died alone,
A long long time ago.
Who knows, not me,
I never lost control,
You're face, to face,
With the man who sold the world.
As with a lot of Bowie songs, it defies literal interpretation. I like to think of his lyrics as abstract paintings: what's important is the impression they create. So my impression of this song was all about spirituality, reincarnation and renouncing the material world. But I wanted to know if there was more to it, so Google to the rescue with Teenage Wildlife:
The Man Who Sold the World — Lyrical Interpretation
It's a very interesting interpretation, taking the reader from those general impressions to the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and beyond. Worth reading.
Also in my research, I read about Bowie's "cut up" songs and I wondered if this song was one of them. "The cut-up technique was originally devised by the Surrealists, and most famously used in literature by William Burroughs: you take a text, cut it into pieces, reassemble these pieces haphazardly, and thus create something new" (from David Bowie and the Occult). This technique kinda appeals to me; I might have to try that with my poetry some time. (If you want to try out an online cut up machine, head over to Language Is A Virus... very cool.)
I've been listening to the very interesting lyrics of the song and trying to make sense of them:
We passed upon the stairs,
We spoke of was and when
Although I wasn't there
He said I was his friend
Which came as a surprise
I spoke into his eyes — I thought you died alone
A long long time ago
Oh no, not me,
We never lost control,
To face the face
Of the man who sold the world
I laughed and shook his hand,
I made my way back home,
I searched afar the land,
Years and years I roamed,
I gazed a gazely stare,
We walked a million hills — I must have died alone,
A long long time ago.
Who knows, not me,
I never lost control,
You're face, to face,
With the man who sold the world.
As with a lot of Bowie songs, it defies literal interpretation. I like to think of his lyrics as abstract paintings: what's important is the impression they create. So my impression of this song was all about spirituality, reincarnation and renouncing the material world. But I wanted to know if there was more to it, so Google to the rescue with Teenage Wildlife:
The Man Who Sold the World — Lyrical Interpretation
It's a very interesting interpretation, taking the reader from those general impressions to the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and beyond. Worth reading.
Also in my research, I read about Bowie's "cut up" songs and I wondered if this song was one of them. "The cut-up technique was originally devised by the Surrealists, and most famously used in literature by William Burroughs: you take a text, cut it into pieces, reassemble these pieces haphazardly, and thus create something new" (from David Bowie and the Occult). This technique kinda appeals to me; I might have to try that with my poetry some time. (If you want to try out an online cut up machine, head over to Language Is A Virus... very cool.)
Labels: language, music, pop culture, rockstar
8.05.2005
Just Jordis
It was Jordis Unga who offered up the goosebump-inducing, tear-welling performance this week on Rock Star: INXS with Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World." Watch it here.
I missed the elimination episode but I hear she was called back for an encore... I should bloody well think so. I also heard that Ty was in the bottom three?! He's one of my front runners (I'm thinking... hoping... that it'll end up being between Ty, Jordis and MiG). But I suppose since everybody performed so well on Tuesday night, Ty's performance needed to be his usual kick ass kind... which he couldn't really do with a song he'd never heard before.
I also heard that CBS has dropped the Monday night, "behind the scenes" episode. Ack Thpppbt! I was quite enjoying getting to know the rockers that way, watching their clinics, seeing them struggle with song selection and all that jazz. Unfortunately, I do not have VH1 (the only channel that seems to be airing the Monday night episode), so unless I can find a local channel that's decided to pick it up, I guess I'm S.O.L... *sigh*.
I missed the elimination episode but I hear she was called back for an encore... I should bloody well think so. I also heard that Ty was in the bottom three?! He's one of my front runners (I'm thinking... hoping... that it'll end up being between Ty, Jordis and MiG). But I suppose since everybody performed so well on Tuesday night, Ty's performance needed to be his usual kick ass kind... which he couldn't really do with a song he'd never heard before.
I also heard that CBS has dropped the Monday night, "behind the scenes" episode. Ack Thpppbt! I was quite enjoying getting to know the rockers that way, watching their clinics, seeing them struggle with song selection and all that jazz. Unfortunately, I do not have VH1 (the only channel that seems to be airing the Monday night episode), so unless I can find a local channel that's decided to pick it up, I guess I'm S.O.L... *sigh*.
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
8.03.2005
Pop Culture
This category groups film, theatre, television, literature and the like:
Battlestar Galactica Webisodes (11.15.2006)
Generic Update Post (11.08.2006)
A New Crew In Town (10.15.2006)
Great Tempest (9.09.2006) ~ Rock Star: Supernova
Crazy Videos (9.03.2006)
Filming! (8.28.2006)
The Ultimate in Geekiness (8.21.2006)
Note To Self... (8.17.2006)
Separated at Birth? (7.19.2006)
The Gears & The Levers (7.02.2006)
Poseidon (5.15.2006)
Spoof Trailers (4.30.2006)
What I Learned Today... (11.21.2005)
More From The Onion (11.16.2005)
The Onion: News in Brief (11.10.2005)
Cellar Door (9.26.2005)
It Ain't Pretty: Rock Star Wrap Up (9.21.2005)
INXS Mis-Fortune (9.20.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Sweet Suzie McNeil (9.15.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Two Words (9.14.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
I Searched Afar The Land (9.07.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Top 5 (9.06.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Rock Star Ramblings (9.05.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Such Sweet Sorrow (8.31.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Suzie McNeil is a Goddess (8.31.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Jump the Shark (8.30.2005)
Party & Prejudice (8.29.2005)
Colour Me Stunned (8.25.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Just a Bad Dream? (8.24.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
You Know You've Watched Too Much HGTV When... (8.21.2005)
Family Guy's Freakin' Blog (8.19.2005)
Top Three Good, Bottom Three Baaad!! (8.18.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
MiG Joins the Game (8.17.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Rock Star Volleyball (8.10.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Just Jordis (8.05.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Asimov and The Bard (8.02.2005)
Why, Robot? (8.01.2005)
Ty TV (7.26.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Irreverent Graffiti (7.23.2005)
The Final Frontier (7.20.2005)
The Language of Metaphor — cross-referenced under Language, but the Star Trek: TNG foundation of this post firmly plants it in Pop Culture, as well. (7.17.2005)
Plan 9 From Outer Space (7.16.2005)
Which Witch is Which? (7.12.2005)
Five Women (6.23.2005)
Simpsons for the Blind (6.05.2005)
Separated at Birth (5.22.2005)
Weirdgrrl Recommends (4.18.2005)
Wondrous Strange Things (4.05.2005)
Relax, Relate, Communicate (3.26.2005)
Loonatics (3.16.2005)
Create a Character (3.14.2005)
Superman is a Dick (3.07.2005)
Tunes on TV (3.04.2005)
Is SpongeBob Gay?! (2.04.2005)
Calvin and Hobbes' Gory Snowmen (1.25.2005)
Recommended Daily Dose of TV (1.24.2005)
Welcome to Hollywood, Dawg (1.18.2005)
The Bush Show (1.13.2005)
My Idée Fixe (aka MI5) (1.08.2005)
Lightning Sand (12.14.2004)
A Daily Dose of The Daily Show (12.03.2004)
NaNoFiMo & Sexy Cops (12.01.2004)
Agent Orange (11.19.2004)
Here Be Dragons (11.19.2004)
Pop Culture Stuff (11.13.2004)
I Drink, Therefore I Am (11.10.2004)
A Piece of the Pi (10.17.2004)
Random Snippets (10.13.2004)
Time is on My Mind (10.09.2004)
Mansfield Park Rant (10.07.2004)
Dark. Darkest. Darko. (10.02.2004)
In the Wee Small Hours (9.26.2004)
Film Fest (9.24.2004)
Peculiar Dreams (8.27.2004)
Battlestar Galactica Webisodes (11.15.2006)
Generic Update Post (11.08.2006)
A New Crew In Town (10.15.2006)
Great Tempest (9.09.2006) ~ Rock Star: Supernova
Crazy Videos (9.03.2006)
Filming! (8.28.2006)
The Ultimate in Geekiness (8.21.2006)
Note To Self... (8.17.2006)
Separated at Birth? (7.19.2006)
The Gears & The Levers (7.02.2006)
Poseidon (5.15.2006)
Spoof Trailers (4.30.2006)
What I Learned Today... (11.21.2005)
More From The Onion (11.16.2005)
The Onion: News in Brief (11.10.2005)
Cellar Door (9.26.2005)
It Ain't Pretty: Rock Star Wrap Up (9.21.2005)
INXS Mis-Fortune (9.20.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Sweet Suzie McNeil (9.15.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Two Words (9.14.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
I Searched Afar The Land (9.07.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Top 5 (9.06.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Rock Star Ramblings (9.05.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Such Sweet Sorrow (8.31.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Suzie McNeil is a Goddess (8.31.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Jump the Shark (8.30.2005)
Party & Prejudice (8.29.2005)
Colour Me Stunned (8.25.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Just a Bad Dream? (8.24.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
You Know You've Watched Too Much HGTV When... (8.21.2005)
Family Guy's Freakin' Blog (8.19.2005)
Top Three Good, Bottom Three Baaad!! (8.18.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
MiG Joins the Game (8.17.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Rock Star Volleyball (8.10.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Just Jordis (8.05.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Asimov and The Bard (8.02.2005)
Why, Robot? (8.01.2005)
Ty TV (7.26.2005) ~ Rock Star: INXS
Irreverent Graffiti (7.23.2005)
The Final Frontier (7.20.2005)
The Language of Metaphor — cross-referenced under Language, but the Star Trek: TNG foundation of this post firmly plants it in Pop Culture, as well. (7.17.2005)
Plan 9 From Outer Space (7.16.2005)
Which Witch is Which? (7.12.2005)
Five Women (6.23.2005)
Simpsons for the Blind (6.05.2005)
Separated at Birth (5.22.2005)
Weirdgrrl Recommends (4.18.2005)
Wondrous Strange Things (4.05.2005)
Relax, Relate, Communicate (3.26.2005)
Loonatics (3.16.2005)
Create a Character (3.14.2005)
Superman is a Dick (3.07.2005)
Tunes on TV (3.04.2005)
Is SpongeBob Gay?! (2.04.2005)
Calvin and Hobbes' Gory Snowmen (1.25.2005)
Recommended Daily Dose of TV (1.24.2005)
Welcome to Hollywood, Dawg (1.18.2005)
The Bush Show (1.13.2005)
My Idée Fixe (aka MI5) (1.08.2005)
Lightning Sand (12.14.2004)
A Daily Dose of The Daily Show (12.03.2004)
NaNoFiMo & Sexy Cops (12.01.2004)
Agent Orange (11.19.2004)
Here Be Dragons (11.19.2004)
Pop Culture Stuff (11.13.2004)
I Drink, Therefore I Am (11.10.2004)
A Piece of the Pi (10.17.2004)
Random Snippets (10.13.2004)
Time is on My Mind (10.09.2004)
Mansfield Park Rant (10.07.2004)
Dark. Darkest. Darko. (10.02.2004)
In the Wee Small Hours (9.26.2004)
Film Fest (9.24.2004)
Peculiar Dreams (8.27.2004)
Labels: books and literature, film, pop culture, theatre, tv
8.01.2005
Why, Robot?
I finally got around to watching I, Robot. I've long been a fan of Isaac Asimov's short stories and essays (though I've yet to read any of his novels, something I'd like to remedy), so part of me was eager to see this movie. But the trailers made it look very slick and Hollywood which made me nervous. And the fact that it starred Will Smith didn't allay those fears. I was finally convinced to see it when I learned that it was directed by Alex Proyas who wrote and directed Dark City, a sci-fi vision that really captured my imagination.
My reaction to the movie was interestingly the same as my reaction to a performance of The Two Gentlemen of Verona that I attended just two nights previously: by eschewing complexity for easy laughs, the production was entertaining but not memorable. In the case of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, I blame the director; in the case of I, Robot, I blame Will Smith.
I'm not saying his acting was bad, just lacking depth. A depth that could have made this movie a sort of modern day Blade Runner. And it was made more frustrating by the fact that I saw moments of the tortured hero in his performance, but every one-liner he delivered destroyed that persona and ended up sounding like the Fresh Prince. Maybe Smith is simply incapable of a darker, edgy humour. Pity.
But this viewing experience has made me interested in reading I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay, featuring the script for I, Robot that Harlan Ellison wrote. A screenplay that Asimov felt would be "The first really adult, complex, worthwhile science fiction movie ever made." A screenplay dubbed "The greatest science fiction movie never made." And if anyone ever manages to get this version of Asimov's story cycle made, please don't let it star Will Smith.
My reaction to the movie was interestingly the same as my reaction to a performance of The Two Gentlemen of Verona that I attended just two nights previously: by eschewing complexity for easy laughs, the production was entertaining but not memorable. In the case of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, I blame the director; in the case of I, Robot, I blame Will Smith.
I'm not saying his acting was bad, just lacking depth. A depth that could have made this movie a sort of modern day Blade Runner. And it was made more frustrating by the fact that I saw moments of the tortured hero in his performance, but every one-liner he delivered destroyed that persona and ended up sounding like the Fresh Prince. Maybe Smith is simply incapable of a darker, edgy humour. Pity.
But this viewing experience has made me interested in reading I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay, featuring the script for I, Robot that Harlan Ellison wrote. A screenplay that Asimov felt would be "The first really adult, complex, worthwhile science fiction movie ever made." A screenplay dubbed "The greatest science fiction movie never made." And if anyone ever manages to get this version of Asimov's story cycle made, please don't let it star Will Smith.
Labels: film, pop culture
7.26.2005
Ty TV
I don't tend to watch a lot of reality television and I'm rarely moved to comment on any of it, but...
I've been watching Rock Star: INXS and tonight's performance of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" by Ty Taylor was incredible. And I'm not just saying that because he's such phenomenal eye candy — which he is — but the man can really sing. You can watch the video of his performance here. And if you're heading over there anyway, check out Jordis singing "Gimme Some Lovin'"... that chick is so cool that I happily forgive her the one lyric slip.
I've been watching Rock Star: INXS and tonight's performance of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" by Ty Taylor was incredible. And I'm not just saying that because he's such phenomenal eye candy — which he is — but the man can really sing. You can watch the video of his performance here. And if you're heading over there anyway, check out Jordis singing "Gimme Some Lovin'"... that chick is so cool that I happily forgive her the one lyric slip.
Labels: music, pop culture, rockstar, tv
7.20.2005
The Final Frontier
I just read that James Doohan, who played Scotty on the original Star Trek series, died early this morning. (Read CNN obituary.)
I think he was one of my favourite characters in the original series, largely because of that endearing Scottish brogue. Lines like "The engines canna take much more a this, Captain" and "Admiral, there be whales here" just would not have sounded the same in a standard, non-regional American accent (or Canadian... I didn't realize that Doohan was Canadian! Or maybe I knew that and just forgot... Shame on me).
A few final words, perhaps more apropos than ever (depending on your afterlife belief system): "Beam me up, Scotty... There's no intelligent life down here."
I think he was one of my favourite characters in the original series, largely because of that endearing Scottish brogue. Lines like "The engines canna take much more a this, Captain" and "Admiral, there be whales here" just would not have sounded the same in a standard, non-regional American accent (or Canadian... I didn't realize that Doohan was Canadian! Or maybe I knew that and just forgot... Shame on me).
A few final words, perhaps more apropos than ever (depending on your afterlife belief system): "Beam me up, Scotty... There's no intelligent life down here."
Labels: pop culture, tv
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