Some hither and others yon

(With a serious tip of the cap to the late, great Blackie Sherrod.)

This post is a big random round up/notes column to tide me over until my (most prob) too long post about the next Pop Explosion is ready to be published.  That should happen Sunday or Monday.

Until then, well:

I swear, in the Enron doc she's only wearing one earring.

... Since it is International Women's Day I figure I should throw out another Woman Michael Loves.  Today it is another journalist, Bethany McLean.  Ms McLean nearly single-handedly brought down those Enron assholes.  She has a great article in this month's Vanity Fair about how a whole bunch of rich folks, hedge fund managers, and movie stars are co-opting and ruining a very sacred, difficult yoga discipline.  Yeah, I know, a shocker ... So, my fantastico Roman Vinity rep, Michele, who has been mentioned here before, obv dropped off a bottle sample of Verdicchio to me.  I had completely forgot about it and it had been camped out in the back of our fridge for ages.  I drug it out last night.  It is amazing.  I do not even know if it is approved for me to order and sell.  There's no price on the bottle, either.  I do not even know how much it costs.  But it is superb, a white wine spilling over w/ baking spices and cardamom.  Folks in Italy generally drink Verdicchio with seafood and shellfish.  It can have a brine-y quality to it sometimes.  There is no brine here.  It is aromatic, lively, refreshing and perfect for North African or Indian food.  Next time I get the chicken Tikka Masala at Breads of India this is the bottle I want.  (Let me go get my reading glasses -- I am so old.)  Accadio Angelo is the producer.  It is 2010 vintage.  I am guessing this bottle would prob be twenty dollars retail ...

The Dali-like image on the bottle is brought more forward now.  And I am enjoying the 2010, not this 2008.

... The film, Anonymous, did not suck, at all, like I had expected it to.  Of course, the splendid Rafe Spall's talents were nearly wasted in a small (but very important) role.  Could someone please give this guy one shot at a lead role? I suppose he will be just like his superb character-acting Da, Timothy Spall.  But, naturally, me being a theatre guy I would like Anonymous.  We theatre-folk love that, "We were so oppressed, hated, vilified" bullshit.  (Does not everyone? A chip on the shoulder moves mountains sometimes.)  Do not get me wrong.  The powers that be truly hate artists, always have.  Look at the whole Fox News/Right-wing revulsion towards "Hollywood" ... Also saw recently Still Bill, a documentary about Bill Withers.  It was not the greatest film I have ever seen, for sure.  But, I did learn a bit more about Bill Withers and what a great man he is.  Withers was born on the Fourth of July, and he is, for me, maybe the nicest, sweetest, most humble, most generous American alive.  The fucking recording industry does not deserve a legend like him.  I am so proud someone as talented and wonderful as Withers has decided to "retire".  Withers, now, makes music strictly for himself, his family, and friends.  Right on ... Yeah yeah I know I know, it is only v early March but Yu Darvish looked an absolute monster out there yesterday.  I am loathe to link to gifs.  I will not.  But, I will give you a quote from today's AP round-up report:

"He had good stuff, great poise," Padres second baseman Orlando Hudson said, " ... Seven different pitches.  It's hard enough to throw one pitch in the big leagues, man."

... Aw, hell.  Everyone who is reading this knows that Michael prefers the company of women (h/t to Wire, 106 Beats That.)  And all of you, all of you wonderful women that have meant something to me in the past, and that change and enrich my life every single day (especially you, Pnut, who made me grow up, finally) I would like to give a most humble thanks.  (Thanks, Renee.  And thanks, Mum.)  It is all the English Roses, exes, cheese-mongers, wine reps, customer service clerks, movie stars, team leaders (thanks Annie & Lisa & Josie & Meghan), authors, rock stars, journalists, baristas, book store owners, nurses, etc, that make me who I am.  I am so indebted to you.

All my love,
Michael David Spitler

(Here's the deal on that kissing sequence:  At the time you could only kiss on screen for three seconds max.  Hitchcock, who was madly in love with Ingrid Bergman (are we not all in love with her?) thought that was incredibly silly.  So, he had Grant and Bergman do a four minute take of them together, where never once was a smooch longer than three seconds.  Absolute genius. And, my goodness, Bergman has never been as sexy before as she is in this.  Why is not that me on the patio? When I see those elbows raised I get a little bit excited.  Bergman was an icon (a picture, a poster, an image, whathaveyou) but when you see her in action she is a living, breathing sexual Swedish adult that I wish I could have bumped in to at a party.





All my love to the ladies out there.













mds