Hey, Sweetie!

Break a leg, and knock 'em dead tomorrow, Sister!


Mwah, ... 
















Your loving husband,
M























P.S.  Here is a sweet showbiz video to get you ready for the big day.  Love you, ...

mds

David Thomson's recent post in The New Republic

Re Lena Dunham's HBO series, Girls, is a fantastic read.  Here it is.  And, apparently, he has the same itch wanting to be scratched that I do.  That is, that these times are desperately crying out for our version of Citizen Kane.  His suggestion that Ms Dunham be the one to do that is shrewd and more than just a good idea.  Thomson is also correct that Girls simply can not sustain itself for any serious length of time.  The subject matter does not allow it.  They should wrap it up after two (or maybe) three seasons.

The "It" girl.

And, I would just like to say, with the caveat attached that Veep and Girls are by far the best things on television right now, that I did not like the turns both programs took last Sunday.  I thought Girls went sappy and cheap, and that Veep just is not as good when it becomes too serious.  (Though the last shot/scene of Veep was an absolute masterstroke last week.  So, there is hope.)  Actually, both programs will be fine, and I will seriously be suffering from withdrawal in a few weeks when they wrap.  (Plus, we have Sorkin's The Newsroom to look forward to!)  So, remember the caveat.

************

Today is going to be a wonderful day.  I can just feel it.  And I do not even care that the Rangers lost 21-8 (!) yesterday.
















xxxoooxxx

Even though no one else seems

To have caught London 2012 Olympics fever, I certainly have.  I have already checked the fixtures list for women's football.  That is right, this is London, after all.  They are calling it football.

The USWNT open play, unfortunately, against France.  France, starring my lovely angel, Louisa Necib, are in the same group as the US.  Both teams will certainly break from this group.  There are three groups of four and the top two from each group, plus the two best third place finishers will make the Quarters.

I love the USWNT, but they will be my second fave team in this tourney.  This is the order of love I will have for the women's football competition at London 2012:  1) France 2) USA 3) Sweden 4) England 5) Japan.  I have no love for Brazil.  I am not sure why, I just do not.

The London Olympics start at the end of July.  I am v excited, I have always loved the Olympics, and I prob always will.

Here is my sweetie:

The Marseille born, daughter of Algerian parents, French superstar, Louisa Necib.

************

One more thing,

Ever notice that the most pushy and annoying co-workers are always bragging about how many other different places are desperate to hire them?

Which begs the question, Well why do you not just go work somewhere else, then?














Mwah, ... 

Monty Python, Blackmail sketch.

Renee and I were just talking about blackmail.  I think she might have been right.  I might have meant something else.  Both things are bad.

And, yes, that is Terry Gilliam as the nude organist.

Brazil (1985)

(Or, whatever happened to Kim Greist, anyway? She was as lovely in silk as she was in Army Surplus.)

"Care for a little necrophilia?"

...  Terry Gilliam will never top this one, released in 1985.  He has had some moments since, but nothing that comes close to the masterpiece that is Brazil ... Of course, what is the debt that is owed to co-screenwriter, Tom Stoppard? We will probably never know ... Even though Brazil was not his debut picture, except in the sense that he had left HandMade for the big Hollywood studios, Gilliam's career plays out much like Orson Welles' career after Citizen Kane ... Welles and Gilliam certainly have enormous egos and love poking authority (the studios) in the eye ... Welles' battles with Hollywood ultimately destroyed him, turned Welles in to an obese vagabond with a tin can, begging for any scrap of money he could get his hands on ... Gilliam, personally, seems to have worn his studio battles much better ... Is it because of him being a member of Monty Python, a teevee and films franchise that has few rivals in the industry, in terms of both critical acclaim and gold? ... Gilliam fights with everyone, it appears ... Gilliam fought with the rest of the Pythons over his opening segment for The Meaning of Life ... As brilliant as it was, his project came in way over budget, was way too long, and had no natural spot in the film ... The other Pythons, notably Terry Jones, who shared co-directing credits with Gilliam, were furious with him ... The Love Conquers All version of Brazil, a proposed ninety minute cut the studio wanted to see released, is an absolute travesty, an abomination.  But why do I get the feeling that even if a studio now handed Gilliam a blank check and never visited the set, Gilliam would still feel unloved and unappreciated? ... Gilliam seems only able to create in adversarial situations.  If he is not livid with someone, threatening to take his ball and go home, he can not work, full stop ... Gilliam was certainly right to fight for final cut, which was in his contract, for Brazil, but some of his battles were so petty, and he behaved in such an infantile matter (breaking his contract with secret screenings, essentially blackmailing the studio in to releasing the film), that it is a miracle any studio would ever give him money again ... 

... Every single element of Gilliam's encyclopedic, kaleidoscopic, dystopian masterpiece, Brazil, is perfect ... The genius of a futuristic, yet, still hopelessly analogue world is an absolute masterstroke of art design and story-telling ... Never let anyone suggest that Gilliam is not an artist of breathtaking scope and imagination ... His over riding, quixotic, and Gilliam is certainly the most quixotic filmmaker working today, is to make manifest the most improbable delights and worlds, in all their glory and squalor, before the public ... An animator and illustrator, I imagine Gilliam fancies himself a bit of a magician ... As grim as Brazil gets, it is still a work of magic, containing nightmares, as well as heroic dreams ... Who's idea was it to use the song, Brazil? How brilliant was that? Who does not wake up every morning with a song in their head on their way to work? How many of us are in thrall to the cinema (or music or art) as a way to maneuver through our lives hopefully and with joy? ... And why did Gilliam not use Neil Innes and Viv Stanshall, both friends of his, for the End Credits version of the song? That is obviously who they are reproducing, The Bonzo Dog Band? Were Viv and Neil unavaiable? Did Gilliam piss them off, too? ... Why do I love Katherine Helmond so much? What is it about her? Is it her Galveston, Texas drawl? ... De Niro's performance is exhilarating.  Jonathan Pryce should have retired right when Brazil wrapped.  Michael Palin is deviously cold and shattered.  Kim Greist should have been a much bigger star (maybe she did not want to be).  And, oh yeh, what the heck, let's throw in Jim Broadbent, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm too, for good measure ... Moments from this film that will stay with me forever:  "Care for a little necrophilia?", then ending the scene with the Busby Berkeley shot; the heart rending scene of the father dragged away, while his wife must sign all the paperwork; the restaurant scene, "Salt?" "Not yet, dear!"; "He was the ghost in the machine."; the office scenes that use the song; the Ian Holm/Jonathan Pryce scene where Holm reveals that he has sabotaged Pryce's chance to move up the ladder; all the scenes with Bob Hoskins and the ones with De Niro, too; all the file cabinets and reams of foolscap; all the ducts; Katherine Helmond; Kathryn Pogson as the hopeless Shirley, who still gets to tell off Pryce, and swear; all of Palin's scenes but especially the one right after his "interrogation", talking to Pryce, completely unable to remember his daughter's name, or even how many twins he has fathered; the Keep Calm and Carry On attitude, the extremely fascistic and absurd notion that terrorism is "bad sportsmanship", "just not cricket, old bean"; and on and on and on ... 

... Gilliam could retire right now and I would be happy ... He has left us his naughty french postcards of animations for Monty Python's Flying Circus.  He has left us his work from the Python movies.  He has given us Time Bandits, Baron Munchausen, The Fisher King, Twelve Monkeys, and Fear and Loathing ... And he, kicking and screaming the whole way, produced Brazil, as well ...  And for a supreme asshole that is a pretty decent CV right there ...

All my love, 

Ardent

(h/t to Shawn P for bringing this to my attention,

A new Todd Solondz film, Dark Horse.)

And then, Nick C just watched Tabloid for the first time and we could not stop talking about it yesterday.  I watched it again last night.

Joyce McKinney is still one of my personal heroes.

"That's like putting a marshmallow in a parking meter."







Mwah, ... 

3 things:

Un,

(Smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand), I finally figured out Lana Del Ray.  (Talk to Nick C.  He knows. This has been bothering me for months.)

She is our time's version; our Poor Lady's Françoise Hardy, if you will.  They sport a very similar look; the hair, the style of clothes, etc, ... And they both are way too cool for school, barely exerting themselves in live performance or videos or in the studio, even.  That video above shows Ms Hardy at her most energetic, which is to say, not much energetic, at all.

Unfortunately for Ms Del Ray, though, her songs are not nearly as good as Ms Hardy's.  "My favorite sweater", indeed! And, although, arguably as pretty, or perhaps, even prettier than Ms Hardy, Ms Del Ray is not nearly as earthy, or sexy as Ms Hardy.  Plus, Ms Del Ray does not sing in French (or Italian or Deutsch like Ms Hardy does), which is another strike against her.

And, oh yeh, you folks are going to have to watch a bunch of Françoise Hardy videos over the next few days.  Trust me.  You'll love 'em.  She is great.

************

Deux,

Saw this on TPM the other day.

Whatever.  I would much rather have Madonna's pap smear, anyway.

************

Et trois,

Although still better than just about anything else on teevee, the second season of Sherlock was a bit of a disappointment for me.  There were too many bells and whistles, not enough story.  The first episode, the "sexy" one was the worst, and the second episode, just like the first season, was the best.  The second episode was their homage to the old 60s Swinging London, The Avengers program, complete with the funny acronym and a diabolical mind control master plan. More of those, please.  The third episode was good, if a little sappy.  I am sorry, I know, times has changed, and all, and us men folks are downright sensitive these days, but I just do not think that Army soldier, English stiff upper lip, Dr Watson would react like that.  He would carry on as if nothing had happened, and beat himself up internally.  (And probably develop a drinking problem that would become his dirty little secret.)  I still love Andrew Scott's hilariously camp portrayal of Moriarty, though.  Juicy fun stuff.  In fact, all the homoerotic stuff throughout both seasons has been spot-on, brilliant, and most of the time quite funny.  And, oh, the way they resolved season one's cliffhanger was cheap and lame.

But, like I said, I love this team, I love this concept, I love these actors, so, I am probably being a little tough on them, and I will be very excited about season three, I am sure.

This is the only Avengers you need to care about.  Really.

All my love,
xxxoooxxx

There just was not anything as good as the old Late Night program. Just wasn't.

1988.

Two heartbreaking press conferences yesterday.

The sheriff said they had arrested Antolin Garcia-Torres for murder.

And then Sierra LaMar's parents stated they believed their daughter was still alive, and hoping that Garcia-Torres will tell them where she is.

It breaks your heart.

The last words Garcia-Torres uttered to his Mother, as the police took him away? "Don't worry, Mom, it's going to be okay."

So sad.  

Bernie, dir by Richard Linklater,

Is a smashing, mischievous little motion picture that is much more serious and profound than it appears to be at first glance.

We call it "Pop" down here, y'all.

It is set up like an old A&E episode of City Confidential (Renee and I loved that program), and even employs a very subtle, witty sleight of hand in direction and acting style that means our leads (Jack Black, Shirley Maclaine, Matthew McConaughy) seem more like Canadian talent reenacting these developments for a real-life crime show like City Confidential or Investigative Reports, or what have you.

Dick Pope's cinematography is perfect for this theme of subject matter, too.  Gone are his sun kissed, lambent baths of gold, and the rich saturated colors used for his last two features, Happy-Go-Lucky (dir Mike Leigh) and Me & Orson Welles (also dir by Linklater).  Pope has toned down the heat, and there is a grainy, cheap, dirty kind of air to the quality.  Nothing looks affected or sexed up.

It is absolute genius to use the real citizens of Carthage, Texas, as witnesses, too.  (Plus we get to meet Matthew McConaughy's real Mum.  Swearing and smoking on a bench on the patio.)  It is fantastic to see Linklater and McConaughy return to Texas; to see a plastic bottle of Big Red "pop" on McConaughy's courtroom desk, the accents, the beautiful witty colorful language, the blatant only in Texas prides and prejudices in full display.  "Those folks have more tattoos than teeth, "; "The People's Republic of Austin,"; "Well, Jesus never married and he wore sandals, and Jesus wasn't like that, so, "; and, etc, ...

It is certainly Jack Black's finest performance, but Shirley Maclaine was great, also, and looked great, too.  McConaughy was good and thankfully agreed to soft-pedal his hotness for the role. In fact, that was another great thing about this film.  There are no hotties in this movie, no one looks like a Hollywood movie star, it is just a lot of real life East Texas folks, overweight, bad teeth, big hair, just regular very sweet God fearing honest folks.

(I said to Renee, as we sat down in the theater, "Gosh, I know, it is a Sunday matinee and all, but this film just opened.  Look at this crowd.  We are the youngest people here.  This is the guy who made Slacker and Dazed and Confused!"  Renee said, "Yeah, well, Richard Linklater isn't twenty-five years old any more, either."  I love my Wife.  She is so frickin' insightful and smart.)

Bernie is a great motion picture.  And, along with Me & Orson Wells, that means Linklater is on a hell of a roll now.  This film could be a bust.  Me & Orson Welles was, so see it quickly.  Our crowd really seemed to enjoy it, though, so maybe it will play for a good long time.  They did make the typical reaction to a line talking about San Francisco, of course.

Ya gotta love civic pride, right?








Mwah, ... 

Love you, Pnut.

Quality is not so great, but Gershwin and Gene Kelly always shine through.

My gosh, I love you.

Thank you for making me finally respect myself.  And for finally making me grow up, dang it.

Love you, Pnut.

fivetwentytwothousandeleven, Liner Notes, Part Three

Continuing the playlist series on the eve of Renee and I's first anniversary.

************

DISC THREE
Songs Renee & I Love

1.  Other Lives/Weather    Other Lives are a splendid group from Stillwater, Oklahoma.  This is the "indie" rock song I wanted to be played as we walked in to the reception hall, even if I knew it was absolutely not a possibility.

2.  XTC/Big Day    A very obvious choice.  I think Renee is not fond of the song.  I like it, a lot.
3.  The Magic Numbers/Morning's Eleven    Just a boo-ti-ful magical creation.  Unfortunately, the band has not been nearly as good since this first track off their first album.  Sometimes you only have one good record in you.  
4.  Beulah/A Good Man is Easy to Kill    Beulah was one of the crucial bands for Renee and I in the infancy of our relationship.  And, yeah, we went and saw Beulah in the City.  I got pulled up on stage to sing and shake a tambourine for the encore.  I tried to get Renee to join me, but she was having none of that.
5.  Beulah/Gene Autry    "When I get to California/Gonna write my name in the sand"

6.  Beulah/Popular Mechanics for Lovers
7.  The Rolling Stones/Monkey Man    Maybe the greatest, and certainly weirdest introductions for a monster classic rock song ever.
8.  The Rolling Stones/Bitch    If I were a baseball player, this would be my walk-up to bat song.
9.  Brenton Wood/Gimme Little Sign    Mr Wood is criminally underappreciated; I discovered this stellar track from The Last Days of Disco soundtrack.
10.  The Meters/Handclapping Song    This is from one of the greatest cds I have ever bought.  I read about it in Mojo Magazine.  And every single song on that cd has been in the superb NOLA HBO series, Treme.
11.  Floyd Cramer/On the Rebound    The brill poening credits track to the exquisite, lovely, perfect little An Education film.

12.  Professor Longhair/Big Chief    Lily Allen stole this for her smashing track, Knock 'em Out.
13.  Stevie Wonder/Signed, Sealed, Delivered
14.  Booker T and the MGs/Green Onions    The greatest rock/soul instrumental of all-time.
15.  Rufus Thomas/The Breakdown    I wanted to say, "Ain't I'm clean," at the beginning of my Toast at the reception, but I forgot.
16.  The Beatles/The Word    Uh, Paul's little bass fills on this song are so tasteful, classy, and full of style as to make me glad to be alive.
17.  The Staple Singers/Oh La De Da

18.  Blur/Girls & Boys    Now is about the time everyone was supposed to be dancing.  It did not work out like that, but it is alright.
19.  A Taste of Honey/Boogie Oogie Oogie    This was the number one hit in the US when Renee was born.
20.  T Rex/Jeepster    Renee looooves this song.
21.  Brenton wood/Oogum Boogum    More fantasticness from Brenton Wood, also from the superb Last Days of Disco soundtrack.






















Mwah, ...
I love you all,







Ardent

Cannes 2012.

Smashing poster for the festival.

Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom opened the festival, but as excited as I am about that, I am even more excited about the new Cristian Mungiu film, Dupa Dealuri (Beyond the Hills).  That link, yeah, I know, but there is no trailer out there yet.

Plus, there is a new Alain Resnais (?!) film; a new Cronenberg, starring Twilight hottie, Robert Pattinson; Lawless, with Gary Oldman; Lee Daniels' The Paperboy, with Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, and John Cusack; and Killing Them Softly with Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, and James Galdolfini.

Not a single woman director at the festival this year, which they are rightly taking some heat for, but a lot of really good stuff it seems.  I hope they show the awards on teevee, seeing all those stunning french actresses presenting the awards is always a highlight of my year!

xxxoooxxx, 

Ardent

It is not a great film,

Or, even perhaps, a really good film.  But I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Starter for Ten.

James McAvoy, Rebecca Hall, Dominic Cooper, and, oh yeah, ladies, that is Sherlock in there, too, with a stunning comedic tour de force performance.  (Plus, one of the writers/creators of Sherlock, who plays Sherlock's brother is also in Starter for Ten, as the University Challenge Host.)  Great 80s soundtrack, as well, ... The Cure, The Smiths, New Order, etc, ...

It is a pretty decent sentimental fun way to while away a hundred minutes.  Definitely recommended.

(By the way, I am still waiting to see the final installment of Sherlock this Sunday before passing judgement on it.  This season may be a little too "sexy", maybe they are overdosing on the bells and whistles? And where is Zoe Telford?! I will reveal all next week.)

"I thought that if you played an acoustic guitar/That it meant that you were/A protest singer"

Enjoy the videos,
Mwah, ... 

fivetwentytwothousandeleven, Liner Notes, Part Two

Part Two of my Liner Notes Series of Renee and I's Wedding Reception Playlist.

************



DISC TWO
Standards, or What Has Happened to Them Anyway?



1.  Ella Fitzgerald/You're the Top    "I'm a worthless check/A total flop/But if, Baby, I'm the bottom/You're the top"
2.  Madeleine Peyroux/The Summer Wind
3.  Mel Torme/Comin' Home Baby    This is from another one of our all-time favorite movies and soundtracks, Lone Scherfig's An Education.  Mel Torme's Comin' Home Baby was also the big inspiration for John Lennon's monster Beatles track, I Want You (She's So Heavy).  

4.  Ella Fitzgerald/Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye    Cole Porter at his most heartbreaking and poignant.
5.  Madeleine Peyroux/Smile
6.  Juliette Greco/Sous le ciel de Paris    From the An Education soundtrack, as well.
7.  Le Quintette du Hot Club de France/After You've Gone    Perhaps Le Quintette du Hot Club de France is the perfect Wedding music?

8.  Le Quintette du Hot Club de France/Limehouse Blues
9.  Le Quintette du Hot Club de France/Dinah
10.  Le Quintette du Hot Club de France/I Got Rhythm
11.  Hot Club of Cowtown/Diga Diga Doo    "Welcome to The Continental Club in beautiful South Austin, TX, ... " Hot Club, a Western Swing band that also plays a ton of Jazz Standards, is one of Renee & I's all-time favorite groups.  They are based in Austim, TX but play up here often.  You should definitely check them out next time they are here.
12.  Hot Club of Cowtown/'Deed I Do
13.  Hot Club of Cowtown/Chinatown

14.  Hot Club of Cowtown/I Can't Give You Anything But Love    I first learned and loved this song seeing the Fats Waller Ain't Misbehavin' musical when I was a kid.
15.  Hot Club of Cowtown/Pennies From Heaven
16.  Hot Club of Cowtown/Exactly Like You
17.  Hot Club of Cowtown/After You've Gone
18.  Hot Club of Cowtown/Tchavolo Swing
19.  Hot Club of Cowtown/There'll Be Some Changes Made
20.  Hot Club of Cowtown/Polkadots and Moonbeams    Maybe Renee's favorite Hot Club track.
21.  The Beatles/I Feel Fine    I probably love The Beatles more than any human on Earth, so I wanted to soft-pedal the group for the playlist.  Still, I slipped a few songs in there.  And this song and the following one are Renee's favorite Beatles songs.  I Feel Fine and She's A woman were the A-side and B-side, respectively, of a single released in 1964.  One of the greatest singles in the history of rock and roll.  
22.  The Beatles/She's A Woman    Renee loves to sing along to Paul McCartney's crazy ending refrain.  She thinks it is hilarious.  

Parts Three and Four to follow shortly, over the next few days, ...

All my love, 

Ardent

After Hours

Opening scene of After Hours, the music is Bach's Air on a G string.

fivetwentytwothousandeleven, Liner Notes, Part One.

Renee Diskowski and I were married last year on May 20, 2011 at City Hall in San Francisco.  Our reception was held at the Foreign Cinema restaurant in The Mission.
In honor of our First Anniversary, I would like to publish a track listing with liner notes of the playlist that played during the reception.  I hope that it gives folks some insight to the wonderful ten years that Renee and I have had together.

The playlist used eighty-six tracks and was just under five hours in length. If produced on a hard copy, a cd, say, the track listing takes up four of them, each one a different "section" or "theme", if you will.  I was in complete charge of the playlist and made all selections.  As we are both massive movie buffs who are constantly watching films in our free time, and what with our reception being at a restaurant called Foreign Cinema, that shows old films as you eat your dinner, obviously, I incorporated a movie theme in to the track listing.

The two film soundtracks I drew from the most are Martin Scorsese's smashing cult classic, After Hours (which is a blend of famous classical pieces and deep, dark old R&B songs) and Whit Stillman's The Last Days of Disco (which is a blend of Disco, naturally, R&B, and old ska/reggae numbers.)  But there are other soundtrack songs that made the cut, as well, from films as diverse as Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky and the hockey classic, Slap Shot.

Also, as guests were arriving, a slide show made by father rolled on the far wall on a loop.  My father picked the song for that, In My Life by The Beatles.  During the reception we had two films play on the wall with the sound down, "Moving Wallpaper" Renee likes to call it.  The two films were Kelly and Donen's classic, An American in Paris, and Ernst Lubitsch's pre-code Masterpiece, Trouble in Paradise.

************

DISC ONE
Classical, or How to Tell the Iliad from The Odyssey.



1.  Mozart/Symphony No. 45, Movement 1    This is the song used for the opening credits of After Hours, one of Renee and I's favorite films.
2.  Bach/Air on the G string    Yeah, I know I know, corny as all get out, but a masterpiece and is played during the first scene of After Hours.  
3.  Chopin/Prelude No. 1    I love all Chopin, but especially his Twenty-four Preludes.  I only picked upbeat ones for the reception, though.
4.  Chopin/Prelude No. 3
5.  Chopin/Prelude No. 5
6.  Chopin/Prelude No. 7
7.  Chopin/Prelude No. 9

8.  Chopin/Prelude No. 10
9.  Chopin/Prelude No. 11
10.  Chopin/Prelude No. 13
11.  Chopin/Prelude No. 15
12.  Chopin/Prelude No. 17
13.  Chopin/Prelude No. 19
14.  Chopin/Prelude No. 23
15.  Mozart/Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter", Movement 1
16.  Mozart/Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter", Movement 3    My favorite piece of Mozart, ever.  It is so sly, witty, and sublime.  He is winking at us.  
17.  Ella Fitzgerald/There's a Small Hotel    Is there a finer singer, ever? I think not.  It is amazing the way she bends notes with such subtlety and panache.  She makes all these "American Idols" and Mall Divas sound rather silly. 

18.  Ella Fitzgerald/I Didn't Know What Time it Was
19.  Ella Fitzgerald/I Could Write a Book
20.  Ella Fitzgerald/My Funny Valentine    Still the absolute gold standard for this song as far as I am concerned.  I do not care for Chet Baker's version, and, yet, I have a very special idiosyncratic place in my heart for Elvis Costello's bombastic reading.  "But don't change a hair for me/Not if you care for me/Stay little Valentine, stay/Each day is Valentine's Day"
21.  Ella Fitzgerald/Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered    An absolute masterpiece, both in songwriting and in Ms Fitzgerald's performance.  It is a whole relationship brilliantly illustrated in seven glorious, hilarious, moving minutes.
22.  Ella Fitzgerald/Have You Met Miss Jones?    The song, not Ms Fitzgerald's performance, is a running gag in Richard Linklater's absolutely brilliant film, Me & Orson Welles, which those who have not seen yet, should see instantly!
23.  Ella Fitzgerald/I Get a Kick Out of You    What is it Woody Allen says to Dianne Weist in Hannah and Her Sisters? "You don't deserve Cole Porter!"
24.  Ella Fitzgerald/Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)    "People say in Boston even beans do it"

Love you, Peanut.

The Liner Notes and more videos for the other three discs will be published soon.

Mwah, ... 

Surrender Dorothy!

I love when she asks him, "You've seen the movie, right?"

Is there anyone who has not seen The Wizard of Oz?

What with The Wife and I's first anniversary

Coming up, May 20, I am busy working on two longer pieces that will not be ready for publication for a few more days.

In the meantime, I would like to pass on two very valuable things that I have learned in my forty-four years of life:

1.  Hard and fast rules almost never work.

and,

2.  Whenever you find yourself hurting others or yourself, stop what you are doing, breathe, and get in touch with what is the real source of the problem.  Oftentimes, this alone will correct your behavior.  But, even if it does not, it is another step of self-awareness towards a healthier life going forward.




Happy Mother's Day!

All my love,
Michael

Baseball box scores

Are so stunningly beautiful to me.  They are little haikus, one of the finest examples of the objective correlative out there.

And, oftentimes, the little AP capsules that accompany them are so succinct and perfect as to be breathtaking, too.

They are little jewels hiding in your newspaper that many do not even know about, pass over, ignore, etc, ...

And, I like scoring games, as well, which produces another type of lovely little poem, too, one more prosaic.

Hamilton cf    5 4 5 8 0 0 .406

"He hit a baseball. The dude's on fire. What do you want me to say?"

It is the end of my week, sort of, no Two Days Off Dance today, ...



All my love,
Ardent

I was wrong.

I often am.

It was not a famous Obama head fake, tied around Amendment One in North Carolina and the beginning of the General Election campaign.  Obama's "evolution", as it were, was supposed to be complete right before the Democratic Convention.  But Biden spoke out of turn and forced Obama's hand.

Which means we really do have Joe Biden to thank for this, hunh? (I was right about that.)

Even so, I am of many different minds about all of this, espec the internets frickin' exploding yesterday with Obama's announcement.

Fran the genius.

One of which reminds me of an interview Toni Morrison had with Fran Lebowitz right after Obama's election.  Morrison asked Lebowitz what she thought about the nation having its first African-American President, and, I am seriously paraphrasing the sublime Ms Lebowitz here, Lebowitz' basic reaction was, "Really?! A big deal?! This should not be an issue anymore.  This should have happened a billion years ago."

Obama should have had stated this position a dozen years ago. Welcome, buddy.  Better late than never, I suppose.

Also, are not nearly all State Propositions and Amendments the worst thing ever.  I vote No on nearly every single one of them because they are the absolute worst way to make policy.  And I encourage all my friends to do likewise.

Please everybody, watch the video below with a sense of humor.  And, I am sure every  single one my readers knows which side of the fence I am on, anyway.  It is just funny, and a little sobering.

Thank you to the guy from Scranton with the hair plugs! Right on!







-- Michael

I just never went through that

"I hate girls/Girls are icky" phase as a child, you know?

The first girl I kissed on the mouth (closed, albeit), but hard, was Tiffany.  We were both six years old and we did it in her bedroom closet.  And Tiffany was very tall, much taller than me, but we managed it.

And I cannot tell you the absolute pain and jealousy I felt about a week later when we sat on the floor to watch a film in class and Tiffany let another boy rest his head on her lap as she stroked his hair! 

This photo was probably taken right after Tiffany stroked that other boy's hair.

Ever since kindergarten, I suppose, I have always liked girls (and in my college years, a couple of grad student boys, too!) and always will.

These thoughts were inspired by a conversation I had with a lovely, wonderful little boy last Saturday evening.  I will only add this:  her name is Georgia, and she has brown eyes, and this is very important, strawberry blonde hair.

And, yeh, there will probably be a lot more kissing videos forthcoming.


Mwah, ... 

Of Le Cheval, Ben and Jerry, Dolly Parton,

Nine to Five, Muriel's Wedding, Meghan, the Wife, iToys, Draw Something, and any other Girly thing one might think of.

Hope that is Skinny and Sweet™ in that coffee.

I will get to Nine to Five in a minute, and what a great little motion picture it is.

I am off work last friday at 7:30 PM.  Renee wants company over.  Her week has just ended and she had just done a fourteen hour shift the night before, helping with inventory, way out in San Rafael.  She calls me at work, tells me Meghan is coming over (Girly Night, Part Four!), asks if she can use my birthday gift certificate for Le Cheval (thanks, ladies!).  I say, Yes.  And then finish my shift.

I buy a couple of Prosecco 187s, crank up the iPod, and hit the trail on a gorgeous sunkissed evening in Walnut Creek, CA.

For me, lately, nearly all last week, it has been all David Bowie for my "commute", as it were. Here was my playlist for the walk home last Friday, May 4, 2012:

All tracks by David Bowie:

1. Life On Mars?
2. Queen Bitch
3. The Man Who Sold the World
4. Diamond Dogs
5. Candidate
6. Rosalyn
7. Friday on My Mind
8. Fantastic Voyage
9. Boys Keep Swinging.

The high point was probably the last line of Candidate, just as I started to climb the Hill, "We jump in a river holding hands."

When I arrived home, Renee and Meghan were laughing about one of their friends, who maintains that Dolly Parton is not Country but Classic Rock.  This hilarity has inflamed Renee with a passion to watch Ms Parton (the Wife and I loooove Dolly) in Nine to Five.  I say that is a marvelous idea, and help her get it set up on our teevee.  (Nine to Five is streaming on Netflix currently.  Check it out if it has been a while.)  But, I say, "If we're going to watch Nine to Five, we should be high, because of that scene in the movie."  This situation was perhaps taken care of, if you know what I mean.  Or, perhaps not? Thanks to everyone involved, it had been a loooong time.  And I am such a lightweight.

Anyhoo, then the second course of Le Cheval comes out as the movie unspools.  Shaking Beef, Imperial Rolls, seafoody delights for the ladies (I do not like seafood, really, except oysters with Champers, I suppose.)  We play with our iToys, we laugh uproariously when Dolly lassos Dabney Coleman, and when Jane Fonda has trouble with the copier.  Renee and I are both terrible with copy machines, hate 'em.

The movie is close to ending and the ladies want dessert.  I tell them I have two flavors of (junky) Ben and Jerry's in the freezer.  They say, Yes! I bring the pints to them, a pint and a spoon to each, and go out for a smoke.  Upon my return, they have each done a shift on their original flavors and have now switched so they will have each tried both!  They finish their dessert, I put the pints away, while Renee decides on the second film.  I sit down and watch as the credits roll on Renee's second feature selection, it is Muriel's Wedding, starring Toni Collette! Can we get anymore girly tonight?

Fine with me.  I love Muriel's Wedding.  I love Toni Collette.  We watch the movie, play with our iToys and then Renee gets sleepy.

Meghan and I nearly finish Muriel's Wedding, Meghan heads home and Girly Night, Part Four (the bestest and girliest of all four comes to a close.)

************

I am not going to do a bunch of research on this, or anything.  I am going to shoot from the hip, like Ms Parton probably would.  Nine to Five is a fantastic motion picture.  It has a good heart.  It stands for the right thing.  And the film is told with such panache, and is so hilarious, without being the least bit preachy.  And, how can you not love the idea of Jane Fonda playing a recently divorced housewife, desperate for some consciousness raising? Or, Lily Tomlin as a sweet single Mom (her scene, hugging her son, her legs lifting off the ground as the garage door goes down, is my favorite in the film.  It is so touching.)  And, then there is Ms Parton as Doralee, to wit:

Up until now I've been forgivin' and forgettin' because of the way I was brought up, but I'll tell you one thing. If you ever say another word about me or make another indecent proposal, I'm gonna get that gun of mine, and I'm gonna change you from a rooster to a hen with one shot! And don't think I can't do it. 

And then there is Sterling Hayden, from Dr Strangelove, Mister Precious Bodily Fluids, himself, taking Dabney Coleman to South America for a "promotion", as the team of Parton, Tomlin, and Fonda seem to be headed for running the company themselves.  

The film hits on sexual harassment, single motherhood, divorce, unequal pay, married relations, child care, health care, etc, ...  all of which are topics that are still relevant thirty frickin' two years later.

And Nine to Five sure plays pretty damn good right now, what with the GOP's War on Women™ currently in vogue.

Highly, highly recommended.  Have it with some BBQ like Parton, Tomlin, and Fonda do.  Or Le Cheval take away is always real good, too, ...








Mwah, ... 

S'funny.

The Wife was asking me just a couple of days ago when we would be able to watch the second season of Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.  I told her, Probably this Fall, round her birthday, September or October.

Nope.  The second season starts this Sunday.  What w/ Veep, Girls, and other programs on Sunday our dvr will prob catch fire.

(Renee's question might have been a trick.  She most likely learned about it playing Qrank.)









-- Ardent

Anyone else following this amazing Bay Area Story?

The one about the seventeen year old San Rafael kid, Max Wade? (And what a great name?)

The seventeen year old, who, allegedly, mind you, stole the Food Network celebrity chef, Guy Fieri's Lamborghini?

The kid busted in to an elite San Francisco car showroom, through the ceiling window, repelled his way down to the showroom floor, cut the locks, and drove off with Guy Fieri's car.

Here is where it gets really ugly.  Allegedly, a month later, he attempted to murder his crush and her "date" in a drive-by.  Both were barely scratched, thank goodness.  She reported this to the police, natch, and the wheels were in motion.

But Wade let his vanity undo him.  Less than two weeks after, allegedly, attempting to murder his crush, he texted her, asking if she'd like a ride to the City in his "Lambo"! 


Wade was apprehended, of course, and is in custody.  When he was caught, he allegedly reached for a Glock, and had fifteen-hundred in cash on him, and a fake ID.

************

It was all for the love of a girl, a minor girl.  The prosecution believes the thing that finally set Wade over the edge was something hateful the crush's "date" posted about Wade on facebook! 


************

I already know the first scene for this screenplay.  And you will see it here soon.  So, do not let anyone else steal it from me.

************

Crucial Books:  Screenplay The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field, 1979.

And, by the way, SFChron, Peter Fimrite, who is covering this story for you, is an amazing staff writer.  He deserves a raise, or a promotion, or both.







All my love,
Michael

Oh Boie!

I just opened up my Democratic Party Primary Sample Ballot and I can not tell you how excited I am, that with California's new Jungle Primary Law in effect, I can cast a vote for Orly Taitz (Party Preference:  Republican.  Doctor/Attorney/Bidness Woman) for United States Senator! What fun!

"Where is the long-form Birth Certificate?"

(Plus, re-districting means George Miller is my United States Representative now.  Miller is one of a handful of public servants I can absolutely always count on to do the right thing -- and he shops at my store occasionally.  Woo-hoo! And Renee & I's polling place is at Heather Farms.  People get married where we vote.  Really takes the sting out of voting.)






mds

I am thinking it is looking like a The Life Aquatic (UPDATED 5/3/12!)

Kind of night.

And, remember, Wes Anderson's latest, Moonrise Kingdom, opens in four weeks.

Woo-hoo!

(Just got home from a five AM to one-thirty PM shift.  I am sooooo sleepy.  I am sending all of my sleepy love to all of you.  Ciao!)




-- ardent henry

"Anne-Marie, do all the interns get Glocks?"

UPDATE! (5/3/12):

Renee really wanted to go to Baddabing (Va de Vi) here in Walnut Creek, so I got my rally monkey on, and then we fell asleep on the couch watching the second season of Black Books.  

I will watch The Life Aquatic tonight when I get home from work.  

I am sure many if not all of you

Are sick of hearing references to Whit Stillman's film, Metropolitan.  But, I have got to mention another, which has prob been offered here before but in a different context.

Does "ceasing to exist mean failure"?

You could look at all the Communist states that have ceased to exist, meaning to many, espec in the US, that Communism is a failure.

Fair enough.  But I see Capitalism failing millions of people around the globe every frickin' day.








mds

Mum called yesterday and told me

That the house we used to live in in Dallas is up for sale.

Here are a couple of pictures:

The tree in front was not there when we lived there.

The round "hobbit window" (as we liked to call it) has not been changed.  Nor have the steps and doorway.  They also kept the gravel driveway to the garage, which seemed odd to Mum and I.

I lived here from about fourth/fifth grade up until my freshman year of high school at Arts Magnet. We moved in the Summer of 1983 to Austim.  My room is through the windows on the left.

It is great to see the pecan tree still there.  We would harvest tons and tons and tons of pecans every other year, freeze them, and then Donna (my Mum) would make pecan pie and chocolate pecan pie with them.  

A lot of really great memories at this house.  I really hope whoever buys it loves it as much as we did.  

All my love, 

Michael

Crucial Books for today (May 1, 2012)

Lipstick Traces A Secret History of the Twentieth century by Greil Marcus, 1989.

The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord, 1967.



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************

"People who talk about revolution and class struggle without referring explicitly to everyday life, without understanding what is subversive about love and positive about the refusal of constraints, have corpses in their mouths!"

-- Ardent Henry