fix the country and stuff

Today, Obama announced his new secretary of veterans affairs, and promised us a whole bunch of stuff. I frigging love that man.

New York Times Online article

This afternoon, MSNBC noted, "It seems as if he's already taken office!" It's surprising (well, not so surprising actually) that Bush has done much to assist ailing big business, but little to ease the pain of individual home owners. Obama indicates his 'team' will change that.

I don't know if Obama will be able to handle all this, or if he will be a great president; but I have a sense of hope for the first time in a long while.

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I've been reading Cleolinda's blog, Occupation Girl over on livejournal, and I love it.

She writes an online series called "Movies in Fifteen Minutes." She's pithy, she's funny, she's brilliant - love her.

Here's her Twilight in 15 minutes.

Proposition 8 and MUSIC!!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Oh, this video is so hilarious. A friend of mine posted it on facebook, and I just about died laughing. Jack Black is perfect. Well, they all are actually. And, if he were not gay, I would marry Neil Patrick Harris if sparkly cheekbones won't have me.


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I’m not a big country fan, but I like bluegrass, and I really like what I’ve heard so far of Jack White’s band The Raconteurs. It feels natural and the sound is fluid. I’m enjoying it.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Abbey Road lately. That album is just so perfect; every moment of it is a joy. Ringo’s best drumming (his only drum solo in their catalogue) is in “The End” which may be The Beatles' most incredible piece of music. But the entire album really is just brilliant.

Go here to see live webcam images of Abbey Road, and it's famous crosswalk.
http://www.abbeyroad.com/visit/

I listened a bit to Jason Mraz’s new album and wasn’t that impressed; I like his voice but the whole album felt bland and sometimes reminded me of an 80s Basia album. It has all the cheese of Stevie Wonders "I Just Called to Say I Love You," without the cred. His track “A Beautiful Mess” was a shade lovely, though the lyrics were corny and disjointed.

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My brother turned me on to The Innocence Mission, and I’m officially in love with Karen Paris’ voice. I'd only heard one song from them in the past – "Bright As Yellow" off the Empire Records soundtrack, and liked it but didn’t love it. However, their lullaby album Now The Day Is Over is simply gorgeous. I highly recommend everyone own it; it’s that beautiful.

I’m also in love with this little-known Austin band called Belaire (flor, I sent you a song on itunes – you’d better redeem that sucker!) They’re very Stereolab, light pop wonderful, but they can still rock out. I’d love to see them live.

I’m already wishing Interpol, Fiona Apple, and Radiohead would release new albums. I know the creative process takes time, but I need more!! I can only listen to Our Love to Admire, Extraordinary Machine, and In Rainbows so many hundreds of times. I got this snarky little comment off of Rolling Stone's website:

"It’s nice to know some of the U.S. budget might not going to the Iraq War: A few key members of the White House, namely deputy press Tony Fratto, downloaded copies of Radiohead’s In Rainbows."

Rivers Cuomo’s cover of "Don’t Worry Baby" is darling; I adore it. Really the whole album is great – he’s released two discs of the album Alone: The Home recordings of Rivers Cuomo 1992-2007. It’s Weezer heaven, especially for fans of their older work. I am upset that their Christmas songs are exclusively being released on Iphone - it's such corporate BS.


Oh, on a totally different note, read this great article by Denis Leary. It’s so incredibly sweet and surprisingly lyrical – makes me hope I’ll find this kind of connection someday:

Denis Leary on Love at First Sight

Ah, love, and/or the promise of love ...

I'm signing out with Nick Drake :)

Twilight Film Review, Crazy Girlfriend, and 42nd St.

So I haven't posted anything in ages. But teenage pandemonium and mass hysteria has prompted me to post a Twilight review, and, no, it's not bad.

Anyway, I heart this movie. In all its goofy, utter sincerity. It has not one cynical bone in its body.

Although Robert Pattinson doesn’t completely succeed on all levels (there are moments of unintentional garish hilarity and he sometimes looks like a pained mime about to hurl), his overall performance was brave and nuanced. He brought humor and pathos to a role that could have been played as an expressionless, bloodless hair model/stalker. There is no better actor than a brave one. An acting coach once told me, "When struggling with objectives and actions, make the riskier choices." ... of course, I could just be saying all of this because he is incredibly hot.

I thought some of the effects worked. The baseball game was electric and fun. The tree stuff was nice. The transition from treetops and mountain views to the lullaby sequence was gorgeous. Carter Burwell’s score was majestic and sweet, but I admit it sometimes reminded me of cheesy 80s scores for films like Ladyhawke (another sincere, cheese-fest I love). I hated some of the wire work and the running; I think some creative editing could have saved them from the tacky look of certain effects. The makeup was at times just dreadful. I really think the makeup artist could have made them appear pale without turning their faces into kabuki masks. The vampire's lipstick shade I believe was mulberry.



Overall, it was frank and funny and bold, ultimately cheesy, and a even a bit campy. But it was sincere and self-absorbed as first love always is. This film reminds me of that innocent time when I really believed loving someone could mean everything ... secretly, I still partially believe that.

*****

In other news (let's shift from the sincere to the cynical for a moment, shall we?), this is the funniest thing I've read all week:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/god_help_him_but_area_man_loves

My favorite line -

"Maybe it's the way she dumped her nail polish on my pool table when I insulted her sister, or the way she cries every time I eat veal, but damned if I don't adore her crazy ass," Shearer said. "I'll kill her someday, I swear, but that wack-job is going to end up being the mother of my children."

Why does this feel more like an accurate description of real relationships than the star-crossed lovers in the above review? Heh heh.

*****



I saw 42nd St. recently as well (the 1933 film version), and it was spectacular. Ruby Keeler gives a diamond of a performance, and Dick Powell is adorable. I adored this film. It made me long for that more innocent time (a time which has more in common with Twilight's universe than with most films today), when watching people hoof it on a stage and fall in love was enough to temporarily salve the everyday agonies of the Great Depression. It's a resilient, hopeful film with a sharp, winking eye. And it's got one of the best, most classic movie lines ever: "You're going out there a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!!" It doesn't get any better than that ... unless it involves a pair of sparkly cheekbones ;)