Eight years ago, evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter’s wife Helen, also a scientist, went missing without a trace. Now Cutter (Douglas Henshall) and colleague Stephen Hart (James Murray) find that there are anomalies in space and time allowing for prehistoric creatures to come through into our time. And it turns out, Helen might not be dead as believed, but hanging out in different prehistoric times. Cutter and his crew must work each episode to manage new anomalies, and any creatures that may come through them. It’s a little bit like if Buffy’s Hellmouth was mobile and opened onto the Land of the Lost instead of hell.

Sounds a bit silly, right? But it works. I think it’s the tone that makes it work. It plays straight, almost like a standard British police procedural. It doesn’t wink at us at its silliness, like Torchwood does, but gives the anomalies a weight in terms of science. As Cutter says, as he’s trying to explain the magnitude and impact of what is happening to a room full of bureaucrats, they are, “doorways in time – conclusive proof that the past exists.” For anyone who was ever a kid who wondered about dinosaurs, it’s an exciting proposition.

It doesn’t hurt that there is believable chemistry and triangulated interest between several of the characters. The fact that Cutter’s wife may have been avoiding him in prehistory while he pined, twists his interest in the anomalies. The cast is strong and there seems to be set-up for some interesting character arcs. Plus the monsters are awesome. (So far there have been dinosaurs, giant spider/scorpion beasts, ancient crocodiles, and this week’s preview promises dodos.)

If you’re interested in Sci-Fi, or are interested in a different type of show before your favorites come back from summer holiday, check out Primeval on BBC America at 9 pm.

(Cross-posted.)

Brief recap of episode one: Girl from my hometown wins! Go Kelli, go! (Clearly I am already biased, although there are two Columbus residents on the show, Terri lives there too.) Austin Scarlett, from Season One, was the guest host. They had the classic “use unconvential materials” challenge, which Austin won, so long ago. Jerry was booted, though there were several boring outfits (I thought the trash bag designer should have gone). It seemed that everyone used tablecloths. My early conclusion: we’ve got a bunch of duds this season. Dilutions of past “wacky” characters.

An aside about Kelli. She owns a store in Columbus and my mother and PR-crazy aunt went in last Thursday and met her. They think she’s lovely, though mother thinks it’s a shame about all her tats (Richard Cohen would probably agree). She wouldn’t tell them who won, much to my aunt’s sorrow.

Tonight our guest host is Natalie Portman. Facebook tells me the contestants will have to create “eco-friendly” designs. So no fur, I assume. Way to jump on the green train, Bravo. Join us at 9/8 pm in the comments!

Frankly, that last bit, I am not. Posh both frighten and annoys me. Plus I think she has dreadful fashion sense. How did Heidi and the gang get pulled into Posh’s machinations to become a US favorite? My mother wants to know.

I am looking forward to seeing the runway shows. It’s hard to get a real sense of everyone’s full lines from the snippets in the pre-finale show. I think it is interesting that they all seem to be using similar color palettes. From Tim’s visits last ep, it seems like Jillian and Christian’s inspirations were similar as well.

Also, besides all of this fashion fun, I want to thank all of you regulars for commenting with us this season! You’ve turned a season that got off to a slow start a lot more interesting. Thanks from Jennifer and I. See you all in the comments! Any early guesses as to winners? Let us know.

Remember, tune in at 10/9 pm tonight and in the comments below!

Of course this season gives us the extra hiccup for this episode. We get to see if Chris or Rami will make the final three in the running for the big prize. I think that I’m still going to be bored with Rami. I know the final judge is Posh Spice, but I assume it will only be our regular judges giving one of the men the axe. Which do you think will fall? Please join us at 10/9pm!

I couldn’t help but read a short AP article last week about PR during Fashion Week. Fashion Week always puts stars in my eyes and makes me a little lightheaded, so I overcame my pillar of inner strength and read the article, possibilities of spoilage be damned! It didn’t tell me anything, except that VICTORIA BECKHAM is the finals judge. POSH, people. POSH. HAHAHAHA. I cannot wait - my favorite bobbleheaded alien! But I’m getting ahead of ourselves.

As I said above, two people are supposedly getting auf’ed this week. Now, promos lie all the time, and I know that all five showed at Fashion Week (just to keep us guessing). Plus, PR has had more than three finalists in the past, but five seems a little much. My bets are on Chris and Sweet P not making it, though I do love them both. Last minute upsets happen, though. One of the other three could majorly clench up and another Wendy Pepper could make it to the finals!
Join us at 10/9pm!

See you in the comments!

Perhaps I’m just feeling a little drab and cranky since I’ve spent the last two and half hours trying to figure out AutoCAD for a class project. Luckily, tonight should bring some sparkle to my eye as there are sure to be some sequins in store. This week our contestants are sewing prom dresses for some teenaged girls. My prom dress had some beading (tasteful and minor, I swear), but I’m hoping that the “clients” tonight have terrible, over the top taste and are demanding of our sewers. (Think the wedding dress episode the first season with the models as clients.) I hope there are crazy colors and sequins upon sequins!

See you all tonight 10/9pm!

This past book party was in honor of Paula Kamen’s new book Finding Iris Chang: Friendship, Ambition, and the Loss of an Extraordinary Mind, about her exploration of her friendship with Iris and the events that lead up to Iris’s suicide in 2004. I had met Paula at other book parties, and it is always a treat to see her.

I loved the book. To me it was fascinating on several levels. At its base, it’s the story of a long-term friendship and how that changes over time. It shows us how much we don’t know about each other, and also we impact each other, without our knowledge. It’s a look into Iris’s mind, through personal correspondence and interviews with close friends. As Paula says in her introduction, it gives us a glimpse into what it is like to be truly extraordinary. This is a book about a woman who was exceptionally intelligent and driven, and who truly cared for and cheered on those that she loved. The layer about mental illness, though, is the one I have been thinking about all month. The book is about hidden secrets and how those secrets destroyed a life.

Maybe because it’s the holidays and crazy relatives are front and center in my life, but mental illness has been floating back and forth in my mind lately. The one idea hit home the hardest for me in this book was about the mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, which ultimately killed Iris. She was driven in a way I can’t even begin to understand, and achieved heights I never will, but she was also tormented by inner demons that I do not have.

I admire Paula for taking on this subject and seeing the need for more open discussions of mental illness and suicide. She found that psychiatry looks for depression and signs of mental illness that is very biased towards white cultural norms. Asian Americans have to overcome a double set of cultural norms with mental illness – the cultural norm of not discussing what is wrong and of having mental illness manifest or act out in different ways. We need to be more aware of red flags. Paula writes how people dismissed warning signs as Iris being excitable, or because people don’t want to see what is wrong, until it’s too late.

Today Heather Armstrong of Dooce writes about her own struggles of mental illness. I have always admired her frankness towards her own life. She is courageous and I thank her for telling us her story, so that others may tell her own. That’s what I’m taking away from Paula’s book, that we should seek help when we need it, and that needing help will not hurt us. I think embracing ourselves and our faults will make us stronger.

Today also marks the 70th anniversary of the Rape of Nanjing. Iris made her name on telling the world that story. It was probably the hardest book I’ve ever read, but one I was extremely glad to have read. This book makes you wonder if Iris’s suicide was preventable, and it probably was if people had been able to see warning signs. It’s hard to know, though, as hindsight makes it easy to judge the past. Iris has been a symbol for many groups, and I hope that now she can help others seek help.

I encourage you all to read this book. The topic may not sound the sunniest, but it’s an intriguing look at, well, what it’s like to be truly extraordinary. Iris was a fascinating person, and it’s interesting to see how her determination and work ethic got her so far. She believed in making the world better by showing it its faults, and I think her advocacy was vital in opening up the world further. This book also shows us the importance at facing our fears about ourselves and getting help.

For more reading about Paula and Iris, see Salon’s interview with Paula, and Paula’s eulogy for Iris, which in some ways started this entire journey.

This is cross-posted at my blog.

What was more unprecedented for me was the fact that two designers did not truly complete their outfits. Carmen, the one sent packing, couldn’t complete her shirt and sent her model with fabric twisted around his neck, tucked into his pants and (ugly) jacket. The producer’s have teased us in the past with someone not completing the task, but those people usually go on to win that week. I find it rather appalling that someone couldn’t finish. Then again, tonight I’ll be watching by the fire as the drama unfolds, g&t in hand with neither a pin nor spool of thread in sight.

Hope you can join us tonight at 10/9pm for some fashion, fighting and snarky comments. (Unfortunately there won’t be any male models this week.)

This season looks like it’s going to be heavy on the drama, as there seems to be some definite characters here. The contestants are all extremely experienced, as well as being possibly wacko, which saddens me a little bit. I was frustrated last season when Jeffrey won, if only because he already had a working label. I liked the PR of the first season - it was more like the Fashion Olympics - amateurs preferred. I get that the fashion industry is difficult to succeed in, and just because you are working in it does not mean you have the resources or name recognition to hit it big, both things that PR provides. I’m just concerned that contestants like Jay or Austin or even Laura won’t get on or feel qualified to try out.

That all being said, I trust Tim Gunn’s talk in the media about the competition this season being fierce. It better be, because these contestants do have a ton of experience - even the 21 year old. I’m looking forward to seeing what bizarre challenges the producers will cook up and all of the fashion - glorious and hideous - that will be created to meet those challenges.

Join us here at 10/9pm (Eastern/Central) to snark and gush over tonight’s fashion!

(Cruise director’s note: Jennifer and I are going to be switching back and forth on the cruise direction Wednesday nights. We’re going to be blogging beforehand and commenting in the comments from now on - so please join us there, come show time!)

I think, off the bat, the concept is interesting. There are a lot of (potentially juicy) layers to deal with: Crew’s reintegration into society and the force, being back on the other side of law enforcement, new partner relationship, catching up culturally, re-establishing or inventing his identity. And of course, covertly trying to figure out who set him up.

He was in prison for twelve years, and there is a lot of being a detective that involves understanding the culture and community in which you are investigating. I like the details of him figuring out things he missed, like “IMs” and tiny cell phones. Part of this feeds into his poor social interaction. He does not follow social rules of conversation or questioning, which ultimately disarms people and gets results. (See Bobby Goren of L&O: CI.) And while this concept isn’t new (quirky partner with sober partner), at least in the pilot I didn’t mind it. He’s also very reliant on Zen teachings and very into fruit. (I imagine this has to do with prison food for twelve years.)

The partner relationship is fairly standard, with a kooky male with a by the books female partner. While we are told she is the senior of the two, in their interactions, the power dynamic seems flipped. (She is strongly played by Sarah Shahi.) I think that the setup works in the given situation, but it’s a little sad to see yet another Mulder-Scully relationship. I wish the television industry would push the envelope more.

The most intriguing thing to me about Life is its lead, British actor Damien Lewis. He’s a marvelous actor and we’re lucky to have him, I just always find it interesting when Brits find their ways onto American TV. It’s definitely worked for Hugh Laurie, but I always find it a little odd. Maybe I just assume they are too good for the boob tube, but I guess that’s where the money is. Anna Friel, a young, and very good, British actress, is in Pushing Daisies, which starts tonight on ABC.

All in all, I liked the pilot. I like that episodic mysteries will take place over a slowly unfolding plot about the crime for which he was sentenced. I love that Adam Arkin is in it, as his ex-con friend who now manages his money. I think the mutual romantic interest between him and his attorney is interesting, especially since he won’t (for now) act on it. Lots of promising possibilities. Episode two is on tonight at 10pm Eastern on NBC.

The pilot was not terrible, and a tormented vampire makes a great noir character. Angel worked as a private investigator. The pilot, though, really does take a little too much from Joss Whedon’s spin-off. Mick St. John, our tall dark and handsome hero, is fixated on a blond journalist, whom he once saved as a child. Buffy anyone? In this case Beth does not have superpowers, just a nose for a hot story. She is played by Sophia Myles, who I really like, and honestly she was one of the draws for checking out the show. I think it is interesting that in a way she is reprising her Doctor Who role. In both shows, she is drawn to an ageless man from her childhood who saved her from monsters.

The vampires in this world are more integrated in society. Instead of working outside of and against the vampire community, Mick’s best friend is a major player among the vampires. Josef is one of the oldest vampires, and richest. He pressures Mick to try and downplay vampires in the media, to keep their presence unknown to mortals. Jason Dohring plays him, hot off of his role as the tormented Logan Echolls on Veronica Mars. He’s the other reason I tuned in. I needed a fix since VM got canned. So far he was not given much to do, besides to establish him as a vampire of power.

All in all, this is no Joss Whedon, but it has some promise. I think Mick, played by Alex O’Loughlin, is okay. He seems a little boring, a little too monotone. He’s cute, which is to be expected. I continue to like Myles and hope that Dohring is given some scenery to chew, as he does best. I am also curious to see how well the writers keep the noir premise up. I hope they delve a little deeper, to give it a fuller feel.

Moonlight plays on CBS Fridays at 9 Eastern. Did anyone else see it?

Hot, thought the Parisians. The warm air of spring. It was night, they were at war and there was an air raid. The first to hear the hum of the siren were those who couldn’t sleep – the ill and bedridden, the mothers with sons at the front, women crying for the men they loved. To them it began as a long breath, like air being forced into a deep sigh. It wasn’t long before the wailing filled the sky. It came from afar, beyond the horizon, slowly, almost lazily. Those still asleep dreamed of waves breaking over pebbles, a March storm whipping the woods, a herd of cows trampling the ground with their hooves, until finally sleep was shaken off and they struggled to open their eyes, murmuring, “Is it an air raid?”

So begins Suite Francaise by Irène Nemirovksy. Her book has cinematic sweeps, moving from the general psyche to individuals. You can see the broad shot, setting the stage, as the director moves in closely to the main characters. Her gorgeous descriptions and put you in the moment, and you can hear and see the surroundings, smell the flowers in the trees.

It’s another WWII book, this time in France, during the Nazi occupation. It’s cinematic in its scope and description, and absolutely beautiful. Nemirovksy wrote from her experiences in France during the war. Book one is set in Paris, as the Nazis march in and Parisians decide whether or not to make an exodus into the countryside. Book two follows a country town during its occupation, and how the inhabitants and occupiers interact. She captures humanity in its many guises and foibles well.

Her book was supposed to be made of five sections, but she was killed in Auschwitz after only two were completed. Her daughters kept her notebooks without knowing what was in them for fifty years, only to have it published recently.

She wanted five sections, to mirror a symphony’s five movements, to have her stories expand like music. In the extensive, and fascinating, notes section, she quotes E.M. Forster, from Aspects of a Novel:

Music, though it does not employ human beings, though it is governed by intricate laws, nevertheless does off in its final expression a type of beauty which fiction might achieve in its own way. Expansion. That is the idea the novelist must cling to. Not completion. Not rounding off but opening out. When the symphony is over we feel that the notes and tunes composing it have been liberated, and they have found in the rhythm of the whole their individual freedom. Cannot the novel be like that? Is there not something of it in War and Peace?

I love that idea of expansion, intersecting music and literature. Although I don’t think it is limited to those art forms. Nevertheless, I think she accomplishes expansion in her novels. This book is powerful and beautiful and I urge you to put it on your reading list. Make sure to read the notes section as well, as you can read her plans for the remaining books, as well as letters and more information about her life.

Cross-posted.

Kerr’s novels create a wonderful sense of place – in one of the more unlikely places I’ve visited in my travels via literature – Nazi Berlin. The novels are supposed to be extremely well researched, and certainly seem so to me. What is fascinating about the books is the street-level, day-to-day view of National Socialism. The politics and in-fighting within the regime are partially revealed through Bernie’s investigations, with Göring, Heydrich and Müller all making appearances. Life in fractured post-war Berlin and Vienna are also seen through Bernie’s eyes.

Bernie is no Nazi and hates the day-to-day corruption and violence rampant in its system. He’s a good detective with a soft spot for underdogs and people put in unfair positions. He’s not a perfect man, but one a little too good for the times in which he’s found himself. He describes himself as someone who cannot stand idly by any longer in the second book, The Pale Criminal.

“I’m no knight in shining armor. Just a weather-beaten man in a crumpled overcoat on a street corner with only a grey idea of something you might as well go ahead and call morality. Sure, I’m none too scrupulous about the things that might benefit my pocket, and I could no more inspire a bunch of young thugs to do good works than I could stand up and sing a solo in the church choir. But of one thing I was sure. I was through looking at my fingernails when there were thieves in the store.”

Berlin Noir scratched an itch I had for noir. I found it at my favorite indie bookstore, which has the best recommendations and one of the best mystery sections, hands down, the Book Cellar in Chicago. I’m glad I got the three in one, so I didn’t have to let Bernie go too quickly. Kerr has a couple other Bernie Gunther books, and I highly recommend any of these.

I’m happy Extras got some nods (have you seen the Daniel Radcliffe episode it’s nominated for writing? because it’s hilarious). What are the shows/actors you think are missing? Or overrated? Or ridiculous and still on the air and/or receiving nominations?

I do not think the album is really a departure for the band, but at first pass it does sound like a Wilco album from a different time period, say around Being There. After many listens, though, this album does seem like a logical next step for the band.

The album is the first for this latest incarnation of the band to be recorded together, even though they have been touring for a while. The band has gelled nicely and sound great together. I love Nels Cline’s guitar licks on “Impossible Germany” and a couple of other tracks. I am so glad he joined this band, and am happy to finally hear him on disc after listening to him in live shows. The album has an easy feel to it, with the layers of sound settling lightly onto each other.

Sky Blue Sky was a little too relaxed and easy on the first couple of listens. The songs went in and out of my head, leaving me a little unfulfilled and wanted to listen to old Wilco albums to scratch the itch. This is not the first time I have had to listen to one of their albums for a while before I fall under its spell. There are some beautiful songs on the album, like the opener “Either Way” or the titular track. I love “Impossible Germany” and “Leave Me (Like You Found Me)”, though I could do without the loud repetitions that grow on “Shake It Off”. I also think “What Light” might be a good Quaker song with all of its lyrics about inner lights.

I recommend this album, despite the lukewarm press it has been receiving. It’s the perfect morning album and I am looking forward to hearing these songs live next time the band’s in town.

As a child I remember stumbling upon the Doctor occasionally on PBS. (We didn’t have cable and I was (and remain) a bit of a couch potato, so I watched a LOT of PBS.) I always watched Dr. Who with fascination, utterly confused. I knew it was the same program but every time I caught it it’s appearance had wildly changed.

At first I stayed away from the new series of Dr. Who. I would see commercials for it when I watched Battlestar Galactica, but thought it just looked a little silly. The fact that Christopher Eccleston was playing the 9th Doctor was intriguing, but not enough for me to tune in.

This changed when I was at my parents and I caught an episode of the second season with David Tennant this winter. The episode was “The Girl in the Fireplace” and I was completely hooked. I did what I could to catch myself up on what I was missing. (To be perfectly honest, I am currently harboring a huge crush on Tennant.)

The effects on the show remain slightly silly, as do some of the aliens, but that is part of Dr. Who’s charm. The effects are balanced by the great acting by the main characters. There is a balance of seriousness and fun. Billie Piper does such a wonderful job as Rose, the Doctor’s companion. Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to like her. I was put off by the bleached hair and former child pop star-ness of Piper, but I’m glad I was wrong. I’m going to miss her when I finally see the third season.

Both Eccelston and Tennant are marvelous. They give different shadings to the Doctor, but there is a unity between their performances. Plus they play the Doctor as they should. He’s a traveller who is fascinated by, and often gleeful about, the new peoples and places he encounters. He has all of time at his fingertips and he just wants to learn more.

Rose is the Doctor’s most tangible connection to the human race, and he so dearly loves humanity. The Doctor revels in humanity. He loves humans’ curiosity and perseverance, even when both cause major problems for everyone involved. All of the episodes are suffused with with this love and appreciation for humanity’s strength and weaknesses. It’s this love and giddiness that must be how the two actors tie their performances together. Both have wonderfully warm, wide grins.

Remember to check your local PBS listings on when Doctor Who airs and check it out, if you haven’t already.
Cross-posted.

I believe in paying artists for their work, but I do not see how this is going to help artists in the long run. Stifling broadcasts will not help artists get their songs heard. I listen to a lot of internet radio and probably hear about most of the bands I listen to through it. I don’t know if I’d hear about little bands from other states without it. Services like Pandora, whose goal is to expose listeners to new music, have completely expanded the sample of music possible for me listen to, and it is very much threatened by this new ruling. How will small bands get heard? How will buzz spread?

I don’t have the hippest taste in music. I’m not chasing the next it band, but rather I’m looking for some connection to music. I want a better understanding about who the musicians are and what their sound is about. I find this easier find online. And I try and support the internet radio stations I listen to. I subscribe to KCRW out of Santa Monica because I stream their program Morning Becomes Eclectic fairly often. (What will I do without access to Nic Harcourt’s show?) I do this because I understand there are more costs to stream content online and I want to contribute to a community of which I feel a part.

I encourage you to go to Savenetradio.org and sign their petition to try and overturn this ruling. There is also an easy form to send a letter to your representatives in Congress. I’m not sure if it will help, but this is a huge step backwards for technology and the music industry.

From Tim Westergren of Pandora:

Understand that we are fully supportive of paying royalties to the artists whose music we play, and have done so since our inception. As a former touring musician myself, I’m no stranger to the challenges facing working musicians. The issue we have with the recent ruling is that it puts the cost of streaming far out of the range of ANY webcaster’s business potential.

Reg of Reg’s Coffeehouse about the music he plays:

The music I play comes from a place inside me, not from a corporate playlist, not research, nothing calculated, nothing pre-planned. It reflects what’s going on in my life, the world, my community and in my listeners. It is reality radio. No shine, no gloss, just radio by the seat of your pants.

Other sources:
FAQs about the ruling.
Radio and Internet Newsletter by Kurt Hanson of Accuradio.
ARS Technica post about the ruling.
BBC article on Monday’s ruling.
Article about first ruling in March (from Salon).

Cross-posted.

The Host is a Korean monster movie surrounding a family of misfits: a grandfather, two sons, a daughter and a granddaughter. The granddaughter seems to be the only put together one of the lot. Her father is narcoleptic loser who works a food stand by the Hahn River with the grandfather. The other son is a college grad with no job and the daughter is a world class archer who only ever manages bronze. There is a monster that comes out of the river and kills a bunch of people and captures the granddaughter. The misfits fight against many odds to try and rescue her.

People, see this movie. I laughed, I cried, I got really scared. The monster itself was awesome. It’s amphibian and had a prehensile tail, which means it could swing beneath bridges as well as run really fast. The acting is great. The family is hilarious and stop at nothing (truly) to get the daughter back. Running underneath this all is a commentary on American military arrogance that is spot on. What more could you ask for in a monster movie?

Cross-posted.

Instead of trying to cram in some feature lengths, I thought I’d go a quicker route and see all of the live and animated international shorts up for the Oscar this year.

I went to the Music Box Thursday and spent about three hours in the small theatre, with their notoriously uncomfortable seats. I was surprised how many people were there, and it was a responsive crowd, which made it a bit more fun.

First up were the Animated International Shorts. We saw four of the shorts up for the award and five that were shortlisted. They were all very good. Most of them were really funny, with gotchas at the end. One of the shortlisted (The Wraith of Cobble Hill, a claymation piece) was really dark. I found it hard to choose my favorite because the animation styles and content were so different. I think my favorite was the first one I saw, The Danish Poet.

The Danish Poet
This is a sweet and funny little tale about family, inspiration and fate. The animation is very simplistic, but the story is heartwarming. It is very charming.

Maestro
This is one of the “gotcha” shorts, and it is excellently played. It is very short, with very CG 3-D animation. It is about a bird opera singer, or so it seems, getting ready for the performance. The camera swings round and round the bird and room until the performance. It is funny.

The Little Matchgirl
This story is a family favorite, so I have a soft spot for this short. This is a beautiful version, putting the girl in late 1800s Russia, middle of winter and all of the tones are in grays. It has a beautiful score and no dialogue and I was a little teary by the end.

No Time For Nuts
This featured Scrat, of Ice Age fame, bopping around time after his prized acorn. It was very silly and funny, but I thought a couple of the shortlisted films were more interesting than this one and was a little disappointed it was up for the award.

The Live International Shorts are all funny. Well, the Senegalese one is not funny, but it is sweet. I had a hard time choosing favorites again. It is a toss up between the Spanish and Israeli submissions.

The Saviour (Australia)
This is a funny story about a slightly mixed up missionary. I was unclear if he is Mormon or just Mormon-like. He falls for and gets seduced by a woman he’s supposed to convert, only to have her dump him. He tries to figure out why and becomes a little obsessive.

Helmer and Son (Norway)
This is a story about family issues. A son gets called to the nursing home where his father lives because the father has locked himself inside a large wardrobe and won’t come out. It was funny, but not my favorite.

Eramos Pocos (One Too Many — Spain)
This is a very funny tale about a good for nothing husband and son and what they do when desperation sets in after the wife/mother leaves them. When she’s gone they are more concerned with not having food around and the apartment quickly devolves into a sty. They hatch a scheme to get the mother/wife’s mother out of the nursing home and trick her to stay and keep house for them. The mother in law is only too happy to be sprung, but she may not be exactly who she says she is. This is a funny story about symbiotic relationships.

Binta and the Great Idea (Senegal)
It is hard to think of an appropriate adjective for this short, but I think it is adorable. Which is an odd way to describe a movie, but it is narrated by Binta, the cute little girl who writes out a letter her father dictates about how he thinks he can help the world. It’s a story about small things rippling to affect the greater good, and community and joy. It’s about progess without greed.

West Bank Story (Israel)
For the animated shorts, I have no idea who is going to win, but I will be surprised if this hilarious musical send up of musicals and the Arab-Israeli conflict won’t take home the award. This was definitely the crowd favorite, with people howling with laughter. It takes West Side Story and sets it in a border town in Israel, with two rival fast food joints, the Kosher King and the Hummus Hut.

Josh Ritter opened with “Best is for the Best” last night at Park West. Anyone who has read my blog from time to time probably has picked on the fact that I like Josh Ritter. I know I’ve plugged him before and you may think that it’s because he makes me all atwitter or something equally silly. Honestly I go to see him live each time he’s in town because you feel better on your way out than you did on your way in. He’s not just a dreamboat singing love songs. His latest album Animal Years, while playing with Twain-inspired imagery, deals with war and loss, as well as love.

Josh was recently on Talk of the Nation with Thomas Ricks, a Washington Post journalist who was discussing his new book, Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq. For Ricks, who spent a lot of time in Iraq, Josh’s songs have become the soundtrack to the Iraq war. Josh’s songs aren’t political screeds, and he’s discussed how he doesn’t like quid pro quo political songs, but two of his songs, “Girl in the War” and “Thin Blue Flame“, are obvious reactions to Iraq and this administration. “Girl in the War” describes an argument between Peter and Paul.

Peter said to Paul you know all those words we wrote

Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go

But now talking to God is Laurel begging Hardy for a gun

I got a girl in the war man I wonder what it is we done

Sunday he dedicated “Thin Blue Flame” to the men and women serving in Iraq, and those living there as well. I got a single of this song in the mail long before Animal Years came out and I would drive around town listening to it on repeat. It’s a long song and I would hear different verses differently and better as I listened, but the crescendo of drums near the end always moved me. When I finally heard it live, the drummer from the other band joined his band for that moment. The drummer sneaked on stage and I didn’t know he was there until the crashing.

Now the wolves are howling at our door

Singing bout vengeance like it’s the joy of the Lord

Bringing justice to the enemies not the other way round

They’re guilty when killed and they’re killed where they’re found

If what’s loosed on earth will be loosed up on high

It’s a Hell of a Heaven we must go to when we die

Last night was a solo show, so it was just Josh and his guitar for this song. It seemed more personal this way, and his anger was palpable, though he tried to smooth for the end of the song. It’s his anger and honesty and confusion that make this song work.

I don’t want you to think that you get a super heavy show with Josh. That’s not true at all. He charmingly will spin us tales about all sorts of things. Sunday he dedicated his song “Good Man” to Mandy, the British personality of his new GPS system. He also dedicated “You Don’t Make It Easy Babe” to the Clarion Hotel chain, which has odd names for its lounges throughout the country. His favorite being Scenarios in Albany, NY.

He has an earnest yet playful charm coupled with an honesty and thoughtfulness that is hard to duplicate. He had a new suit for this tour. His black suit has been replaced with a white one, which looks too tight from many nights on stage. His hair and beard were bushy and wild, but his smile was there all the same. My friends and I sat above in the balcony, with a bird’s nest view of the stage. As we left, snow was beginning to fall, and one friend’s only complaint about our seat was that we weren’t close enough to get the warmth of his grin.

We didn’t stay to get a hug and a chat with Josh, but I urge you all to see him when he comes next to your town. Check out him live and let me know if you agree with me. And stay and get a hug. They’re the greatest.

Babe we both had dry spells

Hard times in bad lands

I’m a good man for ya

I’m a good man.

[Cross-posted.]

I was disappointed when I got home and realized I missed the first installment of Jane Eyre. For some reason I thought the mini started last night. I have never read any of the Brontë Sisters; somehow they eluded my reading lists growing up. I decided to watch the conclusion anyway, partially because I was primed for a period piece and partially because I had read that Toby Stephens’ Rochester was supposed to be definitive.

I was able to pick up on the main themes, and while I wish I could have seen it entirely to see Jane and Rochester fall for each other, I enjoyed it. There are some extremely silly bits to that story, though. If I had read it at 16, I’m sure I would have swooned at all the appropriate places. I think, though, that soap operas must owe a certain debt to Jane Eyre. As does Daphne du Maurier in Rebecca. While the stories aren’t the same, in both the lovers are set free by fire.

I think my friend was teasing me because he thought I read Jane Austen and the like for the romances. While I do enjoy the Mr. Darcys and Captain Wentworths therein, its the heroines they love that keep me returning to my old favorites. I reread the classics to find mirrors to pieces of my soul or to find ways to improve myself by learning from their mistakes and triumphs.

Cross-posted.

Today is the birthday of Robert Service, the first of two Scottish poets whose birthdays I’ll celebrate this month. Well, I didn’t really celebrate Service’s birthday, but I called my mother to tell her. My Uncle Paul gave my mother and grandfather books on Service this year for Christmas in honor of their spontaneous recitation of “The Cremation of Sam McGee” last Thanksgiving. To be honest, Service was really Canadian, though Scottish-born. The second poet’s birthday, Robert Burns, will truly be celebrated, at another of my parents’ Burns Night Suppers next weekend.

I like the idea of family’s gathering round and reading and reciting poetry together. I suppose, besides the odd bit of Mother Goose with young children, this does not really happen any more. Video killed the radio star, and perhaps poetry star as well. Which is sad, really, because poetry can teach us about our language as well as our humanity, and give us hints to proper posture and confidence when speaking aloud to an audience.

Though I don’t think we’ve lost these recitations entirely. People read aloud to their children, and we listen to music and sing together as well.

Here’s a link I’ve found of Johnny Cash reading “The Cremation of Sam McGee.”

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.