so what the fuss

Barn and clouds.

2011-12-01T09:10:00.000-06:00

Stateline Barn. Just over the border in Wisconsin.

Strawflowers.

2011-10-17T12:08:00.000-05:00

Took Sunday afternoon, 11-16-11. Beautiful day, big clouds. I will add more pics later.

Late in coming, these strawflowers are really taking off.

The winds are coming.

2011-09-30T11:30:00.000-05:00

September 29th, looking northeast. High winds were moving into the area.
(After the fact, it wasn't too bad a wind storm.)

I just got home and caught these passing overhead just before all turned dark and sprinkles started.

From fun

Clouds on Raffle.

2011-09-28T10:06:00.001-05:00

I don't know if it's just me, but there seems to be a lot of good cloud days lately.

I took these Saturday on the way home from work and errands.

In town they looked like a range of white mountains.

I had to get out in the country a bit to really appreciate.

From fun

Eleanor Friedberger, My Mistakes.

2011-09-28T09:35:00.002-05:00

"Like he said it was back in 56..." I like in 2-0-11.

Eleanor Friedberger (born September 2, 1976 in Oak Park, Illinois) is part of the indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces with her brother Matthew Friedberger.

You know i do my best thinking when i'm flying down the bridge.
Humming to myself and kicking up my kicks
..have to... for my life
I hope i won't crush like another summer,
I'm back on the bridge was just a wooden half,
Like he said it was back in 56.

I thought i'd learnt from my mistakes,
I thought he'd learnt from my mistakes,
I thought you'd give me the right advice,
I thought he let me in for one last time.

Sun down drive way.

2011-08-24T13:11:00.001-05:00

Beautiful sunset Monday the 22nd.

From fun

Lily bunch.

2011-07-28T10:23:00.001-05:00

Amy's gift to me a couple years ago. Gets better each year.

Storm day 2011-07-11

2011-07-14T22:07:00.002-05:00

Monday morning the 11th of July , 2011, we had a derecho pass through Northern Illinois.

We didn't get it as bad as neighboring towns - 800,000 people affected. Scores of trees and power lines down.

As of Friday there were still a few people without power. I was lucky to only be without power Monday.

This was taken Monday evening. The storm was long gone but after a sunny and pleasant afternoon and evening, the eeire looking clouds followed. Plenty of time to take pics since with no power there wasn't much to do inside.

Bent farm.

2011-06-23T09:39:00.001-05:00

Bent farm., a photo by sowhatthefuss on Flickr.

Local farm. Taken with 3 shot exposure bracket. (That saved me, otherwise single shot would have been too dark.)

Emma. Life imitates art.

2011-06-22T11:32:00.007-05:00

Emma drawing with chalk reminded me of Caillebotte's Floor Scrapers...

Emma., a photo by sowhatthefuss on Flickr.

From so what the fuss

Snow sculptures.

2011-02-06T16:44:00.001-06:00

Code Unknown.

2010-11-23T13:09:00.000-06:00

Code Unknown (Code inconnu: Récit incomplet de divers voyages)

Wiki:
Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys (Code inconnu: Récit incomplet de divers voyages) is a 2000 film directed by Michael Haneke. Most of the story occurs in Paris, France, where the fates of several characters intersect and connect. Cinematically, the film is composed of unedited long takes filmed in real time, cut only when the perspective within a scene changes from one character's to another in mid-action.

The first street scene lasting nine minutes (reminding me of the long takes in the movie Children of Men) introduces four of the main characters. As things develop in the scene I was drawn in to it’s realism. It was more like watching real life taped with a video camera than a movie scene.

As in most Michael Haneke movies, the main characters are named Anne and Georges. The star of this movie is Juliette Binoche who plays Anne. (She is also an Anne in Heneke’s 2005 movie Cache.)

Code Unknown, like Cache, left me confused at the end though with both of them I enjoyed the ride.

Cutting room floor.

2010-11-10T15:41:00.002-06:00

A couple more pictures I took for Art of the Land photo contest.

I just went back to look at them all again and liked these two:

Here is a link to the photo entries: HERE (takes you to video of link.)

Fall Night and Dark Pets.

2010-11-08T13:32:00.032-06:00

Dark Night and Fall Pets would work too.

Saturday night Clint and Chad stopped
by for a visit. Holly too (a little later).

Drinks in the driveway with
a fire keeping the chill off. Nice night.

Thanks Clint for bringing beer.
Thanks Chad for only bringing
lemonade for your mixed drinks.
Bastard.

I later took this picture of
Cubbie (the lab) and Teddy (the cat).

Cubbie never likes looking at the camera
(thinking it might steal his soul?)

Teddy never photographs well
because he's so black.

I set the camera to b/w mode and
used the flash - since it was pretty dark.

I like it overall except for the leaves.

With the black and grays,
they almost look like layers of burnt ashes.

An illuminating fall.

2010-11-04T12:14:00.000-05:00

I usually associate fall with bright autumn colors and shorter days.

This should brighten (and lighten) things up;

Moon flower pods and Chinese lanterns.

Straight from the garden.

I picked as I was cleaning up brush so I could find and dig up my dahlia bulbs.

As much as I try to keep order, by end of summer my dahlias are entwined with moon flowers,
morning glories, and new this year, thunbergia vines.

Save the rows.

2010-11-02T09:00:00.006-05:00

High winds through the midwest blows.

Corns ready for harvest. Save the rows.

We had really strong winds on Tues and Wed, October 26-27, 2010.
I took this on the edge of town just after work.
Can't see the wind and the clouds were more ominous the day before (26th) but I like the low light and winding country road.

Faeries.

2010-09-08T13:23:00.003-05:00

"Every time a child says, 'I don't believe in Fairies,'
there is a Fairy somewhere that falls down dead."
~ Peter Pan

Signs.

2010-08-20T09:00:00.007-05:00

Theme is signs. First thing I thought of was M. Night Shyamalans' movie, Signs; well filmed with a quaint farm and it's occupants surrounded but not protected by a corn field. Great looking farm. I would rate the movie supernatural lite. Loved the visuals.

Back when Mel was only an actor,

And Phoenix not yet a rapper,

a Culkin, not Macaulay,

played an asthmatic son.

It was Bo the daughter,

who turns out at the end,

had left clues all over,

and who would have guessed,

They looked quite invincible

but that wasn't the case,

turns out the alien's weakness

was something home based:

WATER...

(I love the baseball reference. Ha, you had to watch it to understand.)

Taken tonight, edge of backyard. Cornfield.

From Butterflies 07-11-10.

From 2010-07-30corn-etc

Pronounally vague.

2010-07-29T13:22:00.011-05:00

I love Sundays in the summer. The light is great for reading. (I hardly need my reading glasses in the bright sun.)

I like to have NPR on in the background, a cold drink on a table beside my lawn chair, and my feet propped up on the picnic table. Heaven.

I'm currently reading Stephen King's Under the Dome. Quite a long book with countless characters and plot lines. There is a descriptive map and who's who list at the beginning of the book. I find myself going back to look things or people up.

I read at a leisurely pace, taking time out for cool off breaks with the hose or frig (drink refills).

Last Sunday I ran across a curious phrase that interested me enough to make note of the page number. It was 719.

(I have a pretty good memory so I do things like that for later reference.)

Page 719

Jackie: …if he came across Jim Rennie flaming in the street, he wouldn’t piss on him to put him out.
...

Piper: "Pronounally vague but otherwise colorful."

(I take it to mean Jackie's he's and him's could have been better chosen and used more sparingly. The sentence was confusing but made sense. )

Anyway, a couple days later I was thinking about the book and googled "Under the Dome 719".

I was surprised to see this came up: LINK HERE

Pronounally ambiguous was the subject and the bits of dialogue that I thought interesting were being discussed by a few people (obviously Stephen King fans.)

Made me feel good I noticed the strangeness of the phrase and wasn't alone in doing it.

Mudding on the 4th weekend.

2010-07-08T15:21:00.011-05:00

4th of July 2010 (actually Saturday July 3rd.)
Party at Clint and Jenni's.

Lots of good music, drink, and later fireworks.
A common theme all through the day was the 4-wheeling mudding in the adjoining flooded field.

Above is Clint in his Toyota.
There were a lot of people walking around with muddy arms and / or legs by the end of the night.

Clint above taking a break.

Above: Some friends of Clint took what I thought to be an almost stock Jeep through the mud.

Made it.

Clint and Matt taking laps around the pond.

Later that night they had an almost surreal look because all you could make out were the headlight(s) moving slowly through the darkness.

(Reminded me a bit of Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid where they couldn't shake their trackers - they could see them in the distance carrying torches).

HERE is a link to Marseilles, Illinois for the off-road track they visit many times a year.

In the dark.

Uprooted.

2010-06-16T14:52:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday I was gardening and accidentally pulled up these buttercups. I felt sorry for them, so I put them in water and took some pictures. It was rainy out - these are real raindrops, not hose water.

Wet.

I like the enamel like texture of the flowers but just below they look more crepe paperish.

Below you can see the enamel like texture of the flowers

Way-Back Road.

2010-06-11T13:52:00.007-05:00

Way Back Road

filled with turns and

lasting memories.

During school years

I rode our school bus

under this bridge...

...spanning the

border of states

Illinois and Wisconsin.

It looks no older.

It looks no worse.

Like it's been cast

a timeless curse.

Rakehell.

2010-05-27T15:57:00.004-05:00

An old term, some pictures, and dark little story told in song. They go well together.

Rakehell:

A rake, short for rakehell, is a historic term applied to a man who is habituated to immoral conduct, frequently a heartless womaniser. Often a rake was a man who wasted his (usually inherited) fortune on gambing, wine, women and song, incurring lavish debts in the process. The rake was also frequently a man who seduced a young woman and impregnated her before leaving, often to her social or financial ruin.

I had entered into a marriage
In the summer of my twenty-first year
And the bells rang for our wedding
Only now do I remember it clear
Alright, alright, alright

No more a rake and no more a bachelor
I was wedded and it whetted my thirst
Until her womb started spilling out babies
Only then did I reckon my curse
Alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright, alright

First came Isaiah with his crinkled little fingers
Then came Charlotte and that wretched girl Dawn
Ugly Myfanwy died on delivery
Mercifully taking her mother along
Alright, alright, alright

What can one do when one is a widower
Shamefully saddled with three little pests?
All that I wanted was the freedom of a new life
So my burden I began to divest
Alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright, alright

Charlotte I buried after feeding her foxglove
Dawn was easy, she was drowned in the bath
Isaiah fought but was easily bested
Burned his body for incurring my wrath
Alright, alright, alright

And that's how I came your humble narrator
To be living so easy and free
Expect that you think that I should be haunted
But it never really bothers me
Alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright, alright

An old rake with no (off the?) handle.

Three tines stuck violently into stump.

Two jail like bars, one horseshoe = three.

Things seen in a bigger perspective. Three of them.

Some misc pictures I took by my wood pile.

Made me think of The Decemberists. And this song.

Old things and many sets of three in the subjects.

I've posted this song before but it worked well with the photos.

Backyard Lattice Fire.

2010-05-20T11:28:00.005-05:00

Actually the fire was in our driveway

but I like the similarity to the band name

Backyard Tire Fire.

Not many videos on youtube yet; really good, raw, bluesy sound.

A couple shots of spare lattice burning

and one really good,

but really dark picture of Amy and Shanda.

From 2010-05-15-driveway-fire

Letters from the sky.

2010-05-05T15:04:00.002-05:00

Remember the spring mini-series from last year? Harper's Island? If not see link below:

so what the fuss: Harper's to Disco Pigs.

(Katie Cassidy from show, mentioned above blog, David Cassidy's daughter, is just now premiering in the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street by the way. And, glad I went back to this old post - I still haven't seen Disco Pigs yet. Ha. Adding to my Netflix queue.!!!!)

This song by Civil Twilight is from Harper Island's soundtrack. Letters from the sky.

I'm starting to hear it more on the radio, it's growing on me. Kind of a Cold Play influence. Muse was mentioned too. I agree.

By the way, this year's version of Harper's Island seems to be Happy Town. I've seen one episode so far. Not unwatcheable. Sheriff reminds me of Stacey Keach. Stephen King influence as most other mystery, supernatural genre summer replacement tv shows are.

Backyard (tire) fire.

2010-05-04T13:48:00.018-05:00

Last Sunday I was out in the backyard (for the first time this year) getting the garden ready for planting.
One spot (and adjoining rocks) is always overrun with small little (fire?) ants.
They swarm up your hands and arms, annoying and sometimes biting while you weed around them.
Later, playing around with the camera, I took a close picture (with lens), closer (with more lens), and a closest (macro).
I don't have a DSLR so it's pretty hard to keep the focus right on. I thought they came out pretty well.
Anyway, fire ants (maybe they are?) in the backyard brought to mind a somewhat local band that's been getting alot of radio play lately,

Backyard Tire Fire: Roadsong #39...

Close.

Closer.

Closest.

Wiki:
Backyard Tire Fire is an American trio that formed in Asheville, NC in 2001. The band began in the fall of that year with founding members Ed Anderson (vocals, guitars, keyboards) and Tim Kramp (drums, percussion). After encountering several line-up changes, the Tire Fire moved from Asheville to Athens, Georgia in 2002. They (along with then-bass player Warren Hawk) released their first album Live at the Georgia Theatre later that year.

After the release of their debut album, Backyard Tire Fire relocated once again to Bloomington, Illinois and added Anderson's brother Matt (bass, vocals) into the mix. The Anderson brothers had originally grown up in St. Charles, IL, Tim Kramp in Bloomington, IL and Ed Anderson received his masters in Interpersonal Communication from Illinois State University (located in Normal, IL, Bloomington's sister town).

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

2010-04-29T14:44:00.001-05:00

The song is called HOME, it should make you smile.

[Her:]
Alabama, Arkansas,
I do love my ma and pa,
Not the way that I do love you.

[Him:]
Holy, Moley, me, oh my,
You're the apple of my eye,
Girl I've never loved one like you.

[Her:]
Man oh man you're my best friend,
I scream it to the nothingness,
There ain't nothing that I need.

[Him:]
Well, hot and heavy, pumpkin pie,
Chocolate candy, Jesus Christ,
Ain't nothing please me more than you.

[Both:]
Ahh Home. Let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

La, la, la, la, take me home.
Mother, I'm coming home.

[Him:]
I'll follow you into the park,
Through the jungle through the dark,
Girl I never loved one like you.

[Her:]
Moats and boats and waterfalls,
Alley-ways and pay phone calls,
I've been everywhere with you.

[Him:]
We laugh until we think we'll die,
Barefoot on a summer night
Nothin' new is sweeter than with you

[Her:]
And in the streets you run afree,
Like it's only you and me,
Geeze, you're something to see.

[Both:]
Ahh Home. Let me go home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

La, la, la, la, take me home.
Daddy, I'm coming home.

(Talking)
Him: Jade
Her: Alexander
Him: Do you remember that day you fell outta my window?
Her: I sure do, you came jumping out after me.
Him: Well, you fell on the concrete, nearly broke your ass, you were bleeding all over the place and I rushed you out to the hospital, you remember that?
Her: Yes I do.
Him: Well there's something I never told you about that night.
Her: What didn't you tell me?
Him: While you were sitting in the backseat smoking a cigarette you thought was gonna be your last, I was falling deep, deeply in love with you, and I never told you til just now.

[Both:]
Ahh Home. Let me go home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is where I'm alone with you.

[Him:]
Home. Let me come home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

[Her:]
Ahh home. Yes I am ho-oh-ome.
Home is when I'm alone with you.

[Her:]
Alabama, Arkansas,
I do love my ma and pa...
Moats and boats and waterfalls,
Alley-ways and pay phone calls...

[Both:]
Ahh Home. Let me go home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is where I'm alone with you...

Sound logic.

2010-03-25T10:50:00.009-05:00

My house reflected in a driveway mud puddle.

Here are some thoughts to accompany it:

If I lived in the house in the puddle,

would sounds be distorted or muddled?

Hearing verse, would it be reversed?

POP staying POP but ON becomes NO.

Sound from above, I’d hear below?

These are just some reflections in H20.

(Jack Handey inspired)

De Colores: Circle of Round.

2010-03-10T14:03:00.007-06:00

Once, long ago there was a group of cursillistas (those who've just attended a Cursillo weekend) in Spain riding home on a bus, singing and rejoicing, when the weather turned....a frightening storm with lightning and thunder had them huddling together in the bus on the side of the road, and even halted their singing. But when the storm was over, the clouds parted and the sun peeked through.

As the tension lessened, one cursillista looked out the window at the farm they had parked in front of; and there saw a rooster, resplendent in colour in the sparkling aftermath of the storm.

Singing and shouting 'De Colores!' the cursillistas began to rejoice again, writing a 70-verse song of praise and rejoicing in the shining colors of a little rooster!

Hence, the greeting, De Colores.

I'd like to think this carousel horse would flourish in the colorful world mentioned above.

Horses of a different color HODC benefited the Main Stay Therapeutic Riding Program, Inc, in cooperation with the city of Woodstock, Illinois.

This one was called Circle of Round by Nancy L. Steinmeyer of Bull Valley, IL.
I included thumbnails below for a better perspective.

Ugly Sweaters.

2009-12-22T12:23:00.005-06:00

Quick shot before Ugly Sweater pub crawling and Ugly Sweater Party.

Personally I didn't think they were all that bad looking.

If I had run across one on sale, I might have bought it.

(Note Angie's holiday socks pulled over her boots.)

1901.

2009-10-14T14:49:00.002-05:00

Phoenix (from WIKI): Phoenix is a French alternative rock band started during their childhood by Thomas Mars, Deck D'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz in the suburb of Versailles, in the same culture that produced late-'90s bands such as Air and Daft Punk.

1901:

Counting all different ideas drifting away
Past and present -- they don't matter.
Now the future's sorted out
Watch, you're moving in elliptical pattern
Think it's not what you say
What you say is way too complicated
For a minute thought I couldn't tell how to fall out.

It's 20 seconds 'til the last call, going "hey hey hey hey hey hey"
Lie down, you know it's easy like we did it all summer long
And I'll be anything you ask and more, going "hey hey hey hey hey hey"
It's not a miracle we needed, and no I wouldn't let you think so
Falling, falling, falling, falling

Comfort wins.

2009-10-02T13:31:00.002-05:00

Catnap or catnip?

Bob chose doze.

From Amy's pets.

Bob (the cat) taking a nap in our window,

obviously confident of that piece of wood propping it up.

Trusting, rain or shine.

2009-09-17T09:14:00.017-05:00

I was watering the impatiens hanging on the porch last night.

I liked how the sun's rays struck the spray from the hose so I took a couple quick pictures (one hand hose, the other one pointing and shooting.)

The impatiens are really flourishing this summer - I assume because it's been cooler than usual.

The hanging basket is almost hidden with blooms and vines from the adjacent cardinal climber.

While all this is happening, Rama just walks around my feet, confident I won't spray him. He's so trusting. Now if it was Hans, the neighbor's noisy weiner dog I might give it another thought...

Carousel Horse: Achilles.

2009-09-09T10:32:00.019-05:00

One of the many Carousel Horses that decorated the streets of Woodstock Illinois the Summer of 2009.

This is Achilles by Kendall Oliver, Woodstock Illinois.

Being true to form, I waited to the last minute to take pictures of the various Carousel Horses around town.

I took most of the pictures on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and the rest on Labor day afternoon.

Achilles caught my eye with really rich colors and simplicity of design.

He was located just off the east entrance to the park part of the city square.

From Carousel Horses

Artist: Kendall Oliver, Woodstock Illinois. His words:

Achilles the Trojan Horse: My goal isn’t to make a carousel horse replica of the Trojan Horse, but to create a work of art that represents not only the Trojan Horse itself, but also the mythology surrounding it in the epic poems written by Homer (The Iliad) and Virgil (The Aeneid). The gold and silver symbolize the power this mythology holds, even today. The designs on the saddle mimic black-figure pottery, which was frequently used by the ancient Greeks as a means of story telling on artifacts, such as bowls and vases.

Horses of a Different Color, main reference, HERE

"Horses of a Different Color"
Woodstock, Illinois - Summer 2009

A city-wide outdoor exhibition of painted fiberglass carousel horses measuring 5’ x 5’ is being sponsored by Main Stay Therapeutic Riding Program, Inc., in cooperation with the City of Woodstock, Illinois. The purpose of this show is to raise both funds and awareness for the Main Stay program.

For more than twenty years Main Stay Therapeutic Riding Program has offered equine related therapies that have helped people with physical, developmental, social and emotional disabilities.

Dog's day.

2009-09-01T14:54:00.011-05:00

Sunday was a beautiful day; when the sun was out.

When it went behind the clouds my decision to wear cutoffs came to question.

Anyway, I was in the middle of a good book, taking in some sun, sipping a cocktail when my sister stopped by with her English Springer Spaniel, Rosie. It was time for a break.

Along with Rosie, my brother - in - law's two dogs, Tessie and Bubba came over too. Add our dog Cubbie and it was quite a get together. I'm glad they all get along.

Below Tessis and Rosie are waiting for Markie to hit the ball which they will then in turn chase down and return.

Rosie is really well mannered. The leash was only because she was unfamiliar with the area.

Rosie, Tessie, and Bubba taking a break.

Tessie and Rosie chasing, Bubba resting.

Cubbie with his head in my wild flowers, Tessie has the ball, Rosie just running. If figures... I snapped a bunch of pictures and the one I ended up liking the most is the blurriest. (I took it from the far end of the yard, in the bright sun - which prevented me from seeing what setting the camera had. I should be happy it came out this well.)

Cubbie got this one.

Mykonos.

2009-08-25T09:40:00.004-05:00

Fleet Foxes. I posted one of their songs last October.

They were at Lollalooza a couple weeks ago. I was thinking they might have been a bit too mellow for the venue but they drew a good sized crowd (in the rain and mud).

Mykonos has a retro sound that reminds me a bit of Crosby, Stills, Nash,(and Young). Also Neil Young (on his own) and Buffalo Springfield.

And you will go to Mykonos
With a vision of a gentle coast
And a sun to maybe dissipate
Shadows of the mess you made

How did any holes in the snow tipped pines, I find
Hatching from the seed of your thin mind, all night?

And you will go to Mykonos
With a vision of a gentle coast
And a sun to maybe dissipate
Shadows of the mess you made

Brother you don't need to turn me away
I was waiting down at the ancient gate

You go
Wherever you go today
You go today

I remember how they took you down
As the winter turned the meadow brown

You go
Wherever you go today
You go today

When I'm walking brother don't you forget
It ain't often you'll ever find a friend

You go
Wherever you go today
You go today

Walking on water.

2009-08-21T14:34:00.008-05:00

Robert Frost's The Onset

(about season change) really fit this photo. I took this on an unseasonably warm spring day in April. The snow had just melted and the walkway was flooded. The temperature was almost 70. (It would snow again in a week) This is a local conservation area with many trails; some through woods, and some through the marsh as in this one.

In this picture: Clint and Jenni and a dog they were fostering at the time.

Excerpt of The Onset by Robert Frost

(complete poem at the bottom):

And I shall see the snow all go down hill
In water of a slender April rill
That flashes tail through last year's withered brake
And dead weeds, like a disappearing snake.
Nothing will be left white but here a birch,
And there a clump of houses with a church.

The Onset by Robert Frost

Always the same, when on a fated night
At last the gathered snow lets down as white
As may be in dark woods, and with a song
It shall not make again all winter long
Of hissing on the yet uncovered ground,
I almost stumble looking up and round,
As one who overtaken by the end
Gives up his errand, and lets death descend
Upon him where he is, with nothing done
To evil, no important triumph won,
More than if life had never been begun.

Yet all the precedent is on my side:
I know that winter death has never tried
The earth but it has failed: the snow may heap
In long storms an undrifted four feet deep
As measured again maple, birch, and oak,
It cannot check the peeper's silver croak;
And I shall see the snow all go down hill
In water of a slender April rill
That flashes tail through last year's withered brake
And dead weeds, like a disappearing snake.
Nothing will be left white but here a birch,
And there a clump of houses with a church.

The Unborn.

2009-08-17T14:15:00.004-05:00

The Unborn is a supernatural thriller that draws upon the legend of a dybbuk, a malevolent spirit that refuses to leave the human world and inhabits the body of a person...

An evil child with bright blue eyes (and nasty teeth and dark rings around his eyes), nazi experiments, the Holocaust, twins, a dead twin, an exorcism, different colored iris', mirrors, possessed neighbor kid, a creepy bull dog with a creepier mask, and filmed in Chicago.

All of this and only 12% at Rotten Tomato? Actually that's about right.

It was good rainy afternoon fare with a couple scary parts but nothing that stood out. Here are the characters and other movies I'd rather see them in.

Odette Yustman, see her in Cloverfield:

Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman) is the main character. She is bothered by nightmares and visions of an evil spirt.

Her mom (for just seconds on the screen) is Janet Beldon (Carla Gugino).

Carla Gugino, see her in Karen Sisco, The Lookout, Watchmen:

Jane Alexander as Sofi Kozma, survivor of the Holocaust, is her previously unknown grandmother with many secrets to tell.

Jane Alexander, see her in The Ring:

Jane Alexander (younger), see her older movies Kramer vs Kramer, Brubaker, All the President's Men:

Meagan Good is her friend Romy.

Meagan Good, see her in Brick, Stomp the Yard:

Gary Oldman plays Rabbi Sendak who can perform a Jewish exorcism to remove the dybbuk.

Gary Oldman, see him as Sirius Black in Harry Potter movies, the movie Leon (also know as The Professional), Lost in Space:

Trailer:

The Silversun Pickups, Panic Switch.

2009-07-31T13:11:00.003-05:00

The chorus got me. Catchy, to me it sounds vaguely familiar but I can't place it:

I'm waiting and fading and floating away
I'm waiting and fading and floating away
I'm waiting and fading and floating away
I'm waiting and fading and floating ...

I'm waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading and flailing and fading

I've heard this a couple times now, liking it more each time. Their sound reminds me of the early 90's, back in the day of the Breeders, The Pixies, Belly, Julianna Hatfield, etc.

Anway, from Wiki:

Silversun Pickups is an American indie rock band from Los Angeles, California, comprising Brian Aubert (lead vocals, guitar), Nikki Monninger (bass, vocals), Christopher Guanlao (drums) and Joe Lester (keyboards).

The band's sound, often encompassing multiple overdubs of distorted guitars, is frequently compared to that of The Smashing Pumpkins, while the band members have said they are heavily influenced by artists such as My Bloody Valentine, the Velvet Underground, Elliott Smith, Sonic Youth, Sweet, Modest Mouse, and Secret Machines as well as numerous other artists with lesser publicity.

Panic Switch:

The Tracey Fragments.

2009-07-30T08:53:00.003-05:00

This really is The Tracey Fragments. Pieces of movie all at once.

The whole film consists of multiple windows popping open carrying the scenes and story. Sometimes it's very inventive and eye catching. More times it's annoying and hard to follow. Fortunately the movie is only 77 minutes long.

I like Ellen Page, seeing her in Hard Candy and Juno. She's that cool 15 year old that I wished I had hung around with when I was that age (though my parents would have killed me). Kind of a young Zoey Deschannel but a better actress.

Rotten gives the movie a terrible 38%. I didn't think it was that bad.

I'm glad I watched it, at least for Ellen's performance, the special effects that worked, the strange and almost funny plot, and for the indy soundtrack.

---------- Below is the trailer and referenced notes from epinions.com

Ellen Page (Tracy Berkowitz)

Maxwell McCabe Lokos (Lance)

Ari Cohen (Misses Berkowitz)

Eric McMurty (Mister Berkowitz)

Slim Twig (Billy Zero)

Zie Souwand (Sunny Berkowitz)

Directed By Bruce Mcdonald. Written By Maureen Medved. Screenplay by Maureen Medved, based upon her novel "The Tracy Fragments."

Plot: Tracy Berkowitz (Ellen Page) is a social outcast whose life takes a rather strange and unexpected turn when she hypnotizes her little brother Sunny (Zie Souwand) and he disappears. The disappearance of Sunny further strains her relationship with her parents, Mister and Misses Berkowitz (Ari Cohen and Eric McMurty.) Tracy, wracked with guilty, and dying to relieve some of the heat coming down on her courtesy of her parents, sets out to find Sunny.
(source: http://www.epinions.com/content_457542635140 )

Song, Summer 2009.

2009-07-28T14:41:00.002-05:00

Its still early but so far this is my favorite song for the Summer of 2009. (The one song that reminds you of that summer more than any other. One that seems to be on all the time but you don't mind.)

It doesn't have to be a big hit but doesn't hurt if it is.

It might be a group I saw live or maybe just a song that got alot of airplay.

I like Zero because of the lyrics and the touch of Siouxie Sioux in the vocals. (Of course it didn't hurt that Clint also likes this and we played it liberally at his house over the 4th of July.)

Zero by the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.

Shake it like a ladder to the sun
Makes me feel like a madman on the run
Find me, never, never far gone
So get your leather, leather, leather on, on, on, on

Runner up this summer would be Franz Ferdinand channeling Jim Morrison with

No you girls.

Ten years ago, for me it was Good Thing by The Fine Young Cannibals.

In 2006 (covered by many groups at Lollapalooza) it was Crazy, Gnarles Barkley.

Can't forget Lily Allen with Smile either in 2006.

2007 brought me favorites North American Scum and Ruby by LCD SoundSystem and Kaiser Chiefs respectively.

Last year, 2008, I'd have to say it was I will Possess Your Heart by Death Cab for Cutie.

Carousel Horse: Puzzle Horse.

2009-07-24T14:30:00.012-05:00

Carousel Horse, 1 of 27 in Woodstock Illinois that I will post here.

I live in a neighboring town and work in Woodstock.

I see these horses every day from the road but never realized how detailed and interesting they are.

Before they are sold in September, I plan on taking pictures of all of them.

Below is a link to Horses of Different Colors that describes each entry.

Puzzle Horse by Nancy L. Steinmeyer Bull Valley, IL.

From 2009-07-23wdst

Horses of a Different Color, main reference, HERE

Layla Jean.

2009-07-23T11:53:00.008-05:00

Last night I got a call.

No, make that a text...

From 2009-07-22-09Layla

Clint was very excited but a bit premature.

Not until many, many, long, hard,

hours later was Layla Jean born.

She's 8 lbs 6 oz, 20 inches.

Congrats Clint and Jenni.

From 2009-07-22-09Layla

The lack of sleep is certainly showing,

with Jenni getting even less the last couple days.

From 2009-07-22-09Layla

Clint and Jenni a few weeks ago at their baby shower.

Bell X1.

2009-07-16T09:28:00.006-05:00

Bell X1 are an Irish rock band from County Kildare in Ireland.

They have thus far released four critically-acclaimed albums in Ireland, and in recent years have gained success in the United States, where their music has been used on popular television shows such as The O.C. and Grey's Anatomy.

Listening to this song on the radio; The Great Defector, I assumed it was the Talking Heads until I heard otherwise. Had me fooled, totally.

Show: Late Show with David Letterman (1993)

• Julia Roberts, Bell X1
16x108: (Mar/17/2009)
As
Themselves

• Rainn Wilson, Mike Golic & Mike Greenberg, Bell X1
15x83: (Mar/17/2008)
As
Themselves
Show: The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005)

• Jackie Chan, Bell X1
04x67: (Apr/16/2008)
As
Themselves

• Thandie Newton, Dom Irrera, Bell X1
04x53: (Mar/25/2008)
As
Themselves
Show: Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993)

• Tom Brokaw, Anthony Jeselnik, Bell X1
15x39: (Jan/15/2008)
As
Themselves

Harper's to Disco Pigs.

2009-07-15T09:02:00.020-05:00

More times than not, I watched episodes of the summer series, Harper's Island. It was a bloody, not very realistic or logical, mystery event made to kill off some of that little watched summer scheduling for CBS.

Anyway, it was fun in a way; a wedding is planned on an island, with the wedding party staying a week. The problem is a killer(s) is loose and killing off people one by one. (Similiar plot to a much better Agatha Christie 10 Little Indians.)

The final was on last Saturday and while home watching it, I still missed the last few minutes of it. (Most of the mystery was already explained). Just to make sure I didn't miss any final last twist, I went to a review site a day later to read how it ended. No surprises.

I did notice two of the actors had the same last names so I looked them up. (I like trivia).

One was Katie Cassidy (blonde below). She looked very familiar. Father is David Cassidy (good trivia) and she has appeared a number of times on Supernatural (TV show on the CW).

The other Cassidy was Elaine. I never had seen her before but she had a character look that would fit really well on a Stephen King mini-series. She's Irish and has been in a few movies, including The Truth, Felicia's Journey (Bob Hoskins), and Disco Pigs. I think the middle one was rated the best but I was drawn to Disco Pigs, if not just for the title. It was adapted from a 1996 play of the same name.

(I'd watch any of them if I see them come up on cable. Lesser seen, more interesting to me. Sometimes you find a gem. Usually not. Ha.)

Disco Pigs:

From Fixster:

Pig and Runt - born on the same day, in the same hospital, moments apart.

Twins, all but by blood. Inseparable from birth, they are almost telepathic.

They are also partners in crime, with an appetite for recklessness, exploration and destruction.

But days before their 17th birthday the perfect balance of their world begins to shift.

Pig's sexual awakening and increasing jealousy begins to threaten the private universe they have spent their lives constructing.

Unable to contemplate the loss of Runt, Pig's unpredictable nature spirals out of control in a trail of violence.

The invisible thread between them is stretched to breaking point, the inseparable are about to separate, and which one will survive depends on which one can break free.

Missing rocket.

2009-07-14T16:20:00.003-05:00

Almost reminds me of a joke,

"is that an 8 foot rocket or are you just happy to see me?"

Ha. Anyway,...

funny little article.

I really enjoyed his diagram of the crime and reward.

8 foot rocket stolen, LINK

Ain't no and Ain't no.

2009-07-09T10:11:00.004-05:00

I think these two songs compliment each other with their energy and style. Ain't I right?

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC for short) is an American alternative rock band from San Francisco, California, now based in Los Angeles.

"Ain't No Easy Way" was on the soundtrack of the movie The Guardian and season 1,

episode 15 of My Name is Earl, called "Something to Live For".

It's easy to fall in love
When you fall in love you know you're done
you got easy eyes to hunt
when the world above needs your blood
and the cold vain to the richest man
They're paid away to steal our hand
There ain't no easy way no there ain't no easy way out
There ain't no easy way no there ain't no easy way out
There ain't no easy way no there ain't no easy way out

Cage the Elephant is an American rock band from Bowling Green,

Kentucky where they were originally known as "Perfect Confusion."

Their single "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked" reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Money don't grow on trees.
I got bills to pay,
I got mouths to feed,
There ain't nothing in this world for free.
I know I can't slow down,
I can't hold back,
Though you know, I wish I could.
No there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Until we close our eyes for good".

Lantern

2009-07-01T22:40:00.010-05:00

These are lantern flowers from last fall's garden.

This was taken on my cribbage board and turned to b/w.

Come on what's-your-name
I've got a good game
I've got a story
Hope you like 'em gory
And it's much too late for bed
Come on tiger why so tired
I've got good game plus i'll let you win again
And it's much too late for bed
So shi-shine on me
Shi-shine on me
I crave your company
And fall in the dark so be my lantern
Never have i seen that face on one so young
So shi-shine on me
Shi-shine on me
I crave your company
And fall in the dark so by my lantern
Be my lantern

Tanya Donelly Lantern lyrics

Below:
They are orangish red at their peak.

It almost looks like an alien pod is inside it.

This is the most natural colored photo of the pod.

Not dead yet.

2009-06-29T13:30:00.001-05:00

The past few days made me think of this song.

This was the one video I could find on youtube.

I love the lyrics.

Bad Examples, Not Dead Yet:

I was born too late to play in the rolling stones
I don't know jimmy page, I never met yoko ono
Standing with a strat, I'm rock and roll's bastard son
Go out, get drunk, get laid, have fun
I don't got a million dollars, don't drive a cadillac
Gimme half a chance, 'cause I'm not dead yet
(chorus)
I'm not dead yet - not dead yet
I'm a mad dog fighting with the wall against my back
You'd better get a bigger gun, I'm not dead yet

I been machine-gunned, hand-gunned, hijacked, left for dead
Divebombed, napalmed, nuclear warheaded
Dropped from a jet plane with no parachute
Shot by a firing squad and raped by a business suit
I'm dancing on a landmine, one leg left
But I can still crawl and I'm not dead yet

Chorus

Well, you're bigger, tougher, meaner, rougher
Dirtier and uglier and sneakier and trickier
You wanna shoot me with a gun, cut me with a knife
Take your bare hands and rip out my eyes
You kicked me in the balls and bit me in the neck
Hit me again, 'cause I'm not dead yet

Chorus

Well there's a mugger in the alley, there's a sniper in the hall
There's a girl at the bar wants to get me by the balls
The hangman is hanging if I autograph the noose
And lee harvey oswald's brother's on the loose
There's a mafia hitman with a bullet for my back
Someday he's gonna get me, but I'm not dead yet

I'm not dead yet - not dead yet
I'm a wild card waiting in the middle of the deck
You'd better get a bigger gun, I'm not dead yet

Chorus

Alice, Tim Burton style.

2009-06-24T10:39:00.005-05:00

Alice sure has changed over the years.

Alice and the cast of characters in Wonderland have always been unsettling to me.

It's like living in a bad dream you can't get out of.

Even worse than the "I have a final exam and can't find the class room because I haven't gone yet" dream.

Can't wait. March 2010.

Link (to the Sun Times)

Mia Wasikowska as Alice

19-year-old Australian actress Mia Wasikowska earned critical praise in last year's HBO drama "In Treatment." She also appeared in the WWII drama "Defiance," and was named one of Variety Magazine's "10 Actors to Watch." Burton says he chose her because "she just had that certain kind of emotional toughness...that makes her kind of an older person but with a younger person's mentality." Alice will be the only character in Wonderland who isn't enhanced in some degree with makeup or digital manipulation.

Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter

In the book, Carroll only ever calls the character "The Hatter," but he does appear in the chapter "A Mad Tea-Party." The look in the movie is a variation on the book's illustrations by John Tenniel, with his wild hair, oversized bowtie, and "10/6" label pinned to his giant hat. This is Burton's seventh time working with Depp over the past 20 years. He told the Los Angeles Times he likes to work with Depp because "[he] doesn't like to be the same way twice. That's good, it always keeps it fresh and all."

Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen

The Red Queen is the villain of the second book, "Through the Looking Glass," though in many adaptations the character is combined with the Queen of Hearts from the first story. In the original illustrations, she is depicted as a legless chess piece. For the movie, Bonham Carter's head will be digitally enlarged to about three times its actual size. She has worked on five previous movies with Burton, and they have two children together.

Anne Hathaway as the White Queen

In "Through the Looking Glass," the White Queen claims to be over one hundred and one years old, but she seems to experience time backwards. So it follows Carroll's twisted logic that when Alice returns the Queen would be young. While Anne Hathaway looks very different in the role with her long white hair, her appearance will not be digitally manipulated. Hathaway told MTV that while she was happy to get a chance to work with Burton, she was most excited to share scenes with Johnny Depp. She said, "I wish I could be so cool about it [but] I am such a huge fan, I felt really embarrassed. He would catch me staring at him."

Matt Lucas as Tweedledee and Tweedledum

Tweedledee and Tweedledum appear in several versions of "Alice in Wonderland," including Walt Disney's 1951 animated film, though they actually don't appear until "Through the Looking-Glass." Carroll never specifies they are twins, but that is how Tenniel drew them. English comedian Matt Lucas plays both roles in the movie. Lucas is well known in the U.K. as half of the sketch comedy team on the show "Little Britain."

A Machine for Loving.

2009-06-23T14:48:00.003-05:00

The title might be a bit deceiving. This is a song about a dog and about dogs.

An interesting song by Iggy Pop sung in narrative style
reminding me of ( Candy).

I like it.

Two weeks after my arrival, Fox died

Just after sunset

I was stretched out on the bed

when he approached

and tried painfully to jump up

He wagged his tail nervously.

Since the beginning

He hadn't touched his bowl once

He had lost a lot of weight

I helped him to settle on my lap

For a few seconds, he looked at me

With a curious mixture of exhaustion and apology

Then, calmed, he closed his eyes

Two minutes later he gave out his last breath.

I buried him beside the residence

At the western extremity of the land

Surrounded by the protective fence

Next to his predecessors

During the night, a rapid transport from the Central City

Dropped off an identical dog

They knew the codes and how to work the barrier

I didn't have to get up to greet them

A small white and ginger mongrel came toward me

Wagging its tail I gestured to him

He jumped on the bed and stretched out beside me.

Love is simple to define

But it seldom happens in the series of beings

Through these dogs we pay homage to love

And to its possibility.

What is a dog but a machine for loving

You introduce him to a human being,

Giving him the mission to love

And however ugly, perverse, deformed or stupid

This human being might be

The dog loves him.

The Mad Ones.

2009-06-17T10:10:00.003-05:00

I just saw this reviewed with the author on The Daily Show.

The title "Mad Ones" comes from a Jack Kerouac quote about the Beats.

Joey Gallo wrote poetry, argued about the meaning of life, dug jazz and read Camus.

Also, he was handy with a chain whip, had a talent for extortion and bit the ear off a jailhouse enemy.

Part thug, part beatnik - Gallo lived in two worlds that really didn't overlap too well.

(Review Source)

Bob Dylan's song Joey is about Joey Gallo.

Area Man.

2009-06-11T16:04:00.003-05:00

I have to admit didn't get the "Area Man" shirt at first glance.

Just google "area man" or read the couple headings below from The Onion.

I'm sure it will make sense now if you didn't get it already.

Ha.

Area Man Well-Versed In First Thirds Of Great Literature (reads only first 100 pages or so...)

Area Man Constantly Mentioning He Doesn't Own A Television

Reaganomics Finally Trickles Down To Area Man

Area Man Makes It Through Day

This is the day.

2009-06-10T10:48:00.001-05:00

by The The.

This is one of those songs that if I hear on the radio I must listen to all the way through - even if that means sitting in the driveway (I stole that idea from National Public Radio) till it's over or driving around the block again.

Fortunately I only have a few of them. (Short list off the top of my head: Can't you hear me knocking? and Sympathy for the Devil by the Stones, Loan me a dime by Boz Skaggs with Duane Allman, Milky Way by The Church, Home of the Brave by The Nails, Come as you are by Nirvana and Ship of Fools by World Party.)

This is the day:

Well... you didn't wake up this morning
Because you didn't go to bed
You were watching the whites of your eyes
Turn red
The calendar, on your wall, is ticking the days off
The calendar on your wall is ticking
the days off
You've been reading some old letters
You smile and think how much you've changed
All the money in the world
Couldn't bring back those days.
You pull back the curtains, and the sun burns into your eyes,
You watch a plane flying across a clear blue sky.
THIS IS THE DAY -- Your life will surely change.
THIS IS THE DAY -- Your life will surely change.
You could've done anything -- if you'd wanted
And all your friends and family think that you're lucky.
But the side of you they'll never see
Is when you're left alone with the memories
That hold your life together like
Glue

Company of Thieves, Oscar Wilde.

2009-06-02T15:03:00.001-05:00

Company of Thieves is a Chicago indie rock trio.

This is Oscar Wilde (download here if you like it.)

Oscar Wilde has been dead for over a century but many of his quotes seem to fit current events.

Just today...

From Yahoo News :

Recent reports describe him as overweight and a heavy drinker.

Now 26 (years young), Kim Jong Un has reportedly been tapped to

become the next leader of nuclear-armed North Korea.

From Oscar Wilde - three quotations:

Work is the curse of the drinking classes.

I am not young enough to know everything.

A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.

Mindy Smith, Come to Jesus.

2009-05-20T16:53:00.001-05:00

What a good song (and pretty artist).

This was just on the radio.

I had forgotten about the song.

It's been quite awhile since the last time I heard it.

This would sound good in a movie.

What movie? I don't know.

I have to think about it. It just has that sound and feeling to it.

Come to Jesus (a bit grainy):

Guyliner; all's right in the world, this is the biggest news you have?

2009-05-19T22:32:00.003-05:00

Adam Lambert on American Idol has once again brought attention to men wearing eyeliner.

The Sun Times created an interesting list below at the link.

Many (most) I like as performers - even going back to Alice Cooper and David Bowie and Johnny Depp. (Of course Johnny was only channeling Keith mentioned next sentence.)

A couple missing from the list would be Keith Richards, Steven Tyler, and occasionally Mick.

Link

As for American Idol, I liked Adam from the beginning,

but have a feeling Kris Allen wins in an upset.

(Voting results Wed night.)

Funny Games (2008).

2009-05-14T15:54:00.007-05:00

Link

I mentioned I wanted to see this movie in an earlier post. I finally did last night as it stormed around us. Probably not the best choice of atmosphere.

This was the 2008 version with Tim Roth (recently in Fox's Lie to Me) and Naomi Watts (recently saw her in William Friedkin's Bug). And as one of the bad guys, Michael Pitt (recently saw him in Delirious with Steve Buscemi)

Funny Games certainly isn't for everyone but it was different enough for me to like it.

This is a scene by scene English remake of the original Austrian 1997 thriller.

It was unsettling and brutal (but not "Saw" bloody). I thought it was well filmed (great low light inside and outside shots) with an interesting and intelligent dialogue.

I really enjoyed the kitchen scene at the beginning where eggs are borrowed and broken and the friendliness to a visitor slowly disolves into discourteous behavior towards him. It seemed so real given the circumstances.

The two characters dressed mostly in tennis white were unsettling; very creepy but realistic in a way. At times they would talk directly into the camera to us. Towards the end there is a scene that defies time and space. ?????

It has a slow pacing and look that reminded me of another of Haneke's movies, CACHE. I could almost sense a Hitchcockian feel it with the absence of onscreen violence.

Little details that end up part of the plot are almost broadcast to you so they wouldn't be missed later in the movie; for example, a knife is shown at the beginning that you KNOW will be found and used much later. A shortcoming, but in fact I didn't miss anything that way.

From Rotten Tomatoes where it got a mediocre 51%:

Synopsis:

In 1997, writer-director Michael Haneke (CACHE) made the controversial Austrian thriller, FUNNY GAMES, about two young men who terrorize a family on vacation.

A decade later, Haneke was convinced by producer Chris Coen to bring the story to America, filming a nearly word-for-word, shot-for-shot English-language version, even re-creating the locations and sets as obsessively as possible.

Shortly after Ann (Naomi Watts), George (Tim Roth), and Georgie (Devon Gearhart) arrive in their country home, Peter (Brady Corbet), an eerily polite young man dressed all in white, including odd white gloves, appears on the doorstep, asking Ann if he can borrow some eggs for their neighbor.

Peter is joined by Paul (Michael Pitt), and the Leopold-and-Loeb-like duo are soon doing horrible things to Ann, George, and Georgie, torturing them both physically and psychologically (nearly all the violence occurs off-screen), for no apparent reason other than they can, referring to the whole thing as a game.

And the biggest game of all is whether the family will be alive at the end.

D.O.A.

2009-05-13T13:10:00.003-05:00

Life imitates fiction in a way.

I heard the following news story last night on the BBC radio news.

A man was murdered.

He had made a tape to accuse his murderers if that in fact did happen to him.

The murdered man, a lawyer named Rodrigo Rosenberg, is putting all the blame of his death on Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom.

(See more below in Huffington Post article).

That scenario reminded me of a movie I have on VHS tape (recently available on DVD).

D.O.A. (1988).

In the movie, the main character is basically dead as he solves the crime of who killed him.

There are three movie versions.

D.O.A. (1949)

COLOR ME DEAD (1969)

D.O.A. (1988)

Synopsis: This famous film-noir murder mystery features an inventive twist: the victim as "detective," desperately trying to solve his own murder. An accountant on vacation in San Francisco gets a dose of... This famous film-noir murder mystery features an inventive twist: the victim as "detective," desperately trying to solve his own murder. An accountant on vacation in San Francisco gets a dose of lethal, slow-acting poison. He then begins a desperate search for the individual responsible for his impending demise. Irresistible plot given remakes in 1969 as COLOR ME DEAD, and in 1988 starring Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid.

The original starred: Edmond O'Brien, Luther Adler, Pamela Britton, Neville Brand.

This is a clip from the Dennis Quaid version:

LINK to Huffington Post and full article referenced below.

GUATEMALA CITY - A lawyer slain by gunmen over the weekend appears in a video tape that emerged Monday alleging that if anything happened to him it would be at the behest of Rodrigo Rosenberg.

Colom's spokesman, Fernando Barrillas, issued a statement saying the government "categorically rejects any accusations made in tapes and statements being distributed to some news media."

"This reveals the intention of creating a political crisis around a case that should be investigated and processed by the courts," the statement posted on the government's Web site said.

Lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg was shot to death by unidentified assailants while riding his bicycle Sunday, the newspaper El Periodico de Guatemala said.

In the video distributed to local media, Rosenberg says: "If you are watching this message, it is because I was assassinated by President Alvaro Colom with help from Gustavo Alejos," the president's private secretary.

Video 1 of 2 (in Spanish):

Where's my invisible car?

2009-05-07T09:57:00.009-05:00

What a great idea.

Link to short article HERE.

That reminded me of 3D Sidewalk Art. It also tricks your eyes.

Ramblin' Gamblin' Man.

2009-05-06T10:28:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday Bob.

05-06-45.

The photo above is from his 2007 tour.

We saw him just outside of Chicago. Great show.

Of all his songs, this is my favorite.

Turn the page:

Cars made by Detroit automakers race through his songs.

One of the most famous, "Night Moves," was set in the backseat of a "'60 Chevy."

Years later, Chevrolet turned another Seger song, "Like a Rock," a commercial theme.

On Face the Promise(2006 album), he once again turns to writing about cars, but in not such a positive way.

In "Between," he sings: World keeps getting hotter Ice falls in the sea We buy a bigger engine and say it isn't me.

Seger lauds Al Gore for speaking out about the dangers of global warming and says, "The overuse of oil is just wrecking our economy."

But Seger says he doesn't regret that his "Like a Rock" was used to sell millions of Chevy pickups. "I actually helped my hometown. I saved a lot of jobs."

the majority of this text is (from Morning Edition NPR)

Do you realize?

2009-04-25T12:26:00.006-05:00

The Flaming Lips, Do you realize?

is now the

OFFICIAL STATE SONG (link)

as proclaimed by Governor....

First glance I thought it was FLA, not OKLA.

Yes, I thought, the lyrics really make sense...

(especially the last line - for a retirement state)

Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize - we're floating in space -
Do You Realize - that happiness makes you cry
Do You Realize - that everyone you know someday will die

Anyway, it works for OKLA too (they are native sons of course).

A Green Horizon.

2009-04-24T14:01:00.010-05:00

I needed a picture for a "Horizons" theme.

I took this picture April 22nd a couple of years ago.

(How ironic. The same day as EARTH DAY!)

This scene was begging to be photographed.

This is just over the Illinois border into Wisconsin.

Notice the other farms and tree way back in the horizon.

In previous years one would be looking at the rich brown

of a freshly plowed field, not last year's cornstalks.

Not anymore. Farmers today are eco-friendly.

This is a no-till (or zero-till) field.

Rather than turning over the soil,

the next crop (probably soybeans)

will be planted between the corn rows.

A Green Thing.

Less soil erosion.

From Red Barn

"Ay, prithee. Talketh like me"

2009-04-23T11:49:00.003-05:00

LINK - Mayor Daley has proclaimed it "Talk like Shakespeare Day" in Chicago.

Instead of the stereotypical Chicago "da" for "the",

(thanks Saturday Night Live)

I suspect it will be replaced with a much erudite sounding "tis".

Ha.

In case you didn't understand the title...

Prithee: 'please', 'if you don't mind'

Example from Shakespeare:
'Ay; prithee, sing.' - Orsino to Feste, asking him to sing. (Twelfth Night)

INSULT GENERATOR

or the real thing.

This is Christopher the Insulter. I've seen him at our local Ren Faire. He gets a person up on stage and then the audience pays him money to insult the victim. We got Clint up there - he was so much fun, Christopher made more money on him than anyone else that day.

The following word could have come out of a Harry Potter novel...

Huggermugger: a secret act done too quickly, without thinking it through.

Example from Shakespeare:
'And we have done but greenly in huggermugger to inter him' - Claudius regretting having buried Polonius in such a hurry in secret. (Hamlet)

And some insults I thought humorous....

Shakespeare Insult 1 - The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Thou subtle, perjur'd, false, disloyal man!

Shakespeare Insult 2 - As You Like It

Thou art like a toad; ugly and venemous.

Shakespeare Insult 3 - The Tempest

Thine forward voice, now, is to speak well of thine friend; thine backward voice is to utter foul speeches and to detract.

Shakespeare Insult 4 - Measure For Measure

Thou art a flesh-monger, a fool and a coward.

Shakespeare Insult 5 - All's Well That Ends Well

A most notable coward, an infinite and endless liar, an hourly promise breaker, the owner of no one good quality.

Shakespeare Insult 6 - Cymbeline

Thy tongue outvenoms all the worms of Nile.

Shakespeare Insult 7 - Henry IV Part 2

You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian! I'll tickle your catastrophe!

Shakespeare Insult 8 - All's Well That Ends Well

Methink'st thou art a general offence and every man should beat thee.

Shakespeare Insult 9 - Macbeth

Go, prick thy face, and over-red thy fear, Thou lily-liver'd boy.

Shakespeare Insult 10 - Troilus and Cressida

Thou art as loathsome as a toad.

Shakespeare Insult 11 - Macbeth

Go, prick thy face, and over-red thy fear, Thou lily-liver'd boy.

Shakespeare Insult 12 - Henry IV Part 1

Thou clay-brained guts, thou knotty-pated fool, thou whoreson obscene greasy tallow-catch!

Shakespeare Insult 13 - Measure for Measure

A flesh monger, a fool, and a coward.

Leonardo da Vinci.

2009-04-15T10:44:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Leonardo...

From The Mona Lisa's Sister album (and what a classic it is)

Graham Parker on David Letterman, Latenight: Get Started, Start a Fire,

The Mona Lisa's sister doesn't smile
She tried to pose but only for a while
Leonardo sent her home Since then she has lived alone
With her few belongings and a copy Of a painting of herself unhappy
She is going to burn it when she's ready

Chorus:
Get started, start a fire (4 times)

Marilyn was lying all alone With an empty bottle by the phone
Kennedy was not around She was cold when she was found
But she'd gone where goddesses are sleeping
Where the molten tongues of flame are leaping
Or where the angel's hearts are heating

Joan of Arc was burning at the stake Somebody had made a big mistake
She had lit a cigarette In an aiport where you get
Your fingers taken off for smoking.
Meanwhile up the road a factory's choking
The ones who killed her work there I'm not joking

Powerlinerflyers.

2009-04-08T22:12:00.002-05:00

Spring is in the air. And many birds now and then...

I do remember the song from Amelie (uplifting movie, worth catching up with).

The video is a great composition.

powerlinerflyers from wes johnson on Vimeo.

All the following from SLATE:

powerlinerflyers from wes johnson on Vimeo. technology YouTube for Artistes.

The Web video site Vimeo goes after an audience tired of the poorly lit basement aesthetic.

By Farhad Manjoo Posted Tuesday, April 7, 2009, at 5:54 PM ET

My nomination for the most mesmerizing minute and 34 seconds of video on the Web is nothing more than a meditation on a stretch of power lines as thousands of birds come and go at sunset.

What the clip lacks in plot, it makes up for with fantastic production.

Wes Johnson, a photographer in Mesa, Ariz., who created the piece, shot the scene with a high-definition camera that allows you ! make out individual birds as they come and go on the swaying lines. Jo hnson sets the video to Yann Tiersen's "L'autre Valse d'Amélie," from the Amelie soundtrack, laid down with startling synchronicity to the images.

Close Range.

2009-04-08T12:04:00.003-05:00

You have to watch the video for this to make sense.

Your Walls Just Got Bloodier Poster Size: 28"x36"

For a limited-time only, you can own the incredible and breath-taking official wall poster from the hot, new video game, Close Range, featured on the Onion News Network.

A video game like Close Range only comes around once, maybe twice, in a lifetime.

And a poster like this comes around even less.

Watch the Close Range video featured on the Onion News Network.

Hot New Video Game Consists Solely Of Shooting People Point-Blank In The Face

The Go-Getter.

2009-04-06T13:31:00.004-05:00

This is a really pleasant indie movie with a first rate soundtrack.

Zooey Deschanel (my fav), is charming and a bit flakey as usual. Many times she is off camera, only present vocally (over the phone), but she still conveys a strong essence of her personality. Jena Malone (Donnie Darko) and Maura Tierney (ER) are a couple recognizable faces. I wasn't that familiar with Lou Taylor Pucci (only seeing him in the movie Thumbsucker) but feel he ended up perfect playing the main character.

From Rotten Tomatoes:

The Go-Getter is the story of Mercer White (Lou Taylor Pucci), a straight-arrow 19 year-old who, eight months after the death of his mother, steals a car and sets out to find his older half-brother he hasn't seen in fourteen years.

He's barely out of town when a cell phone left behind in the stolen car begins to ring. Mercer immediately finds himself talking to the car's owner, Kate (Zooey Deschanel).

Surprisingly open to Mercer’s journey, she does not threaten to call the police, but instead offers him the most curious deal: Mercer can use her car until he’s done with it on one condition: that he call her and tell her about his trip all along the way.

Singer and guitarist M. Ward provided most of the music for the film, complemented by songs from The Black Keys, Elliott Smith, The Replacements and Animal Collective.

Helen Levitt: most celebrated and least known.

2009-04-01T11:39:00.005-05:00

Alfred Eisenstaedt's most famous picture is V-J day in Times Square. I have a large collection of his photographs in book form.

He is known for his candid photographs and also had many grace LIFE magazine. Very famous.

Another famous photographer I know much less about just passed away a couple days ago: Helen Levitt.

Interestingly Wiki says pretty much the same thing in it's first paragraph about her:

Helen Levitt (August 31, 1913 – March 29, 2009) was an American photographer. She was particularly noted for "street photography" around New York City, and has been called "the most celebrated and least known photographer of her time."

Here is a sampling of some of her photographs.

I'm no expert but have heard about the one with the kids in halloween masks on the porch. Haunting in a way. And what about the second one with the kids playing over (and dangling near) the doorway? Unbelievable shot.

I plan on looking deeper into her volume of work. I really like what I've seen so far.

From Helen Levitt

Neko Case: People got a lotta nerve.

2009-03-19T13:49:00.012-05:00

The very independent Neko Case.

People got a lotta nerve from Middle Cyclone.

People got a lotta nerve:

MP3: Download HERE from Stereogum website.

Maybe it's just me but the Neko's vocals remind me of

The Sunday's Harriet Wheeler.

After another listen, maybe not but I like both songs so I'll just keep them here as two nice vocals.

A vocal bulletin board so to speak.

The Sundays - Here's where the story ends, (quite a haunting sounding song):

Cramer vs Stewart. Tonight.

2009-03-12T10:14:00.001-05:00

Link (to Chicago Tribune Article)

LINK to Comedy Central Video

It has been good TV the last couple of nights.

Jim Cramer is a guest tonight. He presently is sparring with Jon Stewart of the Daily Show.

This all started when Rick Santelli (he of the "rant" about not helping people with bad morgages) was booked on the Daily Show and didn't show up.

Stewart then took him and much of the other shows of CNBC to task (including Jim Cramer's Mad Money show). By the way, I'm with Jon Stewart on this.

The Rant:

Little Children.

2009-03-05T15:41:00.006-06:00

I make mental notes to remember to see a movie when it comes out on DVD or cable but there still are many interesting ones that escape me.

I don't even remember if I heard of Little Children though it was up for 3 Academy Awards in 2006: leading actress, Kate Winslet, supporting actor, Jackie Earle Haley.

I was listening to a review of Watchmen on the radio. The character Rorschach was mentioned (also on the cover of my latest EW) being played by Jackie Earle Haley.

Jackie Earle Haley's name sounded familiar. The reviewer said he had been a child actor and had also been out of acting for quite awhile. Because of the similiar name, my first thought was of Haley Joel Osment (Sixth Sense), but they mentioned a couple movies that were way too old for him to have played in. Wrong actor.

I looked him up. Haley had played a couple of memorable characters: Kelly Leak in The Bad News Bears and Moocher in Breaking Away (with Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern,...). Both were misfits of a sort but always a tough, scrappy, little fighter.

(If you haven't seen Breaking Away, put it in your movie que. It is well worth it. College town in the midwest in the 1970's. Reminded me so much of my college years with the college kids and the locals co-existing together.)

Little Children trailer:

81% rating at Rottentomatoes.com

Here is a brief synopsis and plot description:

Adapted for the screen by Field and Perrotta and artfully photographed by Antonio Calvache, LITTLE CHILDREN is a bitingly funny, and nakedly honest, critique of middle class dysfunction. Though the cast is universally superb, it is former child actor Haley (THE BAD NEWS BEARS, BREAKING AWAY) who steals the show.

Set in the imploding minefields of modern suburbia, LITTLE CHILDREN follows several inhabitants of a small American town as they fumble their way through adulthood. Numb-to-life housewife and mother Sarah Pierce (Kate Winslet) finds an outlet for her yearning in gorgeous househusband Brad Adamson (Patrick Wilson), who is crippled with insecurity over the fact that his perfect wife, Kathy (Jennifer Connelly), is the family breadwinner. When Sarah and Brad meet at the local playground one afternoon, a passionate affair is sparked. In a further attempt to reclaim his youthful fire, Brad joins a night football league with Larry Hedges (Noah Emmerich), a former cop who has begun to harass a convicted sex offender, Ronnie J. McGorvey (Jackie Earle Haley)

trivia: Patrick Wilson plays an internet stalker against the quite resourceful Ellen Page in the movie Hard Candy.

(Synopsis of Hard Candy: Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl -- but even smart girls make mistakes.)

Ryan (don't call me Bryan) plus more.

2009-02-25T19:45:00.006-06:00

Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore were in the news last week: they got engaged.

Mandy is so cute.

Ryan hates it when in concert people request "Summer of '69".

(Mainly because he is NOT BRYAN Adams.)

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Magick:

(he is leaving the band in March 2009, partially because of Meniere's disease).

I thought he sounded a bit like Jesse Malin, who does the next song,

(for whom Ryan has (coincidentially to me) produced records for).

Don't let them take you down:

Broken Radio, featuring Bruce Springsteen:

Snow, so much snow.

2009-02-22T15:23:00.000-06:00

Roger members Gene.

2009-02-19T15:09:00.001-06:00

I can't believe it will be 10 years tomorrow Gene Siskel passed away.

A sad day for movie lovers.

Paired with Roger Ebert, they made up Siskel & Ebert at the Movies.

They popularized the positive review phrase, "two thumbs up".

Roger Ebert writes a quite interesting and lengthy article about himself and Gene Siskel.

Click below at the link.

Link

From so what the fuss

The article mentioned was how much a Chicago Bulls fan Gene Siskel was.

One of my favorite basketball shots is Dennis Rodman going all out for the ball.

Directly under his chest, front row, is Gene Siskel enjoying the game.

Ezra Furman: Take off your sunglasses.

2009-02-11T10:32:00.005-06:00

Ezra Furman & the Harpoons are a three-piece rock band composed of Ezra Furman (guitar and vocals), Job Mukkada (bass guitar), and Adam Abrutyn (drums).

Ezra is a Chicago native.

I've heard this a couple times now. I like the distinct vocals.

From NPR's World Cafe:

February 6, 2008 -

Ever since the band first formed in the dormitory halls of Tufts University, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons' music has been rooted in confrontational and challenging songs that can evoke everything from blues to punk to pop music.

The group's latest album, Banging Down the Doors, came out this past summer.

It's earned comparisons to Violent Femmes and found fan at Paste magazine, which calls the album "frightening" and "brilliant."

15 Second Video: Cubbie and banks.

2009-02-06T22:30:00.005-06:00

TARP I guess our snow BANKS don't qualify. Damn.

Cubbie doing 15 second videos last Sunday. We have fun together in the snow. I think 15 seconds is just long enough.

Stills (pictures) saved with Picassa3 off video clips. Great software I don't use enough. Really good captures a frame at a time.

Cubbie with his weathered ball:

From Cubbie, ball, snow.

Get ready.

From Cubbie, ball, snow.

Focus.

From Cubbie, ball, snow.

Get the tongue out.

From Cubbie, ball, snow.

Finally ready:

From Cubbie, ball, snow.

And a two part 15 second video: Throw

and Find.

Stubs.

2009-01-28T23:02:00.002-06:00

B.B. King and Etta James. Etta is played by Beyonce in the new movie Cadillac Records. I'd be quite happy with the casting if I were Etta.

B.B. was great (and ageless 15 years ago) after the show signing autographs, I didn't have a pen.

Allman Brothers. Saw them all the time in the Chicago area at different venues. Always brought their kids.

Rolling Stones. Saw them more than the Allman Brothers. Can't match the electricity in the air they generate. First ticket to a concert of theirs, 8.50.

Jethro Tull. Saw them (Ian Anderson and company) at NIU. Love the flute and his playing while standing on one leg.

Wings. Bought a t-shirt in the parking lot. 10 bucks. It lasted about 10 years. Wish I had saved it.

Fleetwood Mac. Alpine Valley Wisconsin. Smuggled in wine flask. Guy in the tree on the lawn pee'd from his tree. We laughed.

Grateful Dead. Remember seeing a distant cousin of mine outside the venue looking for a ticket. Small world (this was in Chicago). He got in.

Led Zeppelin. Floor seats. One of their first "laser light" concerts. Saw bloody fight on the way out. Everyone lived.

Bob Dylan. He started out singing accoustic while sitting on a stool. Different but good. Hey, he was Bob Dylan.

Funny Games.

2009-01-28T15:05:00.006-06:00

I like watching all kinds of movies.

Some I have a bad feeling about and watch anyway.

I never seem to learn.

Just last week I watched Hostel 2 on cable.

It was just as if not more disgusting than the original.

I texted Clint (with whom I had seen the first Hostel) the following:
"Just watched hostel 2. wish I could get back those 90 minutes of my life."

His followup:
"I wish I could get back the 18 bucks I spent on that movie. I bought the DVD."

That actually was kind of funny.

I forwarded our conversation to daughter Amy.

Her response:
"Like father like son. dumbass!"

Funny Games is by Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke.

I've seen one of his movies, Cache. It was dark and mildly disturbing plus I never really figured it out but I liked it.

His most successful film is The Piano Teacher.

Funny Games originally came out in 1997 and an American remake was made in 2008 - scene for scene.

I had never heard of it until I saw some listings for both versions of the DVD's on ebay.
I noticed it was showing on CineMax so I'm sure it will filter down to one of the cable stations I get pretty soon.

From Wiki, a short description:

Funny Games is an experimental 1997 Austrian horror film directed by Michael Haneke. The plot of the film involves two teenagers who hold a family hostage and torture them with sadistic games.

That should explain it.

Trailer for the 1997 version:

Trailer for the 2008 version:

Holding on to the Earth.

2009-01-22T15:09:00.003-06:00

The Indescribable Wow (1988) is the fifth (studio) album from American singer-songwriter Sam Phillips.

Holding on to the Earth is a single from it, co-written by her and T-Bone Burnett.

It always reminds me of Earth Day (from the Holding on to the Earth.. part of the lyrics). This song was part of a local radio promotion and of course driven into my head. I like it though so no matter.

Sam was married to T-Bone Burnett, made her screen debut in Die Hard with a Vengeance, and wrote music for and scored the TV show The Gilmore Girls.

She last released an album in mid-2008 named Don't do Anything.

If I close my eyes
I'm afraid I won't wake up
If I stop and listen
I'm afraid I'll hear too much

Trying to hold on to the earth
Holding on for what it's worth

I've got a long black cadillac
marble hot tub in the back
Champagne waterfall
solid gold question mark twenty feet tall

Try to paint a world of shapes
Over the holes as we're falling
The tightened grip is our mistake
As we're trying to hold on to the earth

Looking for his name
wet on brave lips carved on road
Look for flame and mercy
Hope that tired hands can hold

The Lodger (2009).

2009-01-21T12:07:00.005-06:00

The Lodger is a story by Marie Belloc Lowndes.

It was written in 1912.

(Link to text of it HERE at Project Gutenberg)

Based on the Jack the Ripper murders, it is about a London family who suspects that their upstairs lodger is a mysterious killer known as "The Avenger."

The novel was the basis for four movie adaptions.

It was made into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock in 1927, by Maurice Elvey in 1932, John Brahm in 1944, and as Man in the Attic in 1953.

The original movie, The Lodger, is a 1927 thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Another adaptation is coming out shortly. I'm not sure how it will stack up to Hitchcock's version but I'm looking forward to it. The Lodger is scheduled for limited release 01-23-09. With little promotion, the film will probably have a short run and I'll see it when the DVD comes out. I think I'll like it.

From Rotten Tomatoes: The Lodger

Synopsis:

The tale that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's THE LODGER gets a modern sheen in this thriller that features a star-filled cast. Hope Davis plays a woman who takes on a mysterious lodger (Simon Baker), even as a serial killer is turning West Hollywood into a graveyard. But the murders aren't simple slices and dices; the killer is recreating the work of history's most famous killer: Jack the Ripper. Shane West and Alfred Molina also star as detectives investigating the string of gruesome crimes.

LINK TO TRAILER

Director: David Ondaatje
Writer: David Ondaatje

The cast: Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, Simon Baker, Shane West, Rachael Leigh Cook, Donal Logue, Rebecca Pidgeon, Philip Baker Hall

The cast (as I know them): Alfred Molina (Doc Oct, Spiderman 2),

Hope Davis (wife to Nicolas Cage in The Weatherman),

Simon Baker (The Mentalist - new tv show),

Donal Logue (dad in Grounded for Life),

Rebecca Pidgeon (The Spanish Prisoner - wife of David Mamet),

Philip Baker Hall (Zodiac, Hard Eight - just saw this, not a bad movie).

Celebrate today with a smile.

2009-01-20T14:40:00.002-06:00

Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job

(courtesy of The Onion)

WASHINGTON—African-American man Barack Obama, 47, was given the least-desirable job in the entire country Tuesday when he was elected president of the United States of America.

In his new high-stress, low-reward position, Obama will be charged with such tasks as completely overhauling the nation's broken-down economy, repairing the crumbling infrastructure, and generally having to please more than 300 million Americans and cater to their every whim on a daily basis.

As part of his duties, the black man will have to spend four to eight years cleaning up the messes other people left behind.

The job comes with such intense scrutiny and so certain a guarantee of failure that only one other person even bothered applying for it.

Said scholar and activist Mark L. Denton, "It just goes to show you that, in this country, a black man still can't catch a break."

Andrew Wyeth, 1917-2009.

2009-01-16T10:37:00.010-06:00

Christina's World is one of my favorite works of art by Andrew Wyeth.

I always wondered about the significance of the scene but never pursued it.

Christina's World:

From Wiki: Christina's World is the most famous work by American painter Andrew Wyeth, and one of the best-known American paintings of the 20th century.

Painted in 1948, this tempera work is displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

It depicts Christina Olson, who had an undiagnosed muscular deterioration that paralyzed her lower body—likely Polio.

She was a strong and independent woman who did not let anything stop her from getting what and where she wanted.

She looks at her house, (implied line) dreading the crawl back but eager for the warmth it holds for her.

She, her brother, and Wyeth's neighbors are the subjects of a number of paintings of Wyeth.

Surprisingly, although Christina is the artistic subject of Wyeth's masterpiece, she was not the model - Wyeth's wife Betsy instead posed for the painting.

I have seen many reenactments of the scene on the photo site Flickr. Some are quite good.

Artist Andrew Wyeth, who portrayed the hidden melancholy of the people and landscapes of Pennsylvania's Brandywine Valley and coastal Maine in works such as "Christina's World," died early Friday. He was 91.

Master Bedroom:

(so much like Cubbie our dog - stealing a snooze on the bed when no one is home)

Wood Stove:

From Wiki:

Andrew Newell Wyeth (born July 12, 1917) is an American realist painter, also known as regional art.

He is one of the best-known of the 20th century and sometimes referred to as the "Painter of the People" due to his popularity with the American public.

He is the son of the illustrator and artist N. C. Wyeth, and the brother of inventor Nathaniel Wyeth and artist Henriette Wyeth Hurd, and the father of artist Jamie Wyeth and Nicholas Wyeth .

You, Me and the Bourgeoisie.

2009-01-12T13:39:00.002-06:00

The Submarines are an idie pop band from Los Angeles.

The two members of the band, John Dragonetti and Blake Hazard, were introduced through a mutual friend. Before that they were solo artists.

You, Me and the Bourgeoisie by the Submarines:

If this song sounds familiar, it is probably because Apple used the instrumental version of it for it's iPhone 3G commercials.

Trivia:

Hazard is the great-granddaughter of American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Their song Brighter Discontent appeared in the season 4 finale of Nip and Tuck.

Another song of their's, Brightest Hour appeared on Grey's Anatomy.

They did a cover version of Little Boxes for the opening credits of Weeds, season two.

What do you think?

2009-01-09T14:06:00.009-06:00

There are some opinions that this Rolling Stone cover makes Bush look sinister.

What do you think?

LINK HERE

That reminds me of the O.J. Simpson covers that ran during the same week in June 1994: LINK HERE

(I have them stored in a box somewhere.)

And remember The Boss's (Bruce Springsteen) covers? (Oct 27, 1975) I had them at one time but have lost track of them.

I doubt that any of them will be worth much as collectables but it is nice to look back at them (I think - I haven't yet).

Ha.

Ya, ya, ya. Beatles podcasts.

2009-01-06T13:36:00.007-06:00

01-06-2009. No more - downloading suspended. I will leave the post up with the link - it looks interesting anyway.

This site has a Daily Beatle's podcast - the first time one can download Beatle's music legally (slight catch - commentary in Norwegian precedes the song - though it could be edited out of course). Link HERE (and an RSS link at the bottom of the page)

From their page:

English summary

Some weeks ago, - Norwegian Broadcasting - signed a deal with music rights holder organisation TONO in Norway. The new deal gives NRK right to publish podcasts of all previously broadcasted radio- and tv-programs that contains less then 70% music.

Podcast containing music may be up for four weeks, while our podcast without music stay up on our server forever.

One result of this deal, is that we now can publish “Our Daily Beatles” in English - as a podcast.

In this series from 2001, journalists Finn Tokvam og Bård Ose tells the story of every single Beatles tracks ever made, chronologically. Each episode contains a 3 minute story about each track (sadly for our international visitors - in Norwegian) and the actual Beatles tune.

This is - as far as we know - the first time you can download the Beatles’ music legally. Neither iTunes nor Amazon have The Beatles in their music stores.

R.I.P. Delaney Bramlett.

2009-01-03T15:07:00.007-06:00

Comin’ Home.

Delaney Bramlett passed away December 27, 2008.
The first I remember about Delaney and Bonnie & Friends was that they had a cut on the album, Duane Allman an Anthology.

(Great album by the way, I especially like the 13:00 minute version of Loan Me a Dime (Boz Skaggs).)

Anyway, this came out in 1972 and Delaney and Bonnie's contribution was the song

Livin’ on the Open Road.

Friends (as in Delaney and Bonnie & Friends) included at one time or another,

Delaney Bramlett

Bonnie Bramlett

Eric Clapton

Duane Allman

Gregg Allman

George Harrison

Leon Russell

Carl Radle

Jim Gordon

Jim Price

Dave Mason

Rita Coolidge

King Curtis

Bobby Whitlock

Jim Keltner

Jerry Scheff
Notes of interest:

All members of the supergroup Derek and the Dominos (Layla) had played with Delaney and Bonnie & Friends.
After the early 1970 breakup of their band, many of its ex-members were recruited by Leon Russell to join Joe Cocker’s band, participating on Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen recording sessions
Delaney has been cited as the person who taught George Harrison how to play slide guitar
Eric Clapton has said that "Delaney taught me everything I know about singing,"

Clapton became fast friends with Delaney, Bonnie and their band, preferring their music to Blind Faith's; he would often appear on stage with Delaney & Bonnie and Friends during this period, and continued to record and tour with them following Blind Faith's August 1969 breakup.

Clapton: "For me, going on [with Blind Faith] after Delaney and Bonnie was really, really tough, because I thought they were miles better than us."

Made to Measure.

2008-12-30T11:41:00.006-06:00

Umphrey's McGee is an American progressive rock / jam band from Chicago, Illinois.

They have a sense of humor: they called their 1997 debut release Greatest Hits Vol. 3.

Musical influences include The Beatles, Led Zeppelin (both primary), and also Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Miles Davis.

(I can hear alot of the Beatles in this song - MADE TO MEASURE.)

Free download HERE (from their upcoming album, Mantis).

Indian giver.

2008-12-23T11:51:00.004-06:00

We draw names for Christmas. I got Bruce, my brother.

He has eclectic tastes which does him well with his hobbies; buying and selling on Ebay and spending weekends exploring for treasures (and junk) at garage sales and auctions.

Since he spends alot of time on the computer, I though this would be perfect.

A USB connection Toaster. LINK HERE

The more I look at it, the more I think I'll keep it for myself. I think I'll just give him a gift certificate instead.

If you are interested, here is the blurb from the online ad:

Don’t be tethered to the kitchen. Take your toast…to go! Now you can take a toaster everywhere you take your laptop. Insert a slice of any bread—white, wheat, even rye—and in 7-9 minutes, you have the kind of perfect toast you could only get from a computer. Winner of the 2006 Gold Floppy Disc Award for Best Cooking Peripheral. No. It's not real. But the box is.
No, the products aren't real. But the empty boxes are. Wrap your otherwise forgettable gift in an Onion gift box, and watch their faces fall when they realize there is no such thing as a USB-powered travel toaster—just a crappy bric-a-brac inside you waited until the last moment to buy.
Box dimensions: 12"x9"x4"
Sold individually or in multi-box sets. More designs available. See all boxes.

Merry Christmas Will Do.

2008-12-20T11:54:00.011-06:00

I like this song.

Material Issue was a local band.

The song has a holiday theme and I think a nice beat. Ha.

Looking at the record, there are some good groups included.

I'll have to check out ebay.

Merry Christmas Will Do - Material Issue

Goya's Ghosts.

2008-12-17T14:48:00.010-06:00

House was a rerun this week. I thought I'd check out what movies were on cable instead.

I found one about Francisco Goya (the artist) and the Spanish Inquisition.

It wouldn't have been my first choice but it had film stars Natalie Portman (Ines), Javier Bardem (Brother Lorenzo), and Stellan Skarsgard (Goya) in it.

A Spanish film directed by Milos Forman (Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest).

It is filled with beautiful period art and the camera work is such that some scenes and characters look like they are pieces of artwork themselves.

The plot jumped around but it was interesting enough to keep my interest.

Goya is the official court painter to the King and Queen. The Spanish Inquisition is disturbed by some of his works but he seems to escape any direct conflicts.

Portman plays a young model for artist Goya. She is falsely thrown into prison for religious reasons and Brother Lorenzo (who had originally commissioned a painting from Goya) tries to help her out.

I learned a few things about Goya also: he was deaf (later years of his life), his portraits had a disinclination to flatter (see below), and some of his work was really dark. And some reminded me of Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights (which was mentioned and shown in the movie):

From so what the fuss

I liked the comments made on this portrait below (looking closely, Goya certainly didn't flatter any of them):

The Family of Charles IV, 1800. Theophile Gautier described the figures as looking like "the corner baker and his wife after they won the lottery".

From so what the fuss

Link to the movie and reviews at Rotten Tomatoes: Link