I watched Walk the Line today. I feel lukewarm about it. The storytelling was not too intriguing. Johnny Cash becomes famous, gets addicted to amphetemines, destroys his marriage, finds redemption. True to any music biopic, it included the requisite montage of recording music, adoring fans, singles climbing the charts (also used extensively in Josie and the Pussycats, That Thing You Do!, Almost Famous, and Great Balls of Fire). If anything, the music sequences were outstanding. Both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon did an excellent job with the singing, performing, and stage demeanor. I don't love sountry music, but I do appreciate Johnny Cash's music, so I found those sequences well worth the watch. The soundtrack is well worth owning, maybe I will post it again sometime soon. The acting was great, but the story did not grab me. To be fair, it was someone's life, but it is hard to relate to a "character" that is also a famous musician. Plus, it is hard to sympathize with Johnny Cash. He squandered away his time, money and fame, he had a heavy drug addiction, he cheated on his wife, he neglected his children, he hurt everyone he was close to. I wish hey spent more time on his interest and empathy for in prisons, because those were some of his best performances. It also shows that Reese actually is a good actress, and always doesn't have to be the "cute one." I guess this kind of makes up for Legally Blonde and Just Like Heaven. Almost. And was their any doubt that Joaquin would be amazing?

Update: some tracks

Joaquin Phoenix "I Walk the Line" 

Joaquin Phoenix "Ring of Fire" 

Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon "Jackson" 

by request

The Beach Boys; Pet Sounds / A.F.I.; Answer That and Stay Fashionable / And You WIll Know Us By the Trail of Dead; Worlds Apart

I haven't decided if I absolutely loathe or absolutely worship Dave Eggers. He is an egomaniacal dipshit. But somehow I respect that. Here is an interesting read on so-called "selling out" as an artist.

Read the rest of this entry »

Stephen Colbery hosted the WhiteHouse correspondents dinner. Basically all he did was make fun of them. Do they realize that his whole schtick is to make fun of conservative political pundits? That's like the Democrats hiring a dirty hippy to host an event. There are some pretty fun quotes. Also, here's a clip. I am totally stoked that Stephen Colbert is getting the attention he deserves for being an amazing comedian, but I think he should lay off this politics thing and remember his roots and work on his perfection of Mr. Noblet.

Thanks for all of you that wrote to me telling me that I meant to title my blog "for all intents and purposes." Yes, I know that's what the saying is. It is actually a pet peeve of mine when people don't say it correctly. Hence, the title of my blog is a culmination of that pet peeve as well as a double meaning for the phrase. It's called IRONIC HUMOR PEOPLE. Look into it.

news on 2 albums I am looking forward to. Yes, I like Evanescence. Got a problem with that?

Amy Lee Says New Evanescence LP Has More Sensuality

Scissor Sisters Debut Fresh Disco

Plagiarism charges have opened a window onto the relationships between a "book packager" and publishers: First, Plot and Character. Then, find an author.

For all of you studying for finals and all that jazz. I thought it would be nice to provide some distractions for when you procrastinate.

First, outtakes from Full House. Nice to see they all had some raunch.

Clarence tries to get people to accept Jesus.

more to come…

I really really wonder what is affecting my dreams lately. They have become more and more vivid and emotionally involved. Last night I had a dream where a friend of mine and I were going to some club in the city to see some band. Afterwards, we went backstage to meet the band and they accidentally revealed a closet in the backstage which led to a whole other world/dimension. I guess kind of a modern Narnia, if you will. Except that this alternate world was similar in every fashion- it wasn't a fantasy world or anything. Everything was the same except each world was not aware of the other. Ok, this dream was like in epic film fashion where it spanned a number of years, with flashbacks and it jumped around in time. Among other things, I hid my knowledge of this alternate universe for like 10 years or so and I had all these elaborate schemes and close calls about people discovering. At some point I even had a husband and kids in the alternate universe and no one in this real world even knew about it. How I raised them I don't know. The thing that is weird is that I was a main player in this, but the dream was presented very cinematically. With a soundtrack and stylistic aspects to it. There were flashbacks and skipping around within time. There were also rewinds if you will. Meaning, I liked how things panned out at some point so I basically relived that part of the dream.

The thing that fascinates me is a sensation of time. Although the story spanned ten years or so, it certainly felt like the actual dream spanned at least 15-20 hours. However, this dream definately occurred between 5:30 and 8:30 this morning. How does that perception of time get distorted? And where the hell are these ideas and people coming from? How the hell can my brain generate such detail in the setting? While in the dream I specifically remember observing all the details of the people and the environment. And this also always happens to me- in that brief period of waking where I am half awake but not really up and conscious yet, I am still unaware if the events in the dream actually occurred. The point before I open my eyes, see my actual surroundings and fully realize it was a dream. As in, I actually remember thinking to myself, I need to check imdb.com and see if this was actually released as a movie. Wtf people, what is wrong with my brain?

I am seriously interested in learning more about dreaming, both the biological and the meanings of the smbols and how it reflects repressed thoughts. But not through those shitty books called dream dictionaries, where you look up the symbols in your dreams. Like if there were koala bears in my dream it means I am worried about getting a promotion at work. I need some more academic, informative stuff. If anyone has read anything, please let me know.

Here’s an interesting Times piece on how parents are still supporting their children past the teenage years. It’s an interesting debate, if you will. My parents and I have had extensive talks about money and how much they would be willing to support me. As I have mentioned before, I completely understand my privilege and I grew up with absolutely everything I needed, but I think my parents did a decent job of instilling the value of working for money and not just being able to have material items whenever I wanted them. However, this is very much a cultural thing. I can only speak from the Jewish cultural perspective. If I whined and asked for some clothes or a new cd my parents would tell me to buy it my damns self, but even now if I told my parents I wanted to get a law degree and a PhD, they would quickly whip out their checkbooks. I think some parents and cultures see education as the highest value and would pay anything for it. Also, there is this societal thing that I have mentioned before about god forbid children are not extremely happy every second, so some young professionals do not have to take the first job they are offered because of the paycheck. They can hang out for a while and “find themselves” or go pursue a career in acting or whatever.

My belief is, if parents have the money, what better way to spend it on their children? That is what family support is for. Of course, this can go way too far and then you get privileged children who have no appreciation or concept of privilege. There is always a line that is crossed.

Of course, if it isn’t already obvious, I am taking this perspective from one of class privilege. If one were to look at my bank statement at face value, I don’t know what bracket I would fall in to. At this point I could not support a child, much less a whole family. However, should I ever lose my job, go bankrupt, etc., I wouldn’t be homeless. I know that my parents, however begrudgingly, would take me in and support me. I worry about money, but not to the point where a majority of Americans depend their lives on it. I see that as the basis of the class divide. And I try to recognize this privilege everytime I take out my credit card.

America may still think of itself as the land of opportunity, but the chances of living a rags-to-riches life are a lot lower than elsewhere in the world.

First the Wedding Singer is on broadway and kind of gets good reviews. Then Legally Blonde. And now Elf. This is getting out of hand. Broadway is not waht it used to be. Now it is being catered towards the masses. Is this really to expose people to culture or to make more money?

The funniest column evah.

A map plotting all the murders in NYC.

A big brou ha ha in Washington Square Park protesting NYU president John Sexton. 

Here's a treat for your morning: this is a program that plots people's political contributions by geographic area. As in, exact loactions. So type in your zipcode and spy on your neighbors. I am not sure how reliable it is though. My neighborhood is about 99% blue, which kind of surprises me (I expected there to be some variety).

“Where is my Mind?” is definately one of my favorite Pixies songs, not to mention one of the best songs ever. If you don’t know the Pixies, you are living under a rock, but many may be familiar with the song because it was used in the trailer and in the last scene of Fight Club. Two of my very very favorite bands have done covers of the song, and it is actually hard to say which version is the best, even when compared to the original. Anyhow, they are essential to everyone’s ipod.

Original by the Pixies

Nada Surf version

Placebo version

Remember the band Soul Asylum? I just came across their album Gravedancers Union after eight or so years. I used to be so obsessed with this band. The singer was dating Wynona Ryder at the time and that was the stamp of approval of indie cred back then. They had that stupid hit single "Runaway Train" with all the missing kids that you probably remember. I remember thinking the album was soooo alternative, angsty, and grungy, but listening to it now makes Third Eye Blind sound like speed metal. Ok, not really. I believe it was one of the first concerts I saw, I saw them at Jones Beach with….the Spin Doctors. I am kind of ashamed to admit that. The bottom line is one of the best songs ever is "Somebody to Shove". Basically every song these days is about attraction and love and all that stuff, but this one at the time, I was in high school and it really hit home about some guy I had a crush on at the time. Don't ask, I can't even remember who the hell it was. But I uploaded it here. Fantastic.

So mid-nineties it hurts!

Tim is afraid that the killer chimps will attack him from Sierra Leone. I think that the media is correct in asserting that chimps aren’t just cute little things that ride bicycles and wear clothes in commercials. However, they aren’t mindless killing machines unless actually threatened are provoked. The smarter an animal is, the more likely it will be violent “for sport”.

Erin declares her love for lesbian comedy.

Matt and Ruth post pics of themselves in compromising positions. Why does Ruth look like she is about to crack up?

TC posts more about “gunners” in law school, which is basically…well, you can read how she describes them. This is interesting to me, because every sort of field has its version. You know, those over-achievers who need to need to get their hands in everything not because they really want to, but because they want to get their hands in everything. This even happened in grad school. Everyone wanted to voluteer to do research with someone, do some sort of extra internship, present at a conference, blah blah. Really, what was it all for? I kind of get caught up in that to. When I first started my job I joined every committee under the sun, volunteered to write every proposal, etc. What for? Was I really interested? I’m better off just doing what I am really interested in. Although the back of my mind still wants to pad my resume. I hate that I get caught up in it. Although it sounds like law school is a much worse situation. If I were in law school, I think I would be permanently emotionally damaged. This is not to take offense to my friends in law school, I am just in awe of your stamina and dedication.

And where in the heck is Laila? She either was attacked by killer monkeys from Sierra Leone or either wandering the streets in a tartan kilt mumbling to herself.

Brandon is preparing for his doctorate in queer super heroes.

For the rest of you, update your mothertruckin blogs and I’ll mention you.

Where my scifi nerds at?

Set more than 50 years before the “Battlestar: Galactica” miniseries, “Caprica” will deal with the origins of the Cylon race! And apparently with Bill Adama’s parents, uncles, aunts and/or grandparents!

from the NBC/Universal press release:

'CAPRICA'

From executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick ('Battlestar Galactica'), writer Remi Aubuchon ('24') and NBC Universal Television Studio, this new series is set over a half a century before the events that play out in 'Battlestar Galactica.'

The people of the Twelve Colonies are at peace and living in a society not unlike our own, but where high-technology has changed the lives of virtually everyone for the better. But a startling breakthrough in robotics is about to occur, one that will bring to life the age-old dream of marrying artificial intelligence with a mechanical body to create the first living robot - a Cylon.

Following the lives of two families, the Graystones and the Adamas (the family of William Adama, who will one day become the commander of the 'Battlestar Galactica') 'Caprica' weaves corporate intrigue, techno-action and sexual politics into television's first science fiction family saga.

This could be good or bad. I guess in this era people actually die of cancer, because they hadn't at the last minute dicovered that cylon fetal blood cures cancer. [I'm still bitter about that].

The first trailer for the Strangers With Candy movie. It's a prequel, and from this, it looks mediocre, but I'm still excited.

today I woke up totally into being grumpy, but the sun is shining and I realized here are some good things to think about
1. I have my leftovers from the Mexican restaurant for lunch

2. The meetings I have this afternoon are all with people I like

3. I reactivated my Netflix so I can get the fifth season of Six Feet Under

4. I totally didn't shower today and I grabbed the skirt I am wearing was at the bottom of the dirty laundry pile (business casual my ass!)

5. My next three weekends are actually action packed and have planned events.

I could actually think of 10 times as many annoying things, but that would have been what you expected me to do, so I thought I's throw you a loop.

In other news, my cell phone basically stopped working, but I have no desire to replace it. I like being freed from it.

No no no no no this is a sacrileage.

Musical High Fidelity To Debut in Boston; Broadway in Fall

The new musical, High Fidelity, will play a pre-Broadway engagement in Boston before landing on Broadway for a fall 2006 opening, the producers announced April 24.

Walter Bobbie (Chicago, Sweet Charity, White Christmas) has signed on to direct the new Tom Kitt, Amanda Green and David Lindsay-Abaire musical take on the Nick Hornby novel, which was also a film. Jeffrey Seller, Robyn Goodman, Kevin McCollum — the team behind the 2004 Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q — will produce the new work.

High Fidelity follows the story of a record store owner (and constant Top 5-listmaker) who — when things in his current relationship go sour — revisits his former relationships to find where he went wrong. The 2000 film reset the Hornby story in Chicago (rather than England) starring John Cusack, Jack Black, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lisa Bonet, Tim Robbins and Lili Taylor. The musical will be set in New York.

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Kimberly Akimbo, Fuddy Meers) will pen the book with music by composer Tom Kitt (Laugh Whore, Debbie Does Dallas) and lyricist Amanda Green (For the Love of Tiffany, Up The Creek Without A Paddle ).

The world premiere pre-Broadway production will play an out-of-town tryout engagement, Sept. 26-Oct. 22 at the Colonial Theatre as part of the Broadway Across America – Boston series. The show will then begin previews on Broadway in late November and open in early December at a theatre to be announced.

The wit, humor and humanity of Nick Hornby’s characters and story naturally lends itself to musical treatment,” according to songwriters Kitt and Green. “It is a socially acute contemporary love story about people who are obsessed with, and define themselves by pop music and culture. The hero’s life is a soundtrack and the big moments are songs.

It was bad enough when The Wedding Singer was made into a Broadway show. For those who have seen the movie version, maybe they can rest easy with this one, but purists who worship the book (i.e., me) will be outraged. Um, first, it takes place in London, not New York. Second of all…just please don’t do this. I can’t even imagine how they are going to obtain all the rights to the music that is mentioned. I have a vision of a large dance number set to a medley of Velvet Underground Songs. Ugh.

Christian Rock…mainstream? I don't think they are ready for the mainstream, unless they record albums that are safe and not overtly Christian (i.e. Mxpx, Lifehouse). Although you all know my feelings on Christian music, I have to admit it can't hurt to have music with a message about doing good for humanity, loving our fellow humans and all that Christian schtuff, rather than, "stop looking at my beep".

Um, creepy. Apparently there is a site that connects all dead MySpace users.

The position you sleep in determines your personality. Me: Lying on your front with your hands around the pillow, and your head turned to one side. Often gregarious and brash people, but can be nervy and thin-skinned underneath, and don't like criticism, or extreme situations. Yea, that and I like to avoid the post-nasal drip. Coincidence?

Gross. Some tenants of a building in NYC are getting their own reality show. It's supposed to be the new Melrose Place, and they will probably get their rent paid.

The 33 1/3 series of writing about music just released Doolittle, their volume about the Pixies. I have been meaning to getting around to reading it.

Damn. I have never watched more than three minutes of the O.C., but damn that Adam Brody. He was actually in some shitty movie about Skateboarding that I once watched at three in the morning. Here's a bit of softcore porn he did for Elle Girl magazine.

Well there is a lot to post but I just got home from work and I'm tired and I think I am gonna make some herbal tea and watch Brokeback Mountain, which just came in the mail at Amazon. I started watching it on my computer at work but the tears started even as the dvd menu came up. Brandon also gave the a movie called the Dying Gaul to watch, and it has you know who in it, so how bad can it be. I am sure I won't be able to sleep tonight so I'll give you all some good stuff to read later.