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November 23, 2006
American Icons: Plymouth Rock & Bob Dylan
Any fan of Dylan or casual history buff will enjoy this commentary from the NYT by Nathaniel Philbrick - "Rocks of Ages."
Posted by cj at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)
Reflections and Deep Appreciation
Mass culture tells me that most Americans begin their Thanksgiving dinners with a round robin of giving thanks. My family has never done that. We also don't say grace (which sounds vaguely goyish to my mind) or bracha's before or after the meal. I asked the fam why this was and my mom explained that we're ravenous savages (which is true - we started eating before all of the dishes were on the table). So, here in no particular order are some reflections on what I most appreciate this Thanksgiving -
1. My family, especially my 'rents. Without them, I would not have been able to quit my job in Chicago and return home to Los Angeles to bask in the glow of my sister's pregnancy. Having spent so much of my adult life away from my family, I truly appreciate this time with them. I only wish we could have shared the day with my brother and my nephews.
2. My extended family. From my sister's fiancee to my sister-in-law-despite-divorce to my cousins to my aunts, uncles and almost 92-year-old grandma, I am truly blessed.
3. Health.
4. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and my large network of WILPF sisters.
5. Friends - especially my Wellesley sisters. Seeing most of them together in Atlanta this year was truly a highlight of my post-grad experience. I am truly blessed to have friends all over the country and world.
6. The glimmer of hope in the world - the force of people working globally to take back the levers of power from the forces that drive us towards war & poverty. Viva Radical Democracy!
7. Netflix.
8. Rhapsody.
9. Books - the ones I'm still reading (Challenging Empire, Taking History to Heart, On Beauty, Zen and the Art of Making a Living) and the ones I've finished (Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, The Kite Runner) and the ones I haven't started (too many to list).
10. Newspapers (the LAT, WSJ, NYT)
11. My anonymous blog host and this outlet for my ravenous writing desires (which have been publicly muted in the past year due to my increasing responsibilities with WILPF).
The word of the day is truly.
Posted by cj at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
November 22, 2006
Racist Slurs, Strange "Apologies"
By now, you've heard something about the Kramer melt down at the Laugh Factory and his subsequent apology on the Letterman show. I heard teases on t.v. news and until tonight, didn't bother to watch the YouTube clips. Wow.
First of all, I cringed watching the clip from the Laugh Factory. It was so hateful, so full of rage. It was really quite unbelievable. The clip starts with "Shut up! 50 years ago we'd have you upside down with a fucking fork up your ass!" and it degenerates from there. I know, I didn't think anything could degenerate beyond that.
Then, Michael Richards "apologized" on the Letterman show. True, it was unfortunate that the audience laughed at the beginning of his apology. But the thing that really struck me was that he never said straight up, "I used racial epithets; I made racist comments and for that I apologize." No, instead he apologized for getting "enraged" and for not being able to keep his cool.
I'm sorry but that just doesn't cut it for me. Why is it that when white people make racist comments the first thing they say is "I'm not a racist?" Dude, you look like a racist, you act like a racist, and until you do something tangible to change yourself, you'll still be a racist. It's not enough to go on an old white guy's t.v. show and apologize amongst your white friends. You need to figure out why you use such horrific language - you need to gather some insight from some non-white folk, and you need to try to make amends with the specific individuals you insulted and the larger African American community. Until you do that, you'll remain a racist hack in my eyes.
Watch the video from the Laugh Factory at your own risk:
See Richards' "apology" on Letterman:
NYT Explains how Seinfeld got Richards on Letterman
NYT critic accepts Richards' apology
Posted by cj at 07:00 PM | Comments (0)
November 20, 2006
In the Mood For Love
After seeing trailers for the English-language version of this picture (which I think has little to do with the original), the Hong Kong version landed on my Netflix queue and in my hands. The critics agree that it is a lush, tension-filled movie. It's also the longest 1.5 hours you'll spend with a film. Perhaps I feel that way because the last movie I saw was Casino Royale (at least three full hours of action), but still.
Frankly, I think the movie is worth seeing once. Yes, it is haunting - but is it realistic? Perhaps for the 60s, but I highly doubt it translates well into modern society. Maybe I'm a fool. On the other hand, I recognized my Chinese landlord from DC in one scene - Su Li-zhen is chastised by an overprotective landlord and I could totally see Mrs. Peng doing that.
Perhaps it didn't strike a chord because I've yet to encounter a man with as much self restraint as Mr. Chow. In any event, it's worth a viewing.
Extremely long review in NYT by Elvis Mitchell
Roger Ebert's plot breakdown / review
Posted by cj at 09:33 PM | Comments (0)
TVNewser's Front Page NYT Profile
The guy behind TVNewser got a profile on the front page of the NYT today. It's on my blogroll because at one point I was a cable news junkie and found it fascinating. Now it's just dull. What is fascinating is how much of a celebrity Brian Stelter is among the media elite. The publicists of every major news organization knows the 21-year senior from a Podunk college's class schedule. And the guy even wants to continue blogging about tv news while on vacation next year in China! Dude, seriously. I know blogging is an addiction, but really. You can step away from your "earnest" scribbling for one week. The 24 hour news cycle will continue without you reporting on its reporters.
"The Kid With All The News About the TV News," by Julie Bosman
Posted by cj at 06:43 PM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2006
I Was On TeeVee! And Now I'm On The Net (for a limited time)
A few weeks ago, I went to a taping of Larry King Live. Don't ask me why I didn't blog about it then or why I failed to mention that the show would be on the air before it aired - I've just been busy, kay?
So, the show was on the Power of Positive Thinking. My friend chastised me for not watching the first show on the topic (it aired last week). Short background - I got there because my cousin knows someone who works at CNN. My cousin and I went, thinking we'd just be in the audience. We had no understanding that we'd be on the air. We submitted questions beforehand, based on bios of the guests. My question was a combo of reading I had done in the Wall Street Journal (that big corporations are trying to be flexible to allow room for working mothers, but most businesses can't offer flexibility) and a friend's dilemma (she's pregnant and wondering how to take care of her baby and work, when her work doesn't provide childcare or extra money to pay for childcare; ironic since she's a teacher).
They picked me to ask The First Question. We didn't rehearse (I know this sounds lame, but come on people, it was my first time in front of a camera.) And I got slightly flustered hearing Larry King say my name. I blame my 1000 eyebrow twitches on my nervousness.
The nine minute clip is still up tonight on CNN's website, but I don't know how long it will be there, so click quickly!
Posted by cj at 09:45 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2006
Fast Food Nation: Script Details
Scriptland, a weekly feature in the LAT Calendar section, rambles today about two films - one I don't care about and the other is "Fast Food Nation." I hope that by now you've read the book. It represents my favorite kind of writing: passionate, factual prose, expressive and full of meaning. Seriously, there is nothing better than a well-written nonfiction book. Except of course, for a well-written novel. I admit that when I think about 100 Years of Solitude, I cannot continue on my earnest rant in praise of straight facts.
In any event, the book was great. And the premise of the movie is to take the best aspects of the book: its cinematic vignettes and turn it into cinema. So this wont be a documentary (even though the book is all real). Don't read the Scriptland article if you want to be surprised about the movie. The book and movie harken back to The Jungle, which for some reason I have never read. Other influences:
Other disparate sources — the documentary "The Corporation," which explores its literally soulless approach to business, and sprawling film landscapes such as Robert Altman's "Nashville" and John Sayles' "City of Hope" — found their way into the feel of the film. (Linklater even referenced "Psycho" to sell his pitch to the studio, but not for the reasons you might think — it has to do with narrative structure.)I saw The Corporation at the one and only MoveOn event I've been to. (You should see it, though it's long. It builds on work started by WILPF members on challenging corporate personhood.) I'm intrigued by the Psycho reference, but not enough to watch it. (Yes, I do get nightmares from scary movies, wanna make something of it?) Nashville's now in my Netflix queue, but alas City of Hope hasn't made it to DVD. Never fear - you can pick up a VHS copy fairly cheap on Amazon.
Interesting. I think this is the first blog post that actually cost me money (because I picked up the $3 VHS tape).
Posted by cj at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)