I was just laying in bed when I realized 1) I'm not tired, and 2) since I don't have to be up till 7am I can stay up a little later.
So now I decided to make some New Year's resolutions, and if I'm gonna do it I might as well aim high.
No more McDonalds. Yes, you heard me right. 2010 saw a lot of McNugget 10-pieces. And crispy BBQ chicken snack wraps. My favorite meal this year, though was medium fries, a McChicken sandwich (with the mayonaise wiped off and replaced with sweet and sour sauce), and a medium caramel frappe.
The frappes are going to be the hardest things to quit. New this year, they're awesome. Yo can get them in caramel or mocha and they come with whipped cream on top. I fell in love with them this summer and it might be easier to quit them now because these days when I get one my whole body feels cold for the next twenty minutes.
Another thing I'm quitting is cigarettes. I've never tries to stop before so I don't know how hard it'll be. Maybe I'll just cut-down instead. I've hard that cutting down is harder than quitting but I think it'll be do-able.
Wait. I've decided it's not the right time to quit smoking. What I'm going to do instead is cut down to 5 a day. I smoke 20 a day now so that's very do-able. And I'll still save a shitload of money,
I'm also going to save up to buy a car. I miss driving around.
My other goals are to have a gallery show for my pictures and publish a book.
Wish me luck, and good luck to you.
Happy New Year!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Happy New Year
I think that 2011 will be a much better year. This past year was ok but there were a lot of missed opportunities. On the other hand, I'm proud of the way I pursued other things, even if they didn't work out the way I wanted.
I hope you have a great New Year. I'll be back tomorrow.
I hope you have a great New Year. I'll be back tomorrow.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
1990s record sleeves
The cover for this Jane's Addiction single for "Stop"/ "Three Days" (1990) seems to set the look for record sleeves later in the 90s. Nirvana's sleeves seemed to try for the same effect but didn't really achieve it.
Note: Today I noticed that I'm very close to having 365 posts this year. I'm hoping to reach that number by the end of tomorrow. Wish me luck.
The Best of The Pixies
in 2011, 4AD will be releasing Wave of Mutilation- The Best of The Pixies on vinyl. This photo was up on 4AD.com.
Those are pinecones
I came across this drawing on the internet and I have no idea who the artist is. I like this picture but I have a big problem with it. Yes, if you look at it for a while you can see that there are pinecones on the ground, but at first sight it looks like shit, and who wants that?
The Lambs
The other night Turner Classic Movie played The Lion In Winter (1968), which I love. It probably one of the best-written movies ever. And all the actors are very good in it- you've got Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn, plus, in their first movie roles, Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton (playing a king but looking like Prince).
On a side note I'd like to say that I love Turner Classic Movies; they play great movies, all commercial free. Did you know that this month IFC started running commercials? It fucking sucks. Cable is so expensive. I've got DirecTV and there are a shitload of stations that only play infomercials and sell Dean Martin DVDs and still that isn't enough? They can't have just a few channels be commercial free? Too much to expect? It's lame.
Anyway, if you get a chance to see The Lion In Winter check it out. You don't need to know the history of King Henry to understand what's going in. It's a complicated story but it's still easy enough to follow.
Right now Biography is playing Silence Of The Lambs: The Inside Story. I love that movie. It's one of my favorite films ever. Jonathon Demme has an interesting, very distinctive style and The Lambs really sets a mood.
There are a lot of interesting stories about the making of the film and, in the movie, watch for cameos from directors Roger Corman and David Cronenburg.
But back what I meant to say: Anthony Hopkins was asked if anyone inspired his portrayal of Lector and he said Katherine Hepburn. You can see that, especially during the meeting with Senator Martin, "Love your suit".
On a side note I'd like to say that I love Turner Classic Movies; they play great movies, all commercial free. Did you know that this month IFC started running commercials? It fucking sucks. Cable is so expensive. I've got DirecTV and there are a shitload of stations that only play infomercials and sell Dean Martin DVDs and still that isn't enough? They can't have just a few channels be commercial free? Too much to expect? It's lame.
Anyway, if you get a chance to see The Lion In Winter check it out. You don't need to know the history of King Henry to understand what's going in. It's a complicated story but it's still easy enough to follow.
Right now Biography is playing Silence Of The Lambs: The Inside Story. I love that movie. It's one of my favorite films ever. Jonathon Demme has an interesting, very distinctive style and The Lambs really sets a mood.
There are a lot of interesting stories about the making of the film and, in the movie, watch for cameos from directors Roger Corman and David Cronenburg.
But back what I meant to say: Anthony Hopkins was asked if anyone inspired his portrayal of Lector and he said Katherine Hepburn. You can see that, especially during the meeting with Senator Martin, "Love your suit".
Two Thousand and Ten
It's been a big year here at RJ Battles. Not really. Actually, it's been a medium-sized year here. But that's still good. I had fun and I hope you did too.
This post is a look back at the happenings at RJ Battles and some of my favorite entries.
Back in January I found some awesome scans of Belly record sleeves. I've seen most of them but there are others I'm still looking for.
In March I reviewed Shutter Island and wrote about the death of Corey Haim. I love the paintings of Christiane Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick's widow- she's an amazing artist. In April I posted some of my favorite paintings.
I discovered two great things in April: 1) The joy of making terrariums, and 2) a blog called The Daily Guru. The Daily Guru writes clumsy reviews of albums and songs in the manner of hack music journalism from the 80s and 90s.
In May I put up a record 50 posts; the following month my posts went in the opposite direction when I only put up 9 entries.
In August my friends and I celebrated Lego Day 2010. We like to take a day- aside from his birthday- to pay tribute to my friend Lego. This years was his wife's first time celebrating Lego Day. We had a great time and I'm left with memories of a fun night and a cool graphic, the image I made on Paint to advertise the party.
In September I bought Sky Motel with money that I found on the sidewalk just a couple feet away from a bum who was asking for money. waBOOM.
October brought the 2 year anniversary of RJ Battles. I also came across Nuala O'Faolain's memoir, Are You Somebody? and loved it. I got to the end of it and turned right back to the beginning and read it again.
I was at 4AD.com in November and saw an amazing promo poster for Red Heaven. I'm not sure- I might even like it better than the promo poster for Frank Black's Frank Black. All fall I've been obsessed with Carrie Fisher and the interesting life she's had. And I'm still fascinated by Patti "The Millionaire Matchmaker" Stanger. I wrote about both ladies in December.
Later I'm gonna put up links to some of my favorite posts from 2010 at RJ Battles.
This post is a look back at the happenings at RJ Battles and some of my favorite entries.
Back in January I found some awesome scans of Belly record sleeves. I've seen most of them but there are others I'm still looking for.
In March I reviewed Shutter Island and wrote about the death of Corey Haim. I love the paintings of Christiane Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick's widow- she's an amazing artist. In April I posted some of my favorite paintings.
I discovered two great things in April: 1) The joy of making terrariums, and 2) a blog called The Daily Guru. The Daily Guru writes clumsy reviews of albums and songs in the manner of hack music journalism from the 80s and 90s.
In May I put up a record 50 posts; the following month my posts went in the opposite direction when I only put up 9 entries.
In August my friends and I celebrated Lego Day 2010. We like to take a day- aside from his birthday- to pay tribute to my friend Lego. This years was his wife's first time celebrating Lego Day. We had a great time and I'm left with memories of a fun night and a cool graphic, the image I made on Paint to advertise the party.
In September I bought Sky Motel with money that I found on the sidewalk just a couple feet away from a bum who was asking for money. waBOOM.
October brought the 2 year anniversary of RJ Battles. I also came across Nuala O'Faolain's memoir, Are You Somebody? and loved it. I got to the end of it and turned right back to the beginning and read it again.
I was at 4AD.com in November and saw an amazing promo poster for Red Heaven. I'm not sure- I might even like it better than the promo poster for Frank Black's Frank Black. All fall I've been obsessed with Carrie Fisher and the interesting life she's had. And I'm still fascinated by Patti "The Millionaire Matchmaker" Stanger. I wrote about both ladies in December.
Later I'm gonna put up links to some of my favorite posts from 2010 at RJ Battles.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Year end
I finally took down the Halloween header and put up the all-season Belly one. That's better.
My only day off in the past week was Christmas Day, now I've got tomorrow and Friday off and I'm going to compile all of my best/ favorite posts from 2010. I was just looking through all my posts- the best ones feature really good record sleeves. There are a few that feature good writing, by me, RJ Battles, but not many, and they're not that good.
Still, they're worth reading if you haven't seen them already.
The collection will go up before the beginning of 2011. Stay tuned.
Stupid
If you ever read news stories online then you're probably used to seeing the Comments Section- at the bottom of the page of any news story there will be comments from readers.
The people who leave messages are the same people who write letters to the editor, only now they get to be anonymous. These are some angry, bitter, judgemental people. They're almost all men, ranging in age from late 20s to mid 60s.
You'd think that the older guys would be the crabbiest but you'd be wrong. The guys with wives (or ex-wives) and young children are angry about everything. They have an attitude that they're being victimized by society while everyone else is getting "a free ride" or "a slap on the wrist".
And everyone else is stupid. The criminals, the lawyers, the judges, actors, athletes, coaches, the reporter who wrote the story, and of course, the other people who post comments.
I've always been bothered by people who are so quick to label any decision that they don't agree with as "stupid". It never occurs to them that people make decisions based on information that other people don't have.
Yesterday one of our local paper's music critics wrote an article listing and describing the worst concerts he had seen in 2010. He started by saying that while his job might seem like non-stop fun, it isn't always perfect and a lot of times he has to go see awful shows.
The very first reader to comment said this:
"It's pretty simple, when a show stinks walk out the door and leave. I did this once when Smashing Pumpkins played the Mullins Center and they seemed more disinterested in the show than I was so I said screw it and walked out.
"The main issue is that you went to those shows you listed at all, Sheryl Crow, Sugarland, The Bangles?? I think I'd rather spend 5 hours at the dentist getting a root canal than listen to that garbage."
As the writer said at the beginning of his article, sometimes as a music critic you have to see bands you wouldn't otherwise see and sometimes bands play badly. 'Rather be at the dentist', rather have a 'root canal', very original.
This guy is so quick to think that the music critic is stupid that he's missing the two main points- 1)the music critic doesn't get to choose which shows he reviews, and 2) he's not allowed to just walk out. His job is to watch the whole show.
There's a new "viral" video that was shot after this week's snowstorn in NYC. A tow truck was dragging a front-end loader that got stuck in the snow and in the process a parked SUV got all banged up. A man named John Knightly, 47, was watching from his apartment window and he recorded the scene with his camera phone. It's a great video and yes, the tow truck driver really fucked things up.
But the audio for the video annoys me. Knightly rants the entire time:
"Dude"
"What the fuck?"
"You that stupid?"
(Knightly is at least 3 stories up, they can't hear him.)
"Are you kidding me?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
"What are you doing?"
"THAT IS INSANE!"
"What genius!"
(The tow truck driver says he's going to call a supervisor.)
"Oh you're gonna need more than a supervisor!"
Knightly's anger builds but it's none of his business. the owner of the SUV is outside; everything is gonna get settled. Some people just look for things to get outraged over.
The people who leave messages are the same people who write letters to the editor, only now they get to be anonymous. These are some angry, bitter, judgemental people. They're almost all men, ranging in age from late 20s to mid 60s.
You'd think that the older guys would be the crabbiest but you'd be wrong. The guys with wives (or ex-wives) and young children are angry about everything. They have an attitude that they're being victimized by society while everyone else is getting "a free ride" or "a slap on the wrist".
And everyone else is stupid. The criminals, the lawyers, the judges, actors, athletes, coaches, the reporter who wrote the story, and of course, the other people who post comments.
I've always been bothered by people who are so quick to label any decision that they don't agree with as "stupid". It never occurs to them that people make decisions based on information that other people don't have.
Yesterday one of our local paper's music critics wrote an article listing and describing the worst concerts he had seen in 2010. He started by saying that while his job might seem like non-stop fun, it isn't always perfect and a lot of times he has to go see awful shows.
The very first reader to comment said this:
"It's pretty simple, when a show stinks walk out the door and leave. I did this once when Smashing Pumpkins played the Mullins Center and they seemed more disinterested in the show than I was so I said screw it and walked out.
"The main issue is that you went to those shows you listed at all, Sheryl Crow, Sugarland, The Bangles?? I think I'd rather spend 5 hours at the dentist getting a root canal than listen to that garbage."
As the writer said at the beginning of his article, sometimes as a music critic you have to see bands you wouldn't otherwise see and sometimes bands play badly. 'Rather be at the dentist', rather have a 'root canal', very original.
This guy is so quick to think that the music critic is stupid that he's missing the two main points- 1)the music critic doesn't get to choose which shows he reviews, and 2) he's not allowed to just walk out. His job is to watch the whole show.
There's a new "viral" video that was shot after this week's snowstorn in NYC. A tow truck was dragging a front-end loader that got stuck in the snow and in the process a parked SUV got all banged up. A man named John Knightly, 47, was watching from his apartment window and he recorded the scene with his camera phone. It's a great video and yes, the tow truck driver really fucked things up.
But the audio for the video annoys me. Knightly rants the entire time:
"Dude"
"What the fuck?"
"You that stupid?"
(Knightly is at least 3 stories up, they can't hear him.)
"Are you kidding me?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
"What are you doing?"
"THAT IS INSANE!"
"What genius!"
(The tow truck driver says he's going to call a supervisor.)
"Oh you're gonna need more than a supervisor!"
Knightly's anger builds but it's none of his business. the owner of the SUV is outside; everything is gonna get settled. Some people just look for things to get outraged over.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Merry Christmas
I think this is gonna be a nice Christmas, though I have to say: it feels like it was just Thanksgiving. This month fucking flew.
I haven't bought a single present and I gotta work tomorrow till 2pm and then go straight to a Christmas Eve party. I'm gonna have to be quick like a bunny.
But anyway, to all of you who have visited RJ Battles this year, thank you for coming and I hope to see you again in 2011.
Merry Christmas.
I haven't bought a single present and I gotta work tomorrow till 2pm and then go straight to a Christmas Eve party. I'm gonna have to be quick like a bunny.
But anyway, to all of you who have visited RJ Battles this year, thank you for coming and I hope to see you again in 2011.
Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The best way to find love
If you are alone, or in a bad relationship, or just unlucky in love, you should watch a TV show on Bravo called The Milionaire Matchmaker about a woman named Patti Stanger. She calls herself a "third generation matchmaker" which might be a stretch- I imagine maybe her grandmother hooked up a few people and maybe her mom did the same- who hasn't fixed up some people and gotten lucky?
But having said that, Stanger really does know what she's talking about. She holds casting session for prospective dates for her millionaires and she really tears into the applicants, but the thing is, they deserve it and she's almost always right.
She understands what men and women are really looking for in a partner. A normal woman doesn't want a weak, wimpy guy, and a normal man isn't turned on by an intense, bossy woman.
Watching this show is a real education. Stanger pulls back the curtain on human desire and while some of her ideas seem crass or too direct- the mixers, the mini-dates- they all serve a purpose. When it comes to men she always says "the penis does the picking", meaning that sexual attration is the most important thing, and it really is.
I believe that unless you are seriously, strongly, irresistably attracted to the other person than you shouldn't be together.
I've learned that sarcasm is a huge turn-off. As she says, "No one wants to ride that ride".
The millionaires on the show always make a number of mistakes but I've noticed the biggest one is this: they use the first date as a means to "test" the other person. One guys was in the business of picking through trash and he based the first date around searching through rubble. Others insist on including their buddies so "she'll know what she's getting herself into" when really he just wants their security and to get his friends' impression of her.
Others, who are clearly single for a reason, resist her efforts to change them because they want to be taken as they are. But no one would ever want them as they are.
The most important lessons you can learn fromthis show are these unavoidable truths- if you want to be attractive to other people...
If you're a man you have to be masculine.
If you're a woman you have to be feminine.
No one likes sarcasm.
Listen to advice from other people, whether it's your friends, family, or a matchmaker. They're not saying these things for no reason.
Don't go on and on about yourself.
Be genuinely interested in the other person.
Be as clean and attractive as you can be.
Don't be judgemental.
Don't try to test the other person and have the attitude- "Well if they can't handle this then they can't handle me".
Be fun to be around. Be open to doing new things.
Don't be so concerned about what other people do for a living. It's none of your business at this point anyway.
Normal people aren't sexually attracted to people who are more than ten years older or younger than themselves. And if you're over forty nobody under thirty is interested in anything other than your money.
When you watch the show you can clearly see why certain people are single. The worst daters have been the gay men. They've all been over 35 and looked like they were over 45 yet they thought they were youthful-looking and they expected younger guys to be interested in them. On top of that, they were negative, looks-obsessed, and catty. One man started a date by announcing "I hate people" and then after he had alienated the other guy he complained that during the date he was "bored to tears".
My old friend Mareka once said "Only boring people get bored". I like that.
But having said that, Stanger really does know what she's talking about. She holds casting session for prospective dates for her millionaires and she really tears into the applicants, but the thing is, they deserve it and she's almost always right.
She understands what men and women are really looking for in a partner. A normal woman doesn't want a weak, wimpy guy, and a normal man isn't turned on by an intense, bossy woman.
Watching this show is a real education. Stanger pulls back the curtain on human desire and while some of her ideas seem crass or too direct- the mixers, the mini-dates- they all serve a purpose. When it comes to men she always says "the penis does the picking", meaning that sexual attration is the most important thing, and it really is.
I believe that unless you are seriously, strongly, irresistably attracted to the other person than you shouldn't be together.
I've learned that sarcasm is a huge turn-off. As she says, "No one wants to ride that ride".
The millionaires on the show always make a number of mistakes but I've noticed the biggest one is this: they use the first date as a means to "test" the other person. One guys was in the business of picking through trash and he based the first date around searching through rubble. Others insist on including their buddies so "she'll know what she's getting herself into" when really he just wants their security and to get his friends' impression of her.
Others, who are clearly single for a reason, resist her efforts to change them because they want to be taken as they are. But no one would ever want them as they are.
The most important lessons you can learn fromthis show are these unavoidable truths- if you want to be attractive to other people...
If you're a man you have to be masculine.
If you're a woman you have to be feminine.
No one likes sarcasm.
Listen to advice from other people, whether it's your friends, family, or a matchmaker. They're not saying these things for no reason.
Don't go on and on about yourself.
Be genuinely interested in the other person.
Be as clean and attractive as you can be.
Don't be judgemental.
Don't try to test the other person and have the attitude- "Well if they can't handle this then they can't handle me".
Be fun to be around. Be open to doing new things.
Don't be so concerned about what other people do for a living. It's none of your business at this point anyway.
Normal people aren't sexually attracted to people who are more than ten years older or younger than themselves. And if you're over forty nobody under thirty is interested in anything other than your money.
When you watch the show you can clearly see why certain people are single. The worst daters have been the gay men. They've all been over 35 and looked like they were over 45 yet they thought they were youthful-looking and they expected younger guys to be interested in them. On top of that, they were negative, looks-obsessed, and catty. One man started a date by announcing "I hate people" and then after he had alienated the other guy he complained that during the date he was "bored to tears".
My old friend Mareka once said "Only boring people get bored". I like that.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Aimee Mann Twitter feud
While I'll sometimes see in USA Today that somebody has posted something on Twitter (or "Twatted" as Kathy Griffin says) but I've never actually gone to the website or followed anybody. At the risk of sounding old I'm going to say that Twitter and everything related to it is stupid and an attempt to seem young and/or cool.
So today I was looking up Aimee Mann on wiki and I saw that she was in a Twitter feud this year. Supposedly she said something like "Nobody should ever cast Ice T on a TV show" and Ice T heard about it and said that she makes "WACK ass music" and she should "eat a hot bowl of dicks".
I'm smiling while I write that. This all happened online of course. Can you imagine the red carpet for the Emmys. He's there with the cast of Law & Order SVU and she walks by and he yells "Yo Aimee Mann, eat a hot bowl of dicks!!" Mariska Hargitay would shit.
I'll just say that Ice T sucks as an actor. Everytime I see him on that show it looks like it's his first day, his first scene. Anyway, she said she's sorry and he called off the feud.
So today I was looking up Aimee Mann on wiki and I saw that she was in a Twitter feud this year. Supposedly she said something like "Nobody should ever cast Ice T on a TV show" and Ice T heard about it and said that she makes "WACK ass music" and she should "eat a hot bowl of dicks".
I'm smiling while I write that. This all happened online of course. Can you imagine the red carpet for the Emmys. He's there with the cast of Law & Order SVU and she walks by and he yells "Yo Aimee Mann, eat a hot bowl of dicks!!" Mariska Hargitay would shit.
I'll just say that Ice T sucks as an actor. Everytime I see him on that show it looks like it's his first day, his first scene. Anyway, she said she's sorry and he called off the feud.
Friday, December 17, 2010
"The Score"
The Score (2001)
I saw The Score at the movies in 2001 and I had a good time. It's a fun movie with a great payoff. There are so many things I like about it. Number one, I think because it was meant to be "three generations of great actors"- Brando, De Niro, Norton- and it didn't end up being a huge hit.
A lot of people didn't go to see it. Instead, they'll run into it on a Saturday afternoon on TV and be surprised by how good it is.
It's a great story, with interesting characters- a good story, told well.
I love the music, I love the shadowy lighting, I love the locations. De Niro's apartment seems like the coolest place to live in ever. Watch the movie and see if I'm not right.
And everyone is believable in this, even Edward Norton, who, to me, always seems to be Acting. You really believe that De Niro and Angela Bassett are in love, that she's a stewardess and has been coming to stay with him on-and-off for years. They make you visualize a past between them. They're so good.
I love this movuie and I'll stop to watch it whenever I'm flipping around and it's on.
I saw The Score at the movies in 2001 and I had a good time. It's a fun movie with a great payoff. There are so many things I like about it. Number one, I think because it was meant to be "three generations of great actors"- Brando, De Niro, Norton- and it didn't end up being a huge hit.
A lot of people didn't go to see it. Instead, they'll run into it on a Saturday afternoon on TV and be surprised by how good it is.
It's a great story, with interesting characters- a good story, told well.
I love the music, I love the shadowy lighting, I love the locations. De Niro's apartment seems like the coolest place to live in ever. Watch the movie and see if I'm not right.
And everyone is believable in this, even Edward Norton, who, to me, always seems to be Acting. You really believe that De Niro and Angela Bassett are in love, that she's a stewardess and has been coming to stay with him on-and-off for years. They make you visualize a past between them. They're so good.
I love this movuie and I'll stop to watch it whenever I'm flipping around and it's on.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The internet
For the past few days it's been freezing and I've been off from work so I spent a lot of time on the computer. Nothing productive. I've just been looking shit up. I'm obsessed with Carrie Fisher but I don't think there's anything left to see. I finally read her interview with Madonna that she did for Rolling Stone, "Big-Time Girl Talk", that was interesting.
And I watched Kathy Griffin's newest Bravo special again, Whores On Crutches, that was really funny. I looked up Prince; I wanted to see what he;s been up to lately. Wiki said that for the past five years he's needed a double-hip replacement but it would have to be a "bloodless" surgery because Jehovah Witnesses won't accpt blood transfusions. Crazy.
Did you know that Prince sometimes knocks on people's doors to spread the word? can you imagine Prince coming into your home and talking to you about God? I can.
So last night I was thinking about depressing things, and one thing that hit me was how my extended family doesn't seem as close as it was when I was growing up. For the most part, I only see my aunts, uncles, and cousins on holidays. And while that's bad enough, it also seems like my aunts and uncles and my parents don't keep in touch as much as they used to.
Maybe it's because years ago my cousins and my brothers and I would get to together to play more often. We'd all go to my grandmother's house and spend time together there. My mother goes to my grandmother's house every night after dinner, and her sisters come on Friday nights and maybe Sunday afternoon.
I worry about the future because I'm afraid that once the older generation is gone, my cousins and brothers and I will hardly see each other anymore, maybe not even at Christmas. It's a sad thought.
And lately I've been tempted to move away- about 7 hours away- and then I think about being even further removed from my family. I don't know, it's sad.
And I watched Kathy Griffin's newest Bravo special again, Whores On Crutches, that was really funny. I looked up Prince; I wanted to see what he;s been up to lately. Wiki said that for the past five years he's needed a double-hip replacement but it would have to be a "bloodless" surgery because Jehovah Witnesses won't accpt blood transfusions. Crazy.
Did you know that Prince sometimes knocks on people's doors to spread the word? can you imagine Prince coming into your home and talking to you about God? I can.
So last night I was thinking about depressing things, and one thing that hit me was how my extended family doesn't seem as close as it was when I was growing up. For the most part, I only see my aunts, uncles, and cousins on holidays. And while that's bad enough, it also seems like my aunts and uncles and my parents don't keep in touch as much as they used to.
Maybe it's because years ago my cousins and my brothers and I would get to together to play more often. We'd all go to my grandmother's house and spend time together there. My mother goes to my grandmother's house every night after dinner, and her sisters come on Friday nights and maybe Sunday afternoon.
I worry about the future because I'm afraid that once the older generation is gone, my cousins and brothers and I will hardly see each other anymore, maybe not even at Christmas. It's a sad thought.
And lately I've been tempted to move away- about 7 hours away- and then I think about being even further removed from my family. I don't know, it's sad.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Sophia
Picture it:
I'm watching a rerun of The Golden Girls- the one where Sophia marries Sal's old business partner, Max.
The guests at the wedding are all Elvis impersonators and watching this scene I remember that some famous person played one of those Elvises when they were unknown, but I couldn't remember who it was, and since most of them were wearing sunglasses I didn't think I'd be able to figure it out- then, I saw in the back row, without sunglasses, Quentin Tarentino.
I'm watching a rerun of The Golden Girls- the one where Sophia marries Sal's old business partner, Max.
The guests at the wedding are all Elvis impersonators and watching this scene I remember that some famous person played one of those Elvises when they were unknown, but I couldn't remember who it was, and since most of them were wearing sunglasses I didn't think I'd be able to figure it out- then, I saw in the back row, without sunglasses, Quentin Tarentino.
"Wishful Drinking" Carrie Fisher
I've been very into Carrie Fisher since this summer when I picked up Postcards From The Edge for $.25 at a thrift shop. The book is a little dated and vulgar in spots, but still funny and interesting.
I'm probably the only person who likes her AND has no interest in Star Wars. I saw those movies a long time ago but I barely remember them.
When I think of her I think of The 'Burbs, a late-80s movie she did with Tom Hanks. I've always liked that movie. It's exciting and really sets a mood.
Anyway, I think she's cool and she's led such a full life. Here are just some fun facts:
Her first movie was Shampoo and during filming Warren Beatty offered to take her virginity (she mentioned this to Madonna during their "Big-Time Girl Talk" Rolling Stone interview).
She was good friends with the original Saturday Night Live cast and nearly married Dan Aykroyd.
She stole Paul Simon away from Shelley Duvall while Duvall was stuck in England shooting The Shining.
They were together, on and off, for about 12 years and were married for a year in the early 80s; the wedding date was the same as Madonna and Sean Penn's- August 16th.
The song "Graceland" is about her. Also "Hearts and Bones", "Alergies", and "She Moves On".
Her daughter Billie is friends with Frances Bean Cobain.
She worked as a script doctor on Hook, Sister Act, and The Wedding Singer.
I read the book version of her one-woman-show Wishful Drinking the other day and it turns out that it was filmed for HBO and they're running it this Sunday, December 12 at 9pm. I don't get HBO but I'll see it eventually.
Friday, December 3, 2010
"Cherish" One
Cherish was the third single from Like A Prayer. Great song, good video, but what I really love is the B-side, Supernatural.
I front sleeve is beautiful- I prefer Madonna with dark hair.
"Like A Prayer" 12 Inch
Madonna's brother painted the picture for the 12" single for Like A Prayer. When I got it back in 1989 I knew that the initials on top were Madonna's- Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, but it didn't occur to me that the falling "P" was for Penn- Sean Penn, who she was divorcing a the time.
I know
I know I've mentioned this before, but I can't stand it when the wife in a movie is a nagging asshole. Example: Anne Heche in Donnie Brasco. Why do the filmmakers feel like they have to devote so much time to her complaining? We get it- she wishes he was around more often. I just wanna go through the screen and kick her in the face.
And I don't think I like Anne Heche at all. I know, she's an actress. But it seems like she's always cast as a jerk. And even when she's just the female lead she isn't too likeable.
Anyway, Al Pacino is so good in this movie. Right now it's the scene where his son is in the hospital and it's so sad. Al Pacino is clearly a good guy. You can tell from watching his movies, even when he's the bad guy. Why can't Anne Heche be more like him?
And I don't think I like Anne Heche at all. I know, she's an actress. But it seems like she's always cast as a jerk. And even when she's just the female lead she isn't too likeable.
Anyway, Al Pacino is so good in this movie. Right now it's the scene where his son is in the hospital and it's so sad. Al Pacino is clearly a good guy. You can tell from watching his movies, even when he's the bad guy. Why can't Anne Heche be more like him?
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Rock
That movie, The Rock, is on right now (I'm not really watching it). I noticed that it stars John Spencer. Sometimes I wonder what led to certain cators being cast on The West Wing. Like, I think the producers probably saw Elizabeth Moss as "Torch" in Girl, Interupted. Allison Janney was in Private Parts but I don't remember her. I didn't even know who she played in American Beauty till I watched for it.
Aaron Sorkin, I read, was a "script doctor" for The Rock, so he probably watched it and spotted Spencer.
The idea of script doctors interests me, especially when it's someone well known. I read that Carrie Fisher has done it but I don't know which movies, Same thing with Bret Easton Ellis. I'd like to know which movies and which lines they wrote.
Aaron Sorkin, I read, was a "script doctor" for The Rock, so he probably watched it and spotted Spencer.
The idea of script doctors interests me, especially when it's someone well known. I read that Carrie Fisher has done it but I don't know which movies, Same thing with Bret Easton Ellis. I'd like to know which movies and which lines they wrote.
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