Haines His Way
Archives => Archive 1 => Topic started by: bk on February 25, 2004, 12:01:00 AM
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Well, you've read the notes, you've got the notes vibe, you've got the notes on a string, sittin' on a rainbow, and now you're ready to post until the cows come home.
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Dear BK,
What besides lint are you giving up for Lent?
der Brucer (who always gives up Moderation for Lent)
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Looks like Tomovoz missed a good one:
DownUnder's Sun (http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8786439%5E1702,00.html):
Lost pop 'masterpiece' unveiled
By Peter Walker in London
25feb04
….
Backed by an 18-strong group, Wilson - now 61, frail and greying - has taken to the stage of the capital's Royal Festival Hall for a week of shows, playing for the very first time an album billed as the Beach Boys' equivalent of Sergeant Pepper by transatlantic rivals The Beatles.
The performances have left many critics transfixed. "It might be said straight away that it was an evening that validated claims made on behalf of Wilson's genius," gushed The Observer newspaper - and fans ecstatic.
...
However, two years ago, a now largely recovered Wilson toured the Pet Soundsalbum to great acclaim before working again with his much younger backing group to piece together Smile.
The result, first revealed at the opening concert on Friday, is a lush, dense and often intensely beautiful 45-minute suite of songs, using, alongside the usual guitars and drums, a string and horn section and more exotic instruments ranging from a ukulele to a swanee whistle.
At Sunday's show the sell-out audience - many of a similar age to Wilson - greeted the performance with tearful reverence and repeated standing ovations.
Fans who watched a still-vulnerable Wilson sitting behind the protection of a piano he never played, his voice at times cracked, were fulsome.
"A true genius and it was simply an awesome privilege to be there," wrote one fan, Paul Knox, on Wilson's Internet site.
"This night has confirmed for you what we fans have known all along: that Smile was and is the quintessential pop masterpiece of all time," gushed Jerry Boyd after the first night.
der Brucer (seems like Aussie stringers have all the fun)
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Welcome to Brave New World!
Herald Sun (http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/sectionindex1/0,5442,entertainment^ENTERTAINMENT^TEXT^heraldsun,00.html)
Ethan and Uma to divorce
25 February 2004
ETHAN Hawke has confirmed his marriage to Uma Thurman is over and they will divorce, reports IMDB.com.
Internet reports - Press repeats!
der Brucer
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I'm giving up loaning for lent.
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And I thought people only read the Herald/Sun for the pictures!
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Two questions: (sort of)
You mentioned the other day that Michelle Nicastro's album On My Own has been pulled from distribution because certain rights were not obtained before hand. I thought that if a song has been recorded at least once that permission was not necessary and all you had to do was pay the royalities. So why would Kretzmer object when the composers that it was wonderful? And who's job is it to get these rights to record the song? (Is it the producer or the labels resonpsibility?) Are there different kinds of royalities? (what exactly is a mechanical royality)
Is there a formula to what a order a songs a placed on an album?
i.e. The first song and the last song are never ballads. (Or can they be)? i.e.2 Never put X amount songs in a row that are the same kind (uptemo, ballad, waltz)
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And I thought people only read the Herald/Sun for the pictures!
Is the equivialnt of the London Mirror (I think that;s the name) that has naked girls on page 3 (or whatever number it is)?
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Whew! Lots of great late night posts! I love to have something to read in the morning! ;D
Read thru went very well. I am a bit nervous about directing a one-woman show....it's just me and....her. But Megan is very nice and very talented - and the production team seems to be on top of things....so, as Joan Crawford said: "Time Will Tell."
MR BK - I think you can start a file called MY MUSIC and store your mp3's and other music files there. Then when you want to burn a CD you use the browse function and click on the files you want to transfer to your CD! Easy! And Fast!! :D
DR PANNI gave us a delicious preview of Kritzer Time and with Mr Richard Valley's contribution we can see that it spans not only time but the sexes! :P
And here is your Allison Hayes picture of the week. She has just given Jack (Attila the Hun) Palance the what-for in the Douglas Sirk Technicolor 3-D epic "Sign of the Pagan"..... And he deserved it!
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I'll post my comments on POTO later, but I thought I'd pose a question for Ask BK Day:
Is film school necessary? Most of the best films ever made were made by people who never went to film school (to name a very few: Griffith, Hitchcock, Cukor, Wyler, Welles, Minnelli, Wilder) yet today it seems that most aspiring filmmakers seem to think they have to go to film school to learn how to make a movie. This could be one of the reasons today's films are not as good as the older films, most of which hold up today. Comments from BK and DRs please.
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In my limited experience DR WEL - I think a lot of the film students at the different institutions attend in order to make contacts with the industry.
These film schools are serving the purpose that television used to....way back when....
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My question for ASK BK day - Mr BK (and DR's) what was the first computer you ever heard of and what did you think about it? What is the first computer you ever saw, and did you consider its possibilities? What is the first computer you owned - and what prompted you to buy it?
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For BK and DRs: Did you ever have a TV series that you really, really liked but that only lasted a very short time before it was cancelled?
A few that come to mind are:
The Torkelsons: I thought this show was very funny and very sweet.
Greg The Bunny: This program had me in stitches, and it was quite different!
Pacific Palisades: This was a night time soap that started around the time that Melrose Place was so hot. It starred Lucky Vanous and Greg Evigan and I was really getting into it when it just up and vanished!
There was also a sitcom in the late 80s or early 90s about a Irish Catholic family. The title escapes me but it was hilarious, but didn't last very long.
Ok, your turn!
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Here is a question for DR Michael Shayne: I was perusing Ebay this morning and noticed some stills up for bid from a few "Michael Shayne" films...BLONDE FOR A DAY and LARCENY IN HER HEART. I was wondering if you have seen these films and are they any good? From what I can see from the stills the films look entertaining.
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Great question, DR MBarnum.
Shows that I loved that ran but a short time:
KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER
ELLERY QUEEN (with Jim Hutton)
HOT L BALTIMORE
THE BOYS (Christopher Meloni's second sitcom)
SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS
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AMERICAN IDOL CHAT.
Good morning all!
As for who I think will make it to the final 3:
Well Latoya is a guarantee. She was by far the best. Plus the judges raved about her. I would be shocked if she didn't go through to the next round.
Amy (girl with pink hair). I think she has a lot of fans. And I would be surprised if she wasn't in the top 3 from last night. I actually expect her to go through to the next round.
As for the third, I think it's between Leah (with the Bulgarian mom), Eric (Clay look alike), and Jon (pen salesman). The judges really praised Leah (which always helps). I thought she had great stage presence and star quality. She just glowed. I really like Eric, and I think he has a really good voice. And I think having the judges say his voice is good like Clays can only help him (since the the public loves Clay). I also REALLY like Jon (pen guy). And he has TONS of fans. I really think he has a good shot at top 3.
Also, for the wild card selections, it's clear the judges like Leah and Amy. So whichever of them doesn't go through should definitely be in the Wild Card show. But the judges also liked Eric and Jon. And the Wild Card show is going to be VERY short of guys. So I think both of these guys have an excellent chance. I think the judges need to even out the sexes, to make sure there are enough guys in the Final 12.
My predictions are: LaToya gets most votes, followed by Amy and Eric or Jon.
Btw, was anyone else smiling when they announced William Hung (She Bang guy) would be singing live on next Monday's Worst Of show :)
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Question for Ask BK Day:
With the upcoming remakes of THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE looming, which film from cinema's past do you think the filmmakers just didn't quite get right and deserves a remake?
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I guess if Tiny Tim and Mrs. Miller didn't mind getting laughed AT (not with) as they sang, William Hung can handle it, too. But remind me not to watch.
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Great question, DR MBarnum.
Shows that I loved that ran but a short time:
KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER
ELLERY QUEEN (with Jim Hutton)
HOT L BALTIMORE
THE BOYS (Christopher Meloni's second sitcom)
SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS
DR Matt H, I remember HOT L BALTIMORE from when I was a kid! I used to love that show!
You must ask DR Elmoore3003 about his run-ins with Christopher Meloni in New York....yep, he has seen the man in the flesh (so to speak)!
By the way, I will also add the TV show ANGIE to my list of short lived, but very good, TV series!
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Imogene Coca had a show in the 1960s about a frantic maid called GRINDL that I also liked a lot, but then I always liked her.
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I think it's a shame that six people from last night's "Idol" show will have to go home when there are two "lesser" performers from last week going into finals.
I voted for LaToya and Jon Peter. Simon continues to be an ass for no reason other than he thinks it's expected. He had to interject "let me finish" six times last night when the audience booed and jeered his comments about a performance.
Being able to hit and hold a high note, as several of the ladies proved they could do, is not the equivalent of being a good singer.
It was difficult, I thought, to decide on which lady I was going to vote for until Latoya sang. After that, it wasn't a contest. It was Latoya and Jon Peter, whose vocal was the most interesting of the night. Of all the ones who sang, including Latoya, his voice alone resonated for me as one that could really interpret a song meaningfully, with heart and with style. Latoya has pipes....but I didn't feel passion or a connection...too much bravura -- but more than enough to be the best of the evening.
Fantasia is a more interesting singer, though.
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And I thought people only read the Herald/Sun for the pictures!
This cheesecake:
(http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,323817,00.jpg)
or this one of you:
(http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,323713,00.jpg)
der always on the look-out Brucer
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I loved Grindl, too!! What about Imogene's other 60s series, It's About Time (great theme song, eh?--I have the pilot on tape).
Some others:
Occasional Wife (remember Michael Callan and Patricia Hardy--great series, lasted one season)
The Time Tunnel (well, I was a kid, what do you expect--watching those cars disappear into the desert was just too cool back then)
Many Happy Returns (John McGiver at the customer service desk of a department store)
Wendy and Me (George Burns attempting to re-do his Gracie shtick with Connie Stevens. But our neighbor's daughter's husband was the next door neighbor in the show, whose name I cannot recall right now).
Please Don't Eat the Daisies (I've always loved Pat Crowley--did anyone catch her on Frasier a couple of years ago?)
Here's my TechnoGeek question of the week:
If I get DSL or cable for my internet connection, can I still have a phone line plugged into the computer so that I can use my computer to fax stuff? If I have DSL, does that use the phone line?
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Oh, and does anyone remember Phyllis Diller's short-lived sitcom (less than a season--though they revamped it and renamed it and let it run for the rest of the regular season with a different format) The Pruitts of Southhampton? I loved that show.
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Good morning. (This bookends my "good night" from last night.) Still thinking about KRITZER TIME. The book really stays with you. I should say the people really stay with you. It's like meeting - or re-meeting in some cases - a group of wildly interesting and sweet friends. Sad to say good-bye to them when you come to the last page.
As for the film school question.... Most of the great film-makers of yesteryear (I sound like Lowell Thomas, don't I?) worked their way up, learning all aspects of the craft along the way. I suppose there are certain technical aspects of film-making that one could pick up in film school. But I do think that stuff could be covered in a relatively short time. Certainly the "craft" of screenwriting is no mystery. I could teach you in a few days how to write a professional-looking screenplay. What you write in that screenplay is a whole other thing. And I don't believe you can be taught that.
In the old days a beginner could learn on the job. But there is way too much at stake now (money, that is) for that to be possible. Most young film-makers today are making or writing films about films, rather than about life. A superficial knowledge of films you can pick up in film school. To get a knowledge of life you need to live in the real world.
That's not the most elegantly written paragraph (perhaps I should go to elegant paragraph school)-- but it will have to do.
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der Brucer: I'll be giving up lint and lox for Lent.
Michael Shayne: I explained why Mr. Kretzmer did what he did - he's crotchety and got annoyed. You CAN record any song that's been recorded before, but you must apply for the mechanical royalty within a certain period of time after the release of the CD. If you don't, then the rights holders get their rights back and can prevent you from using the song. Mechanical royalties go to the writers and publishers of the song - it's approximately six cents per song, though most publishers will grant a seventy-five percent rate - about four-and-a-half cents per song. It is certainly not the responsibility of the producer to do the mechanical licenses, it is the responsibility of the label. At Varese, there was one person who did it and he wasn't always on top of the game. Shows are different - that mechanical license is usually a much lower figure because there are many more tracks. It's put in the contract for the recording. It's a locked figure and most show's creators grant the lower rate because of the cost of cast albums.
As to sequencing a CD: There are no rules. I have my own way of doing them - as I've said, it's something I figured out on the very first album and it's never ever failed me. I've started out with a ballad on a couple of occasions, if I felt that would set the right tone for the album. Laurie Beechman's ALW album starts out with As If I Never Said Goodbye, and I think Emily Skinner's starts with Lazy Afternoon, if I remember correctly. I do like to start with an uptempo, though, but if there isn't one that fits the bill, then you've got to go a different way. I try not to put songs that are similar together, and I try to make an order that's surprising and fun. If you get it wrong, you'd be surprised how people, without knowing it, resist the CD - rarely replaying it.
TV series I liked but which lasted only a short time: Panic, from the late 50s.
First owned computer - I think it was 1995 or 96 - Varese got me a really cheap Compaq Presario, after trying to give me a Mac from five years earlier that I could not deal with. In those days, everything was impossibly slow and I hated it. But, way back in 1989 I wrote a script for someone using a computer in an office - there were no programs really, so they had to create this whole series of complex macros for script form and it was so tedious.
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I agree with the comments about Film School being a networking opportunity. My brother-in-law graduated from the USC Film School, and is a successful film editor, but I think even he would tell you the major value of his school days were the connections he made.
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I think Man of La Mancha is grotesque and could use a fresh version. I've never really liked the film of Fiddler, so I wouldn't mind a new one but there's just no one who knows how to direct these things. Certainly we DON'T need a new Manchurian Candidate.
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Well said DRPANNI...enough films about films!!!
I enjoyed GRINDL, but I hated that it replaced CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU? There's a holdup in the Bronx, Brooklyn's broken out in fights, there's a traffic jam in Harlem that's backed up to Jackson Heights (that's where Patty & Kathy live)....there's a Scout Troup short a child...Kruschev's due at Idlewild....hehehehehehe
In addition to some already mentioned, I will add the one season wonder - that had to misfortune to premiere and run opposite HAZEL....MARGIE with Cynthia Pepper and Dave Willock!
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Oh, I just loved OCCASIONAL WIFE. Very bright and witty sitcom. So was HE AND SHE with Paula Prentiss, Richard Benjamin, and Jack Cassidy.
Yes, I remember IT'S ABOUT TIME which debuted at #7 and began losing audience after the second week. By midseason, they brought the cave people back to modern AMerica thinking that might juice up ratings, but it didn't, and I didn't like it nearly as much after the first 13 episodes.
Yep, loved TIME TUNNEL and PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES (also THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR), though these three did get two year runs, I think.
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OMG What I remember most about PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES is the time Pat was getting all of the kids in the convertible to get them to school and she was asking about lunches and called one of the kids by his real name "Brian" instead of his character's name LOL.
I love Patricia Crowley in FOREVER FEMALE & RED GARTERS!
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My first computer was an Atari 800XL which I got in 1985. I bought it to do word processing, and it was just fine for that. As I became more proficient with it, I began to branch out and discover modems (and make a host of friends all over the country through cyberspace).
Amazing to think how much of my life is now spent in front of a computer, but I honestly don't know how I could get along without it.
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Oh, and does anyone remember Phyllis Diller's short-lived sitcom (less than a season--though they revamped it and renamed it and let it run for the rest of the regular season with a different format) The Pruitts of Southhampton? I loved that show.
I remember it. We were big Diller fans at our house, so we watched it. Remember the catchy theme song?:
"Howcha do?
Howcha do?
Howcha do, my dear?
What a lovely surprise,
nice to see you here..."
Gypsy Rose Lee was a semi-regular [attach punch line here].
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Thought I'd share something.
I'll be back later:
The year is 2012 and the United States of America has recently
elected the first woman as well as the first Jewish president, Susan
Goldfarb.
She calls up her mother a few weeks after Election Day and says,"So,
Mom, I assume you will be coming to my inauguration?"
"I don't think so. It's a ten hour drive, your father isn't as
young as he used to be, and my gout is acting up again."
"Don't worry about it Mom, I'll send Air Force One to pick you up
and take you home. And a limousine will pick you up at your door."
"I don't know. Everybody will be so fancy-schmantzy, what on earth
would I wear?"
"Oh Mom" replies Susan, "I'll make sure you have a wonderful gown
custom-made by the best designer in New York."
"Honey," Mom complains, "you know I can't eat those rich foods you
and your friends like to eat"
The President-to-be responds, "Don't worry Mom. The entire affair
is going to be handled by the best caterer in New York, kosher all the way.
Mom, I really want you to come."
So Mom reluctantly agrees and on January 21, 2013, Susan Goldfarb is
being sworn in as President of the United States of America. In the front
row sits the new president's mother, who leans over to a senator sitting
next to her.
"You see that woman over there with her hand on the Bible, becoming
President of the United States?"
The Senator whispers back, "Yes I do."
Says Mom proudly, "Her brother's a doctor."
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The Torkelsons: I thought this show was very funny and very sweet.
Greg The Bunny: This program had me in stitches, and it was quite different!
There was also a sitcom in the late 80s or early 90s about a Irish Catholic family. The title escapes me but it was hilarious, but didn't last very long.
A. The Torkelsons: gave Willaim Schallert is best shot since being Patty Dukes Dad.
B. Greg The Bunny: I expect Eugen Levy's "I write with Christopher Guest" humor left some people cold.
TVTome (http://www.tvtome.com/GregtheBunny/) has an interesting observation:
"What do you get when you combine some of the best writers/producers/puppeteers in the business with some of the best critical reviews of the season? A broken 11-episode run, that's what. Greg the Bunny could have not just been a long-running hit for FOX, but a major marketing success, as well. Instead, it had the misfortune to premiere during a "transitional year" (meaning the year when everything gets cancelled) and to embarrass the network's vindictive entertainment president when it bombed at the upfronts after she introduced poorly-selected clips of it. (And it made fun of network executives, which pretty much guarantees cancellation to begin with.) To punish the series for daring to humiliate the network, Greg the Bunny was given an immature promotional campaign that ensured it would never find its intended audience and a lead-in whose viewers were guaranteed to not want to watch it, and repeated schedule changes that saw to it that no one could ever find it. Despite all that, Greg still knocked 'em dead in the 12-17 and 18-24 demos -- the ones the promotional campaign seemed to be geared to -- ranking as one of the top 10 shows of the 2001-2002 season among teens."
C. Is the show your thinking of LENNY (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-8221)?
This short-lived comedy centred on Lenny Callahan, a blue-collar worker in Boston who moonlighted as a hotel doorperson to make ends meet.
First Aired September 1990
Last Aired March 1991
Status Canceled/Ended
Running Time 30 min
Country United States
Network CBS
Cast:
Lenny Clarke - Lenny Callahan
Peter Dobson - Eddie Callahan
Alice Drummond - Mary Callahan
Paul Junger Witt - Executive Producer
der Brucer
PS Dan Milano, the chap behind "Greg" has a new project in work:
Me and My Monster (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0363803/):
Plot Outline: A young boy has a friendship with a bizarre creature that changes the course of his life as he becomes an adult.
Might be a fun interview
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is Michael Jackson going to co-star in that one?
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Good Morning!
-Well, it's still morning for some of you...
Looks like a beautiful day outside. Feels like a beautiful day outside! It may be on the cool side - mid-40s - but the sky is blue and clear, and the sun is shining bright. A good afternoon for a run! :)
Short-lived series: The aforementioned "A Year In the Life"... And since they've been mentioned, "Please Don't Eat the Daisies," and "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir". I believe one of the stations when we lived in Connecticut would broadcast them in the afternoons. -I'm sure I didn't see them in their original run. ;)
And I liked "Angie" too, but that ran for at least two season didn't it?
I'd list some more recent ones, but since I usually am only able to catch Prime Time TV during the summer re-runs, I tend to miss out on some of those critically acclaimed series that never seemed to find an audience. *Of course, that just means I've had a pretty good run of gigs, so, that's not a bad trade off.
First computer - Some BIG Tandy thing from Radio Shack - the type with the two 5 1/4 disk drives. Also a Commodore 64. *I should note that some keyboard programming is actually still done with Atari models - their "bulkiness" makes them very sturdy and orchestra pit friendly.
Film schools - I think the thing to keep in mind here is that film schools are a relatively new thing. I don't believe film schools existed during the time of Hitchcock, Minelli, Capra, Griffith, Welles, etc. The set was their school. I also believe it was a bit easier to break into the biz at that time - well at least onto the set. It was easier for people to actually observe people at work. Today with the unions, closed sets, studio security... unless you have a legitimate "in", one simply can't walk onto a set and "marvel and wonder and learn".
*I don't know where those "quotes" came from. I just like using them. As "you" can tell from my posts. ;)
Question for BK: -And this may have been asked before too...
Have you ever been on a cruise? If so, where to? How long? Good food? Good entertainment? If not, would you like to go on a cruise and to where?
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Wendy and Me (George Burns attempting to re-do his Gracie shtick with Connie Stevens. But our neighbor's daughter's husband was the next door neighbor in the show, whose name I cannot recall right now).
Here's the cast list for Wendy and Me:
George Burns - Himself
James Callahan - Danny Adams
Ron Harper - Jeff Conway
J. Pat O'Malley - Mr. Bundy
Bartlett Robinson - Willard Norton
Connie Stevens - Wendy Conway
der Brucer (ah, but who was the neighbor?)
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Jose: First off, one of my favorite guest shots I ever did was on Angie. Yes, I've been on a cruise once - back in 1974 for my final episode of The Partridge Family. I got to cruise in first class. We had a choice between flying to Acapulco for the actual shoot date, or cruising to Acapulco for a week prior to the shoot date. I chose the cruise, as did another actor, Ruth Gillette (who is in 70 Girls 70 on Broadway). We went to Puerto Vallerta and Mazatlan, then landed in Acapulco where the rest of the company joined us. Then we shot the show on the way back home. The food was amazing, and I had to be very careful not to overdo it or I wouldn't have fit into my wardrobe for the show.
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As promised...
Last night, I finally saw PHANTOM OF THE OPERA after procrastinating for sixteen years. On the positive side:
* I had forgotten what a beautiful and comfortable theatre the Majestic is. It has much more lobby space than any of the older theatres and adequate bathroom facilities.
* A 7:00 Tuesday curtain is a great idea since it leaves less time to kill after work and I can get home an hour earlier than with an 8:00 curtain.
* It's better than CATS.
Actually, I was aware of the show's biggest problem from the CD. It's score contains three breathtakingly beautiful songs ("Music of the Night", "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" and especially "All I Ask of You") and an interesting title song. The rest of it is endless recitatives and needless reprises and semi-reprises. It's very hard to listen to. Of course this is standard ALW. CATS --- probably the worst musical I have ever seen --- contains "Memory" and a couple of the SUNSET BOULEVARD songs stand out in an otherwise terrible score. He should be writing individual songs, not scores to musicals, but there is not much of a demand for that today.
At least the good songs were beautifully sung. Although Hugh Panaro has a great voice, thanks to the miking he sounded like he was singing in an echo chamber. Sandra Joseph as Christine provided the show's highlights in her solos and her duets with John Cudia. They were both miked too, but not as obviously and it wasn't distorted.. The chorus was also quite good, giving the material a much better performance than it deserved. Meanwhile, the orchestra sounded at least partially pre-recorded despite the fact that there were musicians in the pit and a conductor.
As for the plot, it's been a while since I've seen either movie version and I never read the book, but it held my interest more than the score (and unlike LES MIZ it didn't need a synopsis in the Playbill® to be understood)
And then we have the special effects... the whole purpose for this show. Let me first say that perhaps Row D is too close to get the desired effect. Perhaps if I were further back they may have looked better.
The chandelier crash would have been much more effective if they hadn't shown it going up at the beginning of the show. The Phantom's entrance from behind the mirror in Christine's dressing room would have been better if the conductor wasn't reflected in it. The descent to the lake reminded me of people on a ship's gangplank (the Titanic perhaps?). And while I knew that they had dummies mixed with real people on the staircase for the opening of Act II, I had no idea they would be so easy to spot. The one effective special effect was at the end of the show when the Phantom disappears.
Although I give the show credit for never releasing a photo of the Phantom without his mask., it looked so tacky on stage I can imagine how it would have photographed.
Audience reaction was not what I expected. Although there was some applause after certain scenes or songs, there were a lot of times when I would have expected applause and there was none. Even only about a third of the audience stood at the end.
Was it any good? Not really. Did it at least hold my interest? Most of the time. I think what has me more upset than anything is the fact that this show has been running for over sixteen years while far better shows have come and gone that could not make sixteen months or even sixteen weeks.
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Okay... that was my views on POTO. Jose you were right about Raoul not being able to dance. I also forgot to mention that the character of Madame Giry reminded me of Malificent in Disney's SLEEPING BEAUTY. I'm sorry I didn't see the actress who originated the role in this production, Leila Martin. She played Momar (Pia Zadora's mother) in "Santa Claus Conquers the Martains".
To answer a couple of DR questions.
The first computer I ever saw was the IBM on $64,000 Question; the first I owned was the Timex Sinclaire. To put it kindly, Timex makes great watches.
Every season, the new television series I like best are the first to get cancelled. This year it was BROTHERHOOD OF POLAND, NEW HAMPSHIRE. Last year it was PERDIDIO MED. Before that it was GIDEON'S CROSSING, MAXIMUM BOB, RELATIVITY etc. If a network wants to test a show, they should show it to me. If I like it, they should not schedule it because there's a good chance it won't last.
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DR WEL - Hmmm, I don't think it was me commenting on the non-dancing Raoul's.
How full was the house? It was actually quite encouraging going over the grosses for the past few weeks - it seems that the spring attendance "creep" has already started. Heck, I was surprised to see that the revival of Fiddler was at 91%! And at the Minskoff too!
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OH! And guess what I got in the mail yesterday?
Guess?? Huh? Any guesses?
Well, I received my share of the settlement from the CD MAP Antitrust Lititgation! All $13.86 of it! -Actually, that's enough to buy one CD on sale... two budget-priced ones even! Did anyone else sign up for this last year? -Was it last year? Or was it two years ago at this point? Hmmm...
I love how it's addressed on the inside: Dear Virginia Music Purchaser. And it's "signed" by none other than the Attorney General of Virginia.
I know I shouldn't really be making fun of this, but... The last time I checked, the prices on CD went up another dollar, so...
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Is film school necessary? Most of the best films ever made were made by people who never went to film school (to name a very few: Griffith, Hitchcock, Cukor, Wyler, Welles, Minnelli, Wilder) yet today it seems that most aspiring filmmakers seem to think they have to go to film school to learn how to make a movie. This could be one of the reasons today's films are not as good as the older films, most of which hold up today. Comments from BK and DRs please.
Since you asked:
Last year the LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-filmschool28jul13,1,5382396.story?coll=la-home2-utilities) magazine had a blistering cover story:
Lights, Camera, Action. Marxism, Semiotics, Narratology.
Film school isn't what it used to be, one father discovers.
By David Weddle
Special to The Times
July 13, 2003
(excerpts)
"How did you do on your final exam?" I asked my daughter.
Her shoulders slumped. "I got a C."
Alexis was a film studies major completing her last undergraduate year at UC Santa Barbara. I had paid more than $73,000 for her college education, and the most she could muster on her film theory class final was a C?
"It's not my fault," she protested. "You should have seen the questions. I couldn't understand them, and nobody else in the class could either. All of the kids around me got Cs and Ds."
She insisted that she had studied hard, then offered: "Here, read the test yourself and tell me if it makes any sense."
I took it from her, confidently. After all, I had graduated 25 years ago from USC with a bachelor's degree in cinema. I'd written a biography of movie director Sam Peckinpah, articles for Variety, Film Comment, Sight & Sound, and written and produced episodic television.
On the exam, I found the following, from an essay by film theorist Kristin Thompson:
"Neoformalism posits that viewers are active—that they perform operations. Contrary to psychoanalytic criticism, I assume that film viewing is composed mostly of nonconscious, preconscious, and conscious activities. Indeed, we may define the viewer as a hypothetical entity who responds actively to cues within the film on the basis of automatic perceptual processes and on the basis of experience. Since historical contexts make the protocols of these responses inter-subjective, we may analyze films without resorting to subjectivity . . . According to Bordwell, 'The organism constructs a perceptual judgment on the basis of nonconscious inferences.' "
Then came the question itself:
"What kind of pressure would Metz's description of 'the imaginary signifier' or Baudry's account of the subject in the apparatus put on the ontology and epistemology of film implicit in the above two statements?"
I looked up at my daughter. She smiled triumphantly. "Welcome to film theory," she chirped.
Alexis then plopped down two thick study guides. One was for the theory class, the other for her course in advanced film analysis. "Tell me where I went wrong," she said.
The prose was denser than a Kevlar flak jacket, full of such words as "diegetic," "heterogeneity," "narratology," "narrativity," "symptomology," "scopophilia," "signifier," "syntagmatic," "synecdoche," "temporality." I picked out two of them—"fabula" and "syuzhet"—and asked Alexis if she knew what they meant. "They're the Russian Formalist terms for 'story' and 'plot,' " she replied.
"Well then, why don't they use 'story' and 'plot?' "
"We're not allowed to. If we do, they take points off our paper. We have to use 'fabula' and 'syuzhet.' "
...
My daughter was required to take 14 units of film analysis and theory before she could graduate with her bachelor's degree in film studies. That's the equivalent of going to school full time for one quarter, which made it relatively easy to crunch the numbers. Including tuition, books, school supplies, food and rent, it cost about $6,100 for Alexis to learn how to distinguish between a chair and a nostalgic feeling. I don't like to complain, but that just didn't seem like a fair return on my investment.
Is there a hidden method to these film theorists' apparent madness? Or is film theory, as movie critic Roger Ebert said as I interviewed him weeks later, "a cruel hoax for students, essentially the academic equivalent of a New Age cult, in which a new language has been invented that only the adept can communicate in"?
...
Annette Insdorf, director of Undergraduate Film Studies at Columbia University, recruits film theorists for her faculty because she believes her students should be exposed to a discipline that has had a major impact on cinema scholarship. But she remains ambivalent.
Film theory caught on in the 1970s and 1980s, she points out, a time when many cinema professors were struggling to win the respect of their colleagues. "Don't forget that film studies always labored under the handicap of being perceived as too easy and fun within many universities," Insdorf says. "I sometimes suspected that professors were trying to ensure their own job security by utilizing an increasingly obfuscating language. The less understandable film theory became to faculty from other departments, the more respectable it seemed."
...
I read from my daughter's study guide to Gary A. Randall, who has served as president of Orion Television, Spelling Television, and as the executive producer of the TV series "Any Day Now." "That's what your daughter's being taught?" he says. "That's just elitist psychobabble. It sounds like it was written by a professor of malapropism. That has absolutely no bearing on the real world. It sounds like an awfully myopic perspective of what film is really supposed to be about: touching hearts and minds and providing provocative thoughts."
From movie critic Ebert: "Film theory has nothing to do with film. Students presumably hope to find out something about film, and all they will find out is an occult and arcane language designed only for the purpose of excluding those who have not mastered it and giving academic rewards to those who have. No one with any literacy, taste or intelligence would want to teach these courses, so the bona fide definition of people teaching them are people who are incapable of teaching anything else."
From Kevin Brownlow, the world's leading silent movie historian, author of "The Parade's Gone By . . .," and co-producer, with David Gill, of acclaimed documentaries: "You would think, from this closed-circuit attitude to teaching, that such academics would be politically right wing. For it is a kind of fascism to force people practicing one discipline to learn the language of another, simply for the convenience of an intellectual elite. It's like expecting Slavs to learn German in order to comprehend their own inferiority. But they are not right wing. They are, regrettably, usually left wing—quite aggressively Marxist—which makes the whole situation even more alarming."
...
(end excerpts)
The full artcle is quite lengthy and well worth reading.
der Brucer
For those of you who have trouble with the link, or do not wish to rgister, I have he full article in a Word file.
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JRand, Patty and Cathy Lane actually lived in Brooklyn Heights, not Jackson Heights. Their address was:
Number Eight Remsen Drive, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn,
NY. 11201
Remember the song (or at least part of it):
Meet Cathy, who’s lived most everywhere,
From Zanzibar to Barclay Square.
But Patty’s only seen the sight.
A girl can see from Brooklyn Heights
What a crazy pair!
Actually, according to the U.S. Post Office, there is no Remsen Drive in Brooklyn Heights. There is a Remsen Street and a Remsen Avenue, but no Remsen Drive.
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Normally, I don't get hooked on new shows, because most of the time, I am busy doing theater and don't get a chance to watch anything on a regular basis, especially in the Fall. However, I truly fell in love with Firefly last year (2002). As I have said several times on this site, I don't usually care much for sci-fi or fantasy, and I am not a big fan of westerns, but there was something very special about Firefly. It really was a kind of a futuristic Wagon Train, but it was smart, touching, amusing, and fast paced. And the entire cast was wonderful from Nathan Fillion and Ron Glass down to Adam Baldwin. If there is any good news to be had, it is that Universal has announced plans for a 2005 film version of the series starring the original cast.
The movie I would like to see re-made would be Interview With A Vampire, but only if they would let me make the film. It is one of my favorite books of all time, and I could have made a wonderful film version of it.
Jose -- I, also, thought it was you that said that the actor playing Raoul wouldn't be able to dance.
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OH! And guess what I got in the mail yesterday?
Guess?? Huh? Any guesses?
Well, I received my share of the settlement from the CD MAP Antitrust Lititgation! All $13.86 of it! -Actually, that's enough to buy one CD on sale... two budget-priced ones even! Did anyone else sign up for this last year? -Was it last year? Or was it two years ago at this point? Hmmm...
I love how it's addressed on the inside: Dear Virginia Music Purchaser. And it's "signed" by none other than the Attorney General of Virginia.
I know I shouldn't really be making fun of this, but... The last time I checked, the prices on CD went up another dollar, so...
I got this also! Except mine is addressed "Dear Washington Music Purchaser" and signed by Christine O. Gregoire, Attorney General of Washington!
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Der Brucer, thanks for the info on GREG THE BUNNY, that does about sum it up. It was hard to find when they would keep moving it around. It really was quite funny, at least I thought so.
the Catholic/Irsh family sitcom wasn't Lenny. As I recall the title was the family's last name, an Irish name. The whole family lived in one house and I do recall one of the teenage daughters was named Mary Margaret and she was hilarious.
GHOST AND MRS. MUIR was definitely a good show! TV Land was showing repeats of it for awhile a few years ago. Wish I would have taped them.
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I've written some, I've eaten some peanuts, and here I am, here I'll stay. Lots of GUESTS, lots of posters, but not lots of posts. A dichotomy? A. Lobotomy?
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Short-lived series:
He & She...which starred Dick Benjamin, Paula Prentiss, and Jack Cassidy
A series during the Civil War centennial (that would have been 1961-65, though the series only lasted maybe a year, if that) I think it was called THE AMERICANS and starred I believe Daryl Hickman and Dick Davalos (?) as two brothers who fight on opposite sides during the Civil War...one week they showed the brother on the Union side/Next week the Confederate brother...I was a big Civil War buff at the time.
RLP...I almost always agree with Simon. I think he is usually dead on the mark with his criticism. They are insightful, actually come from a no-mincing-of-words professional standard, and actually mean something more than Randy's "That was interesting, dog." or Paula's polite cheerleading boosts. But I've noticed both Paula and Randy seem to be getting more honestly open this year as opposed to hedging their criticisms.
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OMG DRBEN - you are correct. My geography grade for today is a D! Must be listening to too much Capital Coast to Coast.
DRWEL thanks for the POTO review. I was the one who mentioned the non-dancing Raouls - but they are almost uniformly eye-catching in their non-terpsichory!
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Yep, loved TIME TUNNEL and PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES (also THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR), though these three did get two year runs, I think.
TIME TUNNEL didn't quite make 2 years:
September 9, 1966 - April 7, 1967
ABC Science Fiction - 30 Episode
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DRCHARLESPOGUE - I also enjoyed THE AMERICANS and was hoping it would take us through the Civil War, which is probably what the producers hoped as well. If I remember correctly, it was in color...hmmmmmmm...but it certainly had a less sweeping view of the War Between the States than we were used to.....brother against brother....
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A. Dichotomy? A. Tracheotomy?
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I haven't received my mp3 and CD burning tutorials. I opened the burner on my computer but it's so convoluted and seems to be about making CD to CD copies which, of course, you'd need two CD drawers to do - I have one.
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Some of the short-lived series I'd have loved see continue include:
"The Lieutenant" (early 60s, starring Gary Lockwood)
"Gidget" with Sally Field
"Margie" (Cynthia Pepper)
There was a summer show on CBS in the mid-to-late 60s about a guy with amnesia. As the stories progress, he begins discovering skills he didn't know he had, like speaking Japanese and other languages. Even with these revelations, he doesn't remember "how" he learned them and why. It was a very good show and drew high ratings, but it was not picked up for the fall. I can see the actor, but cannot for the life of me recall his name or the title of the show.
From recent years, there was a great show called "Kindred" -- it was about vampires, and was set in San Francisco. It was sort of a "Dynasty" for the fanged set. Quite entertaining (from Aaron Spelling, believe it or not), but it was not aired beyond five or six episodes. Its star died in a car accident within months of the show's final airing.
From last year, "Keen Eddie," being shown now on Bravo. A good show that Fox did not have the patience to wait until the show attracted an audience. That and "Greed". Fox has become the "instant gratification" network...
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James Callahan was the neighbor on Wendy and Me. Thank you. It was driving me crazy.
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DRCHARLESPOGUE I was also a He and She fan. I also remember fondly a series on ABC in the 60s (I think it's been mentioned before) but I can't quite remember the name. It was a musical comedy/musical theatre weekly series. I seem to remember Robert Morse and E.J. Peaker being attached to it. Am I remembering this correctly?
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And I liked "Angie" too, but that ran for at least two season didn't it?
Not quite:
ANGIE February 8, 1979 - October 2, 1980
ABC Situation Comedy - 36 Episodes
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Well, my apologies to Jose. Even before WEL wrote about the non-dancing Raoul, I would have sworn that you were the one who had mentioned him. Thank you, Jrand, for clearing up the mystery.
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Without going into great detail or tutorials, you don't need two drives to burn a CD. If you have the CD burner, it also reads and plays audio CDs. You put the music CD in the drive, copy the tracks to your hard drive and then switch discs, putting the blank CD in your burner, open the burning software and copy/burn the tracks you have saved on your hard drive to the CD, making sure that when you are done burning, if you don't want to add any more tracks to the CD, you "close" or "finalize" the disc so it will play in other CD players or computers or other audio players.
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Jose: First off, one of my favorite guest shots I ever did was on Angie.
A spot apparently not credited:
From The Gospel According to TV Tome (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-14058/Bruce_Kimmel/):
Guest Starring Roles
Laverne and Shirley - Man - You Oughta Be in Pictures (1980)
Laverne and Shirley - Director - T.P. - You Oughta Be in Pictures (1980)
Laverne and Shirley - - Take Two, They're Small (1979)
Alice - Vinnie - The Sixty Minutes Man (1977)
Laverne and Shirley - Scott - Good Time Girls (1976)
Tabitha - Adam - Tabitha (1976)
Happy Days - Mark - The Howdy Doody Show (1975)
Lucas Tanner - - September 11, 1974 (1974)
Happy Days - Murf - Give the Band a Hand (1974)
The Partridge Family - Howard Krump - The Last Howard (1973)
The Partridge Family - Richard Whipple - Me and My Shadow (1973)
M*A*S*H - Pt. Gilbert - Cease-Fire (1973)
The Partridge Family - Richard - You're Only Young Twice (1972)
The Partridge Family - Marvin - The Partridge Papers (1972)
The Partridge Family - Freddy - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Partridge (1971)
The Doris Day Show - David - Young Love (1971)
The Young Lawyers -
der Brucer (have you got a pay stub as proof ;))
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RLP...I almost always agree with Simon. I think he is usually dead on the mark with his criticism. They are insightful, actually come from a no-mincing-of-words professional standard, and actually mean something more than Randy's "That was interesting, dog." or Paula's polite cheerleading boosts. But I've noticed both Paula and Randy seem to be getting more honestly open this year as opposed to hedging their criticisms.
CP -- I hear ya. I find myself landing on his side more often than not. But last night, he seemed too contrived...as if he were anticipating the expectations and trying to live up to them. I disagreed with Randy and Paula on a couple of performances, but Simon needs a comeuppance every now and again. His comments about the one guy sounding like Clay Aiken (he wishes) but not having the personality. This is from the guy who told Clay that he was imagining Clay had a bag over his head and that the song was great. He told Clay that he was UGLY and not "American Idol" material.
Clay is bigger now than any "American Idol" winner OR judge has ever been. Clay could buy and sell Simon Cowell. So Simon doesn't really speak for what audiences like, IMO, or are willing to buy.
But he's entertaining.
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Homefront last about 2 years I think, but I wish it would have lasted longer! Great cast in that show which now reruns on Goodlife network.
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I'm sorry I mixed up the comment on Raoul's dancing. So many people replied to my initial posting on Sunday that I got them mixed up.
Jose - The main floor looked fairly full (I didn't see how full it was upstairs), but I would estimate that from the way they were dressed, the fact that before the show and during intermission cameras flashed like crazy and the amount of people who left (presumably to go the the bathroom) and came back that it was mostly tourists.
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The musical series with Bobby Morse was That's Life!.
And re: He and She. Another fave of mine (and another one I have on tape--several episodes, including the pilot) with a great theme. But you are forgetting one great cast member: Kenneth Mars, who may or may not be the father of someone with whom I regularly work. :)
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For BK and DRs: Did you ever have a TV series that you really, really liked but that only lasted a very short time before it was cancelled?
I MARRIED DORA with Elizabeth Pena, Juliette Lewis and Daniel Hugh-Kelly. The last episode where the show was cancelled was hysterical and probably the best of any show that has ever been cancelled.
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ELLERY QUEEN (with Jim Hutton)
HOT L BALTIMORE
How could I forget ELLERY QUEEEN-great show!
I remember I enjoyed HOT L BALTIMORE very much.
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Oh yes....DR MBARNUM....Homefront!
Yes, MR BK, amazingly as DR BEN says, you can copy from CD to CD with only one drive....and it is as easy as it sounds. I think my program is called Record Me - and it guides you through step by step!
It is my job, DR TCB.
Rant in next post can be skipped.
RANT WARNING RANT WARNING RANT WARNING!!!!
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The Type A poster here at HHW from time to time has to be E&T. Said poster usually returns after a time and says....I was busy doing this or that....or lets us know in advance....I will be gone for this amount of time because this is going on in my life. And it's great news to know.
The Type B poster here at HHW - rushes in breathless after being gone for awhile and tells us how BIZZY BIZZY BIZZY he is and that there is just so much going on and so many demands upon his time - that well - there was no way he could be here....and then fills us in on the minutiae of his life....
In doing so, Type B Poster is of course saying the rest of us are NOT as bizzy and in fact spend all of our time on our computers at HHW - and of course presumes that we have an interest in the said minutiae.
IN FACT, TYPE B POSTER, we ourselves have very busy lives....have much to do....but we MAKE time for HHW because we enjoy being part of the community. But don't imagine for a moment that your life is any busier than ours......in fact I think you would be hard pressed to accomplish as much as many Type A posters do in one day.
End of rant.
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Who ya callin' a Type B poster, JR? :P I am a Type O negative poster, and that's all there is to it!
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Re: Alfred Hitchock. Here's a little trivia I stumbled across in my newspaper research the other day--a Lolly Parsons (or somesuch) article about the "upcoming" film "National Velvet" says it is going to star Pat Hitchcock (!), Alfred's daughter.
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And Re: Brian Wilson's "Smile." I find all this hoohah about it never having been released kind of strange, because they did in fact release all of the existing tracks a few years ago in the Beach Boys Good Vibrations boxed set, which I have, and later on an import with the original versions and the revised versions which made it onto (????) Pet Sounds (that could be wrong--but some of the songs made it onto one album).
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Jed have you ever gone to Moose Days? We almost went last year.
JoseSPiano volunteering for Lent is a beautiful idea.
Matt H, HE AND SHE was another excellent show which was cancelled too soon.
Keith purchased our first computer in 1981 and I hated it. By 1983 the boys had their own computer, a children’s Texas Instrument, which I loved.
Kerry-LOL, no ROTFLOL
Ben THAT’S LIFE was a fun interesting show.
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There was a summer show on CBS in the mid-to-late 60s about a guy with amnesia. As the stories progress, he begins discovering skills he didn't know he had, like speaking Japanese and other languages. Even with these revelations, he doesn't remember "how" he learned them and why. It was a very good show and drew high ratings, but it was not picked up for the fall. I can see the actor, but cannot for the life of me recall his name or the title of the show.
Maybe this:
Coronet Blue
From Plautus Productions (The Defenders).
For some reason someone has tried to kill a man, who is rescued from the East River with no memory at all save two words: Coronet Blue. Their meaning is unknown to him, and he still is pursued by his unidentified attackers, but a monk and a restaurant owner befriend him under his nom de guerre, "Michael Alden."
First Aired May 1967
Last Aired September 1967
Status Canceled/Ended
Running Time 60 min
Country United States
Network CBS
Brian Bedford - Brother Anthony
Frank Converse - Michael Alden
Joe Silver - Max Spier
der Brucer (had to find an amnesia website to uncover this one)
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Frank Converse later did NYPD (not NYPD Blue). He looks a lot like Michael Parks, who later did the motorcycle version of Route 66, Then Came Bronson. My sister had a huge crush on Converse and we used to watch Coronet Blue every week.
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And here's another one from the memory vault:
Anyone remember Run, Buddy, Run, starring trumpeter Jack Sheldon as a shlub who overhears some Mafia bigwigs plotting a hit?
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Michael Shayne. The Sun is the British Tabloid with the page 3 girls. You can read it online. I also like the Dear Deidre advice column with the saucey comic strip version of a letter, with real people posing in the panels.
I didn't go to film school and I think much of what is learned there is simply the wrong stuff. They learn all about the composition of photography but little about the composition of drama. I found my theatre training more valuable.
I agree with Panni, they make films about films...which is where their whole life experience comes from...It's all derivative and empty. She's right when she says you can teach mechanics, but you can't teach talent.
And that's where most of these people fall down. You have all these people who want to make filmakers, but they have absolutely nothing to say. They have no voice, no passion.
They just want to be in a glamourous business that they think is easy money and dine at the posh restaurants, hang out with the beautiful people, and go up to Hef's on the weekend. They don't really have any passion for the work; just a passion for the lifestyle.
True story. A few years back, I got suckered into teaching the first screenwriting course at LA FILM SCHOOL because the producer whose baby the school is, Thom Mount, appealed to my most vulnerable spot, my vanity.
I should have known from the get-go; they're putting cameras in the hands of these people without a screenwriting course. Or putting cameras in their hands before they know what to do with them...i.e. tell a story.
I had from various times 12-15 students. One, possibly two, had any real talent and a chance of succeeding. They were all supposedly college educated. They were also absolutely undisciplined, unfocused, and ill-equipped. You have to know how to compose a simple sentence before you can compose a screenplay.
Even simple things like format and presentation baffled them...I'd get scripts with drawings all over them, typos, mispellings. People wouldn't turn in their stuff in a timely fashion or present copies to their clasmates which made class discussion problematic and, as much of the class was my critiquing their work, I was thwarted.
I had one kid who, when I tore apart his incomprehensible script apart, proudly stated, " What do you want? I wrote when I was drunk overnight." "It looks like it," I said. "And I want it better. Some semblance of professionalism attached to it. I don't cotton to that tortured, drunken artist shit. "
He also had spelt "through" as "threw" consistently in his script. When I asked him to spell it in class when he was sober, he spelt it the exact same way. You can't write, if you don't read. And if you read, you can't go more than a page or two in almost anything without encountering that preposition. So, if nothing else, you should know how to spell that word by osmosis...just plain, simple, daily usage.
Their ignorance of film history was astonishing. The first part of my class, I always brought in about five videos of classic (usual black & white) movies and showed clips from them...usually around a certain theme...great openings, dialogue, etc.
I will say that when they were exposed to some of this stuff, they were sort of mesmerized by it and also took my Simon Colwell no-nonsense, often brutal critiques very well. I was told by the administation and some of my students that I was damned-near revered and they loved my class. Some invited me back for screenings of their movies. The Administration wanted me to stay on. I was inexplicably popular with the students.
But I really had no patience for teaching. And I think what is endemic in film schools is probably also rife in the regular Halls of education as well. I get down and praise God every day for my good old American public school education. Instead of spending all this money on voucher programs, it should be poured back into the public school system, so that kids today can get the quality education I got there. But I can see why good school teachers flee the system. I think most of it is not the school's fault, but the the parents' fault.
My Hallmark executive and I were trading horror stories today about the decline of cultural knowledge. She had mentioned Edith Piaf to some colleagues who didn't have a clue.
A few years ago, I was working on a Viking script and the producer and I were doing notes with his three development girls, all college-educated, I called them his Muses.
I had written a couple of lines: "I think you're an impudent lover." "I am an imprudent one." The producer looked at his Muses: "Do you know what impudent means?" They shook their heads no. "Do you know what imprudent means" They shook their heads no. So not only did they not get the play on words, they didn't get the words! Impudent, imprudent. I probably knew these words when I was ten. I probably learned them from the movies. Hell, earlier than that, how many times does your mother wag a finger at you and tell you, "don't be impudent, young man/young lady." I was dumbstruck. There was a mention of Charlemagne in the script. Producer asks the Muses: "Do you know who Charlemagne is?" The Muses shake their head no. I go: "Oh, come on, you surely encountered Charlemagne around eighth grade in Bullfinch's Mythology, if not World History. The answer came back from the Muses in unison: "What's Bullfinch's Mythology?" We had a long protracted conversation whether we could use the word "cur" or not. I said: "How can you do a Viking movie without someone being called "a cur"?
But the neglible thing about this was that instead of the producer using these girls' ignorance as an excuse to dumb down the script, he should have turned to them and said: Well, if you didn't know these words or these names, why didn't you look them up? I'm paying you to come in here and intelligently discuss a script! How can you do that if you do not have a complete understanding of what you're reading?" And it goes on, as Panni will tell you, all over town every day. What I call the Arrogance of Ignorance. "I don't know and why should I have to?" Pride in their stupidity and illiteracy, yet they are judging and nurturing literary work. When I started out it wasn't always this bad. There were still a few people who could actually read.
I've often wanted to teach a liberal arts course called, "Stuff You Should Know"...and it be nothing but exposing people to a selective personal overview of cultural touchstones...movies, music, TV, books, comic books, art, poems, historical figures, historical events, dates of things...things that should be in their grab-bag of knowledge and cultural lexicon...
We often play a game at my house where you throw out name like Ponce Deleon or a date like 1492 and just shout out as many different things as you can think of connected to it. Who is most vocal depends on what generation they come from.
As I say, I prize my old public school education of three "R's". End of Rant. Apres moi, le deluge...
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Why am I thinking of the song "Talking to Yourself"?
Anyhoo--how about the shortest-lived of all tv shows, the Laugh-In knock-off Turn On, which aired once (and not even once in several major markets, including Seattle where we lived at the time) and then was pulled. As I recall, the controversy was over the word "Sex" scrolling over the screen during a bit with Tim Conway.
Did anyone ever see this legendary (not) production?
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I spent last evening with Miss Dolores DeLago, Dear Readers. And with the Harlettes and Sophie and, of course, the Divine Miss M. herself.
Miss Bette Midler brought her national tour to L.A.'s Staples Center last night, and I had a blast. The woman packs her show with so much great stuff: big production numbers (i.e., Miss DeLago et. al. go to Broadway), topical political humor, wistful tributes (to Miss Rosemary Clooney and Mr. Fred Rogers), baudy jokes, Judge Judy on Miss M.'s disastrous attempt at episodic situation comedy, energetic upbeat musical numbers, touching ballads, and inspirational anthems. Everything, it seems, but the kitchen sink.
Miss Midler attracts a very diverse audience, too, which I always enjoy seeing at a live theatrical/musical event. One audience member was Mr. Modulation himself, Barry Manilow. Miss Midler introduced him from the stage and they shined a big spotlight on him as he stood and took a bow. I guess they're talking again. Miss Chastity Bono was seated a few rows in front of me. Miss Midler did not acknowledge her, but did make a crack at one point in the show about her Mom.
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RLP...Simon gets his come-uppence more than anyway else and more undesrvedly than anyone else on that show...Ryan, the contestants, and the other judges are always digging into him. What I love about Simon is that none of it phases him and he gives as good as he gets.
As for Clay being able to buy and sell Simon. Clay been at this a year. Simon has been a record producer for years...and a very rich and successful one. He also has multi-million dollar TV contracts with Fox. Clay may be more popular than Simon, but richer? I doubt it.
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As soon as it was mentioned, I thought it had BLUE in the title, but that was as far as I got....I just got soooooo busy I couldn't post....and then I had to get a Diet Pepsi and then I got an email and well you know how it is.........
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TV show that I enjoyed but it may have only had a few seasons (never know here as OZ TV may or may not buy the rights) was "Kate & Ellie".
BK: I would still buy another burner CD drive. Even in Oz they are VERY inexpensive and it makes copying from CD to CD very quick.
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DR Charles Pogue: your teaching experience mirrors mine completely. I found it incomprehensible when teaching Vocal Jazz at a local college around here for a few years that my students routinely: a) could not read music; b) had absolutely no inkling of jazz history beyond, say, Kenny G and Diana Krall; and c) somehow expected to land multi-million dollar recording contracts (and anyone who knows jazz labels should be laughing themselves silly by now) when they could not sing close harmony if their lives depended on it. The get-rich-quick, don't-worry-about-the-basics mindset of some of today's youth is rather disheartening.
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I had to get a Diet Pepsi
[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]The horror!! The horror!! [/move] Diet Coke is the official drink of HHW, JR!!
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DR JMK you are a Type F poster....you Franatic, you!
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Any fans out there of the short-lived Max Headroom?
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I wasn't a big fan of MAX HEADROOM but I do remember it. I did like the show that the star of MH was in later where he played a doctor and had a gay brother played by Tony Carierro (not sure if I spelled that correctly). Was it called Doctor, Doctor?
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Any fans out there of the short-lived Max Headroom?
Oh, yes. ;D A funny, weird show.
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I remember The Torkelsons!
A few days ago, BK asked about the ebonics translator. This is the one my brother used: http://www.asksnoop.com/
Welcome DR Jenny!
Happy belated birthday, Matthew!
Thanks for the congrats, Jennifer. :) I'm filling in as the voice teacher until another qualified teacher is hired. The old voice teacher and the boss just didn't see eye to eye.
American Idol: Latoya was great, and I think Jon Peter is a cutie!
Speaking of cuties, I think Nick from The Apprentice is just adorable!
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According to the message counter, in the next few days we should hit 30,000 posts at this here site. Right now we are at 29,190 (not counting mine) and this post will also push us to Number 90 which starts Page 4.
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MBarnum Doctor, Doctor was an interesting show.
It also reminds me of a show I enjoyed, E/R with. Elliot Gould, Mary McDonnell, Conchata Ferrell and George Clooney
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I miss THE PRETENDER and want to know how it ends.
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had a gay brother played by Tony Carierro (not sure if I spelled that correctly). Was it called Doctor, Doctor?
You didn't; it was.
der Brucer
"Doctor Doctor" (1989)
[TV-Series 1989-1991]
Tony Carreiro.... Richard Stratford
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CORONET BLUE -- THANKS derBrucer!
CP -- "Uncle."
JRand53: I agree with you that comments can sometimes be made that seem to "imply" that someone is saying his or her life has more important things going on and that's why he or she hasn't been here. But don't take it the wrong way.
Things happen in people's lives that do take priority over everything else. I'm sure they'd love to make the time to post here, but sometimes the "other things" overwhelm and make it impossible to get into the rhythms of the various forums they might otherwise frequent. When someone tries to catch up and sees that someone else has noted that he or she has been "E & T" and that someone wonders why, the person might feel obligated to say, "I've been errant and truant, but I've had so many hectic things in my life lately...." which may very well be true.
That's not to say there aren't people overly impressed with themselves and given to writing in such a manner that they're doing the forum a favor by posting.
I'd like to think THAT kind of person is the exception, however!
:D
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RLP -- Perhaps I missed an earlier explanation, but who is the hottie in your profile picture?
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Good afternoon!
WOW! Is it brisk outside! BRISK! But I stuck it through and ran my two miles - most of the time against a considerable head wind - and sometimes a side wind. Brisk, I tell you!
What was that spooky, supernatural series that was on CBS a few years ago? It was set in North Carolina, I believe - well, I know it was filmed there. Gary Cole was one of the stars, and there was a great young man/boy who starred in it too. And I believe Shaun Cassidy was one of the producers. ??? In any case, I loved that show too!
I'll be back after I wait in line at the post office...
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It also reminds me of a show I enjoyed, E/R with. Elliot Gould, Mary McDonnell, Conchata Ferrell and George Clooney
I remember that show also, DR Jane. I enjoyed it as well. It was on in syndication quite a while ago, which is when I remember seeing it.
George Clooney also played the plant foreman (and on again off again, dated Jackie, the sister) in early episodes of Roseanne.
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George Clooney got around. He was also on FACTS OF LIFE, a show that went on too long.
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I miss THE PRETENDER and want to know how it ends.
It's like that Bunny (not Greg) that just keeps going...and going...
THE PRETENDER (http://www.tvtome.com/Pretender/index.html):
Show History
The Pretender ran for four years on NBC and then went into syndication on TNT (see below) and various non-cable stations. TNT also co-produced two Pretender movies with Twentieth Century Fox TV. The Pretender 2001 premiered on TNT Monday, January 22, 2001 at 8PM. The second movie, The Pretender: Island of the Haunted, premiered on TNT Monday, December 10, 2001 at 8PM ET/PT.
As of Sept. 1, 2003; you can catch The Pretender Monday-Friday at 8 AM ET/PT on TNT.
(Last TV series Episode)
86. The Inner Sense (2)
Jarod finally locates his sister Emily, just in time to see her nearly assassinated by The Centre. Meanwhile, Miss Parker's search of the secrets behind her mother's death lead her and Jarod to the same place -- and a mysterious young man named Ethan.
Followed by:
TV Movie
The Pretender 2001
Jarod and Miss Parker learn more about their pasts, as Jarod attempts to stop another Pretender from seeking revenge against the powers that be at The Centre.
Which resulted in:
The Pretender: Island of the Haunted
Through a series of bizarre circumstances, Jarod and Miss Parker find themselves trapped together on a strange island in a life and death situation, out of which come some of the most important revelations about their pasts.
der Brucer (whatta ya want, "closure", already?)
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It's like that Bunny (not Greg) that just keeps going...and going...
der Brucer (whatta ya want, "closure", already?)
YES! YES! YES! :)
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GREAT rant, FS Pogue! And, sadly, it's twue, it's twue. I have two books which I've often thought of taking to meetings and flinging across the room at just the right moment. One is "A First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy - What Children Need to Know" which I bought years ago for my daughter. It is set up like a dictionary with subheadings such as "Mythology," "Literature, "World history to 1600"..etc.
Under each heading, in alphabetical order, are concise definitions of facts everyone should know. Your Muses would have greatly benefited from this book.
Here's the entry for Charlemagne: "Charlemagne (SHAR-luh-mayn) - Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was the king of France and the emperor of several other countries during the MIDDLE AGES."
It's a start, anyway. And notice that not only does it give you the pronunciation, but it leads you to looking up the Middle Ages, in case you were away the day they were covered in school.
The other book, for grown-ups, is AN INCOMPLETE EDUCATION by Jones and Wilson, which devotes each chapter to a major discipline and discuses all sorts of things, from three arguments for the existence of God to twelve great fictional character with whom you should at least have a nodding acquaintance. This is all done with humor, which always helps.
Anyway, hurling these two books across the room might lose me a job, but would certainly give me huge satisfaction!
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TCB: C'est moi, in 1978! I was a Petty Officer Second Class and I was working in the office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy in Washington DC. That cropped photo was a group photo during a conference held in the Senate Office Building. I provided administrative support during the conference and got to attend ALL the parties in the evenings.
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DR Jane: Remember the Oriental admitting nurse on E/R who was always screaming "Stand in BACK of the white line." I loved that show, too--debuted at #1, then faded quickly.
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CHARLES POGUE: THAT's the book...hell, a series is called for...you should be writing.
"Things You Should Know" (subtitle: "Everything You Missed Because the Schools Don't Teach It Any More and Your Parents Didn't Know, Either")
You could market it to ANYONE who wants to be more than just another cipher in life.
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I mentioned HE AND SHE earlier today. I, also remember THE PRUITTS OF SOUTHHAMPTON which I found funny until it because THE PHYLLIS DILLER SHOW. A couple of years later, they gave her a variety show, and it was not good at all. On the other hand, Pearl Bailey was given a variety show in the late 1960s that was really good. And of course, THE JULIE ANDREWS HOUR was one of the greatest musical variety hours in the history of TV (7 Emmys its first season and was then canceled).
Already mentioned are two other shows I really liked: FIREFLY and KEEN EDDIE. I got the FIREFLY boxed set on DVD and am enjoying the KEEN EDDIE episodes on Bravo now.
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WEL, there have actually been three legitimate movie versions of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: Lon Chaney, Claude Rains, and Herbert Lom (in the 1960s). This doesn't take into account PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE and possibly other versions trading on the popularity of the tale.
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Der Brucer - Thanks for the anti-film school article!
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What was that spooky, supernatural series that was on CBS a few years ago? It was set in North Carolina, I believe - well, I know it was filmed there. Gary Cole was one of the stars, and there was a great young man/boy who starred in it too. And I believe Shaun Cassidy was one of the producers. ??? In any case, I loved that show too!
American Gothic (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111880/)
American Gothic is a horror/drama/thriller series set in the heart of South Carolina in a small town called Trinity. In this town not everyone is as they seem and everyone seems to follow their leader, Sheriff Lucas Buck. Lucas's son, Caleb Temple, was brought up by another family and was lead to believe that a man called Gage was his father. The local doctor, Matt Crower, gets curious when suddenly the Sheriff wants everything to do with Caleb. Then Caleb's cousin, Gail Emory, comes to town to protect Caleb in every way she can, but that is extremely difficult when she fall in love with Lucas. Then Caleb's school teacher, Miss Selena Coombs, becomes jealous. But also on Caleb's side is his dead sister, Merlyn. She is an angel prepared to do ANYTHING to keep Lucas away...
Cassidy was its creator.
Filmed in Wilmington, NC (same as Dawson's Creek, and one of my favorites: Hallmark's "What the Deaf Man Heard"). Also where the soon to be released "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" was/is being filmed.
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The producers of GET SMART made another satirical series with William Daniels called CAPTAIN NICE which I thought was hysterical. He was an inept superhero.
On CBS at almost the same time was a short-lived silly show with an inept superhero called MR. TERRIFIC. It didn't have the satirical edge that CAPTAIN NICE had. It also didn't have Alice Ghostley as the mother of the superhero.
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According to the message counter, in the next few days we should hit 30,000 posts at this here site. Right now we are at 29,190 (not counting mine) and this post will also push us to Number 90 which starts Page 4.
And if folks keep posting snippets of data on TV shows, to which I then need to research and post answers, we'll get there sooner than you think!
der Brucer (expecting A TIVO ad to pop up any minute)
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Let us discuss stupidity, shall we? In fact, let us discuss the stupidity of BK, shall we? After all that talk about scam paypal e-mails, I get one today. Unfortunately, it says something that made me nervous because it happened for real once before. So, like an idiot, I click on the link in the e-mail. It takes me to some paypal page that makes no sense, as if it took me to the wrong page. But, at the top is the standard menu bar, including log in. I click - and a page comes up with my paypal username. So, it seems real, because how else would it have that information. I enter my password and am taken to my account. There are no problems or flags and I know I've been instantly hoodwinked. I change my password instantly, but I can't remember if I did it from there or if I went directly to paypal. I also transfer the money to my bank account immediately, so that there is only 15 bucks left in there.
I call paypal and tell them what happened and that I can't remember if I changed the password from the link or the real site - I change it again. By this time, twenty minutes have gone by. I did receive a confirmation of the bank transfer and of the password change, sent to the proper place, so that gives me hope that I did it directly from their site. I also immediately checked with my bank and there has been no untoward activity today (and you know how fast these people work), so I'm hoping I'm safe. The bank also told me that companies like paypal use encryption systems on account information (you know, only stars until the last four digits) that is very hard to hack. Whether they had time to, who knows. I'll be checking with the bank every few hours now, because if there was a problem the mothers would have to be making purchases or whatnot online. And they know they have to move fast. I also switched most of what was in that account to another account, so that only what I need for the few outstanding checks I've written is in there. That's all one can do, I suppose.
Paypal then sent me an e saying it was indeed yet another bogus e-mail and that they were "investigating". Changing the password as quickly as I did, does prevent them from getting in - it just depends how quickly they work.
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Matt - I forgot about the 3rd movie PHANTOM. I've seen the silent version and the Nelson Eddy version.
The only thing worse than a good series getting cancelled too soon is one that wears out its welcome but keeps going on. Even "I Love Lucy" wasn't as consistantly funny in the last two seasons (or in 12 of the 13 hour long follow-ups). M*A*S*H went on a good three years too long. And look at ER these days.
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DR Jane: Remember the Oriental admitting nurse on E/R who was always screaming "Stand in BACK of the white line." I loved that show, too--debuted at #1, then faded quickly.
I forgot about that line-very funny. :D
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That's quite a story, bk! Hope it all works out. You seem to have taken every precaution in the book, so it should.
My daughter called me yesterday asking if she should answer just such an email. Not Paypal, but her student ID and credit #. It seemed legit. I told her not to touch it with a ten foot slovak.
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I too liked DOCTOR, DOCTOR, which costarred the handsome Beau Gravitte, spouse of the wonderful Debbie Shapiro Gravitte, and I was fond of BAKERSFIELD P.D., which starred Ron Eldard. One of the biggest tv embarassments in my book was the cancelation of MY SO CALLED LIFE. What I don't understand is how terrible shows remain on the air for so long, like THE SINGLE GUY and GOOD MORNING, MIAMI.
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SUGGESTIONS NEEDED!
My daughter e-mailed me just now to ask for suggestions for a Truffaut film to write an essay about in which the New Wave can be discussed. It cannot be "400 Blows."
Her prof, who is French, seems to believe that there is only one viewpoint about films - hers. Apparently when asking a questions about interpretations of films they are viewing, she simply says "No!" if the answer is not the one she had in mind.
I need a suggestion for a film that a kid who is no expert on French cinema will enjoy and understand. "Jules et Jim" perhaps?
Suggestions, please, DRS. ??? ???
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Finally, a day with some breathing room.
I teach tonight, the final week of my half-size course in song improvisation. This time, we came up with some new exercises, never tried before, and I think I now have a fresh(er) perspective on something I've been teaching for six years.
Monday night's cabaret went so well, it's led to a lot of post mortem thinking. These were students with nothing to lose: they weren't on the musical theatre track and they hadn't invited agents. So, their joy in singing was more in evidence, even if several were (at the start of this process) deathly afraid of singing in public. The hits of the night seems to have been When You Got It, Flaunt It, performed by an actual Swedish bombshell, Big Black Man performed by a small black man, and, also from The Full Monty, Big Ass Rock. Faring not nearly as well as I'd hoped was Jason Robert Brown's Still Hurting, which, no matter how well sung, drains all energy out of a theatre.
Sales of Our Wedding - The Musical CD are up, www.WeddingMusical.com (http://www.WeddingMusical.com) and I'd like to think this has something to do with last week's interview on Donald Feltham's Broadway Radio Hour. I know exactly how BK feels, hanging out a shingle and waiting for orders to come in.
The liquor store next door (just a few feet from our door) has its lights on and some workers in it. That's good to see: The building had a devastating fire on Saturday. I've never seen so many vehicles with flashing lights in one place. No one seems to have been hurt, and our apartment survived unscathed, inches away.
I'm due for a vacation. I notice, from seeing people on the street, that today's Ash Wednesday. Can somebody tell me when Easter and Passover are?
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MattH...I also like KEEN EDDIE, but I keep forgetting when it's on...Don't matter, I expect...They'll probably release it in a boxed set in another six months.
RLP,mmm? Not a bad idea, maybe Panni, BK, and I ought get together and sell it...Nah, they'd just dumb it down, "How about: All About the Olden Days of the Eighties?"
Panni, I also have a copy of AN INCOMPLETE EDUCATION. And a book called 1,001 THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN HISTORY, and a fun little quiz book called VIVALDI, OF COURSE! which is full of general knowledge quizzes on everything from the arts and literature and culture to science and history and mythology. It's amazing what good stead my public school education keeps me with even VIVALDI, OF COURSE's subjects like mathematics and the human body and government...which I would usually consider myself a dunce about.
But I think your phrase, " a nodding acquaintance with" is the key. One is not expected to have read all of Dickens or Hemingway, but one ought to know who the Hell they are, some of their book titles,and why they're important.
Another great book you should read is Morris Berman's THE TWILIGHT OF AMERICAN CULTURE...where he talks about the decline of functional literacy, the collapse of our schools, the 'Rambification' of our entertainment, and the 'McNews', and "the increasing antipathy our culture has toward anything 'intellectual'." He suggests that the decreasing number of intellectuals will have to become like the monks during the Dark Ages and be the keepers and protectors of knowledge until the New Renaissance. I guess that's what this HHW site is...a small enclave of smart people holding onto the knowledge and keeping it from being lost.
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I like Truffaut's The Soft Skin, and if she wants to be controversial, Fahrenheit 451.
I just took one final precaution and had them send me a new ATM card - they blocked the old one and nothing had come in on it as of this point. Plus, if anything comes in that looks in the least bit suspicious they won't allow it or will call me. That happened once before when I'd made quite a few online purchases at Christmas time, and they actually blocked my ATM card until I verified that it was me. So, hopefully all will be well. Plus, if they attempt to do any major purchases they won't go through anyway. My other fear is that they might have gotten my address information - don't know what they could do with it, but I guess they have ways of doing whatever they want. Luckily, they don't have social security numbers or license numbers on paypal, so they were limited to the address and the account information, which at least was encrypted. IF they got in before I changed the password. I hate these people so much and they're never caught because the people at places like paypal can't move fast enough and besides they cover their tracks. If I were the government, I would hire computer hackers to catch these people and put them away forever. Or just kill them.
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The first night of Passover is Monday, April 5; Easter Sunday is April11
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Holy serendipitous juxtapositions!
Read the last sentence of Dear Reader Charles Pogue's last post and the first sentence of Dear BK's post immediately following and put them together!
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BK, your story is why I don't pay for anything over the internet, if I can possibly avoid. I will get the information, call the people, then either do a credit card transaction over the phone or send a check. If I absolutely do have to do an internet purchase, I have only one credit card I use and it has the least money in any of my accounts.
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BK, it's amazing isn't it, how much these scams make it seem like you are at the real site. But as you now know, NEVER enter ANY information from those links. Start fresh and do the link yourself.
On a similar note, after the fake paypal emails I had gotten last week, I had reported them. I got a nice note back from paypal. Anyhow, yesterday i received a follow-up email from paypal saying they had responded to my message. And that they wanted me to fill in a survey that might have personal info.
Of course I thought this was a scam. But checked the note they had originally sent, and it was the same time and day (as they mentioned in the survey request). AND it had the same woman's name.
The weird thing was I filled it out, and it had no personal info (i wouldn't have filled that in). It just asked me if they had helped me.
It's very sad, that even the legit emails look like fakes.
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I guess that's what this HHW site is...a small enclave of smart people holding onto the knowledge and keeping it from being lost.
I think bk should get HHW letterhead printed up with just that on it!
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I wouldn't choose FAHRENHEIT 451 as a jumping off point for the French New Wave. It was an English language film and not really in the style of THE 400 BLOWS or JULES ET JIM.
BTW, I'd choose the latter, DR Panni. Or go to one of Godard's early films like BREATHLESS if it doesn't have to be Trauffaut.
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The unnerving thing about the scam was that you were taken to a page - okay, that can be bogus. But when the menu bar at the top of the bogus page takes you to a log-in screen which HAS YOUR USERNAME in it, then they've gotten really sophisticated.
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Here's the entry for Charlemagne: "Charlemagne (SHAR-luh-mayn) - Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was the king of France and the emperor of several other countries during the MIDDLE AGES."
It's a start, anyway. And notice that not only does it give you the pronunciation, but it leads you to looking up the Middle Ages, in case you were away the day they were covered in school.
Ohhh, so that's Charlemagne! I thought it was a brand of cheap perfume. I guess that must be Shalimar.
:-[
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TCB: C'est moi, in 1978! I was a Petty Officer Second Class and I was working in the office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy in Washington DC. That cropped photo was a group photo during a conference held in the Senate Office Building. I provided administrative support during the conference and got to attend ALL the parties in the evenings.
Very dashing!
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CHARLES POGUE: THAT's the book...hell, a series is called for...you should be writing.
"Things You Should Know" (subtitle: "Everything You Missed Because the Schools Don't Teach It Any More and Your Parents Didn't Know, Either")
You could market it to ANYONE who wants to be more than just another cipher in life.
Maybe you could just call it Real Life for Dummies.
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And don't forget that old parlor song "Pale Hands I Loved Beside the Shalimar" or was it Charlemagne? And "The Night They Invented Charlemagne."
There was also a tv movie of POTO starring Burt Lancaster, as I recall, and this was the basis for the Maury Yeston POTO. I like the Lon Chaney the best; it's the closest to the Gaston Leroux novel.
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SUGGESTIONS NEEDED!
My daughter e-mailed me just now to ask for suggestions for a Truffaut film to write an essay about in which the New Wave can be discussed. It cannot be "400 Blows."
Her prof, who is French, seems to believe that there is only one viewpoint about films - hers. Apparently when asking a questions about interpretations of films they are viewing, she simply says "No!" if the answer is not the one she had in mind.
I need a suggestion for a film that a kid who is no expert on French cinema will enjoy and understand. "Jules et Jim" perhaps?
Suggestions, please, DRS. ??? ???
Close Encounters of the Third Kind It is my favorite Truffaut film.
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He also had spelt "through" as "threw" consistently in his script. When I asked him to spell it in class when he was sober, he spelt it the exact same way. You can't write, if you don't read. And if you read, you can't go more than a page or two in almost anything without encountering that preposition. So, if nothing else, you should know how to spell that word by osmosis...just plain, simple, daily usage.
READ-THREW (n): When the first two pages of a script make you chuck it into the waste basket, which is located across the room.
As for the state of education these days, it may be because the purpose of a college-prep high school degree is to get the students into college, not to actually teach them anything. When the only purpose of an education is to pass tests...well, you've seen the results of that.
I wonder if the reason a college diploma is a necessity these days in order to get a job, is because it is now up to the colleges to supply the education that the high schools used to cover. Anyone want to bet that a masters degree will be the requirement for a job selling insurance in the next few years?
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My question for ASK BK day - Mr BK (and DR's) what was the first computer you ever heard of and what did you think about it? What is the first computer you ever saw, and did you consider its possibilities? What is the first computer you owned - and what prompted you to buy it?
The first computer that I ever heard of was probably the "Brainiac" or something like that, that was on "The Jetsons." The first computer that I owned was a Texas Instruments 99/4A and my parents bought it for me. It had all of 16K memory.
Some of the short-lived series I'd have loved see continue include:
From last year, "Keen Eddie," being shown now on Bravo. A good show that Fox did not have the patience to wait until the show attracted an audience. That and "Greed". Fox has become the "instant gratification" network...
I also love "Keen Eddie." It's on Tuesday nights at 9:00 (West Coast time) on Bravo.
Any fans out there of the short-lived Max Headroom?
My sister LOVED "Max Headroom," but only the British version, not the Americanized version. I bought her copies of the British version for her birthday a few years ago.
I wasn't a big fan of MAX HEADROOM but I do remember it. I did like the show that the star of MH was in later where he played a doctor and had a gay brother played by Tony Carierro (not sure if I spelled that correctly). Was it called Doctor, Doctor?
This was the first show that I watched that had a regular gay character...be still my heart. ;D I also thought that the actor was pretty darned cute, but I saw him do too many interviews talking about his girlfriend or wife or something and I lost interest. ;)
The only thing worse than a good series getting cancelled too soon is one that wears out its welcome but keeps going on. Even "I Love Lucy" wasn't as consistantly funny in the last two seasons (or in 12 of the 13 hour long follow-ups). M*A*S*H went on a good three years too long. And look at ER these days.
Didn't the TV series of M*A*S*H last two or three times longer than the actual war?
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Another great book you should read is Morris Berman's THE TWILIGHT OF AMERICAN CULTURE...where he talks about the decline of functional literacy, the collapse of our schools, the 'Rambification' of our entertainment, and the 'McNews', and "the increasing antipathy our culture has toward anything 'intellectual'." He suggests that the decreasing number of intellectuals will have to become like the monks during the Dark Ages and be the keepers and protectors of knowledge until the New Renaissance. I guess that's what this HHW site is...a small enclave of smart people holding onto the knowledge and keeping it from being lost.
Does Mr. Berman touch on something I consider essential (and a common factor among most of the HHW DRs): curiosity? That simple quirk of personality that drives der Brucer, for example, to try to identify the television shows others were mentioning today, even though he has never heard of them. (He's been having a blast with the on-line research. I think it's part of what keeps him much younger than his years.)
Panni's comments about her daughter's film teacher is too typical of what happens. Instead of asking students to find their own answers, and do their own thinking, the teacher seems only interested in the answers she herself found years earlier. The result is double-deadening, because the students are forced to only seek that teacher's answers, and the teacher herself lacks the curiosity to find new answers. Thus dies curiosity and imagination.
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Here's the entry for Charlemagne: "Charlemagne (SHAR-luh-mayn) - Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was the king of France and the emperor of several other countries during the MIDDLE AGES."
AND he was Pippin's father! Any musical theater person/Stephen Schwartz fan should know that! :D
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Another really good TV show that didn't last nearly long enough was "Hooperman."
It was, IMO, John Ritter's finest acting.
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Hello all! I’m here and there–still have some details to clear up about my trip but the trip itself is bought and paid for. That means SLC here I come!
I can’t believe how many people are worried about my going there by myself. The cutest was my friends husband who happened to call into work today and I took the call. He told me I should have a beau to go with. I asked him if I tied my shoes before I get on the plane I would have 2 bows. OK, that was pretty lame but it was the best I could do at the time.
As far as the first computer–I had a TRS80 with 4 K of memory. I upgraded to a SCREAMING 16 k and thought myself pretty hot stuff. I wanted a computer like on Star Trek that would talk to me and play games. It wasn’t everything I wished it would be.
The best computer/missed opportunity story I have is when they had a computer show in downtown Tampa. I was working in the area so I went after work. I was just going around, looking at the machines when this little white haired old lady came up to me and say, “Honey, do you like these things?” I told her, “Yes, ma’am. I’m very interested in them.” She gave me some card and told me to call so and so on Monday and say she told me to call.
Well dumb me, I lost the card and didn’t think to much more about it until I went in to a local Radio Shack and they were discussing the computer show. I told them I had been there and mentioned the little old lady. “Oh man,” the one guy said, “Do you have any idea WHO she was?” I said no. And then he told me that she owned most of the stock in Radio Shack so if she told that guy to hire me, he would have done so in a snap and had me trained on the TRS 80. I would have been in on the ground floor, if I only hadn’t lost that darn card! Sigh!
Jose, I think your talking about “American Gothic”. I LOVED that show and wish it would have been picked up for at least a 2nd season. It was strange but good.
Let me go back and read some of yesterdays posts and the day before. I missed most of them.
Bruce, I do plan on ordering the book–just give me until Friday (payday).
I'm back on track with the diet, by the way.
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I'm amazed by the constant usage of incorrect grammar in the media, such as incorrect usage of the nominative case which worked for Lorelei Lee's stupidity when referring to "a girl like I," but I hear it constantly in newscasts, read it in books, and wonder if there's anyone out there learning the difference between the objective and nominative cases these days. I never learned to write unconvoluted sentences.
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I never learned to write unconvoluted sentences.
In your case, it's endearing. But then, you don't write just about yourself, so it's interesting to follow and see where you're going.
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I got this also! Except mine is addressed "Dear Washington Music Purchaser" and signed by Christine O. Gregoire, Attorney General of Washington!
Dagnab it! Where's mine??? I signed up for it, too. Hopefully soon!
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Instead of asking students to find their own answers, and do their own thinking, the teacher seems only interested in the answers she herself found years earlier. The result is double-deadening, because the students are forced to only seek that teacher's answers, and the teacher herself lacks the curiosity to find new answers. Thus dies curiosity and imagination.
So true, SWW! I still remember the best teacher I ever had. Miss Breckenridge. Grade 6, Grace Street Public School in Toronto. Bessie Breckenridge was what used to be called "an old maid school teacher." What that really meant was that she had dedicated her life to a calling -- teaching. The year that I was lucky enough to get her she was already past retirement age, but had been kept on because she was so very good. Miss Breckenridge turned on a light inside me. I had always been curious, I read voraciously - but school was not an Anna-friendly place. For one thing, I had been dumped from one country to another, from one language to another. I lived inside my head, in my imagination and in my books. School was an interruption, an unwelcome one. And then Miss Breckenridge came into my life. She was so excited by the world around her and her ability to share it with us -- to introduce us to its wonders. School became an adventure for me. I could hardly wait to get there and see what incredible new door would open on that particular day. And aside from all that, Miss B. taught us the basics of math, grammar and spelling so well that they provided the foundation for everything that was to come in so called higher education. I kept in touch with Miss Breckenridge for many years. And I still remember the year I received back the Christmas card I had sent her with a note saying that she had passed away. One of the truly important people in my life was gone. But really she lives on every time I put an elegant sentence together or quickly add up a row of numbers in my head.
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I think I'm kinda caught up now. I missed the chat! I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I was in such a Michael Ball whirl.
Saw the picture of Panni and Bruce. Hubba, hubba! Looking good--both of you!
So much exciting news--The concert, Mr. Crawford back on stage, Chitty coming to Broadway, Bruces book. Wow! To much excitment for me! I need to sit down. Wait--I AM sitting down!
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George - I had a TI 99/4A, too! We got it free from a friend of ours, and my dad and I just used it for the few games we had. Loved "Shamus" on that system! After that, I was sans-computer for about 12 years until just two years ago when I got an old Mac clone. Still don't even have a printer, let alone other doo-dads!
Jane - Nope, never been to Moose Days.
Simon continues to be an ass for no reason other than he thinks it's expected. He had to interject "let me finish" six times last night when the audience booed and jeered his comments about a performance.
To me it seems more that the audience boos and jeers for no other reason than that they expect him to be an ass, without regarding the fact that his criticism is usually pretty well-founded.
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Speaking of scams...
I haven't ever gotten a fake paypal email (yet), but I opened my emails today to find one from a "sehb23@aol.com"--I think that's the address. The subject was "Your bill." I opened it to see the message, which was "explain!" I have no idea who this person is, so I didn't open the attachment. Still, though, I'm annoyed by that.
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...I still remember the best teacher I ever had. Miss Breckenridge. Grade 6, Grace Street Public School in Toronto. Bessie Breckenridge was what used to be called "an old maid school teacher." What that really meant was that she had dedicated her life to a calling -- teaching....She was so excited by the world around her and her ability to share it with us -- to introduce us to its wonders. School became an adventure for me. I could hardly wait to get there and see what incredible new door would open on that particular day....
Panni, this is why I sometimes miss karma. Virtual karma to you for your memories.
And add another word to our list: excitement! To be excited, and be able to share that, is a rare gift, one that seems to be getting rarer daily.
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I don't recall who mentioned SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS but I agree that it was a very good show. And that Danny Nucci! OMG!
Ok, Der Brucer here is another show for you to identify. The show was on FOX back in the 90s. It mostly took place on an airplance with 4 flight attendents as the main characters, 2 women (one black one white) and two men (one gay and one straight). I found it to be a very funny show, but then one day it was gone. :-\
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I forgot to mention the most recently cancelled, far too soon, show-Peacemakers with Tom Berenger.
Panni you were very fortunate to have such a wonderful teacher. She was also fortunate to have a student who continued to keep in touch with her.
Danise did anyone offer to accompany you on your trip? :D How funny they are concerned you will be by yourself.
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I forgot to mention the most recently cancelled, far too soon, show- Peacemakers with Tom Berenger.
Ah, another show der Brucer loved! Well written, well acted.
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It's raining nicely here. I've got a fire going and it's quite cozy. Just got a call from a producer saying I should listen to a piece on NPR right now about the psychological effects of the war in Iraq on the troops coming home. Maybe later. That would most definitely wreck the peaceful mood.
Thank you for the virtual karma, SWW. I can use some right about now.
And merci for the Hubba, Danise! (The other Hubba is for Bruce, I presume.)
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"American Gothic" - Yep, that was it! Thank you DERBRUCER! And, later, Danise.
DR Panni - Thank you for sharing your memories of Miss Breckenridge. I was also very fortunate to have some very memorable and influential teachers througout my education. And, luckily, my three brothers and I "got out" of the educational system before the main goal of the schools became making sure students learned enough to pass those convoluted standardized tests.
A few years ago, I remember watching some of the hearings - hearings?!?!? - the board of education had here in Virginia where they heard from various religious, cultural, educational, and historical groups. People were actually lobbying for which topics and events should be included on the tests. Whatever happened to a good old-fashioned education? Reading, Writing and 'Rithmetic? On the flipside of the coin, at least the people were given some say.
And to rant just a little more on this... In Virginia, the standardized tests are called the Standards Of Learning test - SOLs for short... Well, SOL also stands for... Hmmm... In any case, there is sooo much material that is covered in these tests, that it actually ends up interfering with the standard curriculum at most if not all the schools. A few music teacher friends of mine usually end up having to devote at least one day a week of their music classes to covering some of the material in the SOLs. The math teachers have to do the same thing. The english teachers have to do the same thing. The history teachers have to do the same thing. And so on, and so on... Wouldn't you think that the material in the SOLs would automatically be covered in the regular course work? ???
OH - end of rant... mainly because I know I'm rambling...
But thank you again DR Panni... And I'd also like to thank Mr. Sharak (4th grade), Mrs. Wallace (5th grade), Sister Edward Eileen (6th grade) and Sister Maureen Gregory (11th and 12th grade).
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Ooohh... The Judy Garland "American Masters" program just started!! Ooohh!!!
-And as for "American Idol"... Just how many "delay" tactics can they come up with for Ryan "I've reached my 16th minute" Seacrest?!?!? Why bother when it's the standard format by now?!?
OK - Back to Judy...
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No, Jane, no one offered. LOL. Concerned but not THAT concerned, I guess. I think I'll be fine. I booked the hotel across the street from the Hall so it's not like I'm going to be roaming the streets at night. I'm not into bars. I can count on one hand, no thumb, how many I've been in.
Now during the day--that's another story. I've already seen several places on the map that I want to check out.
Your welcome, Panni. At least one hubba for each of you! :)
Jose and anyone else, so what did you think the sheriff was in American Gothic? A fallen angel? Demon? I was never quite sure but I liked the show.
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She was also fortunate to have a student who continued to keep in touch with her.
I'm hoping to do an adaptation (if we can place it at some network) of a book called "A Boy I Once Knew"... It's the true story of an English teacher who kept in touch with a grade 9 student - Christmas cards, that kind of thing - but never saw him after their one school year together. She knew virtually nothing about his life, except for the few words he enclosed on his yearly cards. 20 years after she saw him last a large package arrived from San Francisco. Inside it were the old student's diaries for the last 10 years! He had died of AIDS and had asked her to keep his memory alive by doing something with the journals. He wrote that he felt a "connection" to her and knew if anyone would do it, she would.
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I hate to put a damper on things... But how come no one has had a few choice words to say about our beloved president's latest? Let's amend the constitution, folks. Oh yes, the DANGER of same sex marriages and what they do to our fair land must be stopped at all cost. The Department of Homoland Security is on the case even as we speak.
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I've seen the sanctity of marriage from Britney's viewpoint, Michael Jackson's, and numerous gay closeted actors so I find our beloved president and the Republican party's actions one more step in the Nazification of the United States. Whether people support gay marriage or not, the issue is personal freedom and I'm appalled at a proposed amendment to a Constitution that perverts - a wry word here - the concept of personal freedom. Is marriage anywhere clearly defined as a union between a man and woman? If it's for procreation, what about a mariage blanc like Cole and Linda Porter's? What about Martha Raye's to as gay man half her age? Rock Hudson and Phyllis? I don't mean to throw rocks at people's choices here, but these marriages seem rather fraudulent to me as defined by George W.
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Panni reading your synopsis of “A Boy I Once Knew” gave me chills.
On the other hand “The Department of Homoland Security is on the case even as we speak”-LOL ;D
Good night.
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I'm watching a very strange movie I TIVOd - The Detective, starring Mr. Frank Sinatra. It's about the murder of a gay man. The attitudes of this film are rather shocking to see today, and I do remember it was quite controversial at the time. Good cast, though - Lee Remick, Jaqueline Bissett, Jack Klugman. Tony Musante is unbelievably over the top in what I think was one of his first films, if not his first.
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I hate to put a damper on things... But how come no one has had a few choice words to say about our beloved president's latest? Let's amend the constitution, folks. Oh yes, the DANGER of same sex marriages and what they do to our fair land must be stopped at all cost. The Department of Homoland Security is on the case even as we speak.
DR Panni - this is one of the reasons that I am so out-of-sorts today; not to mention the ongoing medical probs here at home.
I have sent out a massive email (some DRs should have got it a little while ago) regarding this hideous condition.
I thought that when BK wrote about talking about stupidity, that he would follow with a rant on this particular subject. Nonetheless, BK's rant was a great rant.
It's very difficult to discuss politics with civility on the net, which is why I usually refrain while remaining reticent.
I cannot believe that a country whose founding fathers stated that all men are created equal are trying to take away said equality.
So, I shall return to my reticent state now, maybe Hermione Gingold's ghost will appear.
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DR Panni, the book "A Boy I Once Knew" is a great read and it would be a fab drama! I hope you can sell it to a star or a network. I think it's a great example of how we touch lives, never know it, and move on. In 18 years of school, college, and grad school, I can think of maybe 6 teachers at the most who educated me, the rest bided their time and mine:
4th grade: Betty Fay
5th grade: Roses Mull
Junior high school music: Valda Wilkerson
High school music: Helen Weinberger
High school English: Ellen Easton
College Latin: Robert Kane
And I had a great World history prof in college whose name I've forgotten, but he made me want to go to class to learn about serfs, Erich Maria Remargue,
the fourteenth century, Stendahl, and a zillion things I can't recall but will always have lurking in my subconscious.
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Sadly, for we're moving backwards in this country instead of forward. It's amazing that the government feels it right to take up to forty percent of your earnings, but also feels that it can dictate to you how you may live. That's not really good value for money, and let me tell you if all the gay people, male and female, stood in protest by refusing to pay income tax, the government a) wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it, and b) might reconsider their stupidity.
MY stupidity is an entirely different matter, and I've been flogging myself like Judge Turpin all day long. I must say that my current bank is aces - very patient with me, and very helpful, and for today at least no one tried to do anything, so I'm praying with all my might that I got the password changed before they had the chance.
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I just remembered his name: Max Welborn! Max Welborn! Thank you!
Now let's talk about the few good bosses or employers we may be fortunate to work for in a lifetime of labor for oafs and morons.
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I don't mean to throw rocks at people's choices here, but these marriages seem rather fraudulent to me as defined by George W.
But he would be fully in support of my father's marriage to my stepmother. My father was in his late seventies at the time, my stepmother younger but a cancer survivor and with two adult children already making her four times a grandmother. Procreation? Not on the agenda.
As bothersome is Kerry's rumored seeking of Sam Nunn as his running mate. Nunn, the former Dem Senator from Georgia, was the homophobe who coerced Clinton into supporting the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" military law.
This does not look good, on either ticket. I am frustrated as hell.
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Off to cook a late dinner. And, DR Jose, don't forget the rerun of Good Eats at 1, after you get over Judy.
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Dear BK, I'm sorry you've been a victim of internet fraud today. It happened to me over a year ago with eBay, and I spent a sleepless night to learn that I'd discovered it quick enough to change my password. I'm sure you're suffering from all the angst and adrenalin, but I bet you can relax now.
I also wanted to tell you that you were one of the good employers I've been lucky to encounter, no oaf or moron you, but they lurk out there in every field of employment. What are you watching tonight?
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See post above - The Detective. The attitudes about gay people in this film are really mind boggling. Apparently and sadly, they still prevail with a good segment of our population.
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It's raining quite a bit here. I'm glad Panni built herself a nice fire. The interesting thing is that she doesn't have a fireplace.
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DR Woody White, I apologize for omitting your initial. Didn't Mae West say that when choosing between two evils, she picked the one she hadn't tried before? I would vote for Lassie, King Kong or Lindberg if he/she/it were running against George Bush or any other threat to me, my friends, or humanity. I'm not noble, though I'd like to be; I just have a low asshole tolerance level.
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BK, I forgot about THE DETECTIVE. Sorry.
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SUch nice posts to come home to after rehearsal.
Internet fraud and bogus email.......the price we pay for instant communication that we WANT, I guess....like commercials on television, I guess.
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I just saw a tv ad for Tom Hanks in THE LADYKILERS. Should I be very afraid? Is this a remake of one of my favorite British comedies? Any word about it?
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Hope the rehearsal went well JRand. How are your stress levels? Mine should be down after a phone call in 4 hours.
I have been so fortunate in that I have rarely had unsolicited email. Maybe I don't surf the NET enough!
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This is wonderful, but I take no credit for it. It was emailed to me by
DR Elmore3003 who asked me to post it. He can fill you in on who sent it to him. Here it is:
12 Reasons Same-Sex Marriages Will Ruin Society
1. Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and
birth control.
2. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people can't legally get married because the world needs more children.
3. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.
4. Straight marriage will be less meaningful, since Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.
5. Heterosexual marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are property, blacks can't marry whites, and
divorce is illegal.
6. Gay marriage should be decided by people not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of the minorities.
7. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country.
That's why we have only one religion in America.
8. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.
9. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy
behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.
10. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why single parents are forbidden to raise children.
11. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven't adapted to cars or longer lifespans.
12. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a "separate but equal" institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages for gays and lesbians will.
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I'm glad Panni built herself a nice fire. The interesting thing is that she doesn't have a fireplace.
"Resourceful" is my middle name.
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DR Panni, I would never have thought of posting it, but I received it today from my friend Vince whose friend mailed it to him. I wish I knew its authorship. I thank you for doing the post and I consider it the start of a beautiful relationship. Merci beaucoup.
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I just saw a tv ad for Tom Hanks in THE LADYKILERS. Should I be very afraid? Is this a remake of one of my favorite British comedies? Any word about it?
I'm afraid it IS a remake. I haven't heard anything, but saw a lengthy trailer which looked pretty bad.
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I wasn't a big fan of MAX HEADROOM but I do remember it. I did like the show that the star of MH was in later where he played a doctor and had a gay brother played by Tony Carierro (not sure if I spelled that correctly). Was it called Doctor, Doctor?
I LOVED THAT SHOW- ALLTHE OPTHER CHARACTERS AND ESPECIALLY TONY CARIERRO (WHO STILL LOOKS AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS)
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Internet fraud and bogus email.......the price we pay for instant communication that we WANT, I guess....like commercials on television, I guess.
I disagree. It's one thing to have to accept spam (to me that is a similar analogy to having commercials). But I don't think that we should have to worry about the fraud.
I think BK was right with his contempt. These people should be shot (not literally, but you get the drift).
I guess I wonder how these people commit the fraud so seemingly easily. I mean couldn't the people at paypal for example, answer the fraudulent emails, give the information requested, and then somehow follow the trail?
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Well, two subjects I don't normally converse about online are now the issues of the day, so, i thought that maybe I should post a mixed post.
(some drs may have already read this, since there is a massive email - not from me - containing these words):
The Presidential Prayer Team is currently urging us to: "Pray for
the President as he seeks wisdom on how to legally codify the
definition of marriage. Pray that it will be according to Biblical
principles. With any forces insisting on variant definitions of
marriage, pray that God's Word and His standards will be honored by our government." This is true.
Any good religious person believes prayer should be balanced by
action. So here, in support of the Prayer Team's admirable goals,
is a proposed Constitutional Amendment codifying marriage entirely on biblical principles:
A. Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between
one man and one or more women. (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5)
B. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in
addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron
11:21)
C. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a
virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut
22:13-21)
D. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be
forbidden. (Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30)
E. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the
constitution of any State, nor any state or federal law, shall be
construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9)
F. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry
the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or
deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one
shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10)
G. In lieu of marriage, if there are no acceptable men in your
town, it is required that you get your dad drunk and have sex with
him (even if he had previously offered you up as a sex toy to men
young and old), tag-teaming with any sisters you may have. Of
course, this rule applies only if you are female. (Gen 19:31-36)
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DR MBarnum, it was I who mentioned SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS. Great cast: Danny Nucci, Jason Bateman, and Alec Mapa.
DR RLP, I also enjoyed HOOPERMAN very much. I think Joey Gian played one of the first gay men on TV that I could identify with.
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DR Danise: I was born and raised in SLC, so if you need a virtual tourguide, IM me. This probably wouldn't interest you, but the quite excellent Military Museum at Ft. Douglas up by the University of Utah (in fact, now a part of the University, but that's another story) was founded by and is named after my late father.
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Oh yes, the DANGER of same sex marriages and what they do to our fair land must be stopped at all cost.
Does allowing gays to marry threaten the institution of marriage?
If you really think about it, the answer is an unequivocal yes.
If you’re straight and married, you’ve almost certainly got gay people to thank for it. Wedding planners, florists, clothiers, hairstylists, caterers, priests: it’s no mere stereotype that these professions abound in gay folk, and your wedding would have been drab if not impossible without them. Add to that the gay friends and officemates who make such a pleasant and positive fuss about your nuptials. And TV’s Queer Eye spiff-up squad is only a distillation of what gay people have been doing for ages: making straight men and women look desirable, or at least survivable, to each other so that they might hook up.
If gays were busy getting married themselves, do you think they’d have time to preen the rest of us? We’d all be back in the trailer park in our overalls, picking scabs off our unmoisturized faces and wondering why the phone doesn’t ring. It is only because gays can’t marry that they get caught up at all in the romance and filigree of heterosexual marriage, and they’d be off us like fleas off a wet dog if they could go to weddings that didn’t depend upon our breeder antics. It’s not just marriage, but the very survival of the species that depends upon gays being forcibly kept—by constitutional amendment, if need be—in their role as our eternal best men and bridesmaids.
der Brucer (no I didn't write it, it's just a teaser for a post and link I'll do tomorrow)
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I just won't talk politics because I get too emotional and one is either preaching to the choir or shouting at a brick wall.
But our President has during the last year given me many, many reasons to be ashamed to be an American citizen.
I have had the laserdisc of THE DETECTIVE for quite a long time. As perverse as some of its ideas are, it was also almost LIBERAL in its politics compared to something like THE SERGEANT from the same era. It also showed men together more fully than we had seen in an American movie before and was absolutely spot-on in its picture of "the trucks" down on the Bowery at that time. Pretty bold images for 1968. To be fair, I thought it was more honest dealing with the times than the detestable FREEBIE AND THE BEAN or THE LAUGHING POLICEMAN of a few years later.
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I actually posted a link by a fellow scribe of Panni's and mine last weekend on gay marriage, which I thought spoke quite eloquently to the matter. Here it is again: www.yankeefog.com/london/archives/000036html
Besides this issue, he now being advised to cut us baby boomers' social security. Between the boomers, the gays, the poor and down-trodden raped by his corporate cronies, there is no reason this guy should be president next time around. We have the votes. If he is relected, I fear for a further "nazification" of America and maybe a fascist far right Republican reign for the rest of my life. Why aren't people outraged that a judge of the highest court of the land arrogantly refuses to recuse himself in an obvious case of conflict of interest, when we have an attorney general who stomps on our civil liberties every day, when Kenneth Lay of Enron, the Prez's good buddy, is still not in jail, when Dick Cheney is so deep into the Haliburton handouts it just shows blatant contempt for America. They screamed rule of law when Clinton lied about a blow job. but they arrogantly lie about a war and oh, so many other things. WHERE IS THE RULE OF LAW NOW? WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?
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I wish I knew its authorship.
The Gator Gay-Straight Alliance (http://gatorgsa.org/gaymarriage.html) claims credit for same:
12 Reasons Same-Sex Marriage will Ruin Society. (HTML)
Apparently our flyer (PDF) is also now an example of a "list gone wild:" it's turned up in people's blogs, AIM profiles, and email forwards.
der Brucer (still marveling at the internet's reach!)
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WHERE IS THE RULE OF LAW NOW? WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?
That's what I don't understand. Maybe things aren't bad enough yet? I saw people blown to bits when I was a kid because they stood up and said NO. They threw homemade bombs into tanks, marched against machine guns. The anger and outrage was palpable -- but it took decades for it to build, decades of outright dictatorship, of people disappearing in the middle of the night.
So, melodramatic as this may be, perhaps we need a bit more before the outrage actually makes itself felt.
Meanwhile, why the hell is Nader entering the race again? No Republican is going to vote for him. So all he's doing is taking away votes from Kerry or whoever the Democratic nominee is going to be.
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Wow! I just discovered the Quick-Reply form! How handy!
Seriously, though...while I don't want to seem to come off as a Pollyanna (not one of my better roles), there's really not that much of a threat of a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriages actually coming into being. Historically, amendments have only served to grant rights to individuals, not take them away (Prohibition being a possible exception, but then that was eventaully repealed.) Also, it takes a LOT of time and effort to get one of these babies passed--consider that in the two hundred year+ existance of our Constitution, there's only been twenty-seven changes. And while it sadly seems that that polls tell us that the majority of Americans are against gay marriages, there is likewise no polled majority in favor of a Constitutional ban.
Still, this doesn't mean that we shouldn't be outraged on this matter. Bush (or as I like to refer to him, Pubes) is using this heart-rendering issue strictly as an election tool, and that in itself is dispicable. It's time to tar and feather this fool and drive him and his ilk out of town.
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Good evening!
DR SWW - Watching Alton Brown right now as I type. :)
As for the upcoming election and all the various issues... Let's get out there and vote! Let's get our there and get at least one friend to vote who hasn't voted before. Get your neighbors and co-workers to register to vote. That's the one truly depressing figure from the last election: the fact that Bush "won", and it was one of the lowest - if not the lowest - voter turn out in a "modern" election. *I'm sure DR DERBRUCER will have the exact figures. ;)
Hmm... cashews... pistachios... macadamias....
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II have had the laserdisc of THE DETECTIVE for quite a long time. As perverse as some of its ideas are, it was also almost LIBERAL in its politics compared to something like THE SERGEANT from the same era.
Notes on The Detective from “The Celluloid Closet” by Vito Russo
In June 1968, Time announced that the “third sex” was making a determined bid for first place at the box office. “Unashamedly queer characters are everywhere!” Time screeched, pointing out that most of the homosexuals shown were “sadists, buffoons or psychopaths”. The power of the Code was at an end. In 1966, another drastic revision had divided films into those for mature and those for general audiences. Films such as The Sergeant, Reflections in a Golden Eye, The Fox, The Detective, and The killing of Sister George clearly contained adult material and it became apparent that the code had little or no control over them.
…
In 1967, screenwriter Abby Mann told the New York Times that “it’s easier to be accepted in our society as a murderer than as a homosexual,” and his next screen play, for Gordon Douglas’ The Detective (1968), had its roots in that observation. The film…starred Frank Sinatra as a tough but liberal (educated) detective who is faced with having to solve the brutal castration murder of a wealthy homosexual. Under pressure from his department to find the killer quickly and attain promotion, Sinatra…seduces a confession from an innocent gay beach bum. Later Sinatra discovers that he has sent an innocent man to the electric chair just because he was in a hurry and any homosexual would do. The real killer (William Windom), a closeted homosexual who murdered to keep his secret, commits suicide. His written confession says, “I was more ashamed of being a homosexual than a murderer.”…Thus the closet syndrome is held responsible for all three deaths of homosexual characters: an execution, a murder and a suicide.
der Brucer (who, having typing this extract once before for posting on "that other site", wishes he had a computerized version of the book - it has all sorts of great observations and well documented historical tid-bits)
Current observation: the courts have held that murderers on death row may marry - but not gay librarians.
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I saw people blown to bits when I was a kid because they stood up and said NO. They threw homemade bombs into tanks, marched against machine guns. The anger and outrage was palpable -- but it took decades for it to build, decades of outright dictatorship, of people disappearing in the middle of the night.
Yes, and the U.S. urged the Hungarians to rise up and implicitly promised support - until the Russian tanks came - then we hid our head in the sand and watched 20,000 Hungarians masacred and Hungary pulled back behind the Iron Curtain - not our finist hour!
der Brucer (who remembers it well because it was one of the catalysts that caused his Reserve Active Duty deferral to be rescinded - the others being the simulaneous Suez War and the mess in Guatamala)
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Uh-oh - "Ice Castles" is on one of the HBO channels... get out the Kleenex!
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The real killer (William Windom), a closeted homosexual who murdered to keep his secret, commits suicide.
I remember that movie now! There's a scene in which Windom is walking through some low-level warehouse district where gay men are shamefully cruising and making out. I was kind of skeezed out by the movie's depiction of this: a bunch of young, thin guys in woven turtlenecks tentively brushing their fingers over each other's arms and faces. It was really sleezy.
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The Detective is a totally strange film, but Sinatra is very good in it, as is Lee Remick (as always). The depiction of the gay people is so over-the-top you just can't take it seriously. But, if you remember that in 1968 this was still a fairly novel thing for a movie, it's amazing they went as far as they did.
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Oh, and another nice score by Jerry Goldsmith - sort of a precursor to Chinatown, theme-wise.
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Yes, and the U.S. urged the Hungarians to rise up and implicitly promised support - until the Russian tanks came - then we hid our head in the sand and watched 20,000 Hungarians masacred and Hungary pulled back behind the Iron Curtain
Yeah, I remember the radio on in the middle of the night in our apartment with the Prime Minister saying something like "We beg the free world to come and help us!" ...And suddenly the transmission ended as he was dragged off. Early that morning I heard the tanks rumbling in. My mother and stepfather packed us up to go down to the basement to take shelter. We were ldown there for days with rats running all over the place. And then all hell broke loose. Eventually our building was set on fire - no fire department. My stepfather and one of the janitors ran upstairs and broke into apartments, turning on taps. And so on... I don't know why I went into that before going to sleep 'cause I'll be up all night.
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Good evening!
it was one of the lowest - if not the lowest - voter turn out in a "modern" election. *I'm sure DR DERBRUCER will have the exact figures. ;)
'Deed I do, but they don't support your position:
Year Voting Age Population Turnout % Turnout of VAP
2000 205,815,000 105,586,274 51.30%
1996 196,511,000 96,456,345 49.08%
1992 189,529,000 104,405,155 55.09%
1988 182,778,000 91,594,693 50.11%
1984 174,466,000 92,652,680 53.11%
1980 164,597,000 86,515,221 52.56%
1976 152,309,190 81,555,789 53.55%
1972 140,776,000 77,718,554 55.21%
1968 120,328,186 73,211,875 60.84%
1964 114,090,000 70,644,592 61.92%
1960 109,159,000 68,838,204 63.06%
So the 2000 turnout was higher than 2 of the last three elections.
der spoiler Brucer
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The Detective is a totally strange film,
Abby Mann screenplay?
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a bunch of young, thin guys in woven turtlenecks tentively brushing their fingers over each other's arms and faces. It was really sleezy.
Sleezy, but accurate (except there would have been lots of crotch grabbing too)
der Brucer (been there, seen it, done it)
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It is very wet outside my little guest house - and everywhere else I assume. I still have to take the wonderdog out for his evening pee. Wish I had a little rowboat for him. If I suddenly stop posting, it's the power.
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Abby Mann screenplay?
Yes, see Post #187 above.
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der Brucer (been there, seen it, done it)
But surely not in a woven turtleneck?
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Thanks DR DERBRUCER for the clarification and the figures... Maybe I was thinking of the recent state elections.. Which I know have been dismally attended.
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Hard to imagine Abby Mann writing about this particular subject!
I was on a panel with him (a couple of years ago?) at the Museum of Television and Radio in LA. I posted about it last week I think - but gave the wrong title. It was "Television and the Holocaust." The same panel was held at the same time at the NY Museum of TV. But Arthur Miller was on that one. I tried to get them to put me on the NY panel, but no luck. Anyway, we were to give short opening remarks, then discussion with the moderator, then Q&A with the audience. Mann was the first to speak - and he had a prepared statement - many pages in length - which he just read. It was interesting, but it went on forever and he read it in a monotone.
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I won't wuss out tonight. Will be a late night Denisthemenace. Not sleepy at all (Your fault, Der Brucer - don't get me talking about Hungary late at night!).
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Only three of us left...
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Only two. I scared der Brucer away.
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Good. I see George (not dead people).
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Just took wonderdog out for maybe 20 seconds. We got soaked.
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Why is everyone so silent?
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But surely not in a woven turtleneck?
Generally not. The accepted attire for cruising the abandon warehouses on the East Side was jeans and T-Shirts in summer, Flannel shirts in winter. You wore no jewelry carried a billfold with only a dollar or two and no ID - you stuck your ID and the rest of your bills in your shoe. The wharfs were pretty risky, but there were plenty of private clubs and back-room bars that provided a similar ambiance without the attentent risks (see International Stud).
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"Lex!... The flowers!"
"We forgot about the flowers."
"Stay with me..."
"You bet."
:(
:)
Goodnight.
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Only two. I scared der Brucer away.
Wonder dog is not the only one who needs pee-breaks!
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You may inundated with photos of Australian parrots in the next week or so. I have just been taking "happy snaps" at feed time. Remembering the location of my camera to get a film were the major chores of the day! I have been somewhat preoccupied with thoughts about our dog Magnus who has just undergone surgery on his bladder. Still waiting to find out how the poor fellow is.
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I have been somewhat preoccupied with thoughts about our dog Magnus who has just undergone surgery on his bladder. Still waiting to find out how the poor fellow is.
My dog, Abie, sends good vibes to your Magnus (as do I).
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My dog, Abie, sends good vibes to your Magnus (as do I).
As do I, and Woody, and Marty, Kelsey, Mikey, Buster and Bonnie.
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Who is silent?
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Thank you latenighters and families. Just spoke to the "surgeon" and Magnus is OK but understandably somewhat shaky. We should be able to bring him home tomorrow.
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...to get a film ...
Film? Has not the digital revolution reached down-under? Or are you an Ozian Luddite?
der Brucer (cuddling his LS420 with care)
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Who is silent?
You for the last 47 minutes (but who's counting!).
You go E&T while we all do the heavy lifting to pass the 200 post mark!
der Brucer -expecting some lame (not gold) excuse about writing the daily notes.
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MBarnum:
Here it is!
The Crew (sitcom) FOX 1995-1996
Paul Steadman (David Burke) flight attendent
Sitcom about four flight attendents, two men and two women. One of the men is gay and out. Although a lead character, his principal role seemed to be as a foil for the man-hungry middle-aged woman supervisor.
der just-in-time Brucer