I'm watching hockey on OLN right now. OLN is primarily a hunting channel, and they apparently have a show involving Larry Csonka, the former Dolphin running back. In their promos for the show, they use the phrase "Stalking Stuffers."
Now, I'm all for risque cleverness, but isn't it a little creepy to use that imagery? Especially for a network that is trying to reach out beyond the hunter-gatherer demographic? I'm not arguing the definition of the word, or its meaning within the context above. I'm just saying that if you aren't a hunter, your first reaction to the word "stalker" is not going to be about cloaking oneself in camo and hiding behind a tree... with no women around. Sure, you may counter that the "stalker" imagery that irritates me is, in fact, the application of a primal, animal act to a sophisticated art, thus the word in its sex offender context (creepy) is dependent on its meaning in the hunting context (literal). But then I can come back and talk about connotation vs. denotation, where the connotation dominates the denotation and its literal meaning is irrelevant. And if you argued with that, I'd get bored and walk away.
I have little else to say about any of that. Good hockey game though... 1-1 between the Rangers and the Wild.
Monday, December 05, 2005
I'd Like To Buy A Vowell
This link, the current installment in my "I bet nobody ever thought of that before" series of post titles, is a sampling of readings from the audiobook of Sarah Vowell's The Partly Cloudy Patriot. The excerpts are of her celebrity guest readers, including Seth Green, Conan O'Brien, David Cross and Stephen Colbert, performing as politicians from the book.
Vowell is probably best known as a contributor to NPR's This American Life and as the voice of Violet in The Incredibles. She was also a memorable contributor to the excellent They Might Be Giants documentary, Gigantic. More than anything, she has a distinctive, weird, expressive, and ultimately compelling voice, which is ultimately what sells the often-boring material that interests her so much. Anyway, the idea of listening to her dictate her book is a lot more appealing to me than just reading it myself. (This from someone who becomes deeply irritated when people read to him instead of just letting him read the goddamn thing when the aforementioned hypothetical person, who really isn't anyone in particular, is finished.)
Vowell is probably best known as a contributor to NPR's This American Life and as the voice of Violet in The Incredibles. She was also a memorable contributor to the excellent They Might Be Giants documentary, Gigantic. More than anything, she has a distinctive, weird, expressive, and ultimately compelling voice, which is ultimately what sells the often-boring material that interests her so much. Anyway, the idea of listening to her dictate her book is a lot more appealing to me than just reading it myself. (This from someone who becomes deeply irritated when people read to him instead of just letting him read the goddamn thing when the aforementioned hypothetical person, who really isn't anyone in particular, is finished.)
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Link Fix
1. The Bad Plus Tackle Literature
First, a goodie from jazz trio The Bad Plus... they recently posted, on their blog, a list of musical acts and the authors they most closely correspond to. Some are uncanny (Phish = Douglas Adams, Elliott Smith = Sylvia Plath), some are amusing (Dave Matthews = John Grisham, lol) and some have better intentions than credentials (The Beatles = Roald Dahl? I like Dahl as much as the next guy, but COME ON!!!). Either way it's food for thought. Knowing that TBP spent a great deal of time discussing the issue internally makes me happy. And any list that includes Haruki Murakami is fine by me.
(Quick aside: I can't claim to be a huge Murakami fan, having read only A Wild Sheep Chase, but I was really impressed. His bizarro storytelling is very much in line with how I used to write. When I come away from a book thinking "damn, I need to start writing again," I know it's a winner.)
2. The Boondocks' Aaron McGruder
Next, the misunderstood and multitalented artist addresses how he spoke with Fidel Castro, why Reginald Hudlin is credited as a Boondocks co-creator despite not having even spoken with McGruder for a year, and what he thinks about the New Yorker profile that flayed him like a butterfly pork chop.
3. Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic's Sarah Silverman
Interview of the year, despite doing the whole thing over email. She wins three LOLs, two ROFLMAOs, and a OMFG. She's one of the best around at using the element of surprise to say some outrageous shit. For example, take the story of how she and Jimmy Kimmel started dating... let's just say the story of how Kate and I got together will be ending differently from now on.
First, a goodie from jazz trio The Bad Plus... they recently posted, on their blog, a list of musical acts and the authors they most closely correspond to. Some are uncanny (Phish = Douglas Adams, Elliott Smith = Sylvia Plath), some are amusing (Dave Matthews = John Grisham, lol) and some have better intentions than credentials (The Beatles = Roald Dahl? I like Dahl as much as the next guy, but COME ON!!!). Either way it's food for thought. Knowing that TBP spent a great deal of time discussing the issue internally makes me happy. And any list that includes Haruki Murakami is fine by me.
(Quick aside: I can't claim to be a huge Murakami fan, having read only A Wild Sheep Chase, but I was really impressed. His bizarro storytelling is very much in line with how I used to write. When I come away from a book thinking "damn, I need to start writing again," I know it's a winner.)
2. The Boondocks' Aaron McGruder
Next, the misunderstood and multitalented artist addresses how he spoke with Fidel Castro, why Reginald Hudlin is credited as a Boondocks co-creator despite not having even spoken with McGruder for a year, and what he thinks about the New Yorker profile that flayed him like a butterfly pork chop.
3. Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic's Sarah Silverman
Interview of the year, despite doing the whole thing over email. She wins three LOLs, two ROFLMAOs, and a OMFG. She's one of the best around at using the element of surprise to say some outrageous shit. For example, take the story of how she and Jimmy Kimmel started dating... let's just say the story of how Kate and I got together will be ending differently from now on.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
It's The Final Cee-ount-dee-owwwwwn!
Well, it's more like The Initial Countdown, but I can't imagine GOB dancing around to The Initial Countdown. Anyway, allow me to condense what I've been listening to of late into digestible chunks... and then footnote the living shit out of it.
What's In My Virtual 5-Disc Changer
5. Dangerdoom - The Mouse And The Mask
4. Jimmy Eat World - Stay On My Side Tonight EP *
3. Sigur Rós - Takk
2. Kasabian - Kasabian **
1. The Darkness - One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back
That's My Joint, Yo
5. Kanye West - "Touch The Sky"
4. Kasabian - "Reason Is Treason"
3. The Darkness - "Hazel Eyes"
2. Sigur Ros - "Glósóli"
1. Dangerdoom - "Vats Of Urine" (see earlier post)
Late Adopter Top 5 Albums
5. Bruce Springsteen - The River
4. (tie) They Might Be Giants - Apollo 18 / John Henry / Factory Showroom
3. Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup
2. Pulp - Hits
1. (tie) The Beta Band - Hot Shots II / The Beta Band ***
* - This EP is notable for featuring a worthwhile, dare I say good, remix of "Drugs Or Me." The original tune, for those who didn't die from listening to it, was earnest, but so unsophisticated lyrically that no adult could possibly take the words seriously. When your heartfelt anti-drug ballad inspires straight-edge people like me to start wondering which friend of theirs could score them some heroin if they ever wanted it... well, I think something might not be working. Jim "No, It's A Different Jimmy" Adkins comes off sounding like a real wuss, which is saying something in today's rock world. Fortunately, the electronic remix distorts the unbearable emo-nstrual lyrics to the point where one can actually listen to the song without vomiting, committing seppuku, or shooting up with borrowed needles. But there's also a duality that comes along with that vocoder-fication... when Adkins sings "I can't tell you from the drugs," you can't tell him from the vocoder. Are we the drug-addled girl he's singing to, and is that how unclear the message would sound to a strung out person? I doubt that was the intention, but interesting to think about nonetheless.
** - Kasabian fucking rocks.
*** - This is a late adoption of those two albums, not the Betas themselves. I've been into the Betas for a while now, but only recently turned the corner from thinking The Three EPs was their peak. But no. They were the real deal. And now they're gone. Check out their best-of for a good (if imperfect) sampling of their best work.
What's In My Virtual 5-Disc Changer
5. Dangerdoom - The Mouse And The Mask
4. Jimmy Eat World - Stay On My Side Tonight EP *
3. Sigur Rós - Takk
2. Kasabian - Kasabian **
1. The Darkness - One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back
That's My Joint, Yo
5. Kanye West - "Touch The Sky"
4. Kasabian - "Reason Is Treason"
3. The Darkness - "Hazel Eyes"
2. Sigur Ros - "Glósóli"
1. Dangerdoom - "Vats Of Urine" (see earlier post)
Late Adopter Top 5 Albums
5. Bruce Springsteen - The River
4. (tie) They Might Be Giants - Apollo 18 / John Henry / Factory Showroom
3. Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup
2. Pulp - Hits
1. (tie) The Beta Band - Hot Shots II / The Beta Band ***
* - This EP is notable for featuring a worthwhile, dare I say good, remix of "Drugs Or Me." The original tune, for those who didn't die from listening to it, was earnest, but so unsophisticated lyrically that no adult could possibly take the words seriously. When your heartfelt anti-drug ballad inspires straight-edge people like me to start wondering which friend of theirs could score them some heroin if they ever wanted it... well, I think something might not be working. Jim "No, It's A Different Jimmy" Adkins comes off sounding like a real wuss, which is saying something in today's rock world. Fortunately, the electronic remix distorts the unbearable emo-nstrual lyrics to the point where one can actually listen to the song without vomiting, committing seppuku, or shooting up with borrowed needles. But there's also a duality that comes along with that vocoder-fication... when Adkins sings "I can't tell you from the drugs," you can't tell him from the vocoder. Are we the drug-addled girl he's singing to, and is that how unclear the message would sound to a strung out person? I doubt that was the intention, but interesting to think about nonetheless.
** - Kasabian fucking rocks.
*** - This is a late adoption of those two albums, not the Betas themselves. I've been into the Betas for a while now, but only recently turned the corner from thinking The Three EPs was their peak. But no. They were the real deal. And now they're gone. Check out their best-of for a good (if imperfect) sampling of their best work.
Globlets of Fire
I almost loved the new Harry Potter movie. I did like it a lot. It's much more dramatic than any of its predecessors, and while ridiculous on one level, very real and identifiable on another. Considering it was the first jumbo-sized book in the series, they did a great job of boiling it down to the bare essentials.
See, Goblet of Fire is the pivotal book of the series. It raises the stakes from a cutesy make-believe school story to a legitimate fantasy story with major implications within its universe. It doesn't exactly drop the cutesy-poo stuff, but there are serious implications to Harry's story from here on out. The paradigm shift at the end of Goblet leaves Hogwarts, as well as the rest of the world, in a state of utter disarray. Dumbledore is barking out orders like a field general, people are panicking, nobody knows what's happening... but things are definitely whirling out of control, and there's an associated adrenaline rush to all the madness. Essentially, the book essentially ends with a big, fat "WTF?!?" It's the Empire Strikes Back of the Potter series, though the parallels are only contextual.
Unfortunately, very little of that devastation is is conveyed in the film. It does the job in terms of exposition, but not all that well. I imagine the 9-year-olds in the audience would beg to differ, but I didn't sense that Hogwarts was different in any way; as far as the movie is concerned, it was just another wacky old year at Hogwarts. Except for minor details like, you know, (spoiler alert) Voldemort coming back and fucking killing people. Instead, there's this whole theme about international unity and friendship and stuff that overrides the difficult times that lie ahead. Having an apparent return to normalcy instead of a seismic shift doesn't do right by the story.
Oh well. Maybe they'll make Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince more devastating, now that parents know what their kids are in for.
See, Goblet of Fire is the pivotal book of the series. It raises the stakes from a cutesy make-believe school story to a legitimate fantasy story with major implications within its universe. It doesn't exactly drop the cutesy-poo stuff, but there are serious implications to Harry's story from here on out. The paradigm shift at the end of Goblet leaves Hogwarts, as well as the rest of the world, in a state of utter disarray. Dumbledore is barking out orders like a field general, people are panicking, nobody knows what's happening... but things are definitely whirling out of control, and there's an associated adrenaline rush to all the madness. Essentially, the book essentially ends with a big, fat "WTF?!?" It's the Empire Strikes Back of the Potter series, though the parallels are only contextual.
Unfortunately, very little of that devastation is is conveyed in the film. It does the job in terms of exposition, but not all that well. I imagine the 9-year-olds in the audience would beg to differ, but I didn't sense that Hogwarts was different in any way; as far as the movie is concerned, it was just another wacky old year at Hogwarts. Except for minor details like, you know, (spoiler alert) Voldemort coming back and fucking killing people. Instead, there's this whole theme about international unity and friendship and stuff that overrides the difficult times that lie ahead. Having an apparent return to normalcy instead of a seismic shift doesn't do right by the story.
Oh well. Maybe they'll make Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince more devastating, now that parents know what their kids are in for.
Behold, Y'all: The Digital Vats Of Urine
Drink up, bitches! Taste our liquid gold...
Some day, you may even show your son how to
Use it to make potassium nitrate for gunpowder
Funded by friends of ours who's generous;
Join us next time, when we discuss disgusting enemas!
Some day, you may even show your son how to
Use it to make potassium nitrate for gunpowder
Funded by friends of ours who's generous;
Join us next time, when we discuss disgusting enemas!
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Saturday, November 19, 2005
OMFG, LOL, And A ROFLMAO Just In Case
Oh. My. God. It's things like this that make the Internet such a happy place. Thank you, barbelith. All that bad crap I always say about English people and the inedible slop they cook... I take it all back for a few weeks.
Monday, November 14, 2005
More On TV (not "Moron TV")
THE WIRE
Just watched the first three episodes, and I'm hooked. Really excellent stuff. Nothing much has happened, but they're doing an incredible job of setting the scene, establishing character relationships, picking sides. Gotta love a show where every single authority figure is dead-set against the show's hero, on top of being in somebody's pocket. I obviously don't know much about the projects, but it sure looks and feels genuine to me; maybe not as rough as real, and still within the bounds of TV drama, but real enough.
RESCUE ME
I gotta say, after watching four episodes, I don't think I can get involved in this show. I like it a lot, but it's just too soapy. There isn't much point to the proceedings, apart from saying (repeatedly) that 9/11 sucked for firefighters, and oh by the way here's their sex lives too. I don't enjoy watching a likable character like Jimmy (Denis Leary) tear his life apart because he has no other choice presented to him. The grit and rawness is admirable, and the acting from Leary and the supporting cast is really phenomenal, but the melodrama really undermines the realism. Rescue Me does get serious "balls" points for not compromising on its character arcs, and for its uncanny ability to find the most vulnerable part of the groin and punch it repeatedly. But that doesn't mean I want to watch it.
I can't help but think of British slum operas like EastEnders as Rescue Me's model. EastEnders is basically a soap about blue-collar types in London, with the interesting parts of working-class life presented for public consumption. It's admirable that an American show is taking a cue from British blue-collar drama, but why would I want to watch an American attempt at a British genre that I don't like? Great show... but.
MY NAME IS EARL
Solid. Not incredible, nothing fancy or over-the-top, just a quality show that's both stupid and smart, reliable and irreverent, lovable and indulgent. And it has the best premise to come down the line in a long, long time... small-town crook tries to correct all the wrongs he's done in his life, one per episode. It makes no bones about being a sitcom. It's not out to turn the genre inside-out, like Arrested Development, but instead shows a respect for symmetry, neatness, self-containment, and selling the moral of the story. Its emphasis on heart and warmth is something that's been missing in sitcoms since Seinfeld. It's moralistic, and entirely unashamed of it. Love thy neighbor, stupid. Chasing Amy's Jason Lee is largely the reason for that, selling Earl as a fundamentally weak person who exceeds himself by placing absolute faith in karma.
That being said, I don't know that I'd call it must-see show. I have high standards when it comes to sitcoms, havingbeen raised grown up as an addict on the crappiest of the crap (one word: Meepos), and I'm not sure I'll be adding this to my growing list of addictions. It isn't as funny as laugh riots like Family Guy and Arrested Development, in part because it isn't trying to fly above everyone's head. While Family Guy and Arrested are NY strip with a side of mushroom risotto, Earl is a big, juicy hamburger. It's a well-made show that does the job.
AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL
Ha, just kidding. Here's who I think should win.
Just watched the first three episodes, and I'm hooked. Really excellent stuff. Nothing much has happened, but they're doing an incredible job of setting the scene, establishing character relationships, picking sides. Gotta love a show where every single authority figure is dead-set against the show's hero, on top of being in somebody's pocket. I obviously don't know much about the projects, but it sure looks and feels genuine to me; maybe not as rough as real, and still within the bounds of TV drama, but real enough.
RESCUE ME
I gotta say, after watching four episodes, I don't think I can get involved in this show. I like it a lot, but it's just too soapy. There isn't much point to the proceedings, apart from saying (repeatedly) that 9/11 sucked for firefighters, and oh by the way here's their sex lives too. I don't enjoy watching a likable character like Jimmy (Denis Leary) tear his life apart because he has no other choice presented to him. The grit and rawness is admirable, and the acting from Leary and the supporting cast is really phenomenal, but the melodrama really undermines the realism. Rescue Me does get serious "balls" points for not compromising on its character arcs, and for its uncanny ability to find the most vulnerable part of the groin and punch it repeatedly. But that doesn't mean I want to watch it.
I can't help but think of British slum operas like EastEnders as Rescue Me's model. EastEnders is basically a soap about blue-collar types in London, with the interesting parts of working-class life presented for public consumption. It's admirable that an American show is taking a cue from British blue-collar drama, but why would I want to watch an American attempt at a British genre that I don't like? Great show... but.
MY NAME IS EARL
Solid. Not incredible, nothing fancy or over-the-top, just a quality show that's both stupid and smart, reliable and irreverent, lovable and indulgent. And it has the best premise to come down the line in a long, long time... small-town crook tries to correct all the wrongs he's done in his life, one per episode. It makes no bones about being a sitcom. It's not out to turn the genre inside-out, like Arrested Development, but instead shows a respect for symmetry, neatness, self-containment, and selling the moral of the story. Its emphasis on heart and warmth is something that's been missing in sitcoms since Seinfeld. It's moralistic, and entirely unashamed of it. Love thy neighbor, stupid. Chasing Amy's Jason Lee is largely the reason for that, selling Earl as a fundamentally weak person who exceeds himself by placing absolute faith in karma.
That being said, I don't know that I'd call it must-see show. I have high standards when it comes to sitcoms, having
AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL
Ha, just kidding. Here's who I think should win.
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