In honor of our union brothers, whose struggle has allowed us to take that final summer vacation every year, here’s a little taste of what life is like in a worker’s paradise on earth. Enjoy.
Enjoy:
U.S. Economy Grinds To Halt As Nation Realizes Money Just A Symbolic, Mutually Shared Illusion
WASHINGTON—The U.S. economy ceased to function this week after unexpected existential remarks by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke shocked Americans into realizing that money is, in fact, just a meaningless and intangible social construct.
[click link for full article]
The claim of being “world famous” should really mean something in Los Angeles, but drive down any Los Angeles boulevard and you’ll see it abused indiscriminately.
amirite?
It’s hard to argue that any one burger could be world famous (besides the Big Mac, of course) but there are several that should be even more famous than they are. and while everyone has a personal favorite that they swear by, the fact is that not all burgers are created equal. It’s a point of pride for many Angelenos to know where to find the supreme cheeseburger. It’s a food so commonplace in this city, and this country, that a truely stand-out offering can be like a revelation. And now, my friends, you can have that revelation too. Here is the definitive list of LA’s top 5 burgers.
Posted in cuisine, los angeles, Quickies, Uncategorized
Tagged 25 degrees, apple pan, los angeles, m cafe de chaya, umami burger
Because I found a bunch of them, here is a collection of lolcats related to the uncertainty principle. Enjoy.
One of my favorite new summer traditions returns to Hollywood Blvd tomorrow night, and this year it looks like it’ll be better than ever.
The 3rd Annual Feel Good Film Festival starts this Friday with their trademark yellow carpet opening night hosted by Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Cheryl Hines. I love specificity in art, and by cutting such a warm and fuzzy niche from the WithoutaBox universe, FGFF has hit a heart-warming motherlode. Film festivals can be intimidating, they’re often a hodge podge of not only quality but also tone. What better way to counter this uncertainty than to exclusively program movies that uplift the spirit?
The first night of the festival, which lives at the historic Egyptian Cinematque, will include a screening of Father Vs Son, a comedy starring the infinitely adorable and hilarious Eric Stonestreet (Cameron from Modern Family). In addition to the talented filmmakers and artists who will receive $100,000 in prizes, this year’s special honoree is Shirley Jones. There’s a party in the courtyard every night, and that everyone will be feeling fabulous.
Here’s a quick site with everything you’ll need to know. For the full deets, check out their main site. Go see a movie and feel good!
That’s right. This little guy made his way from radio to TV and won an Emmy for Best On Camera Talent for Commentary. Parentdish has a little interview with him which is funny, especially since he calls out Clash of the Titans as the worst movie of the year.
How does this fit into the critical cosmology of amateur vs. professional, blogger vs. print? I think it’s fairly obvious that if you’re getting your movie-going advice from a 5th grader you’re unlikely to need the experience of an Harold Bloom to guide you to the good stuff. At least with Jackson you know you’re getting an underdeveloped intellect who’s basing his assessment purely on whether he ‘liked’ a film or not (although the kid is pretty damn smart, right?) He’s not pretending to hold the key to some great secret of creative perfection. And he’s a pro, for Christ’s sake.
via:// urlesque
photo:// cbs.com
Posted in cinema, Quickies, television
I’ve seen it attempted by all sorts of companies, and I almost always like the idea but loathe the execution – the use of a video trailer to promote a play. It’s really a fantastic idea when you consider that trailer-viewing is almost a prerequisite for cinema attendance and that many folks, especially those who do not frequent the theater, want to know what they’re getting into before buying a ticket. A well made video trailer can sum up a play’s plot (if there is one) and hint at the production value and competence of those involved. Of course, the video is likely made by a whole different team of people, but so what.
The producers of Deathtrap at the Noel Coward in London have spared no expense. They’ve released this preview (with Jonathan Groff, rawr) of their revival of Ira Levin’s 1978 hit.
Pretty sweet, huh? The problem I see is that while this could be one of the best play trailers I’ve seen yet, it still looks like the Worst Movie Evar. Doesn’t it? There’s something about the camera that makes theatrical writing and acting seem like an out of date form that should have hit the trash heap with the deguerreotype. ^.^ There are other ways of doing it, of course. We at Brimmer St. tried our hand at video-hype, slapdash ADR and all:
Cute, right?! Well fuck you too.
Another popular video tool I’ve seen (and employed) is the post-open production still slideshow with critical acclaim folded in. It’s a bit low-fi, but it can drum up some excitement from the casual viewer. Here’s one that Ian Forester made for Mercury Fur last year, a play that I loved. When you have as many great pull quotes as this work got, you’ve got to find creative ways of making people read them.
It’s safe to say this practice has only begun. It won’t be long before Michael Bay is doing trailers for CTG, closing down large chunks of Sunset Blvd to stage a car chase that really doesn’t have a place in The Glass Menagerie, but who cares?! Even the chance of viral exposure is enough to warrant the expense of a well made trailer. Especially if you can promise and deliver.
It’s a good day to be in the development department at the Met, and an equally bad day for the bean counters at the Washington National Opera. According to PND, a former board member of the WNO rendered an $18M gift to the opera “with the unusual stipulation that should that company fail to remain independent the gift would be rescinded and transferred to the Met.”
Now, as the Kennedy Center continues their slow consumption of the capital’s high-brow art centers, the WNO is faced with losing close to 2/3rds of its endowment to an entirely different company in a totally different city, just for ceding artistic and financial control to another party. Apparently the Met can use the money, and hopefully the National Opera folks can petition their neighbors in Congress for a bailout without so many strings attached.
Photo: David Giesbrecht/Bravo
No disrespect to Abdi, who was one of my faves throughout the entire show. His charcoal drawing in the last regular challenge was magnificent and a couple of his final pieces were really incredible.
But how could Miles Mendenhall possibly lose this competition? Anyone watching this show from the beginning would have put money on his eventual victory, not because he was so much more talented than the others (although he was among the best in every challenge) but because the show seemed made for him. All actual artistic considerations aside, he was easily the most adorable, versatile, confident, and telegenic. Isn’t that how these things work?
My personal expectations aside, I do think Peregrine had the best final showing by far. Even more than Miles, she was the artist who cultivated a unique, charmingly depraved aesthetic that carried well from challenge to challenge and medium to medium. Her wax sculptures were eerie and cheery all at once, her vomiting ladies were so cute, and the twin fawns – what a perfect piece. She knew it, too, she cried whenever someone talked about it. She knocked it out of the park.
So how did Abdi win? Was it something that didn’t register over the TV, or am I really that disconnected from the opinions of the judges? I think the upset comes down to Abdi’s obvious growth throughout the series and the opinion of guest judge David LaChapelle. My embarrassingly vast experience in watching shows like this tells me that the opinion of the guest critic will always push an indecisive panel toward their choice. But if the panel truly wanted to reward growth then Abdi, being the youngest artist in the crowd, would have started with a natural advantage (not including Erik the hack, of course.) Shouldn’t it be about your final work?
Who knows. I am not a critic (see my last post), I am only a lowly Bravo viewer. But this isn’t the first reality show finale I’ve been disappointed by (let’s shed a tear for Kevin Gillespie’s beard) and I doubt it’ll be the last.
Posted in plastics, Quickies, television
Tagged abdi, bravo, miles mendenhall, peregrine, work of art
