WANDA SYKES

What she said doesn't surprise me, but I am surprised by how many people seem to be surprised. It's not worth blogging about except that James Taranto has a larger point about why it's funny to the Left.

The answer, it seems clear, is that this is an example of shock humor: a genre that relies on the frisson of violating taboos. By our count, Sykes runs afoul of five taboos in her Limbaugh joke: She equates dissent with treason. She likens a domestic political opponent to a foreign enemy. She makes fun of the disabled (Limbaugh's past addiction to painkillers would entitle him to protection under the Americans With Disabilities Act). She makes light of a form of interrogation that some people consider torture. And she wishes somebody dead.

Except for the last one, these are all taboos that liberals promote and enforce with especial vigor. If a conservative violated any one of them, he would be on the inside track to be named "Worst Person in the World" by that NBC blowhard (as indeed Feherty was).

What makes Sykes's joke funny to a liberal, then, is the sense of danger that accompanies her risky themes, combined with the secure knowledge that since the joke is at the expense of a liberal hate figure, the usual rules do not apply. It's the same reason people on the left evince particular glee when they attack Clarence Thomas or Michael Steele in expressly racist terms, or when they use antigay innuendo against their political opponents (regardless of the latter's sexual orientation).

One of the great PC tricks of the Left is making certain words and thoughts by the Right taboo. They reserve the ability to go down those roads to attack members of the Right before locking the thoughts and words up again for the sake of decency.

RIO BRAVO IS FIFTY

RIO BRAVO IS FIFTY

I'm not sure if any of you all have seen it, but Rio Bravo is my favorite Western and maybe my favorite movie of all-time. I first saw it in High School during the summer when Brother John and I stayed up all night to catch it on some Texas station when we had a satellite Dish in Indiana. I have seen it again and again and it never ceases to entertain. Here is Big Hollywood's take.

The next time you watch Bravo pay close attention to the compositions, most of which are medium-wide shots, with the camera at chest level. There are virtually no close-ups in the picture, a gutsy decision at a time when technique was becoming far more elaborate in Hollywood fare. In hindsight, it was a bold choice that enhanced the languorous, easygoing byplay between the film’s charismatic stars. Director Michael Powell once said that Hawks “had a very deep understanding of people, what was inside people.” The relaxed purposefulness of Rio Bravo’s confident compositions allows a rare richness of character to shine through.

Here is Hawks talking about the movie:

I like things like — I think it was in Rio Bravo — Wayne went over to a man and said, “So nobody ran in here?” Some man said, “Nobody ran in here.” And Wayne went like this and hit him right across here with a gun so blood was coming all over his face. And Dean Martin said, “Take it easy, Chance.” And Wayne turned and said, “I’m not going to hurt him.” The audience laughed so at that.

I anticipate that moment every time.

Most crucially, it was director Hawks who crafted John Wayne’s character into a master not only of action but of reaction, in the process establishing an overriding feeling of camaraderie that makes the film endlessly rewatchable. “John Wayne represents more force, more power than anyone else on screen,” Hawks claimed, and yet by dint of directorial will the star of Rio Bravo becomes everyone else’s straight man. During the course of the plot the Duke gets socked by Dean Martin (twice!), is verbally out-dueled by the precocious Ricky Nelson, suffers the outrageous behavior of Walter Brennan, is relentlessly teased by the ever-flirtatious Angie Dickinson, and is continuously rescued by all of the above. “You give everybody else the fireworks,” Wayne grumbled to Hawks at one point, “but I have to carry the damn thing.”

Wayne spends virtually the entire film loaning his star power to others in this fashion, not acting so much as reacting, and using those reactions to give his co-stars a much brighter spotlight in which to shine. Indisputably, we have Howard Hawks to thank for that. The Duke was known to sometimes distrust and argue with lesser directors, but along with John Ford only Howard Hawks commanded his absolute respect. “Hawks I trust with my life,” he once declared, a sentiment amply proven by the fearless bigheartedness of his performance in Rio Bravo.

The Wall Street Journal also has a nice story.

THE OTHER BLACKLIST

Remember Dwight Schultz from the A-Team? This is an interesting article about trying to make a living as a conservative actor in Hollywood.

Big Hollywood also has an article that explain how Jon Stewart and Bill Maher for hide behind comedy while delivering a steady partisan message.

Both were interesting.

LIVE BLOGGING THE OSCARS

I was tired after bike riding today. Let's see how long I can go.

OPENING NUMBER:
Hugh Jackman is surprisingly effective in the musical numbers. He’s funny, charming and he makes it look effortless. The songs aren't great, but he commits.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Nice montage although they had a curtain malfunction. Why this group of actresses? Saint 1950s, Hawn 1960s, Huston 1980s, Goldberg 1980s and Swinton last year. Why not someone from the 1970s?

Penelope Cruz as expected. She is a lot harder to understand than in movies. It must be the time limit. Trish wonders why she isn’t married. I say she probably doesn’t want to be. Trish says all women want to be married.

BEST SCREEN PLAY

Former host Martin (he was decent) and Fey who is probably on the short list every year. They’re both writers and yet we know their faces.

Original Screenplay – MILK – Rules state that the speech must be about how tough it is to be ______ in America. Fill in the blank with whatever repressive issue your movie is about. Thank God he got out of Texas. Wait. He shouldn't have mentioned the proposition because it was defeated by minority voters. The speech failed to show sensitivity for diverse cultures. Put him on the DO NOT NOMINATE list.

Adapted Screenplay – Slumdog- The speech is about the movie and the people who made it. Screenwriter to be sanctioned by Academy. Ah, but it didn't actually happen in America. Second rule, even if the movie takes place in a literal hell hole, do not mention the fact if its not America's fault.

ANIMATION
Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black. Aniston still doesn't seem fun. Her father was best friends with Kojack, I recently read. Black makes a funny joke about Pixar always winning and Katzenberg laughs. Did he know it was coming? The cameras pick up Pitt/Jolie. That's in bad taste. Let Aniston get on with her life. We get another shot of the pair. They know they're on display. Brad seems to have his hand near his mouth. Bad taste from the producers. They must all be a little uncomfortable and this isn't a tabloid show.

SET DECORATION

Presenting, that’s why Sarah Jessica Parker gets to sit in the second row.

COSTUMES

The Duchess. Makes sense. Period piece is more sewing.

MAKEUP

It has to be Button. Not that it didn’t look like makeup.
Yeah, Button wins. The winner should be for whoever makes up Anne Hathaway. She is always a shade of eyeliner from beautiful to homely and vice versa.

MONTAGE OF LOVE FILMS
I haven’t seen but a few of these. Not earthshaking.

9:30pm Now:

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Portman and Stiller. Funny joke by Stiller as Jaquin Phoenix in beard. He looks like him too. Portman is equally charming. I would guess its Slumdog's night. Yeah, they're going to rack up a cart full of them.

9:42pm -Seth Rogan film. Kind of dull.
Now they are going to present. . . LIVE ACTION SHORT
These were on Sundance today, but I couldn't see them. The winner comes all the from the cheap seats, because you have to have Sarah Jessica Parker breathing down their necks. You love to see the regular people win things. They seem happy to be there. No grievances to air.

9:52pm More Jackman. He's likable in a way few American hosts are. No snarky comments. Amazing that the same guy plays such a hardass Wolverine. He really can act. Okay, I'm tired of the musical number after 60 seconds. Can't we use this time for Mickey Rourke to thank his dogs by name? Beyonce sings AT LAST, and I remember Etta James knocking her a few weeks ago for it. She sounds fine, but the song ends after two words. I still don't want to see MAMA MIA.

10:01pm - I like seeing highlights from old winners, especially the humble ones.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger is a mortal lock according to the rags. Let's build the suspense anyway. Hoffman is nominated again. An actor that continues to impress. He was so good in Charlie Wilson's war I wish the movie had been about his character. Josh Brolin suddenly gets work 20 years after Goonies. I wish Robert Downey would win. I'm so glad that he is back. Amazing in the Ben Stiller thing. Great in everything. Michael Shannon I don't know. Revolutionary Road looks like the typical tear the walls off quiet America and you find pain and misery.

LEDGER - - Who is going to accept? His Parents. That's nice. But they have to sit next to the exits. They have to start a second entrance song. The janitor is sweeping up by the time they reach the stage. His father speaks eloquently. His mother does too. The sister too. It makes you glad he won. Sarah Jessica Parker is scaring the band.

BEST DOCUMENTARY

BILL MAHER? Why because of that atheist movie that no one saw?
MAN ON WIRE was great. I haven't seen the Herzog. MAN ON WIRE makes sense. TROUBLE IN WATER would have won if McCain won the election.

SHORT SUBJECT

Smile Pinky. You figure she must have spent every dime on the dress. Another regular person. She doesn't get invited to the after parties or if she does she sits on the couch next to Flounder.

10:23pm - Post Production -- Car chase montage

Will Smith gets to present alone. VISUAL EFFECTS

They all look impressive. Button, I bet. Yeah, I'm right. They take the subway to the stage. He thanks his wife Roma and his kids. The other winner's kids miss out because of the time limit.

SOUND EDITING
Dark Knight beats Slumdog. What's the difference between Sound Editing and Sound? Doesn't good sound include good sound editing?

SOUND MIXING
Ah they changed the name of SOUND to SOUND MIXING to address that complaint. It still seems like the same thing really. Slumdog back on top. The moral of the Oscar story is do technical work on a film that captures the public imagination. You never hear anyone say, "I was going to vote for Bejamin Button for best picture but they blew the sound mixing. Slumdog all the way." I liked Slumdog, but does it really have the best sound mixing of any film from 2008?

FILM EDITING
Now slumdog did a good job here. Editing was a big part of it. The way they revealed all the clues in between his beatings. Will Smith picks up co-hosting credit on this section.

10:41 - Eddie Murphy with the "Entertainer" playing in the background.
Jerry Lewis receives Jean Hershholt Award and it's well deserved. I thought Jerry Lewis was funny when I was a kid, but I can't really watch it anymore. John and I use to try and stay up with Jerry, but we never made it past 3am and then we paid for it all week at school. Jerry Lewis was such a jerk in KING OF COMEDY, he should have won the Oscar for that. Ah, the Nutty Professor is the link that binds Murphy to Lewis. Standing O. Nice Speech. He should have won this award 20 years ago. What took so long?

10:50pm - Zach Effron and Alicia Keyes. Who are they? Trish says that I show my age. I have heard of Keyes, but I have never seen her. Effron turns out to be a High School musical actor.
SCORE - Slumdog Millionaire. Obama Administration passes luxury tax on any movie that wins more than two Oscars. He hopes it will pay for limos to get the rest of the people to the Vanity Fair party.

BEST SONG
Will the two Slumdog songs cancel each other out? Doesn't Bruce Spingsteen have a song in the Wrestler that won a Golden Globe? Didn't they use to have 5 nominees? Maybe they grew tired of having to present that many. Okay, I hope the third song wins from Slumdog. I remember it from the movie. It wins. Obama Administration sending in peacekeeping troops.

11:05pm - Hugh Jackman has class
Liam Neeson and the beautiful girl from Slumdog
FOREIGN FILM - Departures. Adding it to the Netflix cue. Nice speech that got the point across despite the language barrier.

11:11 Queen Latifah singing "I'll be seeing you" over the obit montage. She does a nice job, but I would rather see the montage full screen. Heston and Newman in one year. I didn't know some of the character actors had died. Pat Hingle was a surprise. I don't think I heard about James Whitmore either. He was great in Shawshank, but I always think of Miracle Grow.

11:17pm Reece Witherspoon cute as usual. The perpetual teenager.
DIRECTING - Will Danny Boyle win them both or will there be a surprise? No surprise. The British speak better than we do. They seem to say more with fewer words. Nice speech without all the phony emotion that we're use to.

Only drama left is whether Rourke or Penn wins Best Actor. I can't imagine Kate Winslet not winning.

11:24pm
BEST ACTRESS - It's always good to see Sophia Loren. Shirley McClain is another legend. I read online that they did the multiple preseters because they didn't think last year's winners were glamorous enough on their own. Cotaird and Berry and Kidman all won for looking less beautiful than normal. Yeah, Winslet wins. No surprises tonight. She spoke well.

BEST ACTOR - Deniro, Kingsley, Hopkins, Brody, Douglas - No Daniel Day Lewis -
Penn is a surprise. He just won a few years ago. Rourke's dogs turn off the TV. Penn is funny about his image. He saves the grandstanding until the end. A nice shout out for Rourke. Penn won the award for being a Dixie Chick, didn't he? Even he knows it and feels bad for Rourke.

SPIELBERG ON FOR BEST PICTURE - No Commercial for 30 minutes
AMC had all 5 movies showing yesterday for $30. A few years ago I would have done it. I have only seen Slumdog. . . and it wins as expected.

Overall, Jackman is fine. I like the idea of having a regular actor instead of a typical host.

I have a lot of movies to catch up on.

Oh, yeah they didn't have a lifetime achievement award. Has Redford ever won for lifetime achievement?

TELEVISION

I never thought I would say this, but television is becoming more reliable than the movies. I think the main reason is that movies only need a good enough trailer to get you inside once, whereas television has to actually be somewhat good to get you to tune in again next week. Having said that, TV can still be disappointing, especially those shows that started out okay and have fallen in quality and still you have to stick around for a resolution.

If it weren't for DVD, I never would have seen most of the shows I now watch, because I hate commercials and I hate waiting until next week. The only shows we watch week to week are those that we began on DVD and caught up with.

The first show I watched via DVD is the best one of all, THE SOPRANOS. I may never see a show that good again in my lifetime. My only quibble was the first half of the last season that was totally pointless and felt like filler.

We just finished all three seasons ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and that show was solid all the way through. I don't find modern Sitcoms funny anymore, and here comes this show so surprisingly funny that it gives me faith in the medium.

THE SHIELD was downright great in the first season and it’s been pretty solid since then. I missed the premiere episode last fall when it came back on and I’ll now have to catch the finale season on DVD.

THE WIRE was the HBO show that few watched. It would have been cancelled on network TV, but it’s surprisingly smart. What The Shield does for action The Wire does for the slow surveillance. There are a ton of characters and some are played by non-professional actors and yet everyone is seamless in the storylines. It’s not for all tastes. We crawled through the first season and almost gave up in the weak second season, but then became believers in the 3rd season and beyond

NIP/TUCK is a prison sentence. I chose it to watch on a lark when we ran out of other options. The pilot episode is decent and the whole first season moves along pretty good, but Dylan Walsh is such a milquetoast and his wife Joely Richardson is so fickle you can’t really like either one of them. The character who is supposed to be the cad, played Julian McMahon, is the easiest one to root for. Also, the plot lines are ridiculous and practically recycled in later seasons with a few twists. The point of the show seems to be shock value, because no taboo is left untouched. Now we’re too far in to stop watching and yet I feel like I’ve invested too much time not to see how it resolves. It’s a prison sentence.

BIG LOVE just returned to HBO in January for season 3. I think this will be the last season. There’s really no where else to go with it. We started watching it because it came on right after the Sopranos a few years ago. The first couple of episodes made me feel a bit uncomfortable, but now I just see the whole thing as a farce with serious expressions and no door slamming. What man Paxton’s age would really want the drama that goes with more than one wife?

I’m not a Sci-fi guy typically, but we blew threw the one season of FIREFLY which is really just a space western. Trish who doesn’t like either genre had no trouble spending long Saturdays watching episode after episode.

We also saw the first season of the British show, HUSTLE, about a bunch of conmen ala David Mamet. It was decent but repetitive so we may or may not go back for more later. The seasons are only 6 episodes long so it wouldn’t be hard to get through them.

This past weekend we began watching 24. This is the first network show in the DVD cue, and after three days we’re through 10 episodes. I had never seen 5 minutes of the show until this last weekend and it is as riveting as advertised. The main reason is that Kiefer Sutherland’s character Jack Bauer is just the kind of guy you hope works for the good guys in real life. In the show he is complicated, direct, and will do anything to stop the evildoers.

We may try HOUSE some time or another. I’ve seen a few of those already and Hugh Laurie is great as that character. I’m also leaning toward something British in the near future, maybe WIRE IN THE BLOOD which I have read good things about.

NATIONAL REVIEWS TOP 25 CONSERVATIVE MOVIES

made in the last 25 years. . .

The List

If you haven't seen LIVES OF OTHERS put it at the top of your Netflix cue. Dude has been waiting for my review for more than a year, but the movie just leaves me speechless. Both times I saw it.

What rightwing movie do you think was the biggest omission on this list? Not counting the 25 honorable mentions.

My vote is for HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG. It might be the most Libertarian movie in ten years.

I don't feel like going through every movie on the list, but here is someone who does and has a few a good issues with it.

PERSPECTIVE

"We live in an amazing, amazing world, and it's wasted on the crappiest generation of spoiled idiots."

Click on this link to see a worthwhile video clip.

8 (Pointless) Laws All Comic Book Movies Follow

So true and fun to read.

A sample:

For some unknown reason, tradition states that the first movie must consist largely of something no one in the audience paid to see: The superhero as he lived before he could do any cool superhero stuff.

Other genres don't feel the need to do this; Die Hard didn't spend the first half of the movie with John McClane taking target practice, Rambo didn't spend an hour showing Rambo in basic training. Why can't we just jump in?

Instead we have to watch Peter Parker struggling as a photographer, and Bruce Banner quietly working as a scientist, as if we must first appreciate the tedium of their regular lives before we get to see them jump off an exploding building.

And to double the problem, they usually throw in an origin story for one or more of the villains, too. Behold! Here is the awesome badass supervillain, back when he was just a disgruntled dude in a lab coat!

A DIRTY HARRY MUSICAL?

So reports Big Hollywood. . .

Magnum Force, the 1973 sequel to the Clint Eastwood thriller Dirty Harry, is getting a musical makeover and may even be Broadway bound, according to The Guardian. English singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock, an admitted Magnum Force obsessive, will compose the score and intends to produce the show with MTV executive Bill Flanagan.

That's the half-baked apology for the classic and controversial original.

REACTIONS TO THE NEWS

My first experience with John Updike was the short story "A&P" that Dude and I read for Momberger's class. It was on the strength of the short story that I eventually read the four Rabbit novels. The main character is a kind of lazy slobby lothario and yet you kind of root for him just the same. Baseball fans should enjoy his piece on Ted Williams. I read that a few years ago.

I'm not sure why I stopped with the Rabbit novels. It may have been the shock of seeing him kill off Rabbit in the last book. I think the main reason is that the descriptions of his other novels didn't seem all that interesting. But then again, the Rabbit novels didn't seems to interesting either until I read them. I have some more short stories sitting around and I wonder if it will be motivation to read them or if Updike will just drift away in my consciousness. Rick Rookhiser has a few suggestions.

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James Taranto likes to point out how the media loves to identify Republicans in ethics violations while ignoring the party when the person is a Democrat. Recent example has the Chicago Sun Times identifying a busted Prostitute as a Registered Republican while comparing the case with Governor Elliot Spitzer, a man with no party.

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Glenn Reynolds has some fun with this one:

HOPE AND CHANGE? New, Transparent WhiteHouse.gov Forgoes Press Briefing Transcripts? The obvious explanation: Bush wanted transcripts online because he expected the press to filter what he said. Obama doesn’t want transcripts online . . . because he expects the press to filter what he says.

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This takes a little more time to read, but it explains why the proposed stimulus is not a good idea.

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Joe Torre's revenge book comes out Tuesday. Here is the NYT review. Am I alone in thinking that a tell-all book is a little unbecoming a guy like Torre? I understand that he is angry and I agree that the Yankees were foolish to treat him so poorly, but what about George Steinbrenner's biography made Torre think that he would be different? George fired Yogi Berra the first month into a season.

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UPDATE: An Item that will interest Steve. Asimov's Foundation series is coming to the big screen.

The studio plans to develop the film for Roland Emmerich, the director of the cataclysmic sci-fi movies “Independence Day” and “The Day After Tomorrow.”

EASTWOOD READING

Clint was interviewed over at Esquire in November. Here are some highlights:

We live in more of a pussy generation now, where everybody's become used to saying, "Well, how do we handle it psychologically?" In those days, you just punched the bully back and duked it out. Even if the guy was older and could push you around, at least you were respected for fighting back, and you'd be left alone from then on.

You wonder sometimes. What will we do if something really big happens? Look how fast -- seven years -- people have been able to forget 9/11. Maybe you remember if you lost a relative or a loved one. But the public can get pretty blasé about stuff like that. Nobody got blasé about Pearl Harbor.

My father died very suddenly at sixty-three. Just dropped dead. For a long time afterward, I'd ask myself, Why didn't I ask him to play golf more? Why didn't I spend more time with him? But when you're off trying to get the brass ring, you forget and overlook those little things. It gives you a certain amount of regret later on, but there's nothing you can do about it. So you just forge on.

Children teach you that you can still be humbled by life, that you learn something new all the time. That's the secret to life, really -- never stop learning. It's the secret to career. I'm still working because I learn something new all the time. It's the secret to relationships. Never think you've got it all.

Eastwood was my dad's favorite actor. When he was stationed in Japan in the late 60s he watched "The Good, the Bad, and Ugly" ten times or more at the base cinema. He always thought it was the best movie ever made. It was the first movie I bought him when he got a DVD player.

2008 MUSIC

I got home after midnight on New Year's Eve and decided that I was much too square and needed to buy some new music. Now that Billy Joel and Danny Elfman don't make records anymore, there are not many current bands that I keep up with. I do try to keep up with the new releases from The White Stripes, Coldplay, The Finn Brothers, and Beck. Other than that, 95% of my music is older than my kids and much of it is even older than me.

So, I spent the first few hours of the New Year researching some top 10 lists to point me towards some good contemporary music. I went to All Music and found 13 lists, which I cross-referenced, winnowing the titles down to only those that appeared on multiple lists. Next, I went to Metacritic, which has 47 lists and also a handy summary of which titles appear on mulitiple lists. They also have a list of the top reviewed albums of the year, which has little overlap with the favorite albums. I was mainly looking for music that people like and listen to, rather than just recommend and put on the shelf.

My final visit was to Rolling Stone, who have posted a list of the top 50 albums of the year. They seem to weight more towards the popular stuff rather than the avant garde or experimental. Ranking high are the new releases from Coldplay and Beck, which I will own soon enough, but not yet. I've had good luck finding those artists' previous releases at the public library so I'm willing to wait it out. I was aiming to discover new artists, and those still on the upswing rather than the established vanguard, so I discounted any bands with more than a few albums already. Of the remaining titles, I gave a listen to everybody at iTunes and then put my $100 budget to work. Here are the 2008 albums which I now own:

Dear Science by TV on the Radio - seemingly the top album of the year. Number one with a bullet at RS and one of only two albums to appear on all four sources I scoured.
Rolling Stone: 1
Metacritic: 4
Meta top: 26 of 47
AMG top: 3 of 13

Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes - the only other album to appear on all four lists. I haven't listened to it yet.
Rolling Stone: 10
Metacritic: 7
Meta top: 17 of 47
AMG top: 3 of 13

Santogold by Santogold - popular amongst some of the AMG editors. I have listened to it and like it. I can't understand the words, but I like the voice. I also like the melodies and grooves.
Rolling Stone: NR
Metacritic: NR
Meta top: 0
AMG top: 2 of 13

Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend - I recognized the name as a band that played on SNL last year. I always skip the music on that show, so it's new to me.
Rolling Stone: 6
Metacritic: NR
Meta top: 0
AMG top: 2 of 13

Third by Portishead - this sounds like good slow groove music for old guys like me. They have a fantastic reputation amongst critics. I also bought their first album, Dummy.
Rolling Stone: NR
Metacritic: 18
Meta top: 20 of 47
AMG top: 3 of 13

Midnight Boom by The Kills - wildy popular at AMG but non-existant everywhere else. I liked what I heard in the samples, so I bought it.
Rolling Stone: NR
Metacritic: NR
Meta top: 0
AMG top: 5 of 13

Robyn by Robyn - one of the top reviewed albums of the year, but nobody's favorite, maybe because it is the US release of a 2005 Swedish album. I liked the sound of it and bought the clean version.
Rolling Stone: NR
Metacritic: 11
Meta top: 0
AMG top: 0

A Little Bit Longer by Jonas Brothers - I didn't buy this, but I include it here since it made the RS list and I've been listening to it lately with Mason after finding it at the library last month. It's aimed at kids, but it's good enough that the parents won't toss it out the window.
Rolling Stone: 40
Metacritic: NR
Meta top: 0
AMG top: 0

I also purchased At Budokan by Cheap Trick (1979), which is now Mason's wake-up music entering the new year. We played Rock Band at his cousins' house over the holiday and he loves the song Hello There, which was made famous by this live album.

Now that I've got some new music, I am not only a little less of a dexter, but I've got some good grooves to enjoy during the commute to my new job (more on that soon).

PAUL NEWMAN (1925-2008)

It’s easy to talk about the films and I do that below, but it should also be mentioned that Newman used his star power to help people in a way that few celebrities do. I saw him interviewed on 60 Minutes a few years ago. They were at his HOLE IN THE WALL GANG camp for children with cancer. He proved to be a guy who really made a positive difference in this world. Many of his other causes weren’t mine, but when it counted his money went to something that really mattered. I hope to enjoy his salad dressing and spaghetti sauce for years to come.


SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME (1956) – Newman’s breakout role as boxer Rocky Graziano was originally supposed to star James Dean, I once read. He was already 30 years when he made this, but he looks so young in comparison to the roles you remember that he seems much younger. Newman became quite a good actor over the years, but that Actor’s Studio style is evident and annoying here.

THE LEFTHANDED GUN (1958) – Newman is Billy the Kid. The film has a decent enough reputation helped by the direction of Arthur Penn, but it was not particularly memorable for me. I saw it the same week I saw Arthur Penn’s PENN AND TELLER GET KILLED, showing that the auteur theory is still somewhat debatable.

LONG HOT SUMMER (1958) The first film he made with Joanne Woodward also stars Orson Welles. While neither Welles nor Newman seem believable as a southerners to me, Woodward is believable in most anything. Newman is the hardheaded young man in conflict with Welles during most of the story although Welles comes to respect him more than his own weakling son. But can Welles match Newman with his daughter, Woodward? You guess.

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (1958) – Newman teams with Elizabeth Taylor in the Tennessee Williams play. Like most of Williams stuff “the love that dare not speak its name” is hovering around the periphery. The play begins with Newman’s unseen friend having killed himself and Newman feeling guilty because the friend had a crush on him. The central conflict of the play is that Newman has cut off the advances of wife, Elizabeth Taylor. But his dying father “Big Daddy” needs him to produce an heir so his tub-of-goo brother doesn’t inherit the plantation. Newman’s star power is evident and Taylor’s natural acting style is a pleasure to see. Burl Ives reprised his Broadway role as Big Daddy. I saw Ashley Judd, Jason Patric, and Ned Beatty do this on Broadway and critics weren’t kind. They weren’t as good as the movie cast, but it was still better than watching most of the Broadway musicals that I’ve seen. So much of good acting is good material and this was Newman’s best film up to this time, I think.

THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS (1959) Back when getting a Philadelphia lawyer was tantamount to getting the best, Newman is a young ambitious lawyer who will do anything to get ahead, stepping on those that love him along the way. The movie is melodramatic in that late 50s sort of way so it should be no surprise that Newman gets some redemption at the end. Brian Keith has a nice turn early in the film. I can’t think of a bad Brian Keith performance.

THE HUSTLER (1961) – The first out-and-out classic Newman movie and the first one I remember where he seemed relaxed enough to be the character instead of trying to play the character. Most everyone knows that Newman is pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson, a talented but egotistical young man who rises and falls. It’s great material helped along by Newman’s gritty determination. Had Newman died shortly after this film, I think we’d see HUSTLER posters in much the same way we see REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE now.

HUD (1963) – Newman gets to play the heel and a cowboy one at that. This is the most famous Newman film I have never seen, and the only one on this list haven't seen. I just didn’t think I could skip over it for all its importance.

COOL HAND LUKE (1967) – Another one of the all-time classics. My old hippie boss got me onto it and he loved to talk about the Christ symbolism. I found it interesting that he was a free spirit who wanted to be left alone and he inadvertently created a following that he wasn’t comfortable with. The fight with George Kennedy, and then the egg eating contest, and the rush to build the road all seem so fresh in my mind. I found it slow the first time I saw it. I was expecting another Butch Cassidy, I guess. But the second time I saw it much differently and I have admired and enjoyed it every time since.

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) – The first Newman movie I ever saw. It was on television when I was twelve years old and I watched it all by myself and then quoted it in English class when the teacher asked about hero characters on the wrong side of the law. It was the most powerful ending I had seen up to that time and still one of the all-time great resolutions. I particularly like the train robberies early in the film and how nice Butch is robbing people. I have since recommended it to other friends with mixed results. One friend said that he couldn’t stand the music montages especially with the pop tune. That song does seem dated, but I think the montages in South America still work although he had no use for those either. Historically it's probably the first buddy film to be successful enough to create that subgenre.

SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION (1971) – This is not considered a great movie, but there are a couple of reasons that it appealed to me. First, Henry Fonda as the father of Paul Newman has great possibilities. Second, it’s one of three movies where the main characters are named STAMPER. Can you name the other two? This film is based on the book by Ken “Cukoo’s Nest” Kesey about a family of loggers who are in the midst of a union fight. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but I remember thinking it had a conservative bent which seems impossible with this cast and author. I guess I wasn’t supposed to like the Stampers and what they do. That would explain it. The other thing I remember is a real poignant scene where Newman’s brother Richard Jaeckel is trapped under a log. Looking it up on ALLMOVIE, I realized I had totally forgotten about the other plot involving Lee Remick (Not easy to forget) and Michael Sarrazin.

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN (1972) My least favorite movie on the list. I saw it during the period I was watching all of the John Huston movies I could find. Newman is not sympathetic although the movie is funny at times. It just has too many weird characters for me. I suppose it could be someone’s cult favorite, but not mine.

THE STING (1973) – This is the Newman/Redford movie that won best picture although I prefer the other one. Still, this movie is a lot of fun and can be enjoyed multiple times. Robert Shaw always made a good heavy and there are plenty of other good supporting parts as well. Charles Durning and Harold Gould come to mind. The granddaddy of all confidence man films, I suppose.

THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974) – One of the weaker Best Picture winners with a great cast. Famous for the opening credit where McQueen’s name was first, but Newman’s was higher. The 70s loved disaster movies with high priced talent and this was just one of many.

THE DROWNING POOL (1975) – A sequel to the 1966 film HARPER where Newman plays PI Lew Harper once again based on the Ross McDonald’s Lew Archer series. The drowning pool is exactly how it sounds and a clever device to kill Newman in the movie. But maybe he escapes! Woodward shows up as does a young Melanie Griffith.

ABSENCE OF MALICE (1981) – Ironically, this movie is the counter-balance to the Redford film, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, where crusading reporters are admonished for printing stories based on hearsay information from anonymous sources. Both and Sally Field are quite good and the investigation into the truth works pretty well too.

THE VERDICT (1982) – If there was ever a time where you could say that Newman was not only a great movie star, but a great actor, the Verdict would be the example time I would pick. Everything about the performance says that it needs an actor and not a personality and the way Newman becomes this alcoholic lawyer is really impressive. It’s a shame that he didn’t take more character parts. He would have been a joy in those Robert Duvall type roles.

HARRY AND SON (1984) – Newman is Harry and Robbie Benson is the son and they have less than a harmonious relationship. It’s not a very good movie and it’s not all that memorable, except that Newman had lost his own son a few years earlier and that he chose to direct this picture says something about its meaning to him.

THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986) – Newman returns as Fast Eddie in this Hustler sequel directed by Scorsese and co-starring the up and coming Tom Cruise. There is a lot to like about the movie and I enjoyed it again last year sometime. The shame is that the Academy chose to finally reward Newman for his body of work and it should have been for something a little more interesting.

BLAZE (1989) Ron Shelton’s follow-up to Bull Durham is only nice for Newman’s performance as the corrupt Louisiana Governor and even that wears a bit thin at times.

FAT MAN AND LITTLE BOY (1989) – A dull telling of the atomic bomb creation with Newman wasted in a role anyone could have portrayed.

NOBODY”S FOOL (1994) – Newman really deserved to win an Oscar for this forgotten movie about a lovable loser who reconnects with his family. It’s a little quirky at times like the Richard Russo novel it’s based on, but if you can forgive that this movie is a gem and the last classic he made. Bruce Willis is great in a small role as Newman’s boss/friend./rival and Melanie Griffith is Willis’ wife and an object of Newman’s fancy. Jessica Tandy plays Newman’s land lady in her last screen role. I first saw it at the theatre with brother John and have seen it again several times over the years and it never gets old.

HUDSUCKER PROXY (1994) – One of the Coen Brothr’s lesser efforts and still not without its moments. Newman plays the CEO of a big company and Tim Robbins the lowly office boy who makes good. Jennifer Jason Leigh channels Katherine Hepburn’s screwball comedy accent.

TWILIGHT (1998) Newman re-teams with Russo and director Robert Benson as a Private Detective shot by Reese Witherspoon. A few years later he is living in the garage apartment of Reese’s parents (Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon) and trying to solve as mystery. It’s a fine effort for all involved and worth the time if you see it on cable.

ROAD TO PERDITION (2002) Sam Mendes follow up to American Beauty starring Tom Hanks is a adaptation of a graphic novel filled with stars but also a kind of emptiness. Newman won a supporting Oscar nomination for his small but impactful role as a crime boss.

AMERICAN IDOL 2008

Remember when I posted the odds of the top 24 contestants? Here are the top twelve finalists in their order of finish with their original odds to win:

David Cook 14-1
David Archuleta 6-1
Syesha Mercado 14-1
Jason Castro 16-1
Brooke White 10-1
Carly Smithson 12-1
Kristy Lee Cook 10-1
Michael Johns 8-1
Ramiele Malubay 14-1
Chikezie Eze 10-1
Amanda Overmyer 14-1
David Hernandez 10-1

I never liked Hernandez though I think he could have Broadway success; Overmyer was a one-trick Janis Joplin clone who wore thin after a few songs; Eze was inconsistent but has a nice voice; Malubay has a great voice but horrible song choices, attempting every overblown diva composition; Johns' early exit was the biggest surprise of the season - he could easily be the next Robert Palmer; Kristy Lee Cook got a couple extra weeks due to her hotness but couldn't outlast the better performers; Smithson was one of the finest singers but failed to bring anything special to her songs; White has the southern California good girl vibe down but couldn't successfully stretch her range; Castro is a soft balladeer who just wanted to go home when the pressure set in; Mercado was the opposite, trying harder as she got closer to the goal line - she is a hottie with desire, no question she will be successful; Archuleta is a little muppet who sings for the old ladies and the little girls who don't know any better - sure he has a voice, but I found his interpretations vapid from the start; David Cook was clearly the best performer of this bunch and it is good to see that he won because he deserves it. I might even download his album when it comes out.

RIGHT HOLLYWOOD

Turner Classic Movies ran a ten-year-old interview with Chuck Heston on Friday Night. When they got to his politics, Heston said that that there were more closet conservatives in Hollywood than closet Homosexuals.

There are a few ways to being rightwing in Hollywood. One way is to be up front about it and then make liberal themed movies. This seems to be the approach of Clint Eastwood, a man who used to send criminals to the eternal dirt map, and now tries to exonerate them. He was a man that once created iconic American heroes and now questions the authenticity of American heroism.

Another way to be conservative in Hollywood is to make conservative movies but criticize conservative politicians. Mel Gibson, for instance, makes movies about Scottish and American independence and knocks Bush for freeing the Iraqis.

I have recently noticed a third way. Tom Hanks identifies as a Democrat and supports Democrats financially, but he makes conservative films. He has now produced three mini-series for HBO and nearly 30 hours of programming and I have yet to hear a liberal note. Hanks might see himself as a progressive of some sort, but his inclinations are about American exceptionalism. FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON and BAND OF BROTHERS are about individual bravery and the greatness of Americans without the usual mitigating political correctness that the heroes fail to achieve.

There was a time when Democrats would make these kinds of movies when America was in a war, but doing so now could justify current American wars so they make Redacted, Platoon, etc. Not only is the war wrong now, but individual Americans that fight the wars are wrong. For most filmmakers, our national character on-screen has gone from hero to animal in two generations.

So it’s hard to figure Hanks among their ranks. He’s like a criminal that can’t retire after a few scores. His crimes must get bigger and the chance of getting caught must be greater. And JOHN ADAMS is his latest caper. Here you have the founding fathers, the essence of libertarianism. And while you can cherry pick quotes from Franklin or Jefferson to demonstrate “leftwing” thoughts, Adams is an out and out conservative. He hated the French Revolution and instead respected the gentile traditions of England. So here you have Hanks who not only lionizes a bunch of dead white men, but he finds his hero in the least radical among them.

JOHN ADAMS is a thoughtful and unique mini-series with the brilliant Paul Giamatti in the title role. The series captures these men as real men and these issues as unsettled and need of leadership. It’s easy for us to say the creation of America was so natural, but the men that sacrificed to bring us this nation had to fight every step of the way and we see it episode after episode. We don’t get the white man of privilege arguments that are so common on college campuses today. Through four episodes the only patriot villain is the authoritarian Alexander Hamilton, a man who doesn’t like our hero.

There’s a great scene after the war is over when Thomas Jefferson comes to Paris to take over as ambassador for the aging Ben Franklin. The three men discuss politics and the future of the nation. Already we see the schisms that will breakup the friendship of Adams and Jefferson and we see the great shame of it as the same time. It’s also touching because we know it’s the last time we’ll see Franklin on screen. He delivers a short piece about the tenuousness of a new nation and how it will be hard to keep it together. He anticipates the in-fighting at the beginning of the new nation and the cause of our eventual Civil War.

There was a time in this country and in Hollywood where Democrats were as Pro-American as Republicans, but I don’t remember it. I was born during the summer of love. Tom Hanks may not see any politicians on the Right he can agree with, but he also has nothing in common with the “G-D America” candidates either. Whether it’s by calculation or instinct, Hanks has inoculated himself against his political leanings by supporting the “correct” candidates. It’s a small price to pay for the work it allows him to do.

Richard Widmark (1914-2008)

He died over a week ago, but I just heard the news. Widmark seemed to be transitional figure between the classic actors of early talkies like Gable, Cooper, and Grant and the method actors like Brando and Clift. He had the approach of the former and the intensity of the latter. He didn’t make his film debut until he was 33 playing a psycho in the movie, KISS OF DEATH.

Looking over his filmography, I realize that I have seen far fewer of his films than I would have predicted. It’s a credit to his skills that I think of him highly with only a few examples.

KISS OF DEATH (1947) – A great debut and it impressed audiences enough that he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. He lost to Edmnd Gwenn playing Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street.

PANIC IN THE STREETS (1950) – Elia Kazan film that pits health official, Widmark against a gang of outlaws on the lam and carrying a deadly plague. Like a number of early Kazan films, it doesn’t seem dated. Widmark is solid, but not as interesting as the villains led by Jack Palance.

NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950) – In my opinion, Widmark’s best performance and one of the great noir characters of all time. I first saw the early 1990s remake with Robert Deniro and I liked it enough, but I was really impressed with original. After seeing both I understood why the remake received such low marks. Widmark is a hustler trying to promote a boxing match and getting into all kinds of trouble along the way. It would be hard for me to rank the greatest noir films since so many great ones exist, but I can’t imagine this one not being in the top ten.

THE ALAMO (1960) – Like a lot of Widmark’s later ensemble work, The Alamo mixes him in with other big actors. Here John Wayne (who also directed) plays Davy Crockett and the consistently wooden Lawrence Harvey plays Colonel Travis against Widmark’s Jim Bowie. I remember Widmark being mostly wasted in the role and the film being a little too plodding at nearly 3 hours. Maybe I was ruined by seeing the Disney version first which plays more like a romp.

JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961) - Widmark plays the prosecutor to Spencer Tracy’s judge. His screen time is significant and his role is crucial to the storyline. The most interesting thing about the movie is it’s a liberal justification for doing the sort of thing that liberals now abhor, making evildoers pay for their crimes. Like all the late Stanley Kramer/Spencer Tracy collaborations, Spence gets a huge moralizing monologue rumored to be shot in one take.

HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1962) – Told as a long history lesson, none of the actors or storylines spend all that much time on screen, Widmark is overshadowed by John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck and Henry Fonda. I saw a pan and scan version on VHS as a kid and it kind of ruined it for me. Ron Howard used this film as an example of why Letterbox makes all the difference. It was shot in the wide wide format of 2:59 to 1. The widest modern movies are 2:35 to 1, with the common ratio being 1:85 to 1. That ratio was meant to be project on curved screens something like I-Max, but it never took off as a format.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974) – Agatha Christie whodunit with a cast of stars big enough for three epics. Widmark’s role is crucial and yet it’s the surprise ending that I remember most.

ROLLERCOASTER (1977) – Timothy Bottoms plays a deranged guy who likes to blow up roller coasters and kill passengers. Widmark shows up in a smaller role so you can say, hey that’s Richard Widmark.

HANKY PANKY (1982) – I was 13 or so when this came out and like all things Gene Wilder I watched it again and again on HBO, proving that kids will watch anything. I seem to remember that Widmark was the villain and it was directed by Sidney Poitier, who starred with Widmark 30 years earlier.

TRUE COLORS (1991) John Cusack plays the scheming social climber while his pal, James Spader plays the moral guy. Widmark plays an aging Senator that Cusack tries to blackmail to get ahead in politics. It was Widmark’s last film role and he was so interesting it is a shame that he spent the last 15 years of his life with no further roles.

AMERICAN IDOL TOP 12

I checked out the odds before this week's elimination and after to see how they changed. Bodog actually updates the odds between performances and still ranks David Archuleta as the prohibitive favorite. You would have to bet $2.50 for a $1 return if he goes on to win the competition. The other 15 contestants ranked like this for every dollar wagered:

David Cook $2.05
Brooke White $2.36
Carly Smithson $2.50
Kady Malloy $2.56
David Hernandez $3.50
Michael Johns $4.00
Kristy Lee Cook $5.00
Jason Castro $6.00
Chikezie Eze $7.50
Ramiele Malubay $8.00
Asia'h Epperson $14.00
Syesha Mercado $15.35
Danny Noriega $100.00
Amanda Overmyer $100.00
Luke Menard $100.00

The names in red were eliminated this week. I thought all four were easy to predict. It surprises me to see that Kady Malloy was ranked so generously. David Cook's stock got a tremendous boost with his brilliant electric guitar rendition of Lionel Ritchie's Hello. That was the only song I've heard so far that sounded like it should be on the radio. Archuleta's Imagine got a lot of hype last week for its brilliance. I like the kid plenty, but he is only my fourth favorite guy behind Cook, Johns, and Castro. I don't know how you eliminate any of those guys. They very well could comprise the top four if they at some point stop eliminating people by gender. The only girls that have a shot at the top four are Malubay, Smithson, and Brooke White, but I don't like any of them as much as the fourth best guy.

So after the Thursday broadcast, Archuleta is still the odds-on favorite with a $1.30 wager bringing a $1 return. The remainder of the top 12 rounds out like this:

Carly Smithson $5.03
Michael Johns $7.25
Jason Castro $10.09
Ramiele Malubay $14.17
Brooke White $17.25
Syesha Mercado $19.00
David Cook $25.52
Kristy Lee Cook $75.00
David Hernandez $75.00
Amanda Overmyer $125.00
Chikezie Eze $200.00

It's funny how people became bigger longshots despite having a good week, like Brooke dropping from third overall to sixth. And how the heck does David Cook drop in the rankings? If I was putting money down at this point, I would definitely take those 25.52:1 odds. At some point, the vote will be more indicative of the country's taste because at this point, Simon is still leading the vote with comments such as "I would be absolutely amazed if you made it through to next week." And then it is no surprise when that guy is eliminated the following week. It will eventually get down to half a dozen singers with no major flaws in their game and the judges are going to say they were all brilliant and then people will vote for their favorite rather than Simon's. I think Archuleta could fall by the wayside in the top three because Johns and Cook have already developed stage persona while Archuleta is still relying on his fresh-faced kid interpretation of songs.

Anyways, I'll check back in at the top six and here is my fearless prediction, assuming we are still eliminating one of each gender up until then:

Archuleta
Cook
Johns
Malubay
White
Smithson

NBC Dismisses Fall Debuts

It soon may be time to retire the phrase “fall television season.”

NBC Universal took a big step toward undoing one of the television industry’s oldest traditions by announcing Tuesday that it would move to a year-round schedule of staggered program introductions. The move is intended to appeal to advertisers, who crave fresh content to keep viewers tuned in.

And if it succeeds — and leads other broadcast networks to shift from their focus on a mass introduction of new shows — it could alter an American cultural cycle that extends all the way back to the days of radio, when families gathered around the Philco every September, as the school year began, to sample the new entertainment choices.

“We absolutely think this is going to change the industry,” said Michael Pilot, the head of sales for NBC.

The industry changed a few years ago when cable TV adopted this technique which is a copy of the British style of programming. NBC is pretending to have invented it.

One problem the networks continue to have is their strategy of copycat programming instead of innovation. Too many doctor shows, too many law shows. Medium begets the Ghost Whisperer.

Another problem is their insistence of stretching the material into 22 episodes a year versus 13 on cable. I think this alone results in better considered plots and resolutions on cable. The Sopranos stretched their last season into 2 parts and 21 episodes and the first half of that season was entirely throw away, much like certain story lines in other shows.

The third problem for networks is people can watch shows in so many ways now. I never see an advertiser. I'll watch TV mostly on DVD or time shift to Tivo out the commercials. Reality shows and sports are the last vestige of water cooler talk. Everything else is at the consumer's convenience.

People want what they want, when they want it, and at a price they are willing to pay. The old Network TV model forced consumers to chase them. Technology has evened the playing field. Network TV must serve the viewer in order to survive.

A FEW THOUGHTS

The Writer’s Strike

I think the WGA made a mistake dealing with Letterman separately. Jay Leno was in no way going to stay off the air with Letterman on, union or no. I saw Colbert, and Kimmel tonight and I don’t think any of these shows really miss the writers. In fact, for Colbert a loss of writers means the most annoying segments are gone. Rush Limbaugh does 3 hours a day with no writers and a small research staff. How did it become the norm for these shows to have 10 scribes?

Al Michaels

I keep thinking about what Dennis Miller said on his radio show last summer. Miller said that Al Michaels doesn’t eat vegetables, in fact, Al’s wife hasn’t seen him eat a single vegetable in the 35 years she has known him. That’s a large amount of food not to eat. I guess tomatoes and avocados are fruit so that helps a little, but maybe he won’t eat those either. No Peta campaigns for Al.

Dem VP

Maybe I blogged this earlier. I’m too lazy to check. I think the Democrat nominee has to pick a strong national security running mate. It’s the only thing lacking in their resumes. This is what Bush did when he picked Dick Chenney. I think Hilary has already chosen Wesley Clark in her head. Obama needs a tough guy more than she does. An interesting darkhorse is that General that bungled Iraq, Richard Sanchez. He can blame the whole thing on Bush like every other Democrat. E’s recent theory that McCain could land there does make sense. He’s never showed loyalty before so why now?

Heath Ledger

With Lohan, Spears etc. in and out of rehab, Ledger takes us by surprise. No tabloid told us that this guy was drug dependent. So much is made of the young Hollywood lifestyle and how that leads to tragedy, but what if it’s the other way around. Maybe people who are emotionally or chemically unstable are lead into showbiz because they need to fill that emptiness with public adulation.

Like Dude I have seen 3 of his movies, but only one in common, A KNIGHT’S TALE. I enjoyed 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, a high school version of taming of the shrew. I also saw Mel Gibson’s PATRIOT which is entertaining enough despite the historical inaccuracies, length, and script problems.

What really got me was the photo of Heath with his 2 year old daughter clutching his leg. She held on tight like she was afraid to lose him. Ten other guys can play the Joker, but that little girl only has him. That thought may not have occurred to me a few weeks ago.

ONCE AGAIN

It's a Wonderful Life with Bunnies. . .in 30 seconds.

click here

or A Christmas Story if that's your speed.

The Coup de Gras is Dana Carvey as George Bailey