Let’s Talk About: Catherine Keener

I just came back from seeing ‘Where The Wild Things Are’, and above all else (the glorious cinematography, the childhood reminiscing, the stunning visual effects) that movie was all about Catherine Keener. She steals the show in the last minute of the film to make you cry like a baby. Go see it, I highly recommend it. And I’m just saying, Judy Dench won the Oscar for six minutes of film time playing a Queen. Catherine Keener should be nominated. Just saying.

Two words: Carey. Mulligan.

She was the most stunning part of the recent Broadway revival of ‘The Seagull’ and with any luck this film will make her very well known. I cannot wait to see it.

And I’m Proud To Be An American….

President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. I’m sorry, I know what a lot of people have to say about this, and though I respect the opinion that this award could have gone to more deserving parties (cough, Bill Clinton, cough), this is just pretty damn cool. Pretty soon here I’m going to actually sit down and post my major issue with the Right, but until then, here’s some Rachel Maddow to put Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize into perspective.

Let’s Talk About: Mayer Hawthorne

Who the hell says white boys don’t have soul?

So I’m going to admit something. The first time I heard Imogen Heap sing I honest to God thought it was a guy singing. What can I say, she has an interesting voice. Not that she doesn’t make great music but…well, anyway. I bring this up to make a point about musicians who surprise you. It doesn’t happen all too often anymore. It seems more and more that the more perfectly packaged the artist is, the more their music will be heard. So you can imagine my surprise when I heard the song below (Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out), only to later find out that it was written and performed by a 30-year old white guy. I immediately bought  his album ‘A Strange Arrangement’ and was floored. Has this sort of music been done before? Yes. Do I care? Hell no. It’s fantastic Motown-esque music that will make even the whitest boy groove. Damn right.

Remember when someone used to post stuff on here?

Well good, because that sort of thing is going to start happening again. Aaaaaaand go.

With apologies to Taylor Swift

Joe Wilson and Kanye West both made different yet remarkably public displays of douchebaggery this week.

The difference? Kanye was right. Not that it excuses it, but I mean, come on now.

1939

This year marks the 70th anniversary of ‘Gone With The Wind’. And ‘The Wizard of Oz’. And ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’. And ‘Stagecoach’. And ‘Wuthering Heights’. It is my sincerest hope that you have at least seen one of these movies. It’s also my strong, STRONG recommendation that you see them all. I know, I know, why should you bother seeing these films (3.5 of which are in black and white) when there are such stunning pieces of work as ‘Transformers 2′ or ‘Year One’ to enjoy? But you should bother. These five films are all master works, each in their own genre, and show the supreme pride people took in the ART of filmmaking way back when. (This of course isn’t to say that the art of film is dead, but I mean, look at the stuff that has been released this year alone. I mean, come on now.)

These films launched the careers of Jimmy Stewart, Judy Garland, Laurence Olivier, and John Wayne. (The last of which had been in 80 films by then but wasn’t a star. Wow.) These films are also all named among the top 100 films of all time, two of which in the top 10. Think about this. Within the span of a year, five of the greatest films of all time were released. Maybe it’s just me, but that is astounding. So the next time you think of watching the latest Resident Evil film, I implore you, make a better choice. You just might be surprised.

Waiting For Guffman: The High School Edition

Flipping through the channels on a rainy Saturday afternoon, you aren’t likely to find much that will actually entertain you. So you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon a little documentary titled ‘Guys & Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals’. It centers around three high schools in southern Indiana vying for their musicals to receive a spot in the International Thespian Festival. (Well, technically only one truly goes for that goal. The other two schools are just trying to put up a show period.) Now, I’ve been to the International Thespian Festival, and I can tell you first hand that the shows which receive one of the coveted spots are, well, very high quality for high school. I can also tell you from watching this movie that the shows highlighted are, um, not. Maybe it’s just me, but is there some rule in Indiana about putting forth a show that people actually know? When the most familiar of the shows being produced is ‘Zombie Prom’ you have to wonder what the hell is going on. There’s even one school that puts on an original show about a princess in some sort of colonial Hawaii (already I have problems) which runs 4 hours long and which none of the students want anything to do with.

Quite honestly I have no idea whether this is something I would suggest people to watch or not. It is alternately a hysterical look at something incredibly familiar to anyone who has been involved in high school theater, and a horrid nightmare certain to make your eyes roll so far back into your head they ache. Regardless, it’s something I had to share.

Sheer genius

Ok so here’s the thing — I saw this on my friend Isaac’s blog and as I feel it is something that everyone – not just artists, but everyone – needs to hear, so I’m putting it on mine as well. It’s just one of the best and most inspirational speeches I’ve ever heard.

A horrible irony

Senator Ted Kennedy fought many battles in his career, as well as in his personal life. None were closer to him, however, than that of Health Care Reform. Always a champion for the cause, he came close but never saw a bill come to fruition. Senator Kennedy died last night surrounded by his ever-loving family. That he never got to vote on the best chance for health care reform in his career is a cruel twist of fate. A true patriot, and one of the most outstanding senators in the history of this country, he will be sorely missed, especially in this time when his voice of expertise is needed most.