There was a time, not so long ago, when a Stanley Cup game that went into overtime was a reason to wake the kids and call the neighbours. It was an event not to be missed, a tension-fraught, sweat-drenched, adrenalin-pumping crystallization of the best that hockey had to offer. Two of the game’s better teams, playing smart, tough, desperate hockey; players racing and battling for every loose puck while ever-mindful of their position, striving to create the one chance that could win it all, aware that any mistake, any overcommitment, any miscue, any lack of attention to detail could finish their team—it was an electrifying five or ten or maybe fifteen minutes, and then in an explosive flash of ecstasy or horror it was over. If the goaltending was downright heroic, and it went to second overtime—and a game or two would go that far every two or three years—it was cause to go to the medicine cabinet at intermission and gulp down some digitalis. And if they actually extended that into a third OT, my God, it was unbelievable, it was something you saw only a few times in your life, something you talked about for years.
– Jeff Z. Klein and Karl-Eric Reif, The Death of Hockey, pp. 35-36.
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Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson (sister of Jessica) just had their baby. And named it. Bronx Mowgli Wentz.
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Be of good cheer! The current days of darkness will not last forever—things will at least get brighter after 2009. Why?
Anyone over the age of 33 now has new reason to be pissed off at Coldplay’s Chris Martin. Martin … once again confirmed that he plans to dissolve the self-proclaimed biggest band in the world at the end of 2009. His reason for pulling the plug on Coldplay? “I’m 31 now and I don’t think that bands should keep going past 33,” Martin told the Daily Express newspaper. “So, we’re trying to pack in as much as possible. Up until the end of next year, we’ll just go for it in every sense.” Not long after this spring’s release of Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay announced they had two records on the docket for the next year. “I don’t believe in time off. We’ve still got most of our hair, we can still fit into our musical trousers and we’ve got to make the most of that,” Martin said.
HOORAY!
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1. New Stop-Motion movie by the Director of Nightmare Before Christmas.
2. Based on award-winning Neil Gaiman novella.
3. Shot stereoscopically for 3d projection, a first for stop-motion.
4. Soundtrack by They Might Be Giants.
5. Real! Not imaginary!Trailer after the jump.
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Now, this is for Frank.
Warning: NSFW ’70s Pop Hits!
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Don’t know if you have seen/been following this story, but a huge Saudi oil tanker was seized by Somali pirates recently. Yes, piracy is still strong. Weird, eh?
Apparently, things are progressing, but not towards a solution. An Indian warship has destroyed a pirate vessel, while the pirates have gone ahead and seized two more ships.
I doubt any of these pirates are as good-willed or amusing as Johnny Depp, but still—there’s got to be a good story in there.
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For your holiday viewing: Thomas Kinkade’s Christmas Cottage, starring Peter O’Toole (who apparently is a little short on cash) and Marcia Gay Harden. Kinkade reveals his secrets of movie-making success:
6) Hidden details whenever possible, References to my children (from youngest to oldest as follows): Evie, Winsor, Chandler and Merritt. References to my anniversary date, the number 52, the number 82, and the number 5282 (for fun, notice how many times this appears in my major published works). Hidden N’s throughout — preferably thirty N’s, commemorating one N for each year since the events happened.
15) Nostalgia. My paintings routinely blend timeframes. This is not only okay, but tends to create a more timeless look. Vintage cars (30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s etc) can be featured along with 70’s era cars. Older buildings are favorable. Avoid anything that looks contemporary — shopping centers, contemporary storefronts, etc. Also, I prefer to avoid anything that is shiny. Our vintage vehicles, though often times are cherished by their owners and kept spic-n-span should be “dirtied up” a bit for the shoot. Placerville was and is a somewhat shabby place, and most vehicles, people, etc bear traces of dust, sawdust, and the remnants of country living. There are many dirt roads, muddy lanes, etc., and in general the place has a tumbled down, well-worn look.
16) Most important concept of all — THE CONCEPT OF LOVE. Perhaps we could make large posters that simply say “Love this movie” and post them about. I pour a lot of love into each painting, and sense that our crew has a genuine affection for this project. This starts with Michael Campus as a Director who feels great love towards this project, and should filter down through the ranks. Remember: “Every scene is the best scene.”
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Michael Pollan debunks the idea of the “French Paradox” and says it is we as Americans who are indeed paradoxed:
Americans are fixated on nutrients, good and bad, while the French and Italians focus on the whole eating experience. The lesson of the “French paradox” is you can eat all kinds of supposedly toxic substances (triple creme cheese, foie gras) as long as you follow your culture’s (i.e., mother’s) rules: eat moderate portions, don’t go for seconds or snacks between meals, never eat alone.
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There is no French paradox, really, only an American paradox: a notably unhealthy people obsessed with the idea of eating healthily. So, relax. Eat Food. And savor it. -
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Probably my favorite Radiohead music video, and I just discovered that it was directed by Michel Gondry.
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I just heard about Open Yale, wherein the ivy-league school posts lectures from various courses for free online. I came across one particularly promising course: The American Novel Since 1945. It includes two lectures on O’Connor’s Wise Blood and two on Robinson’s Housekeeping.
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I have some fairly substantial problems with Austrian economics. But in the spirit of ecumenicity, I want to post this extraordinary clip of Peter Schiff, who took on FoxNews blowhards who tried to pretend back in 2006 and 2007 that our economy was “fundamentally sound,” as a certain presidential candidate so tragically put it. Of special note is Schiff’s tete-a-tete with Arthur Laffer (of the infamous Laffer Curve):
Peter Schiff: I think it’s going to be pretty bad, and whether it starts in 07 or 08 is immaterial and I also think it’s going to last for years rather than quarters. You see the basic problem with the US economy is we have too much consumption and borrowing and not enough production and savings, and what’s going to happen is that the American consumer is basically going to stop consuming and rebuild his savings, especially when he sees his home equity evaporate. And when you have the economy at 70 per cent consumption you can’t address those rebalances without a recession. Rather than the recession being resisted, it should be embraced because the disease is all this debt finance consumption. The cure is that we stop consuming and start saving, and that’s a recession. Sometimes the medicine tastes bad but you’ve got to swallow it.
Cabrera: Do you believe that, Art?
Arthur Laffer: No I don’t believe any of it whatsoever, Michelle. Excuse me, what he’s saying is savings are way down in this country but wealth has risen dramatically, the United States economy has never been in better shape. There is no tax increase coming in the next couple of years, monetary policy is spectacular and we have freer trade than ever before and not only that there’s no income policies here, I think Peter is totally off-base and I just don’t know where he’s getting his stuff.
Schiff: One of us is off-base but it’s definitely not me.
Laffer: I’m going to make a bet with you on this one. I’ll bet you a penny on this one, If you’ll sign a letter saying that you were wrong to me on this. But, you’re way off base, there’s nothing out there that tells us this - we’re going to have a nice slowdown but it’s not going to be a crash.
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Schiff: It’s not wealth that’s increased in the last few years. We haven’t increased our productive capacity. All that’s increased is the paper value of our stocks and real estate. But that’s not real wealth, no more than —
Laffer (interjecting): Of course it is!
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This has to be one of the neatest electoral maps I’ve ever seen. The dot density overlay shows cotton production in 1860, which has a remarkable correlation to the counties that went for Obama this election.
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Austin,
Not really jiving with this new comment forum. For one, I’ve got to sign up with a new service (huge knock against it, imho), and two, I’m pretty sure this will only discourage commenting. I’m a half step away from deactivating it.
Anyone else have thoughts?
