round-up of books on Wee Beasties

"At a time when our rat-sized ancestors were still cowering in the shadows of the dinosaurs it is probable that certain insects had already created cities, farms, and skyscrapers, and today their descendants have become highly sophisticated indeed."
 

Rubbercat and yr humble blogger celebrate 3000 posts with hand-delivered Krispy Kremes. Thanks Jo, Alister, Liam and my beloved readers! 

mix your own version of Charles Ives' "The Unanswered Question!

"Now imagine you are Charles Ives at the mixing board. Where would you place each instrumental grouping for maximum effect? How does each combination sound different? How do you bring an eternal piece to a satisfying end?"
 

enjoyable musical Les Girls at 2100 PST on TCM tonight, made more so by the rare presence of Kay Kendall (above) with Mitzi Gaynor & Gene Kelly, directed by Cukor, songs by Porter....

(found later in "George Cukor: A Double Life" by Patrick McGilligan, a quote from Francois Truffaut in Cahiers de Cinema "To give an account of "Les Girls" is a task which by no means can be compared to that required from seventh grade pupils when made to write a theme in French on the following subject: 'You have spent Sunday in the country; the weather was fine, the sun brilliant, you picked some flowers. Describe your impressions.'")



 

"My Father Pretending to be Old Growth" by Cynthia Lahti, from disappearing zine (thx Vanessa)
 

essay on the Trailer Park Boys

"This discourse of cinematic representations of the male Canuck may appear to be no more than a bitter cup of Tim Horton's coffee, but if we roll up the rim, there may be a silver lining. This incarnation of characters can not easily be reduced to a product of our film industry's inadequacy in the face of the big American brother and its culture machine; there is something more important at work. The paradoxically engendering nature of the series lies in its militant opposition to the standards of American film and television production. Coupled with the influence of the depressing duos of historical hoserdom, is the desire to take possession of something rightfully belonging to the Canadian experience, negative or not."



 

The Hype Machine - latest from the finest mp3 music blogs!

In case you haven't seen this very good music blog roundup, with search, etc...
 

James Schuyler: Letters from Italy, Winter 1954-55, to Frank O'Hara, on Laird Cregar and Edward Gorey...

"My dear, I'm depositing your letter in a vault, so that if you are murdered in a water front hotel, the police will know who to arrest. Ted Gorey has not thought since 1948 that you would be stabbed, he's simply been planning to kill you. Why do you think he wears that Laird Craiger (Creger?) beard? And reads those flocks of unreadable detective stories? Because he thinks he's Alpha and Omega come to save the world from beauty's snare: and you, you see, are too beautiful! So swear you'll never ever see him unless accompanied by at least three stout friends..."


 

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

"Bush was the principal author, along with his straight-shooting Vice President, and now he is hoisted by his own fear-mongering propaganda. The basic hysteria was invented from risks of terrorism, enlarged ridiculously by the President's open-ended claim that we are endangered everywhere and anywhere (he decides where). Anyone who resists that proposition is a coward or, worse, a subversive. We are enticed to believe we are fighting a new cold war. But are we? People are entitled to ask. Bush picked at their emotional wounds after 9/11 and encouraged them to imagine endless versions of even-larger danger. What if someone shipped a nuke into New York Harbor? Or poured anthrax in the drinking water? OK, a lot of Americans got scared, even people who ought to know better.

So why is the fearmonger-in-chief being so casual about this Dubai business?


Because at some level of consciousness even George Bush knows the inflated fears are bogus. So do a lot of the politicians merrily throwing spears at him. He taught them how to play this game, invented the tactics and reorganized political competition as a demagogic dance of hysterical absurdities, endless opportunities to waste public money. Very few dare to challenge the mindset. Thousands have died for it..."