Heathen-Blog

2011-08-22T13:14:00.012-04:00

My book...

"Having a Baby Totally Sucks,

or, The Things They Are Scared To Tell A New Father"

By Heath Mensher, M.Ed.

click the title for excerpts...

2011-07-29T14:25:00.006-04:00

My Band...

The Suffering Blues Band

(click for songs, video, & dates)

How The Blues Came To Earth...

2011-01-23T13:32:00.005-05:00

… according to Howlin’ Wolf.

“God and Lucifer had a terrible fight up in heaven. They battled for days and days and finally God won and knocked Lucifer off his cloud. As Lucifer fell to earth, his tail hooked on to God's cloud and pulled some things down to earth with him: dice, cards, guitars and other stringed instruments, and harmonicas. God still has his horns up in heaven. That's why horns are played by good people and why guitars and harmonicas are played by people like me."

An Abbreviated Year in Social Status-ing

2010-12-09T09:20:00.003-05:00

A Thanksgiving Prayer...

2010-11-28T12:26:00.009-05:00

from the inimitable William S. Burroughs...

(click for his reading)

Thanks for the wild turkey and the Passenger Pigeons, destined to be shit out through wholesome American guts

thanks for a Continent to despoil and poison —

thanks for Indians to provide a modicum of challenge and danger —

thanks for vast herds of bison to kill and skin, leaving the carcass to rot —

thanks for bounties on wolves and coyotes —

thanks for the American Dream to vulgarize and falsify until the bare lies shine through —

(more after the jump)

The Poet's Hovel

2010-11-16T08:09:00.005-05:00

whisper it

and never tell

the things I give and offer

to you, my Mistress Moon.

I give you my obedience

sweet pale pond reflection.

I give you my life

lonely pane refraction.

I'll take you as Wife

and to me you will be

all and nothing.

hm 11.11.10

Re-Vamp.

2010-11-09T09:42:00.004-05:00

I have revamped my website, oobermensh, to include my miscellaneous esoterica. Included now are two blues tunes and a mysterious reference to being some kind of oracle.

Do visit.

Thank you. Here's one bone. Tell me its significance...

The Poet's Hovel

2010-10-26T09:12:00.003-04:00

Slightly shifting eddies without

When watched through drowsy eyelids

Speak a simple story

Yet so simple misconceptions spring

As summer phragmites

Aside wetland preserves

To strangle first intent.

10/25/10 hbm

Monday Night Haiku

2010-10-18T18:07:00.003-04:00

When it all wears off

I pray the decision stands

Some measure of peace

Hang on.

2010-06-18T09:23:00.002-04:00

Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, he said.

You might want to think about that. You forget some things, don’t you?

Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget.

-- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

"God's Eyes" - The Wild Deer (5/22)

2010-05-24T07:49:00.003-04:00

Acoustic show at The Living Room, 5/22/10

website

Movie Review Haiku

2010-04-12T11:04:00.003-04:00

Alice in Wonderland

Richly bittersweet.
Performance commitment with
Tim’s maturation.

***1/2 stars (out of 5)

Movie Review Haiku

2010-04-03T10:18:00.006-04:00

Bronson

The Sociopath

delightful and terrible

seeks his audience

***** (a perfect film)
trailer

clickable trivium

Look Who's Coming To Seder!

2010-03-31T14:37:00.006-04:00

It's the Passover Season, and it's time for gefilte fish in clear jelly, things unleavened, and... Popopo Candy? It seems there's some new guests following Elijah in the door. Better tell Aunt Shelia to bring that extra bridge table...

Lost Jewish tribe 'found in Zimbabwe'

Welcome, new friends! Let me show you a bit about a New York Passover...
Mensher-Style.

Paper vs. Computer.

2010-01-13T10:17:00.005-05:00

Writing, to me, is something magical. Where do the words come from - placed one after the other, to form coherent (sometimes) ideas meant to move me (and subsequently, others)?

When writing for real, I always compare it to spelunking: diving down deep to my reservoir of words and thoughts to see what I can retrieve. I am of the belief that if I dive far enough (and am left alone), I can get the good stuff.

It's like Pearl Diving.

And it's just as dangerous*.

So it's a question of Muse. And it got me thinking.

What is the best way to get deep:

Pad & Paper, or Keyboard & Computer?

The easy answer is "whatever works". But that's too vague.

There is something visceral about using a Pen and sheet of Paper. Something analog that speaks to me in a "rubbing two sticks together to make fire" kind of way. It adds to the illusion of Magical Process, and whatever adds to that illusion builds on that illusion, and (may) produce better (deeper) work.

Alternately, at 70, writer Charles Bukowski started using a Mac that his wife gave him for Christmas --

"There is something about seeing your words on a screen before you that makes you send the word with a better bite, sighted in closer to the target. I know a computer can't make a writer but I think it makes a writer better. Simplicity in writing and simplicity in getting it down, hot and real. When this computer is in the shop and I go back to the electric, it's like trying to break rock with a hammer. Of course, the essence of writing is there but you have to wait on it, it doesn't leap from the gut as quickly, you begin to trail your thoughts -- your thoughts are ahead of your fingers which are trying to catch up. It causes a block of sorts indeed."

My own personal process has moved from Pen & Paper to Post-it's and Computer. But I'm torn enough to write this post, hoping that by the last word I type I'll have the answer.

*Sometimes I don't want to come back up for air. It's cozy down here.

Well.

Surreal Saturdays...

2010-01-09T13:37:00.006-05:00

Saturdays sometimes feel surreal to me now.
Memories of a past life when responsibilities seemed fewer.
Worries a different, less opaque shade.

And so, safe save surreal sights:

(click)

2009 Facebook Status Highlights

2009-12-27T18:32:00.000-05:00

"The Butcher Bride" by Vince Churchill

2009-11-10T15:03:00.006-05:00

The following is my Amazon.com review for Vince Churchill's "The Butcher Bride"...

(I love this guy's work)

Addictive, like "Paranormal Activity" dipped in liquid Cocaine.

Vince Churchill's "The Butcher Bride" is a book that you cannot put down.

Like a rusty tilt-a-whirl in Hell's official Theme Park, the story sets an erotically gruesome tone and only lets up because the author seems to sense that you'll need the occasional breath. It takes the classic "Haunted House" story and covers it in lye, burning away the extraneous to get to the sweet marrow that frightens us all.

In "The Butcher Bride", the author skewers not only the characters of the story, but the Media, Hollywood, and those types of people who slow down at traffic accidents hoping for a dark glimpse of Death itself. The writing is special in that the words leap off the page at you with such clarity you'll feel like you're watching a movie.

An enormously satisfying read, you'll be sucked into the pages, at times whimpering to be let out again.

Visit Vince at his site and tell him I said hello...
http://www.vincechurchill.com/

Movie Review Haiku

2009-10-26T08:26:00.005-04:00

Paranormal Activity

hype-worthy high jinks
its only Achilles' heel
shaky-cam nausea

***1/2 Stars (out of 5)

Bonus.

Like a beautiful butterfly...

2009-09-30T09:01:00.006-04:00

... with hideous dripping fangs.

Really?
Really, Universe?
You really feel this is best?
Sigh.

(curveball)

Well, times are a' changin' here at Heathenblog, and it either means the frequency of Posts and Quippy Updates will vastly increase or peter out entirely. We'll know soon enough.

(image unrelated, but makes me feel good)

It looks as if I'm starting a new job. A full time job. I'm not sure I can type it out.
More soon.

The Poet's Hovel.

2009-08-31T09:03:00.011-04:00

to open up the inner eyes
to see behind, where clear thought
shies away from light,
away from spies
who'd hope to glean
their mask-less guise

And spoil life's one last great surprise.

into this void I'd dare to wade
where shapeless forms likely forbade
those like myself whose timelines braid
one starkly lit
one drenched in shade

Where lives go on but memories fade.

Movie Review Haiku

2009-08-24T13:00:00.002-04:00

The adroit auteur
his love letter to war films
damp with Nazi blood

**** (4 Stars out of 5)

Movie Review Haiku

2009-08-18T11:35:00.004-04:00

Religulous

Something to offend
all viewers lacking the knack
of patulous mind.

***** stars (out of 5)

Maudlin.

2009-08-09T09:41:00.005-04:00

maudlin
–adjective

1.	tearfully or weakly emotional; foolishly sentimental

Aohkigahara Forest, west of Tokyo at the base of Mount Fuji, is known as the "suicide forest."
There were 2,645 suicides recorded in January 2009, a 15 percent increase from the 2,305 for January 2008, according to the Japanese government. And so, a sign has been posted:

Translation:

Life is a gift you were given by your parents. Please think about them, the rest of your family, and any children you have. You don’t have to suffer by yourself, please give us a call (the Fuji Yoshida Police Counseling Service) and talk to us.

If you're still feeling "up"...
findagrave.com

And because balance is important, here's a box full of kittens.

Some Things I'd Like To Do Before I Die.

2009-07-21T12:04:00.004-04:00

Address the United States Congress.
Own a Robot Manservant, and treat it so well that he'll protect me from the other Robot Manservants' when they rise against humanity.
Travel to Russia and wear a furry hat.
Be in a meeting where one of my advisers says "Sounds great! Well the first thing we'll need is a white robe."
Find out the true meaning of my tattoo.
Travel to Machu Picchu and nap in a shaded corner.
Sit in my personal library surrounded by old paperback books, breathing deeply through my nose.
Train for a Biathlon. Then subsequently realize what kind of commitment this actually entails. Spend the rest of the afternoon at White Castle.

In the meantime, here's some riddles (if you enjoy that kind of thing).

Things that make me sad...

2009-06-13T13:37:00.005-04:00

The Rainbow Bridge

Alan Alda

Remakes

People who play Clowns

The New York Mets

Sigh.

My Secret Weapon Revealed.

2009-06-01T13:57:00.004-04:00

"If you want to know how to play the blues, live beyond your means."
-- Eric Clapton

Things That Are Harder/Easier...

2009-05-27T07:29:00.006-04:00

... now that I have a 4 month old.

Harder:

Going to the Movies.

Sleeping.

Blogging.

Easier:

Dancing.

Singing.

Smiling.

Here's a diversion...

Movie Review Haiku

2009-04-18T23:11:00.007-04:00

Let The Right One In

inspired angle

coming-of-age's sweet ache

the twist Vampiric

trailer

**** stars (our of 5)

Spring is here! And STILL the Yankees Suck.

2009-03-20T08:44:00.005-04:00

The HeathenBlog is going to completely ignore the snow pouring from the skies like volcanic ash that Bobby Jindal freely mocks, and give a hearty "huzzah!" for making it to Spring! It was a close one, but we did it.

Spring brings flowers. And locusts. But most importantly, baseball.
The WBC is a nice distraction from basketball (with a lowercase b), but we crave the excitement, pageantry, and wholesomeness that is Gary, Keith, and Ron.

We have high hopes for our team this year. What can possibly go wrong?

"Y'all got Honey Nut Cheerios up in here?"

2009-03-03T13:06:00.003-05:00

Because he loves them, I love them. Who? Omar Little, from The Wire.
The HeathenBlog is headlong into Season IV, and was very skeptical of those trumpeting this show as "Best Drama Ever".

We'll see...

Magical.

2009-02-24T10:11:00.006-05:00

The HeathenBlog is just a sucker for a great fight scene. Who among us can forget Shatner vs. Lizard-Man, Roddy Piper vs. Keith David.

Griffin vs. Bonnar.

Unless, of course, you are not obsessed with violence. Perhaps you should move your things to Switzerland.

Here is, I believe, a found jewel, with the building blocks -- the very atoms -- of what makes a fight scene so glorious. It's not unlike listening to Robert Johnson and realizing it's where Led Zeppelin sprang from.

"Viddy well, little brother. Viddy well."

with a nod to khoward, and his love of ketchup...

The Trilogy Meter...

2009-02-18T15:06:00.004-05:00

Very well done, via Dan Meth.

(click to embiggen)

What say you, fearless (or, at least, reasonably hard-to-scare) reader?

Progenitor

2009-02-13T11:38:00.002-05:00

Chief Tyrol, on being a father...

"It sucks... except the parts that don't."

New Favorite NY POST Front Page...

2009-02-09T16:37:00.007-05:00

Apologies from The Heathen-Blog for our absentee-ism -- we've been a bit... distracted.

But not so distracted to hail our new favorite New York Post Front Page:

Hooray! Long Live The King!

For the record, here's our old favorite (albeit from The New York Daily News):

Lie.

2009-01-21T14:29:00.004-05:00

The Heathen-Blog welcomes it's newest reader, Lila Rae.

I think you'll find her comments a bit childish, but have patience. We have big plans...

Lila Rae Mensher

1/18/09

8 lbs., 2 oz.

20 1/2 inches

Movie Review Haiku: The Salton Sea

2009-01-09T16:53:00.002-05:00

The Salton Sea

"Tweakers" with a twist
Strong ensemble cast delights
in meth and role-play

**** (4 Stars out of 5)

Some Handy Tips for a Successful New Year...

2008-12-31T15:32:00.004-05:00

...from Thelonious Sphere Monk.
He considered these things.
Perhaps we would all do well to do the same.

So for NYE, here's Monk doing Round 'Bout Midnight.

And my thoughts on the year? Best summed up by Love and Death:

Priest: "Mercifully, God was on our side."
Boris: "Yeah. I'm sure things could have gone a lot worse if He wasn't. It might have rained."

Finally.

2008-12-23T09:29:00.005-05:00

The Heathen-Blog has so much to be thankful for this season.

Like this.

And this.

Also, this and this. And most certainly this.
Did I mention this? I bet I didn't.

Of course, it wasn't all fun and games... but here we stand, still.
Ready for a new year, full of vim and vigor.
And the future looks very promising.

Have a aggressively wonderful holiday, my cyber-friends...

hb

Heathen-Blog's Top Christmas CD

2008-12-10T09:55:00.001-05:00

As someone who came rather late to the Christmas Party, I feel I am uniquely positioned to provide unbiased conjecture regarding Holiday Music.

Growing up a little Jewish boy, my only thoughts about the music from that other side of the aisle was that it was everywhere. And why did everyone look so happy? Thirteen years ago I found out.
Christmas can be pretty great.

So, here is my pick for Best Christmas CD:

Seriously. It's outstanding.

17 songs, each more happy and soulful than the last.

If you don't have this, and you need the spirit, get it.
If you're too strapped this season, write me. I'll get it for you.
James will shriek and implore you until the the spirit burrows into you.

A little taste is HERE.

And for my Jewish friends, perhaps this.

'Tis Coveting Season

2008-12-02T11:24:00.001-05:00

Drunk -- "A toast!"
Leo Bloom -- (agreeing) "A toast... to what?"
Drunk -- "To... to toast, I love toast."

I am one of those rare individuals who cannot differentiate between "wants" and "needs".
And so, I really, really need this. More than anything.

The Darth Vader Toaster

I will be completely inconsolable this Holiday Season if I am made to eat toast without Darth Vader's image burned into each delectable slice.

A close second is THIS.

"The Shield" ends. A Haiku.

2008-11-26T10:01:00.001-05:00

brutally novel
the addictive thriller's close
leaves me less complete

"Forcible-Culture Fridays"

2008-11-21T14:31:00.001-05:00

OZYMANDIAS

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1818

The Big Apple Film Festival

2008-11-02T21:34:00.002-05:00

Click HERE for tickets to our showing at The Big Apple Film Festival...

Congregants across the Holy Land can't stop talking about our film, "He's My Dad".

If you love movies, and have never been to a Film Festival before, here's a great one to attend --
along with outstanding movies -- which because of the Studio System you may never have the chance to see again -- Film Festivals are programmed with Seminars, Panel Discussions, Q & A Sessions, and Parties.
Lots. Of. Parties.

So,
jump HERE for tickets to my film (shown with 5 other great films!).
jump HERE for the whole lineup of The Big Apple Film Festival.
jump HERE for my film's website, oobermensh.com.
jump HERE for a look at the new frame-by-frame Digital Restoration of "The Godfather".
jump HERE for a photo of a tarsir, nature's wisest animal.

All Hallow's Eve

2008-10-31T15:02:00.001-04:00

You are never too young (or too old) to enjoy Halloween.

My Favorite Halloween Movies:

The Exorcist III
A Nightmare on Elm Street
An American Werewolf in London

My Least Favorite Halloween Movies:

Beaches
Terms of Endearment
Schindler's List

Zap! Bam! Zing! Wap!

2008-10-17T11:55:00.002-04:00

"To name my greatest strength? I guess it would be my humility. My greatest weakness? It's possible that I'm a little too awesome... "

CLICK to see Presidential Candidate Barack Obama's Roast & Comedy Routine at the Al Smith Dinner last night, 10/16/08.

This is worth your time.

Unless, of course, you hate our troops.
Why do you hate our troops?

If you didn't like him before this, you're really not gonna like him now...

"Sweet Victory can be distracting"

2008-10-07T14:54:00.007-04:00

And so, I return home from Springfield, Illinois. Home of The Abraham Lincoln Museum, a Pub Food called "a horseshoe", and the heralded Route 66 Film Festival.

Firstly, the most important piece of news:

Horseshoe
(From Wikipedia)
This open-faced sandwich begins with thick-sliced toasted sourdough bread, and a couple of hamburger patties or ham. The meat is topped with french fries and smothered with a "secret" cheese sauce. With its many variations, it is a local favorite not often found outside Central Illinois. It also sometimes known as the freedom sandwich.

I chose beef. I chose... poorly.

I did, however, accomplish this:

Well, would you look at that...
The Mid-Western folks liked "He's My Dad".
Perhaps one day our films CAN be shown in Texas!

Long live The Hoogland Center, and the pageantry of its Award Ceremonies.

Frivolous photos and fun facts to follow, highlights including:

Late Night at Bennigans

I see two very nice looking women across the Bar at the Bennigan's where my brother and I are drinking. I decide to go over and give them a couple of postcards of the film, try to impress, get them to the screening. I hit them with the Pitch: "It's about a former Serial Murderer and his relationship with his sassy, 11 year-old daughter..." The sweet looking one says "Ohh! My boyfriend LOVES serial killers! He has a tattoo with 6 of their actual signatures on his leg!".
The other girl says "Does he have Gacy?"
The cute one says "Hell YEAH he has Gacy!"
I slink away, suddenly wondering if the deadbolt on our door is thick enough.

Pleasant facts about Springfield:

And much more!

Political Mondays

2008-09-15T10:12:00.009-04:00

A few facts from wikipedia:

Abraham "Abe" "Grampa" J. Simpson

Almost all of Abe Simpson's biographical information is supplied by himself. Many of his stories seem to be wildly inaccurate, often physically or historically impossible, and occasionally inconsistent even with each other, suggesting that Abe is quite senile. Not many people know that Abe is a decorated war veteran.

Maude Flanders

Maude Flanders was the happily married wife of Ned Flanders. With Ned, she had two children, Rod and Todd Flanders, in whom she instilled her unwavering piety. Maude was a woman with many qualities: faith, chastity, charity. Maude Flanders was a devout Christian who once attended a Bible camp to learn how to be more judgmental.

For more facts - which really don't seem terribly important - leap HERE.

Kubrickian Friday

2008-09-05T14:12:00.016-04:00

Stanley Kubrick's widow, Christiane, has made available 900 boxes of material belonging to her late husband -- scripts, letters, designs, props, and photographs.

And so, some Letters...

SPARTACUS, 1960

June 5, 1959
To Laurence Olivier

Dear Larry, I am sorry the rushes were late yesterday and I was unable to come by for that drink. I hope that when you see the finished film you will be less disturbed about certain things than are now. In any case, I should like to thank you for the decent way you have behaved about the things with which you were in such disagreement. Good luck and Best Regards, Stanley.

June 26, 1964
Notes on a proposed deal with Columbia Pictures

I cannot accept this under any circumstance. I do not agree under any circumstances to be required to make any changes or revisions of the script, the picture or my style of combing my hair when ordered by Columbia. I do not wish to consult with Columbia on songs or instrumental numbers. It is utterly impractical and inconsistent with the artistic control I should have over the picture... I must have complete, total and final annihilating control over the picture.

Columbia should only be allowed to attend rushes at my invitation.

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, 1968

March 31, 1964
Dear Mr Clarke,

It’s a very interesting coincidence that our mutual friend Caras mentioned you in a conversation we were having about a Questar telescope. I had been a great admirer of your books for quite a time and had always wanted to discuss with you the possibility of doing the proverbial really good science-fiction movie. My main interest lies along these broad areas naturally assuming great plot and character.

1. The reasons for believing in the existence of intelligent extra-terrestrial life.

2. The impact (and perhaps even lack on impact in some quarters) such discovery would have on earth in the near future.

3. A space probe with a landing and exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Would you consider coming sooner with a view to a meeting, the purpose of which would be to determine whether an idea might exist or arise which could sufficiently interest both of

us enough to want to collaborate on a screenplay?

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, 1971

Kubrick does not cede control easily, as seen by the involvement he ensures he has when the film head for the 1972 Venice Film Festival. He asks nine questions of its organisers.

July 26, 1972
To Umberto Orlandifont

What is the make and type of the projectors which will show the film? Will the film be shown on 2,000ft reels. Is there control of the sound inside the auditorium during the screening? If so, where, approximately is it located? Is there a sound system or telephone which is connected with the projection booth? Please describe this. If someone wanted to leave the auditorium during the screening and go into the projection booth, how long would it take to get to the projection booth and would it create a disturbance? Where is the film actually to be screened at Venice? What is the name of the place and its address? Are all the films at the festival being screened in the same room?

BARRY LYNDON, 1975

August 3, 1973
To the make-up team

I saw Ryan’s make-up tests and basically I think you are on the right track. I would criticise, however, that the ageing make-up on Ryan in close-up looks exactly like make-up but I think with a little less on the day it will be all right. The make-up for his young Irish look doesn’t work. In my opinion it looks like make-up and doesn’t contribute anything towards making him look any younger. I think we should just drop this. The bows in his hair in Germany and Dublin are too large and in many angles look unattractive. They should be smaller and I would like to see them redone and rephotographed next week when you have him again. best S K

EYES WIDE SHUT, 1999

June 27, 1995
From Frederic Raphael (Screenwriter) to Kubrick

Dear Stanley, Do you know the joke about the Jewish tailor, to whom his customer said, "The good Lord made the world in six days and you've taken six months to make one bloody pair of trousers? To which the tailor answered, 'Ah, but look at the world and then look at the trousers.' Why did this story occur to me? As ever Freddie.

And, since you made it this far, here are two treats:

HAL9000 Desktop Wallpaper

A TV Promo, filmed as a one-take tracking shot from the point of view of Stanley Kubrick as he walks through the "Shining" set, ending up in his director's chair as the crew prepare to shoot the famous scene of Danny Torrance, the son of Duvall and Jack Nicholson's characters, riding round and round the deserted corridors of the Overlook Hotel.

Movie Review Haiku

2008-09-02T09:47:00.001-04:00

Rosemary's Baby

A thinking man's scare
Falling in love with Mia
Makes the spiral ache

**** Stars (out of 5)

Heath on CBS 2, "The Desert's News Station"

2008-08-28T15:26:00.004-04:00

click

Into the desert...

2008-08-18T11:17:00.000-04:00

A bunch of days back I got the news that my new film He's My Dad would be showing at the Palm Springs Shortfest and Film Market. I found myself faced with a wonderful calamity, and a decision about how to achieve the improbable.

A gut check, if you will, on my commitment to Sparkle Motion.

Elvis partied there, I knew. So did Kirk Douglas and Bob Hope.

And so, I found six Angels, and I helped them to help me.

Now I go to hustle film in the desert, a barren land of cocaine and desperation, of parasites with bruised egos overcompensated for.
A place where it's shady everywhere but where you need it to be.

I am very pleased, and in life-debt to the six.

Here's this week's Weather Forecast.

Wish me godspeed...

Tuesdays with Gollum

2008-07-29T10:58:00.003-04:00

I live above a star that does not burn.
I have eleven neighbors that do not turn.
I have four initials.

Do you know the answer?

(with a nod to Johnny Cam)

Fool me once...

2008-07-15T09:38:00.000-04:00

Um, no. He won't.

When we cannot even trust the words of a man who favors wearing a feather boa, who can we trust?
This world must be dying.

To cheer yourself up with direction from the Vatican, go HERE.

A Predator/Senate Update!

2008-07-09T11:09:00.003-04:00

Yes. It's come to this. A Predator/Senate update.
Sigh. I really had to force myself to write this, but --

Jessie Ventura, "Blain" in 1984's "Predator", is following the lead of Sonny Landham, "Billy" in 1984's "Predator", into the "leader of men" foray. Again.

"The Body" will be challenging incumbent Norm Coleman and tenderfoot Al Franken for the Minnesota Senate seat.

Why Jessie?

"All you Minnesotans take a good hard look at all three of us. And you decide: if you were in a dark alley which one of the three of us would you want with you?"

Hard to argue with the man, as Al Franken would probably belittle your attacker in aforementioned Dark Alley, making the situation much more dangerous for you.
And Norm Coleman would side with the attacker as a matter of Political Principle, offering up all your fears and secrets for a piece of your pie.

Who will be next?

Man, I like where we are heading!

2008-07-03T15:59:00.004-04:00

It's a question I'd long been asking myself: who else from the movie Predator can we get to legislate in Washington? I've simply never been satisfied with only two cast mates.

Now, finally, an answer.

Sonny Landham joins Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jessie Ventura in the very difficult transition from feared killer without feelings to Washington Politician. Landham is looking to be the Libertarian challenger to Republican Senate Minority Leader and lothario Mitch McConnell in Kentucky's 2008 Senate Race.

Sonny has been an iconic tough-guy, carving out a niche as the much feared "mysterious and dangerous Indian Guy" in classic 80's blockbusters Predator (as "Billy") and 48 Hours (as "Billy Bear").
He also starred in 1996's Billy Lone Bear, as Billy.
And played Sheriff Billy in an episode of Hardcastle and McCormick.

But sensing a dearth in Washington of former porn-stars who have served time in a federal prison, Landham feels that now is his time to shine brightly again. Sonny is looking to drive (now Pilot) his own Straight Talk Express, saying "PC is BS. Say what you mean, mean what you say."

Sonny needs just 5000 signatures to get his name on the ballot. You can find the petition here.
Of course, please be sure to fill out the petition in strict accordance with Kentucky Law.

Good luck, Sonny!

trivium -

Landham's character was not named Billy in 1975's The Passions of Carol, a hard-core pornography re-telling of Charles Dickens's classic "A Christmas Carol", staring Mary Stewart as "Carol Scrooge" and Arturo Millhouse as "The Ghost of Christmas Past".

Will New Wonder Drug destroy Hollywood?

2008-06-30T09:44:00.004-04:00

This week, news broke that scientists at Zurich University in Switzerland found that a hormone that occurs naturally in a woman's body during pregnancy and sex - if marketed correctly -- could solve a myriad of our problems, including shyness.

"Oxytocin" is the key birthing hormone that enables the cervix to open and contractions to work, is released when mothers bond with their newborns, and is released during orgasm.

How would this effect Hollywood? Perhaps shockingly.

It can be argued that what makes one Actor succeed where another fails is exactly that: shyness, or lack there of.

When this "lack of shyness", or "ballsy-ness", occurs naturally - say in the person of a Vince Vaughn, a Sacha Cohen, or a Kristen Wiig - it can bring forth wonderful moments of creative expression in the visual arts. If we were to put that power in the hands of lab-coat wearing, oily-haired men, would that not affect the entire theatrical landscape in a very "left brain" way?

An "oxytocin spray" has also been successfully trialed at the University of New South Wales.

As I think about the future of Entertainment, this is the kind of thing that worries me.

(it's also being developed as a benign form of tear gas, quelling uneasy feelings among people, groups of demonstrators, etc... - I found that to be less important, so I saved it for the end)

2008-06-19T09:37:00.001-04:00

Anyone who knows me well -- and there are now over four of you out there! -- know I love a good T-Shirt. If it were up to me -- and Lord knows I'm working on it -- T-Shirts would be de rigueur for every occasion, funeral to bris.

Here's a set I heartily recommend for your next bris...

The "Teach the Controversy" set

link

Very Old Seed

2008-06-13T13:02:00.001-04:00

A 2,000 year old seed -- found in Masada -- has grown...

The Date Palm seed, recovered from the famous site of the First Jewish-Roman War, has been radiocarbon dated to somewhere around 205 AD. That's kind of a big deal...

More on the oldest seed ever grown HERE.

More on MASADA, starring Peter O'Toole as "General Cornelius Flavius Silva", HERE.

Monastic Retreat

2008-05-28T11:03:00.000-04:00

Things I will be visiting on my 10 day monastic retreat to Seattle, Washington:

Seattle Museum of Mysteries

Archie McPhee's Market

Olympic National Park

Science Fiction Museum

I'll bring you back a magnet...

Movie Review Haiku

2008-05-19T16:13:00.002-04:00

The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford

Glacial Art-Western
Fame, jealousy and tension
Lavish visuals

**** Stars (out of 5)

Movie Review Haiku

2008-05-12T10:15:00.001-04:00

Lars and the Real Girl

Unexpectedly
moving tale of connections
or the lack thereof.

**** Stars (out of 5)

What if...

2008-05-07T12:42:00.000-04:00

Hellboy was drawn by Matt Groening...

Watchmen was drawn by Charles Schulz...

Why not follow this all up with a poem...

Yikes!!

2008-04-28T13:39:00.000-04:00

I love horror. Truly, I do. As someone who experiences very graphic nightmares, I appreciate the visceral quality of Joshua Hoffine's work:

Click on the above for some of his work -- I really like "Basement".

The Art of the Title Sequence

2008-04-17T14:04:00.001-04:00

Few things make me happier than those first moments sitting in a darkening theater, willing the world to melt away...

HERE is a fantastic place that shares that love, bringing back watchable memories for you and I:

click

It's nice to see the Deadwood opening again, if only for a moment...

Happy 50th Birthday!

2008-04-04T12:58:00.000-04:00

Happy 50th Birthday, Peace Symbol!

50 Years Ago Gerald Holtom designed the above symbol.
17 Years Ago I was the only graduate of my High School to have this symbol on my Gold Ring. It did not imbue me with the instant popularity I was looking for...

Click on the above for "This week in Peace History..."

Movie Review Haiku

2008-04-01T13:37:00.001-04:00

Southland Tales

First 80 minutes
A work of total genius
Last third, hasty mess

Rating: incomplete (there MUST be a better cut of this)

Movie Review Haiku

2008-03-24T08:42:00.001-04:00

Michael Clayton

Excellent Acting
Clooney's smile v. Swinton's guile
Satisfying stuff.

***3/4 Stars (out of 5)

Gone back to Space...

2008-03-19T09:29:00.000-04:00

Arthur C. Clarke has left the planet.

Quotes:

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases: 1- It's completely impossible. 2- It's possible, but it's not worth doing. 3- I said it was a good idea all along.

I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical.

Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering.

We have to abandon the idea that schooling is something restricted to youth. How can it be, in a world where half the things a man knows at 20 are no longer true at 40 - and half the things he knows at 40 hadn't been discovered when he was 20?

The world's now cold, featureless, and culturally dead; nothing really new has been created since the Overlords came...
there's nothing left to struggle for, and there are too many distractions and entertainments.
-- Arthur C. Clarke, "Childhood's End"

Movie Review Haiku

2008-03-10T10:27:00.001-04:00

Lust, Caution

Ang Lee's Spy movie

Sexually explicit
Pretty riveting.

***1/2 Stars (out of 5)

Who's Watching The Watchmen?

2008-03-06T08:59:00.000-05:00

If you don't know about WATCHMEN, you soon will. Widely known as the greatest graphic novel ever written, Alan Moore's WATCHMEN has been turned into a film by Zach Snyder, he of "300" and "Dawn of the Dead" remake-fame...

Very widely anticipated by geeks and nerds everywhere, cast photos have now been posted on the movie's SITE.

The Comedian

Click here for more...

2008-02-27T08:34:00.002-05:00

"Because it's my birthday... and I wants it."
-- Smeagol

IF TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY

February 27, 2008 -- Your fate is in your hands and anyone who tells you otherwise is not to be trusted. Despite what some might say life is not a meaningless jumble of unrelated events - there is a purpose and a plan to everything that happens. If you can find that purpose and join with it there are no limits to what you can do.

You know, for kids!

2008-02-25T10:28:00.003-05:00

It's okay. We'll all just head to the Arctic.

Not that anything's going to happen, mind you, but it's real nice that we're taking precautions...

Tomorrow is the unveiling of The Doomsday Vault. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault - secured behind an airlock door - will hold 4.5 million batches of seeds. All the planet's main food crops. You know - should something happen to our stuff.

If only we'd come up with a Bee-Vault...

I'm actually a huge fan of brussels sprouts, and welcome any apocalypse that will force this unheralded food into the spotlight.

Click on the rendering of the "homey", nuclear blast-resistant bunker for the story.

Movie Review Haiku

2008-02-21T09:20:00.002-05:00

The Ninth Configuration

Fascinating mess
Theological treatise
Existence of God?

**1/2 Stars (out of 5)

Pitchers and Catchers and Strength Coaches (Oh My!)

2008-02-20T08:49:00.007-05:00

The above is the cover of this month's Sports Illustrated:

Johan Santana has yet to throw a pitch for the Mets, but his arrival in camp has lifted the gloom from last season's historic collapse and given New York a reason to believe again.

It has been a long winter. As a NY Mets and NY Jets fan, life has been dull. Soporific. There has been a void. What kind of void? An empty void (Love and Death).
But wait! What's this?! A glimmer of hope?
Surely I'm not setting myself up to be disappointed again!?

The season is coming. The season is coming.

The four page article, here.

The Sabbath

2008-02-16T11:09:00.002-05:00

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death's construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds.

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to poor.

Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait 'til their judgement day comes.

Now in darkness world stops turning
Ashes where the bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling
On their knees the war pig's crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan laughing spreads his wings.
-- War Pigs, Black Sabbath

relevant.

Friday PostiALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD

2008-02-15T09:36:00.002-05:00

click me

Do you know where this character is from?
If you do, I'll send you a check for fifteeALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD.

Movie Review Haiku

2008-02-08T16:21:00.000-05:00

Sunshine

High Solar Tension
Within Kubrickian Space
When Sunny Gets Blue

**** stars (out of 5)

Cheaters and Liars.

2008-02-04T09:05:00.000-05:00

Today's Lesson:
Cheaters and Liars don't always win...

Perhaps someone is watching over us...

The February Classic

2008-02-01T07:43:00.000-05:00

Each February, a sacred rite of passage is held.
It's where all the hard work pays off, the victors drink the blood of their enemies, and the pretenders are left wailing in misery.

It's PUPPY BOWL IV.

Click HERE for this year's starting line-ups.

Last year's contest was brutal, in-your-face action. This year, I expect similar "never say die" attitudes from the combatants.
Just look into the eyes of a previous warrior, Domino.

His furious intensity is what this contest is all about.

This year I have big money on "Bailey", a Cavanese with the heart of a Champion. Don't count out "Finnigan", though. Although both their play can be neutralized by the dirty play of "Kodiak". He's a real bastard...

Anything an happen.

Half-Time. Super-Bowl. Animal Planet. Be there to witness history.

The 2nd Most Talented Johan (behind Bach)

2008-01-29T16:41:00.000-05:00

Mets Rotation for 2008:

Johan Santana
Pedro Martinez
Oliver Perez
John Maine
El Duque

Meet the Mets, meet the Mets,
Step right up and greet the Mets.
Bring your kiddies, bring your wife,
Guaranteed to have the time of your life.
Because the Mets are really sockin' the ball,
Knockin' those home runs over the wall.
East side, West side, everybody's coming down,
To meet the M-E-T-S Mets, of New York town.

Sir Barack, Brave Knight?

2008-01-28T09:49:00.000-05:00

'Twas a big weekend for the "forces of Hope". Say what you will about Presidential Candidate Barack Obama -- he gets people out there VOTING. His totals from South Carolina were more than his Republican opponents' totals combined.

Here are this week's newest endorsements of Obama's brand of optimism:

Patrick Kennedy (D - R.I.) and Ted Kennedy's (D - Mass.) endorsement.

and

"A President Like My Father", by Caroline Kennedy.

For this candidate's positions on the issues, jump HERE.

Thursdays with Alan...

2008-01-24T11:14:00.000-05:00

“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself.”

Show Must Go On?

2008-01-22T12:14:00.000-05:00

Maybe not --
Head over to United Hollywood for Writer's Strike updates...

For Best Actor, this year I was able to see Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" and Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises".
Both outstanding.
Bowling-pin wielding "Daniel Plainview" versus naked, knife wielding "Nikolai".
A good matchup.
For all the nominations, jump HERE.

The Coolest Album You've Never Heard

2008-01-17T10:12:00.000-05:00

It is rare that something new is unearthed for me -- enter "Talk Talk" and Spirit Of Eden. This is one of the most moving albums I've ever listened to -- again and again (as I work on my latest Project, "Harmony Gates"). It has been my muse.

Talk Talk began in 1981 as a synth-pop band (not my style). They were best known for the hit "It's My Life" (later reborn by No Doubt). Then in 1988, Talk Talk released Spirit Of Eden. It was totally different then anything they'd done before, and it was a commercial disaster, effectively ending their mass popularity.
Spirit Of Eden was recorded in darkness. It's improvisations fuse Jazz, Rock, Classical, and Ambient Soundscapes. It is an intensely spiritual work, and is alternately tranquil and rousing, evocative and unsettling.
Mark Feltham's "fusion harmonica" work is astounding.

5 out of 5.

Nature's son
Don't you know how life goes on
Desperately befriending the crowd
To incessantly drive on
Dress in gold's surrendering gown
Heaven bless you in your calm
My gentle friend
Heaven bless you

The Folly of Feeling Human

2008-01-10T13:26:00.000-05:00

"Man - full of emptiness and torn apart with homesickness for the desert, who because of a lack of external enemies and opposition was forced into an oppressive narrowness and regularity of custom - impatiently tore himself apart, persecuted himself, gnawed away at himself, grew upset, and did himself damage - this animal which scraped itself raw against the bars of its cage, which people want to "tame", this impoverished creature, consumed with longing for the wild, had to create in itself an adventure, a torture chamber, an uncertain and dangerous wilderness - this fool, this yearning and puzzled prisoner, was the inventor of "bad conscience". With him was introduced the greatest and weirdest illness, from which human beings up to the present time have not recovered - the suffering of man from his humanness, from himself..."
- Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals

2008-01-07T10:38:00.000-05:00

PISCES [Feb. 19–March 20]
"I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man's," wrote visionary poet William Blake. I suggest you write out that quote and keep it in plain sight throughout 2008. The coming months will be prime time for you to design a highly organized, richly disciplined approach to living the life you want to live, and doing it with such rigor and vigor that you will never again have to be controlled by or pay constant homage to someone else's life plan.

-- my Horoscope via The Village Voice

Movie Review Haiku

2008-01-05T13:06:00.000-05:00

ANGEL-A

Love and redemption
per super-model Angel
heavenly Paris

***3/4 Stars (out of 5)

Click the photo for the sublime Trailer.

Movie Review Haiku

2008-01-02T08:54:00.000-05:00

No Country For Old Men

The anti-western
Bleak and allegorical
Filtered through two Jews.

**** Stars (out of 5)

2007-12-31T19:09:00.000-05:00

2007-12-23T09:31:00.000-05:00

I defy you to be grouchy when faced with...

2007-12-18T22:37:00.000-05:00

two of these fearsome creatures wrestling....

Click the photo for sugary sweetness.

Good Deed, Good Vocabulary.

2007-12-17T08:28:00.000-05:00

Go here.
Get smarter.
Feed hungry people.
'nuff said.

www.freerice.com

(credit to Dana and NPR)

Movie Review Haiku: Rescue Dawn

2007-12-11T15:14:00.000-05:00

Rescue Dawn

No schadenfreude here
A Herzog escape drama
Propelled by Method

***1/2 Stars (out of 5)

Back tonight, and maybe for more...

2007-12-10T12:05:00.000-05:00

Led Zeppelin is hands-down my favorite all time band. For me, nothing comes close.
They are back tonight in London.

My favorite song is "The Rover", off of Physical Graffiti.

What's your favorite Band, and favorite song?

New Project...

2007-12-07T10:19:00.000-05:00

Stay tuned.

There's no mistletoe, but...

2007-12-04T10:32:00.000-05:00

Judah Hasmonean, later named Maccabee, or "Hammer", led a resistance against the Greeks in 167 BCE. Antiochus Epiphanes, the Greco-Syrian King, forbade the Jews from practicing their religion, placed a statue of Zeus in the Jews' holiest Temple, and massacred them on a daily basis. Judah formed a small band of fighters - The Maccabees - and after three years of fighting, they overthrew the Greeks, reclaiming the Temple.

So, here is a recipe for Latkes:

Makes approximately 12 palm-sized latkes

4 medium potatoes
1 medium onion
2 eggs
3/4 cup matzah meal (flour or bread crumbs can be substituted)
salt and black pepper to taste
vegetable oil

Shred the potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Press out all excess liquid.(if using a food processor, use the chopping blade for 2 or 3 seconds after pressing out liquid to avoid stringy fly-aways). Add eggs and mix well. Add matzah meal gradually while mixing until the batter is doughy, not too dry. (you may not need the whole amount, depending on how well you drained the veggies). Add a few dashes of salt and black pepper. (don't taste the batter -- it's really gross!). Don't worry if the batter turns a little orange; that will go away when it fries.

Heat about 1/2 inch of oil to medium-high heat. Form the batter into thin patties about the size of your palm. Fry batter in oil. Be patient: this takes time, and too much flipping will burn the outside without cooking the inside. Flip when the bottom is golden brown.

Place finished latkes on paper towels to drain. Eat hot with sour cream or applesauce.

Happy Hanukkah!

Movie Review Haiku : "Brick"

2007-11-29T14:08:00.000-05:00

Brick

High School murder-yarn
Super-serious film noir
Turns the genre out

**** Stars (out of 5)

2007-11-21T15:47:00.000-05:00

PISCES [Feb. 19–March 20]
"You owe it to us all to get on with what you're good at," said poet W.H. Auden. Make that your motto in the coming weeks, Pisces. Your motivation for doing the useful work you love to do shouldn't come from you alone. We, the rest of the world, want to be there inside you so that we can root you on and encourage you to give us your very best gifts. Tap into and refine and explore your talents for your own sake, yes—but do it for us, too.

-- my Horoscope via The Village Voice

Pay the Writer!

2007-11-15T12:19:00.000-05:00

Harlan Ellison, Science Fiction writer (original writer for The Outer Limits and Star Trek), has always been outspoken. Before becoming a "paid" writer, he held jobs as, by his account: "tuna fisherman, itinerant crop-picker, hired gun for a wealthy neurotic, dynamite truck driver, short order cook, cab driver, book salesman, floorwalker in a department store, and door to door brush salesman".
Some aspects of the story for The Terminator were sufficiently similar to two episodes ("Soldier" and "Demon with a Glass Hand") of the TV series The Outer Limits — both written by Ellison — that Ellison sued James Cameron. Ellison settled for several hundred thousand dollars, and the film's credits now include the simple statement: "Acknowledgment to the works of Harlan Ellison."
He is a fascinating man, and so --

Click on his photo above for his short rant on why writers should be paid, which includes the charming line "I don't take a piss without getting paid for it..."