The Man Who Stole Ewan McGregor's Charisma ... and that makes Jimmy Smits the new... Billy Dee Williams? TWOFER NOT MO BETTER Although he gets a big piece of it wrong, Tierney's column last Monday in the TIMES cites SKL's book on the web page. While we're linking to Tierney, I can understand why the NYT wants to replace Safire with a convserative voice, but why TWO conservatives voices (ex-urbanist David Brooks?) Doesn't he already have a swelled head? CLICK. HERE. NOW. Huge list of bootleg sites. QUOTE OF THE WEEK Larry McCurtry in the … [Read more...]

LINGWEENIES ARE THE NEW PANSY HAWKS Merriam-Webster's Top Ten Faux Words GOOD FIT Richard Linklater signs to produce Fast Food Nation... … [Read more...]

This is a good example of a strong film nearly bleached out by its precious New Age score. It's worth seeing, but the neat script tidys things up perhaps too much, and it casts a shadow of self-importance offset by Cheadle's mournful expression. Can a critic complain about a literate script that doesn't quite live up to its ambitions? If were an arts editor I'd have my music writer dive into the two scenes where pop music surfaces as a theme that goes beyond racial taste. The opening car-jack sequence has Ludacris decry rap as "the white man's … [Read more...]

"Who didn't flush the toilet...?" "Upstairs or downstairs?" "Why don't we flush the sky?! THE SOUND OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TUMBLING INTO THE SEA Directory of mp3 Sites WHICH QUICKLY LED ME TO This mp3 blog roundtable on the redoubtable etc... (more roundtables)... … [Read more...]

From David Corn in Huffington: ...Yes, we all know how much McClellan and the White House are addicted to truth and honesty--especially when it comes to the war on terrorism. Seems to me that with a few slight amendments McClellan's remark might also apply to another institution that got an even bigger story wrong: "It's puzzling that while Bush and the White House now acknowledge that they got the facts wrong, they refused to retract the war. I think there's a certain presidential standard that should be met and in this instance it was … [Read more...]

"Making sure nobody walks in LA," Jiffy Lube, Santa Monica WHO KNEW? Los Angeles supports TWO classical radio stations: KUSC and KING ... AND NOW, THIS About time... … [Read more...]

Caught Thom Anderson's sprawling LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF with a full house last night at the restored Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, and while I admired its slew of ideas, and the wicked dry narration (Encke King), it's too long by at least half and the organization is a mess. The clips are choice and daring, but it lacks a STRONG, cohesive point of view. … [Read more...]

"Just think, you could be governor someday..." Gold's Gym, Pasadena … [Read more...]

S F/J says it better than I'm inspired to. Ghost of Tom Joad Part DEUX (with a bullet). NEBRASKA works better as metaphorical Bush critique than the title song. Although, word from California is that star-studded shows are stunning, including solo piano "Incident on 57th Street"… 2005 LIST (IN PROGRESS) Neko Case, TIGER HAS SPOKEN (Anti-) Petra Haden, THE WHO SELL OUT (Bar-None) Ivy, IN THE CLEAR (Nettwerk) REISSUES Doug Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet, COMPLETE MERCURY RECORDINGS (Hip-O Select), Toots and the Maytals, TOOTS IN MEMPHIS … [Read more...]

Hedy Lamarr (Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler), b. Vienna, 1913 "… And so she came west, perhaps as beautiful as any woman ever filmed, but nearly stunned by all the things being said about her, and by her extensive limits as an actress." — from David Thomson's BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF FILM (third edition), p. 414. … [Read more...]