December 2006 Archives

COLD SWEAT

Idolator lists Jonathan Lethem's Rolling Stone profile, Ben Greenman's New Yorker overview, and Douglas Wolk's WFMU 2001 playlist (somebody BURN this). Alongside Jon Pareles's big statement, I'd put Phillip Gourevitch NY unposted profile from a couple years back. Besides Milo Miles at rock.com (also unavailable), the best stuff on this human comet. Christgau's all-time list springs to mind: JB, Hendrix, Beatles.... still persuasive.

SNAPPY HEADLINE

Paper Thin Walls, with links to Douglas Wolk's 2006 double-disc mix.

Rosenbaum in the NY Observer:

Holocaust denial is a particularly insidious evil. It was almost painful to read The Times’ earnest struggle to report on the Iranian Holocaust-deniers’ conference in anticipation of its opening on Dec. 11. It will be fascinating to see how the rest of the media reports on this conference of “scholars” whose distinguished keynote speaker is David Duke, whose previous scholarly career has included a stint as a Ku Klux Klan leader... ( more)

PHOTO OF THE MONTH



[see also Burt Lancaster and Jeanne Moreau in The Train (1964).

SITE OF THE WEEK

indexed

LEAD OF THE WEEK



SENTENCE OF THE WEEK



PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Is it a coincidence that two of the best dramas on TV are savage critiques of medical culture? ER thrives in its 13nth season, even if it errs on the side of cheap laughs, disaster blowouts and sentimentality. Besides taking the most prized advertising eyeballs to Africa, it boasts complicated, sometimes unsympathetic gay characters, and larger social problems writ human-scale in the faces of a vastly talented pool of character actors. Added bonus: its kids are always superbly directed, believable. Risky move: Archie's Redemption.

Teetering between character tutorial and comedy, House has a far trickier agenda. Hugh Laurie has turned this guy into a gruff-yet-unloveable monster, who stands in for The Man. But wait, there's more: in his demonic romance with science and emotionally ingrown toenail, he also represents the medical profession as a whole. This season's addiction jack-pot story arc with David Morse features fraying codes of loyalty among doctors, friends, bosses, subordinates, ethnic stripes, and dwarfs. Care to go for a spin?

PS: If it's NOT a coincidence, what does that mean?

NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE

Anyone else toss their NYTimes across the room twice in one week when Rummy was prominently displayed above the fold? First he threw out a ceremonial football at the Army-Navy game. Then he held his hand to his chest, all choked up, saying bye to the Pentagon staff. Can you imagine the outrage if they put Murtha above the fold twice? Did Colin Powell get splashed across the front page twice in the month after he was forced out? If last month's elections are any indication, a majority of voters all are Rummy-ied out. Is there any plausible defense for such photos as news? As the most dramatic, telling and significant pictures from anywhere in the world? Are we supposed to feel sorry for this sad sack and his all-knowing farewell memo? Must the Times keep embarrassing itself?

BUSH GIVES BELLIGERENCE A BAD NAME

[head, no quip]

THE OPPOSITE OF ELITISM

Best thing about this time of year? Lists.

CHRISTGAU COMEBACK

The Dean dances to Mr. Bill's tune. (Music up: Richard Thompson's "We're All Working for the Pharoah.")

(Boston) Several giant supersquids are on track to hit Boston harbor this coming Monday, December 11, in honor of a terrestrial pagan ritual. The scientific names given these sprawling herbivores, who swam all the way from Scotland, include Fats, Wills, Buddy, and Graham. Go to this web page for a live feed, sightings occur around 12:45 pm, and are then archived. Some restrictions apply.

So, if you had to guess based on last night's show, is Aaron Sorkin Protestant or Jewish? SKL says Protestant, since Jews already know all that abstruse Christian arcanae. (Matthew Perry sure ain't Jewish.) SKL thinks the problem is direction, too many overplayed expressions, telegraphed emotions, they need to learn how to throw away their lines. I say it's in the script, a good example of how terrific performers try to prop up weak material... looks worse because it exposes the poor writing rather than props it up. Would somebody please shut down Ed Asner?

Another barometer of the press losing its head under Bush came when Justice Sandra Day O'Connor stepped down last year. The NYTimes lauded her as an essential centrist, a fine judicial mind who balanced her opinions and offset in Scalia and Thomas. At 75, few mentioned her reasons for her retirement or its timing. Now she comes back into view as a member of the Iraq Study Group. So you have to wonder: why DID she step down? Rumors were that her husband was ailing. But how come she signed right up for this high-profile committee? This looks more and more like a political move from one of the court's most sainted non-political figures... with her replacement John Roberts kicked up to Chief Justice for good measure. Where's the article that puts it plainly: O'Connor answered some political call to let Bush pack the court. She's no centrist. She's never been forced to answer a simple enough question like "Explain your vote on Gore v. Bush in 2000." And she's never answered her reasons for leaving, given that she's perfectly happy to sit in with James Baker's band.