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Five Things Before Bed
May. 30th, 2010 12:45 am1. There's a rather cool article in Watcher Junior about how women are drawn in comics. Well at least it looks cool - I can't figure out how to read it on my computer without losing my eyesight. Tried to make larger and it backfired on me. Anyhow here's the link, in case you can do it:
http://www.watcherjunior.tv/05/schumacher.php
What it reminds me of is an experience I related to my Aunts last weekend, somewhat drunkenly, while staring at the Manhattan skyline scrolling past us at night. ( Read more... )
2. Re-watched the ending of LOST again tonight, but skipped the self-congratulatory and fawning after-show on Jimmy Kimmel Live. (Those things make me cringe with embarrassment.) Anyhow, what I realized is the final does actually work within the framework of the series and it's narrative structure.
( Lost spoilers )
3. Saw Iron Man today - was quite fun. Highly recommend. Loved the actors, the story, the romance and the characters. In some respects - I prefer it to the first one. It gave us a bit more depth on everyone involved. Also Don Cheadle was in some respects more interesting than Terrance Howard. And a better fit. Like Downey, Cheadle is a small man, not someone you think of as being powerful - and that is part of the point of the story.
Iron Man - is basically Marvel's somewhat snarky and ironic take on DC's Batman. I prefer Iron Man in some respects - because he's more realistic, and less romanticized. Also he has a female sidekick. Marvel was also a little less sexist in its depictions of female characters than DC in my opinion. Captain America is Marvel's snarky take on Superman.
Loved Downy Jr. I could watch that guy read a phone book. He's good in just about everything. Hard to do. He comes across as insanely bright in both this film and Sherlock Holmes. Laughed a lot in this film. And the violence was actually not as graphic or prevalent as in the first one.
I did have an embarrassing geek moment after the credits - in which I had to explain, somewhat awkwardly to my friends (who have not read the comics) - what the last scene meant and what it was in reference to.
4. Finished Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking -which is rather amusing and accurate take on what it is like to be mentally ill and have undergone ECT (electro-shock therapy). After seeing Next to Normal - which also deals with these topics - I found it truly interesting. Fisher has a snarky, self-deprecating wit - that I suspect keeps her sane. Or as sane as possible. In her book - she states a bit of useful advice, worth jotting down here - "Resentment is poison that you drink yourself while waiting for another to suffer or die from it." She also sheds a bright light on what it is like to grow up famous, the child of famous and iconic parents, and in a world where everyone cares what you ate for breakfast. Her novel is at times a rather interesting critique of our at times narcisstic celebrity obsessions and devotions. And the price those who are the objects of our devotions pay for it. Raising the question - should those who are successful artists - actors, writers, musicians, entertainers, and athelets - be at the mercy of their devoted fans worship? To what degree do we harm others by our own obsession with them? To what degree does the relationship become co-dependent?
5. Currently reading Terry Gross's All I Did WAS ASK" - a book that reproduces her interviews with accomplished writers, artists, actors, and musicians from her program Fresh Air. I'm in an odd mood -reading wise. I want dialogue, not description, but not dialogue from a play. I want to hear the voice of the writer, the I narrative. To be taken out of my own head. And I don't want violence or the idea of violence. Which is dicey - I looked at my bookshelf and most of my books have violence in them or the threat of it.
Today overall though? Lovely. Had lunch at Pigalle - a french restaurant off of 48th and 8th Avenue near Times Square with pals CW and G. On the way there - passed a store devoted entirely to M&M paraphernila. I kid you not. It was two floors of nothing but cups, buttons, t-shirts, sweats, plastic characters and chocolates that were M&M's. At the center - had M&M character statues. Outside a huge M&M character hanging on the side of the building, and a tv screen with their commercial at the top. I was blown away by the sheer audacity of the thing. And not to be outdone? Across the street was the Hershey Store - which took two floors and was huge as well.
Two floors of items devoted to Hershey Chocolates.
At lunch spoke with G, who'd returned from three years of teaching children in a remote village off of Lake Victoria in Tanzania, Africa. She's started a foundation for the children there. And is hunting a job. She's still a bit overwhelmed by the media overload. A bit of a culture shock going from a world with 0 electricity, no cell phones, no computers, no tvs or movies. She had something out there - because she watched DVD's people sent her, and read books they sent. There were no book stores or libraries. She said NY blew her mind. CW seems to think California is more open-minded than NYC. I had to laugh. People are more or less the same where-ever you go, I've discovered. Although we don't like to believe this. We drug poor G, who'd have rather seen Sex in the City, to Iron Man afterwards.
http://www.watcherjunior.tv/05/schumacher.php
What it reminds me of is an experience I related to my Aunts last weekend, somewhat drunkenly, while staring at the Manhattan skyline scrolling past us at night. ( Read more... )
2. Re-watched the ending of LOST again tonight, but skipped the self-congratulatory and fawning after-show on Jimmy Kimmel Live. (Those things make me cringe with embarrassment.) Anyhow, what I realized is the final does actually work within the framework of the series and it's narrative structure.
( Lost spoilers )
3. Saw Iron Man today - was quite fun. Highly recommend. Loved the actors, the story, the romance and the characters. In some respects - I prefer it to the first one. It gave us a bit more depth on everyone involved. Also Don Cheadle was in some respects more interesting than Terrance Howard. And a better fit. Like Downey, Cheadle is a small man, not someone you think of as being powerful - and that is part of the point of the story.
Iron Man - is basically Marvel's somewhat snarky and ironic take on DC's Batman. I prefer Iron Man in some respects - because he's more realistic, and less romanticized. Also he has a female sidekick. Marvel was also a little less sexist in its depictions of female characters than DC in my opinion. Captain America is Marvel's snarky take on Superman.
Loved Downy Jr. I could watch that guy read a phone book. He's good in just about everything. Hard to do. He comes across as insanely bright in both this film and Sherlock Holmes. Laughed a lot in this film. And the violence was actually not as graphic or prevalent as in the first one.
I did have an embarrassing geek moment after the credits - in which I had to explain, somewhat awkwardly to my friends (who have not read the comics) - what the last scene meant and what it was in reference to.
4. Finished Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking -which is rather amusing and accurate take on what it is like to be mentally ill and have undergone ECT (electro-shock therapy). After seeing Next to Normal - which also deals with these topics - I found it truly interesting. Fisher has a snarky, self-deprecating wit - that I suspect keeps her sane. Or as sane as possible. In her book - she states a bit of useful advice, worth jotting down here - "Resentment is poison that you drink yourself while waiting for another to suffer or die from it." She also sheds a bright light on what it is like to grow up famous, the child of famous and iconic parents, and in a world where everyone cares what you ate for breakfast. Her novel is at times a rather interesting critique of our at times narcisstic celebrity obsessions and devotions. And the price those who are the objects of our devotions pay for it. Raising the question - should those who are successful artists - actors, writers, musicians, entertainers, and athelets - be at the mercy of their devoted fans worship? To what degree do we harm others by our own obsession with them? To what degree does the relationship become co-dependent?
5. Currently reading Terry Gross's All I Did WAS ASK" - a book that reproduces her interviews with accomplished writers, artists, actors, and musicians from her program Fresh Air. I'm in an odd mood -reading wise. I want dialogue, not description, but not dialogue from a play. I want to hear the voice of the writer, the I narrative. To be taken out of my own head. And I don't want violence or the idea of violence. Which is dicey - I looked at my bookshelf and most of my books have violence in them or the threat of it.
Today overall though? Lovely. Had lunch at Pigalle - a french restaurant off of 48th and 8th Avenue near Times Square with pals CW and G. On the way there - passed a store devoted entirely to M&M paraphernila. I kid you not. It was two floors of nothing but cups, buttons, t-shirts, sweats, plastic characters and chocolates that were M&M's. At the center - had M&M character statues. Outside a huge M&M character hanging on the side of the building, and a tv screen with their commercial at the top. I was blown away by the sheer audacity of the thing. And not to be outdone? Across the street was the Hershey Store - which took two floors and was huge as well.
Two floors of items devoted to Hershey Chocolates.
At lunch spoke with G, who'd returned from three years of teaching children in a remote village off of Lake Victoria in Tanzania, Africa. She's started a foundation for the children there. And is hunting a job. She's still a bit overwhelmed by the media overload. A bit of a culture shock going from a world with 0 electricity, no cell phones, no computers, no tvs or movies. She had something out there - because she watched DVD's people sent her, and read books they sent. There were no book stores or libraries. She said NY blew her mind. CW seems to think California is more open-minded than NYC. I had to laugh. People are more or less the same where-ever you go, I've discovered. Although we don't like to believe this. We drug poor G, who'd have rather seen Sex in the City, to Iron Man afterwards.
