What MJ's Death Teaches Us/ R.I.P. Mike

Look, I don't pretend to really know Micheal Jackson, but being a 30-year-old whose earliest musical memories were saturated with his glittery gloves and moonwalk and mega hits, it does feel some kind of way to have an icon this big gone.

I don't know what plagued Mike. I don't know why he chose to live his life as he did. As a result, I can't really speak with any type of authority on his motivations. I do feel safe, however, in saying that he seemed to be plagued by what our Judeo-Christian society usually identifies as "demons." Hell, his life certainly looked painful and lonely from the outside. All I can do is say "skip it" (edited for the children) and prance through this trying life with a beatific smile on my face just because. If I look like Charlie during the denouement of Flowers for Algernon, so be it. I'm not letting this world drive me to an early grave.

So what am I saying? I know my message-y post screams incoherent through the six pack of eisbocks I'm drinking. Well, I suppose I'm saying a little selfishness isn't so bad all the time. And I suppose that if you're a cross-dressing fella with a penchant for shiny black Louboutins, you shouldn't be ashamed of that. I'm a heathen. I don't believe in reboots, reincarnation or heavenly rewards. Enjoy what you can now cuz living for other folks won't make you any happier; it'll just give you a heart attack and allow people you probably don't like to spout some comforting lies at your funeral.

Now, to my musical appreciation. Some of Mike's finest moments. (And yes, I did buy the Invincible album; i got the orange cover, so there! I'm a bigger fan than you.)

"I Can't Help It"


"Baby Be Mine" -- My favorite song by him ever!


"Butterflies"


"Man in the Mirror" Monica and I wrote a parody of this in 5th grade.


"Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" The fam and I used to dance like hell to this 12" in the crib.


"Big Boy" The beginning.

Back in the Saddle Again

A quick update on my summer movie viewing and return to sewing

See It
Drag Me to Hell
Star Trek
Tyson

Eh
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Terminator Salvation

Don't Bother
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Next Up
The Limits of Control (Isaach De Bankole is back!)
Up
The Hangover
Public Enemies
Land of the Lost
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Also, The Deadliest Warrior provides some serious entertainment. This show pits historical bad-assess against each other and simulates battles in order to determine who'd be victorious. The season's over, but that means you have plenty of time to catch up. Sure, the simulations will probably upset you at times (I'm still mad that the ninja fell to the Spartan and the Yakuza to the Mafia), but the concept alone is worthy of a few viewings.

Finally, I've been sewing again. Check out Knit Deez for updates.

SHOES!!!

Spring's a-comin' ... in two more months or so. Here in Chicago, we're on that short yellow bus schedule.

Anyway, I'm all about a new opportunity to buy shoes that may or may not be worn. Thankfully, some of my guilt will this time be assuaged by my affinity for an earth-conscious collection. Terra Plana, with an eco-sustainable approach, allows me to feel that I'm actually helping the earth by buying shoes.

Note: I own a pair of Terra Planas, and they are ridiculously comfortable. The rubber soles are great too.

Melito

Juniper

Geta

Dida

Melito

Tertia

Not Biting, But They're Chewing On Something

Remember when Chico (DeBarge) got out of jail back in '96, '97 and dropped Long Time, No See? Yeah, I was geeked, for all of the usual chick reasons. After cutting that Flock of Seagulls bouffant and gaining that young jail body, he was foine, so I bought the album. (I did things like that. How do you think I became an Eric Benet fan?)

Anyway, revisiting that album today got me thinking again about musical influences. Ain't nothing wrong with 'em. We all absorb influences, ideas, thoughts from somewhere. Sometimes, though, the influence is so strong you can't help but hear a legend being regurgitated by a newbie. Por ejemplo,

That entire Long Time, No See album should be entitled I Love You Marvin Gaye: Troubleman/Let's Get It On Part Deux. Tell me I'm wrong.

"Trouble Man" - Marvin Gaye


"Love Still Good" - Chico DeBarge


And Rahsaan Patterson? Clearly a huuuuuuuuge Chaka Khan fan.

"We Got Each Other" - Chaka Khan


"Get Here" - Rahsaan Patterson


I love Raheem DeVaughn to pieces (pieces!!!), but that latter half of Love Behind The Melody was straight Marvin too.

"Distant Lover" - Marvin Gaye


"Desire" - Raheem DeVaughn



That's it.

Oh, I saw Coraline in 3D today. Really good.

Bebe Zahara Benet

Just in case you didn't know, Bebe Zahara Benet is more fierce than you.






Do yourself a favor. If you're not watching RuPaul's Drag Race, go on over to LOGO and rectify that situation. Okay?
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Dial M For Murder was pretty good. I guess that weak-assed Gwyneth Paltrow vehicle The Perfect Murder was supposed to pay homage, huh? For shame. At least it had Viggo Mortensen.

Hitchcock

You know, I'm surprised there hasn't been any serious porn exploiting this guy's name. I mean ... Hitchcock. Yeah.

Anyway, one of my favorite directors, blah, blah, blah. Love his movies, doody doo. Since I'm on this hiatus from life, I figured I'd watch all the Hitchcock I haven't seen. (See? That sentence makes me feel dirty. *shudder*)

Seen
Spellbound - Many a day in undergrad spent watching this one. Gregory Peck was a looker. Good movie, but the inferior version of Marnie in my opinion.
Marnie - Severely underrated. Perhaps my favorite. No one plays beautiful and dangerous ice queen like Tippi Hedren. Sean Connery did some horrid, horrid things in this, but my was he smmoth with it.
The Birds - Creepy and fantastic. In the top five.
Vertigo - Jimmy Stewart's my favorite Hitchcock leading man.
Psycho - Honestly, who hasn't seen this? Way to milk the franchise, greedy hollywood.
Frenzy - Surprisingly violent and disturbing, which means I loved it.
Rope - Another underrated piece featuring the man, Jimmy Stewart.
Shadow of a Doubt - Good stuff, man. Uncle Charlie was just plain bogus.
The Trouble with Harry - Hilarious. Who knew a corpse (that's not reanimated) could be so much fun?
Rear Window - Part of the cultural fabric. How many parodies of this one have you seen?

Kinda Seen, meaning was on TV as I did other stuff and intermittently paid attention.
North by Northwest - I do like Cary Grant. So smooth, that one.
Torn Curtain - Starring the most attractive white man the white world has ever offered, Paul Newman.

Seeing Soon - I came up at the Walmart a few months back. Twenty Hitchcock movies--mostly the older ones, including the first version of "The Man Who Knew Too Much," four discs in total--for only five bucks. This is what I got, a frickin' steal.
Dial M For Murder - Watching it tonight.
The Lady Vanishes
The 39 Steps
Strangers on a Train

Watching The Watchmen

first off, the book and the movie are two different vehicles. read it. say it aloud. accept it as truth. also, this is not a proper review, more so me trying to work out my feelings about the movie. no spoilers, so feel free to read it.


my feelings about this movie are complicated because i can't be sure if i liked it or not. the director, zack snyder, was obviously intent on remaining true to the source material, and it shows. most of the visuals and dialogue were snatched directly from the pages of the novel, with few, very few, exceptions. as i watched, i knew what each scene would look like, sound like, as panels from the novel appeared in exact succession with characters saying nearly exactly what they say on page. after a while, i was left feeling no anticipation, just expectation. i can't say that this is the director's fault. i was the one, after all, who decided to read the darned thing, but i think there's a useful discussion in here somewhere about the merits of risk taking in film adaptation. despite snyder's near perfect reverence for the text, i almost found his need to simply provide a slide show of the text somewhat dull, without risk and boring.

it wasn't all bad, though. often i found myself remarking aloud about the beauty of the film. it was gorgeous in many places, and sometimes, the faithfulness of the adaptation was exactly what was called for. mr. manhattan's famous exile, for example, was beautiful. i found myself nearly as arrested by the film's rendering of it as i was by its textual counterpart. entertaining, too, were the fights. the violence was particularly graphic, so much so that my mom, brother, and i often found ourselves gritting our teeth. it was strange in a way, the stillness of the film juxtaposed with the brutality of its fight scenes. i figured snyder was attempting to satiate watchers who would be bothered by the lethargic pace of the film.

another problem was a few of the casting choices. i flat out disliked the actress playing laurie/silk spectre II; she was annoying and wasn't talented enough to give the character any depth. laurie was my least favorite in the novel, too, but a good actress should bring something to the table. what REALLY annoyed me was the choice for ozymandias. this guy and his character are so integral to the plot that his less-than-stellar acting was seriously lowered the quality of the film. though he is regarded from a distance as golden, in addition to his intellect and physical prowess, adrian veldt is likeable and radiates a personality that draws people in. i did not get this from matthew goode at all. in fact, i found him pompous, stiff, and unsympathetic. jude law probably would've been the better choice.

jackie earle haley as rorschach was perfect. seriously, every time he appeared on screen, things picked up again and you finally found yourself feeling any sort of kinship or sympathy for a character. jeffrey dean morgan (bizarro robert downey jr.) was also good as the comedian.

fans won't be satisfied if they're looking for the same amount of depth in character development, allegory, and themes. there just isn't enough time, but i do think that the idea of self-chosen superheroes, regular people who have chosen this burden for one reason or another, is interestingly handled and results in a movie that is beautiful and provocative. a better movie, one that is all those things AND entertaining would've needed more editing, a better pace, and a much better cast; however, i'm glad i saw it.