The truth was told by George Carlin. I can't tell you how much I will miss his powerful voice and his honesty. I will miss the view that he had of politics which so few else would articulate.
I'm overcome by his passing.
Though I am taking the coming election very seriously, in many ways to hell with it. Here is the unadulterated truth about politics in the U.S. and around the world from George Carlin (from YouTube):
With my love of opera and classical music, friends find it fascinating that I am also passionate and knowledgeable about certain popular music. I remember having a conversation with a friend -- a very important opera singer who sings leading roles on the world's great stages but who, in private life, primarily follows popular music -- about the band, Van Halen. My friend was speaking to another friend in a social environment about loving different Van Halen songs and I asked "which did you prefer, David Lee Roth Van Halen or Sammy Hagar Van Halen?" My friend, with whom I can have several hours of discussion at a time about nuances of Richard Strauss or Verdi or works of the Second Viennese School, was stunned that I not only knew Van Halen's music, but that I would make the David Lee Roth/Sammy Hagar distinction. Unfortunately, I confessed that, though "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", "Jump", "Hot for Teacher", et. al., which were part of the David Lee Roth period/origins of the band, are, essentially, the classics and the preference of my friend and her friends, I prefer the power of Sammy Hagar's voice. BUT I DIGRESS...
This weekend, I was in the Union Square Virgin Records -- a last holdout of a large, well-stocked music store where so many are fading because of the online purchasing and/or downloading phenomenon (WHERE WILL I GO WHEN THERE ARE NO MORE MUSIC/VIDEO STORES... :-( ) -- and heard a new album on the loudspeakers. When I inquired about the song that was playing -- a richly powerful piece of electronica with passion but the almost semetrical coldness which is often characteristic of that musical genre -- I learned that it was a single off of the new album from the pioneering British electronic band, Portishead. It turned out to be their new album entitled "Third", their first in a decade. It was the track, "We Carry On", which was being played. An awesome, in the dictionary definition of that word, piece of music. The rest of the album is filled with musical diversity. I've not bought a pop CD in a long time but I couldn't wait to get this one into my hot-little-hands, so I made an impulse purchase.
Here, from YouTube, is the video of this extraordinary musical work.
The great Bo Diddley passed away yesterday (June 2). May this legendary singer, songwriter and incomparable guitarist, known to many as the true founder of Rock 'n Roll, rest in peace.
I LOVE Joy Behar. There is no one else on (U.S.) television, with 95% of it being completely calculated and scripted, who puts forth her/his thoughts and ideas in such an uncensored manner. She is very progressive and sees right through the B.S. of everyone with whom she banters, interviews, etc. on the daily morning show, "The View". When she can't be 100% honest, she just doesn't say anything. I'm almost surprised that a woman of such candidness is still on a major television program.
Joy reminds me very much of my mom. They look similar -- Joy and my mom are New York born-and-bred Italian-Americans (Behar is a name from Joy's previous marriage) who say things like "pasta fazoole" (in the Neopolitan dialect) instead of the proper, Roman "pasta e fagioli" -- both have that straightforward, no nonsense delivery and both can really be hilarious.
May Joy remain on TV as a standard-bearer for years and years to come!
IMHO, the BEST REALITY SHOW on T.V., is back for another season... So You Think You Can Dance. It is, again IMHO, the only reality show on television that really requires talent to move into the finalist rounds and win. It is also the only reality show that actually educates--I personally have learned so much about dance by watching it. Except, of course, in the obligatory "auditions" episodes, there is none of the senseless banter of the other shows. The comments are always intelligent from people in the business who are not only financially successful but who also genuinely know what they are talking about.
I especially love the very thoughtful, emotional, clearly brilliant and completely REAL judge, Mia Michaels.
When I wrote my congratulations to David Cook for winning this season's "American Idol", I omitted one important name of the few winners and runners-up who went on to true success after the show. Arguably, the most accomplished of all... Oscar® and Grammy®-winning Jennifer Hudson. I didn't mean to forget her; I guess my short-term recall doesn't let me remember Jennifer Hudson as an Idol contestant.
To me, in terms of true artistic quality, the only other successful Idol on par with the wonderful Ms. Hudson is Chris Daughtry. Even the fine-voiced singer, Clay Aiken, ended up deteriorating... going the same route as many trained voices (some like Aiken, David Archuleta, etc. on Idol are trained; others are obviously not) wherein commercial success demands that they strain and stretch their instruments out of shape.
I'm eager to hear Jennifer Hudson's new album and to see how her in-person appearances hold up. She has not made a lot of widely-televised live singing appearances since Idol or her Academy Award®-winning turn in the film version of Dreamgirls. I assume this is wise. Time will tell. But Hudson's is undoubtedly a superior voice.
Again, my apologies, Ms. Hudson, for the egregious omission.
Though I confess that I was rooting for "the other David", I am almost equally happy that David Cook just won "American Idol". Where his fellow top-finalist, David Archuleta, has the superior vocal instrument from a pure vocal perspective, Cook is already experienced, well packaged and makes everything he sings contemporary... and HIS OWN.
I feel that David Cook will actually be one of the rare (!) Idols that continues to be successful after the show--like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, and runners-up, Clay Aiken and Chris Daughtry.
Welcome to the first entry of my personal Blog. For a long time, I've wanted a forum for my own words... to write about subjects such as opera and classical music, cinema (esp. Asian cinema), other music, arts, culture, theater, pop-culture, food, travel, trends, politics, life in general and more. I look forward to providing many entries in the months and years ahead!
Note that this first entry comes while I am recuperating from an illness that caused my first-ever (in my life) hospital stay. 6 days of IV antibiotics to fight an infection. Yuck! I'm home now, still too weak to do anything particularly constructive but my mind is going a million miles a minute so I'm climbing the walls.
The truth was told by George Carlin. I can't tell you how much I will miss his powerful voice and his honesty. I will miss the view that he had of politics which so few else would articulate.
Subway Cinema is presenting its annual film event, the 2008 New York Asian Film Festival, June 20-July 6. This year's festival is a co-production between Subway Cinema and the Japan Society.
With my love of opera and classical music, friends find it fascinating that I am also passionate and knowledgeable about certain popular music. I remember having a conversation with a friend -- a very important opera singer who sings leading roles on the world's great stages but who, in private life, primarily follows popular music -- about the band, Van Halen. My friend was speaking to another friend in a social environment about loving different Van Halen songs and I asked "which did you prefer, David Lee Roth Van Halen or Sammy Hagar Van Halen?" My friend, with whom I can have several hours of discussion at a time about nuances of Richard Strauss or Verdi or works of the Second Viennese School, was stunned that I not only knew Van Halen's music, but that I would make the David Lee Roth/Sammy Hagar distinction. Unfortunately, I confessed that, though "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", "Jump", "Hot for Teacher", et. al., which were part of the David Lee Roth period/origins of the band, are, essentially, the classics and the preference of my friend and her friends, I prefer the power of Sammy Hagar's voice. BUT I DIGRESS...
The great Bo Diddley passed away yesterday (June 2). May this legendary singer, songwriter and incomparable guitarist, known to many as the true founder of Rock 'n Roll, rest in peace.
I LOVE Joy Behar. There is no one else on (U.S.) television, with 95% of it being completely calculated and scripted, who puts forth her/his thoughts and ideas in such an uncensored manner. She is very progressive and sees right through the B.S. of everyone with whom she banters, interviews, etc. on the daily morning show, "The View". When she can't be 100% honest, she just doesn't say anything. I'm almost surprised that a woman of such candidness is still on a major television program.
IMHO, the BEST REALITY SHOW on T.V., is back for another season... So You Think You Can Dance. It is, again IMHO, the only reality show on television that really requires talent to move into the finalist rounds and win. It is also the only reality show that actually educates--I personally have learned so much about dance by watching it. Except, of course, in the obligatory "auditions" episodes, there is none of the senseless banter of the other shows. The comments are always intelligent from people in the business who are not only financially successful but who also genuinely know what they are talking about.
When I wrote my congratulations to David Cook for winning this season's "American Idol", I omitted one important name of the few winners and runners-up who went on to true success after the show. Arguably, the most accomplished of all... Oscar® and Grammy®-winning Jennifer Hudson. I didn't mean to forget her; I guess my short-term recall doesn't let me remember Jennifer Hudson as an Idol contestant.
Though I confess that I was rooting for "the other David", I am almost equally happy that David Cook just won "American Idol". Where his fellow top-finalist, David Archuleta, has the superior vocal instrument from a pure vocal perspective, Cook is already experienced, well packaged and makes everything he sings contemporary... and HIS OWN.
