December 2007
190 posts
“When people ask me how do you make it in show business or whatever, what I...”
– Steve Martin (on Charlie Rose) - christmasgorilla
What Happened To New York: A History Of The 00's... →
wow, choire has outdone himself with this roundup of all metro section news from 2000-the present. it’s sad and also a little hopeful, because if shit’s really this bad in nyc, it can only get better. right?
Patience to Listen, Alive and Well →
Classical music is back and hip for the kids, according to Tony Tommasini of the NYT. ” Most young people in today’s interactive, amplified, high-tech world may not instinctively be enticed by the idea of sitting quietly and contemplating a long musical work in a natural acoustical setting. Yet I’ve taken young friends and other classical music neophytes to concerts over the years and been...
WatchOMG I made a movie. Well, kinda. I got a new AVCHD camera (by sheer luck) and I am ever so slowly learning how to use it and edit video. I’m so far from expertise it’s laughable, but here is my first interview, with my 21-year-old little brother about his thoughts on 2008. Nothing fancy but I’m just excited to be using this thing!
born ruffians - i’m one of those girls....
“The reader is also alone, but the N.E.A. reports that readers are more likely...”
– Caleb Crain, “Twilight of the Books,” The New Yorker: an essay everyone should read on American literacy and the scary figures related to it.
Behind the Scenes Camera →
Nonobject’s “Behind the Scenes” camera is one of the cooler things I have come across in a while. Too bad it doesn’t exist in reality yet. The spiel: “Cameras till now have only ever taken images before our very eyes. Rather than accepting this and getting permanently locked into one way of looking at the world – and one way of capturing visual memories through the...
josh ritter - come and find me on the upside,...
“I dreamed we were there. The plane leapt the tropopause, the safe air, and...”
– Harpet Pitt, Angels in America.
Research puts myth of a "cultural elite" to rest →
V. interesting: [The “cultural elite” brought up on opera and the higher arts, which supposedly turns up its nose at anything as vulgar as a pop song or mainstream television, does not exist, according to research published by Oxford University academics.]
Barry Louis Polisar - All I Want Is You I think...
verdict on romeo et juliette (philistine edition)
adam: well that was long, but pretty damn magical
rach: anna netrebko has pretty much the best soprano i've ever heard. that scene on the bed where she was writhing around in the sheets and hitting high Cs was kind of ridiculous.
adam: indeed. but there is something we need to discuss. romeo's ass.
rach: i know. that thing was...
adam: luscious. you can say it. it was out there.
rach: i never say bubble in reference to an ass, but that's what it was. i think the powder blue velour pants made it extra offensive.
adam: velour is never not offensive.
rach: bravo.
going to the opera tonight...
romeo and juliet with anna netrebko. so excited, but then, it’s three hours long. might need a coffee or eight before. (anna backstage via the met)
“Most of us don’t get epiphanies. We only get a whisper — a faint...”
– Po Bronson.
be good tanyas - the littlest birds. a little...
The Death and Life of American Imagination - The... →
“Imagination is an intangible, unlimited, and free resource. It is not, at least for the purposes of this discussion, the same as fantasy, where universal laws cease to apply, where elephants might speak Latin or humans travel back in time. Nor is imagination reserved for artistic pursuits, though imagination is the core of creativity. Applying imagination to problem-solving requires the...
Magna Carta fetches £10m in NYC auction →
1297. Seventh grade history has taught me well. Weird that some artifact we are all made to memorize in junior high is still floating around in the ether, able to be purchased. You’d think that “the most important document in the world” might be in a museum…or something.
“What I am always thinking about it is simplicity. I would almost call it...”
– Maira Kalman.
1/1/08
i asked a random smattering of my friends about their new year’s resolutions. their answers are below. feel free to add your own. -stop wasting time on stupid dudes-enter the golden gloves boxing tournament-stop smoking (kind of)-write more-same every year: more gym. boring, i know-as it is every year, to floss!…and to eat breakfast-i have many big concept things, i just haven’t...
Bell X1- Heartland (U2 Cover). One Irish band does...
David Byrne and Thom Yorke on the Real Value of... →
”It’s about whether the music affects you or not. And why would you worry about an artist or a company going after people copying their music if the music itself is not valued?” - Thom Yorke.
“For it is not inertia alone that is responsible for human relationships...”
– Rilke. Fear of the Inexplicable.
WatchTime lapse video of a drive from L.A. to New York. By Michel and Oliver Gondry, for French pop star Laquer. - CollegeHumor — betumbled I’m trying to do this drive in reverse when it gets warmer.
geek out.
I’ll admit it - I’ve fallen for this book (technically for K-8, I know…). I got an advance copy a couple days ago and i am charmed. it is a really interactive book, with pull out playbills, flaps revealing the art of stage makeup, removeable letters from cast members, big bright pictures. the author, thomas schumacher, produced the lion king on broadway, but his official bio...
best ebay auction ever →
(via mareen) — triciaward — peterwknox This is one of the most genius things I’ve seen all month.
