more like B-movie Veggie Lust

 

I think this video advertisement for PETA, titled "Veggie Love," is weird and funny and not much worse than most commercials on television that I've seen, but admittedly it is way over the top.  Apparently the networks are keeping it from airing during the Super Bowl (See Good's article.) and since I don't have my own television or watch the Super Bowl, I really don't care.  

In my usual tangential way, I'm more amused with attempts at renaming it.  Garden Porn.  Greengasm.  Herbawhore.  Eve Spreads Seeds.  And as I titled this post, the plane Jane obvious, Veggie Lust.

The stunt has bought some media time just for the Super Bowl rejection alone, so that counts up to some kind of success. No doubt it will get plenty of internet traffic for its absurdity and sex-like appeal, but when I get (slightly more) serious about it, I am interested to know: Does it really make people consider or sign up for PETA's cause anymore thoughtfully or deeply?     

cold & flu remedies

I've been under the weather - it's been awhile since I've caught something so I consider myself lucky and I'm not complaining.  Besides, that means extra movie time to me.  In addition to all the tinctures, decongestants, chicken soup and rest, I recommend some feel-good movie time. 

Anything with Cary Grant is a good idea.  This time I started with Frank Capra's  dark comedy Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) which is apparently Grant's least favorite of his own film performances for it being so over the top but I think it suits the script and does the trick. His Girl Friday is also a good one home remedy movie.  Relax and watch all the silliness and quippy dialogue unfold. 

Grant with Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday, 1940

For more current fare (2009), I found a zippy little art heist film, The Maiden Heist, starring Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, William H. Macy and Marcia Gay Harden.  The story is good but it's really the character details in the actors' performances that makes it enjoyable.   I also really like all of the cast members, so I'm willing to watch them play together with a slightly goofy script with a few twists. I'm embedding the trailer to watch even though I think it shows too many jokes and storyline. 

eco laundry

I'm wondering about trying these washing machine Eco Balls.  I know people who like the dryer ones.


Have you used the washer one?  What do you think of these?

selling Sellers

I've been on a mini Peter Sellers binge.  I never connected with the The Pink Panther series, but I loved Dr. Strangelove.  I've also been particularly into films from the 60s lately, so his work comes up a lot.  I decided to give more detailed study to his work.  Though he's considered to be a dark comedian, I have been discovering and rediscovering  his exceptional range and steady and often unassuming brilliance. It's like watching a fearlessly inventive and uninhibited child sometimes. Trite as it sounds, the man was ahead of his time.

One fun tidbit discovery I made is the BBC radio show, Crazy People (aka The Goon Show), where he established himself as a master impressionist doing a variety of goofy characters, and is credited as a precursor to Monty Python's Flying Circus.

In the past I have posted about his films and said that I believe he is under -recognized.  That might not be true or at least be changing. When we were traveling recently, I was watching television (which we don't have at home) and I learned that TCM is running blocks of his films.  Go TCM.  If you have cable, keep an eye out for them. If you are interested in more about the improvisational genius (and I don't toss that word around lightly), see the Official Peter Sellers site and follow links to even more Sellers tribute sites.  

See below a lengthy, relaxed Michael Parkinson interview with Peter Sellers in 1974 from BBC where Parkinson really let's Sellers cut loose and give a show.  (If only talk show hosts could do more of this today.) It starts with a slightly scary impersonation then shifts to a sweet one, but the interview is loaded with them. and with diversity.  Each part of the interview is about 10 minutes.  Be sure to watch all the way through part 2 at least, for his story of breaking into show business plus a variety of voices he did with The Goons. And part 3 for a behind-the-scenes reenactment of O'Toole and Guinness in Lawrence of Arabia. And part 4 because he speaks to creative collaboration and professional fulfillment.  Then he ends the whole bit playing his uke and singing a song.

Enjoy.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Polebridge 2010

This is the cabin. A corner of it.

* I still haven't solved the Blogger editor problem, so these images are not re-sized and text is wherever the editor will put it, but I'm posting it anyway.

  

Polebridge is very close to Glacier in northern Montana.  We stayed in a cabin (Ben Rover) up there for a couple of days between Christmas and New Years.  We did as much of nothing as possible plus some sledding and puzzles.  

We planned to have a leisurely last morning when our friends (who got us into this mess in the first place, ha!) came down from a cabin (Schnaus) a few miles up the road where they had been staying, and alerted us of a snow storm coming.  We packed up and hit the road.  I had not taken any pictures until we were driving away.

Scenic turnout.  Get it?

The drive was a slow-moving white out.

We had to stop in Polson for the night because we couldn't see far enough past the hood of our rig, let alone other cars.  We stayed at the Best Western also called KwaTaqNuk Resort.  Whew!  We enjoyed hot showers, the extra time with our friends and the relief of escaping larger drama in the storm.

Driving home the next day was the usual winter roads and a beautiful mountain day.  It's a gorgeous drive along that stretch of 93 between there and Missoula.

If I'm not making the trip sound crazy enough, it's because the pictures seem so calm, and it was so surreal but nobody panicked (outwardly at least) and we just stayed in the moment.  I find that taking photos is an excellent way of keeping that kind of focus, too.  

The full truth is that I was resistant to go.  I hunker down when snow flies.  I struggle with the lack of light and eat lots of vitamin D.  My body tries to shut down even when my mind says, "go on."  Like always, I was happy once we got there.  

I appreciate the simplicity.  I focus on building fires in the wood stove and taking care of the basics.  I return home rearranged, not exactly renewed like some people, but with a kind of objectivity.  This trip, though, magnified the results.  It felt like I let something heavy go.  I

'll be  anticipating the next winter cabin adventure. I'll probably fight it - at the last minute, when it's time to go - then force myself to rally.  Yeah, I'll rally. But maybe not too soon! 

stuck in new blogger editor hell

I've been searching forums and help blogs for solutions but as of yet have not found one.

I cannot change the size of images that I upload to blogger anymore.  I can't align them, left, right or center, either.

Among the suggestions that I have found and tried and that have failed, are:
- log out and back in again
- block pop-ups and cookies
- use the old editor
- dragging images
- cutting and pasting images
- cleared the cache
- switched browsers
- tried all the various variations in another browser

What the what?

I've been having blogger problems more and more... Last month I lost images as I uploaded them (especially the surprising Mabel post).  I finally published the posts anyway just to get the damn things done.

Maybe this will be a good excuse to bag my blog, although I was really starting to like it and was poised to write about more travel, apps and studio work.   Rats!


Are you having these problems?  Have any solutions? 

I guess that I'll be doing dishes until a solution turns up.  Save me!

Gaga 2010

We saw Lady Gaga's Fame Monster show in Tacoma, Washington last year.  I do not consider myself an authority on popular culture or music or anything like that.  I'm interested in Lady Gaga as an artist - a performance artist - and I guess as a role model for young women.  My want to see her live was very simple:  I like dance music, I like her dance music, and I appreciate how she has drawn on performance artists throughout history.  I guess I have become a minor fan.  

Here is how it went:

Getting to the show was one of the most fun parts.

We took the light rail from downtown to the Tacoma Dome.

Fans dressed like Gaga, Madonna's Material Girl, 80's retro and in drag.  We didn't.  We love to costume and dress up but we just didn't get our acts together in time.

 

 

waiting for the show to start

one of my favorite photos of B, ever!

My report?  It was a great show.  We had a great time.  And clearly so did everyone else.

The biggest things that struck me were 1) there were many many 8 -12 year old girls there, with a dad or mom or aunt or somebody of course, and I have not been to concerts that included children so comfortably, and 2) how much Gaga delivers and repeats a 'love yourself' message to her fans.  I don't know what I expected, but these were both unexpected things that I can definitely get behind.   

I respect diva pop stars that came before her, like Madonna and Cher. Madonna was fierce, athletic and invented a powerful persona in an inspiring way and dared her fans in provocative ways.  Cher is authentically wacky and naturally bold with a distinct voice.  Both have enough musical talent - perhaps not the best voice, or most beautiful, or best whatever, but they have enough going on in their whole package to command a massive audience. That is not easy. My only complaint about Gaga so far is that she seems to model herself after others so much. A few of her songs sound way too much like Madonna's for me. I get that the modeling is part of her point/image/concept, but I wanted to see she was more.  And at this concert I think I did.

  

When Gaga stood in a black bikini on the piano bench, bent over,  playing the keys while belting a song, I decided, "well, alright then. She's got chops."  It was the whole combination of instrument, performance and strut that proved she owned the show.  It's hard to explain but that was the moment for me. Her ideas and references to other artists - popular culture and fringe performance - are smart and she is clearly on the money with this up and coming generation. The next couple of albums should be revealing.  Her self-mocking fame ideas are good, but how long can it hold up?  I look forward to whatever she does and wish her luck.

Trailer Park Boys Movie

This Friday Flick is a goofy one and I have no idea how I stumbled upon it.  Someone must have recommended it to me/us.  Was it one of you?

It's The Trailer Park Boys Movie.  Apparently it is a Canadian television series that ran from 2001-2008. Evidently you can watch the TV episodes through tv.blinkx.com.  I planned to link to their movie website for you but as I am posting this, different pages on trailerparkboys.com have been hacked or are under construction.  Hmmm.  Somehow that seems appropriate for this bunch of under-achieving yahoos (I'm affectionately referring to the characters when I write that).  Yet, I found that trailerparkboys.org appears to be in fine working order.  There is also TrailerParkBoysUSA.com highlighted in their movie trailer, but I couldn't get the page to load in my browser.  Anyway, proceed with caution if or when you look them up. 

The Trailer Park Boys is the low-budge (without the t it's so low budget) creation of Mike Clattenburg, John Paul Tremblay and Robb Wells, a team of pranksters that met in high school. They boast it's "The Trashiest Movie of the Year" and I suspect they won that honor in 2007 and possibly would win it today. Perfect for adolescents and definitely not appropriate for young kids or Mabel, but we enjoyed it!

getting to know

I'm still getting to know my new studio.  I moved into it over two years ago.

Between projects... aka after a show.

Works in progress, Toni Matlock © 2010

what he said

I've been watching and reading, like most everyone, about the Arizona shootings.  I have found that the most thoughtful and honest and hopeful words that have translated best the ache and concern inside of me, have come from Jon Stewart.    I embedded his segment in my post in case you haven't seen it.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Arizona Shootings Reaction
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

After The Fox

Watch Peter Sellers in Vittorio de Sica's comedy, After the Fox (1966).  

It's Neil Simon's first screenplay which satirically combines a caper plot with a humorous movie-inside-a-movie commentary on the pursuit of money and fame, with great pokes at neo-realism (which means de Sica, the director himself), Fellini, Antonioni, Godard, and others.  If you are a filmie, you'll catch them and they are delightful touches to an already fun movie.  


Sellers is outstanding, plus Victor Mature came out of retirement to play his supporting role which parodies an actor's vanity. Bravo! Seller's wife does alright as his sister, too. Oh, and Burt Bacharach scored the film. 


On a side note, thinking simply about how things 'get done' in the world, the production is an interesting and successful American/Italian collaboration in that the people working on it depended on translators while making it.  Reportedly Simon and de Sica and other players had their different views about how the film would be better, but in the end, it works.

cabin for x-mas

Last Christmas (in 2009) we rented a cabin a few hours drive from home near Gardiner, Montana, in a different patch of mountains from our own.  

It was a luxurious break from our normal lives and I highly recommend it.  Even though it was very cold, the place was fancy as far as "cabins" go, with gas fireplaces, a modern kitchen and a full bathroom.  But no internet.  

The cabin owners left us holiday treats and humorous festive touches.

Even though it was remote there (and did I mention really cold?) not having any internet was what primarily qualified it as rustic for us. It really did the trick letting us relax and surrender fully to a cabin vacation as we pictured it.  


We gobbled the treats and had lots of pie.

We tracked animals (very big and wild ones).

We played in the kitchen, played cards, played in the snow and slept a lot.  

Heaven!  

fire-starter

I talk a lot about my mom on this blog, it seems. Here's a little bit on my dad.  During the days following 'surprising Mabel,' the family visited as families do.  We ate every possible meal together and sat around telling stories. Basically we hung out.  During that time, Dad, really a marvel, can make a bigger event out of almost anything.  And he often draws a crowd.  

This time, he literally just started a fire outside in the snow.  (Looking at these photos, I just realized that he must be where my nephews, siblings and I get our pyromania.  We don't talk about it, but we all have it.)

And they come in shifts...

He takes something simple and just has fun.  That's Dad.

  

(tree)love at first sight

We haven't been home for Christmas for the last few years, so we didn't feel a need to get a tree. For full disclosure, some years I've skipped the tree and strung my vintage family ornaments back and forth over my windows or piled them in a big bowl.  I appreciate the simplicity. And I like the change.  Besides, I have long thought, do we really need the tree?

It's not that I'm not sentimental, either.  My ornaments are ones from my childhood, even a complete Peanuts figurine set that I unwrap and rewrap with tremendous care. My favorite ornaments, though, are faded and chipped painted glass globes from also from my childhood and my mother's childhood before then.  I'll doubt that I'll ever let them go.

Ideally, as far as trees do go, I prefer living trees that I can plant in the ground in the spring, but my patches of urban yards can only take so many of those, eh? 

For 2010, we discussed getting a cabin for Christmas, like we had the year before, then last minute opted against the expense. So late in the game, and for no apparent reason, I decided that this was a tree year and I hit the nurseries. I found my absolute favorite tree ever.  

Basically it's a pathetic branch coated with white flocking.  It cost ten bucks! That's cheap enough to squash the urge to DIY. Did you hear my heart stop?  

It can barely hold the load of a short string of white lights. I pushed it further with two ornaments:  a clip-on butterfly and a mercury glass boy in a space ship. Maybe that Charlie Brown Christmas show touched my childhood heart deeper than I realized.  

I am such a sentimental fool about this tree that now that the holiday is over, I don't want to take it down.