John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

T-Rex, and those tiny little arms

2012-01-27T19:47:20-03:30

The funniest thing I've seen today. As seen here.

The good stuff

2012-01-26T07:25:51-03:30

"Nothing good gets away."
- John Steinbeck, in a 1958 letter to his smitten teenage son Thom with advice about love. You can read more here.

We Take Care of Our Own

2012-01-25T21:34:37-03:30

It says something about Bruce Springsteen's enduring stature that people get excited about an advance single for an album that doesn't come out until March. We Take Care of Our Own sets the table for an election-year album with political-sounding tunes; the song itself brings up images of Katrina and patriotism and values and conflict. An interesting mix for a messy year ahead.

The acorn is found near the tree

2012-01-25T20:27:26-03:30

I found a copy of a DVD of Saturday Night Live commercial parodies in a discount bin. At $2.99, how could I not? I had seen the Will Ferrell-hosted special before, and have seen some of the spots many, many times over the years (including the John Belushi Olympics-themed one below). This evening, Nick and I both howled while watching some of them; I remember when cable was a novelty and staying up to watch SNL was a thrill. Small wonder, then, to hear him laugh so hard at the same stuff.

So long, Jane

2012-01-25T20:02:17-03:30

When I heard a long ways back that NBC was about to relaunch Prime Suspect for an American audience, I have to admit that I was skeptical. I watched every iteration of Jane Mirren's classic British series, and loved how her brittle, vulnerable, relentless detective Jane Tennison was allowed to be all those qualities, and more, even as she matured and rose the ladder in police management.

I was actually impressed by the NBC version, which was smart enough to take its inspiration from the British original ... and then move on. Maria Bello's Jane (the surname was Timoney) was similar, but very different. She was also a bit of a ticket, and nobdy's fool, but her own character in her own world.

We got hooked on the show, particularly as I've been yearning for the kind of crime drama that Law & Order used to offer. A decent supporting cast, worthy plots, good writing ... about as much as I ask from prime-time TV.

Weeks ago, NBC pulled the plug on the show, which was barely through the first half of its first season. For whatever reason (personally, I think it's because the networks want bigger payoffs out of the gate, especially for complicated dramas that refuse to make their characters instantly endearing), NBC didn't see a future for the show. The remaining episodes were burned off up to and after Christmas, and the last one aired quietly this past Sunday.

What a shame. It reminds me of Rubicon, which AMC cancelled in 2010 after just one (particularly good) season. I'll have to wait for the next decent thing to come along, and hope there's more patience in corporate boardrooms.

Breakfast station

2012-01-24T21:44:41-03:30

The last thing we need is another kitchen appliance, so this one is more of a nod toward something I might be have been tempted to buy when I was hitting out from home in my early 20s. It's the self-contained breakfast station, incorporating a mini coffee machine, a mini-oven to toast bread, and a small hot plate to handle the eggs and bacon. Plus ... it does look pretty cool, in its faux-retro way.

As seen here.

Gathering wool

2012-01-24T08:04:00-03:30

"I’m the sort who works very hard on something for years. And then there are years where I do nothing, just a bit of wool-gathering or whatever. I like doing nothing, if I can avoid doing something."
- Vikram Seth

[This quote was referenced in Sunday's edition of Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4, in which Seth was the featured guest. I tracked it down to this 2008 interview. Seth revealed that he has been working on a sequel to A Suitable Boy, to be called A Suitable Girl, for many years. We'll have to wait a bit later to see it.]

Rubylove

2012-01-24T07:14:00-03:30

What did 1972 sound like? Something like this, as I recall. From Cat Stevens's Teaser and the Firecat (it came out in the fall of '71, but sold for months, if not years) is Rubylove, which is one of the first songs where the bouzouki stood out. It's today's song of the day.

Don't Change

2012-01-24T06:33:00-03:30

From 1982, INXS in the first years of their career. Don't Change, which wasn't a hit outside of Australia (but did get airplay, as I recall), is obviously advice the band itself didn't take; Michael Hutchence let his grow out, they got some leather jackets, and the stadium-filling juggernaut came to the fore within a few years.

Last Dance

2012-01-23T20:24:49-03:30

The Raveonettes, from two years or so ago, have the song of the day. One of their poppier ones.

In praise of odd voices

2012-01-23T08:10:00-03:30

"The better the singer's voice is, the harder it is to believe what they're saying."
- David Byrne

One For Daddy-O

2012-01-22T22:04:38-03:30

Miles Davis (with Cannonball Adderly) sets the mood for tonight. Cheers!

Toronto, in time-lapse

2012-01-22T18:54:00-03:30

Toronto Tempo is the name of this film by Ryan Emond, who both photographed it and then edited it together. As you'll see, both elements are really remarkable.

Thanks to John R. for the pointer.

Toronto Tempo from Ryan Emond on Vimeo.

How to get lucky

2012-01-22T09:53:48-03:30

This is a keen way of thinking about luck, and especially the lucky. A variation of this saying has been attributed many times to Samuel Goldwyn, the film producer.

It was produced by Studio Muti.

Uppity

2012-01-22T09:04:00-03:30

"I love being an assertive, uppity woman. What's the alternative?"
- Erica Jong

Nothing like a deadline ..

2012-01-21T22:45:07-03:30

"New ideas are inspired by pressure."
- Paloma Picasso

Alex Chilton

2012-01-21T22:42:46-03:30

The Replacements, with a nod to the Box Tops and Big Star singer, has today's song of the day.

THE REPLACEMENTS - Alex Chilton by jesus_lizard

Get moving, already

2012-01-20T21:52:21-03:30

This is a bold bit of public-health advocacy: the creative is evidently Portuguese, and aims to motivate people to exercise. As seen here.

Reimagining a poster for Return of the Jedi

2012-01-20T21:45:03-03:30

One of a collection of posters that reinterpret the Star Wars movies. As seen here.

Lights, camera ...

2012-01-20T18:45:00-03:30

"I'm a woman of very few words, but lots of action."
- Mae West

Honked

2012-01-19T21:44:33-03:30

"Traffic signals in New York are just rough guidelines."
- David Letterman

SOPA and the film industry

2012-01-19T07:28:45-03:30

This infographic, tied into this week's U.S.-focused SOPA protests, has a point of view, and it won't take long to figure out which one, but it presents a bit of storytelling for its advocacy position.

I spotted it here, via Tumblr.

The Steve Jobs moment of silence

2012-01-19T05:59:00-03:30

A fundraiser (and an awareness raiser, too, I guess) on pancreatic cancer research, with a bit of a twist.

The Steve Jobs Moment of Silence from Moment of Silence Inc.® on Vimeo.

Turgid

2012-01-18T21:37:33-03:30

"The covers of this book are too far apart."
- Ambrose Bierce

Dog Days Are Over (acoustic)

2012-01-18T21:01:58-03:30

Florence and the Machine, recorded live doing a stripped-down version of their hit for Sirius (specifically the Spectrum channel, which is one of my favourites).

Storage Wars: Afghanistan

2012-01-18T18:16:13-03:30

While I've never seen an episode of Storage Wars, I know some people who are hooked (it was a topic at a recent dinner party) and who will likely get a kick out of this 22 Minutes segment.

"I wasn't about to let this sand slip through my fingers like ... sand."

James Bond, and his life in cars

2012-01-17T20:52:09-03:30

Cinematically, at least. Via The Telegraph.

Bag's New Groove

2012-01-17T19:16:00-03:30

Paul Desmond teamed up with the Modern Jazz Quartet for this recording, which was made on Christmas Day in 1971. It's the song of the day.

Ice cubes, with a Scream

2012-01-17T13:10:26-03:30

I have a thing for ice cube trays that don't produce, shall we say, cubes. The advent of silicone molds has made it possible for all manner of novelty ice products to be produced, and I've bought a few (I'll probably share some in a later post) over the years.

Here's one I don't own .. yet, anyway. It's based on Edvard Munch's The Scream, which has been the inspiration for a whole industry of products we've seen over the years, from a inflatable punching clown (think Bozo) to jigsaw puzzles to ties to paperweights.

Add ice cubes to the tray, to a little existential horror to the cocktail hour.

Crow on snow

2012-01-17T11:24:09-03:30

This Russian video, of a crow repeatedly sliding down a roof, has been an online phenomenon this week, not to mention the source of debate about what exactly it means. Is the crow working, by using a tool? Is it just having fun? Does it watch snowboarding videos through windows? Whichever, it's fascinating.