Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.

Switching to Tumblr

2011-01-30T12:42:00.000-08:00

Hi my friends. I've gone and switched to tumblr. All the cool kids are doing it and to be honest after playing with it a bit, I can see why. It's snazzy and seamlessly works between all the various social media. So this blog will remain here for history's sake, but from now on you can find me:

HERE: http://kerryannmccombs.tumblr.com/

Andrew Garfield + The Goonies = SWOON

2011-01-30T06:30:00.000-08:00

In the new edition of W Magazine my current crush, Andrew Garfield, says this:

"I found The Goonies very inspiring. I identified with every character: Mikey, the leader; Mouth, the trickster; Data, the inventor; and Chunk, this lovely, beautiful, sad, misunderstood, slightly larger kid. The Goonies is boys needing to be boys on their path to manhood. It’s a classic."

And my crush grows.

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #42

2011-01-29T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Town - Movie Review

2011-01-25T06:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, I just don't get it. Why did this movie get so much praise? A 94% Fresh rating on rottentomatoes.com?? Did we watch the same movie? I can't even properly review this, so I'm just going to bullet point it:

Implausible plot - I'm sorry, but I just didn't believe it. There is no way that criminals that are supposed to be so good at evading the FBI could be this dumb.
Terrible acting or overacting - Seriously, what was Jon Hamm thinking? "Oh I get to NOT be Don Draper so I better chew as much scenery as possible so people can see that I CAN not be Don Draper." He was laughably bad. Blake Lively and Jeremy Renner overacted too. Ben didn't overact, but he didn't act very well. The best of the whole bunch was the late, great Pete Postlethwaite.
Cheeseball dialogue - Mainly spewed out by Jon Hamm. I guess they decided that the cheesiest actor could have the cheesiest lines like this one, "This is the not fucking around crew so get me something that looks like a print because this not fucking around thing is about to go both ways."
My favorite line in the entire movie? When Jon Hamm says to Rebecca Hall's character after the lightbulb goes off that she warned Ben Affleck away, "You know we are a NATIONAL organization." WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN??? So what, she can't fool you guys because you're a NATIONAL organization? Dumbest line EVER.

So yeah, all in all I thought this film was terrible and I am completely baffled by the attention it got last year. The seeds of a good movie were there...they just didn't pull it off.

Portlandia - Did you read?

2011-01-24T06:30:00.001-08:00

Are you watching Portlandia on IFC??? YOU SHOULD BE!

This American Life & SNL Influencing my dreams...

2011-01-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning from the strangest dream.

In the dream I went to a party. It was at like a bookstore? There were dark, wooden bookshelves lining all the walls and nooks and crannies with tables and chairs in which to get lost. As I entered the party I found one nook where Seth Myers from SNL was hanging out with Ira Glass the host This American Life and Jonathan Goldstein, a contributor to This American Life. I walked into the nook and immediately noticed that Seth was wearing these ridiculous Ed Hardy-like, grafittied jeans. I smirked at him (because in the dream we were old friends and I was allowed to make fun of him) and said, sarcastically, "Nice pants." He rolled his eyes and said, darkly, "Thanks, Jonathan gave them to me." So I looked at Jonathan with a look that said, "Really? Really Jonathan? Those are the most ridiculous pants I've ever seen!" At that exact moment, David Rakoff, another This American Life contributor walked up to us and without missing a beat from when Seth said, "Thanks, Jonathan gave them to me," I clapped David on the shoulder and said, "Speaking of Jonathan Goldstein, has everyone read David Rakoff's new book?" This was apparently the funniest thing in the world for me to say. Like it was some kind of bizarre inside joke and Ira started busting out laughing, you know in that cute Ira Glass laugh that he has? In that moment what I had said was totally brilliant and funny and I was the hit of that party. So in the dream I of course quickly walked away from them before my brilliant and funny moment could be tainted by the next unbrilliant and unfunny moment.

Weird dream, huh? But when I woke up I felt the brilliant and funny feeling from the dream! It was good! I liked that feeling! I wished I could hold onto it, which is why I immediately scribbled down this dream so I wouldn't forget it. It sure doesn't retain it's brilliance and humor as I typed it up here. Oh well, such is the stuff of dreams....

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #41

2011-01-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Best Golden Globes 2011 GIFs

2011-01-21T06:30:00.000-08:00

Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield being all cute.

Megan Fox being all scary.

Lea Michelle being all fake.

Mila Kunis and Emma Stone being all wacky.

Chris Colfer being all shocked and kissed by girls.

And finally....RDJ smiling all smarmily at Emma Stone.

(If these don't seem to be working all on the same page, please click each one individually to see the magic.)

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #40

2011-01-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Beauty of Mad Men #20

2011-01-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

Season 4, Episode 2, "Christmas Comes But Once a Year"

Subversia - Book Review

2011-01-12T06:15:00.000-08:00

Subversia by D.R. Haney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to meet Duke Haney once at a party at a mutual friend's house in L.A. I remember immediately liking him and after reading this book of his personal essays I now understand why. How could you not like someone who can write about their own life with such honesty and humor and depth? There is no pretension in Duke's stories even though the life he's led would allow for some. Reading this was like talking to Duke at that party. He's just a cool guy, a nice guy, telling you a bit about himself until suddenly you find yourself completely drawn in and fascinated and you want to just let him keep talking, keep entertaining you. As I read this collection, each story I finished became my favorite story. They all feel very immediate even though some take place over twenty years ago. But if I had to choose my favorites I think they would be Cutty Sarked for it's hilarious honesty, That's What I've Been Trying to Tell You for it's tragedy, beautifully expressed and The Right Profile because I myself once had an obsession with Montgomery Clift.

So, thanks Duke. Keep telling your stories. I'll keep reading them.

View all my reviews

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #39

2011-01-08T06:30:00.000-08:00

Just Kids - Book Review

2011-01-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

Just Kids by Patti Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Patti Smith's Just Kids is the best book I read in 2010. It's possibly the best book I've read in the last five years. In telling the story of her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe, Patti illuminates for the world what it means to be an artist, a friend, a lover, and a musician. Not what it means in general, but what it means TO HER. In doing so she tells fascinating, magical, poetic, passionate, charming, heartbreaking, ecstatic, romantic, whimsical, and unbelievable stories of New York City and its eclectic inhabitants, its cherished neighborhoods, and its institutions like Max's Kansas City and the Chelsea Hotel. I can't even begin to say how much I loved this book. I never wanted it to end. I want everyone in the world to read it. And I hope Patti Smith goes on to write more books because I know she has more stories to tell.

View all my reviews

My Top 10 Films of 2010 - Finally

2011-01-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

Black Swan - Natalie Portman absolutely deserves the Oscar she will most likely get.

Shutter Island - I think Shutter Island actually did a MUCH better job at what Inception was TRYING to do. If that makes any sense. Plus the art direction and score are phenomenal.

The Kids Are All Right - Annette Bening is getting all the raves for this one, but can we please talk about Julianne Moore? For me her performance was the much more heartbreaking and honest of the two.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part One - I'm dreading saying goodbye to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. This film has perfectly set us up for the final film and showed us what's really at stake in their world. Oh, and the animation sequence that explained the Deathly Hallows was gorgeous.

True Grit - I didn't care much for No Country For Old Men so was leery about seeing another Coen Brothers film but I'm sure glad I didn't miss this. Roger Deakins is a brilliant cinematographer and this film is like a showcase of everything he can do. And how fantastic was Barry Pepper??? Despite the upper echelon of actors in this film, Barry was able to steal every scene in which he appeared, which was unfortunately too few. And I can't wait to see what that Hailee Steinfeld does next.

The King's Speech - Colin Firth is doing some of the best work of his life. I wanted him to win the Oscar last year for A Single Man. He just might take it this year. What truly amazed me about this film is that director Tom Hooper was able to garner so much tension and anticipation on the simple act of a man giving a speech.

Never Let Me Go - I'm saddened by how much Mark Romanek's film was overlooked by the general public. It's a devastatingly beautiful and intellectually profound piece of art.

Nowhere Boy - Another overlooked gem. Who da thunk that boy from Kick Ass could exhibit a range that would include this searing portrait of the young John Lennon?

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - This is the one movie this year that I've found myself watching over and over and over again. It was practically ignored in the theaters but is destined to be a cult classic on DVD. Funny, clever, rocking. I love it.

The Social Network - Yes, yes Jesse Eisenberg (and his penetrating stare) was excellent in this fine Fincher film, but how about that Andrew Garfield? He was the heart of this heartless story and between his performance in this and in Never Let Me Go, I can't wait to see his Spiderman!

The Beauty of Mad Men #19

2011-01-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

Season 4. Episode 10, "Hands and Knees"

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #38

2011-01-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

Christian Bale sings the Powerpuff Girls Theme

2010-12-27T06:30:00.000-08:00

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #37

2010-12-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T06:30:00.001-08:00

Sketchy Santas

2010-12-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

OMG. This tumblr is PERFECT for the holidays! You must click on the link. There is oh so much more than these three I posted.http://sketchysantas.tumblr.com/

The Beauty of Mad Men #18

2010-12-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

Season 4, Episode 4, "The Rejected"

Tree of Life - Trailer

2010-12-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

NEW TERRENCE MALICK FILM!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Neon Boneyard - Downtown Las Vegas

2010-12-19T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Neon Museum in downtown Las Vegas held an open house at their Neon Boneyard yesterday. You could pay just $5 to take your time and wander through the boneyard looking at their collection of historic Las Vegas neon signs. I took lots and lots of pictures some of which you can see below. It was an overcast day but it didn't rain on us! Hurrah!

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #36

2010-12-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

My 10 Most Favoritest Christmas Movies

2010-12-17T06:30:00.001-08:00

It's a Wonderful Life
I fell in love with Jimmy Stewart quite young in life and I must have watched the scene where he as George Bailey and Donna Reed as Mary walk home from the dance and throw rocks at the Old Granville House a bazillion times. I adore that scene. It's so sweet and romantic and goofy and perfect. I know that once upon a time this film was played nearly non-stop on TV during the holidays, but now that they only play it once a year it has recaptured it's specialness. It should be watched as a family event.

A Charlie Brown Christmas
I love when Charlie Brown and Linus go pick out a Christmas tree. "I suggest we try those searchlights, Charlie Brown." Yes, Linus, you're so smart.

Little Women (1994)
Some years ago watching this film together became a sorta Christmas tradition for me and my best friend Jen. I always moon over Christian Bale as Laurie, and she moons over Gabriel Byrne as Professer Bhaer. It's gotten harder in recent years because we no longer live in the same city. But I can always watch this film if I want to feel like she's near and it's great at Christmas.

Elf
I love how quickly this film has become a Christmas classic. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without Buddy the Elf.

The Family Stone
This film got terrible reviews when it came out in 2005 but I love it and now I watch it every year at Christmas. The cast is fantastic and it's such a great mix of comedy, drama, and romance.

While You Were Sleeping
I don't know why people don't think of this movie when it comes to the best Christmas movies of all time. It's perfect. Funny, sweet, romantic, and charming. I love the scene when Sandra Bullock as Lucy is at the Callaghan house while they open presents. She has no family and here she is thrust into this boisterous bunch and she gets quiet and wistful as she watches them interact and exclaim in delight and surprise over their gifts. And they give her a gift too! So sweet. Love it.

The Ref
Judy Davis is genius.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Boris Karloff. That's all that needs to be said about this classic.

A Christmas Story
There is a reason TBS plays this for 24 hours straight on Christmas. No one ever gets sick of it! Personally I love the quiet scenes, like the opening one with all the kids looking in the toy store window and the parade, or the final scene when mom and dad pour themselves some champagne, sit by the light of the Christmas tree and watch the snow falling outside. I think I would love a Christmas in the 1940s.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Maureen O'Hara was definitely one of the most beautiful women ever. She's an uptight mother in this one, but she comes around. Who wouldn't with the wonderful Edmund Gwenn around?

Happy 235th Birthday Jane Austen!

2010-12-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

Watercolor sketch of Jane Austen by her sister Cassandra Austen, 1804

Today is my beloved Jane's birthday. Happy Birthday Jane! Thanks for everything!

"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid."

Cult Film Posters - The Warriors

2010-12-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

My Top 10 Albums of 2010

2010-12-12T06:30:00.000-08:00

Volume Two by She & Him

I think I like Volume Two by She & Him even better than Volume One! Zooey Deschanel seems more confident as a songwriter with this second album and much more confident in her singing voice. It's still bright, bubbly, sunshiney throwback pop music just with a little more ooomph.

Contra by Vampire Weekend

Those "Ivy League" boys have done it again. I listened to this album non-stop for at least a month when it was first released. These are perfect pop songs with that strange yet satisfying world music edge, like some sort of Paul Simon afterthought.

Infinite Arms by Band of Horses

I love Ben Bridwell's voice. This album is super laid back and dreamy. Although Band of Horses do not push the envelope from album to album they do consistently make good music.

I'm Having Fun Now by Jenny and Johnny

I'd never heard of Jonathan Rice before he became Jenny Lewis' boyfriend and they started making music together, but I've loved Jenny in all her incarnations: Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lews & the Watson Twins, back up vocalist for The Postal Service, or just plain Jenny Lewis. This album does not make me want to run out and buy all Jonathan Rice's previous work, because Jenny is the star of this show. She's just got magic in her, you know? This is pure California pop music and they seem to make a good pair.

The Suburbs by Arcade Fire

A masterpiece. That is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know.

The Winter of Mixed Drinks by Frightened Rabbit

Another voice that I love. I also love that you can hear Scott Hutchinson's Scottish accent when he sings. It's adds an authenticity to his singing. With this album Frightened Rabbit is definitely aiming to break through to the mainstream and there are some great singles here that could help them do that.

The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III) by Janelle Monáe

Wowza. This girl has IT. You know what I mean? IT. This girl is 5'3" of pure rock and soul. And man does she have great personal style! This album is eclectic and conceptual and awesome.

Have One on Me by Joanna Newsom

This album is over two hours long and came on three discs. Yep. And guess what? Every minute of it is exceptional. No one makes music like Joanna. She weaves elaborate tapestries of song that you will always be finding new and wonderful things within on every listen.

Release Me by The Like

The Like seemingly reinvented themselves with this, their second album. Their lineup changed and so did their sound. But you know what? I love it. Their 60s girl group, British invasion-inspired sound is fun and flirty and catchy and addictive.

White Mystery by White Mystery

Thank goodness someone out there is still making straight up Rock n' Roll music! This Chicago band is a refreshing blast of loud, crunchy guitar and drums. You can't listen to this brother and sister outfit without tapping your feet or banging your hands on the steering wheel. Plus, they're REDHEADS!

And five honorable mentions:

Destroyer of the Void by Blitzen Trapper

Wreckorder by Fran Healy

Gorilla Manor by Local Natives

Write About Love by Belle and Sebastian

A Single Man Soundtrack score by Abel Korzeniowski

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #35

2010-12-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Beauty of Mad Men #17

2010-12-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

Season 4, Episode 13 "Tomorrowland"

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #34

2010-12-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

Cult Film Posters - The Hunger

2010-12-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Beauty of Mad Men #16

2010-11-29T16:20:00.000-08:00

Season 4, Episode 4. "The Rejected"

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One - Movie Review

2010-11-28T06:30:00.001-08:00

I've read a number of reviews of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One like this one from Cinematical.com that reviews the film from the perspective of someone who never read the books and isn't much of a fan. This is not one of those reviews. But it's also not a review from a rabid fan. I've read all the books, but I've only read each one once. I've seen all the films, but I don't rewatch every single one right before the next one is released. Of the past six films my favorite has always been number three, Prisoner of Azkaban, because Alfonso Cuaron is a magical filmmaker and I wish he'd had it in him to direct more of the Harry Potters.

With HP7 though, David Yates has really proven that ultimately the series belongs to him. I loved this film. It's of course darker than any prior entry because the stakes are the highest they've ever been and death is all around our heroic trio. I loved the brilliant Hermione who shows once again that if it wasn't for her, Harry and Ron would be lost (truthfully they would have perished a long, long time ago without her). I loved the three character actors (Sophie Thompson SQUEE!) who played Harry, Ron, and Hermione disguised by the use of Polyjuice Potion into Ministry of Magic employees. Their spot on mimicry of the young actors facial expressions and body movements lent a wonderful and welcome bit of comedy to an otherwise tense action sequence. I loved, loved, loved the animated sequence that illustrated the story of the Deathly Hallows. It was a gorgeous, exciting, and unique way to tell that important story.

I think the best testament to how much I loved this film though is that halfway through I completely forgot that it is only Part One and was shocked and dismayed when it ended! This was the first HP film in awhile that didn't FEEL as long as it was.

I can't wait for the summer and Part Two!

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #33

2010-11-27T06:30:00.000-08:00

Home for the Holidays

2010-11-25T06:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! For this lovely holiday I wanted to post a scene from my favorite Thanksgiving movie, Home for the Holidays directed by Jodie Foster with a fantastic cast including Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Charles Durning, and Anne Bancroft. It is funny and heartwarming and sad and honest and I love it. But instead of just picking one scene I saw that youtube has the film in its entirety, so I'm posting the whole thing here for you! Enjoy.

The Beauty of Mad Men #15

2010-11-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

Season 2, Episode 11, "The Jet Set"

Freedom - Book Review

2010-11-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this book. This is the first book I've ever read by Franzen and although, for the most part, I enjoyed his prose, I absolutely HATED his characters. They were all miserable people doing miserable things to one another. Occassionally I would find myself becoming sympathetic towards a character only to then have them do something so awful that I would find myself loathing them again. Call me old fashioned, but I have a hard time enjoying a book when I can't care about or root for at least one character. I will admit that Franzen turns it around a bit in the end. The last 80 pages or so I was finally compelled to FEEL for some of the characters and that was my favorite part of the book! If some of those good feelings could have been sprinkled throughout the other 500 pages of this tome I think I would have enjoyed it more. But overall this was a trying read for me. Some friends of mine have read this and absolutely loved it and they loved it for the exact same reason that I didn't. Maybe I'm just too positive and sunny of a person to allow myself to wallow in the miserableness for 500+ pages. Not that I'm trying to call my friends negative...oh geez, all this is just coming out wrong now...

Here's the gist:

- I enjoyed Franzen's evocative and painterly writing.
- I enjoyed the pop culture references which helped me feel like this story was truly of today's world, that these characters could actually be real.
- I didn't quite understand the passages that were supposed to be written as autobiography by the Patty character. Patty's autobiographical voice didn't seem any different from Franzen's voice, so that device didn't work for me.
- I wish the characters had been a bit more sympathetic throughout the story. It was hard for me sometimes to push on through because they were all so miserable that I didn't even care what happened to them.
- I'm not sure I would ever read anything else by Mr. Franzen.

The Beauty of Mad Men #14

2010-11-21T06:30:00.000-08:00

Season 3, Episode 7, "Seven Twenty Three"

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #32

2010-11-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Artist Derek Eads

2010-11-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

I just discovered the tumblr of artist Derek Eads. His work is SO COOL and appeals to my movie buff pop culture sensibilities. Check it out:

Almost Famous

Gary Oldman's various characters

Charlie

Magnolia

Boogie Nights

Self Portrait

The Beauty of Mad Men #13

2010-11-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

Season 2, Episode 12, "The Mountain King"

A VERY DRAMATIC Jane Eyre - Trailer

2010-11-16T06:30:00.001-08:00

MICHAEL FASSBENDER AS ROCHESTER!!!

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Movie Review

2010-11-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

Director Andrew Dominik must be a fan of Terrence Malick. His film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford shares a lot of the same qualities of a Malick film: languidly paced, little or no dialogue in certain scenes, vast sweeping wide shots, voice over narration. Luckily, I love Malick and I loved this film. And I don't mean to compare Dominik to Malick in an insulting way or a copycat way, it just struck me that Malick must have been an influence on Dominik.

This film is long. 2 hours and 40 minutes long. Some critics have complained about the length, but I kinda loved it. It really allowed the story to unfold, diving deep into these characters and the idea of celebrity and to allow the viewer to come to terms with the true nature of Jesse James' brutality. It also allowed for an exquisite building of tension until the audience is wired and ready for the ultimate climatic explosion. I mean the title is The ASSASSINATION of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford! You know it's coming! You are waiting and waiting for it! And then it does come and the movie isn't over and that's awesome! Now we get to experience the aftermath and a new kind of celebrity.

This film is stunning in it's beauty. Gifted cinematographer Roger Deakins paints incredible murals of light and landscape. You can feel the changes in the seasons as you watch the film.

Brad Pitt, himself a ginormous celebrity, was the perfect choice to play Jesse James who was the biggest celebrity of his day. He's excellent in this...revealing little by little the downward spiral of Jesse's paranoia, his mean streak, and cold brutality. Casey Affleck shows us something in his Robert Ford that I've never seen from him before as an actor: effortlessness and subtlety. He portrays the giddiness and sadness of a man who never outgrew his childhood hero worship with amazing sincerity. The supporting cast is just as accomplished as the two leads: Sam Rockwell, Paul Schneider, Jeremy Renner, Mary-Louis Parker, Garret Dillahunt, Sam Shepard. They all embody their roles, big and small, with an honesty and passion.

I encourage you all to rent this film. Don't be intimidated by the length. Pop yourself some popcorn, open a can of soda, sink yourself into the deepest corner of your sofa and spend an evening letting this story unfold in front of you. It's worth the time.

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #31

2010-11-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

Cher on the cover of Vanity Fair

2010-11-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

Cher is on the cover of the December Vanity Fair. You gotta kinda love her, right?

Behind the scenes of the photo shoot:

Trashcan Sinatras House Party

2010-11-10T06:30:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago I got the rare privilege of seeing one of my favorite bands of all time play a house party in my hometown of Las Vegas. I fell in love with Trashcan Sinatras back in 1990. I was a proud subscriber to one Sassy Magazine which had a monthly column called "Cute Band Alert." One month Trashcan Sinatras was the "cute band" and I immediately bought their debut album, Cake. I have been a loyal Trashcan fan ever since. Although they never broke big in the U.S. they do have a strong cult following of which these house parties were born. You can read about the first house party they played in Portland, OR here. When I heard through their official band newsletter that TCS would be playing a Vegas house party, I didn't balk at the $100 price tag, but instead looked at it as the opportunity to see for the first time a band I've loved for twenty years in an intimate and unique setting.

Now that I have had the experience I would have paid double that. I arrived an hour before the show start time with a dozen cupcakes from Retro Bakery and a case of Stella Artois. Yes, this party was pot luck and byob. The first thing I noticed as I came through the door was lead singer Frank Reader wandering around the house talking on a cell phone!!! I introduced myself to the few people in the room and then stood quietly, sipping a beer, and trying not to appear as excited as I felt as I noticed other band members mingling about.

The show itself consisted of two stripped down sets. Stephen Douglas played on a limited drums/percussion setup, Paul Livingston played an electric guitar, Frank Reader and John Douglas played acoustic guitars. They used no bass guitar. Lee Grant, our party host, was invited to play his own piano with the band on one song, A Coda. The forty-five or so guests stood or sat in folding chairs in a semi-circle around the band. The band was friendly, surprisingly funny, and seemed genuinely pleased to be playing for us all.

There was a break after the first set and I went onto the back porch where I had a smoke and some conversation with John Douglas and was soon joined by Stephen Douglas and Paul Livingston, who bummed a few drags off my cigarette. I offered him his own, but he only wanted a few drags off mine, if that was all right. It was. We shared a smoke. We all talked about their tour, which was ending soon, about Scotland (where Stephen and John still live) and L.A. (where Paul and Frank now live) about Las Vegas, and about music of course. Paul Livingston said the first concert he ever went to was The Smiths (!) in '85 or '86. There was then much discussion about Johnny Marr as a guitarist and how it seems that he's never been able to shine as much as he did with The Smiths and why don't they just get back together already! I eventually got up the courage to explain my discovery of them through Sassy magazine, which Stephen laughed at and said he actually remembered, although he would have called them scruffy back then rather than cute.

After a longer second set where the ease and comfort between band and audience grew to a level that really brought home to everyone what a special and unique experience this really was, the night ended. The band started tearing down their equipment but were also very happy to sign posters, t-shirts, or anything else you might want them to sign, and take pictures with people. They also sold flash drives with the audio of concert we had just witnessed burned to them. They are trying to make a bit of money after all. I bought a poster, had each band member sign it, bought a flash drive, and a t-shirt that reads, Trashcan Sinatras - Legendary Scottish Band. How awesome is that?

Here's the setlist followed by photos of the show and a video of Lee playing piano on A Coda with the band:

First Set
Easy On The Eye
All The Dark Horses
Wild Mountainside
Only Tongue Can Tell
The Safecracker
Easy Read
I Wish You'd Met Her
I Hung My Harp Upon The Willows
How Can I Apply?
Hayfever
Unfortunate Age

Second Set
Got Carried Away
Send For Henny
In The Music
Prisons
Earlies
Drunken Chorus
To Sir With Love
Weightlifting
I See The Moon
I've Seen Everything
Oranges and Apples
People
A Coda
Obscurity Knocks
The Best Man's Fall

Trashcan Sinatras: Legendary Scottish Band

From left to right: Stephen Douglas, Paul Livingston, Frank Reader, John Douglas

Lee Grant at piano, John Douglas

Mr. Frank Reader

Sharing some beers and smokes at intermission. That's me smiling all goofily at Paul Livingston.

Frank signing my posters. I'm probably saying something very gushy and ridiculous.

Me and Paul Livingston, he was super sweet. They all were.

The Beauty of Mad Men #12

2010-11-08T06:30:00.000-08:00

Season 2, Episode 13, "Meditations on an Emergency"

Kathie Lee & Hoda can't handle the Amy Sedaris

2010-11-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

I love Amy. She's the cutest thing! But apparently Kathie Lee and Hoda think she's too silly, they must giggle at her the entire segment, and then even call her "ridiculous." THEY JUST DON'T KNOW HOW AWESOME THE AMY IS!!!

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #30

2010-11-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

The poor, poor little birdies...

2010-11-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

[I found this linked on birdchick.com]

Cult Film Posters - Flash Gordon

2010-11-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Beauty of Mad Men #11

2010-11-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Season 2, Episode 11, "The Jet Set"

Never Let Me Go - Movie Review

2010-11-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

I went eagerly to see Mark Romanek's film adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel Never Let Me Go. I haven't read the novel so I went into the film somewhat blind, having tried to avoid as much as I could any details of the story, because I knew that the story had a secret. I expected the film to look beautiful and to be finely acted but I didn't expect it to be so profoundly sad. This is a story that explores big ideas of identity and the soul and one's worth and cruelty and the lengths humans could go in the name of science. It explores these big ideas, but it explores them quietly, thoughtfully, and seemingly without providing any answers to all the questions generated. I was deeply touched by this film. I bawled my eyes out and that is mainly due to the talented young cast of Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and especially Andrew Garfield who continues to amaze me with his honesty on film. Even if he hadn't been cast as the new Spiderman, that kid would have a damn fine future ahead of him.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

POOR CHARLIE BROWN.

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #29

2010-10-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Trashcan Sinatras - Usually (Live)

2010-10-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so very super crazy excited. Tonight I'm seeing Trashcan Sinatras play a private house party in my hometown. There will only be about 50 people at the party and Trashcan Sinatras will play a few acoustic sets and chat and mingle with everyone. It's potluck and BYOB! I have worshipped this little known, Scottish band since I was a freshman in high school and I have never seen them live. Now, 20 years later I'll see them for the first time in this unique setting. My heart might burst.

The Beauty of Mad Men #10

2010-10-28T06:30:00.002-07:00

Season 2, Episode 13, "Meditations on an Emergency"

Interpol - Live at The Joint - 10/22/2010

2010-10-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

Interpol live at The Joint (photo by me)

October 22, 2010

This was my fourth time seeing Interpol live. Two of the three previous shows were absolutely spectacular with fantastic energy, eye popping light sequences, and pure crowd love. One of the previous shows was a short set, two days after they had played Coachella, a quick stopover as they essentially "tried out" some of the tracks for their forthcoming album and it felt exactly like what it was: a practice run. It was a letdown.

I was a little worried going into this show because their new self-titled fourth album is not really doing it for me. But I shouldn't have let my worries get the best of me. This is a tight band that knows how to put on a good show. They are also one of the few bands that seem to truly enjoy playing Vegas and lead singer Paul Banks is vocal in letting us know it. In addition I was a little concerned about Carlos D leaving the band. Would the lack of his prescence be noticeable? He was such a striking figure, a true individual character in a band with plenty of character as a whole, not to mention his throbbing bass lines that provided the crux of so many of their songs. But honestly, his absence did not affect the band's performance. I've always enjoyed watching guitarist Daniel Kessler's manic on stage movement the most anyway. He glides back and forth and side to side on his quick feet until you are suprised that he can move like that and play at the same time!

Overall the setlist consisted of five songs from their first album Turn on the Bright Lights, six from their second breakthrough and most popular album Antics, only one lonely song from their third outing Our Love to Admire, and a full six off their new self titled fourth album. I will first say that the songs off the new album sounded much better live and actually made me want to give the album more of a chance. Secondly, hearing live seven songs from their latter two albums and eleven songs from their earlier two albums ultimately reveals the difference between the two parts of their career so far: their early work contains a palpable energy, propulsion, and ROCK that their latter work is lacking. It's not that there new work is not as good as their older work, but it is decidedly different to my ears and I prefer the raw intensity of their first two albums to the rather lanquid unfolding of their last two.

But Interpol is a very smart band. They obviously know that my opinion is the same opinion as a lot of their fans and they rewarded our loyalty by playing a setlist that consisted of over 60% older songs.

And I thank them for it.

Setlist (for those of you into that kind of thing):
Success (Interpol)
Say Hello to the Angels (Turn on the Bright Lights)
C'mere (Antics)
Memory Services (Interpol)
Rest My Chemistry (Our Love to Admire)
Summer Well (Interpol)
Narc (Antics)
Evil (Antics)
Untitled (Turn on the Bright Lights)
Barricade (Interpol)
Lights (Interpol)
Slow Hands (Antics)
PDA (Turn on the Bright Lights)
Try it On (Interpol)
Not Even Jail (Antics)

Encore:
NYC (Turn on the Bright Lights)
Take You on a Cruise (Antics)
Obstacle I (Turn on the Bright Lights)

Nikon Small World

2010-10-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

These are some of the 2010 winners

of the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition

which according to Nikon aims to

showcase "the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope."

Incredible aren't they?

5 Day Old Zebrafish Head by Hideo Otsuna

Cancer by Dr. Paul D. Andrews

Mollusc Baby by Dr. Gregory Rouse

Soap Film by Gerd Guenther

Soy Sauce by Yanping Wang

Wasp Eye by Charles Krebs

Mirabilis jalapa (four o’clock flower) Stigma with Pollen by Robert Markus

The Beauty of Mad Men #9

2010-10-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

Season 2, Episode 10, "The Inheritance"

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #28

2010-10-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Middlesex - Book Review

2010-10-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I loved Eugenides' first book The Virgin Suicides. It had a dreamy nostalgia to it that appealed to me and I could really FEEL his setting and his characters.

I don't know why it took me so long to pick up his second, Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Middlesex, but now that I've read it I must say I'm quite disappointed. As sprawling family sagas go, it had compelling characters and a very unique story to tell, but for me it meandered too much, got lost on its tangents and continually dropped focus on the most interesting character of all: narrator Cal Stephanides. It frustrated me when Eugenides would give a little snippet of Cal's story that would excite me and then veer off again and tell another involved story about a side character that I never cared for as much as I cared about Cal. If Eugenides had edited about 200 pages out of this story it would have received five stars from me. As is, it was a bit of a chore to read and it didn't compel my full page turning attention until the last 150 pages or so. Once he finally let the family history go and focused directly on Cal's self discovery I loved the book. I'm just sorry I couldn't love the entire book as much as I loved the last part of it.

View all my reviews

The Beauty of Mad Men #8

2010-10-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Season 2, Episode 12, "The Mountain King"

Fall Colors

2010-10-20T06:30:00.001-07:00

All these photos were taken in the Manti-Lasal National Forest outside Manti, Utah

on October 14, 2010.

All these photos were taken with the Hipstamatic App on my iPhone.

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #27

2010-10-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Beauty of Mad Men #7

2010-10-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

Season 2, Episode 9, "Six Month Leave"

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #26

2010-10-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Beauty of Mad Men #6

2010-10-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

Season 3, Episode 1, "Out of Town"

The Harlot's House

2010-10-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Harlot's House by Oscar Wilde

We caught the tread of dancing feet,
We loitered down the moonlit street,
And stopped beneath the harlot's house.

Inside, above the din and fray,
We heard the loud musicians play
The "Treues Liebes Herz" of Strauss.

Like strange mechanical grotesques,
Making fantastic arabesques,
The shadows raced across the blind.

We watched the ghostly dancers spin
To sound of horn and violin,
Like black leaves wheeling in the wind.

Like wire-pulled automatons,
Slim silhouetted skeletons
Went sidling through the slow quadrille.

They took each other by the hand,
And danced a stately saraband;
Their laughter echoed thin and shrill.

Sometimes a clockwork puppet pressed
A phantom lover to her breast,
Sometimes they seemed to try to sing.

Sometimes a horrible marionette
Came out, and smoked its cigarette
Upon the steps like a live thing.

Then, turning to my love, I said,
"The dead are dancing with the dead,
The dust is whirling with the dust."

But she--she heard the violin,
And left my side, and entered in:
Love passed into the house of lust.

Then suddenly the tune went false,
The dancers wearied of the waltz,
The shadows ceased to wheel and whirl.

And down the long and silent street,
The dawn, with silver-sandalled feet,
Crept like a frightened girl.

We caught the tread of dancing feet,
We loitered down the moonlit street,
And stopped beneath the harlot's house.

Inside, above the din and fray,
We heard the loud musicians play
The "Treues Liebes Herz" of Strauss.

Like strange mechanical grotesques,
Making fantastic arabesques,
The shadows raced across the blind.

We watched the ghostly dancers spin
To sound of horn and violin,
Like black leaves wheeling in the wind.

Like wire-pulled automatons,
Slim silhouetted skeletons
Went sidling through the slow quadrille.

They took each other by the hand,
And danced a stately saraband;
Their laughter echoed thin and shrill.

Sometimes a clockwork puppet pressed
A phantom lover to her breast,
Sometimes they seemed to try to sing.

Sometimes a horrible marionette
Came out, and smoked its cigarette
Upon the steps like a live thing.

Then, turning to my love, I said,
"The dead are dancing with the dead,
The dust is whirling with the dust."

But she--she heard the violin,
And left my side, and entered in:
Love passed into the house of lust.

Then suddenly the tune went false,
The dancers wearied of the waltz,
The shadows ceased to wheel and whirl.

And down the long and silent street,
The dawn, with silver-sandalled feet,
Crept like a frightened girl.

The Beauty of Mad Men #5

2010-10-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

Season 2, Episode 2, "Flight 1"

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #25

2010-10-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

RIP Tony Curtis

2010-10-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

Tony Curtis
June 3, 1925 – September 29, 2010

Obituary in the LA Times

Missoni Spring 2011 Collection - Milan Fashion Week

2010-09-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

I could never get away with wearing any of this (ready to wear my ass) but I think it is kinda fabulous.

The King's Speech - Trailer

2010-09-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Colin is on a roll.

The Beauty of Mad Men #4

2010-09-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

Season 3, Episode 3, "My Old Kentucky Home"

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #24

2010-09-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

West of Here - Book Review

2010-09-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

West of Here by Jonathan Evison

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to score an ARC of Jonathan Evison’s West of Here and I have to admit that it surprised me. I knew the man could write, his first novel All About Lulu was a lovely coming of age story told with a unique voice that I liked a lot. But Lulu in no way prepared me for the staggering scope of West of Here.

Set in the fictional town of Port Bonita, Washington, the book follows two timelines. The first timeline begins in 1889 and focuses on Port Bonita's founding and the damming of the Elwha River which gave the town its identity and life. This timeline is filled with men and women of vision and purpose, the world wide open to them if only they can make the right decisions. The second timeline is in the modern year 2006 and follows the descendants of those original founders. But for them, Port Bonita is no longer thriving, the dam no longer their salvation but their downfall. These men and women would like to have the same sense of purpose their ancestors did, but first they must somehow reconcile their past with their future. It might be time for Port Bonita and its inhabitants to make a change.

Jonathan Evison writes colorfully with a lot of humor and genuine affection for his many characters – not one written with anything less than absolute vibrancy and depth. The Washington wilderness itself is a character and his descriptions of it are so effortless and beautiful, you trust that he KNOWS this landscape. He makes you feel it.

The story itself is propulsive. At the beginning you will slowly begin to know the characters and follow them on their paths, learning more and more about them as you turn the pages, then the plot will start to take a strong hold and pretty soon you will be unable to put the book down until you find out what everyone’s destinies will be, until you are finished with the book and sad that it’s over.

I am intrigued by the amount of research that went into the writing of this novel. What is factual and what is imagination? I want to look into the history of the area myself and learn everything I can about it. It’s that pioneer spirit and sense of adventure that captures my attention and imbues in me a childlike sense of wonder at the vastness of things.

So, thanks to Jonathan Evison for writing such a spectacular book. I think this novel is going to be big for him. I’ll definitely be buying at least one copy when it is officially released and I encourage you to do so too.

View all my reviews

The Beauty of Mad Men #3

2010-09-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Season 3, Episode 8, "Souvenir"

[These images taken from http://projectrungay.blogspot.com/]

Ryan Reynolds in GQ Magazine

2010-09-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

The boy cleans up nicely, doesn't he?

[I first saw this spread on projectrungay.blogspot.com (credit where credit is due) and the images are from gq.com]

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #23

2010-09-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite real life couples

2010-09-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Johnny and June Carter Cash

They were adorable. I really think Johnny died of a broken heart over losing June.

The Beauty of Mad Men #2

2010-09-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

Season 2, Episode 11, "The Jet Set"

For Jowanna.

Don Draper Has a Sad

2010-09-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

My new favorite tumblr?

Sad Don Draper (click here)

Here's a sampling of the funny:

Let's Get Lost

2010-09-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

I just watched Let's Get Lost, Bruce Weber's 1988 documentary portrait of Chet Baker. It's stunning. Really truly stunning. With incredible footage of the young beautiful Chet juxtaposed against the footage of a worn Chet at the end of his hard lived life (he would die later that year falling from a hotel window in Amsterdam). But his voice! And his trumpet playing! He never lost the pure, sensual, laguid beauty of those two instruments. This portrait of Chet includes incredible live performances that will knock you over, but this isn't just a loving tribute to a genius musician. It is loving, yes, but it shows the bad sides of Chet too especially in interviews with the long suffering women in his life. He was a junkie after all.

I encourage you, all of you, fans of Chet Baker, and even those of you that have never heard of him, to watch this. And to make it easy on you, here it is in its entirety on youtube:

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #22

2010-09-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Beauty of Mad Men #1

2010-09-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

So I've decided that every week or so I will post a new image from Mad Men. There are so many beautiful shots in this stunning series that it should be a very long time before I run out of Mad Men images to post. This week's image is from the most recent episode.

Season 4, Episode 7, "The Suitcase"

Now we'll paint a happy little spartan right over here. . .

2010-09-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

[I stole this directly from Cinematical.com]

The Avett Brothers - The Ballad of Love & Hate

2010-09-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

I have no words to describe how good this song is.

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #21

2010-09-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

Rolling Stone - Behind the Scenes of Mad Men

2010-09-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

The new issue of Rolling Stone features Elizabeth Moss, January Jones, Jon Hamm, and Christina Hendricks of Mad Men on the cover and features a fantastic spread of behind the scenes photos inside. Even though I've seen all the photos and am posting some here, I will absolutely be buying a physical copy of this issue!

Penguins Chasing a Butterfly

2010-08-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

Pete Campbell's Bitch Face

2010-08-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

Best Tumblr EVER?

http://petecampbellsbitchface.tumblr.com/

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #20

2010-08-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Christopher Eccleston in a music video

2010-08-26T06:30:00.001-07:00

Here's a music video for a band called I Am Kloot where Christopher Eccleston simply stares into the camera for 2 1/2 minutes. It's rather lovely.

And thanks to my friend Jenni Miller for bringing this to my attention.

The Swell Season cover Neutral Milk Hotel

2010-08-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Swell Season covers Neutral Milk Hotel

Between Two Ferns: Steve Carell

2010-08-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Click Here for Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Steve Carell. Zach is good. So very good.

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #19

2010-08-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Twitter Movie Trailer

2010-08-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well, first if you haven't watched it yet, watch the trailer for Fincher's The Social Network:

Then watch this parody for The Twitter Movie:

LOL.

Black Swan - Trailer

2010-08-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the trailer for the new Darren Aronofsky film Black Swan starring Natalie Portman, Barbara Hershey, Mila Kunis, and Vincent Cassel, set in the world of ballet. It looks FREAKY!