She & Him, Volume 2 - My Review

I developed a wicked girl crush on Zooey Deschanel after seeing her in Cameron Crowe's incredible rock n' roll film Almost Famous oh so many years ago. Seriously, that came out in 2000 - it's been a DECADE! Her part was small, but she was adorable. Shortly after seeing her in the now Christmas movie staple, Elf, in which she revealed to the world that she had an incredible set of pipes I learned that she had her own musical cabaret act that performed around L.A. AND she was rumoured to play Janis Joplin in a biopic (which never came to fruition). It was no surprise to me then, when she joined forces with M. Ward to form the band She & Him.

Their first album, simply titled Volume 1, was very good - a sweet amalgam of sunshiny California pop, the classic girl group sound, and an occasionally jazzy vocalist vibe. It was fun to hear Zooey singing her own lyrics, although sometimes her voice sounded a little tentative as if she wasn't entirely sure she should be sharing her songs with the world.

Now the duo has released their second album, aptly titled, Volume 2 and its' not just good - it's FANTASTIC. Zooey's tentativeness is gone; she's now a fully formed and confident singer. It isn't a departure from the first album, it's the same sunshiny, girl groupy, jazzy pop music, but it's more consistent, more fully realized, more layered, just MORE MORE MORE. It's music that makes me HAPPY. And that's the best review I can give anything.

RIP Malcolm McLaren

Malcolm McLaren

January 22, 1946 - April 8, 2010

The history of rock 'n roll wouldn't be the same without this man.

There is a nice obit on nytimes.com.

Steve McQueen - 20 Never Seen Pictures

Life Magazine has published a photo essay about Steve McQueen featuring 20 never before seen photos taken by photographer John Dominis in 1963. They are really cool.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW.

Happy 95th Birthday Billie Holiday!

Born April 7, 1915

Died July 17, 1959

"If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and it's got to be that way in music or it isn't music."

[photo: artadox.com]

One of my favorite real life couples. . .

Bob Dylan and Joan Baez

She put him on the map and he thanked her by being a real jerk, but they sang beautifully together.

Sleeping insects covered in morning dew

Photos by Miroslaw Swietek.
I thank my friend Shel for turning me onto these.

[source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/]

The Photography of Craig Varjabedian

Craig Verjebedian has been photographing the American West for over 30 years. I discovered him from reading this article on NPR Ghosts, Dudes And Ranches: A Large-Format View Of The American West. It's worth checking out.

The Old Patriarch, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1999

Lowrider Cadillac named "Chimayo," Owned by Victor Martinez, Chimayo, New Mexico, 1997

Cottonwoods No. 5, Autumn, near La Cienga, New Mexico, 1998

Moonrise over Penitente Morada, Dusk, Late Autumn, New Mexico, 1991

Capilla San Antonio, Sunset, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1999

Cruciform Penitente Morada and Family Chapel on Hill, Late Afternoon, Autumn, New Mexico, 1990

La Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico 1997

The Grand Tetons, Sunset Jackson,Wyoming, 1998

TOONYOPEENG-YA (Very Spotted Mountain), The Black Mesa San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, 1986

Capilla de Nuestra Señora de la Luz, Sunset & Evening Storm, Cañoncito at Apache Canyon, New Mexico, 1985

Lodgepole Pines, Dawn, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 1998

[photos: afterimagegallery.com]

Happy 86th Birthday Marlon Brando!

Born April 3, 1924

Died July 1, 2004

"Acting is the expression of a neurotic impulse. It's a bum's life. The principal benefit acting has afforded me is the money to pay for my psychoanalysis."

Ah, Marlon.

[photo: thenewyorkseason.com]

Hysteria

Portrait of T.S. Eliot by Wyndham Lewis

Hysteria by T.S. Eliot

As she laughed I was aware of becoming involved
in her laughter and being part of it, until her
teeth were only accidental stars with a talent
for squad-drill. I was drawn in by short gasps,
inhaled at each momentary recovery, lost finally
in the dark caverns of her throat, bruised by
the ripple of unseen muscles. An elderly waiter
with trembling hands was hurriedly spreading
a pink and white checked cloth over the rusty
green iron table, saying: "If the lady and
gentleman wish to take their tea in the garden,
if the lady and gentleman wish to take their
tea in the garden ..." I decided that if the
shaking of her breasts could be stopped, some of
the fragments of the afternoon might be collected,
and I concentrated my attention with careful
subtlety to this end.

The Damned United - My Review

It seems like Michael Sheen is everywhere right now! He's in the ever pop culturally present Twilight franchise as Aro, the super baddie vampire. I've seen him on a bunch of talk shows recently promoting his small role as the White Rabbit in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. He was amazingly fabulous in a two episode stint on this season of 30 Rock as Liz Lemon's "Future Husband" - a daffy, delightful storyline that I wish had gone on longer. Frost/Nixon has been playing a lot on cable and he can be spotted in the new trailer for Disney's highly anticipated Tron Legacy. Plus, I follow him on twitter where lately he's been tweeting links to music he loves (The Specials, Roy Orbison, Son House, The Duke Spirit). Then my boyfriend and I netflixed a British football (soccer) film called The Damned United and guess what? Michael Sheen is the star.

Not only is he the star of The Damned United he is absolutely brilliant in it playing notorious British football manager Brian Clough with a mix of arrogance and earnestness and a glint in his eye. The movie was not at all what I expected it to be. It's not a "thrill of the game" sports movie, there aren't a lot of scenes even filmed on the pitch. It's a behind the scenes film about what is involved when a sports manager runs a successful (or struggling) team: the money, the politics, the team owners, the players, the media. In fact, if I had to categorize this film at all I would call it a love story. The film centers around Brian Clough's relationship with his assistant manager and best friend, Peter Taylor, played by the always excellent Timothy Spall. Their relationship is loving and mutually beneficial, until it isn't. When their relationship sours, your heart breaks for them, and you keep watching in anticipation to see if they will get back together.

With a wonderfully sharp script by Peter Morgan that takes a convoluted sports story and focuses it in on the human relationships within that world, The Damned United was a pleasure to watch.