Sopranos 5th Season: Bad Idea Jeans
Ok, I love The Sopranos as much as any other quality TV fanatic, but it's been my experience as a viewer that all shows start to go downhill after about 4 seasons. I'd rather be able to say that the series was a really solid show for all four of the brief seasons it was on the air, rather than say, "well the first four seasons kicked ass, but after that, it started to suck, big time."
Thursday, July 19, 2001 01:25 p.m.

John Hughes' Brilliant Career
Oh, hell. We haven' had a theme day around here in ages, so let's just go with the dual themes of the 80s and teenagerhood today. I don't love TheBreakfast Club, because I didn't see it until I was about 22, and by then, the This Movie Expresses My Worldview Perfectly Threshold had closed for it. However, Some Kind of Wonderful and to a lesser degree, Sixteen Candles continue to loom large in my mini-canon of nearly perfect teen films. Other entries on that list: Clueless, Rushmore, and The Graduate (it squeezes in, since Ben Braddock is just 20 when he comes back to California after college).
Thursday, July 19, 2001 01:23 p.m.

Spiky, Synthy, & Safe
Is that like healthy, wealthy, & wise? I'm not sure what Ben Franklin would have to say about the resurgence of 80s-format radio stations, but I've got to say that they bore the hell out of me. I love my 80s music, for sure, and I'm all for spikiness & synthiness, but it gets so boring and bland after a while, and I find myself thinking, "this isn't how the 80s really sounded! It wasn't all good, but it was way more varied than this leveled out pap." So imagine my "eureka! He's got it!" reaction when I read these wise words by Rob Brookman (who is very nearly my surname twin): "at its foundations, back-to-the-80s radio is about nostalgia, not art. And nostalgia has a way of shrinking, simplifying and stereotyping everything it touches." Hear that? It's the sound of many nails being hit square on their shiny, flat little heads. Via NYLPM.
Thursday, July 19, 2001 01:21 p.m.

Mmmm, Palm Springs
Ever since I read Generation X, I've been fascinated with Palm Springs. Well, probably not the real Palm Springs, but the one that I created in my head based on the descriptions of the town in the book. I think my vision of the protagonists' housing is best summed up by this photo of City Hall, but my fantasy dwelling in Palm Springs would definitely be The Elvis House. Look at that amazing facade! And how it juts way out over the rockery & greenery of the front lawn's landscaping! Wow. Thanks to Matt & Christopher for this excellent architectural tour, complete with map (for the all-important geographical context) and knowledgeable commentary. Raise your hands, everyone who thinks Matt & Christopher should publish a series of travelogues!
Tuesday, July 17, 2001 08:56 p.m.

Not Really About Buffy
Well, it is a little bit about how Joss Whedon's two shows probably won't have any crossovers this season. Is that really a surprise to anyone out there? Unless you're David E. "Sold My Soul To The Devil For A Shitload of Undeserved Emmys" Kelley, you don't get to do multiple network related shows crossovers. Meanwhile, the truly interesting tidbit in this article is Joss' limejuice allergy. He neglected to wash off some juice after slicing limes for a dish he was preparing at home, and he developed boils on his hands! Ew! And yet, wow. I think he should donate his photos of his lime-induced hand boils to the Mutter Museum of medical oddities in Philadelphia.
Tuesday, July 17, 2001 08:51 p.m.

Lynda Barry Returns!
Thanks to Gael for finding this at Salon, which I hardly ever read anymore. And thank you, Lynda, for sending in your comeeks from novel-land. If you ever read this, I’m so glad you’re back.
Tuesday, July 17, 2001 08:50 p.m.

I am everyday typography
So says nofont.com. Via the blorg, which I'm delighted to have rediscovered after losing the link and then forgetting that I'd lost it a while back.
Tuesday, July 17, 2001 08:48 p.m.

How To Make Grilled Cheese
The assembly instructions are fairly standard, I think, but the cooking technique is completely new to me. I'll have to try it out this weekend. This link is another specifically for my sister the Printmaker, who aspires to entrepreneurial greatness with her idea for an all grilled-cheese diner. So long as she supplies Lactaid tablets as a side dish with every sandwich, I'm so there.
Monday, July 16, 2001 08:32 p.m.

Joe Henry, Madonna Lyricist?!
Did you know that Madonna's excellent "Don't Tell Me" (my favourite song from Music, by the way), is actually a Joe Henry song, called "Stop", from his most recent album? I didn't. I bet I'd know that if I actually bothered to read and memorize liner notes as in days of yore, or still listened to Joe Henry-loving WXPN. (Complete side note: the sometimes fabulous, sometimes annoying McSweeney's is organizing a literature festival in Philly in two weeks. There will be readings and signings at some of Philly's best bookstores, and live music at fun, unpretentious places like the North Star Bar. If you live there, or anywhere near there, you should go to some of the events. It looks like it'll be fun, and there will be other authors there, which should dilute the insane Eggers egomania fumes a bit.) Henry's version of the song (which is the original, in case I didn't make that clear above), is completely different from Madonna's version (which speaks well of both of them, I think), and is very, very good. I think I might have to see about putting Scar on my to-buy list.
Monday, July 16, 2001 08:32 p.m.

Think Mink!
Mink Stole has an advice column! Who knew? Bonus: her advice is really good: chock full of good old Baltimore common sense, with just the merest soupcon of the wacky humour we've come to expect from a veteran John Waters actor.
Monday, July 16, 2001 08:30 p.m.