New Michael Chabon Novel!
Chabon's second novel, Wonder Boys was one of my favorites of the 1990s, and was one of the first books I read in a genre that soon became a favorite of mine, Middle-Aged Male Humanities Professors Who Face a Life Crisis After Enjoying an Overextended Adolescence and Pull Their Shit Together In The End.

I've also read the first chapter of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and all I can say is wow. I dream of writing this well.
Sunday, September 24, 2000 07:51 p.m.

Silent Divas of Italian Cinema
What a cool article! I wish they'd provided more photographs, though. I also wish I could see some of these movies. I'm feeling the need for more glamour in my life at the moment.
Sunday, September 24, 2000 07:50 p.m.

Hip-Hop Romeo & Juliet
This is really cool, and fills me with Philly pride. Rennie Harris is an amazing choreographer, who has put together a piece called Rome and Jewels. Really, it was only a matter of time before Shakespeare's most re-interpretable play lent itself to rap. My sister & Dad saw it this summer when it was staged in Philadelphia, and they loved it. Dad even got the Sisqo joke when Rome waxed rhapsodic about Jewels' dumps, which reminded him verily of a truck, truck, truck, and her thighs, which were uncannily like what, what, what.
Sunday, September 24, 2000 07:44 p.m.

The Annals of Culture Shock, Part 1

As some of you know, I moved from my ancestral home in southern New Jersey to Toronto a few weeks ago. It's been a pretty easy transition, what with all these nice Canadians surrounding me everywhere I go.

Seriously, I don't feel out of place here; I have to remind myself that I'm a foreigner sometimes. This week, however, I had a very minor episode of what could be called culture shock. Really, it was like culture static electricity, but let's not split hairs, because it's time to get on with the revelation of my Big Dumb Americanness.

Ok, so everywhere I go, I see people wearing t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats featuring a logo that reads "ROOTS." At first, I'm totally excited, because I think, "Oh, wow, Torontonians really dig Philly hip hop!"

But then I see an ad on TV featuring a bunch of members of the Canadian Olympic Team, and the tagline is something like "Roots. We're proud to be the official outfitter of the Canadian Olympic Team." And it all clicks into place. The good people of Toronto aren't showing love for ?uestlove & crew, they're rocking their national sportswear.
Friday, September 22, 2000 04:45 p.m.

Jason Lee Discussion at Fametracker
Here's why I love Fametracker: there's a topic on a somewhat underfamous, poised for greatness actor. Folks debate his merits & his involvement with Scientology. Then it evolves into a quote-fest of all his greatest lines from the movies he's starred in. Result - joyfully bitchy criticism with a side order of hilarity.
Friday, September 22, 2000 04:42 p.m.

What Would Brian Boitano Do?
I find myself wondering the same thing quite often. But then, I have lots of free time. Thanks to jejune.
Friday, September 22, 2000 04:39 p.m.

Big Giant Presidential Heads Attack!
From the ever-glamourous Saucy Folklorist, we have the link above, as well as this one, detailing the sad fate of the oversized sculptured heads of former U.S. Presidents Taylor, Reagan, and Jefferson, as they try to make their way to a special theme park. Only in Virginia.
Friday, September 22, 2000 04:35 p.m.

Law Allowing Library Book Banning Overturned
Right on. It makes me see red when governments attempt to legislate what's "objectionable" in public libraries. The new decision "'puts the responsibility for censoring children's books on the parents, where it should be," said Linda Hughes, the city's library administrator and a defendant."
Wednesday, September 20, 2000 05:48 p.m.

"I Don't Need Your Stinking Boy Band!"
Interesting Salon.com article about the sixth Backstreet Boy. No, not Trent McJivvers, the imaginary sixth BSB embodied by Ben Stiller at 1998's MTV Video Music Awards. I'm talking about Phoenix Stone, who quit in 1994 to follow his dream of pop stardom on his own, formula-free terms. What I want to know is this: if the group was a "fledgling 4-member musical troupe" in 1994, who did they get to replace Mr. Stone? Based on looks alone, I'd say Nick, but if Lou Perlman needed to replace his vocal range, maybe it was Brian.
Wednesday, September 20, 2000 09:10 a.m.

The Quiz Room
Cheeky, sometimes difficult quizzes on news, politics, sports, and pop culture. A good hour's worth of fun from the Guardian.
Wednesday, September 20, 2000 09:09 a.m.

Madonna's Music reviewed at NYLPM
Now that's some good music writing.
Wednesday, September 20, 2000 09:08 a.m.

Etheridge-Cypher Breakup
I'm really surprised - Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher really seemed like a go the distance kind of couple to me.
Wednesday, September 20, 2000 09:07 a.m.

Tiger Wows 'Em in Toronto
I hope you didn't think I was kidding about the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon links. 'Cause here's another one.
Tuesday, September 19, 2000 08:59 a.m.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I am so in love with this trailer. God, just look at that kung fu - the moves are more beautiful than most modern dance. To sum up, Ang Lee, who is more famous for his domestic dramas like Eat Drink Man Woman and Sense & Sensibility, has made a Hong Kong-style action movie (martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo Ping, the genius behind all of the martial arts in The Matrix), which is another inspired chocolate & peanut butter-type combination. By all accounts, CTHD was a huge success as the Toronto Int'l Film Festival, and I cannot wait until it gets distribution in North America. Which means I'll be tormenting you with breathelssly exchited tidbits about this movie until Christmas, I think. (NB - you'll need QuickTime & it's got sound.)
Tuesday, September 19, 2000 08:42 a.m.

The Sunnydale Gilbert & Sullivan Society
Ever wonder what might happen if Giles & Wesley had founded a light opera company at Sunnydale High? Me neither. But I'm glad that someone did, because it'd sure be funny, as evidenced by the lyrics to The Nutter Vamp (sung to the tune of "Buttercup") and The Willow Song (sung to the tune of "Tit Willow"). Buffy and G&S - an unlikely, but excellent, combination in the grand tradition of chocolate & peanut butter.
Tuesday, September 19, 2000 08:41 a.m.

MC Hawking
You know, I never guessed that Stephen Hawking could rock the mic like this. Link courtesy of Pocket Pig.
Tuesday, September 19, 2000 08:39 a.m.

The Oscar Wilde Sketch
This could be my all-time favorite Monty Python sketch. It's a little unnerving how much Graham Chapman looks like Oscar Wilde, and the barely veiled malice among Wilde, Whistler, and Shaw (and how they catch the poor Prince of Wales in the middle) is hilarious. Now that was a seedy demimonde.
Tuesday, September 19, 2000 08:36 a.m.

I Love Snoop (Doggy) Dogg
Sometimes I feel that I should hide my affection for tha nasty dogg, doggy dogg. But the power & greatness of Doggystyle cannot be denied! As a gesture of solidarity with Mark Morris, I'm outing myself here & now as a fan. We have to come together to end the stigma attached to Snoop admiration.
Monday, September 18, 2000 08:14 p.m.

Ow!
I have a deep and abiding interest in pain. But unlike the evil Count Rugen, I'm interested not because I like pain, but because I used to experience quite a bit of it, in the form of chronic and debilitating headaches, for three and a half years. Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, my life is pretty pain-free, and it's been long enough since I had to deal with that pain that it's hard for me to remember what it was like. And I guess I'm not as interested in really remembering the pain as I am in what pain is, and why and how it is. Good thing there's a really good book out about it now, huh? (NB - requires free registration at the Times site)
Monday, September 18, 2000 08:13 p.m.

Visual Thesaurus
I'm all about sifting through other people's links right now. This, lifted from Wing Chun at hissyfit, is so cool. Just check it out.
Monday, September 18, 2000 09:43 a.m.

Trailers, Trailers, Trailers!
Clearly, Gael is a woman after my own heart. I could watch movie trailers all day. I would be happy to go to the movie theater and pay $7 just to see two hours' worth of trailers. Thank goodness for this site, which is feeding my mania for free.
Monday, September 18, 2000 09:41 a.m.

Speaking of Kathleen
She's gone blogger, baby! Rawk.
Monday, September 18, 2000 09:40 a.m.

The Smiths & Guns N Roses
Ok, so I finally checked out kempa, and discovered the truth of what Kathleen & Nanette (among others) have been saying all along - it rocks. My favorite feature du jour is this little gem outlining the eerie coincidences & similarities connecting Guns N Roses & the Smiths.
Monday, September 18, 2000 09:39 a.m.

Praise the skies! Fix Your Wagon has updated.
And thanks to Damn Hell Ass Kings a new, kick-ass portal brought to you by Glark, Wing Chun, & friends, I don't have to stalk the site every five minutes to keep checking for those all-too-infrequent updates.

I only wish that Sep (or is it keight?) had written more about The Way to Become The Sensuous Man, because what she did write had me almost hyperventilating with laughter.
Monday, September 18, 2000 09:38 a.m.