Lost
Like other diehard Lost fans, I anticipated the arrival of last week’s Lost season premiere like Homer Simpson awaiting a donut. I heart Lost unequivocally. I’m reminded of 21 Questions by 50 Cent and Nate Dogg. I WOULD still love Lost in a bus or a Bentley. I am not going to analyze Lost but I just wanted to express how excited I am for the final season to be on air. I am missing J. Wood’s column at Powell’s and wish him well. OH SNAP! As I was looking up the link, I saw that he’s back! Read the enthralling Lost thoughts of J Wood here. I am enthusiastically reading Doc Jensen at EW and Watch With Kristen at E! Also, I was reminded of Jorge “Hurley” Garcia’s delicious blog Dispatches from the Island.

Aziz Ansari
I don’t know when the hilarious Aziz Ansari hit my radar but by now he’s on everyone’s radar as reliably droll. If you don’t already, check out his Twitter account. I love how he just says things that clearly make him laugh. He just writes stuff and puts it out there for the like-minded like his jokes about LC formerly from The Hills, The Wire, R Kelly,etc. I enjoyed his turn on Flight of the Conchords as the fruit stand owner with a problem with Brett until learning he was a Kiwi NOT an Aussie. I didn’t see Funny People and did not get into Parks & Recreation right away. But after seeing Aziz Ansari live at Comix last week, I watched all of the Parks & Recreation eps available on-demand in one sitting. Of course he is awesome but that show has also hit its stride. I am officially a fan.

Red Riding Trilogy
Yes, I sat through 3 movies in row & lived to tell. Red Riding has been getting incredible buzz since last year and racking up great reviews (here’s Manohla Dargis’s NYT review). Red Riding first played on British television and then I saw it was playing at the NYFF last year. But I had a full schedule and have learned my film-watching limits. So, I took advantage of IFC Center’s Red Riding showing last week. The movies, 1974, 1980 & 1983 are based on David Peace’s Red Riding Quartet books about the fictional, though inspired loosely by true events, underbelly of Yorkshire. The movies are based on Nineteen Seventy-Four, Nineteen Eighty and Nineteen Eighty-Three. Nineteen Seventy-Seven was cut presumably for time and precision. What is remarkable about these movies are the way they each capture the year in question while blending in contemporary techniques. 1974 was filmed in Super 16 millimeter capturing that 1970’s look with incredible acting. It was very interesting for me to see Andrew Garfield as the protagonist in 1974 after seeing him in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Let me quote Manohla Dargis here, “The director Julian Jarrold shot the film in Super 16 millimeter, which gives the images atmospheric grit and swirling grain that, with the almost comically ubiquitous cigarette smoke, nicely thickens the air.” I couldn’t say it better. The same goes for the magic of the 35 mm used to shoot 1980. “The second movie, “Red Riding: 1980,” glossed up with 35-millimeter film and directed by James Marsh with an elegant, self-conscious visual style at odds with the grunge milieu and desperate crimes….” And the last movie, 1983, was filmed digitally with the Red One Camera. I was engrossed in the first two more than the last one when it became a little farcical and reminded me of Hot Fuzz when it turns out evil is pervasive (it helped my brain to make the connection to have Paddy Considine, protagonist of 1980, also be in Hot Fuzz). But 1983 still had many pay-offs plot-wise. Many characters re-appear and fill in other sides of conversations and stories. It was a cool experience to see all three Red Riding movies in a row and I’m glad I did it.

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I admit I only had a vague awareness of Johnny Weir until I saw the trailer for his movie Johnny Weir: Pop Star On Ice. My interest was peaked immediately. Then I saw that it was on Sundance On Demand. It’s also playing at IFC Center. I watched it the first moment I could and did not regret it. Johnny Weir is a 24 year old American competitive figure skater. Near the beginning of his documentary, he states that he was enlightened by the skating of Oksana Baiul. If you know her skating, it makes perfect sense. Johnny Weir is a natural performer. He’s athletic, he’s artistic and he’s a star – so much so that he has a series on Sundance entitled Be Good Johnny Weir. I don’t want to give away too much about his trials and tribulations as a skater if you don’t know, but basically, the documentary Johnny Weir: Pop Star On Ice traces his path to the 2006 Winter Olympics. The series follows him as he trains for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Anyway, this will be more meaningful after you watch his movie but his Poker Face performance has been garnering lots of enthusiasm.

The Good The Bad The Weird
I’m always glad to see a Korean movie with some merit. The Good The Bad The Weird came out in 2008 in Korea but is being released in the U.S. this year. It is a satire of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns. It works. It’s a little bit convoluted but I admire the ambition in story-telling. The three leads are charismatic and able to command attention throughout the movie. It’s funny, it’s action-packed, the cast of characters are characters. The story is set in Manchuria in the 1930s. There are Korean cowboys and bandits, Chinese cowboys and bandits and the Japanese military. There is a treasure map that everyone wants and lots and lots of well-choreographed shootouts. I would recommend seeing it on a big-screen to get the full effect of the desert and action.

The Book of Eli
I was one of the few who enjoyed From Hell, the Hughes Brothers’ rendition of Jack the Ripper. I am a Johnny Depp fan so that helped. I had my doubts about The Book of Eli. It’s not for everyone. It’s for Denzel Washington fans who want to see him spend a lot of time walking on a nearly-deserted post-apocalyptic road, yes, just like McCormac’s The Road. But Denzel Washington is something of a trained assassin so he occasionally breaks out into extreme violence and knocks out criminals who cross his path. Also Gary Oldham plays a baddie with great relish. It’s a perfectly watchable comic-book movie – that’s what it felt like.

Jenny Slate: Dead Millionaire
I recently saw Jenny Slate of SNL’s one-woman show at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade. UCB always surprises me. It’s a great place to take a chance on comedy. I can appreciate improv and stand-up but it also has a lot of room for painful missteps. UCB has made it safe for me to go to shows again. First off, it has an endless list of illustrious alums, many of the performers are well-known (like actors on 30 Rock and the like), the unknown performers have yet to disappoint me and it is inexpensive but it’s rich in experience. It’s not too long so you don’t get antsy sitting there. And it’s live. I didn’t take much notice of Jenny Slate on SNL but now I have a greater appreciation of what she has to offer.

Au revoir, Conan
I just wanted to say it was a pleasure to see Conan O’Brien leave The Tonight Show with grace and humor. This pressure did well for him. I hope it propels him and his team to create something great for September!

Toy Story 3 International Montage Teaser

I adore the Toy Story characters and the two movies that have come out so far. This montage of international teasers for Toy Story 3 is so cool I just keep watching it. I can’t embed it here so just follow the link. You will be glad to have spent the 1′46”.

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Conan O’Brien put it out there in his statement that he fully recognizes he is a lucky guy. He makes a lot of money doing something he loves. And he said, thanks for the support but don’t feel bad for him. He’s gonna land on his feet and I think he’ll be loyal to his people he brought with him from NYC to LA.

This conflict is bringing out the best in David Letterman entertainment-wise. His monologue is always strong but his personal bitterness is really creating great material. Dave knows in the scheme of things, this late night war is not of monumental importance. But in the scheme of his livelihood and world of late night comedy, it’s gold. And I am enjoying how Dave is being so real about it. Clearly he has a very personal viewpoint. He was there. He wanted the Tonight Show. He thought he was going to get it. Then NBC gave it to Leno. What this new conflict is stirring up in Dave is fascinating and really funny. It makes me feel like Dave is opening up his mind and showing it to me. Riveting. Anyway, at this point, it’s basically settled. Conan is getting a hefty settlement per his contract. He and NBC are parting ways after many years. He seems like he will set up shop elsewhere. Perhaps NBC will manage to ban him from late night for a few years but he can do prime time. He and his team will come up with something people will want to watch. But I believe the rift between Conan and NBC is just for the time being. The cast of characters changes up top fairly often. People forgive and forget. I’m thinking about how Joss Whedon went back to Fox for Dollhouse after Firefly got cancelled after a hot minute. It’s not practical to hold a grudge forever. Oh wait, I just remembered Judd Apatow’s email exchange with Mark Brazill. That grudge does not seem like it will go away anytime soon.

I just don’t think there’s any point in being mean-spirited. I don’t think Jay Leno and Conan have to make barbs about each other. It seems like it is more about how the network feels about each of them rather than personal feelings between Conan and Jay. My mind just wandered. Now I’m thinking about Conan’s commencement speech that made many of us laugh. What was I saying before… oh, I couldn’t even watch all of that segment of Jimmy Kimmel dissing Jay Leno on Leno’s own show. It was too painful. I get that they are all comedians but it was not for me. I heard that Patton Oswalt said something interesting. Let me find that…here it is. He thinks Leno does not use the show format in an innovative way and also that he compromised his stand up when he got the show. Yes, I agree that I used to think he was interesting and funny before he got the show. He definitely got more mainstream and conservative. But I just don’t watch his show. He can be funny. He just isn’t these days.

Anyway, this Conan thing will calm down and people will actually forget about it and then there will be people who never even heard about it. We’ll be watching whatever new show he has and forget how it came about. That’s how it goes. But I still care in the way I care about the way of pop culture. It’s something that many people can have an opinion about and feel connected to each other for a few moments in conversation in person or online. It’s an interesting diversion and also the whole thing is full of interpersonal relationships, business tactics and creative origins.That’s a lot of fodder for the likes of a Pop Culture Addict. It’s revived late night talk shows for me. I used to fast-forward until a particular character/sketch/guest appeared but lately I’ve been watching Conan and Dave from beginning to end sometimes real time. I’m sure that ironically, ratings are up for all of these shows. Oh, one more thought I had when it started was that Andy Richter must feel like his tv curse is hitting again. He cannot get a break. Andy Richter Controls the Universe was an out-of-the-box good show that got cancelled immediately (and now Victor Fresco’s equally funny and sharp Better of Ted is being cancelled). Then the very funny and unusual Andy Barker, P.I. got a short run. Now he’s on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien and sure enough, the show’s just about over. But I trust that he and Conan will stick together for their next project.

David Lynch’s Interview Project
I just wanted to end by saying I finally saw an interview from David Lynch’s Interview Project. It’s an interview with Jenny Brown. I saw it at IFC Center before a movie. It’s warm, it’s unique and leaves you wanting more and hopeful about humanity. That’s an impressive feat conveying all that with a brief interview with a non-celebrity, non-actor. I will have to watch more.

Wes Anderson’s National Board of Review acceptance speech in stop-motion for his Special Filmmaking Achievement Award

This is so adorable and amazing. I’ve watched it several times. So this is really how I’m ending today:

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I didn’t know of Ray Browne but a fellow Pop Culture Addict sent me this link. RIP, Ray Browne.

From the New York Times:

October 28, 2009
Ray Browne, 87, Founder of Pop-Culture Studies, Dies
By MARGALIT FOX

Ray B. Browne, who more than four decades ago founded the academic discipline of popular-culture studies, and who in the years that followed presided over the somewhat unlikely, often uneasy and almost always stimulating marriage between the ivory tower and Mickey Mouse, Madonna and Michael Jackson, among many other subjects, died on Oct. 22 at his home in Bowling Green, Ohio. He was 87.

His niece Barbara Moran confirmed the death, saying it was from natural causes.

At his death, Professor Browne was a distinguished university professor emeritus at Bowling Green State University, where he had taught from 1967 to 1992. A folklorist and literary scholar who specialized in Twain and Melville, he founded the university’s department of popular culture, the first such academic department in the country, in 1973.

The news media often credited Professor Browne with having coined the term “popular culture,” but according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the expression goes back at least to 1854, when it appeared in print in The Defiance Democrat in Ohio. But it is fair, and entirely fitting, to say that Professor Browne popularized the phrase.

For decades a highly visible public intellectual, Professor Browne was quoted often in major newspapers and profiled in People magazine. He wrote nearly a dozen books and edited more than 40 others.

Among the titles he edited are “Lincoln-Lore: Lincoln in the Popular Mind” (1974); “The Defective Detective in the Pulps” (1983; with Gary Hoppenstand); “Forbidden Fruits: Taboos and Tabooism in Culture” (1984); and “The Gothic World of Stephen King” (1987; with Mr. Hoppenstand). All were published by the Popular Press, which Professor Browne founded in 1970 with his wife, Pat Browne. Inaugurated at Bowling Green, the Popular Press is now an imprint of the University of Wisconsin Press.

Popular culture casts a wide net. It takes in dime novels, tabloid newspapers and TV weathermen; the Monkees, the Muppets and “The Love Boat”; T-shirts and G-strings; baseball cards and tarot cards; infomercials, Chatty Cathy dolls and needlepoint pillows; Bob Hope, Tiny Tim, Archie Bunker and Erica Jong; Tupperware, cream pies and Spam (both kinds); hood ornaments, Harlequin romances, “Leave It to Beaver” and a great deal else. For some, this ecumenicalism is part of the field’s appeal. For others, it is precisely what makes it seem unfit for scholarly consumption.

Professor Browne was often called upon to defend the honor of his discipline, the object of wide derision when it was begun and the subject of renewed attacks by traditionalists amid the canon wars of the 1980s. (The two-credit course on roller coasters, rides included, that Bowling Green offered in 1978 came in for a particular drubbing by scholars and the media.)

“I’ve been criticized for three things,” Professor Browne told The Chicago Tribune in 1988. “Wasting taxpayer money, embarrassing my colleagues and corrupting youth.”

His reply to his critics was simple and eloquent. “Popular culture is the voice of democracy, democracy speaking and acting, the seedbed in which democracy grows,” he said in an interview in 2002 with Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture (1900 to Present). “It is the everyday world around us: the mass media, entertainments and diversions. It is our heroes, icons, rituals, everyday actions, psychology and religion — our total life picture. It is the way of living we inherit, practice and modify as we please, and how we do it. It is the dreams we dream while asleep.”

Ray Broadus Browne was born in Millport, Ala., on Jan. 15, 1922. His father was a banker, but the bank closed after the crash of 1929, and the family was soon lining their shoes with cardboard, his niece said. As a teenager, Ray picked cotton for 10 cents a day. In World War II, he served in Europe with an Army artillery unit, but often landed in the stockade because, as he later wrote, “I did not have enough ‘Sirs’ in my vocabulary.”

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Alabama in 1943, he earned a master’s in English and comparative literature from Columbia in 1947 and a doctorate in English and folklore from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1956. Before joining the Bowling Green faculty, Professor Browne taught at the Universities of Nebraska and Maryland and Purdue University.

In 1967, the year he arrived at Bowling Green, Professor Browne founded both its Center for the Study of Popular Culture and The Journal of Popular Culture, the field’s first scholarly journal. He later founded the Popular Culture Association and the American Culture Association (the two now operate jointly) and The Journal of American Culture.

Today, courses on pop-cultural subjects are offered at colleges and universities throughout the United States. The department at Bowling Green, which awards B.A. and M.A. degrees, remains the only one in the country dedicated specifically to the field.

Professor Browne’s first wife, Olwyn Orde, died in a car accident in 1964, along with a son, Rowan. He is survived by two other sons from his first marriage, Glenn and Kevin; his second wife, the former Alice Maxine Matthews, known as Pat; a daughter, Alicia Browne, from his marriage to Ms. Matthews; and three grandchildren.

With his wife Pat, Professor Browne started a major archive at Bowling Greene now called the Browne Popular Culture Library. The couple also edited The Guide to United States Popular Culture (Popular Press, 2001), a 1,010-page reference work touching on everything from “The A-Team” to zydeco.

Of the guide’s 1,600 entries, one in particular was a favorite of Professor Browne’s. It was the page-long article, written by him, on the subject of wallpaper.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/education/28browne.html

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I’ve been relying on Twitter to a fault to quickly update my blog. But I realize I need more than 140 characters to convey some of my thoughts which is why I started this blog in the first place. Recently I went to see Wong Kar Wai’s early movie Days of Being Wild starring Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau and Andy Lau, all HK Superstars. There is even a teaser with Tony Leung at the end to set up the sequel which was never made. Or, as the journalist Jaime Wolf paraphrased Wong Kar Wai at the NY Film Society screening, every movie he made afterwards was a sequel. But really, with In the Mood for Love’s success, 2046 ended up being a true sequel. It was great to see it on a big screen in a decent theater. I had seen it once at the Museum of the Moving Image during an awesome Wong Kar Wai festival which featured the director himself. But now I realize, the theater was not ideal. That is also the theater I saw Ashes of Time in. Recall that Ashes of Time was reduxed and shown at the New York Film Festival 2008. It completely changed my opinion of that movie seeing it at the Ziegfeld, with a new soundtrack and restored picture and sound. I appreciate the beauty of the story and the acting so much more after that screening. In fact, it was a rapturous experience seeing it. Watching Days of Being Wild was not as sublime but it was still cool. It made me very nostalgic for Leslie Cheung and his movies. He really had a unique relationship with Wong Kar Wai. They understood each other the way Wong Kar Wai and cinematographer Chris Doyle do. I’ve also always loved that title, Days of Being Wild. I think it comes from something but not sure what.

Coraline in 3D was beautiful. Yes, the button eyes are on the creepy side. But the images are stunning. The story was a little obtuse but ultimately, love wins the day.

Becoming Edvard Munch: Influence, Anxiety, and Myth

Recently saw one of the best curated exhibits of the development of an artist’s style at the Art Institute of Chicago entitled Becoming Edvard Munch: Influence, Anxiety and Myth. Munch’s The Scream has entered pop culture never to turn back. This Norwegian artist was a sponge. He loved art, he appreciated his contemporaries (Van Gogh, Monet, Gauguin to name a few) and quoted similar themes in his work. You might be hard-pressed to see how Monet and Munch are related but this exhibit does the work for you. It puts together the pieces Munch studied and enjoyed during his lifetime next to his own work. Fascinating. The exhibit reminded me of Nick Hornby’s book of columns Shakespeare Wrote for Money. The premise of his column is that he is a voracious reader, soccer/football season aside, and his reading begets reading. He starts to read something and then is inspired to read something else. He may see a reference to an author or a topic and then he’s off to the bookstore to get a new book. I think that is how most of us experience books, movies, tv shows and all forms of art. I certainly am flighty and a bit compulsive about looking up related shows, books, movies when my interest is peaked by an author, artist, actor, show or the like. That’s why we love the interweb, as dear Tracy Jordan of 30 Rock likes to say. It’s instantaneous. We think of something we want to know or can’t quite remember and all we have to do is see if someone else documented it online for us to look up. Anyway, Edvard Munch experienced art this way. He took in what past artists studied and created. He looked at what his friends and colleagues were influenced by and created. Then he went into his studio and put down on paper with many mediums, oils, etching tools and woodcuts, his ideas.

chelfitsch Theater Company
Five Days in March

Saw interesting play at Japan Society entitled Five Days in March. It reminded me of the work done by the illustrious and brilliant Wooster Group.

Finally got around to looking at Watchmen. I figured since I’ve had my opening night IMAX tix for Watchmen since they first became available (because I love seeing event movies with boisterous crowds), I should look at the original material which has such a reputation. It really as great as people say. I don’t read many graphic novels but I know there are a lot of  hugely entertaining ones out there I’m missing out on, including the Buffy and Angel series. I read them occasionally, like Maus and Fun Home. And of course I had heard of Watchmen from many fellow Pop Culture Addicts.  Anyway, I wonder if it will translate to the screen. We will know soon enough!

I am so enthralled by KenKen. I like Sudoku well enough but don’t do those puzzles regularly. But I figured when Will Shortz introduced KenKen last week in the New York Times, I’d take a gander. The easy ones are very satisfying to finish and the hard ones are incredibly challenging. But so far, I am not deterred. If you go to the official KenKen site, you can sign up for a free link to numerous puzzles. I think I dl’d 24! Very generous of them.

At long last, Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse premiered! You can see it all over the place if you missed it. You can catch at Amazon or Fox.com for starters. I’m sure they will rerun it at some point as well. I watched it twice. First online and then via dvr. I am already a fan of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles so I am thrilled with the pairing of it with Dollhouse for our Friday night viewing. I love the potential for Amy Acker’s storyline. I’m just excited that Team Whedon is back in action and on tv.

SPECTACLE: ELVIS COSTELLO WITH…

I’m still watching this show. I got my wish. I was thinking that Elton John would be a good host because he loves pop music and follows new music avidly as well as appreciating pop music of the past. He is an executive producer of the show so I figured he’d show up in person eventually. The most recent episode featured Diane Krall. As she is married to Elvis Costello, Elton John took over the role of interviewer for this show so as to keep down the bias. But the whole show is a love-fest anyway. That’s the point. It’s all about mutual admiration by these interesting musicians. Anyway, I don’t listen to Diane Krall actively but I enjoyed this episode and developed a deeper appreciation for her jazz piano-playing.

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