Good Samaritan, Bad Samaritan

This is interesting. Gizmodo writes, "This is so brilliant, and so very wrong. Some poor soul in Baltimore has lost her iPod Touch, offering a $50 reward for its return. And some Bad Samaritan knows a bidding opportunity when he sees one."

Tip of the hat to MR for the pointer.

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I Heart the Northwest!

This year I went again to the Medieval Association of the Pacific's annual conference. I present at the conference almost annually as it gives me an opportunity to meet with other fellow medievalists as well as do that which I always, always enjoy, i.e., explore the West. The conference meets on a different Western campus every year and this time around it took place on the beautifully green campus of the University of Puget Sound.

My presentation at the conference was on the German medieval narrative called Das Nibelungenlied. You may view the conference program here.

What added much to the conference this year was the astoundingly gorgeous weather. It was sunny, 60 degrees, and a great way to introduce Spring to my soul. The winter has been very harsh in my neck of the woods this year so this experience was most appreciated.

I will post more at a later time about my experiences in the Seattle and Tacoma area. In the meantime, here are some pictures form the University of Puget Sound grounds. I can't get over the fact that I left icicles at home and found blooming flowers in Washington. Simply beautiful.

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Insurance first, Skills later: Nicole Kidman's case

The below-listed quote is from Edward Jay Epstein's book The Hollywood Economist: The Hidden Financial Reality Behind the Movies. Bottom line, skill sets are important and obviously of primary importance. They are not, however, the only thing of substance. Nicole Kidman's portrayal of Virginia Woolf in the film The Hours didn't just depend on her acting skills. It mostly rested on her insurability. If the artist is not insurable, no matter how brilliantly talented they might be, they will not get to work. Epstein's book is an interesting and informative read. It placed the current discussion of health care and insurance in a gripping, new context.

A bit says:

Kidman injured her knee during the filming of Moulin Rouge in Australia in 2000, resulting in a $3 million insurance loss, and then quit Panic Room in 2001, leading to the insurer having to pay some $7 million for the replacement actress (Jodie Foster). As a result, her public and critical acclaim notwithstanding, Miramax was initially unable to get insurance on her for its film Cold Mountain, which had a budget approaching $100 million. From the perspective of the insurer, Fireman's Fund, she was a definite risk. As an insurance executive noted in an email, "...the fact remains that the doctor we sent her to for her examination noted swelling in the knee." The executive goes on: "The other major fact that can't be changed is our paying three claims for this actress's knees over the years."

To get the necessary policy from Fireman's Fund, Kidman agreed to put $1 million of her own salary in an escrow account that would be forfeited if she failed to maintain the production schedule, and she agreed to use a stunt double for all scenes that the insurer considered potentially threatening to her knee. In addition, the co-producer, Lakeshore Entertainment, added another $500,000 to the escrow account...Having made the all-important move from borderline uninsurable to borderline insurable, she could make movies again. No matter how great their acting skills and box office drawing power, stars cannot get lead roles if they are uninsurable. Great acting skills and box office drawing may make the star, but insurance is what it takes to make the movie.

Tip of the hat to MR for the pointer.

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Assorted Links: Albums, Oscar Film, and Stereotypes

Assorted links:

1) Is "Cellar door" the most beautiful phrase in the English language? More here. Tip of the hat to MR for the pointer.

2) Good article about the psychological effects of touching on the NY Times. A bit says: "“We think that humans build relationships precisely for this reason, to distribute problem solving across brains,” said James A. Coan, a a psychologist at the University of Virginia. “We are wired to literally share the processing load, and this is the signal we’re getting when we receive support through touch.” More here.

3) Rolling Stone's magazine top 100 albums of the decade.

4) I agree, for the most part, with NY Times' Charles M. Blow's take on the film Precious and Tyler Perry's bizarre fascination with problematic female characters. I find Tyler Perry's films too cliché-rich and a bit too self-mythologizing generally. Hence, when I read this NY Times bit on the Oscars and the generously nominated Lee Daniels' film Precious, I found myself agreeing with the premise almost fully. A bit says:

"Then came Tyler Perry with his inexplicable fascination with this cliché, and his almost single-handed revival of it.

In the last five years, he has featured a crack-addicted black mother who leaves her children in two of his films and on his very popular sitcom, “House of Payne.” (In one of the films, the character is referred to but never seen.) In another film, a main character is a drug-addicted prostitute. And in yet another, a mother leaves her family for the drug dealer.

It should be noted that “Precious” is “co-presented” by Perry.

Let it go, Mr. Perry. These never-ending portrayals perpetuate the modern mythology that little has changed when much has. Even for Whitney."

I second the sentiment. Exactly, Mr. Perry, let it go. Hire some good writers and come up with new story lines. And, could an actual female actor play your Madea character instead of you? I mean, we are way past Shakespearean times. Women may play female characters on the stage nowadays.

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graph per ny times

Reciprocity, Sociality, and Lady Antebellum?

I was recently reading an article on the NY Times which discussed a new David Mamet play called Race. Something I tend to do and of which I'm not always aware is tracing the origin of my interests. For example, I know when I started to get into the habit of tracing word etymologies, when and where I first met the most significant people in my life, when I started to think that Modest Mouse in a way brought indie rock to the forefront, where I was when I 'got' what it meant to want to be surrounded by artists who produce my kind of art and aesthetics, why I always insist on playing Muse's "Map of the Problematique" when I'm on road trips, how eyeliners manage to somehow bring a level of sophistication to one's aesthetic presentation, and so forth.

The other day I was doing my laps at the pool and I had a song by Lady Antebellum stuck in my head. I've long gotten accustomed to the fact that I tend to have a song/melody in my head at any given point in time. Instead of trying to make sense of the origin of these audio habit, I've learned to accept them as they are. Currently, audio habits change monthly it seems like. As I was swimming, I got some water in my mouth which is something that vexes me terribly. However, what truly proved to be vexing this time was the fact that I got water in my mouth while doing a back stroke.

As I was about to reach the end of the pool, I started to do what I tend to do while on dry land: whistle. That mannerism doesn't quite translate well in the water, however. Since I do most of my better thinking while moving i.e., "agito ergo sum," I figured I could try to understand why I was whistling to a track by Lady Antebellum called Need You Now.

Lady Antebellum are a new 'country' band. I don't do country music. As it can be clearly gleaned from this blog of mine I have other kinds of favorites. We're all entitled to favorites, after all. Ergo, I wondered why I was wanting to whistle to the music of Lady Antebellum. One thing I know about my likes/dislikes is that I can logically explain why they are a like/dislike. I am of the opinion that what we like reveals much about who we are. Ergo, likes/dislikes are never inconsequential. Not to me, at least.

So, why whistle to their tune? Well, I think I know why I wanted to whistle their tune. As much as they self-define as 'country' they're mostly rock. As a matter of fact, what I truly like about the track is the guitar solo around minute 2'50. And as it is the case with many other things, aesthetics plays a major role here as well. I like Charles Kelly's style and text of presentation. Still, this is not the kind of music I am inclined to react to positively as I don't give it much attention in my daily routine.

Some things of transient value need to be in the forefront too. Ever so briefly, though. Its kind of like my interest in skinny jeans. They're a good addition to the wardrobe. To a small degree and in moderation, however. Use them with more frequency and they will manage to do nothing more than bring a level of banality to one's closet. This is a textile truth I am true to, at this point. As I was completing my laps I kept thinking of some of my other high-frequency interests and at that point I found myself thinking about the many long discussions I regularly have with one of my closest pals.

More specifically, he called me up the other day to ask me specifically if I've ever had a desire to 'imitate' any of the interests of the people closest to me. I thought of the current high-frequency interests and most of them stem from similar sources and experiences. Rarely, however, do they stem from people. From a person or two, of course, but they mostly originate from shared experiences with those who share my basic aesthetic tendencies.

A, for the most part, egalitarian social connection is one that is built on reciprocity. It is not enough to be around those who 'get' your frames of references. It is rather more important and self-supporting to rely on the influences of those few who not only read and 'get' your references well but who also contribute new things worthy of your pursuit.

I think of my significant ones who 'get' these same references or, more importantly and specifically to this post, who I did these things with first, and my friend's question is answered fully. Some desires and interests have the longevity of a high-frequency country song a-la-rock. It's fine for a day or two but at the end of the time frame, you know you can only get your true protein from the interests that stand the test of time. And a good test of solid and healthy sociality is one that relates to longevity. Some interests reside in the territory of appetizers, ahem, Lady Antebellum, and others actually give you protein. And as most things of true value, they reside in the safe space of one's private space.

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graph per google images

How to Make It in America: A Review

HBO has a new show called How to Make It America (HtMIA). HtMIA is a type of show that expects the viewer to know what the hustle and bustle of busy city life is like. On top of it being nicely informed by the unapologetically fast pace of big city life and New York City, the show has managed to capture adequately the angst and anxiety of modernity and what it means for creatively minded folk to succeed commercially and en masse.

The main reason why I decided to view this show was because of the talented but underrated Bryan Greenberg. Greenberg has the kind of mannerisms and look that I equate with a city connoisseur. He does very well in supporting roles and he seems to have been paying his dues for quite some time. I hope his efforts as a leading actor in this series are recognized as he seems to be a good representation of the creatively talented but commercially uncompensated.

One of the best moments from this show comes from Episode Two when Ben's character is trying to explain what his new denim line will be like and what it will represent. He wants his line to stand for a retro time that captures early hip-hop and punk rock a-la-70's. When Ben's character tries to capture a pop cultural period by way of a pair of jeans, I thought this was a show I had to pay attention to as I tend to think that aesthetics is never really inconsequential. Watch out Entourage! You might just have some competition now.

HtMIT celebrates not only creativity and individuality but also bonds of friendships and long-term social commitments as seen in the close and awfully candid bond connection between Ben and his childhood friend Cam. Cam is aware of his friend's talent and his genuine desire to see him succeed is nothing if not inspiring. Cam's character (played convincingly by Victor Rasuk) reminds me of an old noble medieval knight's mindset housed in the body of a skateboarder dressed in Volcom. I suppose this would be another reason to not be bored by this new series. In sum, I recommend this show. It's 20-odd minutes of modern urban references and aesthetics.

How to Make It in America:

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Nuit Blanche: Brilliant

I was happy to learn about this short film by Arev Manoukian. Economy of speech and a wealth of visual poetry all rolled into one. Nuit Blanche translates human connectivity most impressively on the screen.

Nuit Blanche from Spy Films on Vimeo.

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Shaun White # 1

As a snowboarding fan I can say unequivocally that there is nobody out there who snowboards better and more impressively than Animal, formerly known as the Flying Tomato i.e., Shaun White. Shaun did the Double McTwist 1260 at the Vancouver Olympics again and, as a result, got the gold. I love seeing him do his tricks on the half pipe. And how about the Double Mctwist 1260 in this clip? One word: Yowsah!!

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New Music: Pomplamoose

Tip of the hat to Liam for the pointer. They're called Pomplamoose. Great style. Cute sound. I like.

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High/Low Brow

Tip of the hat to Penelope Trunk over at Brazen Careerist (one of my current favorites) for producing the most gripping mini paragraph of the day.

"I am obsessed with the meshing of lowbrow and highbrow. I’m convinced that if you understand high brow well, then you are also a great judge of low brow, and you can get even more pleasure out of that."

More here.

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