Hangover, the movie

Well, it's about time they made a movie about it, eh?
Yes, I did see The Hangover.
What sold the movie to me was this here attached poster of Bradley Cooper.

I first saw this poster on a foreign subway station and I remember thinking, 'add this to the list of things to see.'
So, we went to the movies. Even got popcorn. And I don't do popcorn. I don't do Blockbuster movies either, but there you have it. Every rule has them. Exceptions, that is.

Now, B.R., the movie goer, will say that she liked the film. She actually laughed a lot. I found myself laughing the most when the characters were satirizing the comic text that is Vegas. In this regard my laughter was influenced by B.R.'s travel bug and academic eye for close reading. But why bring that up here. We're talking about an entire movie the premise of which is, 'what the heck happened last night after exorbitant amounts of alcohol were consumed?'
Right.
I can't really use literary theory to decode this.
Well, I could try but I reckon I've had enough comedy for a week.

The main reason, however, why I suggested that we go to the theater and watch this film is because of Bradley Cooper. I first noticed Cooper when he appeared in another mind-teaser (my coinage, folks). Don't judge. It was summer. My best pal was visiting from Germany and our house was hot due to air conditioning being on sabbatical for weeks. We lived in the dessert after all. Yada, yada, yada, we were in the mood for Wilson/Vaugh jokes.

Anyway, Cooper's performance in the Wedding Crashers did make me think. I remember noting that he would go places. His blood-shot eyes seemed to have a kind of torture quality to them that made them interesting.

Plus, Bradley Cooper is a beautiful person. He sports a kind of masculinity that's moderately bathed in feminine sensitivity. Ah, and his upper body suggests that he lifts and does yoga. Yes, I do watch films at times mostly because of who stars in them. Blame it on my weakness for aesthetics.

So, yes, I watched the Hangover. No, I won't officially review it here. I've got my rap to worry about, after all.

I will note two things about it: it captured Vegas realistically. If you're like me and have spent time in the dessert city you will feel like you're right on the set.

And Bradley Cooper. Objectification aside, I look forward to seeing him properly cast so that he can show his acting chops better. But for now, let him take advantage of his aesthetic superiority. And why shouldn't he?

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New Videocast: A Summary of Knightly Virtues in the Middle Ages

In this brand-new episode of De Amore: On Love with Brikena Ribaj, I discuss the knightly and medieval similarieties of different characters in German medieval narratives. I mention Siegfried of the Nibelungenlied, Gregorius of Hartmann von Aue, and, naturally, Parzival.

You may view this episode here.

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New Videocast: Keane, Meat Festival, and Cleveland

In this new episode I address things like space, indie rock performances, and culinary decisions.

You may view this new episode here.

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Why Donald Duck Is the Jerry Lewis of Germany

Just why does Germany like Donald Duck?

A bit from the feature says:
"“Donald is so popular because almost everyone can identify with him,” says Christian Pfeiler, president of D.O.N.A.L.D. “He has strengths and weaknesses, he lacks polish but is also very cultured and well-read.” But much of the appeal of the hapless, happy-go-lucky duck lies in the translations. Donald quotes from German literature, speaks in grammatically complex sentences and is prone to philosophical musings, while the stories often take a more political tone than their American counterparts."

Hm.
Read more here.

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Keane: Concert Report

Two nights ago we headed up North to Cleveland to see Keane in concert.
I am most appreciative of Keane as, over the years, they have informed much of my own writing process. Our concert experience was quite gripping as it seemed to contain a number of nigh comical contradictions.
Actually, the main reason why the Keane concert was such an enjoyable experience was because of the bundle of oddities that occupied the same setting.



For starters, on the tickets it said that the 'opener' for Keane was some form of a cook-off. Cook-off?! Welcome to Ohio, folks! Meat, Buckeye football, and John Boehner. Yup. I did a double take as a cook-off isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of an Indie rock performance where the artists sport skinny jeans, nicely coiffured hair, and an overall vegetarianism-informed 'text.'

We approach the gate to ask the older gentleman who checked the tickets what all the other commotion was. The gentleman said, "you can eat anything you please here. There's a lot of booths. And afterwards there's going to be a concert, too."

"Ah, well, we're here for the concert, actually. Are there any sushi places nearby?" the good half asked.

The man looked at us funny and then added: "Sushi? Uhm, well, there's a lot of food here."

We thanked the man and then decided to scope the Cleveland downtown area ourselves and pick one of the places the iPhone app "Around Me" recommended to us. Yes, oh-so-very-non-cook-off-like!

The musical opening acts for Keane were Helio Sequence and Matt Kearney. Both bands made comments about the uniqueness of the setting. Matt Kearney made some vegetarian references while also commenting on the meat. "I don't think I've ever sung my songs while reading a big meat sign from the stage" said the Eugene, OR-based performer. He also taught the audience how to pronounce Oregon. "It's not Ore-gon," he said and I smiled as this is a comment I hear with much frequency from my Oregonian crowd.

And then it was Keane's turn. Tom Chaplin also made food- and meat-references when on stage. His language was almost too polite. Chaplin's good schoolboy charm is easily observed on stage. He has a hard time masking his surprise over the fact that the audience was so excited to see them perform. "I really didn't know what to expect tonight," said Chaplin, and it was a statement that could be easily believed, especially having the odd/funny setting in mind. His demeanor seemed to say: 'You guys like cook-offs and our music?! How equal opportunity of y'all!'

I wondered who was in charge of event planning and who had thought to pair the music of Keane and Matt Kearny with a cook-off. But the odd setting contributed to a most enjoyable experience. Contradictions like this are what make Ohio fascinating to me.

Keane's shows are always worth it as they are fully committed to entertaining well. After a 90-minute non-stop performance, we were happy to have driven a couple of hours North on the I-71 to see them live.

If Keane is performing in your neck of the woods, do see them. It'll be worth it, cook-off and all.

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New Videocast: Is Adam Lambert's Androgyny a Text of Anxiety?

In this piece of Gendering the Media with Brikena Ribaj, I thought I would talk about the text of androgyny and the anxiety it may inspire.

The questions I raise are: Does the text of androgyny inform anxiety? Why?

I talk about American Idol, Pat Buchanan, make-up and eyeliner, and of course, literary theory. Because they all go so well together, I find.

Incidentally, I do not watch American Idol but I did notice the healthy amount of press that Adam Lambert generated. Naturally, I was curious and made it a point to see snippets of the finale.

The text of gender was indeed worthy an episode, I found.


You may view this new episode here.

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graph per http://mybuddieslive.com/2009/03/27/adam-lambert%E2%80%99s-redemption/

New Videocast: What's Up with Dante's Pettiness?

In this episode I talk about Dante's rarely discussed 'petty' character.

This was first inspired by a conversation I had with a close friend about Dante's choice of characters in his Inferno.


You may view this episode here.

Feedback welcome.

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graph per http://www.texttribe.com/gallery/Gustave_Dore/index_Dante_Divine_Comedy.htm

New Music: Deer Tick and Camera Obscura

There is much good music out there and I'm very happy about it. I don't know about you but I'm finding this year to be more prolific and fecund than last year.
I am currently enjoying the music of Deer Tick. Their album War Elephant is quickly becoming a favorite of mine especially tracks like "Dirty Dishes" and "These Old Shoes."
Deer Tick sounds like a functional fusion of indie folk, rock 'n roll a-la-Americana, and a wee bit of grunge. The band's cache mostly resides in its lead singer's raspy voice. At times he sort of reminds me Scott Weiland, the lead singer of the band Stone Temple Pilots. He especially does so when singing "Diamond Rings 2007."

I give this newly discovered band HetPer's thumbs up. War Elephant is quickly becoming a high-frequency album in my playlists and I encourage you to check them out.

The second album I'm checking out currently is the newly released My Maudlin Career by the band Camera Obscura. I have been a fan of this band for a number of years now and I've been looking forward to new music from them since their 2006 album, Let's Get Out Of This Country.

My Maudlin Career is at times sad and, yet, at other other times melancholy. This is not the kind of band who's in the business to simply cheer one up. Their music is honest, intellectual, and careful and that is precisely why I like them.

My favorite track from this new album is "James" and, as I noted to Liam yesterday, it's a kind of track that 'gets' you whether you are listening to it or simply forced to think about it when doing something else. Their music is like a good meal heavily based on protein: it's substantial.
It looks like Camera Obscura spent the past three years productively, indeed.

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graph per wiki and myspace

Brand Names and Evolution

One of the authors I've recently discovered and whose work I'll be reviewing shortly, is featured on a piece on the Times. Geoffrey Miller is an evolutionary psychologist whose work investigates the role evolution plays in much of our spending behaviors.

A bit says:

"Suppose, during a date, you casually say, “The sugar maples in Harvard Yard were so beautiful every fall term.” Here’s what you’re signaling, as translated by Dr. Miller:

“My S.A.T. scores were sufficiently high (roughly 720 out of 800) that I could get admitted, so my I.Q. is above 135, and I had sufficient conscientiousness, emotional stability and intellectual openness to pass my classes. Plus, I can recognize a tree.”

The piece continues:

"A Harvard diploma might help get you a date or a job interview, but what you say during the date or conversation will make the difference. An elegantly thin Skagen watch might send a signal to a stranger at a cocktail party or in an airport lounge, but even if it were noticed, anyone who talked to you for just a few minutes would get a much better gauge of your intelligence and personality.
...
“We evolved as social primates who hardly ever encountered strangers in prehistory,” Dr. Miller says. “So we instinctively treat all strangers as if they’re potential mates or friends or enemies. But your happiness and survival today don’t depend on your relationships with strangers. It doesn’t matter whether you get a nanosecond of deference from a shopkeeper or a stranger in an airport.”"

Read more here.

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"Organized, dogged, anal-retentive and slightly boring people are more likely to thrive" David Brooks

I'm not sure I agree with David Brook's recent NY Times piece, but the following words did ring some measure of truth to me.


However, I'm not so sure why it is that the CEO's claim such epithets as unidimensional and so forth.
Being humble, diffident, etc., doesn't necessarily preclude excitement now, does it?

"The C.E.O.’s that are most likely to succeed are humble, diffident, relentless and a bit unidimensional. They are often not the most exciting people to be around.

For this reason, people in the literary, academic and media worlds rarely understand business. It is nearly impossible to think of a novel that accurately portrays business success. That’s because the virtues that writers tend to admire — those involving self-expression and self-exploration — are not the ones that lead to corporate excellence."

Read more here.

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