can’t decide if I dislike Ping or mobileme more, sorry if link hits wall…must stick to Twitterific; The Sunday’s Wild Horses on last.fm

JABBERWOCKY MONSTER TEST

And the Jabberwocky monster no longer seems impossible: here’s a flaming foundation for effects.

JAPANESE ANIMATION REVIEW LINKS

Nigel Andrew’s reviews, the first made me think I should try Japanese animation again and the second might actually get me to do it:

Ponyo and the Cliff By The Sea

The Girl Who Leaped THrough Time

BOOK O’ THE WEEK

Stefan Stern’s review of “A Sense of Urgency” by John Kotter. Makes some good points about how urgency need not be hasty and should reflect intent and firmness of purpose. Have to see if the library can get me the book.

REVIEW MOOD

Or rather out of a review mood — the Middle streak has been broken.  I curled up with my iPod tonight to catch the Accidental Occidental and once again felt the rush of middle joy, but alas no news yet on more Middle content — or the delivery of my two toned Middlemobile — I’m thinking more of a Middle mini Cooper.  So how did the episode do?  Roxy’s great, Lacey’s great, Noser’s great, Ida’s great; Fashionmouse excelled, especially at the opening of the underworld.  So was there anything not great?  Not that immediately pops to mind so + for Roxy, + for Lacey, + for Middleman and Wendy working out the ground rules of work and the other parts of life, + for the kid, + for Mr. Terra Cotta, – for underworld bureacracy, – for lighting, maybe.  Sum total 5.5+ on the EM Scale of +6 to -6.

 

Eureka — well, the Eureka mid season finale was kind of a whole minus.  Somehow, they completely forgot how to do dramatic tension, everyone’s in trouble, but no everyone’s safe and we never believed they were in trouble anyway oh but Carter has to lose his job so you’ll come back and watch.  Boo.  I’ll give ‘em points for Carter and Alison getting back to their old snap and Jo FINALLY kicking some butt.  But really, Zane’s just doing what Henry used to do with less panache and doesn’t anybody else miss taggart?  So, I’ll let them eke out a 3, maybe…2.75.  And way to end the mid season without a buzz.

 

Smallville started and seems to be doing all right, although I think the Lois/Clark relationship is a bit off…and Clark Kent isn’t actually a goofball straight off the farm.  No way he shows up in flannel on the first day of the job.  But TV shows are all about making scenes work — ooh, let’s have Lois get Clark out of his clothes — and not about keeping a line on characters as they’ve actually developed.  Liking the new Lexcorp villian though.  Smallville wins the prize(over several years) for season openings that have the least to do with the overwrought cliffhangers of the previous season’s finale.  

 

I think that’s enough grumping.

THEATRE THOUGHTS

Sarah Hemming article about American playwright Tarrell Alvin McCraney. He discusses how theatre is best when you are describing the scene for the audience, letting them create the setting in their imagination, which is one of the reasons I think that Shakespeare is still so vibrant today — he shows us the storm, whether weather or emotion.

McCraney also touches on the there is only 1(or 3 or 6 — everyone has an individual eponymous corollary of this theory) story…it is the individual approach that matters. I’m going to have to look up a McCraney play; he actually seems to have concrete sensible ideas about writing.

Listening to 10,00 Maniacs(last.fm), waiting for Gayle to return, hoping the Mets win and trying to think of something cheerful to watch/do.

HOWLING AT THE WHOLE MOON

the whole of the moon, I love the whole of the moon (waterboys).

SKATE PUPPET

How can you not love them?

Wonders if anyone knows of any good skate punk videos??????? Send link.