SONG SEGUE SEARCH

Song to suit mood search segue: Click5 Black47 Flogging Molly Cranberries Corrs Westlife Yaz Berlin New Order kd Fred Cole Ella Carmen Ray Charles & Count Basie

And the “How Long Has This Been Going On” sweepstakes winner: Rufus Wainwright – ‘what a dunce I was before.’

(Chet Baker came a close second)

LUNCH HAIKU

Green cilantro floats
Deep red salsa yellow corn
Dive down scoop contrast

Here’s, Cooper the kitten, the new critic roaming the house; so far, Food Network fan.

MOVIES, KISSING, ETC.

Can’t get a fairer combination than that. Now, this is the blog entry I meant to start when I got hijacked by holiday melancholy.

Quick Reviews:

Spirited Away — wonderful to watch, amazing visuals, inventive story of a little girl working at a bathhouse for the spirits to rescue her parents from their gluttony induced transformation. Follow the three basic rules: 1. if a small child tells you you’re doing something wrong, you are. 2. Don’t eat the fairy food. 3. Be nice, darn it.

I would have liked this movie more if I had seen it before Howl’s Moving Castle; having fallen in love with that heroine, there are too many similarities between the two story lines. I loved the humor of the little soot monsters; the hovering baby turned mouse was great and the dragon looked cool. Everyone says great movie, but I find it too much like dragon hunting when we played D + D: you go off, there’s some danger, but mostly you come back with a bunch of treasure and higher levels. There was a level of drama and questioning the outcome missing for me.

Mulan: watching it after Spirited Away made the point strongly that the grafted on humor Disney (and many other studios) infect their movies with to be sure someone’s entertained is a CHEAP strategy. Spirited Away made me laugh with the characters and the wonderfully done facial expressions and at surprising moments. Mulan was crisp, cruel, efficient and beautifully drawn, but it lacked poetry. Mulan is still a great story and a heroine I like (Flash appreciated the musical numbers, which I’d forgotten about, although the scary music freaked her out), but the Eddie Murphy bits just rang so very untrue. Humor comes out of character interaction; sure the Batman reference is funny now, but it’s not ever funny. I miss the quality and effort that gets you ever funny. It’s amazing how fast pop culture references and satire go off or are forgotten. Still, Mulan does score as a triumph of human spirit and a score one for the girl story. But such a strong heroine deserved a tale better told.

And now finally to kissing, which neither of the above heroines manages to do…great movies can be a lead up to one kiss; bad movies can be littered with thousands. Hey, I just remembered the New Year’s Eve movie everyone should watch (plus Bachelor Mother because it’s fun) 200 Cigarettes; great ensemble piece with Paul Rudd, Courtney Love (yes, Courtney Love and she’s good), Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Martha Plimpton and a bunch of other strong, funny actors.

Where was I — oh, kissing. iCarly and True Jackson are plugging next Saturday’s(Jan. 3rd) show with a “kisses and misses” theme. Will Gibby kiss Carly, will Freddy kiss Sam and does True have a concussion after kissing the boy (yes, Keke Palmer falls funny)…actually, I had an interesting conversation with Joe, the nephew who will admit he watches iCarly, about how we both think Freddie and Sam kind of like each other. I don’t know what it would do to the show if they replaced their hit/insult relationship with kiss/flirt so I doubt it’ll happen, but I admit that I’m interested. Plus, Gibby’s a hoot so it’s always good to see him in an episode — just no more Neville; I’ll scream too, which probably means he’s too good a villian not to have back.

Speaking of villians — or at least actresses who play them (a special breed), Eartha Kitt died at 81…not only one of the better Catwoman’s but also still kicking it as Yzma on The Emperor’s New Clothes. Listen to her Santa Baby before your holiday buzz is gone; it’s phenomenal.

CHRISTMAS CONFESSIONS

Did not watch the usual holiday movies,* although Gayle did keep her family’s A Christmas Story tradition going, although we tend to watch the last hour first in this household and the first one later in the day.

Christmas Eve service with music was interesting — enjoyed singing carols, the bells were amazing — Carol of the Bells done live with handbells, nice — incense always a bit much, and too many people (probably not for the clergy, but I like quieter church experiences, which is why — along with my aversion to classes and well, that’s a different blog entry– I am not attending divinity school). But it was great to walk out of the very wood trimmed, candlelit church into the starlit silent night with music still ringing around me. Christmas Eve was always my favorite thing about Christmas — I would be on the couch, the house lit only by the Christmas tree lights, watching The Bishop’s Wife and then putting on my sneakers and maybe a sweater to go out and look at the stars and inhale the quiet, calm, expectant air.

My brother called yesterday to find out what our plans were. Travel has not been a part of my holidays since before the accident — Gayle always has to work the day after holidays being in the newspaper business, although a couple of years ago, I did go back to New Jersey for a week around Christmas to spend time with the nephews and visit the ocean, I miss the ocean — and the nephews and nieces.

Texted the other brother and left a message for my sister. Sent out the Christmas cards Monday; had a very pleasant day at home — not having anything scheduled seems rare these days — but then, at the end of Christmas day, I’m always a little bit sad for not having had family time. When I have had holiday family time, I’m usually exhausted and annoyed and sick for a week after (gee, I sound pleasant, don’t I), but everyone else’s Christmas seems to be so caught up in their family and their memories that my wish for calm, quiet and infinite stars seems out of place.

*Desk Set –neither Target nor Blockbuster had the DVD when we did a Christmas Eve run,Love Actually, The Bishop’s Wife, White Christmas, Bridget Jones(acc. to Gayle). When in NJ, the tradition is to watch Die Hard wherever Joe is — my grandmother used to love that.

PROJECT PYE THOUGHTS

From the PROJECT PYE blog:

Watched the borrowed from Mel (my comic and anime source) Spirited Away + Mulan (on Disney Channel, although I do own the DVD); reviews later…interesting contrast but BOTH reinforced the notion planted by my Howl’s Moving Castle/The Fabulous Stains experience, that a heroine is essential — a hero might also work, but PROJECT PYE was initially centered around a witch (refer original storyboard) and then I keep finding excuses to minimize her part/cut her our because I have no confidence in my ability to draw people…and yet, I can’t see how to do this project without a main character. Yes, there could be a string of broadly comic happenings, but so much BAD comedy is grounding me even further in the conclusion that the best laughs come out of interaction between characters. Blink Kitty Love is easier to do than Hat Hair because there are more characters and situations just come up. Bad hair is funny, yes, but various combinations of crushes and difficulties multiplied by four people and maybe a kitten can be infinitely funny. And so I am forced to reconsider and remember that when I was being forced to take tests for school, if I went back and changed an answer it was usually wrong. Time to take original storyboard and really seriously consider things — if it’s a story worth doing, isn’t it worth as much time as it takes. And maybe I can find a way to make witches work in drawings. Or go back to puppets, but it’s hard to build that world as Rebecca makes four puppets a year — they’re amazing, but I think there’s an aspect of the story that would be impossible to puppet without at least a couple full time puppet makers and this is still a no budget extravaganza…and that’s the update.

HAPPY HOLIDAY WATERCOLOR

An evergreen herald bringing Christmas wishes for health + prosperity + joy from me.

SPACE GHOST SEASON’S GREETINGS

Seasonal goofiness — Space Ghost 12 Days of Christmas.

“I WANT TO BE THAT VOICE IN SOMEONE’S HEAD”

Hey kids, we’ve got a warehouse, let’s start a radio station…which is Radio Free Roscoe — discovered it on The N last week when I was trying to find new post breakfast company. And voila, it disappears this week, which bites. ESPN FirstTake isn’t cutting it anymore — Pongo used to listen to it actively so I miss his ears cocked at the TV and Flash prefers fiction/Hannah (Gayle claims the new kitten likes the Food Network). I like new(to me) content + rebel radio + guitar.

Currently, I’m sitting here in my office with the headphones on watching clips from the first episode on youTube and thinking yes, I like this, where did it go? Guess I’m going off the Disney Channel a bit and entering a Canadian TV phase — the girl playing Lily(Kate Todd) was one of the brighter spots on “Life With Derek”(a Gayle favorite). And I’m thinking it stinks to find something you like, want to know more and not be able to. Completely goes against the obsessive + artistic personality grain. There is a first season highlights DVD Amazon still lists through other sellers. I may have to acquire it. iTunes has never heard of it.

Actually what I’m also thinking is 1. I need cooler wall decorations and 2. why isn’t my two toned Alesis recommended by Jeremy (Red Sea Radio’s CD is available for download, song samples as well) microphone purchased for the purpose of podcasting is not plugged into its USB port so I can be talking into it. Radio was always something I thought about — but by the time I hit college, I’d burned out on school sponsored activities. Gayle and I used to drive up to Waukegan for movies — when love first strikes, long car trips to see silly movies can be exciting — and I would fill the air with a running commentary about movies, music, etc — The Midnight Maverick at WHWD (for Hollywood) strikes again…

So tonight on Radio Lonelypond you get thinking as your word for the night, Skye Sweetman singing the Radio Free Roscoe theme, with a “Goodbye Firefly” shout out to Jeremy and a riptide ofSinking Cruise Ship Rescue Drama because they’re my musical crush of the moment and if a large boat hits an iceberg in a Blink Kitty Love episode, you, loyal readers, will know wherefore.

And that means why. But I can’t help you with how, when or what. Who I leave up to you. Good night. And we’re off the air for the night. Swing by some lonely morn. We’ll be here.

CHRISTMAS SHIPS

Sinking Cruise Ship Rescue Drama do Christmas(“I saw three ships come sinking in” — free MP3 download).