Some food-related linkage:
I wouldn't have suspected there were enough to make a list, but here (via Serious Eats) are the top ads featuring people dressed as food.
Over at Michael Ruhlman's blog today, Mr. A. Bourdain weighs in on the Chodorow v. Bruni foofarah. Also, I read somewhere that Chodorow is threatening to post photos of Bruni on his website. The hilarity it most definitely ensues...
But enough of this nonsense, here's something actually useful (also via Serious Eats): info on how to buy a good tortilla.

I was watching TV today and I saw a car ad with music that sounded like the Fall. Looked it up online and found out that it was, indeed, Mark E. Smith and one of his more recent bands of mercenaries (the track "Blindness" from FALL HEADS ROLL). And then looked around some more and found lots of amazing Fall videos on YouTube. The above wasn't one I was previously familiar with but it's from the early-mid 80s, which was when I was introduced to the Fall (reminds me a lot of "My New House" in its shambolic rambling rocking out). And note Mr. Smith busting out some moves in this vid.

Sick day movie festival day. First up was the Show, from 1927. Directed by Tod Browning, starring John Gilbert as a rakish carny barker in Budapest. Also Lionel Barrymore as a stone cold psycho, a carny tableau of John the Baptist (Camille Dixon would be so proud) and a killer iguana. Gilbert, who manages to look stylin' even tho he spends most of the movie in a ridiculous stripey shirt, apparently hated this movie and thought it was part of the studio's plan to destroy his career (he'd come to blows with L.B. Meyer over his relationship with Garbo). But I enjoyed it. It's been rarely seen lately since it had no score but recently ran on TCM after the winner of their young composer contest wrote one. Worth seeking out.
Up next was Strike Me Pink a silly movie (okay, very silly -- four words: Eddie Cantor, Action Hero) from 1936. Basically a B comedy, a showcase for Cantor (although he doesn't have any great songs) who plays a mild-mannered guy who ends up defending an amusement park from mobsters. Worth watching for: some nice 30s-style production numbers (Busby Berkeley lite), Ethel Merman in her younger, post-flapper days (she gets two songs), wacky set piece ending (Harold Lloyd lite), Fred Mertz as a mobster.
Finally, in a major change of pace, the Battle of Algiers, directed by Gillio Pontecorvo (who passed away last year), with music by Ennio Morricone. An amazing, unsparing, unsettling and frankly depressing film. Looks like it was shot in the middle of the revolution but there is, in fact, no documentary footage used. Although sympathetic to the Algerians desire for independence, it's hardly an inspiring tale of heroism. As a vision of people at war it's as stark and unforgiving as any movie I've seen. And, of course, way too many echoes to current events make it pretty uncomfortable viewing

This isn't a very good picture but it is, unfortunately, the last one I took. I didn't know Dean well, but I was lucky enough to meet him at a few art car events. He'd been battling cancer for several years and when we saw him in Louisville last summer he said that his doctor had told him he only had 3 to 6 months. Just short of 7 months later that's proved to be all too accurate. I'd say that it's unfair that someone who was still enjoying life so much should die. But that's a cliché. And we all know life's not fair.
Here's a photo from Charlotte 2005. More light, less shadows...

XDU wrrld music top 10 (week ending 25 feb 07) ::

the Bombay Connection, vol. 2 :: various
Grabaciones Originales, 1950-1954 :: los Donneños
Samba Nouvelle Vague :: Sivuca
le Monde Musical de Baden Powell :: Baden Powell
the Million Colour Revolution :: the Pinker Tones
the Bombay Connection, vol. 1 :: various
Wishbone :: Jackie Mittoo
Mejico Maxico :: Mexican Institute of Sound
Superpop Venezuala :: los Amigos Invisibles
Simpatico :: Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project

Okay, you can say I didn't warn you. I subbed the Divaville radio programme this afternoon. Here's the playlist. Usually when I'm subbing Divaville, I have a theme or plan in mind (often Sinatra-related). But today I was mostly winging it. Coupla fubars but mostly a fun two hours. Of course, I wasn't able to fill the only request, for a Bing/Satchmo duet from High Society. I played a bunch of other Crosby and Armstrong tunes, and dropped in an all Cole Porter set as compensation.

Nice debunking of several popular cooking myths. I was familiar with some of these thru Harold McGee but others were new to me. In fact, I realized that I'd heard the hot pan/cold oil thing so many times that I'd internalized it into my kitchen habits without even realizing it. I'd heard the one about cold water boiling faster but I knew that was hooey. I can remember joking about it with my brother (Mr. Dr. Science Guy) years ago when I saw him putting an ice cube tray full of hot water into the freezer. That's how you know it was years and eons ago -- back in the days before automatic ice makers in yer freezers.

I'm sorry but if you're eating in a Taco Bell in Greenwich Village you deserve to have ROUS leaving footyprints in yr cheezy gorditas.

(there's plenty of real food in the neighborhood...)
(no quiero taco bell...)

Wow, it's been an amazingly good week for idiocy and here's another. NYC restaurant guy drops $30K (or more) to bitch & moan about a bad review. It's a truism of most any creative endeavor that complaining about a bad review is guaranteed to just make you look even worse. Sometimes people just can't resist trying to get the last word, even though it does pretty much always make you look like a hyper-sensitive whiner. But most have that last remaining shred of common sense that keeps them from looking like idiots via a fullpage ad in the NYTimes.

(if things get any stupider, I'm going to have to staple my hat on)

Here's one for the inimitable Mr. H. Trouser: Drew (creator of the comic "Toothpaste for Dinner") shovels some more dirt on top of the bloated corpse that is Second Life.

(found via boing² so you've probably seen it already but too much fun not to share)

A day late and a dollar short, as per usual but I wanted to post this excellent photo of a Mardi Gras Indian that I found on flickr. I still remember seeing a story on the Mardi Gras Indians on TV way way back in the 80s (maybe even the 70s -- it was this late night news magazine that Linda Ellerbee used to do). I'd never been anywhere near NO at that time and it would be years before I heard the Neville Brothers or Professor Longhair. What I mostly remember was being impressed by the dedication of those guys, working all year to make such elaborate costumes, doing their own sewing. Many similarities to the Mummers, who I encountered much later in my life.

I regret that I forgot last week that Fat Tuesday was upcoming. I should've spun some Wild Tchoupitoulas when I was on the air. I may have to next week, even though the moment has passed.

Clean-up time again.
Here's some very cold art car drivers and their cars, dogs etc. up in Minnesota.
Here's some insanely cute bento, celebrating the year of the pig. And I do mean insane. I can't imagine how long it must take to make something like that. We used to know someone who'd lived in Japan for a while and she said there was intense pressure to make sure your kids were going off to school with beautifully prepared bento.
And here's a list of YA-type books that mention scrotums (scrota?). There's a link there to the NYTimes story which gives some context. Apparently, this year's Newberry winner contains the word "scrotum" which has gotten the knickers of some 'rents and librarians into a bit of a twist.

double plus good times...

Back from a fabulous weekend at Pru Corner. I always read more when I'm traveling and we always end up watching lots of movies when I visit Pru, so lots to write about over the next few days. Finished one of the best things I've read in a while, Karen Russell's story collection, St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. This review hits most of the points I'd want to make. Among the many things I loved about these stories are that they almost all end perfectly, but they don't necessarily resolve in the overly neat end-of-act-three way that many screenplays and novels do. I love the characters and the subtle magical realism (now apparently known as fabulism... who knew?) and the skewed world these stories happen in, even when the fantastic is not creeping in around the edges.

good times

XDU wrrld music top 10 (week ending 18 feb 07) ::

the Bombay Connection, vol. 2 :: various
the Million Colour Revolution :: the Pinker Tones
Wishbone :: Jackie Mittoo
the Bombay Connection, vol. 1 :: various
Grabaciones Originales, 1950-1954 :: los Donneños
Iran di Fanka's :: Bidinte
Bunalim :: Bunalim
Superpop Venezuala :: los Amigos Invisibles
Vida de Perros :: los Bunkers
An Clar Geal :: Alasdair White

Back in the misty, forgotten days of the 20th century, one of my first jobs after college was working at a literary agency. (I may have mentioned this before.) Not as an agent, but as a manuscript reader, in a part of the business known as the fee room. Altho the agency did have actual, famous clients (and actual agents who worked with them) they also had a cash cow, charging fees to unpublished writers for "professional" evaluations. While maybe not a total scam, it was pretty damn close. Basically just far enough this side of mail fraud that you couldn't get prosecuted for it. As "professional evaluators" we were encouraged (or possibly required -- see opening sentence about "misty, forgotten days") to read 'scripts as quickly as possible and then type out (IBM Selectrics, dude... this was pre word processor) what amount to customized form letters, rejecting the 'script in hand but offering enough vague hope that they send another 'script and more importantly another check. Needless to say, the clients were an assortment of the delusional, desperate, crackpot, and insane.

Anyway, I bring this all up by way of explaining the following remark:
this guy (found via Jason) is not just crazy, he's fee room crazy.

Here is this morning's playlist. Highlight was definitely the arrival in the mail of new CDs from Ojos de Brujo and Antibalas. Oh, and I'm also intrigued by the latest from Laibach, which is all their interpretations of national anthems from around the world. I'm enjoying being back on the morning shift. We'll see how long that lasts but for now it's a nice way to start the day every other week.
Here's a leftover item from last Sunday's NYTimes, which, alas, shattered one of my consumer illusions, that megapixels mean anything. Oh well, I still like my camera.
Finally, while it is extremely cool that Stephen Colbert now has his own ice cream flavor, I'd be a bit more impressed if Ben & Jerry's had actually come up with something new instead of just taking the nuts out of the discontinued Nutty Waffle Cone flavor. (and bring back the Festivus flavor, dammit)

Achewood v. molecular gastronomy. Saw this linked on a foodie site somewhere while I was blog-chasing over the weekend. It will blow many of my few remaining hip & cool points, I know, but I'm not actually much of an Achewood fan. Still, this cracked me up.

Sad news from Bawlmer: the American Dime Museum is closing. They're having an auction at the end of the month. Out of my price range, but I'd definitely go if I were gonna be there. Which alas I will not. Actually I'll be there this weekend, or at least within easy driving distance. Altho I got to see the small displays they brought to Artscape, we never did make it to the actual museum. And now it's gone. That, I guess, is what you get for thinking you can always do something the next time you're in town. Anyway. Here's an old post from Teller in which he talks about going to the museum.

XDU wrrld music top 10 (week ending 11 feb 07) ::

Bunalim :: Bunalim
the Million Colour Revolution :: the Pinker Tones
Wishbone :: Jackie Mittoo
Vida de Perros :: los Bunkers
Superpop Venezuala :: los Amigos Invisibles
Iran di Fanka's :: Bidinte
Mejico Maxico :: Mexican Institute of Sound
Tumba Francesca: Afro-Cuban Music from the Roots :: Tumba Francesca la Caridad de Oriente
Conector :: Hector Buitrago
the Bombay Connection, vol. 1 :: various

Today's NYTimes interviewed John Waters about his upcoming Valentine's mix CD. A few more tracks mentioned, including "Jet Boy Jet Girl" which unless I'm totally delusional was an English language version of "Ça Plane Pour Moi" an early new wave hit by Plastic Bertrand. And which (PB, that is) has now showed up in a commercial recently, making it the most obscure song I've ever noticed in an advert.
But I digress.
You can kinda tell Waters has been on the promo cycle for the new CD, as a few repeat anecdotes are showing up in his interviews for different outlets. I'm sure I'd do the same thing if I had to keep talking about the same thing over and over to multiple people. I was pleased to read that he's planning to keep the series running with additional holiday-themed sets going forward. I was weirded out to read that there's going to be a film version of the Broadway musical version of Hairspray (cos that worked out so well with the Producers). Of course, I'll go see it. But it can't be anything but more musical numbers and less John Waters and how can that be a good thing...

Catching up on another early rock flick I recorded off TCM, the British movie It's Trad, Dad. Like most rock flicks, it's really just a series of performances held together by a flimsy, contrived plot. But it gets bonus points in several areas. One, it was directed by Richard Lester and he brings the same bag o' tricks he'd go on to use in A Hard Day's Night a few years later -- 4th wall breaking, tricky camera shots, gentle anti-establishment tweaking. Also, in addition to US rock stars like Del Shannon, Gary U.S. Bonds, and Chubby Checker, the movie features a bunch of British jazz guys, including Mr. Acker Bilk, the Dukes of Dixieland, and the (so awesome I can't believe I've never heard of them until now) Temperance Seven. Here's one of the songs they do in the movie:

In band equation terms I'd say Bonzo Dog Band - Monty Python = Temperance Seven. Altho their penchant for fezzes and (as I read elsewhere) ridiculous assumed names could make them precursors to 3 Mustaphas 3.

Two other things about It's Trad, Dad: I love how Dixieland jazz gets the same "stop it, you damn kids" reaction from Mr. Mayor as the Beatles would in about 2 years (right down to records being destroyed to stamp out the menace). Also, the movie has a cameo by Derek Nimmo, who did the vocals on Fortran 5's cover of "Layla" (Derek Meets Derek).

Well, here's something you won't see every day... kind words from me about a lager. But the pick o' the week in beer is Thomas Creek Doppelbock. They're a small microbrewer from Greenville, SC. Not that far away but the doppelbock is the first one of their beers I've seen locally. Good stuff. Hasn't converted me from ales but it does remind me, a bit, of Celebrator Doppelbock (aka, the one with the goat) which was one of the first imports I got into from the beer section of the late, lamented Fowler's when I moved to Durham the first time way back in 89.

Just finished watching Jet Li's Fearless (known elsewhere as Huo Yuan Jia which is the name of Jet Li's character). Awesome! Reminded us both of Fist of Legend in that it's very much a fight movie. Lots of set piece fights, not that much wire work or CGI. From the making-of featurette on the DVD, it seems that Li and director Ronny Yu and fight choreographer Yuen Wo Ping had Fist of Legend in mind, specifically trying to top it as the ultimate fighting martial arts movie. There are set pieces that reference Iron Monkey and one of the Fong Sai Yuk movies. Probably many more that I missed. Jet Li does a good job with the melodramatic (practically operatic) storyline. While the script has a bit more depth and ambition than straightforward stuff like Fist of Legend it's not as arty as the Zhang martial arts movies. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I must admit that when I read that Ronny Yu was directing this movie, I had my doubts. But it was so good that it made me remember that before he was making Hollywood crap like Bride of Chucky he did some excellent HK movies, like Bride With White Hair. We watched the US theatrical release which clocks in around 100 min. The DVD also has an unrated version (more of the fight scenes, I suppose). Alas, the director's cut (140 min. version) does not seem to be available in a US region DVD. There's a muy thai fight that shows up as an extra. I'm sure the opening fight scenes probably go on much longer. Also Michelle Yeoh had a small part that got cut from the US release (she does show up briefly in a crowd shot at the end).

Woohoo! Another guest rant from Bourdain over at Michael Ruhlman's blog, this time ripping up the Food Network. Of course, Bourdain has his own personal baggage about FN over the way he and his show were handled (detailed in one of the essays in the Nasty Bits I think). But his incredibly biased take on FN is also incredibly on-topic. Also incredibly funny. Well, I should caveat that. If you like Anthony Bourdain, you'll like this. If you don't, maybe not so much. (yes, that does make it the sort of thing that people who like that sort of thing will like) I think it's fucking brilliant (but you knew that). The comments (up over 150 as I'm writing this, which is unusually high for Ruhlman's blog -- probably got something to do with the post being linked on Fark) are hilarious on their own. The haters and griefers start showing up a bit before halfway down the chain, altho they never get as flatout nasty as the people in the Top Chef thread. Hilarity just ensuing all over the damn place...

Another pointless meme (apparently it's all over the internets; I found it via Scrubbles.net) Use iTunes or other media player set to shuffle to answer these questions with random song titles.

• What does next year have in store for me? Fenix Funk 5 :: Aphex Twin
• What does my love life look like? Lady Madonna :: the Beatles
• What do I say when life get hard? Ordinary Man :: the Swanky Modes (any ordinary man would've given it up by now...)
• What do I think of when I get up in the morning? Innocence and Power :: Karsh Kale
• What song will I dance to at my wedding? Here Comes Tomorrow :: Ursula 1000 (umm... no we didn't)
• What do I want for my career? Hey Ladies :: Beastie Boys (huh?)
• Favorite saying? Sensoria :: Cabaret Voltaire
• Favorite place? I've Got You Under My Skin :: Frank Sinatra
• What do I think of my parents? John Lee Huber :: Tosca (wtf?)
• Where would I go on a first date? the Sweetest :: Nightmares on Wax
• Drug of Choice? Colossal Insight :: Roots Manuva
• How do I describe myself? Weak Link in the Food Chain :: !!Swanhunter
• What is the thing I like doing the most? Cut Your Hair :: Carter, Chestnut, Jackson, Veal (i think not)
• What is my state of mind like at the moment? Mad Fazes :: Part 2
• How will I die? Dirty Brass :: DJ BC
• Song they'll play at my funeral? Raise the Pulse :: Portion Control
• What song will I put as the subject? Steeple in the Snow :: Jackie Mittoo

(I cheated a bit and skipped over the foreign language song titles when they came up)

Since we don't get Bravo, there's no Project Runway to watch. And Fashiontrance is long since gone. But. until Style starts running their coverage (and even after, cos frankly their coverage is pretty weak), the best way to keep up with Fashion Week is with the Fuggers who are taking a break from their site to cover the event for New York Magazine. I think my favorite moment so far was their statement that the Rock & Republic show made Baby Phat look like Michael Kors.

So, among the things I learned today was that I apparently don't know anything about football. Which is okay, since I prefer futbol anyway. But what I thought I knew was that yesterday's Super Bowl was an enjoyable game. Sure, a bit sloppy cos of all the rain. But hey first rain ever in XLI games and that's pretty cool. Alas, no, the massed commentariat have spoken and the game sucked. It was boring. It was dull. It was just no good. I could, at this point, make some observations about people who have their minds made up before anything's happened, and how unshakeable faiths are not susceptible to mere things like facts and reality (see also: the essential suckiness of Peyton Manning and reasons why it's still true even tho the Colts won last night, available all over the internets). BUT, really what's the point... People are gonna be how they're gonna be. And it's not like I know what I'm talking about anyway.

Penn Jillette
(my small contribution to Neil Gaiman's google-bombing plan)

XDU wrrld music top 10 (week ending 04 feb 07) ::

Wishbone :: Jackie Mittoo
the Bombay Connection, vol. 1 :: various
Iran di Fanka's :: Bidinte
Superpop Venezuala :: los Amigos Invisibles
Vida de Perros :: los Bunkers
Mejico Maxico :: Mexican Institute of Sound
Tumba Francesca: Afro-Cuban Music from the Roots :: Tumba Francesca la Caridad de Oriente
Bonfires of São João :: Forro in the Dark
Conector :: Hector Buitrago
Simpatico :: Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project

Reality TV news (#1): Tim Gunn is leaving Parsons. He's taking a job at Liz Claiborne. Also has a book coming out. And a series on Bravo (something else we won't get to see until DVD... thank you so much Time Warner Cable). My guess is that after three seasons on Project Runway he figured the time to cash in would never be better. No word on whether or not he's signed up for season 4 of PR but I can't imagine they'd try to do the show without him.

Reality TV news (#2): the next season of Survivor is about to start up (this coming Thursday) and one of the contestants out in Fiji is Nick's sister. As in Nick Verreos from season 2 of Project Runway. You will note that there is no mention of this tidbit anywhere in her bio. I wonder if it will come up at any time during the show. Of course, what would be really cool would be if Nick showed up for the family visit segment. It'd be like one of those Marvel/DC crossover comics.

Wowie wow wow. Amazing site of Bollywood music. Put together by a blogger in Norway who got hold of a box of 150 filmi soundtracks. I've got it bookmarked already and will be checking back regularly.

(found via FMU's Beware of the Blog)

One of the movies Sarah was watching recently (I think it was the Mating Game) included a scene with a character commenting sarcastically that his whole marriage was "on the cuff." This reminded me that the same phrase, one I wasn't previously familiar with, also shows up in the Buddy Ebsen song "Sing Before Breakfast." I wondered if the 30s usage and the 50s usage were the same. According to this glossary it's slang for "on credit" which does make sense in the context of both scenes.

As winter weather events go, this one really didn't live up to the hype. But a great day if you like rainy and 34°. Anyway, here's this morning's playlist. If you're thinking that seems like more stuff than should fit into a 2-hour show, well, you're right. I actually started at 6.30. That'll probably continue until they find someone to fill the shift before me.