Not surprisingly,the legal issues surrounding the release of Watchmen have been resolved and the movie will be hitting a theater near you on March 6. While I'm happy to hear it,I do wonder about the ultimate impact this film will have on the viewing public at large.
Sure,plenty of folks have no problem with mainstream movies that have very strong leanings to the dark side(the recent success of The Dark Knight is a prime example)but unlike those who have read or are somewhat acquainted with the content of the story,the possibility of literally blowing up the expected notions of a superhero movie to the casual observer are pretty high.
For one thing,a good percentage of the audience for the Watchmen may walk in,thinking this is just a more souped up version of the usual DC/Marvel comic book caper,with the regular set up of good guys vs. bad guys and rescuing average citizens in distress:
While there are elements of that archetypal framework here,the line between good and evil is thinly drawn. Some of the actions taken by the "heroic" characters in this story include rape,torture,deliberate deception and plots to commit mass murder to further a suspicious agenda.
In many ways,Watchmen is more like a film noir piece that highlights the all too human nature of those that society puts on a pedestal and refuses to flinch about showing the absolute lows that people are eagerly willing to sink to.
To plenty of people,this will sound like a wonderfully challenging film but my concern is for the potential outcry and backlash that may come from the less understanding folks among us who will start up protests,using the rallying cry of "protect the children!" To hopefully cut that debate off at the pass,I say unto to you: this movie is rated R for a reason. Find out a little bit more about it and if it's not for you,then don't go. No one will force you to see it,but please let those of us who want to,do so in peace.
There's also the strong possibility of fan backlash as well;there has been talk circulating online that the ending of the film differs from the graphic novel which seems to be the real deal. From what I've read,the alterations were done for artistic reasons and time constraints.
The director,Zack Snyder, has gone to great lengths to stay as close to the source material as possible,even to the extent of having the original colorist and illustrator,(John Higgins and Dave Gibbons)work on the storyboards for the film. His dedication to the project is truly sincere and with that in mind,fans of the graphic novel should give him and the movie the benefit of the doubt. The battle between page to screen adaptations is an age old one. Please let's not get all worked up over something that may actually turn out to be good for the story.
Watchmen has the chance to break some serious ground here,and elevate the pop culture playing field for more offbeat comics and graphic novels to enter the mainstream forum. I know that there are folks who would hate to see that happen,mainly due to any artistic compromises that would resolute and have done so already in the past(Alan Moore,the original writer/creator of Watchmen is one of them).
However, getting thought provoking material like this out in the spotlight may be a giant step forward for intellectual development and artistic freedom in our society,which needs all the help it can get these days. Instead of keeping imaginative and stimulating creative works regulated to only one area of pop culture,we should encourage folks in Hollywood to take chances like this. Otherwise, we'll be even more drenched in remake madness that we are now. Save the pop culture media ,save the world:
Oscar Night,the cinematic equivalent of the Super Bowl, is only a few days away,giving film fans plenty of time to place their bets in the office and/or online pool.
I'm not much of a gambler myself(tried to run an Oscar pool one year at work but wound up paying out more than I won)but do like to guess the winners for fun. So,in the interest of matching my movie wits(plus,the chance of helping someone out there win a couple of extra bucks over the weekend-gotta stimulate that economy!),here are my predictions on who will get the gold on Sunday night.
BEST ACTOR
And the nominees are:
SEAN PENN/MILK
BRAD PITT/CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
MICKEY ROURKE/THE WRESTLER
FRANK LANGELLA/FROST/NIXON
RICHARD JENKINS/ THE VISITOR
The two main contenders for this one are Rourke and Penn,but I think that scales will ultimately tip over to Rourke for the win. For one,Penn has already gotten an award in this category(Mystic River,back in 2003)and has been nominated a good number of times already. Rourke,on the other hand,is the comeback kid here which fits the theme of his movie to a T.
Frank Langella's a great actor(had a crush on him ever since he played Dracula in 1979)but politicial movies haven't been doing well for the past couple of years. Richard Jenkins is a classic old school character actor who will probably be expected to tout the classic "it's an honor just to be nominated" speech. As for Pitt,it's not your night,buddy.
LRG WINNER: MICKEY ROURKE
POSSIBLE FLUKE:BRAD PITT(strange things do happen!)
BEST ACTRESS:
KATE WINSLET/THE READER
ANNE HATHAWAY/RACHEL'S GETTING MARRIED
MERYL STREEP/DOUBT
MELISSA LEO/FROZEN RIVER
ANGELINA JOLIE/CHANGELING
Hathaway was the front runner in this race,but Winslet over took her with that double win she received at the Golden Globes(plus,the release of Bride Wars really plummeted Hathaway's stock-call it the Eddie Murphy Norbit Effect). Also,Kate Winslet has a much stronger resume of both commercial and art house film roles than Hathaway and she's never won an Oscar so far. In fact,this is her sixth nom in this category which has her beating out Bette Davis for youngest person to have done so here.
Some think that Meryl Streep might win,and as much as I dig Streep,I say no way. Meryl is a longtime standard bearer in this section and has already gotten enough awards that no one feels obligated to hand her one here. Melissa Leo is in the same boat as Richard Jenkins and as to Jolie,I don't think a lot of folks like her that much to give her the win. Just a hunch,but whether it's for the Brangelina thing or people sick of hearing that "I WANT MY SON BACK!!!" clip,Angie is not getting another golden boy any time soon.
LRG WINNER: KATE WINSLET
POSSIBLE FLUKE: MERYL STREEP(the old guard might decide to honor her once again)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
JOSH BROLIN/MILK
HEATH LEDGER/THE DARK KNIGHT
MICHAEL SHANNON/REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
ROBERT DOWNEY,JR./TROPIC THUNDER
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN/DOUBT
Even if Ledger had lived,the juggernaut of his triumph as the Joker would still be a hard obstacle to overcome. In any other year,Brolin would have a real shot for his work in Milk(which had more than it's fair share of good supporting players)and PSH is becoming close to being the Meryl Streep of this category. Shannon is up the creek with Leo and Jenkins and Downey really deserved a nom for Iron Man,but as it was during the summer movie season,that early success was quickly passed by.
This choice seems like a no-brainer but if there's any real shock of the night due to come,it will happen here.
LRG WINNER: HEATH LEDGER
POSSIBLE FLUKE: JOSH BROLIN(they do like him in Hollywood,but it would be awkward)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
PENELOPE CRUZ/VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA
AMY ADAMS/DOUBT
VIOLA DAVIS/DOUBT
MARISA TOMEI/THE WRESTLER
TARJI P. HENSON/ CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Most of the Oscar predictors have Cruz for the win here,but I don't see it,folks. Why,because she's the hot chick in a Woody Allen film? My personal prejudices aside,this category is the complete opposite of it's brother in that any gal could take the reins in this race to get the win.
There's a good chance that both Adams and Davis will cancel each other out for Doubt and Tomei's already won in this category(Evan Rachel Wood,btw,should have been placed here instead. Tomei deserved a Lead Actress slot but Hollywood politics is a tricky beast). My gut instinct leads me to Henson as the winner. Benjamin Button may not get most of the gold from the thirteen noms it has,but if the Academy wants to show some love for this film,they may do it here.
LRG WINNER: TARJI P. HENSON
POSSIBLE FLUKE: PENELOPE CRUZ(never underestimate the power of hot chicks in Hollywood)
BEST PICTURE
THE READER
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
FROST/NIXON
MILK
It's no secret that Harvey Weinstein is planning to stage a coup with The Reader(shameless playing on the story's Holocaust theme and the recent deaths of Anthony Minghella and Sidney Pollack,who were two of the producers on the film)but he'll have to settle for Winslet's win as his plunder instead.
Benjamin Button is admired in the industry but many viewing audiences found it to be overrated and any political film love will go towards Milk rather than Frost/Nixon. Slumdog Millionaire is the one to beat and since it's a real crowd pleaser,I would be willing to bet on it.
LRG WINNER: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
POSSIBLE FLUKE: MILK(some lingering regrets over Prop. 8 may hold sway during the voting)
BEST OF THE REST:
There's too many categories to go into one by one,so here's a Quickfire version of those smaller races that I tend to follow:
BEST DIRECTOR: that award nine times out of ten winds up going to the guy who wins the Director's Guild award,so place your bets on Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire.
BEST ANIMATED: WALL-E. It's as certain as finding a loaf of bread in a bakery.
BEST MAKE-UP: I always like this category,since horror/sci-fi have a real shot here. However,this time,it'll be Benjamin Button instead of Hellboy 2. POSSIBLE FLUKE: The Dark Knight(not enough love shown to this movie by the Academy,so maybe the make-up artists will want to salute it instead)
BEST FOREIGN FILM: It's been my golden rule that whichever one of these movies you've actually heard of more than once gets the award. Waltz With Bashir fits the bill.
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Same deal as Foreign Film. Give it up for Man On Wire.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Dustin Lance Black for Milk. He's a real go-getter and a major reason that this biopic was finally hauled out of turnaround.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG: Peter Gabriel is up for his "Down To Earth" from Wall-E but refuses to perform his song even tho he will be at the Academy Awards. Seems that this year,the song nominees will be getting only 65 seconds each of playing time and he's not happy about that.
Now,I enjoy the Best Song performances myself(especially if they're over the top laugh riots)but it does strike me as rather egotistical of Gabriel not to perform "in protest",wanting the gospel choir who sing in the background of the song to do it for him while he sits in the audience.
Let me get this straight,Pete-your artistic sensibilities are so upset by you being denied more performance time yet you're still going to be there,just in case you win the award? If you really were offended,it seems to me that you wouldn't want to be there at all.
Instead of indulging such blatant ego pampering,I think the Academy will give it up to one of the Slumdog songs,Jai Ho being the frontrunner and considered to be the film's theme song:
Well,that's all I got to give. Good luck to all of the nominees and may the best of the best take home the gold and the glory:
PBS has already launched a new round of Masterpiece Classic(hosted by Laura Linney)but last night started their latest author centered series," The Tales of Charles Dickens" with a 2007 BBC production of Oliver Twist.
William Miller is very well cast as Oliver,both for his acting abilities and that little innocent face of his. He manages to make such a good hearted boy(despite all of the terrible people,places and things in his life)realistic without coming across as a goody two-shoes ,or no shoes,in this case.
The whole production has a lively quirkiness to it,from the cast to the background music and the settings that showcase the harsh gritty world of poverty and crime that Oliver seeks his way out of. The energy of the piece gives the story a fresh face and even the opening credits are exciting to watch:
The infamous role of Fagin is played by Timothy Spall,a man who seems born to be a Dickensian character. Known to most as Peter Pettigrew,aka Worm Tail,from the Harry Potter films(he also did a nicely wicked turn in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd),Spall brings a theatrical tone to the character that is not overdone and highlights his wicked warmhearted nature.
Spall is a major Dickens fan and his flair for eccentric characters fits neatly into this miniseries like a well matched puzzle piece:
Other notable performances include Adam Arnold as the Artful Dodger,Anna Massey as Mrs. Bedwin,Edward Fox as Mr. Brownlow and Sophie Okonedo as Nancy. Tom Hardy gives a charming sinister vibe to Bill Sikes,one of the more dangerous men of Dickens' roster of rogues that you definately wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley late at night.
Part Two of this series will be shown next Sunday and fortunately the PBS website does allow folks to watch episodes online after the show airs. Since the Academy Awards will also be on that evening,that's how I'll be seeing the conclusion. Part One is now available until March 1st,so you can catch up to it if Oscar Night is not your Must See TV.
The Tales of Charles Dickens series will run through to May,with a re-airing of David Copperfield that stars a pre-Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe(plus Maggie Smith as a just as formidable feminine force for good,sans magic),a five part production of Little Dorrit with Matthew McFadyen and a new version of The Old Curiosity Shop that has Derek Jacobi at the helm. This should be a good way to introduce folks into the realm of Dickens as well as entertain readers right into spring:
One of my favorite old school horror TV shows is Friday The 13Th:The Series(which had nothing to do with the Jason Voorhees films,of course). For a long while,the show was only rerun on certain cable channels,with Chiller being it's current home.
At last,the series is now out and about on DVD. Seasons One and Two are available for folks to either recapture some of that cheesy glory or discover the scary salty goodness for themselves.
To give new comers an idea of what the show is about,here's the bare bones of the concept: Cousins Micki and Ryan inherited an antique shop from their evil Uncle Lewis who specialized in selling cursed objects. The objects have mystical protection from destruction,so the only safe place to keep them is in a vault located in the store's basement.
Aided by Jack,an old buddy of Lewis' who pulled away from the dark side,and a handy list of who bought what,the intrepid trio are on a quest to hunt down all of the cursed items in order to stop the spread of satanic knickknacks.
The Chiller channel is showing several episodes today,but none of them are my personal favorites. So,as a special Friday The 13th treat,here are some choice clips of my all time favorite FT13 episodes:
VANITY'S MIRROR: The cursed item of interest here was a compact mirror that Plain Jane gals used to make cute guys fall in love with them. The catch was that the love struck guy had to die,one way or another. The compact was discovered in the clutches of a crazed homeless woman at first but then found by Helen,a frumpy high school girl angrily jealous of her more attractive sister.
This was one of the few episodes in which the jinxed antique wasn't reclaimed by the end of the show. It turned up in a later episode,where a model used it to recapture her damaged beauty. I preferred the original introduction of the mirror and enjoyed the twisted Carrie theme that made you a little sorry for Helen(only a little,tho):
THE QUILT OF HATHOR: Micki and Ryan are contacted by an aunt of theirs who is a member of the Penitites(an Amish/Menonite type of religious group)about a mysterious quilt that causes dreams to come true in a Freddy Kruegar sort of way. The first person to use this bad blanky is Effie Stokes,who is desperate to marry the leader of their sect,Reverend Grange, by having the quilt kill off her rivals.
Ryan gets very distracted in this story line,due to falling in love with the Reverend's daughter,but Effie's ambitions are in full force. She's not only motivated by love-the wife of the Reverend is also next in line to run the colony if something happens to her husband. You gotta admire her sinister social climbing,plus her dreams have a rather historical fiction bent to them:
This was a two part episode-Effie tricked Micki and Jack with a fake quilt and ultimately wound up marrying the not-so good Reverend who turned the tables on her. He started using the quilt to wipe out his enemies,which naturally lead to Ryan's romance breaking up. Good for the show,sad for him:
THE CHARNEL PIT: The Marquis De Sade shows up here,as owner of a two sided painting that takes one person through time from the present and sends one out of the past. A historian was using it to gain old manuscripts to further his career and paying for that by shipping out girls for De Sade's sick pleasures.
Micki fell into the painting's power but was able to figure out what was up while in the past(not her first bout of time travel)and tried to outwit De Sade at his own game. Things got rather interesting at one point,as Micki got more into her role playing that she intended. Ryan was no longer part of the show(he was written out in a very unique way)by then and was replaced by Johnny,a character briefly introduced in the second season. Fortunately,Micki was still around to hold things together:
THE BARON'S BRIDE: Vampires first make their appearance on the show,as the gang seeks out a cloak that makes a man irresistible to women. The cape also comes with a jeweled clasp that allows the wearer and his companion to go back in time with a couple of drops of blood as the trigger.
Micki falls into the clutches of a newly made vampire and Ryan winds up tagging along for the trip to Victorian England,where he gets some help from a struggling writer(I think you know where this is going). If I only had to chose one episode to watch,this one would be it. I love the dark romance of the story,the shift to black and white film for the scenes in the past and the little chant spoken to make the cloak curse come to life:
Have a safe Friday the 13th,folks and try to catch this show on Netflix,if you can. You'll have one devil of a time delving in it's dark delights:
It was time to select the Final Four on Top Chef this week and the five remaining chefs knew it was serious when Wylie Dufresne showed up to judge the Quickfire challenge. Eggs were the focus and most of the chefs assumed that because Wylie was the judge,he would prefer them to use some of his molecular gastronomy techniques.
Carla was the one who impressed Wylie,however,with a simple "green eggs and ham" concept that gave her the win and an advantage for the Elimination round that she didn't use. The big challenge was to cook a "last meal" for a group of well renowned chefs(including Wylie)and the judges. Carla got Jacques Pepin(who was also the guest judge at Judges' Table) as her person to cook for and she did have the option of switching with someone else. She wasn't about to,since Pepin is a culinary idol of hers.
Pepin's choice of last meal was squab with peas and Carla was lucky enough to find fresh peas right in the pod during her shopping. Pepin loved them and so did the other folks at the table. While the breast was a little overcooked for some tastes,everyone agreed that she deserved to be in the Final Four.
The big winner of the night was Fabio,for making a roast chicken and salad,plus potatoes for Lidia Bastianich. The seemingly simple dish was done to perfection,despite the so-so salad that Wylie dubbed "airline food."
Bonus points for Fabio on this one,since he broke his little finger during prep and still went on to whip up a great meal( his ego trip hysterics can get on my nerves but the guy can cook when he's focused). Fabio received a fancy bottle of wine and a spot in the Final as his prize.
Shockingly,Stefan did very poorly here. His salmon and spinach for Marcus Samuelsson failed on both levels;the fish was overcooked and the spinach made two different ways didn't stand out at all. Toby Young expressed a wish for crispy potatoes instead of roasted,in order to add some much needed texture to the dish.
Hosea stumbled a bit,too, on his shrimp scampi with tomatoes Provencal for Susan Ungaro. While everyone liked how the shrimp turned out(Susan did want more garlic in it),the tomatoes weren't done exactly according to the standard recipe. Pepin,in particular,really missed that top searing which makes the dish zing.
Fortunately for the fellas,Leah was the one who had to pack her knives and go. She made eggs Benedict for Wylie,which didn't totally stink but the whites were runny and the Hollandaise sauce was much too thin. I'm glad she's gone;her whole moody attitude and lackadaisical manner was beyond annoying.
So now we have our TC Final Four:Carla,Fabio,Hosea and Stefan. I don't really have a dog in this hunt-Fabio's ego gets in the way of his work,Hosea has the skills but tends to lose focus at times and Stefan may be arrogant yet he clearly knows his way around the kitchen. Carla surprised me,at first she appeared to be a flake but over time,she's shown some impressive skills.
The Final starts next week,in New Orleans with Emeril as the guest judge. Should be very spicy with a bit of BAM!
On Heroes, things are getting very action movie as Claire struggles to rebel against both of her dads in their "round up the mutants" plan,Peter teams up with Tracy to go against Nathan(I so want him gone) and Matt's new found gift of prophecy fails to save Daphne from her deadly fate.
Meanwhile,Sylar made a new friend on his blood soaked quest to find his father(it's so hard to wait for John Glover to show up,seriously),an angry teenager named Luke who has no problem using his microwave power to zap those in his way. Sylar seems very comfortable in evil mentor mode(that time with Maya taught him some new mind trick that don't involve slice n' dice)and I'm looking forward to see what comes next there.
Speaking of next,this preview clip shows Hiro and Ando following one of Matt's other fortune telling drawings to India. Their friendship is being strongly tested due to their role reversal and I hope those two manage to stay pals(especially with Nathan and his internment happy posse searching for them):
American Idol finished up the Hollywood round this week by selecting their Top 36 contestants for the show. Apparently,they'll be divided into three groups of twelve and Group One starts next week. This is part of the new changes to the shows and frankly,I don't see the need to make things over complicated. As the old saying goes,if it ain't broke,don't fix it!
It was dumb enough to give that "Norman Gentle" guy a shot here but why did they have to choose that awful Screaming Mimi,Tatiana? She doesn't sing that good enough to warrant putting up with all of her screeching,honestly! You could tell that Simon want to show her the door. I am glad that the Blue Collar Boys(Matt and Michael)both made it in. That sing-off routine had me worried for a moment but fortunately,it worked in their favor:
RANDOM NOTES:
HELL'S KITCHEN: No new episode tonight,but hopefully that will give the chefs like Carol time to make the risotto right. You would think a person who planned on being a contestant for this show would get this particular recipe down pat before going on but some things never change:
Coming up this weekend is that holiday ode to romance known as Valentine's Day. That one day of the year devoted to hearts and flowers,the promise of finding your true love and so on.
While that is all well and good,some of us out there will not have dates this Saturday night and are in serious need of a serving of schadenfreude bittersweetness.
As a public service,we here at LRG now present you the Top Five Most Dysfunctional Romantic Couples in Pop Culture History. These folks may have found their soulmate but that choice doesn't give a good reflection on their inner being,to say the least:
5) BARBARA AND OLIVER ROSE
The 1989 film War of the Roses re-teamed Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner,who showed great romantic chemistry in Romancing The Stone and it's lackluster sequel Jewel of the Nile,in an adaptation of Warren Adler's dark satirical novel about a yuppie couple who are just as passionate about their divorce as they were about their marriage.
Danny DeVito joined them(as director as well as co-star)and to the credit of all three,this movie pulled no punches in getting down and dirty with the emotional and sometimes physical combat that this couple put each other thru. The Roses may have been great social climbers and the life of the party,but towards the end,I would strongly advise against trying the pate at their next dinner party:
4) MARLA SINGER AND JACK
Fight Club may not seem like a film that would showcase a love story and you'd be right. The narrator Jack(Edward Norton) finds a sick solace in the arms of Marla Singer(Helena Bonham Carter)as the two of them share a taste for feeding off the true pain of others. Things get even more disturbing when their "mutual friend" Tyler Durden enters the mix.
Marla and Jack are the worst sort of people to ever get emotionally involved with someone and perhaps it's perversely fitting that they fell in lackadaisical lust with each other. You know a couple's doomed to a sticky end when their meet-cute centers around a debate over which blood parasite group they want to attend:
3) CHRISTIAN TROY AND KIMBER HENRY
Nip/Tuck is known for it's constant parade of bad relationships,but the most persistent of them is that twisted bond between Christian(Julian Mc Mahon) and Kimber(Kelly Carlson).
From their first tryst,where Christian highlighted of all her physical flaws on her body with lipstick to their almost wedding when Kimber was kidnapped and tortured by the Carver(and somehow she blamed Christian for that)to their current connection,where Kimber is now the mother of his granddaughter(after seducing his son during a bout with Scientology and a brief drug habit),these two are determinedly destined to stay on each other's minds:
2) CHUCKY AND TIFFANY
This killer couple wouldn't even tolerate Ken and Barbie,not to mention giving Bonnie and Clyde a run for their money. Tiffany made her debut in the fourth Child's Play entry(one of my personal favorites),Bride of Chucky,which gleefully sends up the whole series and gives new meaning to the term "tainted love".
The gruesome twosome had a follow-up film(and a baby,I kid you not),Seed of Chucky,that quickly burned out their fickle fuse of passion. It's not surprising,really-despite their mutual appetite for destruction,Chucky and Tiffany have very different goals in life which only spells doom for any longtime commitment:
1) SPIKE AND DRU
Out of all the couples listed here,these two have had the longest track record together,beginning with Drusilla siring Spike in a London backalley nearly two centuries ago. For quite a while,they were the ideal vampire pairing,with Spike's impulsive violent nature and smart talk counterbalancing Dru's mental drifts into insanity and flashes of psychic visions.
All of that changed after their time in Sunnydale. Even when they left town,the seeds of their parting were already planted and in full blossom,with Dru's chaos demon dalliance being only a symptom of their doomed diseased love dying on the vine. Another chance at a reunion merely sealed the deal for their break-up to become permanent. It's just as well,since the two of them united were rather an unpredictable force to be reckoned with. Destroy their love,save the world:
So,if you're feeling a bit blue about Valentine's Day,cheer up by the fact that at least you are not in some twisted relationship that even Dr. Phil wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Love is hard at any time and any age:
Maeve Binchy is best known for her charming novels of everyday folk in Ireland such as Circle of Friends,Tara Road and Glass Lake,yet her short story collections are just as touching and well done.
While her latest novel,Heart and Soul,will be out and about next week,you can listen to a new set of short stories today. The Garden Party And Other Stories is available in an exclusive audio edition that I got the chance to hear for myself.
Each story is narrated by a different actress who recorded them for BBC Radio. The title tale is told by Niamh Cusack,who chronicles a budding friendship between two new neighbors,one of whom offers a rather unique solution to the other for getting over a divorce.
"The Sensible Celebration" is brought vividly to life by Doreen Hepburn as she relates the simpering superiority of Lorna,a married woman eager to laud over her friends how supposedly happy her marriage is(compared to theirs)via an anniversary party.
The collection is rounded out with Stella McCusker's reading of "Dolly's Mother",which is about a moody teenager's new take on her seemingly perfect mom and Dervla Kirwin gives a winsome tone to "The Special Sale" that takes place at a restaurant familiar to longtime Binchy readers where the arrangement of a after Christmas luncheon provides plenty of emotional gift giving opportunities:
The ladies chosen for each story were very well selected;Doreen Hepburn's rendition is one of my favorites here. She really breathes life into this haughty woman who has no clue that her so-called perfection is nothing more than a thin veneer of glossy denial about how artificial her home life has become.
Dervla Kirwin gives a homey glow to "The Special Sale" that makes you feel as if you are reading one of Binchy's books right over her shoulder. All in all,this is a lovely set of stories that make for a relaxing listen.
I played this CD as I went down to the NYC Comic Con this weekend(taking several long bus rides each way)and it was soothing sweet to hear these stories as I traveled from one hectic location to another.
It was also great to re-enter Maeve Binchy's literary world this way. I haven't read anything by her in a long while but now I'm longing to catch up with her.
If you need more of an incentive to check out The Garden Party,the audio is only one CD and very reasonably priced,especially these days.
A much better reason to take a listen to it is to embrace the flow of Binchy's storyteller skills as she introduces you to the sorrows and the follies of her characters who could be your friends and neighbors,that's how down to earth and real they are. Take a mental walk around this garden party and you'll truly feel as if you're amongst a circle of friends:
The New York Comic Con this weekend was a busy place indeed,with plenty of folks eager to meet and greet each other as well as check out the latest offerings from not only from the world of comic books but movies,video games and TV.
My sister and I did the full three days of the show,with bags of free goodies(and a couple of purchases-gotta stimulate the economy there!)and some fun experiences to share as our reward. There's a lot of ground to cover,so I'll skip the sweet talk and get right to the good stuff as best I can.
FAMOUS FOLKS WE MET
My sister got the chance to meet one of her influences,Patrick McDonnell the creator of Mutts,who was signing his new picture book South at the Hachette booth. She also got the chance to show him the arm tattoo she has of one of his characters,which pleased him to no end.
I met up with a reality show superhero from the first season of Who Wants To Be a Superhero?(wonder if there will ever be a Season Three?). Fat Momma was on the scene,signing everything from photos to her own line of comic books to replicas of her power packing doughnuts.
You have to give the lady loads of credit;she may not have won the competition but Fat Momma has made the most out of her moment in the spotlight by touring schools to promote positive messages of tolerance to kids and making appearances at conventions like this(she also mentioned running into Season Two's Hygena on the circuit). She's a real sweetheart of a superhero:
Carrie Vaughn,the author of the Kitty Norville series made several appearances at the Con(not in this outfit,I swear!)and did book signings as well. She was one of the writers at a round table talk for fantasy writers(more on that in a minute) on Saturday that I attended.
I also met her at the publisher's booth but had the opportunity to talk to her on Friday by calling into Blog Talk Radio,where she was being interviewed live and on the air.
She was great to listen to(perhaps she was a DJ in another life)and if you want to hear what my voice sounds like,just click here to listen. My questions were about Carrie's traditional approach to the mythos of werewolves and then later on,a query about the possibility of her writing a vampire novel. As a bonus,you'll find out what the "T" stands for in Lady T.
PANEL MANIA
A personally important panel that we went was the second annual Comicbook Artists Guild Awards,which my sis was a two time nominee for in the categories of Best Cartoonist and Best Web Comic.
While she didn't win,we were both genuinely happy for those who did such as ZMan,Liz Ortiz and Matt Ryan,who spent a good amount of time on the Exhibit floor in costume as one of his creations,Bigger(that's him on the left hand side photo). Congrats to all of the winners!
It was standing room only by the time I got to the Sci-Fi,Supernatural and Fantasy Writers Round Table on Saturday. The group of ten authors present included Tamora Pierce,Jackie Kessler,Peter V. Brett,Carrie Vaughn and Kim Harrison.
Their legions of fans were out in full force and even tho it was a bit crowded,the authors did get to talk about their work and their early influences. Ursula Le Quin's name was mentioned by several folks,along with Robert Heinlein and even a shout out for The Princess and the Goblin and the old school animated version of The Lion,The Witch and the Wardrobe that I remember seeing as a kid.
Kim Harrison was also at the Kick-Ass Female Authors and Their Killer Heroines panel,along with Vicki Pettersson(who was on the Sci-Fi Supe and Fantasy Round table the previous day with her),Jeaniene Frost, Jocelyn Drake andMargaret Ronald.
The ladies were all given Wonder Woman crowns to wear on the panel(a popular giveaway item that my sister was able to get for me)and the topics ranged from why paranormal fiction is so popular these days to the difference between urban fantasy and paranormal romance and then to why bad boys types frequently pop up to plague and/or fall in love with the leading lady. It was a great discussion,with plenty of good natured laughs and interesting takes on the genre. Also a good way to be introduced to these authors,some of whom I wasn't familiar with before but will definitely catch up on.
And,yes,I made it to the It's Just Some Random Guy panel,where all assembled saw the debut showing of the finale to the most recent Happy Hour storyline. The crowd loved it,and plenty of questions were asked and answered,even the goofy ones such as "Do you like breakfast cereal?"(Random Guy ultimately chose Cookie Crisp as a classic standard)
Alas, Random Gal was not able to join him but did have a special video greeting for the fans(and yes,Random Guy did remember to put her on speaker phone):
SPEAKING OF RANDOM....
Here are a few candid shots that my sister took at the show of our fellow attendees:
A LOVING COUPLE
BOXHEAD REBELLION LEADERS
A MARVELOUS COUPLE
TO SUM THINGS UP
It seems to me that many of the folks who attended the NY Comic Con this year had a good time,despite the troubling economy and the hectic crowds. I know that some people feel that the convention has gotten too commercial and too far out of focus from comic book art. The truth is,those big flashy displays are a necessary means to an end that allow new faces in the field to showcase their skills in Artist Alley and hold workshops,meet and greets and such.
Emerging artists like the fellas at Cyanide and Happiness, the gal who created Octopus Pie and my sister Stephanie are the ones who benefit from a huge gathering like this and if having a honking big video game demo helps to bring that about,fine with me. The whole "art for art's sake" notion is a luxury item,folks.
Instead,let's drop the righteous anger riffs and embrace the fun,unless those riffs are beneficial to your work getting the attention and the revenue it needs:
