Let’s see if the Teflon Hip-Hop Don can outrun this latest controversy:
A Hip-Hop Star’s Fashion Line Is Tagged With a Sweatshop by Angel Franco.
I’m betting he’ll flip this in his favor just like everything else in his charmed life.
Buried within the larger reports of Al Gore’s efforts to spearhead a campaign to introduce a “liberal” alternative to mainstream and conservative cable news outlets is this overlooked aspect of the current plan:
“Gore is keeping quiet about it, but he heads a group that plans to pay a reported $70 million to buy Newsworld International (NWI), a cable news network that’s currently in fewer than 20 million homes.”
I don’t claim to be well-versed in the mechanics of establishing new cable networks and contractually arranging for their effective distribution, but replacing a network like NWI with this “liberal alternative” to other networks seems a bit narrowminded and foolhardy, to say the least.
I can geekily admit to really, sincerely loving NWI — its motley assortment of news from Canada, Germany, the U.K., and Russia consistently proves to be a truly useful alternative to the nationalist (and often naive) perspective of much of the U.S.-based newsmedia. Where else can one see televised footage of U.S.-built Israeli Caterpillar D-9 bulldozers plowing through Palestinian homes, or uncensored broadcasts of the latest Osama bin Laden audio or videotapes? Where else can one see President Bush speak in all his soundbite-devoid, flub-worthy glory? And where else can television viewers get “man on the street” perspectives on international policy from citizens in Ottawa and Berlin?
As such, it would seem to be a less-than-ideal solution to remove this network from the airwaves merely to replace it with an “entertaining” platform for Al Franken or Bill Maher to put forth nightly punchlines about Bush’s numerous lies.
Can’t we have them both? And maybe we can give up the style network or even, if necessary, C-SPAN 3 (I’m not kidding, there are in fact three C-SPANs).
Setting the hearts of hipster geeks everywhere aflutter, The New Yorker offers up the delectable geek girl-on-girl pairing of the week: Virginia Heffernan and Tina Fey. Except maybe this might have been called the writerly menage a trois that never was; does anyone know what happened to Entertainment Weekly‘s Kristen Baldwin?
We ask only because Heffernan’s profile of Fey seems to channel the spirits of Baldwin’s coverage of Weekend Update co-hosts Fey and Jimmy Fallon, which originally appeared in the May 10, 2002 issue of EW. To wit:
1. Sit in on writers’ meetings and/or SNL dress rehearsal discussions to convey the humorous give-and-take of Fey’s job.
“[On a saturday afternoon] The writers were trying to come up with a joke about the Dixie Chicks, whose lead singer had slighted President Bush. Doug Abeles read the setup: “While in London on Thursday, the Dixie Chicks angered country-music fans when lead singer Natalie Maines told the audience, ‘Just so you know, we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.’” Fey squinted, as if detecting a quip in the distance…“We apologize,” she suddenly declared. “We forgot that our entire fan base were hillbillies and idiots.” Everyone chuckled except Shoemaker, who pointed out that Dixie Chicks fans were people like his wife. Fey agreed, without apology, and the group moved on to a joke about a man who swallowed a diamond ring in order to ask his proctologist to marry him.” (The New Yorker, 2003)
“Update cohosts Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon survey the patchwork of hilarity looking for stuff to cut, while simultaneously facing pressing challenges…And then there is the Captain Morgan problem. “A new study reveals that eyedrops work as well as eye patches to correct lazy eye. A skeptical Captain Morgan said, ‘Yeah, I’ve heard that one before.'” Although it’s not every day a person gets to work the swashbuckling mascot of a rum brand into a joke, an Update staffer has some bad news for Fallon: “The thing is,” he says matter-of-factly, “Captain Morgan doesn’t have an eye patch.” In a room full of comedy writers, that’s all it takes to provoke a riffing frenzy.” (EW, 2002)
2. Invoke Fey’s adulatory hipster fan base, and the discomfort this provides her.
“As we were talking, a man in his twenties, with wild tufts of dark hair, stopped by our table, which was near the soda fountain. Over the roar of a blender, he shouted to Fey, “Can I tell you that you are amazing? I don’t want to interrupt, but you are truly, truly amazing!” Fey thanked him, staring down at her plate.” (The New Yorker, 2003)
“It would embarrass Tina if she knew how many people have told me they think she’s, like, the hottest woman on TV,” says [Weekend Update producer Michael] Schur. The sex-symbol issue is, in fact, one that makes both Fallon and Fey squirm uncomfortably and stare at their hands. “I just try to stay out of it,” says Fey, who’s married to theater director Jeff Richmond. (EW, 2002)
3. Mention People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” list in some capacity
“She lost thirty pounds in the year before she went on camera for “Weekend Update,” and she now works out with a trainer and counts the point value of each meal according to the Weight Watchers system. (Earlier this year, People included her in its annual list of most beautiful people. “Don’t mention it,” she told me. “Ride it out.”)” (The New Yorker, 2003)
“Brace yourself for some full-body blushing, buddy: Fallon just landed on PEOPLE magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful list, and gossip columnists have spilled much ink linking him with such ladies as Winona Ryder and fashion designer Tara Subkoff.” (EW, 2002)
I love Elvis Mitchell so much that if he were to review the phonebook, I’d read it just to admire his turns-of-phrase and character sketches of Aaron A. Aaronson and Aaron A Adams. Somehow Mitchell manages to be both cool and a major geek at the same time. Case in point, Mitchell’s piece in this week’s Times Arts & Leisure section, The ‘Kill Bill’ Soundtrack: D.J. Quentin’s Recycled Mix in which Elvis waxes geekier than Harry Knowles, “Moriarty”, and Quentin Tarantino in a three-way AOL chat.
Mitchell references movies and TV shows no one (not even the stars and creators) remembers like They Call Her One Eye and Codename: Foxfire.
It’s a good article, but man, if no one outside of the smallest of Internet chatrooms will find it interesting. My hat’s off to you, Elvis Mitchell, King of Geeks.
After yesterday’s latest attack on American forces in Iraq, where a rocket was fired upon the al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad and killed one U.S. occupier (I mean, officer), defense department officials were expressing frustration on Sunday at the increased bravado demonstrated by the strike. The hotel, where U.S. Deputy Defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz was residing during his current visit to Iraq, had been serving as a makeshift American base of operations and was believed to be safe from such provocation by virtue of being ensconced in protective concrete barricades. By striking at such a seemingly secure building, the insurgents have more or less shattered any myth of security for Americans trying to restore order to the embattled nation.
Also of note was the well-nigh un-ironic adoption of last week’s phrase du jour by sympathetic military analysts.
“Placed in the context of insurgent attacks on U.S. forces that are increasing in frequency and effectiveness, this particular operation — notable both for its daring and for what it says about the enemy’s intelligence capabilities — that, yes, it really does promise to be a long, hard slog,” said retired Army Col. Andrew Bacevich, a Persian Gulf War tank commander who is a professor of international relations at Boston University.
I just can’t get enough exhilaratingly bizarro news about Mel Gibson’s upcoming The Passion of Christ, and I don’t even believe in God. But I do believe in crazy movie-making antics!
First, there was last week’s news that lead actor Jim Caviezel was struck by lightning while filming. OK, sure, I can buy that.
But then Variety‘s Army Archerd also reported last week that Gibson was using — get this — an animatronic, Jim Henson-esque robo-Christ to suspend from the cross for a number of scenes, since I guess being splayed out on behalf of sinners everywhere for extended periods of time made Jim “I’m no method actor” Caveziel uncomfortable. The virtual Jesus
“was created by Keith Vanderlaan’s Captive Audience F/X company which allowed Gibson to shoot long exterior shots in Italy because “Jim Caviezel couldn’t remain on the cross in that cold for hours with only a loin cloth.” According to Archerd, “the animatronically controlled head moves, the bleeding and beaten chest heaves… [with] special bloody prosthetic makeup appliances to be CGI’d on the figure of Jesus which is stripped down to the bone resulting from the ‘horrible instruments of torture.’.”
So what happens to this action-figure/son-of-god when shooting wraps? Does Mel Gibson get to keep his own, personal, Jesus? (That, by the way, is the second almost-unintentional Depeche Mode reference in this particular post, after the lead sentence. Won’t happen again.)
Step aside, Vincent Gallo. Schlockbuster movie director McG has laid claim to the new monopoly on jaw-droppingly shocking interviews given in support of recent film projects. The Hollywood hired hand and former music-video veteran, whose public perception had seemingly been limited to knowledge of his single-word name, his sandy blond hair, and his surfer-dude appearance, is making an effort to transcend (or at least justify) his body of work, which includes the garishly awful (and thankfully short-lived) television series Fastlane and — most notably — the two Charlie’s Angels films. In other words, the guy has exclusively trafficked in “wham, bam, glam and slam.”
Or so we thought. In a recent interview for DVDFile.com given to support the DVD release of Charlie’s Angel’s 2: Full Throttle, McG has bestowed upon us his take on everything from philosophy to life in the digital age.
Some highlights, lest you continue to think the guy’s a total dunce who produces films of little or no redeeming value:
“When I was younger and I was in school, I wanted to be a psychiatrist and I was studying philosophy very deeply and I found myself becoming increasingly unhappy. And just I was getting into sort of Locke and Hume and I was studying Nietzsche to a degree, the more I said, look, I’m really passionate about music, I like the way it makes me feel, I’m very passionate about film, I like how I lose myself and become immersed in a picture when I go to the theater for two hours. I got more and more excited about that and let go some of my philosophical dwellings and I’ve strangely become a happier person for it. And I mean it is just an approach to living, because I’m very cognizant of different philosophical takes on the life experience, but I’ve been unsuccessful in trying to unravel the mystery of life.”
Well, then. But what are highlights without a few lowlights? After all, who doesn’t love a good cliche every once in a while?
“Sometimes you capture lightning in a bottle and sometimes it eludes you, and you know, this one has just been a little bit of a bittersweet symphony.”
And some bad cliches, or cliches that never were:
“With Drew Barrymore, the special moments outnumber the mundane. You know what I mean? She just has a way of making chicken salad out of chicken shit.”
Erm…stick with the well-worn aphorisms, dude.
No excuses. Saturday Night Live presents The Best of Tracy Morgan Saturday October 25, 2003; 11:30PM EST on NBC.
Earlier thoughts on Tracy Morgan from low culture
Speaking of six months ago, Dateline has an interview with Elizabeth Smart tonight at 10PM EST on NBC.
Man, is she ever purdy or what? I mean, this kid’s been through hell and come face-to-face (and worse!) with the devil himself and yet she still radiates that wholesome all-American, girl next door glow. Attention editors of Cosmo Girl!, Seventeen and Teen Vogue (or at least the editor of the next Revolve): Put down your chai skim lattes, pick up the phone and get this girl on the cover of your magazine post haste. (Katie Couric, optional.)
Prior to this week, I had always (naively, I suppose) thought the world of architectural criticism was filled with wild arguments between opposing camps of urban theory and clashes between supporters of different eras of architectural history. I salaciously imagined elderly geezers hurling wine goblets at one another as they verbally tore apart Frank Lloyd Wright‘s famed wooded house in Pennsylvania, or young M.A.-thesis-seeking neo-hipsters engulfing themselves in smoke and intellectual detritus as they bitterly debated the detriments and merits of Calatrava‘s bridges.
I was so, so wrong. Apparently, architectural critics can be in agreement, and about uber-post-post-postmodernist Frank Gehry, no less (who burst into the cultural limelight with his somewhat psychotic, but ever-so-fluid Guggenheim Bilbao museum). Everyone, from the San Francisco Chronicle to Slate to the New York Times to, well, the somewhat predictable cheers of the Los Angeles Times, is damned-near raving about this thing: its innovative acoustics, its stately presence, its compelling framing of Los Angeles’ downtown.
“A Wonder of Sound and Magic,” proclaims L.A.’s local paper. “Exuberant” and “a triumph,” coos Slate. “Shimmering” and “undulating,” proffers the Times’ Bernie Weinraub. A “grand pirouette of swooping stainless steel facades and billowing curves,” ejaculates the Chronicle in San Francisco.
And even I think I love it, and I’ve always tried so very hard to be contrarian. Please, someone, help me out and verbally rip this metallic masterpiece apart; shred its bold reinvention of concert-hall acoustics, excoriate its majestic manifestation of sound and space. Pleeeeeeease. Pretend we’re discussing Richard Meier’s ghastly marble Getty Center in Brentwood, if you must — just let the decimation begin!
(Past discussions on blurbs from low culture)
