American Idol chatter

My latest Huffington Post covers Tuesday's American Idol. Yes, I am that shallow. And here is Wednesday's Idol post. Yes, I'm still shallow.

Back Door Slam (Again), Nicole Atkins, Mike Leigh and the Blind Boys Of Alabama

A quick update on my outings. Saw Back Door Slam again at the Mecury Lounge. The lads were smashing, as always ("Thank you very much indeed!") with a few new tunes mixed in, including a cover of the Robert Cray song that gave them their name. (I still prefer my take on their name - the Back Door Slam is the sound of kids running out to play in the summertime.) And word of mouth is tremendous. The first time I saw them, there were maybe 15 to 20 people, the next time 30+, the next time even more and this show was crowded. Not quite sold out, but close, I think. Hey, touring still works!

Then saw Nicole Atkins at the Bowery Ballroom. Have to admit, when I first heard about the show, I assumed she was opening up for someone. Nicole herself said it was "the weirdes" day of her life. A strong crowd and she joked that she didn't even recognize everyone. (That's when you know you're getting somewhere, when the audience isn't just filled up with family and friends.) She has a great voice and is a real performer. A few of the songs are weak, but she barrels through them and had some great covers: the Doors' "Crystal Ship" and a raucous sing-along with the opening acts finale on Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain." Every indication she'll just get better.

Then on Saturday I saw Mike Leigh's new play "2000 Years." Not terribly involving and it certainly didn't help that New York actors were trying to nail London accents. Without that specifity of location (it might as well have been East Orange, New Jersey), the play loses something. Still I doubt an all British cast would have lifted it up too much. Seemed to be about a middle aged couple whose son becomes interested in praying and his Jewish roots much to the chagrin and mocking humor of his parents and sister and grandfather. But there's also the mother's sister who is mysteriously out of touch for 11 years (or seven!) who naturally reapears in Act Two. A very good melt down scene of family squabbling gave a little late momentum and I sort of liked the ending, which I didn't see as terribly optimistic as some did. Glad to have seen it and the grandfather (Merwin Goldsmith) was outstanding. Glad I saw it but not one of Leigh's stronger efforts.

And Monday night I saw the Blind Boys of Alabama doing a live radio broadcast from The Cutting Room on 24th St. The audience was composed of people who advertise on WFUV as some sort of maketing tie-in. A strange little set-up, actually, with a tiny stage, just a FEW tables (all reserved) and a pile of more tables and chairs in the corner that people were discouraged from using. Most of us stood, with some very aggressive wait staff constantly pushing in and out with trays of drinks to those few tables. It was only an hour long, so it was rather bizarre to see people ordering and ordering again. But the Blind Boys were pros. "Amazing Grace" set to the melody of "House of the Rising Sun," a few tracks from their new CD and a very fun Jams Brown-like shtick. The three central members sat on chairs and each one would pop up to take a verse or join in on the chorus. The heavy-set one on the left was a real performer, making every time he stood up into an event bursting with promise. At one point when tehy were really soaring, one was singing and the other two kept standing up, with one of the guitarists putting his hand on their shoulder and sitting them back down. They'd do so then pop right back up, moved by the music or so it seemed. Very fun. On a more practical level, the guitarists also had to keep an eye on the singers to make sure they didn't wander to close to the front of the tiny stage and topple off. When one of them wandered/was led off stage and into the crowd with a long, long wire trailing behind his mike, it seemed as fraught with danger and excitement as any Hollywood stunt. I couldn't help thinking, "Can't someone spend $200 on a wireless mike for the man?" Great fun. Just wish it were longer and they'd done something from "The Gospel At Colonus."

A Wild Party With Giants and a Princess

My latest NY Daily News features: a profile of Brooklyn institution The Gallery Players, pegged to their revivial of The Wild Party; a chat with indie rock band They Might Be Giants, pegged to their third CD devoted to music for kids; and a review of John Burnham Schwartz's new novel, "The Commoner."

The Best Movies of 2007

1. The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
2. Lars and the Real Girl
3. Zodiac
4. The Wind That Shakes The Barley
5. There Will Be Blood
6. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
7. L’Iceberg
8. Michael Clayton
9. Ratatouille
10. Once
11. The Host
12. This Is England
13. Superbad
14. Control
15. The Bourne Ultimatum

And here's why:

1. The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford -- Sure this western is beautiful and gauzy in a Terence Malick way. Sure you can tune it out as soon as t starts waxing poetic. But despite it's remarkable technical accomplishments and eye for detail (I still remember the shot of gravel starting to vibrate as a train comes down the tracks), what really sticks with me are the performances. Brad Pitt can be a fine actor and he's very good here as the wary Jesse. But Casey Affleck is just magnetic as Robert Ford, a weasely, whiny, heartbreakingly vulnerable kid who just wants to be accepted but may be too awkward and thin-skinned to ever feel like he really has been. One of the questions of the movie is what might have happened if everyone hadn't picked on Robert at one point or another. Just a remarkably assured, intelligent drama. And despite everyone making nice, I have to feel there's an even longer, even better version by director Andrew Dominik waiting to be released. Why else would the director of one of the best movies of the year be so invisible in the media and not even provide a commentary track for the DVD of a movie he spent seven years working on?

2. Lars and the Real Girl -- a guy starts dating a sex doll. No, it's not the premise for a gross-out Farrelly Brothers comedy. It's the beginning of a sweet, sad little gem. Ryan Gosling is a marvelous actor but unlike, say, his brilliant work in Half Nelson, I wasn't focused on his performance. I was just caught up in this odd, strange movie where an awkward, almost autistic guy uses a sex doll to give himself confidence. Once he's "dating," Lars finds the courage or at least the reason to go to his brother's house for dinner, to attend parties, to slowly get back into the world he retreated from after his father died. More Frank Capra than Preston Sturges, this movie also shows a small town simply accepting this strange situation and getting on with it. (Really, you just have to accept things in small, isolated towns -- there's nowhere else to go.) It strikes such a wonderful balance I found myself both caught up in the emotions when Lars and his "girlfriend" are having an admittedly one-sided fight and laughing at the idea that I could feel caught up in the moment. It's a doll, for goodness sake. But actually, it's Lars and the film also shows how wonderfully flexible people are. Lose a limb, lose your sight, bring home a date of another race or religion or the same sex, have a fascination with bugs-- you name it. It's amazing and beautiful how easily people can come to accept the unusual. Truly an original.

3. Zodiac -- a long, meandering, obsessive look at the reporters and cops who become entangled in a serial killing spree and just can't let go. This is leagues better than anything director David Fincher has done before, thanks to a terrific cast that is so over-populated with great actors that even the tiniest role is filled with someone sharp-eyed audience member will recognize from other movies. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. are just the tip of the iceberg here. Some truly spooky moments, but the violence occurs mostly early on with most of the movie settling in with a feeling of dread and unease that you want to shake but just can't. Deeply unsatisfying, with numerous jumps forward in time that had audiences laughing and groaning when I saw it in the theater and an inconclusive finale that mirrors the true story it's based on. Deeply unsatisfying except in the only way that matters -- it's terrific.


4. The Wind That Shakes The Barley -- this drama about the troubles in Ireland is brilliant at showing how violence corrupts the noblest of causes. First, you're killing the British troops occupying your country. Then you're killing the Irish troops that collaborate with them. Then you're killing friends who were bullied or tortured into aiding the enemy. And then before you know it you're pointing the gun at your own flesh and blood. Marvelous Ken Loach with Cillian Murphy coming into his own as the would-be doctor who can't escape the blood.

5. There Will Be Blood -- Yes, the final little bit is a tad deflating. But at its best there was nothing better and few equal to this visionary, obsessive (there's that word again) drama about wildcatting for oil. Daniel Day Lewis doesn't act, he just disappears into the role of Daniel Plainview, a deeply suspicious and wary man who regrets the very few times he opens up his heart. In contrast, Paul Dano is acting up a storm (in the best possible sense) as a preacher who squares off against Plainview time and again. Was there a better scene all year than the one where the preacher forces Daniel to repeat over and over that he had abandoned his child? Was there a bolder score? No. Unshakeable.

6. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly -- a lovely movie that one-ups the pretty good, best-selling memoir of a French magazine editor who is suddenly paralyzed and spends the last year of his life unable to do anything but blink one eyelid. Happily, he is surrounded by beautiful women and uses that eye to "type out" his memoir. Bold camerawork and a wonderful cast led by the cruelly overlooked Mathieu Amalric (I really believed he would get an Oscar nomination). Fun, sexy and moving without a moment of sentimentality.

7. L’Iceberg -- here's a thoroughly unexpected gem. It's the story of a woman who is locked into a walk-in freezer overnight, gets angry that her husband and children failed to notice she was missing and becomes obsessed with traveling to a real iceberg. But the joy here is in how the story is told. Except for a few unnecessary lines of dialogue, this dlightful film is basically silent, a la Jacques Tati. Hilarious physical comedy, goofily fake set backdrops and a leading lady that could be Olive Oyl's sister add up to a real treat.

8. Michael Clayton -- this drama starring George Clooney feels as much of a throwback as Steven Soderbergh's The Good German, which was famously shot using only the techniques available in the Forties. Michael Clayton isn't an exercise or stunt -- it's just an intelligent drama centering around corruption and a down-on-his-luck attoryney (Clooney) caught up in it all. Clearly made for adults, which already makes it unusual, Michael Clayton revels in fine acting (from the hammy but fun Tom Wilinson to a memorable Tilda Swinton and above all Clooney) and a crackerjack story. Nothing revelatory except for the fact that they can in fact still make 'em like they used to.

9. Ratatouille -- a delightful film about a rat that yearns to be a gourmet chef. I could talk about the way this story celebrates artistic endeavor, its allusions to other films and works of art, the luxurious 110 minute running time (so unusual for an animated film). I could also talk about how it was a massive hit overseas compared to its mere blockbuster status here (where the film made $200 million). But all of that might distract from the story itself and how the film builds one absurd idea after another until you're gasping with laughter at the frightening, grotesque but perfectly reasonable scene where dozens of rats are caught whipping up a culinary treat. Yet another Pixar triumph.

10. Once -- I've been leery all year of over-praising this modest film. The story of a street musician who bumps into other artists, puts together a band and records an album, it couldn't be simpler. What sticks with you are the moments where musicians just jam together -- the scene where our hero and a female pianist slip into a music store and just start arranging a new tune is both lovely and the best depiction of artistic endeavors in a long time. Later, there's a priceless moment when a bored engineer hears them running through one number and slowly realizes this ragtag group is actually pretty damned good. It ends very well, too -- a lost art and one of the saving graces of many a film. Until Juno, this was clearly the word-of-mouth hit of the year and one that deserved it very much.

11. The Host -- a monster is on the loose in South Korea. Everything Cloverfield wants to be and isn't can be found in this terrifically entertaining flick. Just a tad long, perhaps but great characters and a great creature and, frankly, the sight of Asians fleeing in fear from a monster simply can't help but bring a smile of delight to the face of any movie buff.

12. This Is England -- a blistering drama about punks in Maggie Thatcher's England? Not quite. This Shane Meadows drama sidesteps expectations a bit by focusing on the lost, needy, genuinely touching relationships between skinheads that would normally be dismissed as racist little bastards. They can be that, too, of course. But humanizing them makes their bad acts all the more shocking and their good moments all the more despairing. Only a too pat nail-on-the-head finale keeps this from greatness.


13. Superbad -- yes, the goofy cops subplot is overplayed a bit and too long. But I didn't laugh harder all year. Like most successful teen comedies, the heart of Superbad is sweet and sincere. Yes, they keep talking about scoring with chicks, but what the semi-clueless kids really want (and fear) is a real relationship with a girl. Jonah Hill is a tad aggressively one-note (there are other words besides the F word, Jonah). But Christopher Mintz-Plasse is very good as Fogell and Michael Cera (who has a smaller role in Juno) remains winningly sweet. His friendship with Hill is a real one (complete with the annoying ways that only friends can piss you off) and Cera is just so darn appealing in a very particular, dorky, lovable way that every time he's on screen you're just...happy. Much better, to me, than Knocked Up.

14. Control -- yet another musical biopic and this one about a band I knew was important but didn't really care about: Joy Division. But Sam Riley's performance as Ian Curtis (especially in the concert scenes) was so magnetic and Samantha Morton so typically compelling as his put-upon girlfriend that I found myself thinking about this movie long after it was over. Pat in the way biopics usually are, but the music is compellingly gloomy in a teen angst way and yes, I bought their three albums and dove in happily. Beautifully shot as well.

15. The Bourne Ultimatum -- not the best of the trilogy. But the simple fact that they made a trilogy with each film solid and satisfying in their own way and Matt Damon (who deserves a payday as much as any movie star around thanks to his good taste and solid chops) is so unexpected. Usually, we spend our time hoping a bad series will get better (all the Batman movies) or a good series won't screw it up (the Christopher Reeve Superman flicks) and getting disappointed every single time. Not here.

Other notables: In Between Days was a Sundance discovery that satisfied, La Vie En Rose had the performance of the year thanks to Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf, The Lives Of Others had the other performance of the year thanks to the late Ulrich Muhe, Grindhouse was a lot of fun and the revival of The Other Side Of The Mirror: Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival was a revelation that captured Dylan at his most fluid when he grew from a folkie to a rock star to an icon in three short years.

For the complete list of all the movies I saw in 2007, go here.

The Worst Bond Title Ever

Bond 22 is now officially called "Quantum of Solace." Good lord, are they TRYING to tamp down the success of "Casino Royale?" I can't even imagine someone at the box office asking for two tickets to "Quantum of Solace." Surely everyone will say, "The Bond movie." Dreadful, dreadful, dreadful.

American Idol Week Two -- Wednesday

More on Idol at Huffington.

Taking Off: The Whigs

My latest NY Daily News feature is on the very good new rock band The Whigs. Read it here.

American Idol Auditions: Week Two

Read my Idol coverage at Huffington Post.

There Will Be Blood Versus No Country For Old Men

They got the most Oscar nominations and they're the only Best Picture winners to be nominated for Best Editing. And the Best Picture winner is almost always nominated for Best Editing. The last time it wasn't? 1980 when Ordinary People won Best Picture. Maybe Michael Clayton will pull a similar stunt. It has huge support from actors, giving the movie three acting nods (Clooney's first Best Actor nod, along with Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson) while TWBB and NCFOM both got noly one acting nod and its total noms (7) is only one behind their 8. If there's a year for a real upset, this could be it with Michael Clayton and Juno spoiling for a fight. But the frontrunners are Blood and No Country with No Country being in the lead all season so don't get your hopes for anything more than it winning Best Picture and Director.

Coming Next Week: My Favorite Movies of 2007

You've waited long enough. (And the Monday after that: my favorite CDs.)

Virgin Megastore At Union Square To Close?

Rolling Stone reports that a realtor has announced the Virgin Megastore Union Square outlet will be available in 2009. Good God, is it possible that Virgin too will be disappearing from NYC? Since they've shut their LA, Chicago and Salt Lake City stores, it sure seems likely. They'll have the Times Square outlet -- which is always jammed with tourists. But for all practical purposes, music stores are literally disappearing from Manhattan. Gee, maybe one reason the music industry is in a slump is because record labels laughed while Wal_Mart and Best Buy sold CDs at a loss, driving music chains out of business. Now those megastores are reducing the already paltry space they devoted to Top 40 CDs and switching to DVDs. I'm running out of stores in Manhattan where I can even think of going to browse for CDs. Sigh.

Back Door Slam, Nicole Atkins, the Stones and More

Here's my latest roundup of features for the NY Daily News. I did a profile of three new artists: Back Door Slam, Nicole Atkins and Bell X1. Then I launched the celebrity book club, a fancy way of describing a feature that tells what celebs are reading, in this case Jason Lee, Shia LaBeouf, Cassandra Wilson, Casey Affleck, and Kenny Melman of Kiki & Herb. Then my first review -- I think -- for the NY Daily News, of the book Sway by Zachary Lazar and finally some TV picks for the week. Enjoy!

Signal The Escape Of More Stories

A bevy of stories in the NY Daily News today. First, a profile of Ice Cube pegged to the comedy First Sunday. Then author Charles Webb pens a sequel to "The Graduate." Connecticut band Signal The Escape hits NYC and finally a tiny little preview of "Day Zero" because I'm always happy to say nice things about Elijah Wood. Enjoy.

My Latest Features

A triple play at the NY Daily News this Sunday. First, my feature on jazz composer Terence Blanchard, whose latest CD "A Tale Of God's Will," is one of the year's best. Then a chat with soul singer Sharon Jones, who has a cameo in "The Great Debaters," and whose new CD is also one of the best of 2007. Finally, a look at mid-season tv. Enjoy!

Is "The Golden Compass" Franchise Alive?

"The Golden Compass" is doing gangbusters overseas. In the US, its almost done at $60 mil. But overseas it has grossed three times that ($187 mil) and looks easily headed towards $250 mil. That would mean more than $300 mil worldwide. Not great for a movie that cost $200 mil, but not awful either. Recently, dragon flick Eragon (itself based on a quartet of books) grossed a disappointing $75 mil in the US but another $175 mil overseas (its budget was about $100 mil) making what looked like a flop opener the first in a franchise. And of course DVD sales are extremely strong in the fantasy category. So the weak opening of the film meant New Line panicked and finally made nice with Peter Jackson so "The Hobbit" could go forward. But with huge overseas grosses and the possibility that some of the production cost for the sequels will be lower because of all the money poured into the first one, there's still a chance they could roll the dice and make both parts two and three at the same time. Two stumbling blocks remain: will Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig want massive paydays for an iffy franchise and of course the biggest problem of all is that parts two and three are a LOT more controversial. It may just not be worth the bother, but with $300 mil box office worldwide and another $200 to $300 mil worldwide from DVD (very conservatively), it won't be because they lost money.

The Movies, Books, Theater, Concerts, CDs I Saw In 2007

Okay, since my www.michaelgiltz.com website is down till I can manage to build a new one that's compatible w Mac, I've had nowhere to list the movies, books, theater and live music I've seen so far this year. Here it is, every movie on TV, in the theater, at screenings, on DVD; every book; every theater and live performance in 2007. I don't include CDs because I don't think it's fair to listen to something I listened to once and dismissed and I'm always re-listening to them. The CD list comes once a year and includes only the best. Here we go:

MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES 2007

(all stars out of 4)

Maisie ** (1939)
It’s A Wonderful World * ½ (1939)
Naughty But Nice * (1939)
Hobson’s Choice *** ½
Tanks A Million *
Hay Foot *
Fall In *
Here Comes Trouble * (last four all 1939)
Last King Of Scotland ** ½
Letters From Iwo Jima ***
Children Of Men ** ½
Charlie’s Big-Hearted Aunt ½ * (1939)
The Gay Falcon ***
The Hidden Blade ** ½ (current Japanese film)
The Good Shepherd ***
B13 ***
The Wire Season Four ************ (highest score)
Evil ** (current foreign film)
Idiocracy *
Duck Season *** (current foreign film)
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story ***
V For Vendetta **
Penelope *
Ace In The Hole (classic) ****
Hannibal Rising zero stars
Nancy Drew, Reporter, * ½ (1939)
Infamous * ½
Little Miss Sunshine ***
Bombshell (1933) *** ½
Inside Man ** ½
Old Joy (current movie) **
CSA: Confederate States Of America ***
Music and Lyrics *
Crossfire (1947) ** ½
Meet Boston Blackie ** ½
Way Down South (1939) *
Venus ** ½
The Namesake **
Captain Fury (1939) ** ½
Sylvia Scarlett **
The Oklahoma Kid (1939) ***
Year Of The Dog *
Zodiac *** ½
Love Affair (1939) *** ½
Lonely Hearts w Travolta * ½
300 **
Zodiac *** ½ (second time)
The US Against John Lennon **
The Beauty Queen Of Kabul *
Fracture **
Disturbia **
Hot Fuzz * ½
The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939) ** ½
Into Great Silence (monk movie at FF) ***
Grindhouse: Terror Planet and Death Proof ***
Once ***
Rocket Science **
Perfume ***
Sadie Thompson (1928 w live accompaniment) *** ½
Come Early Morning ***
La Dolce Vita ****
Freddie Mercury: The Untold Story zero stars
Man Of Flowers ** ½
Stroyzek *** ½
Searching For the Wrong-Eyed Jesus ***
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls ** ½
Spider Man 3 ** ½

At Cannes:

My Blueberry Nights *
Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days ***
Bee Movie footage **
Water Lillies ***
The Banishment *** ½ (most hated it though)
Les Chanson D’Amour ** ½
Savage Grace *
Sicko ***
Chacun Son Cinema ***
XXY *** ½
Import Export **
The Golden Compass footage/trailer ***
Ocean’s 13 ** ½
Paranoid Park **
You The Living ***
We Own The Night * ½
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly *** 1/2
Days Of Darkness ** ½
L’age Des Tenebres ** ½
Larry Charles/Bill Maher religion docu footage ****
Une Veille Miatresse **
The Mourning Forest ** ½
Promise Me This **
12 Angry Men *** ½


Knocked Up ** ½
Seraphim Falls ***
Sunshine ***
Joshua *
Goya’s Ghost * ½
Charlie Bartlett **
Let’s Get Lost (revival) ***
Tootsie ****
Pierrot Le Fou (Godard revival at BAM) ** ½
Babes In Arms (1939) **
The Hottest State *
Bridge To Terabithia ** ½
The Searchers (revival at MoMA) ****
Ratatouille ***
Transformers *
Live Free Or Die Hard ** ½
World of Sound **
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ***
Fierce People *
Sleuth (2007 remake) *
The Simpsons Movie ***
The Bourne Ultimatum ***
In The Shadow Of The Moon ***
Shoot Em Up *
Gone Baby Gone ***
3:10 To Yuma ** ½
Superbad ***
The Bubble ** ½
Jackass Two ** ½
Room With A View (at MoMA) ****
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford *** ½
Blade Runner (final cut) *** ½
Into The Wild ** ½
The Darjeeling Limited ***
Margot at the Wedding **
Elizabeth: The Golden Age **
I’m Not There ** ½
Persepolis ***
The Cranes Are Flying (at BAM) (1957) ****
Starting Out In The Evening **
The Petrified Forest (1936) ** ½
Holly (asian prostitution) **
Music Within (ADA Act guy) **
All Through The Night (1942) ** ½
Lust, Caution ** ½
Michael Clayton *** ½
Lions For Lambs **
Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead *
The Whistler (1944) * ½
This Christmas * ½
Love In The Time Of Cholera *
The Great Debaters * ½
Youth Without Youth no stars
In Between Days ***
They Won’t Forget (1937) **
Hairspray **
This Is England *** ½
Helvetica ***
They Made Me A Fugitive (1947) *** ½
Contaband (1940) ***
Alvin and the Chipmunks *
Juno ***
Control ***
Sweeney Todd * ½
The Other Side Of The Mirror: Dylan at Newport *** ½
Boys Life 6 ** (Bugcrush short ***)
Calling Dr. Kildare (1939) ** ½
The Secret of Dr. Kildare (1939) ** 1/2
Cassandra's Dream no stars
Fast and Loose (1939) * 1/2
Wild Boys of the World (1933) ***
The Kennel Murder Case (1933) * 1/2
The Golden Compass **
Iraq in Fragments ** 1/2
First Sunday *
La Vie En Rose ***
Man Push Cart **
On Her Majesty's Secret Service * 1/2

147 movies


BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS 2007

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry ** ½
The Dark Tower I by Stephen King **
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing Of The Three by Stephen King ***
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris ***
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris *** ½
The Road by Cormac McCarthy *** ½
Include Me Out by Farley Granger ***
The Hottest State by Ethan Hawke ** ½
The Wind On The Moon by Eric Linklater ***
Grief by Andrew Holleran ** ½
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri ***
Nicholas Again by Goscinny and Sempe ***
I Served The King Of England by Bohumil Hrabal *** ½
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid **
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne ****
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi *** each
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby *** ½
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano ****
No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy *** ½
Kipling’s Choice by Geert Spillebeen **
A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl ***
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo ** ½
The Spirit Archives Vol. 1 by Will Eisner ** ½
Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre **
Chronicles Vol. 1 by Bob Dylan *** ½
Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt ***
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris ****
Girl by Blake Nelson **
Supreme Conflict by Jan Crawford Greenburg **
The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum **
The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum – stopped, couldn’t keep reading
Miracle At Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen *** ½
Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris *** ½
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan ***
Achilles by Elizabeth Cook ***
The History of Sexuality by Michel Foucault ***
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling ***
The Sea Witch by Alexander Laing *** ½
Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane ***
A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan ****
Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar **
Journey Into Fear by Eric Ambler ***
Deadwood by Pete Dexter *** ½
By Night In Chile by Roberto Bolano ***
To Ruhleban and Back by Geoffrey Pyke ***
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas; translated by Richard Pevear ****
Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik ***
Starting Out In The Evening by Brian Morton ***
Dark Victory by Ed Sikov *** ½
Peanuts 1965-1966 by Charles Schulz *** ½
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, trans by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhnosky ****
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini * ½
The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum ** ½
Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon ***
Grace After Midnight by Felicia Snoop Pearson ** 1/2
The Graduate by Charles Webb *** 1/2
Home School by Charles Webb ** 1/2
New Cardiff by Charles Webb ***
Love, Roger by Charles Webb **
Jumper by Steven Gould ***

60 books


THEATER/LIVE PERFORMANCE THEATER/LIVE PERFORMANCE THEATER/LIVE PERFORMANCE 2007

Theater/Live Performances 2007

Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well And Living in Paris *** ½
M Ward at Town Hall ***
The Fever (one-man Wallace Shawn show) ***
Richie Havens at Metropolitan Museum of Art ***
King Lear w Kevin Kline at Public **
Adrift in Macao **
The Coast of Utopia in NYC *** ½
Journey’s End in NYC ***
Prelude to a Kiss revival w John Mahoney **
Curtains w David Hyde Pierce * ½
Talk Radio w Live Schrieber ** ½
Cool Jerks at Don Hills ***
The 39 Steps in London ***
Equus **
Madama Butterfly ** ½
Prometheus Bound *
Darren Hayes at Joe’s Pub ***
Exits and Entrances * ½
King Hedley II revival at Signature *** ½
Moon for the Misbegotten w Kevin Spacey and Eve Best ** ½
Frost/Nixon in NYC ***
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers at Paper Mill *** (flooding)
Jim White in Champaign/Urbana after screening of Wrong Eyed Jesus ***
Strawberry Alarm Clock in Champaign/Urbana after screening of Valley of Dolls ***
Back Door Slam *** ½
A Matter of Life and Death at National in London *
The Reporter at the National **
Vernon God Little at Young Vic **
Elling at Bush Theatre in London *** ½
The Rose Tattoo at Olivier **
In A Dark Place (new LaBute) **
Radio Golf (new August Wilson) *** ½
Albert Hammond Jr *** (saw all of ten minutes)
Spring Awakening on Bway *** ½
Company revival w Raul Esparza ***
Old Springs Pike at Joe’s Pub (raggedy but fun) ***
Xanadu *
Philip Glass at Rose Theater w Cohen show ***
James Hunter at Madison Square Park ***
Maria McKee at Joe’s Pub ***
Back Door Slam at Mercury Lounge *** ½
Ann Hampton Callaway at Blue Note ***
Opus ** ½
James Hand at Hill Country BBQ ***
Waverly 7 at Blue Note **
Nellie McKay at Joe’s Pub ***
Grease (2007 Bway revival) *
Jesse Harris at Housing Works *
Chuck Prophet at Housing Works ***
Ipheginia 2.0 at Signature ***
Faust at Bohemian Hall **
Pieta Brown at Bowery ** ½
Christina Courtin at Bowery ***
Teddy Thompson at Bowery *** ½
King Lear at BAM w Ian McKellen **
Patty Griffin, Allen Toussaint and CMA songwriters at Joe’s Pub in the Park *** ½
The Brain From Planet X * ½
Love Sucks ** ½
Bruce Springsteen at MSG ***
Young Frankenstein **
Over The Rhine at Highline ** ½
Back Door Slam at Mercury *** ½
Yank ***
Sufjan Stevens at BAM w BQE *** ½
Black Watch at St. Ann’s w discussion ***
Richard III ** (but Michael Cumpsty ***)
Newfound Road at Baggot Inn (bluegrass) ** ½
Cassandra Wilson at Blue Note *** ½
Speech & Debate ***
Queens Blvd (musical by Charles Mee) ***
The Seafarer by Conor McPherson ***
Empire City Men's Chorus (w Andy McLain) ***
Kiki & Herb at Carnegie Hall ***
Celia *** 1/2 (music) ** (show)
Aimee Mann Christmas Show w Josh Ritter, Nellie McKay, etc *** 1/2
Darlene Love at Lincoln Center (arrived late) **
Teddy Thompson Christmas Show w mom, sis, bro, Rufus, etc ** 1/2 (terrible sound)
Rock 'N' Roll by Tom Stoppard ***

76 events.

Azucaa!

Here's my latest NY Daily News story, a feature on the hit Off Broadway musical "Celia."

Thank You, "Golden Compass"

If "The Golden Compass" had successully launched a new franchise, New Line would almost definitely NOT have felt the urge to make nice with Peter Jackson and get the "Hobbit" ball rolling again. Talks began in May, but really, the looming flop of "Compass" (which had terrible previews and press at Cannes) surely lit a fire under Bob Shaye. Doing what Jackson did with LOTR is extremely difficult. It's a shame everyone involvd can't wait three or four years to let Jackson direct it after Tintin. Maybe he's just not interested?

But Where Will "The Hobbit" Part I Stop?

Wonderful news that Peter Jackson will oversee "The Hobbit." If it had dragged on, Ian McKellen might have become too old to reprise his role as Gandalf. Right now, Jackson is going to produce only, with a director to be named (why try and top yourself?). But with pre-production beginning right away, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he just couldn't resist. Filming begins in 2009 and the two movies made out of the book will be released in 2010 and 2011.

So the question: where will they break them up? My guess is that it stops after they escape the Misty Mountains and are rescued by the Great Eagles (who consider the hobbit and the dwarves prisoners for a while). Gandalf then leaves them to make their way into Milkwood. (I imagine they'll drop the scene with Beorn, the shapeshifter.) So they make a grand escape from the goblins, hook up with Eagles and say goodbye to Gandalf while -- gulp -- preparing to plunge into Milkwood. Makes sense to me. My next question is tone, since The Hobbit is very much a children's book, quite a bit simpler and old-fashioned compared to the dark and violent Lord of the Rings.

My final question: will I head off to New Zealand to write the making-of book?

NOTE: I'm wrong. It's going to be The Hobbit as one film and then a "bridge" to LOTR based on all the material out there. I hate to question Jackson, but why craft an entirely new story to make a bridge? Is there something inherently thrilling in the intervening years or is he just delighted to get to muck about more in the LOTR world? I thought you could do plenty with "The Hobbit" on its own but of course I'll wait to hear what they have in mind.

My Latest Stories -- Pettitte and the Beautiful Deneuve

On Huffington, you can read my post about Andy Pettitte's Half-Assed Apology. At the Daily News, you can peruse my interview with Catherine Deneuve.

America Loves Cheaters

My latest Huffington post is about baseball and performance enhancing drugs.

Oh, Fuck

I was reading the New Yorker tonight and twice the magazine used the word "fuck" in casual settings. Once, in a front of the book story interviewing Rufus Sewell -- who stars on Broadway in "Rock and Roll" -- about his musical tastes. Sewell was a huge Bowie fan as a kid.

"My brother called me the Fat White Duke," says Sewell to the New Yorker. "I dyed my hair -- blond in the front, orangey on top. I was an early adopter of 'bad haircut.' I was really into 'David Live.' 1974. Bowie was absolutely drug-fucked. That's when he was living on peppers and milk."

That caught my eye, for the use of the word in print AND its clever compounded context of "drug-fucked."

Then a few pages later, David Sedaris in a comic piece about airline travel describes the dirty looks he gets when sitting in first class and the people headed for Coach glance his way.

"The looks they gave me as they passed were the looks I give when the door of a limousine opens. You always expect to see a movie star, or, at the very least, someone better dressed than you, but time and time again it’s just a sloppy nobody. Thus the look, which translates to 'Fuck you, Sloppy Nobody, for making me turn my head.'”

Twice in one issue and not even in the context of say, war reporting where you want to capture the salty vernacular of the soldiers. Just a casual use of the word and no blushing necessary. A fucking line's been crossed, is what I think.

Chirstmas Music, Singing Chipmunks and An Aging Tim Roth

A banner day of stories for me at the NY Daily News: check out my holiday music feature, with profiles of Darlene Love, Aimee Mann and Kiki and Herb, all of whom have Christmas shows coming up; a chat with Jason Lee of My Name is Earl and the family flick Alvin and the Chipmunks; and a profile of Tim Roth, who stars in Coppola's Youth Without Youth. A triple byline day, which is like a triple bypass day but less life-threatening. Thanks, Joe!

Somewhere in the darkness, the Gambler he broke even...

...and in his final words I found an ace that I could keep. Poker great David "Chip" Reese cashes in. Hat tip to monkeyboy for the link and the headline.

Javier-ing A Good Time

My latest profile for the NY Daily News is Javier Bardem for the unsuccessful adaptation of Love in the Time Of Cholera and the Oscar buzz surrounding No Country For Old Men.

Should "Ratatouille" Go For The Best Picture Oscar?

There's a lengthy article in the New York Times about Ratatouille. It's arguably the best-reviewed movie of the year and in a year of lengthy, darker movies, it's a pure delight. (And while being a huge blockbuster can be a problem for a nominee -- despite Titanic -- in this case, I don't think Hollywood would care at all that it made $200 mil here and a massive $400 mil overseas.) It has a shot at being the first animated movie since Beauty and the Beast to get nominated for Best Picture. The big debate? Should Ratatouille go for Best Picture and risk squandering its chance at Best Animated Film, especially in a year with very worthy competitors like Persepolis, The Simpsons Movie and Shrek The Third? Duh. The Best Animated Film Oscar is a ghettoized category that is literally meaningless at the box office and in prestige. Except for winning your office Oscar pool, it's a joke. Frankly, the category was created because animated films like Toy Story and The Incredibles were so clearly superior to their live action competitors that Hollywood was finding it increasingly difficult to explain away why cartoons didn't count when it came to Best Picture. If Ratatouille has a shot -- and it does -- Disney should go all in. Make absolutely clear they are pushing for a Best Picture nomination and don't even talk about the consolation prize of Best Animated Film. Disney has never won a Best Picture Oscar and this film has the accolades and the struggling artist tale that would make it catnip for voters. Why settle for a dull secondary category when you've got a shot at history? Even snagging a nomination would be historic and once that happens anything is possible.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

My latest DVD column for Huffington Post is out and it covers The Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV series boxed set, among other releases. The question of the day: what's your favorite Bond film rip-off? (I would like to thank the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement without whose assistance this blog post would not be possible.)

One of the Best Movies of the Year

That would be The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Check out my story on the film for the NY Daily News.

Lauren Ambrose, Mekhi Phifer and Hitchcock

Here are my newest stories: profiles of Lauren Ambrose (of Six feet Under) and Mekhi Phifer of ER and This Christmas for the NY Daily News and my latest DVD review column for Huffington Post -- this one covers The Lady Vanishes, I Am Cuba, Helvetica, Hairspray and more.

Defending "The Golden Compass" and Denouncing William Donohue

My latest Huffington Post talks about "The Golden Compass" and hopefully sheds light for people about the disreputable William Donohue and his partisan political group Catholic League.