Skip to main content

Happy Sunday & The Most Important American Movie of 2008

Hey All,
today was a wonderful (although very warm) day. Our charity variety show at the Noho First United Methodist Church was a grand success. Literally. We raised our goal in donations for the Red Bird Mission in Kentucky.

The program itself was a success and showcased all kinds of talent. I personally, performed I'm In The Mood For Love. It was the first time I'd played a song by myself on piano for an audience since a 4th grade talent show at Berwick El. in Columbus, OH. It went over well; everyone who remembered the song as a contemporary hit made sure to tell me so. Ain't they sweet? Playing the song was a lot of fun. There are plenty of standards from that era that I'm going to learn. Nothing like having a new party piece.

I also did a bit with the MC Hart Bakely (played by comic/writer Phil Mottaz). I certainly enjoyed the entire fake radio show. Thanks to everybody who attended and donated.

After all the Sunday activities at church, several of us went to the movies. We saw WALL-E and it is flat out brilliant. I won't give much away. But, I think it's the most important American movie of 2008. And the Pixar team have done an amazing job at depicting a version of Earth in the year 2815. Try to see it before anyone tells you about the plot or the themes. It references great sci-fi watersheds like 2001, Star Wars and Alien and even Disney's previous fantasy attempts the Black Hole & Tron. And frankly, WALL-E is rated G, which is wonderful, because this cautionary tale should be seen by every soul living on this planet right now. It's easily Disney's boldest cinematic statement in my memory... if they've ever had an agenda in the past. Don't leave early, the end credits are a history of human visual artistic styles and features Peter Gabriel's inspiring Down To The Earth. So, see the movie, then we'll discuss it.

You heard it hear first: Do NOT be surprised when WALL-E is nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture next year. In fact, the opening act is as powerful and wordless as the opening of my favorite film of 2007, There Will Be Blood. It will win best animated feature. The score by Thomas Newman was evocative. The one human actor that shows up is pitch perfect, too. And that's all I'm going to write.

Hope your week is filled with blessing, sunshine and the usual: Peace & Disco Beats!

Comments

Unknown said…
Norm, which "real person" was it that showed up? Skip Stevenson? Ten bucks and a beer say Portner doesn't get that one without googling it.

-Numero Dos

Popular posts from this blog

John Lennon 40 Years On

Remembering John Lennon today. Forty years have flashed by. I can still hear my clock radio turning on to the incongruent sound of the Beatles on Dec. 9, 1980 and wondering why? I think about John every day. I am fortunate to have been able to make pilgrimage to Mendips, Abbey Road and Strawberry Fields, NY; to play on stages like the Cavern, the Jacaranda and the Troubadour where he performed or made trouble, or both. Here’s a quick playlist for you and me. (Just Like) Starting Over I Should Have Known Better Bless You Nobody Told Me Strawberry Fields Forever Nowhere Man Enjoy the day. Fill it with peace. Fill it with music. #JohnLennon #Liverpool

Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air - Book Review

“The Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air” is a trippy new mystery novel from Phillip Mottaz. It captures the grit and gilt of the City of Angels with the flair of a contemporary Raymond Chandler. The brisk pace and wit are reminiscent of Douglas Adams’s entries in the detective game. Flourishes of  Fletch  and “Medium” also spring to mind. However, Mottaz has added a psychic/mutant/superhuman touch and his own comedic voice, structure and internal monologues to the proceedings that help the author announce his own style and the arrival of a literary heroine for a new generation. Hairstylist and budding private investigator, Danica Luman is the perfect character to convey the irony, angst and sarcasm needed to tell a 21st century L.A. crime story. Danica also represents anyone who thought it would be neat to get tangled up in a mystery and the darkly comic cautionary tale that follows. The genre is recognizable, but Mottaz offers a fresh take on the not-ready-for-prime-ti...

Getting Better All The Time

Hey Soul Mates, long week. Thanks to everyone who sent along their best wishes for my recovery from food poisoning. I'm still creaky, but there has been a lot going on. The world keeps on spinning. Well, I finally got our ntsc (North American video) master of " A Talent For Loving " made. The original was in the pal format, so it had to be converted before it could be distributed here. As a result of several snafu's, I've upgraded my dvd drive. And thanks to KS1 Security's continuing sponsorship of the band, we have a new color photo printer! That means we can make super-pretty press kits to send out to the record labels and industry players. It's taken a long summer to get to this point. We've had several people of decent magnitude utterly flake out on us. I ain't gonna name names, but you know who you are. As a result, the band is forging ahead on its own (manufacturing our own dvd's is just the tip of the iceberg). We aim to get our music h...