Art Du Jour

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes:

Fortitude l

“Strength” from the Visconti-Sforza tarot, c.1442-1447.

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The Mike Tyson Mysteries

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes:

From our good friend Raymond Padilla of RPAD.TV, comes this epic trailer of the upcoming Adult Swim series.

Your reaction will probably fall into one of two general categories:

a) This is a harbinger of the downfall of civilization as we know it.
b) Gottawatchitgottawatchitgottawatchit.

I’m in camp b). Mysteries, chupacabras, and Norm McDonald as a sex-crazed pigeon. What more do you need from your entertainment, I ask?

Posted in Humor, Television | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Creepshot Or Not? Sanitary-Napkin Girl Edition

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes:

creepshot_or_not50

For the “No, it’s not a Creepshot” side, I can see the following arguments:

  • The taking and the publishing of the photo obviously weren’t motivated by lust but by amazement at what a clueless and low-class place America often is. If we can’t make and share humorous observations about the life around us, what’s the point of getting out of bed in the morning?
  • The woman’s face can’t be seen, so who cares if her undies and more are being put on public display?

And for the “Yes, it’s a Creepshot” side:

  • Yoga pants! Transparency! Thong! Bra! And the pic was obviously sneaked! Permission was almost certainly not requested! If those aren’t markers of an authentic Creepshot, what is?
  • How can we know for sure that the person who snapped and published the pic wasn’t motivated by lust? Weirder things have been heard of than someone who gets off on sanitary napkins. Perhaps we’d be better off condemning him/her right off the bat, because these prissy days it’s best not to take any chances.

Are there additional factors I’m overlooking? And where do you come down on the crucial “Is it a Creepshot or not?” question in this case? FWIW, my own deep thoughts don’t go a lot further than, “Hey, when life presents you with something like this, how can you not sneak and share a shot of it?”

Related

  • Previous installments in our ongoing “Creepshot or Not?” series: here, here, here, here, here and here. OK, so the theme has become a bit of an obsession in these parts.
  • Bras in public.
Posted in Photography | Tagged , | 16 Comments

Wimmin Singin Wednesdays

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Fenster

Fenster writes:

Hey Sailor!  Detroit Cobras.

 

TheDetroitCobras

Posted in Music | 3 Comments

Linkage

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes:

realbatmen

Posted in Linkathons | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Movie Still Du Jour

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Tierney, Gene (Laura)

Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, and Clifton Webb in Otto Preminger’s LAURA (1944). I was reminded of this shot while browsing The Noir Style by Alain Silver and James Ursini.

Click on the image to enlarge. 

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Sunday Jazz Selection

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Fenster

Fenster writes:

Ornette Coleman, Sadness.

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Carlo Bergonzi, Five Ways

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes:

There aren’t many singers who have epitomized the true meaning of bel canto better than Carlo Bergonzi. It literally means “beautiful singing”, and refers to the style or school that emphasizes vocal beauty and line above other dramatic considerations, and Bergonzi lived it until the moment of his passing on Friday.

bergonzi

He was the first to admit he was no singing actor. Short, dumpy, and lacking in theatrical aptitude, he was certainly nobody’s idea of a matinée idol. But the voice made up for it in spades. Richer than your average lyric tenor but more graceful than a dramatic tenor, Bergonzi stuck to his core Italian rep and became one of the greats by not overexerting his instrument. As a result, he was able to sing gloriously well past the usual mid-50s expiry date for tenors.

This is him in 1967, singing one of his great roles of Nemorino in  L’elisir d’amore. Note the unabashed and currently unfashionable naked emotion, in the form of the little hitched sobs at the beginning and ending of phrases. Note also that he walks completely out of camera range for about 40 seconds in the middle, and the cameraman doesn’t seem to notice, or care. As you wouldn’t, because you weren’t there to watch: you were there to hear.

The 1959 Decca/Serafin recording of La bohème with Bergonzi and Renata Tebaldi is considered by many aficionados to be the best one available (personally I veer back and forth between it and the 1956 Beecham/Björling/de los Angeles, with a soft spot reserved for the 1963 Schippers/Gedda/Freni). The Act 1 duet “O soave fanciulla” will give you shivers.

Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Performers | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Virtual Art Gallery Du Jour: Steve Ditko

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes:

I’ve been enjoying this biography of Steve Ditko which also contains a healthy survey of his work. Check out this trippy, psychedelic sampling of some of his comic covers and art from the late 50s and 60s.

Fabrizio once summed it up nicely when he said “Fuck Roy Lichtenstein.”

Related

Posted in Art, Commercial art | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Showtune Saturday: “Lonely House”

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes:

The late American tenor Jerry Hadley gives us a haunting and wistful rendition of this tune, from Street Scene.

Like Porgy and Bess, Street Scene is often the basis for pedantic musical arguments about whether it’s an opera or a musical. Its composer, Kurt Weill, didn’t help matters by pronouncing it a “Broadway Opera” or sometimes an “American Opera”. (The piece’s lyrics were written by Langston Hughes, the book by Elmer Rice.) Despite winning the first-ever Tony Award for Best Original Score in 1947, it has never been revived in a legit Broadway theater. When it has been produced, it’s nearly always been in an opera house (or community theater, or school) with operatic-type voices in most of the roles. It actually feels rather dated–a strange thing to say about an opera, I’ll grant you–, but it’s still a powerful and gripping piece of Americana, and this is one of its best numbers.

Posted in Music, Performers | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments