With Oscar Season in the final stretch and a new slate of awards being announced each day, here is a perspective on retro cinema.
My quest began a few months back when I was doing a cabaret piece called "Larger Than Life" which is a song from the musical version of My Favorite Year. I remembered a dilapidated B movie theater down the street from me where I used to watch cartoons and bad horror flicks in my early years on a Saturday afternoon. It is so distant, I only remember images of the time and place. So I started doing virtual searches and found that it was an old movie house from the vaudeville era that lasted until the late 60's. It was called the Lake Theater.
This also led my to a vintage blog with old Erie memorabilia and newspaper ads. Nothing fancy, but drive-ins and horror nights. And just today I found a nostalgiac post on the same page that has a vintage shot of the old theater probably just before it was gutted and demolished. But I remember it - somewhere in the old banks of my young mind. Grand old times with names that stir something way back.
We always hear about the fabulous perks of being an Oscar nominee... How it establishes clout and preference for future work, access to A list parties.... But also the ridiculous gift bag that is given to the stars. I just read this article which took it to the point of being ridiculous. We all (or should) realize that it is a shameless plug for products. I have gotten them on a much smaller scale for the Ivey's here in town. Usually a tube of Chapstick or a coupon for Chipotle; often some female beauty products. But I had no idea how excessive they are for the Oscars. So much that they became a tax liability in 2006 because the goods were an asset big enough to be declared on tax returns. At that point they were abolished... Or maybe not. Now they are officially given out as a perk by a company called Distinctive Assets, but I am guessing there are certainly some advantages between both parties in the arrangement. This years' net worth is $200,000 per bag and supposedly the Motion Picture Academy is filing a lawsuit against the company to make sure the arrangement is non binding. The quote from the filing states "it (the gift bag) is also likely to dilute the distinctiveness of the Academy’s famous trademarks and tarnish their goodwill.”
So what exactly is in this bag? There is the said Chapstick ($6) and personal items like Dandi Patch anti-perspirant ($25) & Purely Inspired Organic Protein. ($25) Then it gets a bit more exclusive with items like Signature Vodka ($70) (must be an awful big bottle), 10 Personal Training Sessions with Alex Seltzsky ($900) (no idea who he is, but he must be great for that price) or Personalized M&M's. ($300) (I can steer you to a website that gets them much cheaper) But no - this is only the tip of incredulous excess. How about Joseph's Toilet Paper ($275) - you can wipe your ass on black velvet for cheaper! A 10,000 meal donation to an Organization of your choice ($6300) - but wouldn't it make just as much sense to coordinate through your own PR person? From there it gets ridiculous with travel all over the globe; 10 days to Israel ($55,000) 15 days in Japan ($54,000), 3 days in San Marcos ($4800), 3 days in Lake Como Italy ($5000). Really?! How many days do they have in a year that I don't? And then the real crux of conversation - Nuelle Fiera female Arouser ($250)???? Vampire Breast Lift ($1900) 740 Park Plastic Surgery ($5530) This is so far removed from the life we lead and yet we still idolize this fantasy. No wonder the Academy is trying distance itself from the insanity. Over $200,000 worth of absolute drivel. Give me the Chiptole and Jamba Juice $2 voucher and I am fine.
This is an interesting intersection of Art and Political Crisis. I stumbled onto it as Jeff and I are doing research for our upcoming trip abroad. Part of the time will be spent in Barcelona along the coast. And this popped up in the Mediterranean off the island of Lanzarote. Sadly this is WAY too far away from where we will be.
It is the fabulous creation of sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor and it is being dubbed Museo Atlantico. The catch is that it is all totally below the water level on a clear reef. You have to snorkel in order to see the exhibit. There are several large installations that sit on the ocean floor. Most have a policital nature. The Raft of Lamedusa is a takeoff of Gericault's Raft of Medusa and features refugees attempting to cross over the sea into freedom. Somber material there.
Another is called Rubicon where an entire army of civilians are walking blindly towards a fence paying no attention to the threat of global warming and climate change. Heavy subject matter, haunting works of art. The ambitious works are detailed and molded on actual humans and then carefully lowered and placed into the reef by a team of divers who follow extensive care as they are set. I think they sound amazing. Jason deCaire Taylor
This shared video just resonated with me although it is not a current one. Madison Square Garden 2009. Simon & Garfunkel were a very formative part of my early music influences. They were always playing around the house, long after they went separate ways. This album in particular was a landmark not just with me, but obviously many others. Perhaps it is because of the recent Grammy's telecast? There was a lot of talent, but I am not so sure about memorable moments. Definitely some, but for the most part I found them milk-toast. Maybe that is why when something so extraordinary comes along it really does leave a larger impression.
Secondly, I was just talking with a colleague about being overwhelmed with hatred and negative. It rears its head in politics, race, finance, even frustration of road rage in the car on the way home daily. Ironically it is perpetuated by social media just like this! But I still feel a personal need to throw these thoughts out into the universe if even for my own purging and sanity. But this song, speaks volumes to those times when the overwhelm hits a boiling point. It is calm and the serene. The eye in the center of the hurricane that we sometimes need to hear. And this particular rendition, years after the release, is indeed memorable in so many ways; talent, spirit, message and connection. I love it still.
