Thursday, March 11, 2010

Pepto

Let me just say it was a rough day....

But happy 311 day anyway!

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Now playing: 311 - 07.Creatures (For A While)
via FoxyTunes

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Phantom of the Opera

I've always liked the musical. It has everything: action and adventure, love and loss, mystery and intrigue, and great music. I learned quite recently that it is based on a book. Yes, I should have assumed as much, but I did not, and so was surprised when I saw it. That was a week ago. I just finished it this morning. It is amazing.

Gaston Lebroux writes the novel as an historian who has done a large amount of research in order at last to shed light on the whole of a great mystery--or rather several great mysteries that turn out to be one and the same. Take everything you know about the Opera Ghost and Christine Daae, and add an extra 5 layers of depth. (One for each cellar in the Paris Opera House in which the majority of the story takes place.) It's older English, translated from French, which lends beauty and character to the structure of the writing not found in our common language today. Due to this it is not a particularly easy read, but it is indeed a rich one. The tragedy of the story is especially expanded from that of the musical. He is uglier, more pitiful, and of a much more complex background. Meanwhile he is far more genius than Mr Webber gave him credit for, and not just when it comes to music. I found myself feeling great pity for him, despite the monstrous things he did, as did Christine and the Persian (a very important character in the book, omitted from the broadway production).

Too often, when you read the original work behind an adaptation, the latter deteriorates, sometimes so far that it's no longer enjoyable. In this case I love it more than ever. Consider this my recommendation to each of you to find a copy.

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Now playing: Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Music Of The Night
via FoxyTunes

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Blood

Blood? Blood. Crimson copper-smelling blood, his blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. And bits of sick!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Humanity's Greatest Achievment

As it turns out all of humanity reached it's peak when this video was made in 1976. There is nowhere to go but down from here. If this is the quality entertainment brought about by communism, maybe I'll give it a try after all!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

the tricks they play

Have you ever been on the news? It's happened to me twice now; The Reporter and his trusty sidekick Cameraman hiding around a corner, waiting to ambush the next passerby with a barrage of questions asked so quickly and worded so craftily that you can't help but support they're story no matter what you really think. Then you spend the next part of your day thinking of hundreds of things you could have said that would have been a whole lot better. I tried to find the story so I could link to it, but I was unsuccessful. Too bad to, they got a great shot of Bryce and me crossing a street after our interview.


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Now playing: Ides of March - Vehicle
via FoxyTunes