Real Great Stuff

#42 Deliverance (1970) « Widmerpool’s Modern Library Revue

2009-03-11T22:35:00.000-04:00

This blog, W's Modern Library Revue, is going through the 100 titles of the Everyman Modern Library. It's interesting because it's good books, but it's also a contemporary reading of these books, and not what the dust jacket says, or what someone said about them at the time. And, she's funny. In #42 she calls out men for being men (including dear John Irving) instead of celebrating the Modern American Voice. I like it.

#42 Deliverance (1970) « Widmerpool’s Modern Library Revue

Scientology Booklist

2009-02-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

I came across this today, and though it's not necessarily a history of scientology, it's an interesting look at a particular aspect of scientology - censorship and suppression. Enjoy!

Operation Clambake present: Scientology Booklist

Also, check out the new album by Neko Case on NPR. It's really good, if you like her voice. If you don't, well, then you won't like it so much.

Wire Tap: If Rappers Were Characters From The Wire | The Smoking Section

2009-02-20T23:29:00.000-05:00

This looks pretty cool. And I was just discussing the Wire today...

Wire Tap: If Rappers Were Characters From The Wire | The Smoking Section

Women vs. Men - the battle continues!

2009-02-19T21:45:00.000-05:00

I read an article the other day about a female author, Anne Patchett, who uses the question "What would Philip Roth do?" as a test to determine which events and requests she agreed to. I suppose that's a valid question, as Roth is an infamous recluse when it comes to endorsing his work. However, it seems the author of the article, Ellen Hetzel, got a little overzealous and felt that female authors should aspire to be like Roth in all things. I initially read this post and thought that it was a case of reverse feminism, where a female academic was criticizing other female academics (in this case, authors) for making women look bad:

What would Philip Roth do, indeed. For women writers who think they still aren’t taken as seriously as the men in their field, here was Exhibit A for why that might occur: a coupla chicks sitting around talking while an audience pays $26.50 a seat to hear them indulge in a bout of self- and mutual admiration. For all the chat-festiness of Oprah, it’s hard to envision the TV super-goddess engaging her old bud Toni Morrison like this. Morrison would flick off such public familiarity as easily as she would a bad sentence.

But I wasn't sure if I got that right. Today, however, I read this blog and felt that I was right. Gwen Dawson at Literary License blasts Ellen Hetzel for reinforcing two gender stereotypes by questioning whether "inherent stylistic differences between male and female writers may fuel the gender gap" as well as arguing that "the mundane (in other words, all the daily stuff that makes the world go ‘round) is their metier, which is probably why they write about it so well—and fail to produce not only the kind of writing but also the volume that might transform them from wordsmith into literary lion". So they can't win awards because they're too busy writing about household chores. Dawson is right to be frustrated, but she doesn't go far enough, in my opinion: "Patchett’s “What would Philip Roth do?” test is not a bad idea, but no matter how faithfully she applies the test, it won’t turn her—or any other female writer looking for more respect—into Philip Roth". Upon re-reading both articles, I feel that Hetzel should keep her opinions to herself - if her own aspiration is to become the female Hemmingway, then be my guest, but I would rather female authors - and all authors, for that matter - get judged on their own artistic merit than judged as failing to achieve some sort of gender equivilancy test. And Dawson's article starts out with the right ire but ends with a whimper, perhaps sensing her own perilous path to becoming anti-feminist herself. Not me, however. I will never fall into that trap!

Lost: New Losties!

2009-02-19T12:21:00.000-05:00

Check this out as well.

Lost: New Losties! - Love-Watching - Videogum

Best cookies ever

2009-02-19T11:57:00.000-05:00

Have you seen this site before? Snack or Die provides a recipe for Super Mario Mushroom Cookies. I think it's just super.

Dum dums

2009-02-16T17:20:00.000-05:00

Hey Bonnie - here's a band you might like. Obviously I picked it because the band name features our theme of the month. Dum Dums make good music!

DUM DUM GIRLS on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Videos

Friday's book link

2009-02-13T10:06:00.000-05:00

Here's one that is pretty interesting. Seems long overdue, I suppose, considering we took a class five years ago about this very subject. See you in the car!

Stein Calls for Redefinition of Book in TOC Keynote - 2/11/2009 7:46:00 AM - Publishers Weekly

New Stuff Revisited

2009-02-12T22:39:00.002-05:00

Hey! I got tired of emailing all these links and stuff to you, so I'm just going to post them in one place and you can review them if and when you like. Here's today's roundup:

1. Dollhouse Reviewed

you might need this: La Femme Nikita

and you'll definitely need this: Whedonesque

2. Lost recap: One Song Recap

3. Did you know Death Cab dude was dating Zooey Daschanel? Oh, and Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams are engaged. This feels like some sort of Friends episode.

4. Check this out: Favtapes

See you later!

Some Advice for Work

2008-05-21T02:24:00.000-04:00

7 Types Of Bad Bosses According To Star Trek (And How To Survive Them).
Yay!

Again with the lists...

2008-05-05T18:11:00.000-04:00

For a good time, check out The 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time. I think you will like them.

List of 50 Best Cult Books

2008-04-29T11:43:00.000-04:00

Check out 50 best cult books. I only know a few, but it's a interesting list. And I know that you love lists. :)

Potential Bookshelf Arrangement

2008-04-23T17:03:00.002-04:00

I love this, but it might make you crazy. Thus, I love it even more.

Oh, Clay Davis

2008-03-31T17:11:00.002-04:00

Learn how sheee-it started
There's even a voice recording!

Happy Easter

2008-03-22T13:26:00.002-04:00

Vampire Weekend

2008-03-16T22:36:00.003-04:00

Here's some more info on VW:

Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend.com

VW@Wiki

Oxford Commas

Oxford Comma

Have fun!

This makes me laugh..

2008-03-12T13:35:00.000-04:00

Check out #85
:)

Morning, Sweetie

2008-03-11T06:58:00.002-04:00

Good morning Sweetie! I miss you already. iTunes may be screwed up today, something with the HW drive, I will have to figure it out tonight if it did not correct itself when you restarted the computer. We can access the files and everything, but it means you won't be able to update your iPod right away. But it may not even be an issue. I will see you later - be sure to bring the phone with you! I love you!

And one more...

2008-03-07T16:57:00.002-05:00

For you...

2008-03-07T16:51:00.002-05:00

"Winter, I despise thee"

2008-03-06T22:23:00.003-05:00

Well, I thought I'd comment on the weather again. We're looking at 30 more centimetres in addition to the 23 we just got. Yay.

The Wire wraps up

2008-03-06T10:30:00.002-05:00

The CBC has a story on The Wire. Here's the Wiki page outlining the whole damn thing. And here's a review by the Baltimore Sun's tv critic - he's a little bitter for some reason: Critical Mass

It appears that the final season of the Wire isn't satisfying all viewers. Ratings are down, compared to Sopranos and such, and one article reports of a web leak of the series finale. Furthermore, HBO offers an On Demand feature, which reportedly posts the episodes before they air on the network at its regular time. So much controversy!

Dominoes M* F*!!

2008-03-03T18:27:00.003-05:00

Okay, here's the rules of dominoes. You try and figure them out.

Dominoes

Try here as well.

And then play online: Yahoo! Games. But you got to sign up.

I Heart You

2008-03-03T18:08:00.002-05:00

Dear Sweetie: you are wonderful. I love you so much!!

Hillary on SNL

2008-03-02T09:06:00.002-05:00

MSNBC can take a joke, apparently. Sort of. They've reported on Hillary's appearance on SNL but emphasized that "she failed to get an official endorsement from the show." So they're playing it as another failure. The bias continues. See more Hillary News in a section called "Hillary Clinton News".

In other Hillary news, Slate analyzes Tina Fey's "Great SNL Moment". It's a good article! It makes me want to vote for Hillary, if I could. How do you feel about going down to Vermont for Tuesday's primary?

Russian Elections!

2008-03-02T09:05:00.001-05:00

As you know, Russia elects a new president today. Here's a link so you can follow all the events of the day:

Russia elects new president

Full synopsis to follow.

2008-03-01T08:48:00.004-05:00

I know it's a horse and not a cow, but this is the only picture I could find without doing a crazy search. Anyhoo, this is part of the exhibition at the National Gallery. I am pretty excited about it, actually.
Joe Fafard

There's also this:
"On Reading: Photography and the Book A Selection of Photographs from the National Gallery of Canada. This exhibition of approximately 35 photographs traces the theme of reading and books throughout the history of the medium. From early examples such as William Henry Fox Talbot’s salted paper print A Scene in a Library (c. 1844) to the large-scale colour photographs of fire-damaged books in Angela Grauerholz’s Privation series (2001), the exhibition illustrates the fascination of books and reading for photographers" (National Gallery)

Let's not get snowed in!!

Words At Large

2008-03-01T08:45:00.002-05:00

Check this site out: Words at Large It's a comprehensive book site! Should be an interesting site to check once in a while. I'm not much into podcasts, but perhaps we should expand our horizons a bit; it seems that we could use podcasts for walks to work/school or even at the gym. Anyhoo, maybe.

Great Trips ahead

2008-02-29T09:41:00.001-05:00

Okay, so this is the new piece(s) of furniture we are likely to get today. It matches our set and I, for one, have not been so excited for a small table before. And it is in stock! Yay Ikea!

Great movies ahead!

2008-02-28T17:04:00.002-05:00

Okay, here's the word on In Bruges: "Bruges, the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travellers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray and Ken, it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists. Ray, still haunted by the bloodshed in London, hates the place, while Ken, even as he keeps a fatherly eye on Ray's often profanely funny exploits, finds his mind and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity of the city. But the longer they stay waiting for Harry's call, the more surreal their experience becomes, as they find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloë, who may have some dark secrets of her own. And when the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Ray's vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences" (IMDB).
Looks like a winner.

Here's the other: "Jerry is a junkyard worker who attempts to sabotage a power plant he suspects of causing his headaches. But he inadvertently causes his brain to become magnetized, leading to the unintentional destruction of all the movies in his friend's store. In order to keep the store's one loyal customer, an elderly lady with a tenuous grasp on reality, the pair re-create a long line of films including The Lion King, Rush Hour, Ghostbusters, When We Were Kings, Driving Miss Daisy, and Robocop, putting themselves and their townspeople into it. They become the biggest stars in their neighborhood" (IMDB). It got 7.6 out of 10! So maybe a winner, too.

Be Kind Rewind

Just For You

2008-02-27T06:30:00.001-05:00

I took this picture down the other day, so this is just for you:

Have a great day!

Canada Reads on CBC

2008-02-27T06:23:00.002-05:00

So Canada Reads is back again - my pick to win is definitely Not Wanted On The Voyage. However, we've seen in the past that it's usually the more interesting cultural picks that win: see last year's winner Lullabies For Little Criminals. I don't have much hope for Findley. Nevertheless, read about the other books and make your own mind up. Better yet, read the books. It's vacation! We might actually get a chance to read them.

Canada Reads

Inspired

2008-02-27T00:26:00.000-05:00

The NHL Trade Deadline hoopla has inspired me to blog again. Huzzah.