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November 30, 2005
Today's Forecast
Brought to you by the excellent cartoonists at The New Yorker
Posted by lk at 10:28 AM | Comments (3)
November 27, 2005
Post Turkey Treats
The chocolate chip coffee cake was a total success! My cuz supervised and her boyfriend and I managed to divide up the tasks and bake this lovely treat together. It came out of the oven at 7pm and the 3 of us literally stared at it cooling on the rack for, like an eternity (or maybe just an hour), before B was overcome with sweet tooth rage cut the first piece.
The Verdict: We need to make one of these Every weekend.
Posted by lk at 12:47 PM | Comments (2)
November 26, 2005
In other news ...
Albert Chong, Aunt Winnie, 1995, chromogenic color print
SF has got themselves another museum. According to the LAT, MoAD is finally opening and it looks like it will have two interesting shows to help launch itself into the Bay Area scene:
"Linkages and Themes in the African Diaspora: Selections From the Eileen Harris Norton and Peter Norton Contemporary Art Collections," includes 39 works — in photography, painting, mixed-media, video and new genre — by such artists as Hew Locke, Willie Cole, Glenn Ligon, Malick Sidibe, Kara Walker, Chris Ofili, Fred Wilson, Isaac Julien and Albert Chong. A mixed-media piece, "Bye, Bye Blackbird" by L.A. artist Alison Saar, consists of a metal suitcase, lighted by neon, underneath a harness of wings made of leather shoe soles. Two untitled 12-color silk-screen works by Iona Rozeal Brown are portraits of a Japanese male and female in dreadlocks and masking, representing the appropriation of hip-hop culture by Japanese youth. The show marks "the first time the Norton collections have allowed an institution to pick out pieces from their collection," Bradley said. Bradley led the marketing of "Africa Remix: Contemporary Art of a Continent" for South Bank Centre in London."
I hadn't realized that the Norton's had never done this before and I'm surprised that an LA venue (like CAAM) didn't try to do this first. But then again, does anybody ever ask ME about these things?
Prepare for "diaspora to become the new "synergy".
Posted by lk at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)
And so it ends …
It's over. Surprised? No. But I’ll admit to being a little disappointed. The writing has been on the wall since the end of last season but still. This is probably the funniest article recapping the demise of the aliasverse – a bit heavy on the snark but basically true.
I just hope JJ & Co. don’t cheap out on the finale… Oh, who am I kidding?! The J-Man is too busy wrapping up with (wacko) Tom Cruise and basking in the glow of LOST. He’ll probably leave the finale to the Angel/Buffy people to screw up instead of doing it himself.
Posted by lk at 12:28 PM | Comments (0)
November 24, 2005
Culture, culture, culture
I just found out that the Macy's has stepped it up this year. The store's famous Thanksgiving Day Parade will incorporate the work of a real live artist:
Artist Tom Otterness has designed a Humpty Dumpty balloon for Macy's 79th Thanksgiving Day Parade. Mr.Dumpty will be 33 feet tall, 20 feet long and 27 feet wide.
Otterness has whimsical creatures sprinkled all over Manhattan. My favorites are in and around the 14th street subway.
Posted by lk at 09:06 AM | Comments (0)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Have a great day everyone! Give thanks, hang out with friends & fam, and eat!
I am now going go downstairs and make an apple cranberry pie. I need the kitchen to myself for at least 1 1/2 hours and this is the only time I'll be able to get in there before the house becomes chaos. Wish me luck...
Posted by lk at 06:57 AM | Comments (5)
November 23, 2005
Come to America! We have toast!
My cuz and I have a long tradition of “Bad Movie Time Killers” - you know, crappy movies you are practically forced to go see in order to A) wait for traffic to die down. B) get out of the house to avoid your parents boring house guests or C) placate my cuz because THIS TIME she heard that the movie in question was really good and "wasn’t I right when I dragged you to see Splash, Running Scared and Beverly Hills Cop and you laughed your head off during all three, so shut up and get your coat !". Yeah, THOSE movies.
Well, yesterday we were firmly engaged in a) waiting for the sea of red taillights to die down on the 405 and the winner was….. FLIGHTPLAN!
This movie was almost completely forgettable except for three lines at the very beginning. Jodie is trying to ease her daughter’s fears and get her excited about moving to The States:
Julia (cute little daughter): What kind of food is there?
Kyle (Jodie): In America? The best. They have everything.
Julia: Even toast?
Yes, Julia, even toast. And thank God for THAT!
Posted by lk at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2005
A Riddle
Q: What do JJ Abrams and Takashi Murakami have in common?
A: They both like an elephant with underpants!
OK so maybe that was too obscure, even for fans of primetime SpyDrama or those who favor otaku. But I still think it’s a good joke. So, backstory? Here you go:
Last night I was watching a tape of the last two Alias eps that I missed and I noticed something funny. In the last moments of the "Solo" Syd sits in her super-cool but heartbreakingly empty beach side apt, holding a tape recorder to her belly as it plays back Vaughn’s voice from an old mission. Sniff, sniff (and did I mention that I miss Vaughn? Cuz I do! Even tough I think that photo of him in the corner looks super lame). Then the camera pans around her bedroom and you see this:
I thought those elephants were so cute that I stopped the tape. Then I remembered that I saw some similar pachyderms in pampers over the summer in NYC:
Chinatsu Ban
V W X Yellow Elephant Underwear/H I J Kiddy Elephant Underwear, 2005
These sculptures were on view from April through August on the plaza at the southeast corner of Central Park. I think the photographer must have taken this pic at 6am because there's not a kid in site.
When we visited in July, Wasabi Sister #1 admitted that this was the cutest public art she had ever seen. I added that it was certainly the sweetest public art “poop” I’d ever seen!
The kids really loved these sculptures. I doubt that there was a moment all summer when the elephants weren’t covered with kids and surrounded by parents struggling to keep them from falling off and breaking their necks!
Here are some thoughts on S5 if anyone is interested...
Thus far S5 has been underwhelming, to say the least. The downhill slide in ratings is no surprise to loyal fans, given that TPTB changed night and time (again!), added a bunch of new characters that are nowhere near as intriguing as the orig cast and axed Vaughn (aka my imaginary boyfriend). But whatever. I'm a diehard. I'll stick with this silly show till its dead and buried and the DVDs can be found in the 99 cents bin.
Even though I don't really like Rachel and I would prefer that Syd stay APO once in a while and actually design a mission (instead of hauling her enormous belly around in really silly outfits), there are some things I'm enjoying this season. First, I think SpyGrandpa is awesome - VG has been very funny and sweet especially in the last ep. Also, I like the chemistry bet Tom Grace and Dix, they make a good team. I hope that they get to do more missions together. I also think that the build towards finding out more of Grace's background is a lot of fun. Personally, I believe that he's Jack's kid but even if this turns out not to be true, he's clearly got some crazy, twisted, juicy, family history that I CAN NOT WAIT to find out about. Also, I love, love, love all the shout outs to S1-4. Seeing Professor Choy (aka Mr. Wu, aka Keone Young) was funny and so sad at the same time. "Someone from another life" ... total heart in the throat moment...sniff, sniff.
On the negative side….. Oh, where to begin! The writing is not as good as in previous seasons. 1. Sloane’s goes from good to evil, and then back to good at least 3x per episode and it’s getting old 2. There has GOT to be a better, more interesting way to get Rachel up to speed in the spy game. I happen to think she is dull and timid and after seeing the rest of her relatives in "Solo", I also think she's comes from a family of clones (could those people look more generic?!), but that's just me. She's got boobs and blond hair and she can speak English, which basically covers what I imagine JJ must have told the casting director. 3. And as previously stated, I think it's dumb that Syd needs to go out on almost every mission and ... do nothing really because she is pregnant and big as a freakin' house. OK, OK, the casino scene was funny. I thought she used the pregnancy well in that ep, but she needs to stay at APO and be on comms a bit more, like Vaughn was for her. I just don't see how she can fly around the world and be hangin out with the bad guys all the time when she's, well, HUGE and not at her most agile. I'm not saying that a pregnant woman can't do anything but sit around but I still think she is in the field too much and it looks silly. Plus, it would be interesting to see her react to being sidelined for a change. She's not the hot shot anymore, so let's see if there are other aspects of the spy game that she might be good at. I mean she's got to realize that if everyone is worried about the pregnant agent on the mission, then they are not working at their best.
Final note, I think the music is worse this year. The score seems thin and the pop songs are not as fun as they used to be. Guess the budget has shrunk along with the audience.
Posted by lk at 03:06 PM | Comments (2)
November 17, 2005
Happy Birthday Marty!
I’m off to watch Goodfellas and maybe the first 45 minutes of Casino. I’m not quite up to Taxi Driver (though that movie deserves to be watched at least every year, if your stomach can take it. Brutal but brilliant.) Seriously though, Marty, I forgive you for Gangs of New York and Age Of Innocence and let's face it, the Aviator was interesting technically but emotionally kind of a mixed bag... Listen, forget all that. You probably don’t even need to make another film for the rest of your life – I mean if I take Taxi Driver, Alice Doesn’t Live Here, Raging Bull, After Hours (which has an uncanny resemblance to a date I had the summer after my sophomore year in college), Goodfellas and Casino (baroque, I know, but still very good), and lets not forget your mini masterpiece, “Life Lessons” – you have given me more than enough to think about and to admire. Add to that, all the oddball choices, noble miss fires and stuff that was just over my head (like Kundun) and I can see that you are, well, a genius. You are a genius who is also human, and quite manic, but (thankfully) still passionate about your art. Love you Marty! Happy B Day!
Posted by lk at 06:55 PM | Comments (3)
November 13, 2005
Stormtrooper Kitty
She's cute but deadly. Here are some variations. I wouldn't say that this is "the subversive underbelly of Hello Kitty" but it is funny.
Posted by lk at 04:22 PM | Comments (2)
November 08, 2005
I wish I had a super cool thing to post about this eve, but frankly I got nothin’. I just figure I need to write some damn thing fast, before the few people that are kind enough to stop by – get fed up with my old, old, old Halloween posts! Life has just gotten the best of me these last few weeks. My mind is basically mush. Serious mid-life crisis stuff, plus a few work deadlines thrown in for good measure.
Above you will see one of my fave pieces from the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. I love looking at this installation but I always found the idea behind it kind of crazy. I mean HOW could you have a totally open window in the gallery of a museum? OK so this whole thing is kind of a non sequitur but at least I posted something….
From the MCASD website:
ROBERT IRWIN: 1°2°3°4°
MCASD LA JOLLA
ONGOING
Originally commissioned in 1997, MCASD has reinstalled Robert Irwin's seminal piece 1°2°3°4°. Irwin's art investigates perception and experiential effects. His early pieces helped to define the aesthetic and issues of the West Coast light and space movement in the late 1960s by exploring how phenomena are perceived and altered by consciousness. This process is clearly demonstrated in 1°2°3°4°, which directly connects interior and exterior spaces through the literal removal of sections of gallery window overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Elements of the outside environment—sounds, smells, and other physical sensations—co-mingle with the clean, controlled space of the museum. Pronounced "first dimension, second dimension, third dimension, fourth dimension," the title of the work acknowledges the importance for Irwin of the fourth dimension of time in an art experience. Time becomes an integral element of the piece, determining climate, light, movement, sound, and even color as the sun moves across the perimeter of the gallery and sets beyond the ocean.
Posted by lk at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2005
Day of the Dead
José Guadalupe Posada, The calavera of the fashionable lady (La calavera catrina), 1913, broadside, relief etching on zinc.
So it's Day of the Dead. I am feeling pensive but I'm trying to remember it's a celebration and it's "about how we honor and remember the dead". I also read some interesting stuff here and here - wish I could make it over to Self Help Graphics but it's a little out of my way.
On a related note - I love, love, love Posada. I saw a neat show of prints and broadsides in San Diego last year. Today I was kinda wishin' I had gotten the catalog. This show traveled to Central Washington University this past spring.
Posted by lk at 06:52 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack