Happy Birthday James Ogilvy

1964 - traditionally considered either the last year of the Baby Boom or the first year of Generation X - saw something of a bumper crop of royal babies; in all, four were born during that twelve months, including HRH The Earl of Wessex, Lady Sarah Chatto (the daughter of Princess Margaret), Lady Helen Taylor (whose nickname in the Eighties was 'Melons'), and possibly the most minor of the so-called minor royals, James Ogilvy.


Despite his distance from the throne (at present he is 35th in the succession) and the fact that he possesses no titles whatsoever, Ogilvy is nonetheless a fascinating footnote in the history of the British monarchy - he is thought to be the only royal baby in history to be born a leapling.

Born to the Queen's cousin Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy and her husband Sir Angus Ogilvy at their home Thatched House Lodge outside London and married to Julia Caroline Rawlinson in 1988 (with whom he has two children, Alexander and Flora) Ogilvy is currently the publisher of Luxury Briefing, a magazine for those working the upper end of the carriage trade.

So low is James Ogilvy's profile that even a sycophant as panting as I was unable to find a picture to adorn this post, forcing me to make a reFoto to accompany the story.
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"Love Will Never Do (Without You)" by Janet Jackson

Featuring the ample talents of birthday boy Antonio Sabàto, Jr. and Djimon Hounsou, it's Janet Jackson's Love Will Never Do (Without You), the seventh single from her 1990 album Rhythm Nation, and directed with trademark aplomb by the late, great Herb Ritts.
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Gratuitous Brunette: Antonio Sabato, Jr.

He may in fact be the sexiest leapling ever; then again, since his is a variety (not to mention quantity) of hot that doesn't come around every day - especially at my place - it's apt I guess that his birthday should be a special event in more ways than one.

Born on this day in 1972 Sabato first emerged into the public consciousness the way ridiculously good-looking people with limited abilities often do - modeling. In 1990 he gained some notoriety for bringing New York's Times Square to a screaming halt at the sight of his twenty-foot tall abs and eight-foot long package, thanks to the ever-so-subtle marketing machinations of one Calvin Klein. Determined to demonstrate his range, he went on to star in a Janet Jackson video - Love Will Never Do (Without You) - which is essentially modeling with movement, but nevertheless, at least he tried.

It wasn't very long before the soaps called, in this case General Hospital. A lot of people mock the soaps but they are very grueling and more often than not turn a pretty face into an accomplished actor (with an even prettier face). I mean, look at... It'll come to me... Alec Baldwin! He was in a soap too, and look how well he's done.

Sadly, that's not been the case here; in doing research for this post I watched an awful lot of dire clips that I can only assume weren't actually acted by Antonio Sabato Jr. but rather by his picture stapled to a plank. Even the dreadful made-in Vancouver (or is that a tautology?) Deadly Skies (2005) - in which he can be seen getting it on with another dude - is awful except for those scenes. Then again, it's possible the sound of blood rushing in my ears at the sight of his mouth moving just might have prevented me from a full appreciation of his oeuvre.
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POPnews - Leap Year Edition!

45 BCE - The first Leap Year was observed following the adoption of Julius Caesar's cleverly named Julian Calendar.

1704 - During Queen Anne's War French forces and Native Americans staged a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing 100 men, women, and children.

1720 - Queen Ulrika Eleanora of Sweden abdicated in favour of her husband, who became Frederick I.

1936 - The character Baby Snooks, first played by Fanny Brice in vaudeville as early as 1912, made her radio debut on the program The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air; Baby Snooks proved so popular that she got her own show, beginning in 1944.

1940 - Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Academy Award, Best Supporting Actress, for her role as Mammy in Gone With The Wind.

1972 - Hank Aaron signed Major League Baseball's then-richest contract - $200,000.

1984 - Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau announced his retirement.

1988 - Archbishop Desmond Tutu was arrested at an anti-apartheid rally in Cape Town, apparently.

2004 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigned as President of Haiti following a coup.
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Pop History Moment: Crazy Does Crazy, World Goes Crazy

On this day in 2007, troubled American pop star Britney Spears shaved her head.

Nothing else to say about that really, except that the media acted in its typically subtle and decorous way.
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Looking Back, Looking Forward

One year ago today I published my one hundredth post; this is number 2128, a feat which even though I know to be a fact I still have trouble believing. It's been a little over a month since my last update of this nature, and seeing as I missed our second anniversary - which fell on January 26th, during my recent illness - this seems as logical a time as any to update my regular readers as to the progress (or lack thereof) of the Pop Culture Institute.

Of course, looking back on it, on this day last year I still had no idea how to make links, and had only just figured out the insertion of photos; clear evidence, at least, of the steepness of my learning curve these past twelve months. I'd say I was proud of myself at least for what I've learned, if only I were capable of it; nevertheless it pleases me that I did it. In addition to the conquering of ignorance, I've come a long way (at least I think I have) from that angry impatience of mine, born mostly of frustration at my own limitations, which to me suggests passion but which to everyone else suggests staying away from me altogether.

The format of posts (both in quantity and quality) is more or less in place, and the structure of individual days is there too, at least since the landmark date of August 5th; even though by far the majority of my readers seem to discover me while Googling some specific subject or other, it's important to me as well as to the future of the blog that I build each day thematically, even if that is an ongoing process which takes years. Variety, as they say, is the something or other - the seasoning of existence? - so it's most important that I keep myself interested, as I'm the one who spends 5-6 hours a day neck deep in the thing so that you may have a few moments of pleasant reading in your day.

At New Year's I had promised that I would be taking things more easily this year than last, and in that I think I have; thank you to all of you who stayed with me through those few days when all I published was POPnews because it was all I had the strength to do. Despite my fatalistic pronouncements, the problem seems to have been caused by an electrolyte balance; the fact that I was growing weaker by the day panicked me, it's true, but I tried not to let it affect the quality of my work here, even if I did let it reduce the quantity.

The challenge ahead is to take all the types of posts I have done in the past - profiles, reviews, commentary, news, and photography - and merge them all a little more thoroughly, while still investigating new forms, such as interview and documentary. While I don't always feel I've succeeded at every post I've written, believe me when I say I would never publish something that I feel will reflect badly on me or this blog, at which I've worked so hard.

By this coming Pride Day (the 1st anniversary of my one thousandth post is August 5th) I hope to be at 3000, the Gods, Blogspot, and my own stamina willing. Here's to it!

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South Carolina: Expect The Expected

As expected, Barack Obama handily won the South Carolina primary, garnering 55 percent of the vote to Clinton's 27; still my favourite for dark horse candidate, John Edwards (who is - get this - a white man!) received 18 percent. The candidates' debate on CNN January 22 got the highest ratings ever for such a show, which may just be the silver lining to all the bitterness, resentment, and anomie currently inherent in the electoral process.

If Election 08 can get people interested and involved again, if it can overcome their apathy, maybe it can even get them to vote; because that is the real victory in a democracy... Each individual vote is a victory against the forces of tyranny, and using it is not only the best way to ensure you'll still have it to use the next time, but also that there'll be a next time for you to use it.

I've noticed that the creeping spectre of partisanship - which has long kept parties on either side of the aisle from working together - is lately beginning to creep into party politics as well, and threatens to thwart the Democrats' cake walk into the White House this coming November. Staunch supporters of Barack Obama seem to be as opposed to the potential candidacy of the would-be First Lady President as they ought to be to Christianist maniac Mike Huckabee, pretty-boy smarm-factory Mitt Romney, or John "Concierge at the Hanoi Hilton" McCain and vice versa.

So while it's true that both junior Senators (New York and Illinois respectively) have very different visions for how the United States can and should be run, the one thing they do agree upon - that a Republican cannot and must not be allowed to do it - doesn't even seem to be on the agenda.

What is on the agenda is much petty sniping - mainly, at this stage, about race. Rather than running against their opponents, both candidates seem to be running against their allies. Seeing minorities fighting amongst themselves is the sort of thing that Republicans love to watch - it's their porn - and whether they're at home, in court, or on a hook, nobody likes to see a Republican get off less than me.

A little bit of politicking is to be expected, since this is the part of the campaign when the individual candidates demonstrate their platform, interpret their vision of the party, show the electorate how they handle themselves under fire, and (to a much lesser, though more important, extent) how they will build their team if elected; but the blogosphere is fairly bristling with much commentary, even at this early date, about how theirs is the only candidate, and if their candidate loses how they're moving to a cabin in Iceland or some shit because life won't be worth living anymore.

Well, if a Republican wins the next election because Clintonites fail to support Candidate Obama, or vice versa, that's when things are really going to get ugly. I mean "Iran in 1979" ugly, Spanish Inquisition ugly, Rudy Giuliani in drag ugly...

The next primary is the big one - Super Tuesday - which takes place February 5th; 24 states will be up for grabs that day.
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Viscount Severn In Allergy Scare

James, Viscount Severn, infant son of the Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Queen's eighth grandchild, was rushed to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital Thursday following what was first described as "a mystery illness". This was later clarified to be an allergic reaction, which nonetheless necessitated an overnight stay for both mother and son and a visit by the Earl himself. It was business as usual Friday for the Earl, who attended engagements in the Midlands and was kept apprised of his son's condition while there via mobile.

A Palace spokesperson described the tests as "routine", stating that if it had been an emergency the five-week-old child would have been taken to the local hospital (where he was born, in December 2007) near where the Wessexes live, at Bagshot Park in Surrey.
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"Take It To The Limit" by Etta James

If there's one thing Etta James knows all about it, it's taking things to the limit; for more than fifty years she's been honing her own variety of soul that's been rubbed raw by losses in love, in a record industry that treats women badly and black women even worse.

Born on this day seventy years ago in Los Angeles, while still a teenager James formed a doo-wop group called The Peaches, who got their big break auditioning for producer Johnny Otis. Their first single - The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry) - was released in 1955 as an answer song to Hank Ballard's Work With Me, Annie; James would have to wait six more years to strike gold on her own, and when she did she struck a very rich vein indeed.

Her performance in At Last, inspired by her love for her new husband Harvey Fuqua, remains her signature tune to this day; having attained the penultimate position on the R&B charts, it made it all the way to 22 on the pop charts - far enough to guarantee play at countless sock hops, thus embedding it into the hearts of white and black kids alike.

It was followed by such hits as Trust In Me, A Sunday Kind of Love, and my personal favourite Tough Mary. Interest in James' career revived when her songs began showing up in television commercials in the mid-1990s, striking a sentimental chord in the generation who grew up listening to them and endearing her to a whole new audience at the same time.
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The Scanner What Ate My Brain

In case you've been wondering about the scarcity of posts the past few days, this is the reason, right here. This device, and these gawdawful 24 hour days, have conspired to make all my spare time just fly away.

I don't generally write tech posts because... Well, you could put all I know about technology in a thimble and still have room left over for what I know about math, physics, and relationships. But I know what I like, and I like this. In fact, I like this a Hell of a lot more than the cheesy line that preceded this one.

Having spent the better part of four hours last night scanning some black & white negatives I haven't seen for fifteen years back to life I was struck by what a revelation it was to see people and places I hadn't seen in so long emerging pixel by pixel from the past. Then I scanned some photos from prints, made a few PDFs, and scanned a slide. By that point it was well after midnight, and somewhere along the way I'd lost another four hours.

I can see how this is going to quickly become my favourite toy; it's technical name is the Epson V350 but they call it Perfection. Now, so do I.
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Oscar Nominations Announced

Best motion picture of the year
Atonement, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, producers
Juno, Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, producers
Michael Clayton, Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, producers
No Country for Old Men, Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, producers
There Will Be Blood, JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, producers

Performance by an actor in a leading role
George Clooney in "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah"
Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises"

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie in "Away from Her"
Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose"
Laura Linney in "The Savages"
Ellen Page in "Juno"

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War"
Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild"
Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton"

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There"
Ruby Dee in "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement"
Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton"

Achievement in directing
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly": Julian Schnabel
"Juno": Jason Reitman
"Michael Clayton": Tony Gilroy
"No Country for Old Men": Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
"There Will Be Blood": Paul Thomas Anderson

Achievement in cinematography
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford": Roger Deakins
"Atonement": Seamus McGarvey
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly": Janusz Kaminski
"No Country for Old Men": Roger Deakins
"There Will Be Blood": Robert Elswit

Original screenplay
"Juno", by Diablo Cody
"Lars and the Real Girl", by Nancy Oliver
"Michael Clayton", by Tony Gilroy
"Ratatouille", screenplay by Brad Bird; story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird
"The Savages", by Tamara Jenkins

Adapted screenplay
"Atonement", by Christopher Hampton
"Away from Her", by Sarah Polley
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", by Ronald Harwood
"No Country for Old Men", by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"There Will Be Blood", by Paul Thomas Anderson

Achievement in art direction
"American Gangster": Art Direction: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino
"Atonement": Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
"The Golden Compass": Art Direction: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street": Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
"There Will Be Blood": Art Direction: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Achievement in costume design
"Across the Universe": Albert Wolsky
"Atonement": Jacqueline Durran
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age": Alexandra Byrne
"La Vie en Rose": Marit Allen
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street": Colleen Atwood

Achievement in makeup
"La Vie en Rose": Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald
"Norbit": Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End": Ve Neill and Martin Samuel

Best foreign language film of the year
"Beaufort" Israel
"The Counterfeiters" Austria
"Katyn" Poland
"Mongol" Kazakhstan
"12" Russia

Best animated feature film of the year
"Persepolis": Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
"Ratatouille": Brad Bird
"Surf's Up": Ash Brannon and Chris Buck

Best documentary feature
"No End in Sight": Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience": Richard E. Robbins
"Sicko": Michael Moore and Meghan O'Hara
"Taxi to the Dark Side": Alex Gibney and Eva Orner
"War/Dance": Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine

Best documentary short subject
"Freeheld": Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth
"La Corona (The Crown)": Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
"Salim Baba": Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello
"Sari's Mother": James Longley

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Atonement": Dario Marianelli
"The Kite Runner": Alberto Iglesias
"Michael Clayton": James Newton Howard
"Ratatouille": Michael Giacchino
"3:10 to Yuma": Marco Beltrami

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Falling Slowly" from "Once" - Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted" - Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush" (Warner Bros.): Nominees to be determined
"So Close" from "Enchanted" - Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted" - Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

Best animated short film
"I Met the Walrus": Josh Raskin
"Madame Tutli-Putli": Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
"Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)": Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse
"My Love (Moya Lyubov)": Alexander Petrov
"Peter & the Wolf": Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman

Best live action short film
"At Night": Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth
"Il Supplente (The Substitute)": Andrea Jublin
"Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)": Philippe Pollet-Villard
"Tanghi Argentini": Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans
"The Tonto Woman": Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown

Achievement in visual effects
"The Golden Compass": Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End": John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier
"Transformers": Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier

Achievement in film editing
"The Bourne Ultimatum": Christopher Rouse
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly": Juliette Welfling
"Into the Wild": Jay Cassidy
"No Country for Old Men": Roderick Jaynes
"There Will Be Blood": Dylan Tichenor

Achievement in sound editing
"The Bourne Ultimatum": Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
"No Country for Old Men": Skip Lievsay
"Ratatouille": Randy Thom and Michael Silvers
"There Will Be Blood": Matthew Wood
"Transformers": Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins

Achievement in sound mixing
"The Bourne Ultimatum": Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis
"No Country for Old Men": Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland
"Ratatouille": Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane
"3:10 to Yuma": Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe
"Transformers": Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin

[A.M.P.A.S.]
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RIP Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger, the Australian-born actor popular for such films as 10 Things I Hate About You, Monster's Ball, A Knight's Tale, and of course Brokeback Mountain, was found dead in a Manhattan apartment today by a housekeeper and a masseuse at just after 3:30 PM local time. He was 28.

Romantically linked with Naomi Watts and Heather Graham, in 2005 Ledger became engaged to his Brokeback costar Michelle Williams; in October of that year the couple had a daughter, Matilda Rose. Ledger and Williams confirmed their split in August 2007, citing conflicting work schedules.

At the time of his death Ledger had just completed work as The Joker in The Dark Knight, to be released this July; his performance was (and, indeed, still is) eagerly anticipated. In fact, he was at work on The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus when he died; no word yet on what's to become of that production.

While rumour and speculation are rampant, Ledger's haggard appearance of late has most pundits predicting that drugs played a major factor in his untimely death. Ledger's demise comes just one week after the death of another young actor, Brad Renfro, 25, also due to drugs-related causes.

The Plot Thickens... The New York Times is reporting that Ledger was found not at home but in the apartment of Mary-Kate Olsen, near a copious quantity of sleeping medication. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow; a spokeperson for Ms. Olsen insists the apartment (located at 421 Broome St. in the tony SoHo neighbourhood) belongs to neither her nor her sister.
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RIP Suzanne Pleshette

It was a voice by turns husky, smoky, and sultry; now it's owner, comedienne Suzanne Pleshette, is gone. Pleshette died Saturday of respiratory failure at the age of 70.

Born in January 1937, Pleshette attended Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts before going on to Syracuse University in upstate New York. The raven-haired beauty appeared in numerous movies in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, including Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 classic The Birds.

Pleshette's longtime marriage to Tommy Gallagher (1968-2000) was bookended by two shorter ones: her first - to fellow actor Troy Donahue - ended badly in 1964 after just eight months, and her third (to former costar Tom Poston) was a happy one cut short after six years by his death in April 2007.

Among her noted roles on television were six seasons (1972-8) on The Bob Newhart Show (for which she reprised her role in the famous final episode of his other sitcom, Newhart, in May 1990), and a TV movie based on the life of Leona Helmsley entitled The Queen of Mean (1990), which must have been a great training ground for her final role as Karen Walker's mother on Will & Grace.

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Clinton Ekes Out Nevada Win

Take that Obama! And... Those guys who are always hanging around behind Obama... NYAH!

Despite the tenterhooks upon which I sat during the evening of the Michigan Primary (which nobody bothered to explain to me beforehand wasn't a real primary at all - thanks guys!) Nevada was a real primary, although like Iowa they called it a caucus. Clinton managed to triumph by six points, earning 51% of the votes to Obama's 45%.

Next it's on the South Carolina, where race is likely to be a factor, and it remains to be seen if the recent flap over the issue will remain to haunt the efforts of the would-be First Lady President. They are set to take place January 26th.

On the other side of the aisle, Mitt Romney didn't campaign in South Carolina in favour of Nevada, where he handily won; this cleared the way for John McCain's narrow win over Huckabee in the first Southern primary, which must have been a sweet victory, as it was here where Karl Rove's dirty lies cost McCain the state in favour of George W. Bush in 2000.

[Read more...]
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Bette Midler Channels Sophie Tucker

From day one a sizable (not to mention crowd-pleasing) portion of Bette Midler's act has been the telling of "Soph" jokes - that is to say, jokes that were told by Sophie Tucker on adult-oriented "party albums" she recorded in the 1950s and derived from her performances in burlesque.

This is where I first heard of Sophie Tucker, and I'll be forever grateful to Bette Midler for that (among many, many other things); the above clip is, of course, derived from the film of the Divine Miss M's 1980 concert Divine Madness.
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In Theatres Now: "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"

The creative genius that is Tim Burton continues to plumb the hidden "Depp's" of his onscreen muse in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; the stylish, gory movie also features the abundant talents of Burton's wife Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, and Sacha Baron Cohen as well as newcomers Jamie Campbell Bower and Edward Sanders.

Stephen Sondheim's 1979 stage musical had been begging for a cinematic treatment since its debut, but as usual delayed gratification has been its own reward; having just come from seeing it, I can think of no other director working today whose style suits the story being told like Burton's. Able assistance from veteran production designer Dante Ferretti recreated a vision of Victorian London as macabre as the source material inhabiting it. Squeamish as I am - and this movie offers plenty of squeam - I am simply unable to look away from really good art direction; so there I sat, transfixed, as throat after throat was slit.

Johnny Depp seems to have done the impossible in creating a performance both low-key and bravura, often at the same time; his Sweeney is a man bent on revenge for the wrongs done to him, and since he's already dead inside his crimes don't unsettle his conscience in the least. Nor should they bother those of the audience either; it's not much of a spoiler to say that only the innocent survive in this movie, and they are a very select group indeed.

This may be the best chance Depp has had yet to nab himself an Oscar, and Burton and Bonham Carter as well; given how enthusiastically the Academy has embraced the re-emergent musical genre in recent years, I don't imagine even Sweeney Todd himself would slit my throat for saying so.
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Happy Birthday Your Potential Highness

It's been an on-again, off-again year for Kate Middleton and her royal beau, but the British papers are indicating that Kate and Wills are very much on-again. In fact, she's moved into his apartment at Clarence House, fuelling rumours that a Royal Wedding is in the offing, possibly next summer. Naturally, my gay nerves are all in a tizzy over this possibility.

Eager not to repeat the marital mistakes of Princess Margaret, The Prince of Wales, The Princess Royal, and The Duke of York, the Palace appears to be allowing the couple to move at their own pace; they've been together now for four years.

William will enter the Royal Air Force soon (and thereafter the Royal Navy), to continue his training to be King, which means they'll have to endure a separation; still, Kate has proven herself a discreet and resilient sort, although she's recently been the subject of her first negative coverage - another crucial test on the road to royal status.
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First We'll Take New Hampshire...

Given the momentum Senator Barack Obama of Illinois had going into today's New Hampshire primary (as evidenced by much gloating on the part of his supporters throughout the blogosphere following his surprise upset in the recent Iowa caucus) Hillary Rodham Clinton's victory keeps hope alive (audacity or no) for those looking to elect the First Lady President.


Former President Bill Clinton moved one step closer to selecting centrepieces and entertaining the wives of visiting dignitaries Tuesday with his wife's surprise victory over the former Democratic front runner and Ann Coulter's favourite punching bag John Edwards.

On the Republican side, the marginally better than the others John McCain bested Mitt Romney, and Iowa caucus victor Mike Huckabee came a distant third; Rudy Giuliani's name was nowhere to be found, for which we can all be thankful. Ron Paul - the Republican Dennis Kucinich - brings issues to the campaign without being a serious threat to any of the front runners.

Next up is the Michigan primary on January 15th.
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"Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin

Disney's Fantasia 2000 borrowed the visual look for its gorgeous Depression-era segment from Al Hirschfeld, the respected cartoonist of Broadway; in order to make itself quintessentially Manhattan, though, it appropriated the music of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.



This isn't the first time Gershwin's jazz-inflected melody has been used to similar end on the silver screen; in 1979, Woody Allen's masterpiece Manhattan used the tune to both open and close the film, as well as incidentally throughout.

It's a little quiet, so it may be best viewed with headphones; visually, though, it's nonpareil. In fact, it may be the most sumptuous thing I've seen in weeks. Look for cameos from the composer himself and Eloise, the little girl who famously lived at the Plaza Hotel.

Originally posted September 26th, 2007, on George Gershwin's birthdate, I couldn't resist reposting it here, because I love it so much. ~ MSM
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Barack Obama Sweeps Iowa Caucus

Democratic hopeful Barack Obama (shown here demonstrating exactly where he has Hillary Clinton) swept to victory in the Iowa caucus today; he was joined in victory by Republican candidate Mike Huckabee in the first of the state primaries. The candidates are next headed to New Hampshire.

It's still too early to tell, of course; will this surprise win build Obama's already formidable momentum, or will it just make Clinton's camp scrappier? While the junior Senator from New York came a shocking (if narrow) third, John Edwards was the Democrats' second place finisher, and two candidates - Senator Joe Biden and Christopher Dodd - dropped out. Among Republicans, Mitt Romney was a full nine points behind Huckabee, and both of them are facing a sudden surge by Ron Paul.

Only one thing is certain following today's events; the most important election in American history is far from decided.

Until it is, though, the Pop Culture Institute will be following these events as closely as my magpie mind will allow, making snarky, ill-informed commentary accordingly.
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Congratulations Sir Michael Parkinson!

Having recently taped his final show, during which the legendary chat-show host sat down with David Beckham and Sir Michael Caine (and tried to sit down with manic comedian Peter Kay), Michael Parkinson has been awarded a CBE for his 36 years on television.
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The Queen's New Year Honours

Pop icon Kylie Minogue has been topping the pop charts for 20 years now, reason enough she should top 2008's New Year's Honours List, where she is joined by esteemed chat-show host Michael Parkinson, and the ever-sporty Des Lynam.

Businessman Stuart Rose (of Marks & Spencer), long-distance runner Brendan Foster, snooker champ John Higgins, and BBC newsreader George Alagiah were also honoured; as were those involved in rescue and relief efforts during recent widespread flooding in England.

Former recipient Sir Ian McKellan was made a Companion of Honour (joining pal Dame Judi Dench) while Julie Walters traded up her 1999 OBE for a 2008 CBE.

[Read more...]
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Happy 2008!

Well, that's enough looking back; New Year's is also a time to look forward, and am I ever looking forward to 2008.

This year, unlike previous years, feels like a culmination; disparate strands of endeavour are ever so subtly weaving themselves together. Yes... It's all going according to plan, and soon the time will be nigh to bring enlightertainment to the whole world.

There is, of course, the challenge of bringing more of my own videos to the site, as well as maintaining the ever-popular mix of news, personalities, music, and fun - all with that same snark you've come to know and love.

Won't you join me in helping to make 2008 the best year ever?
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Year! Year!: Looking Back At 2007

As I sit here - hollow-eyed and slump-shouldered - I can scarcely believe that the seemingly impossible task I set myself on August 5th has actually been realized: 1,008 posts published in 148 days.

To be honest, there were many times in those intervening months when it felt like either this blog would live or I would, but that certainly one of us wouldn't make it; since I'm the one doing all the work, I just naturally assumed this would be my obituary. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

Now, here it is, the last day of 2007, post number 2007, and I have exactly 2007 brain cells left, just enough to write the next three posts before becoming a born-again Christian and joining the Republican Party (which will be the only options left open to me with my diminished brain power).

What a year it's been! I started out writing whiny, masochistic essays about all the things that were wrong with me; as there's only so many ways to do that, and finding my favourite subject matter rapidly depleted, I decided to branch out. I'm pleased to say that, while not every way I branched out was equally successful, the only way I could be more pleased with my work is if I had a million readers.

Oh well, there's always next year; that, in fact, has been my motto around here, and will continue to be. On days when I could only publish twelve (and not the fourteen or fifteen I wanted to) I would tell myself "save it for next year" until the tremors and sobbing stopped.

Throughout February and March the recognizable form of the Pop Culture Institute appeared, and by April that form was pretty solid. May saw my first extended coverage - of the Queen's visit to Jamestown - of which I am still inordinately proud; and who can forget Seattle Pride? In the period from May to August I experimented, innovated, and dreamed. Everything from August forward has been a test of both my endurance and abilities; looking back, I can only say that I'm proud of what I've accomplished, and grateful that I survived it.

Which leads me to the subject of my next set of goals... Mr. Barr has managed to extract a New Year's Resolution out of me, and that is to publish three videos a week at YouTube. In order to do this I will need to facilitate a paradigm shift of how I do things here: gone are the twelve hour desk-chaining sessions, the desolation of trying to squeeze a few more sentences out of a brain that moments ago ceased being able to form coherent words, and a third thing. I... Can't... Remem... Ber? Oh yeah, lack of sleep.

Now it's time to bring it all together - news and current events, profiles, arts coverage, and opinion (not to mention a healthy dollop of video) - into an exciting new venture: PCI 2.0.
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RIP Benazir Bhutto

I hate to say I told you so... Oh, who am I kidding? I fucking love to say I told you so.

I told you so! I told you so! I told you so!

As a leader, Benazir Bhutto had her faults; as a martyr all those faults just magically fall away....

Initially I was mad at her for jeopardising herself as an example of leadership to Muslim women around the world by returning to Pakistan from the relative safety of New York and London; now I see that she has given Muslim women something more important than leadership: a symbol.

It is better to die than to live oppressed.
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The Queen's Christmas Message (2007)

Growing up, this was my favourite part of Christmas Day; the presents had been opened, dinner was cooking, and the mountain of shredded wrapping paper had been cleared away when, glutted with candy, I put down my Princess Diana picture books and everything stopped so I could watch the Queen's Message.

I was strict too; if anyone talked during it I'd shush them and everything, and not even a soft one either. Come to think of it, this may have been the reason the TV was banished from the living room.

I didn't make anyone stand when God Save The Queen was playing, though, but my great-grandfather and my grandfather would join me anyway, being Army men. My father was Air Force, and so didn't stand for anything; in fact, I think he must have been allergic to the display of respect, since he never did it himself.

As the song ended they would salute - in the Canadian way, of course - but I always used to salute the British way, which they were okay with, but which used to piss my father off so bad it was worth the smack he'd give me, out of the blue, about two weeks later.

Christmas really is a season of memories, isn't it?
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Douchebag of the Year: The Republican Party

In a year of exceptional doucebaggery, a year in which asshattery truly flourished, it has proven difficult to choose one individual who stood head and shoulders above the others long enough to allow a clear shot at taking said head clean off.

The short list includes (in no particular order) many of our favourite douchebags, both long-term and newly anointed, such as Rudy Giuliani, Vladimir Putin, George W. Bush, Stephen Harper, Karl Rove, Ted "Totally Heterosexual" Haggard, Mitt Romney, Jerry Falwell, Mike Huckabee, Sam Sullivan, Rupert Murdoch, Alberto Gonzales, Mel Gibson, Larry "Wide Stance" Craig, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, James Holsinger, Pervez Musharraf, and Dick Cheney; each of them, in their own way, added to the general douchebagginess of 2007 in some unique and special way.

The one (some would say lowest) common denominator the majority of these fine upstanding citizens possess is membership in the Republican Party, making their group win not only feasible but a veritable fait accompli. (I love using French - or Liberty, as many of them would call it - around these loathsome toads.)

From where I'm sitting the Republican Party is the fount from whence most of the hatred and intolerance in the world gushes; keeping in mind that a douchebag is both a symbol of oppression and a useless item which causes more harm than good, I can think of no more deserving winner for this singular honour.
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1969: A Year In Review

1969 - the year I was born - has always held a great fascination for me; since we are shaped by the times we live in (and, in my case, by the media created in those times) it's always been a year I've regarded as special - and not just because it's the year I was born either, although in personal terms that does make 1969 the most special of them all.

The year began, as it ended, with the US embroiled in an unjust foreign war declared on the basis of specious intelligence; thank goodness people today have evolved beyond all that. Not that I was aware of it. I wasn't even aware of Sesame Street, the show that would have the greatest impact on my young psyche, which made its debut 18 days before I made mine.

1969 was the year evil media baron Rupert Murdoch began making his inroads into British media, with his purchase of News of the World, yet also the year the media's saviour was born, namely me; of course, in those days blogs, the Internet, and even the concept of pop culture were all just glimmers in various eyes, awaiting the One who would whip them all into a frenzy affectionately known as the Pop Culture Institute.

The New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, President Lyndon Baines Johnson left office prior to the inauguration of Richard Milhous Nixon, and martial law was declared in Spain as The Beatles gave their final public performance (on the roof of Apple Records) which was included in their film Let It Be; the event later paid homage to in the U2 video Where The Streets Have No Name. And that was just in January!

February saw Yasser Arafat appointed head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, an oil slick fouled the harbour of Santa Barbara, California, and FLQ bombs fouled the Montreal Stock Exchange. In March Concorde made its initial test flight, Sirhan Sirhan confessed to killing Robert F. Kennedy while a week later James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr., NASA launched Apollo 9 to test the lunar module (later returning safely to the Earth), Golda Meir became the first female Prime Minister of Israel, and either Nixon or Kissinger hatched the brilliant plan to bomb the shit out of Cambodia.

In April the Harrier jet entered service in the RAF, 300 members of the Students for a Democratic Society seized the administration building at Harvard, and Charles de Gaulle stepped down as President of France; things got really interesting in May, when the Soviets landed Venera 5 on the surface of Venus where NASA's Apollo 10 flew within 15,400 m of the Moon as John Lennon and Yoko Ono were conducting a Bed-In at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

While still in bed in Montreal in June John Lennon recorded Give Peace a Chance (the first solo single by a Beatle), whereas an hour away in Ottawa the finishing touches were being put on Canada's National Arts Centre; at the end of that month, the event that would most profoundly effect the way I live occurred at the Stonewall riots.

In July Charles, Prince of Wales, was invested with his title beneath a vast perspex pavilion at Caernarfon, French was elevated to official language status in Canada, the first American troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, Ted Kennedy drove Mary Jo Kopechne to her doom at Chappaquiddick, Gloria Diaz became the first Filipina Miss Universe, and the Apollo 11 mission went to the moon and back.

In August Sharon Tate and her friends were murdered by Charles Manson and his "family", a suitably ironic prelude to the peace, love, and harmony promoted at the Woodstock Festival.

In September Libya's King Idris was ousted by Muammar al-Gaddafi, information about the My Lai Massacre was suppressed by a co-operative (or, if you prefer, collusive) media, and the Chicago Eight trial began; October saw the opening of the Beijing Subway, Willard S. Boyle and George Smith invented the CCD at Bell Laboratories (precipitating the digital age whose fruits we currently enjoy), Willy Brandt became Chancellor of West Germany, the first message was sent over ARPANET (which would later become the Internet, the greatest invention in the history of mankind), and Wal-Mart (among the worst inventions in human history) was incorporated.

November - as has already been discussed - saw the arrival of both me and Sesame Street; additionally, Seymour Hersh broke the story of My Lai, Apollo 12 went to the moon, the UK's BBC1 and ITV began broadcasting in colour, the US Senate voted against the appointment of Clement Haynsworth to the Supreme Court, and John Lennon returned his MBE in protest of British support for the Vietnam War.

The year ended with the murders of Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark in their sleep by the Chicago police department, the fiasco at Altamont, and the Piazza Fontana bombing in Italy, all recently discussed on the Pop Culture Institute.

Among those born in this year: Christy Turlington, "Brian Warner", Jason Bateman, Dave Grohl, Jennifer Aniston, Chastity Bono, Paul Rudd, Renée Zellweger, Cate Blanchett, Steffi Graf, Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez, Elliott Smith, Edward Norton, Christian Slater, Matthew Perry, Jack Black, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwen Stefani, Brett Favre, Trey Parker, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Matthew McConaughey, Ken Griffey, Jr., Jay-Z, Martha Byrne, and Jay Kay.

Among those who died include Violet and Daisy Hilton, Jan Palach, Boris Karloff, Thelma Ritter, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Osbert Sitwell, Judy Garland, Brian Jones, Rocky Marciano, and Jack Kerouac.
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Mini-Milestone: 1969

For the most part, I have rendered this blog with the utmost enthusiasm; there have been days, though, that have tested the limits of my endurance, whether emotional or intellectual or even physical. There have even been days, like yesterday and today, which came close to being all three. Over the past two years I have any number of times (and for any number of reasons) come thisclose to deleting the whole shebang; my cursor has even lingered near (though never over) the DELETE BLOG button. The longer I work at it, the more I put into it, the less appealing this option becomes; anyway, I soon get over myself, and the feeling passes.

What might seem to be a phoenix-like response of mine - rather than cleansing or rejuvenating - is actually profoundly self-defeating; the wholesale destruction of manuscripts, friendships, and even aspirations, invariably takes away more than it gives in return, and I have never not come to regret any such rash action on my part. This is why I haven't resorted to such a drastic step now with regards to the Pop Culture Institute, and also why I never will; in amongst all my clumsy attempts at evolution it seems that I just might have, however accidentally or unintentionally, evolved beyond the need to destroy. Each of these dalliances with deletion has served as a defiant affirmation, not only of the work I do here but also my ability to do it.

It's telling that the most important romantic relationship I've ever had has been with this blog; I've worried over it, been elated by it, and even occasionally even loathed it. Unlike the men with whom I've been romantic, though, this blog has let me worry over it, been in its own way elated by me, and never let my loathing become reciprocal. Despite my commitment to it, whenever I've needed space it's been offered without question, and upon my inevitable return it's greeted me with open... Er... Peripherals?

I've decided to start taking it a little bit easier, so as not to burn myself out. This blog was originally intended as a kind of workout for my writing; rather than a couple of leisurely hours of stretching a day, though, it's become something of an endurance test, like trying to compete in the decathlon while wearing anvils instead of shoes. The imposition of such strict discipline on a person who is essentially lazy may be necessary to help him realize his dream of someday not having to be a security guard, but it's really played Hell on my psyche. When a masochist says something hurts, it really hurts, and the last two days have been very painful indeed.

In the end, it's your warm words (as much as my love of the work) which invariably end up bringing me back. Mr. Gagne, of course, has been the best friend I (or it) could ask for, and is solely responsible for much of the look of this blog, being the one to teach me HTML, the literary equivalent of calculus; Mr. Davey, too, has helped me to shape its attitude with his own. Being added to the blogroll of Y|O|Y in March gave me my first shred of credibility, in that a total stranger liked my work enough to recommend it to others. Daniel, Eddie, and Javier have all taken to it enthusiastically in recent months, and offer input and insight (rather than adding insult to injury) for which I am deeply grateful; they are a brilliant foreboding of readers yet to arrive. Finally, there are the dozens of people who've crossed this path and, whether they've left their mark on this blog or not have left their mark on me, whether by bruises or lipstick traces...

~ MSM

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¡Feliz Cumpleaños! Infanta Elena, Duques de Lugo

Divorce can be a very uplifting time - the elation of kicking his cheating ass to the curb, for instance, I always find very invigorating - but too often people focus on the negative aspects of it; my humble suggestion, Your Royal Highness, is to do your utmost to find the good in your current situation, heal, and then move on.

It doesn't matter what your parents think, and as for the impact divorce will have on your children, believe me when I tell you that a miserable marriage is way worse than a single mother any day. Believe me... I know whereof I speak. Believe me. (Or did I say that already?)

I'll get you started on your quest for the silver lining; consider it a birthday present... In the olden days a Princess - even a royal Princess - who couldn't play nice either got shunted off to a nunnery or else they locked her up in a drafty castle until she died of consumption; thank your lucky stars you live in 2007.

Now you try...
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Song Of The Year: "You Know I'm No Good" by Amy Winehouse

Musically, 2007 has been a great year for Amy Winehouse; personally...? Not so much.

Nevertheless, ever since the moment I heard it You Know I'm No Good has not left my iPod; I've already posted it, as we say, on the other side (namely, at Self-Loathario) so I thought why not post it here too, as part of my big year-end celebration? And since there's no one here but me and the cat, and she didn't say anything, that's what I did.
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Hottie Of The Year: Jake Gyllenhaal

Born on this day in 1980 - obviously a very good year - Jake Gyllenhaal is not only Hottie of the Year for this year, but last year, next year, any old year he wants really.

(Any suggestions for female Hottie of the Year should be left as comments here as quickly as possible; a winner will be announced before in one week. Unless, of course, I get no input - in which case I'll be forced to choose one on my own, and that may not go well.)
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"Dirrty" by Christina Aguilera

Way, way, WAY back in the olden days - I'm talking ten years ago now - Britney Spears was the perky little all-American girl everyone loved and Christina Aguilera was an over-the-top skank who seemed well on her way to dying with a needle in her arm and a dick in her mouth...

My, how times have changed; now it's Britney who's on suicide watch, weaning her kids on Mountain Dew, and generally doing her utmost to win White Trash Mother of the Year while Christina's found herself a nice Jewish boy, got married, and found herself in a family way - and in that order! So retro!

To celebrate both her birthday and her burgeoning waistline, here's a reminder of Mrs. Bratman's past, present, and future hotness...

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A Public Service Announcement

Which of us has not borne this terrible stigma at one time or another in our life?

Watch this video and learn how to protect yourself; until there's a cure, this is our best line of defense.
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1888: A Year In Review

Of all the years I have reviewed so far for the feature A Year in Review, 1888 is probably the one which holds the most fascination for me. The height of the late Victorian period is an age which is rich in the kinds of characters and events especially favoured for coverage by the Pop Culture Institute; many of their lives and works (for good or ill) resonate with us still.

From the diminutive Queen who towered over the era to which she gave her name to the five humble streetwalkers - Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly - who found themselves butchered by Jack the Ripper; and from Annie Besant who organized a strike by match girls in London to Susan B. Anthony and her agitating for women's rights in Washington, DC, it was a time when women (in the West, at least, and whether they agreed with the tenets of feminism or not) were about to embark upon their arduous journey to equality. Brazil, on the other hand, was just getting around to abolishing slavery.

The year in which the National Geographic Society was formed was first and foremost an age of science and exploration; while Thomas Edison was scratching his head over how to invent sound film, Louis Le Prince was filming his motion picture Roundhay Garden Scene - all 2 seconds of it; for his soundtrack he could have used Handel's Israel in Egypt, which was the first classical music recorded - in the style of the day - on a wax cylinder.

George Eastman meanwhile had patented his new Kodak camera, complete with a new innovation - roll film - which would revolutionize photography, overnight making everyone the potential subject of a portrait; for the budding landscape artist, perhaps a photo of the newly opened Washington Monument would suffice. Or, should you find yourself on the other side of the world, you might catch an early glimpse of a remarkable dolphin named Pelorus Jack in New Zealand's Cook Strait.

Today, whenever inordinate amounts of snow fall on Manhattan, it's bound to be compared to the Great Blizzard of '88, which killed 400 along the Eastern Seaboard in March; references to Vincent van Gogh's missing ear (which he gave to a prostitute named Rachel for safe-keeping) also date from December of this year.

Known as the Year of Three Emperors, Germany's Wilhelm I, Friedrich III, and Wilhelm II all shared the throne in 1888; in presidential politics Grover Cleveland won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College to Benjamin Harrison during a hotly disputed election. That other American pastime - baseball - added to its own body of lore with the publication of Casey at the Bat.

Knute Rockne, Anita Loos, Max Steiner, Irving Berlin, Jim Thorpe Raymond Chandler, T. E. Lawrence, T. S. Eliot, Eugene O'Neill, Robert Moses and Fernando Pessoa were among those born; poets Edward Lear and Matthew Arnold were among those who died.

The last surviving documented person born in 1888 was Adelina Domingues who died at the age of 114 in August 2002; no word on whether or not she used Mum deodorant, the first commercially available product to combat body odour, which was invented in Philadelphia the year she was born.
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1888: Abso-tively, Posi-lutely The Penultimate Mini-Milestone

Well, another mini-milestone has arrived, and thank goodness it's almost the last one; what started out as a clever idea quickly grew tiresome, like a Steven Seagal movie, or having children. The very last mini-milestone will occur at post number 1969 probably just before Christmas.

There isn't much to say in this one except the usual: how grateful I am to my readers and for what little input I manage to drag out of them. Efforts to build a community around this site are ongoing, and as such will be forthcoming in fits and starts whenever I can manage to wrestle a little energy from my ageing carcass and something resembling cogent thought from my overworked brain.

In the meantime, please enjoy, comment, make suggestions, and tell your friends.

~ MSM
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I Can't Seem To Help Myself

Gradually I am coming to understand why I keep fucking this up; as a happy accident, as I am coming to understand what I'm doing wrong, I am also coming to understand how to fix it. All of which amounts to a lot of coming and a lot of understanding, even for me.

Naturally, I've done it again, embedded a video and locked myself out of the blog. And since every time previously the only way to fix it was to write some stupid explanation afterwards, renouncing the blogosphere forever as the murderer of dreams, etc. etc. that's what I'm doing now, to whit:

Everything hates me; boo-fucking hoo.

That oughta do it. What I'm really doing, though, I haven't the faintest idea. The morally neutral and non-sentient circuitry of my computer isn't responding to my histrionics even in the remotest way, but is simply doing an end run around some minor glitch in its code which my posting this would seem to encourage.

Please be patient; a bigger problem is brewing on the home front. I renamed my Music folder, and now iTunes can't find anything to play; I renamed the folder (back to Music), but it still can't seem to find it. Unless... I also renamed my external hard drive; if I change its name back... Yes! There's my iTunes! I did something right!

(Honestly, I shouldn't even be allowed to own a computer.)

Here then, is to the Pop Culture Institute: Long May She Snark!

~ MSM
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It's Doing It Again

Once again Blogspot has forgotten how to play nice with my computer; it hangs when I try to blog using Firefox, and crashes when I use Safari.  I reinstalled Firefox and restarted, which is all I had to do to fix the problem last time, only this time the solution is proving more elusive.

Same story...  Yada yada can't publish anything new yada yada kick the fucking thing down the alley yada yada total shit yada yada step on their necks.

Honestly, it's all getting very dull.

~ MSM

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Beyond The Comfort Zone

It was months ago when I discovered where my comfort zone was as a writer, and on that day I could have easily hunkered down in that sweet spot and written from there for the rest of my life. But no... Comfort's not good enough for me; I have to work from a place where it sometimes takes five hours of reading and 10+ rewrites to produce a single 100-word post.

Having spent the greater part of five hours committing literary seppuku in order to write both the DiMaggio and Mishima posts below as if by cesarean section, I can safely say that I am officially out of control. The worst of it is, I'm still not pleased with either one; in both cases I feel I've failed to knock them out of the park. Typically, though, it's the pieces I'm less than pleased with that get the most praise from readers - wherein I can virtually predict how much acclaim something will earn by how chuffed with myself I am for having written it - which is the only reason I would ever publish anything with which I was less than utterly satisfied.

Every year it's the same thing; the run-up to my birthday elicits such a panoply of conflicting impulses I scarcely know what to do except hang on for dear life until it passes. What it generally comes down to is, on the one hand, a kind of exasperation that I could be this old and still not established in my career and, on the other hand, a kind of relief that I'm not in the same position, only ten years older. This quandary typically manifests itself in one of two ways: either as writer's block, or a condition I like to call 'writer's frenzy' which, as you might expect, is the opposite.

At least this blog makes me feel like I'm actually doing something about that nebulous beast I'm fond of calling my career; to whit, I've just received an early birthday present - a request to reprint a very popular piece I recently published entitled RIP Norman Mailer. This singular honour, as much as the two new blogrolls to which I've been added, tells me that I must be on my way. That the request came from someone with those three magic letters after his name - P, H, and D - is either icing on the lily or gilding the cake; I can't decide which right now, what with all the frenzy.

As for that comfort zone of mine... It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Once, while engaging in a mental tug-of-war with a fellow commenter at Joe.My.God, I was referred to by my opponent as a "brain shark"; whether he meant it as a compliment or not is irrelevant, because I took it as such. My brain, like a shark, cannot stop moving or it will die.

Really, it's as simple as that.

~ MSM
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