|
Michael Parker's Journal
 |
Tuesday, February 27, 2007 |
Here's my list, in alphabetical order, as I'm still contemplating which numbers to apply:
Beck, The Information
Rolling Stone called this CD Beck’s best and it doesn’t take more than one listen to know why. Employing blues, soul, hip-hop, pop, funk, spiced with a few samplings of electronica, Beck throws out his rhythmic poetics 's among cleverly engineered sounds, beats, and delightfully crowded melodies. Evocative. Substantive. Poetic. His utterly hipnotic song "Nausea" is one of the year’s best.
Citizen Cope, The Clarence Greenwood Recordings (2004)
I’m including this CD because I was introduced to Citizen Cope last year so it was the first time I heard it. HIs fascinating mixture of folk, soul, blues, hip hop, and rock make this a truly remarkable CD. Amazing voice. Timeless and poetic lyrics. Classic.
Corrine Bailey Raye, Corrine Bailey Raye
Raye has one of those soft, soulful voices that echoes to a quieter, gentler time when there just seemed to be more innocence in the world. Raye delivers one of the most lyrical, beautiful CD’s of the year. She was nominated for her delightful summer-like song "Put Your Records On" but it is her first hit "Like a Star" that literally shines! I’ll never forget it.
Dixie Chicks, Taking the Long Way Home
Taking The Long Way highlights the trio’s acclaimed harmony throughout the CD, but especially on songs such as the beautiful "Lullaby," "Easy Silence" which speaks at the state of the world, "Silent House," and "Baby Hold On." But Maine’s vocals on many songs (especially "Baby Hold On") exhibit an emotion that is so vivid and on the surface that it is absolutely exemplary–there is an immediacy to it that is utterly convincing and striking to the heartstrings. Solid. Timeless. Simply delightful.
Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere
Gnarls Barkley heavy 70's style soul-rock and funk is captivating and fresh. His song "Crazy" is one of the year’s best, lyrically and vocally. Besides Cee-Lo’s exceptional and highly-listenable vocals, St. Elsewhere is chuck full of delicious sounds, psychedelic beats, and poetic lyrics – "Transformer," "Go-go Gadget Gospel," "The Boogie Monster," "St. Elsewhere," "Necromancer," and "Storm Coming," especially.
IL DIVO, Ancora
IL DIVO’s second CD is solid, a highly impressive compilation of covers (translated into Italian or Spanish) and original songs that raise their repertoire to include classical as well as extremely enjoyable pop songs. On a personal note, one of my favorite songs on the album is Joaquín Rodrigo’s hauntingly beautiful song "En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor." IL DIVO nails it! Another timeless collection of pop-opera!
Justin Timberlake, FutureSex/LoveSound
In 1987, George Michael brought "sex" to the forefront in pop music and it has taken twenty years for the sexy to come back, with as much charismatic, testosterone-flying, feet stomping impact. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Justin Timberlake and his excellent sophomore CD FutureSex/LoveSound, produced by my choice for producer of the year, Timbaland. Timberlake evokes the sound of old-time Prince and Jackson and literally comes into his own as an up-and-coming contender for pop king.
Two of my favorite songs of the year come from this CD: "Sexyback" & "My Love"
Nelly Furtado, Loose
Timbaland literally resurrects Nelly Furtado’s music career with the hip and sultry "Promiscuous." Furtado’s rich international sound, style, and beat gets a face-lift with Timbaland’s production and engineering.
Two of my favorite songs of the year come from this CD: Promiscuous & "Say It Right."
Madonna, Confessons on the Dance Floor
Madonna comes away with yet another Grammy this year for her highly-enjoyable Confessions on the Dance Floor.
Thom Yorke, The Eraser
Possibly my most favorite song and video of the year, "Harrowdown Hill," is about the place where the body of Dr David Kelly was found in 2003. Dr Kelly, as you may recall, was part of the IEAE team who went to Iraq to seek evidence regarding Saddam Hussein's possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction. He was found dead after he returned to Britain to raise concerns regarding the build-up for an invasion without substantial evidence. In the style of RadioHead, which Yorke is frontman for, Yorke’s unsettling, emotional vocal style and poignant lyrics lend the perfect vehicle for such a tragic event.
Yorke’s equally poetic lyrics and electronic rhythms all create this aura of complete pathos that one thinks is about him until your hypnotically involved and suddenly you are walking right along with him in his introspective ruminations. Nominated for Grammy: Best Alternative Music Album.
Honorable Mentions:
Sarah McLachlan, Wintersong
McLachlan’s Christmas collection is simply beautiful. As always, fortifying her angelic voice are poignant and meaningful original songs, non-traditional covers, and traditional covers that bring all the warmth and goodwill familiar to Christmas burning in your heart! An instant holiday classic!
Happy Feet Soundtrack, featuring groovy, get-up-off-your-ass-and dance songs from Prince, Pink, Britney Murphy, Chrissy Hynde, Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman, and Patti Labelle.
10:49:25 PM  | |
|
|
|
Sunday, February 25, 2007 |
We are mere minutes from the red carpet parade at the Oscars. Before the event starts, I wanted to quickly record my predictions. Go Scorsese! Three cheers for The Departed!
Best Picture: Babel
Who I would vote for: The Departed
Director: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Who I would vote for: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Animated Feature: Happy Feet Who I would vote for: Happy Feet
Foreign-Language Film: Pan's Labyrinth (Spain)
Who I would vote for: Pan's Labyrinth
Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth
Who I would vote for: An Inconvenient Truth
Actor: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Who I would vote for: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Who I would vote for: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls.
Who I would vote for: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls.
Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls.
Who I would vote for: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls.
Original Screenplay: Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine
Who I would vote for: Guillermo del Toro, Pan's Labyrinth
Adapted Screenplay: William Monahan, The Departed
Who I would vote for: William Monahan, The Departed
Cinematography: Children of Men
Who I would vote for: Children of Men
Art Direction: Dreamgirls.
Who I would vote for: Dreamgirls.
Costume Design: Dreamgirls.
Who I would vote for:
Music - Original Score: The Queen
Who I would vote for: Babel
Music - Original Song: "Listen," from Dreamgirls
Who I would vote for: "I Need to Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth
Film Editing: Babel
Who I would vote for: Pan's Labyrinth
Makeup: Pan's Labyrinth
Who I would vote for: Pan's Labyrinth
Sound Mixing: Dreamgirls.
Who I would vote for: Flags of Our Fathers
Sound Editing: Letters From Iwo Jima
Who I would vote for: Letters From Iwo Jima
Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Who I would vote for: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
5:55:05 PM | |
|
|
|
Monday, February 19, 2007 |
If there is a must see film before the Oscars this Sunday, it is Pans Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo Del Toro. The film is about a young girl who is forced to go with her mother to live with her mom's new husband in the mountains. Her new father, a general for Spain's fascist regime (1944, during Franco's rule) is stationed in the mountains to fight the separtists. To cope with the general's sadistic nature and the horrors of war, she escapes into a fanatasy world. This is a truly spectacular film, though violent and heartbreaking. Pans Labyrinth is nominated for Best Foreign Film.
I've also enjoyed re-watching Sophie's Choice, the 25th Anniversary Edition of Reds, and Children Of Men.
Tomorrow, the favorite to win the Oscar for Best Picture, Babel, comes out on DVD. If he have not yet seen this, pick it up and watch it. Another amazing film.
10:27:04 PM | |
|
|
|
Saturday, February 17, 2007 |
I’m hoping to finish up my review today of PF Potvin’s collection of poetry The Attention Lesson, published by No Tell Books. POTVIN’s poetry has appeared in Born Magazine, Sentence, Memorious, No Tell Motel, Sleepingfish, Boston Review, Passages North, 5 AM, Black Warrior Review, South Dakota Review, and elsewhere. His manuscripts have been finalists in the New Issues Press Competition (Western Michigan University) and the Poetry Center Prize (Cleveland State University). He has taught at a variety of colleges and language schools in the U.S. and Chile. He serves on the staff of Drunken Boat, runs ultramarathons, and currently resides in Miami, FL.
While I’m working on that, let me pass on some links to his website and a sampling of works published online. A complete collection is listed on the Potvin’s excellent reading at the Stain Bar in New York, a MiPoesias reading series!
PF Potvin homepage | MiPoesias Magazine 2006 | MiPoesias Magazine 2007 | Audio readings from The Attention Lesson for MiPoesias | Softblow | No Tell Motel
10:17:44 AM | |
|
|
|
Friday, February 16, 2007 |
Thrilling times at work!
Tomorrow morning, Good Morning America is spotlighting the company I work for--WiLife, and their award-winning pc-based video security system. I hope you get a chance to see the show. Our segment will be aired sometime between 7 to 8 AM, in all time zones.
If you have ever wanted home security or have, as of late, felt you need it, I proudly recommend our video security solution, which gives you the features of a professional security system (motion-based detection and recording, alerts, playback) but improves on them--e-mail and cell phone alerts when motion is detected by any camera; super-easy, 3 step installation that only takes 15-minutes; sleek, intelligent, and powerful digital cameras that can be used for indoor, outdoor, and "spy" purposes; high-quality streaming video and recording; intuitive user-interface; and FREE remote viewing 24/7, anywhere in the world over the Internet or Windows Media-enabled PDA.
Oh, and the significant difference, in comparison with the standard security systems out there, is the affordable price. A complete single-camera system (including software) starts at $299.00.
So, tomorrow morning, get up, grab your Starbucks, and check us out on the tube or activate your handy and beloved TIVO for I'll-watch-it-any-damn-time-I-want-to viewing.
* You may learn more about WiLife and their video security products at WiLife.com.
4:10:23 AM | |
|
|
|
Thursday, February 15, 2007 |
Last year, the French documentary March of the Penguins (Marche de l'empereur, La) about the lives and survival of a large colony of emperor penguins during one-full cycle of Antartica’s ruthless season captured our hearts. I listed it as 2005's fifth best family film.
This year, I'm giving the honor to the animated motion picture Happy Feet, a story about young penguin named Mumble Happy Feet who is cast out of his colony because he dances. As a young penguin, he learned he couldn't sing, which every penguin considered the heart song. The "heart song" not only was the vehicle that draws couples together to mate, but it is the method of how the penguins distinguish themselves one from the other. This is especially valuable when the female penguins return to the herd after they have been away for the winter, their call is how their mates find them and re-join with them. The "heart song" is also the vocal signature that helps newly-born penguins know their parents.
In a year full of entertaining animated films such as the classic Cars, and Ice Age 2, Monster House, Open Season, Hoodwinked, and Over the Hedge, Happy Feet, from DreamWorks, rises above them all. From a clever and environmentally-friendly script, beautiful animation, and musical numbers and dancing that literally get you dancing in your seats, Happy Feet shines and inspires. It not only gets my nod for best animated film of the year but the best of family fare as well.
Commonality. Inclusiveness. And a primary message that our differences shouldn’t cause fear, division, or give us the right to demean, oppress, hate, and abuse. That's what lies behind this film with heart. And that, my friend, is timeless.
Highlight: The musical-like feel of Happy Feet is electrifying, combining soulful renditions of "Kiss," "Heartbreak Hotel," and the disco classic "Boogie Wonderland," into exceptional interludes between the action sequences.
Here is a list of my favorite family films of the year. (Reviews for these films forthcoming, when and if I get some time to write them.)
1. Happy Feet
2. Cars
3. Pirates of the Caribbean 2
4. Akeela and the Bee
5. Monster House
6. Flushed Away
7. Eight Below
8. Hoodwinked
9. Over the Hedge
10. Nanny McPhee
Note of regret: As of this writing, I have not yet seen "The Pursuit of Happyness" or "Charlotte's Web", but from everything I have heard about thier uplifting themes and pro-family message, I know I would have thrown them in my top ten films for family.
Honorable Mentions
Alex Rider (Stormbreaker), Nacho Libre, Night at the Museum, and Invincible.
10:08:01 PM | |
|
|
|
Wednesday, February 14, 2007 |
It's been a memorable Valentine's day this 2007. Many of you have probably heard the news about the gunman who stormed the Trolley Square Mall in downtown Salt Lake City two nights ago, killing five people and injuring four others. Nearly everyone of the victims, as the news has discovered, were there at the mall shopping for those they loved and cared most about. One such tragic account is that of victim Vanessa Quinn and her husband. They have been married four years but were always too poor to get each other wedding rings. This year, for Valentine's, they were meeting at the mall after he got off work so he could buy her a ring. She arrived at the mall first and must have walked right into him after turning a corner in the mall. Vanessa's husband, Rich, could not get into the mall when he arrived because it was cordoned off by police cars and emergency vehicles that had surrounded the mall. Rich couldn't find his wife so he went home. When she didn't show, he returned to the mall and found a photographer who had been taking pictures of victims. On the news tonight, he said that he looked through his lens and saw her dead. He knew instantly it was her. All of the stories of the victims has been heart-wrenching, especially knowing that they were in the mall that night because of their love for their spouse, husband, sister, brother, etc. So, my emotions have been very much on the surface today. Though we aren't fans of the Valentine Day holiday, J and I surprised the other with presents and cards. J gave me a beautiful picture book and card, which made me choke up. (Love you, J!) I don't recall a Valentine's so meaningful, where the sentiments came from such a watershed of appreciation, gratitude, and realization of each other. I won't easily forget it.
* If you would like to read all of the stories from the Trolley Square shootings, please go to ksl.com. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the families involved in this tragedy.
11:10:13 PM | |
|
|
|
Monday, February 12, 2007 |
The Dixie Chicks went 5 for 5 at the Grammy’s last night, winning the holy trifecta of the awards: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Album of the Year! This accomplishment, my friends –of winning the top three awards -- has not happened at the Grammy’s in 14 years, according to The New York Times. And the last time a country star or group won the best album was in 1969. And the star was Glenn Campbell.
And yes, conservative friends, this album was very worthy of everything it received! See my review here. (And take note of my prediction at the bottom!)
Here are some comments from other news sources:
From Salon.com
[T]he Dixie Chicks walked away with the night's biggest awards. In the evening's lone display of good sense, Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison's win for album ("Taking the Long Way"), record and song ("Not Ready to Make Nice") of the year was a thumb in the eye of all the conservative country radio yahoos who dropped the Chicks from their playlists after Maines criticized Bush at a 2003 London concert.
From The New York Times
The sweep reflected something of a retort to the Country Music Association’s annual awards, held in November, when the Dixie Chicks were shut out. The vote by the Recording Academy, which is composed of performers, producers, engineers, executives and others across the country, evidently took a different view.
"I think it says that, by and large, the creative community sees what has happened to the Dixie Chicks as unfair and unjust," said Mike Dungan, a longtime music executive who heads the C.M.A.’s board and is also the president and chief executive of the Capitol Nashville label. (Mr. Dungan said he was not speaking on behalf of the C.M.A.)
But even without support from country music’s traditional institutions, the album became something of a hit. "Taking the Long Way," bolstered by brisk sales at Starbucks, Amazon and other less traditional outlets, has sold almost 1.9 million copies, and ranked as one of the year’s 10 best sellers....
As far as Grammy voters were concerned, the Dixie Chicks "made a great album this year, and their music and their commentary resonated with our membership, as it did with the entire nation," said Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Recording Academy’s formal title.
From The Guardian
"The negative public opinion of them was pretty limited to a country audience and to people of a certain political persuasion," said Jonathan Cohen, a senior editor at the music industry publication Billboard. "Clearly they were able to transcend that. The awards do make a statement, although it's hard to put intent behind it. There was definitely a groundswell of support for them among a pop audience. That all contributed to people deciding, well, let's listen to this record."
From The Chicago Tribune
The trio was primed for a big night by Baez, who linked them to the protest tradition of Woody Guthrie. The relatively mild-mannered "Not Ready to Make Nice" isn't exactly "This Land is Your Land," but the Chicks' performance brimmed with conviction, and drew a boisterous response from the music-industry crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was this traditionally liberal bastion of artists and entertainers who spearheaded the backlash against the Chicks' backlash.
10:15:16 PM | |
|
|
|
Friday, February 09, 2007 |
I just learned today that Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought will be publishing my poem "At the End of the Street Lies the Sky" in their Fall 2007 issue.
This marks my first scholarly journal publication and I’m thrilled. I never thought this possible.
DIALOGUE is an independent quarterly publication whose purpose is to examine Mormon culture and its relevance to secular life. This is a great home for this poem.
I was likewise thrilled to be contacted by the editor, well-known Mormon author Levi Peterson, whose collection of short stories, "Night Soil" sits here on my bookshelf and is one of my favorites, along with Raymond Carver’s "Where I’m Calling From," Brian Evanson’s "Altmann’s Tongue," and Walter Kirn’s "My Hard Bargain."
I introduced my readers to this poem last March. You can read the poem here.
8:22:35 PM | |
|
|
|
Thursday, February 08, 2007 |
On July 22nd, I climbed up a cement wall to climb into my wife's aunt's backyard from a parking lot. It was the best alternative for my kids. And for me as I didn't want to walk a whole mile-and-a-half to get to her house. We were there to watch the annual fireworks display commemorating Utah's statehood. After lifting the kids up and over, I lifted myself up onto the top. Knowing that I had a bulging disk, I decided to lower myself down and then jump the remaining amount. Well, I totally misjudged how far the fall was and as soon as I hit the grass, I knew I had aggravated that disk.
For the past eight months, I've been struggling with back pain. So much so, that this marathon runner hasn't been able to run more than three minutes without his back hurting. In this time frame, I have been to two specialists and a physical therapist. I have undergone two blind epidural shots last September and October, both of which helped me as long as I didn't run or lift anything more than forty pounds.
At the beginning of the month, I finally saw a specialist who ordered me an x-ray driven lumbar epidural injection at the university hospital in Salt Lake City. This past Tuesday, I finally got into the surgeon to undergo the procedure.
Let me first tell you this: "I LOVE PROFESSIONALS!" The surgeons and nursing staff rocked! They looked over my MRI's and noticed immediately, unlike the other specialists I've seen the past eight months, that the disk underneath L5-L4 (the main bulging disk), was also bulging (L4-L3). It wasn't as noticeable because it sits behind the bone. After I explained to them the origination spot for the pain and the path it takes to the ball of my left foot, they explained that this smaller bulge is most likely the disk causing the pain that won't go away. So they asked me if I wanted to get an injection into both disks, which I enthusiastically agreed to in hopes of getting this whole back pain episode behind me.
They were likewise very professional during the entire procedure, continually checking the x-ray device to make sure that both needles were going into the disks -- right into the bulging areas. (Of course, though they had numbed the flesh down to the disk, I was still very cognizant of the pressure of the needles going deeper toward the small of my back and behind my back bone. I felt I was hyperventilating on the operation table as the surgeon finally deposited the steroid into each disk.)
When the steroid was being pushed into the lowest disk, which was the first procedure, my leg and foot suddenly got tingly. This news excited the surgeon and his assistant. They explained that this indeed indicated that this disk was causing the symptoms and also that they had got the needle directly at the appropriate spot.
Needless to say, the whole procedure took approximately 20 minutes. As I left the recovery room, my left leg shuffled somewhat because it was half numb.
Tuesday night, after the anesthesia wore off, I was in excruciating pain. It was a sleepless night, even though I was taking Loratab to help alleviate the pain. But as the days march on, the pain is subsiding and I'm walking better. The steroid should start taking affect tomorrow.
If this injection works, I may be running again in two weeks. And that feels like my childhood anticipation for Christmas morning.
10:53:51 PM | |
|
|
|
Wednesday, February 07, 2007 |
There were three films in this list I had not seen, though I know everything about them--Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver," John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy" (screenplay by the two-time Oscar winner Waldo Salt), and Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem of a Dream."
I was very surprised at the lack of foreign films on this list. A true movie buff ventures into this most enriching of territories. Anyway, I digress. Now that these films have kept me from reaching that 100% mark, their being placed on my que.
Tonight, while I recuperate from two, one more than was scheduled, x-ray driven lumbar epidural injections into two bulging disks in my lower back, I am watching the re-release of Warren Beatty's "Reds," starring Diane Keaten and Warren Beatty.
| Your Movie Buff Quotient: 88% |
 You are a movie buff of the most obsessive variety. If a movie exists, chances are that you've seen it.
You're an expert on movie facts and trivia. It's hard to stump you with a question about film. |
7:20:35 PM | |
|
|
|
Sunday, February 04, 2007 |
The Directors Guild of America has named Martin Scorsese Best Director for his Boston gangster movie, The Departed. This award marks the first time he has been recognized in the category in more than 40 years in the business. This recognition is significant because it also closely mirrors the results of the Oscars, as has been evidenced over the years.
Finally.
10:23:59 PM | |
|
|
|
|
