March 9, 2004

What's So Endearing About William Hung? So William Hung has a record deal. Does Hung even qualify as "kitsch"? For those of you who have been lucky enough not to be following pop culture in the past six months, Hung was a failed contestant on American Idol. He was so bad, yet so earnest in his sucking, that he became some kind of celebrity. Hung is a third-year engineer at Berkeley. He yearns to be a singer, but he can't sing and he can't dance and he certainly doesn't have MTV-calibre looks. Despite this, he now has a record contract. You can visit his website here. I know that every once in a while something strikes a nerve in American pop culture for no apparent reason. Some things just can't be explained, nor should they be. But I can't help but think that there is a racist form of paternalism that has framed the Hung story from the beginning. If a white American were as bad as Hung, even if he were as genuine as Hung in defeat, would he be featured on Entertainment Tonight and Dateline? If so, those shows would be nothing but failed dweebs all the time. That is, what's so endearing about William Hung? Have we never seen a dweeb fail before? Even a well-intentioned (but deluded) dweeb? I think what many people find "cute" or "funny" about Hung is (aside from his last name) the fact that he is playing the role of the "silly foreigner". It's similar to the way in which some of the humour in Lost in Translation is found in the way two Americans view Japanese culture. (I realize Hung is Chinese. I'm simply making an analogy on other grounds.) In Lost in Translation, many of the gags revolve around Japanese people trying to speak English, or Japanese people performing at a karaoke party. The humour, that is, is in watching foreigners butcher the English language. It's funny stuff, no doubt; but it also contains an element of racism in the way it condescends to this other culture. I call it "paternalistic" racism because it objectifies the person in a way that infantilizes him; it reduces the object of ridicule to a "child," in effect. The humour is presumptuous. We're laughing at these Japanese people because they apparently don't know how ridiculous they look and sound. It's not simply a case of two people feeling "dislocated" in another culture (though it is certainly that); it's also a case of two people thumbing their noses at a foreign culture. Don't get me wrong: Lost in Translation is not a racist movie. I think it's a wonderful movie, but it contains elements of this kind of paternalism that I think is also found in the celebration of William Hung. I'd like to think people are laughing with William, that they're in on the joke and just indulging this moment of cultural generosity; but I think instead people are laughing at William Hung, on the surface saying he is an emblem of optimism, a refreshing dose of genuine humanity in the otherwise hostile world of popular entertainment, while underneath what they really believe is that William is just another misguided foreigner trying to be like us and failing (laughably). William Hung is less "the Hong Kong Ricky Martin" and more "the American Idol Charlie Chan." It's not his fault. And I don't begrudge him for running with his fame on this one. But I have to keep returning to my initial dilemma: Why is this talentless dweeb any more interesting / funny / entertaining / full of kitsch value than any other?   10:47:05 PM    comment []

February 19, 2004

RIAA Countersued for being Corporate Thugs RIAA Countersued Under Racketeering Laws [Slashdot] Posted by simoniker on Wednesday February 18, @10:17PM from the prohibition-is-on dept. Negadin writes "According to CNET News, a New Jersey woman, one of the hundreds of people accused of copyright infringement by the Recording Industry Association of America, has countersued the big record labels, charging them with extortion and violations of the federal antiracketeering act." The woman's attornies are arguing that "...by suing file-swappers for copyright infringement, and then offering to settle instead of pursuing a case where liability could reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, the RIAA is violating the same laws that are more typically applied to gangsters and organized crime."   4:47:28 PM    comment []

February 3, 2004

The General likes breasts; Michael Powell doesn't   Continuing coverage of Super Bowl TIT. Here's Dan Gillmor: Feds Outraged by Almost-Bare Super Bowl Breast; but Animal Flatulence is Fine. AP: CBS apologizes for Jackson's breast-baring at Super Bowl halftime show; FCC launches probe. (FCC Chairman Michael) Powell said, ``I am outraged at what I saw during the halftime show of the Super Bowl. Like millions of Americans, my family and I gathered around the television for a celebration. Instead, that celebration was tainted by a classless, crass and deplorable stunt. Our nation's children, parents and citizens deserve better.'' Classless, crass? You bet. But more classless and more crass than Super Bowl commercials containing: A farting horse? Multiple ads for drugs to stimulate (human) male erections? Hints of beastiality (the chimp hitting on the young woman)? A dog that grabs a man's crotch and won't let go? Just asking... [Dan Gillmor's eJournal] I know "public morality," this amorphous caricature of what the Average Person expects from other people, is supposed to skew in the direction of conservative, possibly because it's better to expect less from other people than more, but isn't launching a federal probe (hi-yo!) into the exposure of a partially concealed breast just a wee bit, oh -- what's the word I'm looking for? -- insane? What cracks me up about public morality is the difference between normal levels of crass exploitation of women and a "classless, crass and deplorable stunt." Apparently the difference is a nipple. Put as many cheerleaders on the field and bikini-clad women in the commercials as you want, but Heavens to Betsy don't confuse the proper places for partially concealed breasts. Dan Gillmor is being silly by agreeing with the description of Janet Jackson's harmless striptease as "classless and crass." It was neither. In fact, it was so innocuous it didn't deserve any mention at all. And yet here I am. Prattling on about a nipple. I'm lonely.   12:34:14 AM    comment []

February 2, 2004

CBS and viewers of Super Bowl half time show object to bare breast, endorse big cocks   CBS apologized following the Super Bowl for what it and some of its viewers considered inappropriate content during the half time show. At the end of their duet during the half time show, Justin Timberlake removed a piece of clothing covering Janet Jackson's right breast. "We were extremely disappointed by elements of the MTV-produced halftime show," Joe Browne, NFL executive vice president, said. "They were totally inconsistent with assurances our office was given about the content of the show." Earlier in the program, Jackson sang her hit single "All For You," which includes the lyrics All my girls at the party, look at that body Shaking that thing like ya never did see Got a nice package alright Guess I'm gonna have to ride it tonight CBS and viewers of the half time show were not offended by Ms. Jackson's enthusiasm for big cocks, nor were they offended by the presence of Kid Rock. But a bare breast, said a spokesperson, is where they draw the line.   12:50:35 PM    comment []

December 31, 2003

Shatner to record another album Shatner to Record Another Album [Slashdot] CBC News Online NEW YORK - According to the New York Post newspaper, William Shatner is set to release a new album. Guest musicians on the new disc, which was produced by Ben Folds of the Ben Folds Five, include former Black Flag lead singer Henry Rollins and country star Brad Paisley. The new album isn't the first foray into recording for the Montreal-born actor best known for playing James T. Kirk, the captain of the starship Enterprise on the original Star Trek series. In 1968, Shatner released his first album The Transformed Man, which includes spoken-word cover versions of the Beatles' Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds and Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man.   2:02:03 AM    comment []

November 29, 2003

Some of Mike Patton's Favourite Movies   Here's an excerpt from an interview with Mike Patton at Deadwinter. Patton mentions some films he likes. Eventually, I'd like to talk about his lyrics and their relation to film. In the meantime, I'm looking for Patton's comments on the subject. I know I saw an interview on the matter somewhere.... Deadwinter: You’re a big movie buff I hear. MP: I am. I like movies. Deadwinter: So what are some of your favorite movies? MP: It depends. I watch movies a lot. I try to watch a movie or two a day, you know? When I’m on the road it’s a little tougher, but I just got a portable DVD player so I’m getting better at that. When I’m home I watch lots of movies. What have I seen lately, like in theaters? Like new movies? Deadwinter: Just anything, do you like going to theaters anymore? MP: Oh yeah, sure, I always go. A lot of crap, but… I thought Ghost World was kind of OK, just cause I know those comics and I thought it was… uh, uh, uh… smart-ass enough, I thought it captured that feeling pretty well. What else? Mmm, grrr. I didn’t see any others that really blew my head off. Deadwinter: What about just a favorite movie that you would have overall? MP: (shakes his head) Deadwinter: You couldn’t say? MP: Millions. There’s not like one that defines everything, you know? It depends, there’s like French noirs, Chinese Hong Kong shit, or…. Deadwinter: Do you like Harmony Korine at all? MP: Yeah, yeah. He’s ok. I thought ‘Gummo’ was ok. Didn’t kill me. But… let me think about now… I don’t know, I saw a recent Japanese movie that I thought was good called ‘Brother’, have you seen that? Deadwinter: Uh-uh. MP: With B. Takeshi, he’s kind of a famous Japanese actor. ‘Violent Cop’ was a real famous movie of his. ‘Brother’ was very good, very good. Uhh, khe khe, uhh, khe khe, uhh. Have you seen ‘In the Company of Men’? Deadwinter: Yeah, actually… MP: It came out about five or six years ago. I really liked that, it was great. Deadwinter: It was good. MP: Very good. And nobody ever talks about that movie. It’s very untouchable (laughs). I think it’s very cool. What else? Hmm, did you see ‘The Rapture’? About maybe six or seven years ago? A weird, religious, kind of cult movie. It’s very good. A movie called ‘The Lifestyle’ about suburban swingers, a documentary on the suburban swinging scene? 3:22:55 AM    comment []

November 27, 2003

Firecracker, starring Mike Patton, finished filming   Filming for an indie picture called Firecracker recently finished. I would never have discovered this film if it were not for the presence of Mike Patton in the lead role. Patton, the former frontman for Faith No More and Mr. Bungle and current singer of Tomahawk, has been a prominent figure in music for the past 15 years, and this role marks his feature film debut. The General thinks Mike Patton is a musical genius. His contribution to Faith No More is sometimes overrated, denying the prodigious talents of his bandmates; however, before Patton Faith No More was a good band, but after Patton FNM was great, easily the best band of the 1990s. Their LP Angel Dust stands as the most daring and excellent hard rock album of that decade. Patton has always embodied the avant-gardist spirit, choosing experimental collaborations over bankable projects at almost every stage of his career. It's almost a shame, really, that he hasn't embraced the fame and fortune that could be his if he wanted it, because then he would be better known to the world. As it is, he is quite well known and admired worldwide; however, a crossover moment such as the FNM hit "Epic" offered would have guaranteed a significantly larger audience for his tremendous talents. Instead, and luckily, FNM followed up The Real Thing, their most successful album, with Angel Dust, their most experimental and muscially successful. Kerrang! magazine voted Angel Dust "the most influential album of all time." For more about Patton's career, see his interview with The Onion AV and Caca Volante, a website that is updated regularly. If you want to listen to an all-Patton-all-the-time radio station, check out Bungles to Fantomas. What's particularly interesting about Patton's budding acting career is the fact that so much of his music was heavily influenced by films. More on this later. For now, here's the plot synopsis from the Firecracker website: FIRECRACKER is a bold and shocking true-to-life tale of murder in small town Kansas. Set against the stark beauty of Middle America, this astonishing story of abuse, suffering and denial reveals dreams of escape. The inevitable confrontation unleashes the truth concealed behind the pleasant façade of small-town U.S.A. Meek, reclusive and talented Jimmy is emotionally imprisoned by his abusive, alcoholic older brother David – and fanatically religious mother Eleanor. With evil lurking in the shadows, the setting sun gives way to the blue of evening and Jimmy finds escape in the neon glow of a traveling sideshow carnival. Unlike its drab, depressing daytime reality, the carnival becomes a nightly glittering solitaire on the prairie, beckoning all around to its illusions and make-believe. With a guise of red satin and the lure of a heavenly voice, Sandra, billed as an “oddity of nature,” is the carnival’s premier attraction. Yearning for a way out, Jimmy befriends Sandra, unaware that her imprisonment and degradation, at the hands of Frank, the carnival owner, mirror his own. Sandra, taken by his innocence, finds her own inner strength and suppressed dreams. When David disappears, the metaphorical white-picket fences collapse, leaving raw emotions exposed to the spark of truth. Throughout it all Police Chief Ed searches for truth, uncovering bits of evidence suggesting deceit, abuse, murder and cover-up. As her investigation leads her closer to the truth, the lives of those involved become lit fuses – until they explode, one-by-one, in a dramatic and harrowing conclusion. FIRECRACKER pulls no punches nor hides from the ugliness that mars reality. It also reveals in its imagery a vividness and majesty that transcends mere mortality, exploding the myth of Middle America’s sanctity and piety, while opening the door to atonement. 1:30:13 AM    comment []

November 21, 2003

RIAA may have to resort to abortions to reduce file sharing   RIAA Threatens 15-Year-Old [Slashdot] Fuckers.   12:50:52 AM    comment []

November 19, 2003

What is your favourite song from a movie?   Search for top movie songs. US actors, directors and critics are asked to choose their top 100 favourite movie songs. [BBC News | Entertainment | World Edition] "Catherine Zeta Jones and Renee Zellweger's duet All That Jazz from the screen version of Chicago also finds itself in contention, alongside Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor's rendition of Come What May from Moulin Rouge." Please God, even though I don't believe in you, please grant me this much anyway: Don't let that Zeta Jones woman garner more attention for anything. She is evil. Aside from that, I'd cast my vote for "Sussudio" in American Psycho. Just kidding. I like the remake of "Mad World" for Donnie Darko. One has to consider "Do Not Forsake Me (Oh My Darling" from High Noon, the first song from a movie to become a massive hit.   5:22:21 PM    comment []

Music sales 'set to keep falling'   Music sales 'set to keep falling'. Music sales around the world will keep on falling for the next two years, a report predicts. [BBC News | Entertainment | World Edition] I know I already explained why this is a good thing, but I feel like it's worth repeating and returning to this topic until people finally accept that you cannot apply "supply and demand" economic principles to the value of cultural artefacts. Sometimes less is more, and when it comes to contemporary movies and music, this is certainly the case.   5:13:45 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2004 General Stuff.