| That's be-ringd' or be-ring'-ed |
[Apr. 9th, 2004|09:07 pm] |
As in wearing a ring.
Yes, I edit for clarity! Often after posting! Which makes this whole enterprise less "live" than one might expect, generally speaking. |
|
|
| Bardolatry and Janeism: Desi Adventures in English Literature |
[Apr. 9th, 2004|08:14 pm] |
(Ha! Perfect amount of lameness for the title of an undergrad gen ed survey class, no?)
------------------------------------------
Close on the heels of my buying "Born Confused," and Harold Bloom's "Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human," come two new(er) additions to my library.
Purchase The First: "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" (Unabridged)
Purchase The Second: "The Complete Works of Jane Austen"
Kind of like the literary version of your basic black cocktail dress (or in this case, dresses).
Actually, I must admit that I already had editions of both, leather(ish) bound and all, but I needed cheap, portable on-the-road editions. (Try hefting The Riverside Shakespeare with you to Starbucks. Then watch in horror as you swing your tome and your nonfat mocha with almond roca syrup spills all over the nearby unberinged intellectual blond who is now eyeing you for all of the wrong reasons. Unattractive!).
Not that I have ever done the above, of course.
My mission: to reread Jane Austen and to read all of the Shakespeare plays heretofore unread by me.
Shakespeare's plays often get sorted and resorted into categories (history/tragedy/comedy or by time period, for instance). I prefer the following, more honest taxonomy.
The First Play (like your first kiss, only less confusing): Which, in my case, is Julius Caesar. Harold Bloom and I share this in common. The play I mean, not the kiss, as I am not Naomi Wolf.
The joke about "mending men's soles" is fricking HILARIOUS when you're in the eighth grade!
((Regarding Naomi Wolf: As an aside, where do people who have books with titles like "The Beauty Myth" get off with having super-attractive book jacket photos? Answers anyone?))
The Compunction Plays (plays imposed upon but nonetheless read willingly by me, typically in when High School).
You know the ones: Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, etc. AKA the "Safe and Clean" Plays. Especially when we ignore the fact that Romeo and Juliet had actual sex and not, as I thought at the time, a friendly slumber party where they talked about ideas and current world events.
The Plays With Too Much Sex and Violence and Especially Sex: Antony and Cleopatra, etc.
The Plays With Too Much Sex and Violence and Especially Violence: Titus Andronicus
I thought Julie Taymor was being all "flash" and "cute" with the violence and meat pie angle and all. I was wrong.
The Plays About Kings and Shit and Occasionally Falstaff: Various Henries, Richards, and Possibly a John, and Even an Edward Maybe.
Agincourt? Dramatic Music? Paul Wylie?
The Plays That Kenneth Branagh Made That Ended Up Attracting Lots of Women Except Emma Thompson Ultimately Much Ado About Nothing for example.
The Plays Nobody Cares About, Not Even Cocktail Party Snobs Pericles, Prince of Tyre anyone?
Ok, I'm off to read. Will post later on the importance of Janeism. In the meantime, there's always the ever fabulous http://www.pemberley.com |
|
|
| Trendspotting |
[Mar. 27th, 2004|10:19 pm] |
BBC America wants to go mainstream. To that end, it's in the process of developing oodles of new programming. And it's about time! Some of us think the daily 6 hours of "Changing Rooms" is getting a little old. (Hit me with a trowel already!).
The network execs hope to create programming that sets trends, instead of following them. At the same time, they don't want to come across as overly "British" or "regional."
Personally I've always liked the local-isms and network-cestuous references to obscure BBC television anchors and the like. If it weren't for random British pop culture references on "The Vicar of Dibley" I would have never Googled, say, "Anthea Turner" or "Ali G." (I'm still regretting the latter.)
What I wouldn't want to see is something like the following:
(Inspired by BBC's "Are You Being Served?")
MRS. SLOCOMBE: Mr. Humphries, are you fr...I mean, are you, like, busy?
MR. HUMPHRIES: (looking around behind him) I'm fr...I mean, no, no I'm not busy. Whaddya want?
MISS BRAHMS: Y'all need to work on your accents. I mean, Oh. My. God. Look at Mrs. Slocombe's hair. It is *so* wrong.
CAPTAIN PEACOCK (US Army, retired): (desperately flipping through script) Golly! Gee Whiz! Dude! Wicked!
Good Lord, I haven't the foggiest idea, have I? (drops head in hands).
------------------------------------------------------
Anyway, here's a quote from the NYTimes article on the subject of BBC America's new lineup:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/arts/television/28JAME.html
"In 'Dead Ringers,' Americans will appreciate the impersonation of a media-hungry Tony Blair attending a pet funeral and eulogizing 'the people's rodent.' It's even easy to be impressed by the show's George W. Bush, with just the right tinge of Texas in his voice — until he complains about the long 'queues' at Disneyland."
ME: Maybe they were having Dubya talk about "the letter q" in 'Disneyland.'" Can you say potatoe? (rim shot).
(Thank you! I'll be here all weekend! Or what's left of it!) |
|
|
| If I could be anything when I grow up.... |
[Mar. 8th, 2004|10:28 pm] |
I'd be a Bob Larbey.
Larbey is a writer and creator of such shows as "As Time Goes By," "A Fine Romance," and other shows for BBC and ITV.
http://www.atgbcentral.com/rlarbey.html
Now, I still would like to know what sort of writing one needs to come up with to become a Bob Larbey. Not a comedy writer, mind you, but Bob Larbey himself. I suppose, at a minimum, one must be able to write things like "I am alone with my sheep...but my sheep are not alone with me."
But wouldn't writing *that* just make one a Rumanian shepherd-turned novelist?
/end inside joke
(seriously, link above has tips on Larbey's writing style, and his belief in the importance of "character first") |
|
|
| Harry Potter and the Dentures of Doom??? |
[Mar. 6th, 2004|10:52 am] |
In Harry Potter news:
1)Even I (proud owner of all the main Harry Potter Books plus the two "extra" ones) think this might be a tad overboard...extending the series into Harry's adulthood? I don't want to know about Wizard tax returns, Wizard mortgages, and Wizard IRAs. Now Wizard romance, hmm...
http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/0,1259,---20732,00.html
(Thanks to Jeff at rebelprince.com for the heads up!)
2) Emma Thompson on being Sybill Trelawney.
http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/0,1259,---20448,00.html
3)And finally, yes, Dawn French ("Vicar extraordinary" from The Vicar of Dibley) is in the new Harry Potter film as the "Fat Lady." (I know, I know, I don't like the name either...)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/2934123.stm
But perhaps the "Fat Lady" role is payback for her Red Nose Day/Comic Relief Spoof as Harry Potter on the BBC ("Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan"). Trailer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/rednoseday/video/harrypotter.shtml
Apparently the secret's out--Harry's a woman. ("You're a woman, Harry!" booms a voice from beyond).
With Jennifer Saunders as Ron/JK Rowling, Miranda Richardson (!) as Hermione, Alison Steadman as Maggie Smith as McGonagall, Jeremy Irons as Snape.
All this makes me wonder about the interchangability of the actors. I mean, why *not* Jeremy Irons as opposed to Alan Rickman in the original? Why not Ben Kingsley or Ian McKellan ("Sir"s both) as Dumbledore?
And why not Shirley Henderson as Trelawney (I know she played Moaning Myrtle flawlessly...).
Henderson's one of my favorite actresses by the way ("The Way We Live Now," "Bridget Jones's Diary," "Topsy-Turvy" and a number of other Mike Leigh films). Her roles always seem to be *her own,* and her characters are off-beat and quirky while being entirely endearing. (The squeak in her voice doesn't hurt either ;) ).
http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=905522002 |
|
|
| Kerry Campaign Planning to Use "Queer Eye for the Straight Eye" Theme on the Campaign Trail |
[Feb. 28th, 2004|06:52 pm] |
Just kidding! They're actually going to use the theme from Sex and the City. ;)
(rim shot)
But seriously, wouldn't it totally work? It could be the Fleetwood Mac "Don't Stop" of the 2004 election.
Lyrics at http://songfinder.mypuppet.net/721.html
(Well, maybe everything except the bit about the "nights keep getting better." Then again there's his anti gay marriage stance.)
Note to self: must have more sophisticated political position than the Bridget Jones-esque knee-jerk "Democratic Party is Good and does no wrong"-type position. Even though this is, in a general sense, entirely true. |
|
|
| Let Us Now Praise Famous Appraisers...or not... |
[Feb. 28th, 2004|06:17 pm] |
The affable blond "Antiques Roadshow" duo, twins Leigh and Leslie Keno, now have their very own antiquing show on PBS. ("Find!")
http://collectibles.about.com/cs/television/a/blprfind0903.htm
(Quote: "At the age of twelve, twins Leigh and Leslie Keno declared in their personal diary, 'We are antiques dealers.'") Yikes!
I used to cherish a foolish, blind regard for them until I started watching today. Now I have some reservations.
For instance, they keep having to refer to "outside experts" on their *own* various finds--some of which turn out to be fakes. (The finds, that is--I'm pretty sure the experts are real...).
"But hang on," you're thinking. "I thought the Keno brothers, *were* the experts!"
Hence the concern.
And, since you asked, are they still peppy? You bet. |
|
|
| Sprechen die Tamlish? |
[Feb. 5th, 2004|04:34 pm] |
Hilarious and VERY TRUE article on the state of Standard Indian Tamlish (that's Tamil mixed with English). And why I need an American-Tamlish dictionary when I visit my family in India.
http://www.rediff.com/us/2000/aug/11us1.htm
Favorite Tamlish expression from my mom (when I was a kid, and she was brushing my hair, and I got squirmy-- "Don't Moo.") Ha! |
|
|
| "THE OFFICE" wins Golden Globe for best TV comedy! |
[Jan. 25th, 2004|08:21 pm] |
ROCK ON! BBC America makes it to the Globes, About bloody time! AND THEY WIN!
If you haven't seen it, go already! It's available on DVD at www.netflix.com and also on BBC America.
Synopsis:
BBC's "The Office," starring Ricky Gervais, is a brilliant black comedy about everyone's favorite love-to-hate archetype: the evil boss.
But Gervais's David Brent is far more sinister than, say, the easily hog-tied Dabney Coleman in "9 to 5." Brent's brand of Precambrian slime results from his sincere belief in his own managerial schtick. And there's plenty of it to be had. For instance:
"My proudest moment here wasn’t when I increased profits by 17%, or cut expenditure without losing a single member of staff. No. It was a young Greek guy, first job in the country, hardly spoke a word of English, but he came to me and he went ‘Mr Brent, will you be the Godfather to my child?’.
Didn’t happen in the end. We had to let him go,
he was rubbish. He was rubbish!”
And on his inevitable sacking...
“I look upon it like it’s moving on you know. It’s almost like my work here’s done. I can’t imagine Jesus going ‘Oh, I’ve told a few people in Bethlehem I’m the son of God, can I just stay here with Mum and Dad now?’ No. You gotta move on. You gotta spread the word. You gotta go to Nazareth, please. And that’s, very much like...me. ”
Filmed in documentary format, brilliantly written, maximally snarky, "The Office" is one to watch.
(Note: An American version of "The Office" is in the works, with Steve Carrell of "The Daily Show" to star as David Brent.)
(Thanks to http://homepage.mac.com/elliottday/theoffice/quotes1.html for quotes) |
|
|
| When God (i.e. Bill Gates) weeps... |
[Jan. 24th, 2004|06:08 pm] |
1)India, Outsourcing, Free Trade, and the recent Senate Decision: Link-o-Rama (no pun intended--honest!)
As I know nothing of economics and have mixed knee-jerk reactions, I will defer to the following respectable-looking publications.
http://www.rediff.com/money/bpo.htm
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040124/tc_afp/india_tech_us_040124164606
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/100803_ss1.html
2)The Pallisers: Forget the Cliff's Notes! Get the DVD!
I'm in the middle of episode four (out of TWENTY-SIX), but it's well worth it so far. Cup of tea, dessert, and you're totally set. Based on the Palliser series of novels by Anthony Trollope.
In short: there's an arranged marriage between Plantagenet Palliser (aka "Planty Pall") and Lady Glencora (played by the sparkling Susan Hampshire). Not to mention Victorian sexual mores, sticky politics, bribes, and women suddenly rising to power when their politician-hubbies die. Are we *sure* we're not in India?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004WMHF/104-9082764-4822316?v=glance |
|
|
| MARS PRECOLONIZATION TALLY: UK 0 US 1 |
[Jan. 4th, 2004|12:13 pm] |
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/04/science/04MARS.html?hp
Notes/Explanations:
1)A One Horse Race?
As everyone knows, the outcome was decided beforehand, when we Americans named our roving mars-bot "Spirit" ("Stallion of the Cimarron" (TM)).
Unauspiciously, the British named their bot the "Beagle" (name of Darwin's culturally important, world-famous ship where he began theorizing about Natural Selection while simultaneously having un-PC concerns about being eaten alive by native Tierra del Fuegans).
Moral: Tackiness will win out every time. Next time name your Mars-bot after a Don Bluth movie. For instance, "Anastasia." At least "she will rise again!"
The "QE3" also would have been an acceptable choice.
2)But Who's Going to the Olympics?
Isn't the close timing of both launches a little strange? The whole "our Mars Rover is better than your Mars Rover" attitude prevailed in US coverage today. It's almost as if this were a figure skating competition. All that was missing was the Dick Button un-commentary. (Which, come to think of it, would have been interesting).
3)If We're Michelle Kwan, Does That Make the British Sasha Cohen? Or Surya Bonaly?
The NY Times dubs the Beagle's new voyage "apparently a failure." A bit scathing, I thought. Couldn't we have described this as a "good effort, early in the Mars-exploration season, with a small flutz on the landing?" Or something? Where's the Brit-friendly spin? Where's the love?
Where's Peggy Fleming to say something supportive and weep consolingly in the kiss and cry area? |
|
|
| An Other-Focused New Year's Day Post |
[Jan. 1st, 2004|06:34 pm] |
So many other blogs today have super-personal descriptions of New Year's day celebrations. Many of them often end up being circuitously self-congratulating in their descriptions of "off-the-wall" zaniness:
Whoo, boy were we up late! Wasn't that Steve/Tom/Prakash an absolute, rip-snorting *RIOT*? I even vomited on my *cat*!
Fortunately, I was helped out by this really attractive stranger I met. We *totally* connected. Over the bruschetta--which was, you know, not *great* but made by this really famous bruschetta manufacturer. He was, like, the only bruschetta-maker in his village or something. In Italy.
Anyway, the guy I met--he's an independently wealthy country gentleman who's into organic cooking, Eastern philosophy, and...oh yeah...ME! Did I mention we're getting married next week? etc.
This sort of thing can only infuriate those of us (i.e. me) who basically have done nothing except turn on her humidifier and go to bed with a sinus infection.
So for this reason, some other-focused musings are in order. Here's the best I could come up with:
1)In theory, how should one proceed with an invitation to a party on New Year's Eve when one has a sinus infection?
2) Is it possible to smile convincingly when one's sinuses stubbornly refuse to drain?
3)If this is *not* possible, should one just repeatedly mention said infection so as to milk maximum attention from others, and feel loved and cared for in a way one wouldn't otherwise?
4) Does all this musing simply make one a bore? In which case, wouldn't one fit right into most New Year's Eve parties?
5)Why do sinuses keep getting infected? Shouldn't someone put a stop to this??
Um, that's all I've got for now. Happy 2004! |
|
|
| Are we Live? |
[Dec. 31st, 2003|08:07 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  excited | ] |
(taps mike)
So it's New Year's Eve and, in true Bridget Jones fashion, I've decided to make a few (blog-specific) resolutions.
I WILL NOT:
Be overly self-referential, self-obsessed, or self-congratulatory, as sounds like therapist is out of town, and should not publicly broadcast need for therapist on Internet.
Be overly style-conscious as modern women more concerned with substance, not style.
Shamelessly copy the style of other authors (particularly Helen Fielding) unless absolutely pressed for time.
I WILL:
Write from South Asian-American perspective about world events, books, movies, music. Will also discuss exciting happenings of transcontinental urban family as cover for lack of knowledge of world events.
Get off soapbox (Unless someone or something is really pissing me off.)
Hm, already starting to sound a bit self-centered. Maybe I'll go off to do something altruistic. Or eat some chocolate. (Post-chocolate high may give off aura that will benefit others).
Happy New Year and bon chocolat, everyone! |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
missnimbu's journal