We bitch about that, but nobody ever mentions the people who know English, who were raised speaking it, but still gibber like idiots whenever someone asks them a question about something important. We call these people "corporate professionals". For these poor souls, plain English is a terrifying language. Comparable to other languages, which consequently are known as our native tongue's predecessors, English is like a wide, well-lit hallway that has no points of egress.

Not so, with a little financial jargon thrown in the mix. Now, there are shadows and things to hide behind, escape plans, points of egress. It's comfortable for the corporate professional because he knows that he can, at any point, back right out of anything he says, because no one could righteously hold him responsible for any of the ridiculous things he just said. 

You may have heard the news about Budweiser's makers. Well, that same sort of corporate non-talk is all over that NY Times article. You get the feeling like they're almost saying something, like they're really trying to get it across, but on our end, all we hear is "building synergies" and "streamlining the paradigms" and other impressively meaningless statements of that sort. 

To be fair, that article didn't have a high jargon content. It just irked me to think of all these Harvard M.B.A.s getting several degrees of wealthy by selling Anheuser-Busch to the Belgians. They all talk like that, those money guys. Tom Wolfe nailed the type down pretty solidly in "A Man in Full", within the character of Wismer Strook, or The Whiz. The Whiz is a pretty sharp fellow, but he was trained to talk like an idiot at college. 

Anyway, just thought I'd share that with all of you. Also, to round out the article by returning to the title and making a Paul Newman reference:

Between him and Eastwood, we're just about out of good old-fashioned, ass-kicking hero types. That fact bothers me a little bit.

 Hacía treinta y cinco años que no se había dado el gusto de pasear por los jardines de Aranjuez. Cuarenta años que no comía pipas de girasol en el cine mientras veía una película de la Hammer Films -siempre protagonizadas por Peter Cushing y por Christopher Lee. Sólo se acordaba de haber visto el arco iris una vez en su vida, y casualmente mientras acompañaba a su padre al médico de Mondoñedo para que administrara un Urbason. Mal panorama, cuando un cólico nefrítico te sorprende de viaje. ¿Para qué sirve un arco iris en esos casos? Otros placeres de la vida, cierto, no quedaban tan lejos. Hacía seis años que había escuchado en directo a Dulce Pontes cantando fados, tres años  que le había dado masajes en la espalda una haitiana preciosa que luego resultó ser de Salamanca, dos años y medio que extrajo de su espalda una espinilla del tamaño de un alcaparrón y tan sólo un año que estrenó  calcetines de hilo de Escocia, de los bien largos,  durante dos semanas seguidas. Ese había sido su último exceso reconocible. No por el tacto de los calcetines, que él era austero y poco dado a los regalos corporales, sino porque la mercera que se los vendía era un encanto, y cada día que se los envolvía cerrando el paquete con una etiqueta dorada de Mercería Galíndez- Novedades, le sonreía un poco más pícara, y advertida o inadvertidamente enseñaba más escote.

 La historia de amor del ciudadano sensible no llegó mucho más lejos. Cuando ya había agotado las existencias de calcetines de su número y  le molestaban las ampollaslas  producidas por las  arrugas de los del 43, que le venían sobrados,  ella le comunicó, radiante de alegría, que ese viernes era su último día de mercería. Al día siguiente se casaba con un piloto argentino.

 Así que aquella noche en la que necesitaba homenajear a su autoestima, tras comprobar que la tortilla de patata que le habían dejado para cenar estaba reseca y ver en el telediario los desastres nuestros de cada día, se puso a picar cebolla para una salsa casera que aliviara la desmañada pitanza. Las novedades eran de color cárdeno: hundimiento de la bolsa, ruina del sector inmobiliario, desesperación de millones de ciudadanos atrapados por su hipoteca, guardias de seguridad tiroteados  en un atraco, terroristas libres alojándose en el mismo edificio que sus víctimas, más pateras transportando muertos, más hombres asesinando a sus parejas..Miraba a su entorno inmediato para consolarse. Y se enteraba de que nuevos amigos, del mismo modo que recientemente lo habían hecho famosos como Paul Newman o Eduard Punset, se confesaban también enfrentados al cáncer.

 Gruesos lagrimones se le caían al ciudadano sensible. Quiso creer que no eran reacciones del lacrimal a los gases que desprende la cebolla cuando se la corta, sino simple dolor del alma. Pero no estaba tan seguro de eso: a fuer de desvaríos quizás se le había acorchado el sentimiento. Menos mal que la tortilla, eso sí, quedó de rechupete.

Presentación de los Personajes

Dos hombres y un destino (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) fue la película mas taquillera de 1969. El éxito no fue gracias al realizador George Roy Hill, ni sus cuatro Oscars (mejor canción, banda sonora, fotografía y para el espectacular guión de William Goldam). La gloria de esta película es gracias a los protagonista (Paul Newman y Robert Redford) que intentó repetir la fórmula con la película ‘El golpe’ (1973, con el mismo director).

El film es un western que narra la historia de Butch Cassidy (Newman) y Sundance Kid (Redford), unos atracadores de bancos y trenes especialmente carismáticos, que son preseguidos por la ley. Es cierto que los presonajes existieron, pero seguro que estuvieron muy alejados de las representaciones de la película (si es cierto que murieron en un enfrentamiento con unos soldados en Bolivia a principio del siglo XX).

Gracias a esta película Paul Newman, Robert Redfrord y Katherine Ross (que queda totalmente eclipsada teniendo un papel prescindible) afianzaron su carrera en Hollywood. Todos los personajes tienen una química especial: Butch es un líder optimista que siempre sorprende con sus ideas, mientras, Sundance (su compañero) es un temible pistolero.

Trailer Original

Especial mención a la canción de B.J.Thomas (único elemento pasado de moda) que fue muy escuchada gracias al film y la última escena (dónde Sundance acepta con resignación que su ‘aventura’ ha llegado a su fin, mientras que Buch sigue soñando con encontrar una vida mejor en Austrailia).

Es una película esencial para quién disfrute del cine e indispensable para los fans de los actores. No existe una película tan simpática como ésta.

B. J. Thomas - Raindrops keep fallin' on my head

Apparently unfazed by sage wisdom offered up in The Front Porch: Ben Affleck/Sudan bad for salads, Affleck will be appearing as a special correspondent in the Thursday, June 26, airing of Nightline. Please, everyone stop what you are doing, plan a barbecue, and support an artist who's truly making a difference. Paul Newman, whilst spicing up many a summertime feast is simultaneously helping to make the world a better place. Meanwhile, Ben Affleck is accomplishing neither of these things.

Make art or make my food taste better, that's all I'm sayin'.

A friend of Paul Newman has confirmed that the actor has cancer. Commented Newman’s co-star from “Cool Hand Luke”: "What we got here is....a failure to not get cancer!"

Angelina Jolie told Entertainment Weekly that pregnancy is, quote, "great for the sex life." Even better for the sex life: being Angelina Jolie.

The forthcoming CD by AC/DC will be sold only at Wal-Mart stores. The album is called “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap...Because We Pay Kids in Vietnam Ten Cents an Hour.”

An Australian film organization has established a scholarship named after Heath Ledger. Instead of applying directly to the organization, anyone interested should contact Mary-Kate Olsen.

A man and a woman in London have been charged with supplying drugs to Amy Winehouse. With the couple's arrest, the number of people selling drugs to Winehouse has been reduced to 1,832.

Apple has announced the release of the new iPhone 3G. Among the improvements in the new model: an application that locates nearby users of older model iPhones and laughs at them.

A four-year-old girl is recovering after she grabbed a gun out of her grandmother's purse and shot herself in a Wisconsin Sam's Club on Monday. Fortunately, the grandmother was able to purchase another twenty-four granddaughters at Sam’s Club for just $19.95.

According to a Health Department study, more than a fourth of adult New Yorkers are infected with the virus that causes genital herpes. Commented the ghost of Frank Sinatra: "Hey New Yorkers - I said “start spreading the news,” not “start spreading the genital herpes!”

A ballot measure in Mendocino County, California calls for new limits on large-scale marijuana growers. Leading opposition to the measure: Pink Floyd, Doritos, and Visine.

A five-year-old Canadian girl has become the world's youngest tattoo artist by drawing a bumble bee tattoo on her father's forearm. The girl went on to surprise him on Father's Day by giving him a Prince Albert.

Scientists unveiled the world's fastest supercomputer on Monday, a $100 million machine that is able to perform 1,000 trillion calculations per second. Most incredibly, the supercomputer makes it possible for a man to watch twenty-five hours of porn in just twenty-four hours.

And finally, a Chinese baby was born last weekend with an extra penis on his back. The baby has become a national hero in China for his ability to put pee-pee into twice as many Cokes.

Hello, my name is Erich, and I'll be your recapper this week. Apparently Rick Paulas started writing these recaps, but he's not able to do it because he's on vacation for the next two weeks. That brings me to my first point: who takes a vacation, let alone a two week vacation? Elitists, that's who. Is that who you want writing your recap? I think not.

Now that we've got that squared away, let me tell you about the show.

BIG NEWS EPISODE 280, "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes"

This was our second week in the prominent 9pm timeslot, and we seem to have gotten a pretty substantial crowd. I brought four friends myself (okay, two were friends of a friend, I don't really know that many people). And head writer Julia Gaudette had her family there. I don't have any final numbers, but I'd estimate our audience for the night at, conservatively, 245. They were a great crowd too, very responsive and not too drunk. Getting them to come into the theatre when the Lakers/Celtics game had 24 seconds left on the clock was tough, but once they were there, they laughed hardily at all the right times.

The show started with an ensemble sketch, "Where Everybody Knows McCain" (by Michael Hughes), which featured the characters from Cheers discussing John McCain's presidential platform.

I have to say that I think Mike Hughes might have missed his calling in writing for Cheers. He wrote some one-liners that could easily have been on the original TV show. Also, his performance as Frasier was so eerily accurate that he suffered a minor heart attack during the sketch. (Too soon? Probably not.) The sketch ended with John McCain entering and saying that he would veto any beer, which dovetailed quite nicely with...

The video that followed, "McCain" (by Tom Repetto and Phillip Wilburn), which featured McCain continually misspeaking.

I have to admit that I don't know exactly what John McCain said that's caused such a ruckus, something about vetoing a beer. I get most of my news from the TV screens on the Los Angeles buses, and most of the time that's in Spanish, so you'll have to excuse my ignorance. The video ended with an impressive video effect of McCain getting angry and turning into the Hulk. This is what we in the comedy world call a 'double whammy' because we made fun of a presidential candidate and a popular film in one sketch. Audiences like this because they feel like they are really getting their money's worth. I once heard tell of a comedy writer who attempted a hat trick by making fun of a presidential candidate, a popular film and Kirstie Alley all at once. But like Ahab and his whale, the sketch killed him (sorry for the spoiler).

"Fox News Alert" (by Danny Ricker & Adam Fisher) parodied Fox News' report that Barak and Michelle Obama's shared fist bump was a secret terrorist fist jab.

It's nice for comedy writers when major news outlets start doing your job for you.

Continuing the Obama-block, the cleverly titled "Whaddya Think About Dap?" (by Scott Garner) featured Neil Garguilo and Jimmy Guidish playing two grease monkeys (their term, not mine) discussing Barack Obama and the severe threat he poses to patriotic, red-blooded Americans. Not being an elitist like some, I can tell you that it was a totally accurate portrayal of blue collar voters' mien and concerns; not sure why it was in a comedy show though.

"The Rotten Tomato" (by Gregg Lopez) was about two Italians (played by George Caleodis and Matt Moore) who ran an all tomato restaurant called The Rotten Tomato and spoke with hilarious accents (these accents were even funnier when saying, "Why do people call a website?").

After the salmonella scare drove away their business, Gordon Ramsey (Mike Hughes in a wig) came to help them but died from eating their food, perhaps the most satisfying conclusion to any sketch of the evening.

Demonstrating his range, Phillip Wilburn shifted from playing a presidential candidate to playing a former president in "Enemy List" (by Adam Fisher & Danny Ricker, who have side-stepped the awkward Whose-Name-Goes-First conflict that has ruined many writing partnerships by alternating). This time, he was Bill Clinton helping Hillary (remember her?) put together an enemies list, and watching he and Melissa Okey, who played Hillary, interact reminded me what a strange, uncomfortable marriage that must really be.

I don't know if the next sketch "PSA" (by the prolific Scott Garner), was predicated by any particular news story, but it made fun of the LAPD, which I always enjoy. Neil Garguilo's little boy José got a huge response from the audience by listing a series of atrocities and injustices perpetrated upon immigrants in poor areas of Los Angeles, which only proves how evil people are and how funny Neil is when he stands on his knees.

The next sketch, "The Mark of the Clinton" (by Jason McClain), was about a secret cadre of sex fiends (named, apparently, Dick, Ed, Chuck and Terry) who wait for Bill Clinton to initiate orgies. Look, I don't know what else you expect the ex-President to do with his time, but I am totally cool with this.

We tackled Congress's vote to extend unemployment benefits in the creatively titled "Unemployment Benefits" (by Erich Eilenberger). This sketch is a good example of satire, which exaggerates a particular point in order to criticize it. The sketch portrayed lazy people who would rather stay on unemployment than get jobs. But, in a twist ending, a voice-over revealed it was a PSA sponsored by Republicans. So this was what we in the satire business (business isn't going so well, by the way) call a 'fake-out' because you think that we are parodying the people on unemployment, but then it turns out we're parodying Republicans' conception of them, so I'm not really sure where this one landed. This sketch also featured Melissa Okey wearing a great R.E.M. Green t-shirt that I plan to buy/steal from its rightful owner.

The final sketch of the night, "Happy Father's Day" (by Julia Gaudette), paid tribute to the fathers of the world with a message from Alan Thicke, played by Phillip Wilburn. Phillip wore perhaps the ugliest cardigan in the history of sweaters. It was terrible on every level. It had a blocky stripe pattern on the front in terrible collars. It was ridiculously short, and it appeared to be made from inch-thick fiberglass. Perhaps the only thing in this sketch more disturbing than this sweater was Sean Cowhig rubbing his finger on his 'peek-a-boo' nipple. That will haunt me to my grave.

The night's special guest was Jimmy Dore. After reading this in the program, I was curious to hear how Jimmy's last name is pronounced (is the E silent? is the O long?). Apparently, it's pronounced "door." And let me tell you know, nobody was walking out the door/Dore when this hilarious performer was on stage. (I moonlight as a copywriter for Access Hollywood, by the way.)

The show, as always, finished with the Big News Report. By this point in the recap, I believe Rick has usually come up with some excuse and cut it short, but I'm going to see it through. This week marked the debut of the new entertainment reporter, Lindsay Lohan played by Bailee DesRocher, who set up a very funny 'Paul Newman has cancer joke.' You might not expect people to laugh at a beloved actor who is in his 80's and devotes all of his resources to charity getting cancer, but again, people are evil.

And with that, I bid you farewell, evil, evil people.

Following the refuted rumors about him having terminal lung cancer, this article seems apropos. A few years ago, Scott Raab wrote a profile of Paul Newman in Esquire. Newman proves to be an elusive study. Raab struggles to parse the "real" Paul Newman from the myth: "If he ain't Hud, ain't Fast Eddie, ain't Cool Hand Luke, ain't Butch, who is he?"

"I don't know," he says, sipping the dregs of his coffee. "You can't not absorb some of those character traits into your own personality. You try to separate those little fragments you've created. You don't know. The only time you'll know is when you're on your deathbed, and then you'll say, 'Okay, now we're down to ground zero.' That's when you separate what's real and what isn't real."

At eighty-three years old, Newman seems comfortable with letting the myths stand as they are, simply myths.

Hoy y ayer, tanto el actor como sus representantes han desmentido que tenga un cáncer terminal. Me parece estupendo. Pero como tiene 83 años y es posible que más tarde o más temprano tengamos malas noticias sobre su persona -cuanto más tarde mejor-, no quiero esperar ninguna circunstancia lúgubre para decir lo mucho que me gusta como actor.

Para los que quieran leer cosas sobre su vida artística y personal les recomiendo que sigan este enlace.

Como es natural tengo mis películas preferidas de las que protagonizó. De su primera época me quedo con dos adaptaciones maravillosas de obras de Tennessee Willians. Las dos dirigidas por Richard Brooks. La primera, La gata sobre el tejado de zinc, formando pareja con Elisabeth Taylor -probablemente en ese momento, y casi para siempre, los dos rostros más bellos del cine-, y la segunda ese Dulce pájaro de juventud junto a Geraldine Page que no tenía que ser bella para ser una enorme actriz, su papel de actriz madura que utiliza a un joven galán para autoafirmarse y que es usada a su vez por el gigoló para acercarse a su amor de juventud, es de los que siempre recordaré.

Bueno tengo que reconocer que me gustan todas las películas en las que sale Paul Newman, a pesar de que acabe de decir que tengo mis preferidas. Pero por seguir nombrando algunas de las que me dejaron huella y casi por orden cronológico está su interpretación del detective Harper, en Harper investigador privado, y cómo no, Dos hombres y un destino con otro de mis preferidos, Robert Redford (¿alguien da más?).

Una de sus películas con las que disfruto más es El castañazo, que parece una película menor sobre el mundo del hockey sobre hielo, pero que es divertidísima y en la que hace una magnífica interpretación. Como igual de divertida, y mucho más famosa es El golpe, de nuevo con Robert Redford.

Y de la última época -aunque de esto haga ya 22 años- con la que por supuesto me quedo es con El color del dinero, que es una revisión buenísima de una de sus películas anteriores, El buscavidas. En El color del dinero Newman le da un repaso interpretativo a un jovencito Tom Cruise, que ya quisiera, en todos los sentidos, que algo se le hubiera pegado del maestro del billar y de la interpretación.

¿Ha quedado claro que me gusta Paul Newman? Soy una persona que se ha criado en una época en que no estaba bien visto que un hombre dijera que le gustaba otro, los prejuicios eran enormes -algo ha cambiado, aunque queda un camino por recorrer-, pero si lo decías de Paul Newman era distinto, era como si todos los "machos" aceptáramos que él estaba un nivel por encima de todos en belleza, y como lo aceptábamos todos -y todas, pero ésa es otra historia- pues nos conformábamos, aunque en realidad lo que muchos querían sin decirlo es ser Paul Newman.

Sin embargo, Paul Newman no sólo ha sido uno de los más bellos actores cinematográficos, sino que es un actor que ha dado más de 50 años de su vida al cine, es un gran profesional, y se ha mantenido lejos del mundanal ruido de Hollywood.

A mí tampoco me hubiera importado ser Paul Newman. ¡Mira tú qué listo!

Paul Newman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors to ever appear on film. He has never put in a bad performance (but that's not to say all of the films he has been in have deserved his presence). Personal favourites of mine are The Verdict where his performance as the washed up ambulance-chaser was surely the one he deserved the Oscar for, Absence of Malice with it's brilliant finale and Nobody's Fool which is just a great humanist performance. None of these are amongst his best known films and they are all examples of the mature actor. His earlier, more testosterone charged performances, in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Hud were also brilliant. Newman is a great humanitarian and his generous efforts for charity are second to none. To me he encapsulates everything that is good about America. So I was very sad to hear of his illness recently and I for one wish him a speedy recovery.

Brad Pitt has been called this generation's Paul Newman. He certainly had a fairytale marriage to Friends star, Jennifer Aniston, which drew comparisons to Newman's own fairy tale marriage to Oscar-winner, Joann Woodward but then a dark-haired beauty named Angelina Jolie, whom Pitt met on the Mr. and Mrs. Smith set and the rest, as they say is history. But what do the stars have to say for the golden-haired boy from Missouri?

Well, first of all, the fact that Brad is 45 years old is amazing. The man really hasn't aged in 20 years and like Johnny Depp, just gets yummier with age. Last year, Pluto transiting through his 4th house of Family made a sextile to his North Node 7th House, which means that he's on the right track and that there is an element of fate in his relationship with Angelina Jolie. I truly believe (Saturn in the first house trine Pluto in the 4th house), that having a family has made him a better man.

I don't believe that he was truly happy with Jennifer Aniston and her delaying them having children pushed him toward Angelina Jolie, who had recently adopted Maddox. Now, I'm not taking sides here but I believe that had Angelina not always had children of her own . . . let's just say that her son really brought them together.

Now, for 2008, Saturn transits through his 10th house of Career and makes a square to Pluto (as you can probably tell, one of my favorite planets) in the 2nd house. Expect Brad Pitt to shy away from making movies just for the sake of making money. Expect him to do more low-budget and independent films that will finally earn him the respect that he is so deserving of. (I admit that I have a crush on him and am a little biased.)

In fact, look for him to do a circus movie within the next 4-5 years that could very possibly win him an Oscar. He's tired of playing the handsome guy and you may even see him change his looks drastically in several of his next movies in order to be taken more seriously as an actor. Also, he'll do more producing as well. I see him producing a Western movie for television and starring in more period dramas.

Also, look for him to write a coffee-house art book on his favorite subject, architecture. The book will heavily feature before and after pictures of homes effected by Hurricane Katrina and feature commentary from Pitt as well. Also, look for him and Angelina Jolie to adopt one more child from Central America and have small roles in an upcoming documentary about the plight of human trafficking in the region.

I'm going to talk about the twins and Angelina when I do a prediction analysis for her but based on his chart, will their relationship last? Well, next year Brad has Mars in his 7th house opposite Jupiter in the first. Mars is also opposite Neptune in the first. I did a synastry of their chart and my findings pretty much backed up what my mind already knew: the relationship is more important to Brad than Angelina?

What does that mean? Angelina, in my opinion, is a free-spirited woman but I think she gets bored with men quickly. Judging by the choice of her movie roles and previous husbands, there's a strong rebel inside of her. I definitely think in her unorthodox approach to relationships that she's a bit eccentric and that eccentricity found a channel in her relationship with Billy Bob Thornton but in Brad Pitt, I think she's tamed the lion, so to speak but she may get bored with him.

With Venus natally in the 12th house, she runs the danger of unhappy relationships and runs the risk of not clearly expressing her needs. I truly believe that her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton failed because she was looking for a father figure and he was looking for someone to play around with but I don't think that he was as serious about having children as she was. She must clearly communicate her needs to her lovers and she needs someone who allows her freedom of expression, particularly when it comes to her sexuality or they run the risk of being given the boot.

Based on their synastry, if the relationship did end, it would be her leaving him, which would devastate him because Brad Pitt is the kind of guy that needs a relationship. He's an old-fashioned guy in the sense that likes to work hard, play hard and then come home to family that needs him. He has to watch for a tendency to be argumentative as Angelina has a tendency to be flirtatious and enjoys a good challenge.

Next year, Venus is semisextile Jupiter and Neptune in the 5th house. Angelina must be careful not to get too bored and Brad should try to think of ways to spice up their relationship. She has an air of unpredicability about her and in 2009, their relationship will be one to watch! As for him, expect him to grow his hair longer again (at least for a movie) and also possibly help co-write two books, one on architecture and another one on the plight of children around the world.

The gap extends beyond the conference room and into everyday casual conversation. This year, we've been experiencing devastating floods here in St. Louis. My coworkers talk about their memories of the last flood. When they turn to hear my anecdotes, all I can offer is that my mom took a picture of me sandbagging in Valley Park when I was in the second grade. Yes, I was in the second grade in 1993.

To help relieve the shock when dealing with youngsters, Beloit College in Wisconsin publishes the Mindset List each year to help college professors understand the perspective of incoming college freshmen.

Here are a few of the most striking things on my Mindset List, for those born in 1985:

• Iraq has always been a problem.
• "Ctrl + Alt + Del" is as basic as "ABC."
• Paul Newman has always made salad dressing and Pete Rose has always been a gambler.
• Bert and Ernie are old enough to be their parents.
• There has always been a screening test for AIDS.
• Gas has always been unleaded.
• Computers have always fit in their backpacks.
• They have never gotten excited over a telegram, a long distance call, or a fax.
• Three-point shots from "downtown" have always been a part of basketball.
• Stores have always had scanners at the checkout.
• They have always had a PIN number.
• Yuppies are almost as old as hippies.
• Peeps are not a candy, they are your friends.

And here's a selection from this year's college freshmen list:

• What Berlin wall?
• They have grown up with bottled water.
• General Motors has always been working on an electric car.
• “Off the hook” has never had anything to do with a telephone.
• Al Gore has always been running for president or thinking about it.
• Being a latchkey kid has never been a big deal.
• High definition television has always been available.
• MTV has never featured music videos; Jerry Springer has always been lowering the level of discourse on TV; and they never saw Johnny Carson live on television.
• The World Wide Web has been an online tool since they were born.
• Food packaging has always included nutritional labeling.

So to end this post, I'd like to leave you with a quote from one of my favorite movies, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, released in June 1986, when I was 8 months old.

"Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." -Ferris Bueller

Well, its been an eventful couple of weeks. Finished my assignment at Tower Hamlets, had my birthday and fitted in an exhibition, some cinema visits and a gig - entries are being prepared for the last two. I'm looking forward to relaxing for a couple of weeks now before actively seeking anything new, I'll enjoy exploring my new part of the world and there are some other exhibitions and places I'd like to check out. 

A week on Saturday I celebrated my triple celebration - my new place, my birthday and being unemployed!! After a exploration around Limehouse and Canary Wharf we hit some pubs and had what I think was a pretty good curry - things were getting sketchy at that point so I can't testify to the food's quality. In any case, many thanks to all my mates who visited and here are some amusing film clips which (Spoliers beware, more on this film below and thank you Neil for my present, it rocks) should stir some dormant memories....

I paid a visit to Tate Modern and had a look at the 'Street & Studio' exhibition that has been praised in the press. It was very good, I gravitated to the Weegee and Diane Arbus photos but my favourite was this which looks like its escaped from a fashion shoot from ID magazine in 1994 - quite remarkably it was actually shot in 1949. 

BBC4 are continuing a fine mini season of films from some mainstream and neglected genres - the Western, the British B Movie (which showcased this masterpiece) and this week Courtroom Films. The 90 minute documentaries to accompany the seasons have been pretty good, and I strongly urge you to catch 'The Verdict' which is on this week as it is something of an overlooked treasure with probably Paul Newmans finest performance. 

We will also be treated to a documentary on the great Werner Herzog this week as part of the Imagine strand, maybe he can explain his recent exodus to Hollywood and shed some light on the disappointing 'Rescue Dawn' which I reviewed here.  More distressing is the mooted remake of 'Bad Lieutenant' which is a great and very challenging film in its own right, of all the projects he could secure why on earth has he opted for this with Nicholas 'Possibly the worst actor in Hollywood' Cage in the title role? Anyway, no I'm not going to link to that scene in the movie (if you've seen it then you'll know what I mean), so here are some clips which may give you a feel for the film.

Staying with the film theme for a change, I am excited to see that the Barbican is hosting a film season on Alex Cox which gives me the opportunity to see one of my favourite ever films on the big screen - 'Repo Man'. It's a shame that Cox has never matched the achievement of his cult debut and some of his recent efforts have been mediocre to say the least. Still, I still haven't got round to catching up with this which is supposed to be good and discussions of this event on some of my favoured film sites have led me to some terrific free downloads of the Moviedrome programme notes which is cool. On the bad news fromt, it appears that Tartan films has finally folded which is a real shame as they are responsible for bringing many superb films to the UK and arguably are most responsible for bringing the phenomenon of Asian J Horror movies to our shores. RIP.

Finally, just to disprove my cold cynical image here is a link that bought a mist to my eyes and rendered my bottom lip all a quiver. All you cool kids who know your way round the Interwebs may have seen this before but it's new to me. If it doesn't activate a tiny spark of shared optimism in our future in an era of sabre rattling in the middle east, global financial holocaust, energy and foot riots coupled with climate catastrophe then nothing will. Even if he is a smug lucky git who has travelled the world. Bastard. 

Paul Newman e Katharine Ross no adorável Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid, de 1969. Não lembro de muitas coisas tão charmosas quanto um homem dando carona à sua namorada no cano da bicicleta. Na cidade onde passei parte da minha infância/adolescência, era sinal de proteção, virilidade, galanteio. Hoje é mais fácil encontrar quem veja mais virilidade na potência do motor do carro (normalmente os tunados ou os SUV) que na graça de seu próprio corpo conduzindo a bicicleta. Acabou o tempo do charme.

Cover: Paul Mudie

Rog Pile - The Scavenger
Gary McMahon - Takashi's Last Symphony
David A. Riley - A Sense Of Movement
Joel Lane - Last Night
Paul Newman - Widows Weeds
Christine Mortimer - Out Of Her Head
Steve Lockley & Paul Lewis - Family Ties
Sean Parker - Death-Con 1
Mike Chinn - Like A Bird
John Mains - The Spoon
Franklin Marsh - The Lake
Craig Herbertson - Synchronicity
Paul Finch - In The Thicket
John Llewellyn Probert - John And Jenny And The Lump: A Cautionary Tale
Frank Nicholas - In An Old Overcoat
Julia Lufford - The Looker
Gary Fry - What We Cannot Recall

Ha! I see we have your attention! Available now, the latest volume in Charles' BFS award nominated Black Books. Several of the contributors will be familiar to you from Vault (although not necessarily under names their mothers would recognise them by). Charles is a huge anthology fan with a particular fondness for Herbert Van Thal's Pan Book Of Horror series and the Black Books are an attempt at taking up where Bertie left off. All involved are playing a blinder, not least cover artist Paul Mudie. "Top your work for #2!" they demanded. Paul obliged. Hope to be getting my copy soon, so you'll probably get a review in about three years if my recent form is anything to go by. Don't wait!

See also Vault's 3rd Black Book of Horror thread.

Rebel without a cause

My rating **** (4/5)

You dont mess with the Zohan

My rating * (1/5)

Tomorrow we move (French)

My rating ** (2/5)

Return of Magnificient Seven

My rating ** (2/5)

The Towering Inferno

My rating **** (4/5)

+++

The AV Club pays tribute to Wet Hot American Summer.

The Apprentice got 10 million viewers for its finale.

The Hold Steady's new record is on MySpace and, well, it flippin' rocks.

Worst movie remakes ever? Ladykillers gets my vote.

Downey Jr is deservedly busy right now.

Here's a list of the TV twosome with the strongest chemistry.

Judd Apatow has branched out to take Eric Bana and Jason Schwartzman under his comedy umbrella.

Paul Newman, one of my all-time top five actors, has cancer.

What's on the Wayne-Coleen wedding playlist?

The BBC music archives have been thrown open following a deal with EMI.

Lil Wayne delivers again on his new set.

The Mogwai tracklisting is now available.

Also, details on the new Beck.

The Happening may well suck. But Zooey Deschanel can't do any wrong for me.

The Wackness is apparently pretty good.

Here's an interview with Adam Green, writer of the best song about Jessica Simpson ever.

Werner Herzog's new documentary sound oh, so Herzogian.