Week of January 9, It's My Party

Hey Everyone! It's my birthday! Wayne's World! Party time!
On to some cool shit.


1) PBS Frontline: The Perfect Terrorist
What better way to kick off my birthday celebration than with a heart-lifting story of an American terrorist? I know, right?

Freaky-looking David Coleman Headley was one of the "masterminds" behind the Mumbai terrorist attack in 2008. I hate the use of the word master in this instance. He isn't a master of anything, just a crazy mofo who wants to kill people. Fuck that shit. And don't get all "religion this" and "religion that" on me. People kill because they have violence and hatred within them (we all do to a certain extent). No religious document condones violence and hate. It's merely the excuse, not the cause. So don't go all hatin' on it.                                        


2) Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?
You all donated money after the devastating earthquake, now see how the country is doing two years later. (Spoiler alert) not very well. Check out a clip here. Also, my brother edited this film in its entirety. Pretty damn good, huh? Check out Michele Mitchell's company website Film @ 11. It will be airing on PBS in the New York/NJ area on January 17 at 10pm. (check your local PBS schedule). 

3) Mary J. Blige's versions of One and I Guess That's Why They Call it The Blues

In my humble-ass opinion, Mary J. Blige is our greatest living (actively working) singer. So when you take two of the most perfectly written songs in popular music and combine them with her vocals, you get an explosion of sorts. She does that thing that only great singers can do; teeters on the edge of almost fucking up and perfection, making the song Mary's song. Listening to those two renderings exhausts me. Mmhmm girlfriend 'snap' 'snap'.

4) Hunt Slonem, the painter

How badass is this painter? He paints parrots and butterflies and Abe Lincoln among other things. Love this stuff. Ah, to paint.

5) The Mountaintop

It's MLK's birthday, so here is a little nod to that. The Mountaintop is a play I saw in London a couple of years ago. One of those "hey! I'm in London! I should go to the Theaytor!" So I saw this. It's a fictional account of MLK's last night. It's a really good play. The only thing is that you see him as a human being so you have to kind of accept that. If you don't want to, then maybe it's best not to see it. He wasn't exactly a saint.
                                                                                                                                           


On another topic, is anybody as pissed as me that Joran Van fuckface Sloot is only getting 28 years for first degree murder? What do people think he's gonna do when he gets out, huh?

Week of January 1, Rye Whiskey

Let's train ourselves to type 2012 on all our documents!
Here's a little list of cool shit for you.

1) Punch Brothers

I'm a total sucker for a mandolin-banjo-violin country/blues/jazz combo.Oh Lordy can these boys play that sweet American music. Of course they also strongly appeal to our modern hipster sensitivities (i.e they're from Brooklyn, not Tennessee). Think "O' Brother Where Art Thou" to get quick a understanding, and watch this performance of Rye Whiskey. It's not the only style they play, but it's my favorite.

2) Game of Thrones

I finally figured out how to work my HBO on Demand (well what, I have a busy life) and decided now was the time to discover Game of Thrones, the medieval fantasy HBO series that is not totally unlike Lord of The Rings but more soap opera-y. It's well made, a lot of fun to watch and utterly addictive. Plus Peter Dinklage, the only dwarf in Hollywood, plays the most clever and witty character in the show.

3) JAZZ, the film by Ken Burns

This film could otherwise be called: An Ode to Louis Armstrong, narrated by Winton Marsalis (I kid, sort of). It really is a comprehensive look at the birth and evolution of Jazz music. Like all Ken Burns documentaries, it's extremely dense, so it will require repeat viewing. It's also awesome.

4) The Big Rich by Bryan Burrough

This book chronicles the life and times of the four biggest Texas oil families; the Hunts, the Cullens, The Murchisons and Sid Richardson (whose nephews consisted of the Bass family). Believe it or not, I'm still reading the thing and haven't yet finished, but that's my own damn fault. It's a great book and advances the very interesting hypotheses that Big Oil money changed the game of politics in America. But there's other stuff too! Like the crazy way these guys lived and made money. Thanks, Big Oil.

5) A Crude Awakening: After the Oil Crash

Speaking of oil, this documentary about our dependence on oil talks about the disturbing fact that oil ain't gonna last forever. The creation of fossil fuels was a once in a lifetime phenomenon caused by a perfect confluence of factors, and once they're gone... Baby, they're gone (eek!).


I saw Book of Mormon too. But everyone knows it's great so I don't need to talk about it.