The Daily Brief

Just reflecting upon Wal-Mart’s announcement yesterday of opening their gift registry to Katrina victims, which our own dear APV had blogged on earlier: The idiot Bill Maher, who has used Katrina, on the last two episodes of his HBO series Real Time With Bill Maher, to justify some of Hollywood’s most savage and blindered Bush-bashing, led his last “New Rules” segment off with the proclamation, “no more gift registries.”

Well Bill, I think you owe Katrina victims, and Wal-Mart, an apology.

Oh, and equal bad-ons to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Cynthia Tucker, who falsely claimed it took the US military “two days” to respond to the tsunami at Banda Aceh. In fact, it took five. And, as I think we all know, we had the first large-scale operation on the scene. (Singapore got there in two days, but on a scale that was trivial relative to ours.)

Although I didn’t see it at first, in his rather cryptic post, DemoMan came up with the answer to my Movie Trivia for 9/12/05 puzzle yesterday. John Hughes frequently goes by “Edmond Dantes”, the protagonist in The Count of Monte Cristo.

I stole this one from Michele.

Ten albums I would recommend you add to your collection (No compilations or ‘best of’ collections permitted).

Like Michele, my suggestions would vary from day to day. I also tried to stay away from the obvious (Sgt Pepper, Who’s Next) albums that are probably in most people’s record collection to begin with.

1. The Band – The Last Waltz
2. Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation – Mighter Rearranger
3. David&David – Boomtown
4. Blondie – Live in New York
5. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones – Flight of the Cosmic Hippo
6. Patti Smith Group – Wave
7. Annie – Anniemal
8. Black Crowes with Jimmy Page – Live at the Greek
9. The Chieftans – Tears of Stone
10. Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler – Kneck and Kneck

And I would ask that our regulars at least add their top 5 or even their top two. What people listen to and would recommend to someone else seems kind of basic, getting to know you, information.

Today’s episode of Top Gear was focused upon the Lamborghini Miura. Personally, I consider the Miura to be the most beautiful post-war car. And, I stress that post-war qualifier: as there simply is no frame-of-reference with which one can compare a Lamborghini to a Bugatti Atlantic, or a Mercedes 540K Special Roadster. Anyway, they had a poll of the audience, and what alarmed me was that the Jaguar XKE never came up. Well, as I said, I am a Miura fan. But the general consensus among automotive pundits is that the XKE is the most beautiful post-war car. And the fact that the XKE wasn’t even an also-ran in their studio poll troubles me.

So closely after last Sunday, I am a bit uncomfortable about questions of terminal velocity. But anyway, on today’s rerun of Mythbusters, they are addressing the urban myth of a penny, dropped from the Empire State Building killing a person on the street.

Well, it seems that the terminal velocity of a randomly dropped penny is about 65 mph – not enough to kill someone, but perhaps enough to hurt, like a good slingshot pop.

But they don’t address the case of a penny, rolled down a chute. and exiting at the top of the Empire State Building, so, as it falls, it is spinning about an axis parallel to the Earth’s surface. This is a WHOLE ‘nother matter.

Update – More stupid MythBusters: Currently, they are poised to run-off a Hot Wheels car against a Dodge Viper at Lake Tahoe. Well, this is a rerun which I already saw. And it is so idiotic. They came up with an “unproven” result, because the Hot Wheels car kept jumping of the track.

But we already know the answer: A gravity powered vehicle, less mechanical and aerodynamic losses, will accelerate at .5g down a 100% grade (we’re talking off-roader stuff here, folks). And we know, from various road tests’ G-G graphs, that the Viper has forward acceleration well in excess of .5g. So, why are we even fucking with this?

I really don’t like my favorite jazz arias, when done in MP3, The root of this seems to be the dynamic compression intrinsic to the MP3 algorithm. This all may be good for trite pop. But it is the death of fine jazz, chamber, or classical music.

About a year ago, I looked forward to Bill Goldberg’s AutoManic series, on the History Channel. I said, “at last, and American car show hosted by a real car guy. Well, Goldberg ain’t no Jay Leno; he’s obviously another head-up-his-ass celebrity car guy. On one show, Extreme Bikes, they showed an animation of the BMW boxer engine with a common crankpin (the beauty of the boxer design is that the opposed crankpins yield perfect primary and secondary balance). On another, Gangster Cars, he claimed first that Al Capone’s 1929 Cadillac V-16 was “the most powerful sedan of its day” (every car guy worth his salt knows it was the Duesenburg Model J), and that John Dillinger’s second Essex Terraplane had a “V-8” (no, it was a straight-8). What an idiot.

Update: Actually, I have heard Leno say one stupid thing. And, while far more esoteric than the matter of Duesy vs. Cadillac, it was still unsettling to hear it from a car guy of Leno’s stature. On some car show (I don’t recall which), he claimed that the Jaguar XK-120 was “the fastest production car of the early ’50s. No, Jay – that title goes to the Pegaso Z-102. You should know this.

If they ever do a remake of A Clockwork Orange, don’t ya think Eddie Izzard should play Alex?

Correlate these two names: Alexandre Dumas, Molly Ringwald.

I’m currently listening to some pledge-drive thing on my local PBS station. And they are playing some sort of My Music Temptations Review. WHAT THE FUCK CAN THEY BE THINKING!!! When I think back on those soaring David Ruffin vocals, and that millisecond-perfect Temptations precision, and then listen to these oafs, all I can do is wretch.

Update: I just tuned away, to another local PBS station playing Judy, Dino, and Frank (three of the greatest voices this planet has ever known), singing some perfectly trash number, and then breaking for an appeal for pledges – what can these people be thinking?? Cut in after the highlights, and then only briefly. And then get back to the highlights.

To thier credit, another local PBS station did their pledge-drive feature around Norah Jones and the Handsome Band 2004; MUCH BETTER.

…It’s likely been on TV commercials for the new Lexus RX400h. It A Fine Line, the lead song on McCartney’s new album Chaos and Creation In The Backyard. Lexus will also be sponsoring his upcoming tour. This has both McCartney fans, and vegans, including Paul’s own daughter, Stella livid:

Sir Paul McCartney is under fire for agreeing a sponsorship deal with luxury car manufacturer Lexus for his upcoming American tour this autumn because the company uses leather trim in its vehicles.

It is the first time the former Beatle has signed a corporate deal, but his fashion designer daughter Stella, who is an ardent campaigner against the leather trade, is displeased by his endorsement of the product.

The 63-year-old describes the agreement as “a natural fit” because the two parties “share the same philosophy and approach to creating the best work possible”.

But a source tells British newspaper the Daily Mail, “This is something Stella has campaigned against for years so for her father, who is already worth £800 million ($1.4 billion), to suddenly feel the need to promote luxury cars trimmed with leather has incensed her.”

McCartney had the foresight to demand Lexus remove the leather trim from the car he will use during his US visit, but the cars on offer to the general public will still come with leather trim.

His spokesperson says, “The Lexus Sir Paul is actually taking on tour has been specially upholstered with no leather.”

Headline: Hollywood’s on a rampage [over the handling of Katrina], and ET is there!

Can any good come of this? I’m skeptical.

…To Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; why do I think this doesn’t EVEN do justice to the book?

Available 20 Sep 05. You can pre-order on Amazon now.

… As of tonight: Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff). Why: she’s got a GREAT jab.

Oh, that’s what I want, a woman who knows how to box. 🙂

I missed Firefly. That totally destroys what had been, on balance, despite the larger catastrophes, and some personal setbacks, a marginally positive week. Now I’m on a bummer.

In the latesest episode of the British series Top Gear, she tries to coach Jeremy to a sub-ten minute lap around Nurburgring’s Nordschleife course, in a Jaguar S-type Diesel. And then she goes out and does it, first time, in 9:12 – yeah, that’s a woman after my own heart.

Of course, Jeremy is a ham-handed idiot – unworthy of the cars to which he is entrusted. But that’s beside the point.

Kanye West’s new album, Late Registration, is on iTunes top 10 list at both Number 1 and Number 10 this morning. Number 1 being the un-edited, explicit, version, and Number 10 being the “clean.” It’s been on the charts for a week. His last album, The College Dropout has moved back up to the Number 25 spot.

This had nothing to do with it, I’m sure. (Making a Billy Squier video gesture.)

I know, I know, it’s the whole, “Speaking truth to power.”…thing. Gack.

Hooray to Gothmog, who correctly got my Movie Trivia of 9/02/05 challenge.

His/her answer: of course: Harry Nilsson’s The Point, which included the hit song Me and My Arrow. He then followed this up with his biggest-selling album: Nilsson Schmilsson, wich included his biggest hit: Without You.

But, right after that, Nilsson faded into obscurity, at least as a performer, with his last gasp for breath being the massive, big-bucks, Robert Altman/Robin Williams flop Popeye.

As usual, I don’t seem to know just how difficult these things will be. I thought this one would be easy. So, here’s two clues: This film is animated, and Without You was originally done by Badfinger.

Update: Dudes – not even one frickin’ guess? Are you baffled, or have you just lost interest?

His biggest hit, after this 1971 cult classic,was called Without You.

Wow, perhaps everybody was too stoned back then to remember 1971. 🙂

FX’s new comedy series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia is a noble experiment. But – SORRY. Starved, on the other hand, is a riot.

Oh, fucking excellent. On tonight’s episode, they ran the beginning in a ring to the end, all to the tune of Elton John’s, Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters – excellent.

Most of my regular readers know I am a huge jazz fan, and am again watching Ken Burns’ eponymous documentary. And, while I must say that, while this is a far better treatment of the subject than has ever been done before, it is still sorely wanting. What irks me most is that Burns is rather Afro-centric, and loses scope in the post-Bird era.

I mean, he pretty-much dismisses the whole west-coast “cool” jazz genre as being hardly worth listening to. And, while he gives passing recognition to Ornette Coleman, and Dave Brubeck, no mention at all is made of Les Paul. And should we even mention Toots Theilman? And surely, any of these four are more important to the evolution of modern jazz than Miles Davis, whom Burns dots on.

And what of the promoters? Only passing mention is made of Quincy Jones, and none of Hugh Hefner. These two men can, arguably, be credited with having “saved” jazz in the ’60s and ’70s.

Something is seriously lacking here.

I know, you all thought I’d be watching the VMAs didn’t you? Let me clue you in on something. If the show is hosted by someone named “Diddy,” it’s probably not geared toward me, mmm’k?

Anyway, Rome on HBO. I have a new show that I have to watch. I’m not going to pretend that I can tell you how historically accurate it is. I’m not going to rave about how cool the costumes, scenery and fight scenes are. What I am going to tell you is that they didn’t pull any punches when it comes to the brutality and hedonism of that time and place. It was fascinating.

This is what people were like before Christianity started to “civalize” us. Mad at someone for betraying you? Kill them, or perhaps just destroy one of their favorite cities to show them you’re serious. And don’t forget that you’re children are to be used for any advantage including sending your son off into hostile territory to deliver a present to one leader while whoring your daughter out to the other. Atia, played by Polly Walker, will take anyone who has HBO away from Desperate Housewives with ease. You’ve never seen desperation like this and she’s going to make us forget every evil bitch we’ve ever seen before. Alexis Carrington was a declawed kitten by comparison.

Trying to keep up with all the twists and turns is going to take some concentration. You absolutely must pay attention to all the dialogue or you may find yourself wondering how come that city is burning and ask your wife, “What just happened?”

It’s on at 9 P.M. Eastern Sunday Nights with a repeat on Tuesday at 9 P.M..

Update: Reader Bob Fregin writes in the comments:

Kind of “Deadwood” with less clothes and better language. BTW: Have you ever noticed that the ancient Roman’s, Greeks, Spartan’s, Trojans all have strong British accents? How did that come about(?)

Thanks Bob, I meant to ask that and I did a cut but forgot to paste. Anyone? Buellor?