This is for real. Last night I had a nightmare that Kate from Lost was in that glass-enclosed cage, like the one they put Jack in, at the Hydra station during Season 3.
Jim Carrey came over, dressed in a prison onesie like Hanibal Lecter. He slid open the glass (so Ace Venura) and took out a meat cleaver and started hacking Kate to little pieces. And it was actually really scary!
All the while, she didn’t scream. She said ”I’ll finally get to know what this feels like” (straight out of Takashi Miike’s Ichi the Killer) and then she calmly said things about Jack and stuff that I can’t remember, but it was all very lucid and Lost-related. (I wish I could remember — maybe I blocked out spoilers).
In my dream I was very disappointed that Kate was getting the axe, just like one feels in any good horror movie when the cool person dies. There wasn’t much blood, and it was pretty surreal because she continued talking until she was just a mouth on the floor, still murmuring softly about Jack.
Analysis:
The meat cleaver hacking symbolizes the Oscars horror movie montage.
Jim Carrey as Hannibal Lecter symbolizes the fact that like a good portion of the movies in that montage were straight up comedies.
Kate being hacked apart symbolizes (a) my preemptive irritation with the fact that we’ll undoubtedly have to endure a Kwon episode tomorrow night before we can get back to the Kate/Claire/Christian/Aaron/Jack story; or possibly (b) my deep, subconscious longing for a Quentin Tarantino moment after seeing him lose; or, (c) a Spoiler from God.
Kate continuing to speak in a calm voice the whole time, even when hacked into pieces? Well that’s simple. My alarm wakes me to NPR. And I hit snooze a lot. Hard.
I hope to have more of these.
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Tags: jack shepard, jim carrey, kate austen, lost, oscars, quentin tarantino
I’m interrupting my LOST streaming to get this off my chest. Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin were an absolute dream in this at the Palace on Tuesday night . . . BUT SHE DID NOT SING “DON’T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA”!!!!
It was on the program. The program DID say “subject to change.” And she DID add “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” But Metallica doesn’t perform “Enter Sandman” INSTEAD of “Master of Puppets.”
Mandy and Patti were last on stage together 30 years ago in a little Broadway musical called EVITA that launched their careers. I saw it as a little girl barely old enough to remember — but I do have a few vivid memories, and I did have the original cast recording memorized before I could read.
Now, I begrudgingly acknowledge that “A Waltz for Eva and Che” — Evita’s only proper duet between Mandy and Patti — may be too obscure in the cannon to merit inclusion in this Sondheim-saturated [not that there's anything wrong with that!] reunion tour. BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD how could they eliminate any reference to Evita whatsoever?
For the fans, people! We waited and waited — surely during the encores? They MUST do something from it. No.
I could go on about how great the show was, how exciting to see such legends on stage, how impeccable their form, how Mandy nailed “Buddy’s Blues” and how Patti aced “Not Getting Married” . . . but I’m a little stubborn for all that right now.
Walking down Randolph to the Red Line, I did the only thing I could do: Embarrass my friend by singing on the street.
It won’t be easy
You will think it strange
When I try to explain that this song
Is printed in your program
But will never be sung.
You won’t believe me
All you will see is a girl you once knew
Who got famous singing this song.
[At this point I was belting out as the El passed overhead]
But won’t ever sing it for you!
Don’t cry, there’s no Argentina
[By now we were looking for breath strips in the 711]
The truth is we stone cold dissed you…
And then I stopped because we were at the counter paying.
I suppose in the end I should feel ignorant on some level for craving the big pop hit in a sea of more widely acknowledged classics. But you know what? Screw that. I’m being a diva about this!! I’m mad about “Argentina.” And always will be.
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Tags: evita, mandy patinkin, patti lupone
Lost
Did I ever post the article I did for Cheeky about Lost the day of the season premier? Don’t think so. I stand by it, and it’s pasted below. But now that the season’s progressing I’m noticing another factor: Knowing it’s the final go-round kind of makes me feel like Lost and I are at a train station together, just waiting for it to ship out to basic training, and we’re trying to remember all the things we’ve been meaning to say to each other. There’s chicken in the fridge, if you see anything from Geico let me know right away . . . oh and by the way there’s this super important Samurai I never told you about. And remember all those numbers I never explained? Real quick, here’s the deal with that . . . train’s coming . . . how will we have time??
I’m a dork.
Dude. Chicks Love Lost.
Why “Lost” Has us Nerding Out and Girling Out All at Once
Take any TV show with an obsessive cult following, and it will most likely fit into one of two categories: Nerd Show or Girl Show. Nerd shows, best epitomized by Star Trek, inspire fans to amass knowledge about an alternate universe, ponder metaphysical questions, join fan groups, and argue vehemently about each episode, often on the internet, with the intent of winning said argument. Girl shows, Sex and The City being the Grand Poobah, require fans to keep track of dramatically woven plot lines, analyze character relationships, gather around the TV with wine or show-themed beverages, and chat excitedly about each episode, face-to-face, with the intent of bonding.
Many cult shows have come close to bridging the Girl-Nerd gap. X-Files fans, though mostly on the Nerd side, waited with baited breath in hopes of a Sully/Mulder make-out session. Buffy, ever girlie, claimed its share of enthusiastic comic-book fan boys. The Sopranos arguably had a foot in each category, with some fans geeking out on the mob history and some investing in the family life (though it was still basically a Girl Show for Men). The fact remains that no cult show to date has united a bipartisan Girl/Nerd fan base as successfully as Lost.
It would be easy enough to assert that Lost appeals to both Nerd Show and Girl Show fans because it combines sci-fi elements with twisting soap opera subplots. But plenty of shows have tried to offer “something for everyone.” What separates Lost is a Nerd base agonizing over girlie plots (like whether Sun will reunite with Jin) and a Girl base analyzing nerdy plots (like The Numbers). Losties don’t pick and choose what part of the story to connect with, because Losties understand it’s all connected.
And so, after all, are we. In our 21st century iCulture, our lives have become a mash-up of girlie socializing and nerdy tech addiction. So why not our favorite TV show? If the survivors could have checked Facebook the day of the crash (well, it was 2004, so technically it may have been Friendster or Myspace), they would have immediately discovered they were all in the same social network. Nerd fans and Girl fans alike are ready to buy that concept.
Lost taps into our culture’s obsession with interconnectedness, whether scientific (like Faraday’s notebook) or personal (like Faraday’s mom) or both (like Mrs. Hawking’s reasons for manipulating her son). Chat rooms and wiki aren’t just for grandma’s basement anymore. The cute chick in the Jimmy Choos and the chubby dude in the stained graphic tee occupy the same WiFi hotspots. Given the two of them in a Starbucks on their Blackberries, it’s an even bet which one is texting about Lost.
Tonight, rabid fans of all kinds will tune in to ABC for Lost’s final season premiere event, eager for answers to a mystery six years in the making. Some will serve Tiki drinks at viewing parties. Some will rush home from an awkward day at school seeking escape. Some will discuss the show tomorrow at the office on IM. Some will seek out answers on Lostpedia. But no matter what their walk of life, Losties know one thing for certain: We’re all in this together.
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Cheeky Chick Video
Here’s a new video I made for CheekyChicago.com. The ladies of Cheeky threw another packed blow-out party, this time in the custom-designed private upstairs room of Sunda. I was shooting, not partying, but I did dip into some of the best hors d’ouvres ever… Watch it in HD on the Youtube channel.
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Tags: cheekychicago.com, video editing, videos
Globes & Charity
A couple things in Cheeky this week. Cheekiest Golden Globes moments and The Second City doing a great thing for Haiti relief.
I counted: saw 17 shows at Sketchfest. Not an extraordinary number considering there were 113 groups, but I still think I saw a lot of great stuff! I discovered some groups I’d never seen and hatched plans to interview and preview great performers in the future. A particular highlight, not from Chicago but NYC: BriTANick. Their videos are hilarious, and the short film they screened was CRAZY INSANE FUNNY, but they really must be seen live for full appreciation. They know what they’re doing.
On MLK day Matt & I mostly worked from home but then we took a break and went over to our neighbor’s to play the Wii. Matt’s video of me doing the Rabbids 80’s dance thing made is pretty special. I’m trying so, SO hard . . . just not quite nailing it.
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Tags: britanick, cheekychicago.com, golden globes, haiti, second city, sketchfest
Yelé
Today I found this organization set up by Wyclef Jean: Yelé.
I just want to say . . . My mother took me to Haiti for a vacation when I was in the 6th grade. This was 1986. People said we were crazy, but in fact Baby Doc had just been ousted and the Tonton Macoute was no longer said to be as much of a threat. Also, frankly, it was a last-minute vacation, we were on a budget, and my mom has an adventurous streak. Haiti may be a poor country, of course, but it’s a beautiful one. I recall being pleasantly overwhelmed by the rich history, the mountains, the warm-hearted people and the precious architecture. I was studying French in school, and we spoke French with people at our hotel and in town. We went to a church with a mural of the last supper, commissioned by missionaries but painted by native Haitians. Judas was the only person painted as a white man. We saw Tap Taps, the colorful buses, and my parents still have a paper mache Tap Tap on their wall. We ate a sea urchin so fresh out of the water it moved with my fork in it. We went snorkeling and I got a bad sunburn and took a bath with vinegar to heal it. I ate papaya and mango for the first time. My mother and I swam in the sea and met musicians at a beach. We had the eye-opening experience of poor children surrounding our car in town. We could see houses upon houses, colorfully painted, from the hill where our hotel sat . . .
I know these are just petty little rememberances but they’re on my mind. I will always have a heart in that country. I will do what I can.
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Tags: haiti, wyclef jean, yele
Funny funny dance dance
So much happening in Chi this weekend! And it’s all on Belmont! Excited to plunge into Weekend #2 of Sketch Fest. I wrote about it here, here, here, and here.
And also, there’s Tomorrow Never Knows, at my beloved Schubas . . . and at Lincoln Hall, which I’m sad to say I’ve yet to more than peek at since the Schubas owners opened it late last year, but that’s about to change this month. Tomorrow night I’ll try to balance SketchFest with a visit to Schubas for, among others, Lasers + Fast + Shit (Btw we made an Equalizer video that features them.) And definitely I’ll be at Lincoln Hall on the 17th for JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound (saw them on my birthday at another Equalizer in fact & wrote about the show).
By the way all I can listen to these days is Lady GaGa. Yeah, I said it. I don’t care what you say, this is brilliant. If I had a little girl I’d be excited she had her new Madonna. My mother set me in front of Madge’s videos on our little TV set and I’d do the same for the next generation with Gaga. As it is, I’m excited I have my new Madonna. Especially at the gym. And on my way to work and while cooking. And doing laundry and typing . . .
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Tags: chicago music, chicago theater, jc brooks and the uptown sound, lady gaga, lasers and fast and shit, schubas, sketch fest, tomorrow never knows
It should say January.
By now, there should be some 2010 update. Super busy. Here are 5 quick things from January:
1) Matt’s birthday. Some people came over to play Guitar Hero Metallica in pajamas. Yes, you can fashion an entire party concept around these:
2) Planning April trip to NYC. We’ll see Opeth and stay 5 days visiting friends & family. Miss home. Sadly I just saw that the Yankees are traveling that weekend. But we may check us out some Jason Bay over in Queens, Matt being an NL fan anyway.
3) Sketchfest. Here’s my preview and an interview in Cheeky, and I’m in the midst of seeing more shows and writing more.
4) Joined the Welles Park gym. I like it for its bare bones look & feel (think that little weight room in high school) and its laid back but athletic Lincoln Square crowd (so far nobody’s hogging the treadmills just to walk the whole time — the ultimate urban gym faux pas). We’re supposed to be on our way there in like half an hour…
5) Still at work on a video about City Farm, a project I’m loving. Maybe this year I’ll finally live my dream of planting tomatoes on the deck.
Gotta go.
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Tags: chicago, city farm, guitar hero, matt, new york city, opeth, sketchfest, welles park gym
Cheeky Top Chef Video
Jessica from Cheeky Emceed this event at SCREEN — what a place to see a movie. Or a TV show. I’d actually be happy just sitting in one of those chairs staring into space. I shot & edited this video of all the Top Chef Season 6 finale festivities, which include appearances by former Top Chef-testants. I love a good season finale.
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Tags: cheekychicago.com, chicago, screen at the wit hotel, the wit hotel, top chef
Fusion Networking Group Video
I shot & edited this video for the Fusion Networking Group, a really cool event series aimed at multi-cultural, young professionals in a wide variety of fields. The event was also featured on NBCChicago.com.
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Tags: chicago, fusion networking group, rumba, video editing, videos
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Welcome! I'm a Chicago-based writer and video editor. I live in Lincoln Square and return to my hometown of NYC just enough to make me sesquicoastal. That's a word I'm trying to start.
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