and good riddance. There are other virtues in this world besides longevity, and these three spent most if not all their careers fighting them. At least in this corner, they will not be missed.
Category: North America
Fight to the Finish.
On the day before the big show, many of the wonks predict Republican gains in the House. But, on the brighter side for the Dems, it’s looking like Erskine Bowles has an outside chance of stealing Jesse Helms’ seat from Liddy Dole.
Trust Elvis.
The Elvis Costello show at the Beacon the other evening was superb (set list here)…I was surprised how good he sounds live. I expected his voice to be a little more off, but he could hit all the notes and wavers from the studio versions. If I could pick three Elvis songs I had to hear, they’d be “Man Out of Time,” “Indoor Fireworks,” and – most importantly – “I Want You,” so I was not disappointed. (Yeah, “Alison,” “Beyond Belief,” or “Everyday I Write the Book” would’ve been cool too, but I’ll take what I can get.) The third encore in particular, the blue-lit, NIN-esque version of “I Want You” paired with “Almost Blue,” was truly a thing of beauty. As for Underworld the other night, I was underwhelmed…mostly by the venue, which was way too small and overbooked for a dance show. In fact, I’ve pretty much given up on the Hammerstein as a venue by this point. (More on the Underworld show in the comments of this post at Do You Feel Loved.) Did I mention that Elvis is King?
…and Terror in the Aisles.
If ballet’s not your bag, Lincoln Center is going against type and offering some blood-spattering good fun with Scary Movies: 30 Years of Horror. I’d like to catch some of these if possible. particularly Ringu, Deathdream, and Horror Express.
Dead Man Walking.
Further proof that only the good die young. See ya, Strom, and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. This piece mentions that he’s both the oldest and longest-serving Senator in American history. It neglects to mention his record for the longest filibuster (24 hours, 18 minutes), when he was trying to bury (and successfully diluted) the 1957 Civil Rights Act.
I’ll be back.
Arnold Schwarzenegger bides his time in the California Governor’s race.
Harlem Renaissance
The Voice takes a snapshot of the current real-estate battle over Harlem.
C’mon Aboard, Join Hands.
Lonely New Yorkers create a new venue for meeting singles: the first subway car (Via Caught in Between.)
Bye Bye Barr.
With Bob Barr and Cynthia McKinney hitting the road, among others, is DC getting dull? Well, I can think of more apt criteria to judge our Congresspersons, but they probably wouldn’t do any better in those categories either.
The Complicated American.
What the World Thinks of America, from Gary Kamiya of Salon (premium). A fascinating read.