It's time.
You are either for her or against her. Since Ann Coulter has found much money for painting the political world in her two-tone dialectics, then it's time to paint her and her supporters with the same brush.
"The question, "Are you an Ann Coulter Republican?" should confront every Republican running for every office in the land, from President to dog catcher. Every Democratic candidate should accuse his or her opponent of being in favor of poisoning Supreme Court Justices and killing Congressmen. At every opportunity, every Republican should be made to answer: "Do you agree with Ann Coulter that the 9/11 widows are witches and harpies?" And George W. Bush, Tony Snow, Dick Cheney, Laura Bush and Barney (the only lapdog with a good excuse) should be confronted with these questions as well."
More of the article here.
No middle ground for those of you who devour her bile as Truth - either you are with her hateful, mindless group or you're opposed to her.
Period.
The End.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Monkey Gangs Grab Own Flags
Who knew a monkey could contract patriotic fever? Well, it's really World Soccer Cup fever.
The report also mentions that the Monkey Gangs number 120. And whenever I have the chance to use words like Monkey Gangs, I will.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Camera Obscura - New Star Trek, Petulia, and The Best Movie Posters Ever
It isn't often a TV series gets so big it outlives its maker, takes on the movies, gets remade again and again, has its own postage stamp, line of books and collectibles, and becomes almost a modern myth, but Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek" does all that and more.
I'll give you some insight into what's new in the Trek world, point to some classic movies now on DVD,provide a sneak peek at a Superman-ish hero poised to land in the U.S., and give you a chance to select the best movie poster ever - all in today's humble offering.
My sister was the first Trekkie I knew - and she was there at the beginning. She had 8 by 10 glossy black and white photos on her wall from NBC of Kirk and Spock and Chekov, copies of scripts from the show and more, all while the show was still in its first run in the 1960s. Someone gave her (or me, I cannot recall exactly) a model of the Enterprise spaceship, which somehow got lost or tossed over the years. That really makes me angry when I think of that - it would be a rare prize these days. And thanks to the vast resource of the internets, I located a site that has many details on all the history behind the props used as the spaceship - and a major attraction on the page - a way for you to order your own Enterprise model. Just go here. And you're welcome.
Over the years I made friends with deeply loyal and committed fans - one of them provided me a link to this page, where you can read about J. Michael Straczynski's ("Babylon 5" creator) pitch to studios on a re-invention of classic Trek which has the fans worked up. It is a must-read for fans or the curious. The internets is humming away too talking about the possibility that Matt Damon may play a young Kirk in a movie from J.J. Abrams ("Lost", "Alias").
A very interesting, well-made and continuing Trek series following the adventures of the Starship Exeter, all made by fans which took years to complete and is continuing to provide "new" episodes, can be found here. That's bona fide devotion, people.
I think I hit my tipping point about Trek one Christmas, circa 1993, when I saw a Christmas tree decorated with Trek ornaments. I knew then the fans had become much, much more than fans - they were an economic and religious force to be reckoned with and they continue to expand faster than Wal-Mart.
William Shatner is not just an actor, he is an Icon of America, all thanks to the repeated broadcasts and the simple but powerful writing of Roddenberry and many other fine science fiction writers. Forget John Ford/John Wayne - no fans or groups ever did so much to keep and uplift an actor.
Since we're on the 1960s, two of my favorite movies from that decade got new DVD treatments this week - a tragic romance and a satire beyond compare.
Tragedy and love set in San Francisco starring the beautiful Julie Christie can be found in "Petulia." The movie blends in the madness of the late 1960s and the madness of love as Petulia gets involved with a doctor named Archie, expertly played by George C. Scott - the pair go to the Fillmore and dance to the Grateful Dead - as they sort through their troubled lives and attempt to comfort each other. Director Richard Lester and cinematographer Nicholas Roeg made a masterpiece, in this terrific snapshot of the 1960s. The DVD is long overdue and if you haven't seen it, you are in for a real tearjerker and a brilliant movie.
I love the poster for this movie (this is one of several made for the movie), which I mention since, at the end of this post, you'll find a link to a great collection of movie posters and your input can round out the top 100.
The other movie that landed on DVD is the hilarious creation of writers Evelyn Waugh and Terry Southern called "The Loved One". The movie starts as a satire of business and funerals and becomes a shotgun blast of offbeat humor with a cast of Hollywood's most famous names. Man, were the 1960s surreal and strange. When else would you find a poet in a Hollywood cemetery and Liberace and Rod Steiger filling out the background?
Newscoma has a fine post about the top 100 movie posters of all time.
I think too many of the posters in the listing are new, and given the hundreds of thousands of movies made, they could have done better. I was glad to see mention made of Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" poster and of course "Jaws" and "Alien" are on the list.
I have just two of many suggestions I could make to the list, starting with:
And another fine one:
Go and add your faves to the list.
Finally - as Superman is about to return to theatres, moviegoers in India and beyond have Krrish. Somehow, I don't see that name catching on quiet as well.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Return of The Cats That Look Like Hitler
Pointing out places with the goofiest crap on the internets has its rewards, judging by the hundreds (if not thousands) of people who've visited this humble but lovable blog in the last week in search of Cats That Look Like Hitler.
I doubt the searchers have spent much more time actually reading what has been written here on all kinds of topics, despite any attempts to offer news or analysis of modern America. Well, the times are worse than tough so why not have some mindless fun - just chalk all this down to my amazement at the world I inhabit.
Yes, I've ranted plenty over the cons of neo-cons, but did that bring me mention on the Air America blog? Nope. Cats That Look Like Hitler did.
Viral ads, illegal immigration, corruption, bribes, waste, war - does that bring attention? Nope. Cats That Look Like Hitler does.
Do posts about loopy and meaningless Senate votes bring attention from Senate offices? Nope. Cats That Look Like Hitler does.
I confess to an attraction to writing about the odd and the weird along with any thoughts about how strangled the Constitution and Civil Rights have become, how deeply misguided Americans are wallowing in revenge and hate and loooooooove of money. But weird wins the contest by a huge margin. I've even become acquainted with the miniature universe of Catbloggers, and two weeks ago I'd never heard of it.
As any writer does, I hunger for readers and spotlights and links to this page. Like Faulkner or Chandler, millions more people will see the movie The Big Sleep than bother to read the books either man sacrificed and slaved to create.
But, dang - is a search for funny kitty pics outweigh most any use the internets has??
Survey says - YES!!
If I had known, I'd have written about and posted pics of Illegal Immigrant Cats Who Might Be Gay Nazis a long time ago.
Oh - and just in case - more Cats That Look Like Hitler:
I doubt the searchers have spent much more time actually reading what has been written here on all kinds of topics, despite any attempts to offer news or analysis of modern America. Well, the times are worse than tough so why not have some mindless fun - just chalk all this down to my amazement at the world I inhabit.
Yes, I've ranted plenty over the cons of neo-cons, but did that bring me mention on the Air America blog? Nope. Cats That Look Like Hitler did.
Viral ads, illegal immigration, corruption, bribes, waste, war - does that bring attention? Nope. Cats That Look Like Hitler does.
Do posts about loopy and meaningless Senate votes bring attention from Senate offices? Nope. Cats That Look Like Hitler does.
I confess to an attraction to writing about the odd and the weird along with any thoughts about how strangled the Constitution and Civil Rights have become, how deeply misguided Americans are wallowing in revenge and hate and loooooooove of money. But weird wins the contest by a huge margin. I've even become acquainted with the miniature universe of Catbloggers, and two weeks ago I'd never heard of it.
As any writer does, I hunger for readers and spotlights and links to this page. Like Faulkner or Chandler, millions more people will see the movie The Big Sleep than bother to read the books either man sacrificed and slaved to create.
But, dang - is a search for funny kitty pics outweigh most any use the internets has??
Survey says - YES!!
If I had known, I'd have written about and posted pics of Illegal Immigrant Cats Who Might Be Gay Nazis a long time ago.
Oh - and just in case - more Cats That Look Like Hitler:
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Happy Summer
There is a way to stay current on the all the astronomical adjustments needed to appreciate summertime fun at the Summer Solstice News page.
I know it's summer because it's hot and humid and the NBA finals just ended.
Before there were NBA finals in June (which began in June 1976 - yay Celtics), humans huddled around the giant rocks at Stonehenge (when Celtics meant something rather different).
Many humans still gather on the spot today (see image below from the BBC). Yay humans.
Yay astronomy and yay daylight for a long long time today. Yay.
I know it's summer because it's hot and humid and the NBA finals just ended.
Before there were NBA finals in June (which began in June 1976 - yay Celtics), humans huddled around the giant rocks at Stonehenge (when Celtics meant something rather different).
Many humans still gather on the spot today (see image below from the BBC). Yay humans.
Yay astronomy and yay daylight for a long long time today. Yay.
Oil Addiction, No - Style Addiction, Maybe
Despite a national plea from the President to end the "oil addiction" in America, county government (and I'm willing to speculate the same is true for city and state) seems to be addicted to big gas guzzling vehicles.
I love Mayor Ragsdale's responses to questions about the purchases of big expensive SUVs (via WATE-TV reports):
"County Mayor Mike Ragsdale first said, "I don't want to stand here and discuss cars."
And
"This vehicle is appropriate for the mayor of a major metropolitan county like Knox County and we consider it an entirely appropriate expenditure of public funds.
I suppose Knox residents should be grateful, since in Hamblen County, officials refuse to even release public records regarding mileage on vehicles paid for with tax dollars.
What type of vehicle is "entirely appropriate" for you? Me, I wanna new 2006 Mustang Convertible. Budget realities say my 1996 pickup at 26 mpg is best for me right now.
I love Mayor Ragsdale's responses to questions about the purchases of big expensive SUVs (via WATE-TV reports):
"County Mayor Mike Ragsdale first said, "I don't want to stand here and discuss cars."
And
"This vehicle is appropriate for the mayor of a major metropolitan county like Knox County and we consider it an entirely appropriate expenditure of public funds.
I suppose Knox residents should be grateful, since in Hamblen County, officials refuse to even release public records regarding mileage on vehicles paid for with tax dollars.
What type of vehicle is "entirely appropriate" for you? Me, I wanna new 2006 Mustang Convertible. Budget realities say my 1996 pickup at 26 mpg is best for me right now.
The Terrorism Index
Gathering the views of former government officials and other experts, both Democrat and Republican, some facinating information in the War on Terror emerges at Foreign Policy.com.
Some snippets from the article:
"These pessimistic public perceptions could easily be attributed to the high cost, in both treasure and lives, of counterterrorism efforts. After all, Americans are constantly being told by their elected leaders that their pessimism is wrong, that the war is being won. But they’re also told that another attack is inevitable. Which is it?"
-----
"Despite today’s highly politicized national security environment, the index results show striking consensus across political party lines. A bipartisan majority (84 percent) of the index’s experts say the United States is not winning the war on terror. Eighty-six percent of the index’s experts see a world today that is growing more dangerous for Americans. Overall, they agree that the U.S. government is falling short in its homeland security efforts. More than 8 in 10 expect an attack on the scale of 9/11 within a decade. These dark conclusions appear to stem from the experts’ belief that the U.S. national security apparatus is in serious disrepair. “Foreign-policy experts have never been in so much agreement about an administration’s performance abroad,” says Leslie Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and an index participant. “The reason is that it’s clear to nearly all that Bush and his team have had a totally unrealistic view of what they can accomplish with military force and threats of force."
Is the Military response the only plan we are constantly reinforcing?
How is the U.S. doing a rebuilding the infrastructure of Iraq? Given the promises of funding reconstruction via a renewed oil economy in Iraq, information shows little has been accomplished.
"We installed a third of a billion dollars' worth of combustion turbines that can't be fueled."
Some snippets from the article:
"These pessimistic public perceptions could easily be attributed to the high cost, in both treasure and lives, of counterterrorism efforts. After all, Americans are constantly being told by their elected leaders that their pessimism is wrong, that the war is being won. But they’re also told that another attack is inevitable. Which is it?"
-----
"Despite today’s highly politicized national security environment, the index results show striking consensus across political party lines. A bipartisan majority (84 percent) of the index’s experts say the United States is not winning the war on terror. Eighty-six percent of the index’s experts see a world today that is growing more dangerous for Americans. Overall, they agree that the U.S. government is falling short in its homeland security efforts. More than 8 in 10 expect an attack on the scale of 9/11 within a decade. These dark conclusions appear to stem from the experts’ belief that the U.S. national security apparatus is in serious disrepair. “Foreign-policy experts have never been in so much agreement about an administration’s performance abroad,” says Leslie Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and an index participant. “The reason is that it’s clear to nearly all that Bush and his team have had a totally unrealistic view of what they can accomplish with military force and threats of force."
Is the Military response the only plan we are constantly reinforcing?
How is the U.S. doing a rebuilding the infrastructure of Iraq? Given the promises of funding reconstruction via a renewed oil economy in Iraq, information shows little has been accomplished.
"We installed a third of a billion dollars' worth of combustion turbines that can't be fueled."
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
No Warrants Needed, Just Buy Phone Records
Serious head scratching followed the story today that law enforcement at every level - local, state and federal - have been buying up phone records via numerous private companies, with a $30 million dollar pricetag, though the AP story reports these companies don't charge law enforcement.
I mentioned this in January of this year.
And then the House approved legislation to make it a crime to sell such records without notifying the customer. That legislation disappeared. Poof! Gone.
Now law enforcement says they are simply making use of a legal business - of course it's legal because the legislation meant to outlaw it ... missing in action.
As Alice said in Wonderland, "Curiouser and curiouser!"
I mentioned this in January of this year.
And then the House approved legislation to make it a crime to sell such records without notifying the customer. That legislation disappeared. Poof! Gone.
Now law enforcement says they are simply making use of a legal business - of course it's legal because the legislation meant to outlaw it ... missing in action.
As Alice said in Wonderland, "Curiouser and curiouser!"
Senate Says No To Punishing Waste, Fraud
Billions of dollars lost in outright fraud or waste - and zero attempts to correct it or prevent it thanks to Senate Republicans.
The brain goes numb attempting to conceptualized how much waste and/or fraud can occur when the budgets are topping $400 billion. In a subcommittee hearing on June 13th, officials with the Dept. of Defense and State Dept. admitted they really could not say exactly how much money has been provided contractors and sub-contractors and sub-sub-contractors for private security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, nor how many companies had contracts, nor how many of those private forces had been wounded or killed, or if any had faced disciplinary problems. The hearings I watched on C-SPAN 2 were most informative - if only for the lack of information available.
TN Congressman John Duncan, member of the committee, said his constituents would be horrified to learn of the high levels of waste occuring as corporate giants like Halliburton, Bechtel, Blackwater, KBR, etc etc were simply supplying invoices for costs with little description.
Congressman Henry Waxman is prepping info about the vast sums of tax dollars getting Hoovered-up by private contractors, which you can access here.
I know - just because Halliburton's contracts with the Fed are up 600% doesn't mean anything is wrong. Except that Rep. Waxman's report identifies 118 Fed contracts worth $745 billion as qualified members of the fake it/waste it/overcharge it club. Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina, Rita - all devour contracts worth billions.
Senator Byron Dorgan of N.D. attempted to add an ammendment to the current spending bill to require specifics on keeping contractors honest. Every Republican Senator voted against the bill which would halt any firm which:
" - Executes or attempts to execute a scheme or artifice to defraud the United States or the entity having jurisdiction over the area in which such activities occur.
- Falsifies, conceals, or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact.
- Makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations, or makes or uses any materially false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry.
- Materially overvalues any good or service with the specific intent to excessively profit from the war or military action."
Sen. Dorgan offered many examples, including:
"Brand new $85,000 trucks that were left on the side of the road because of a flat tire and then subsequently burned. 25 tons, 50,000 pounds, of nails ordered by Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR), the wrong size, that are laying in the sands of Iraq. 42,000 meals a day charged to the taxpayers by Halliburton and only 14,000 are actually served."
Sadly, the mass consumption of tax dollars battling a "last-throes" insurgency continues at astonishing rates, and oversight by Congress evaporates faster than a drop of water in a 5th-grade instructional movie about the cycle of condensation.
The brain goes numb attempting to conceptualized how much waste and/or fraud can occur when the budgets are topping $400 billion. In a subcommittee hearing on June 13th, officials with the Dept. of Defense and State Dept. admitted they really could not say exactly how much money has been provided contractors and sub-contractors and sub-sub-contractors for private security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, nor how many companies had contracts, nor how many of those private forces had been wounded or killed, or if any had faced disciplinary problems. The hearings I watched on C-SPAN 2 were most informative - if only for the lack of information available.
TN Congressman John Duncan, member of the committee, said his constituents would be horrified to learn of the high levels of waste occuring as corporate giants like Halliburton, Bechtel, Blackwater, KBR, etc etc were simply supplying invoices for costs with little description.
Congressman Henry Waxman is prepping info about the vast sums of tax dollars getting Hoovered-up by private contractors, which you can access here.
I know - just because Halliburton's contracts with the Fed are up 600% doesn't mean anything is wrong. Except that Rep. Waxman's report identifies 118 Fed contracts worth $745 billion as qualified members of the fake it/waste it/overcharge it club. Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina, Rita - all devour contracts worth billions.
Senator Byron Dorgan of N.D. attempted to add an ammendment to the current spending bill to require specifics on keeping contractors honest. Every Republican Senator voted against the bill which would halt any firm which:
" - Executes or attempts to execute a scheme or artifice to defraud the United States or the entity having jurisdiction over the area in which such activities occur.
- Falsifies, conceals, or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact.
- Makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations, or makes or uses any materially false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry.
- Materially overvalues any good or service with the specific intent to excessively profit from the war or military action."
Sen. Dorgan offered many examples, including:
"Brand new $85,000 trucks that were left on the side of the road because of a flat tire and then subsequently burned. 25 tons, 50,000 pounds, of nails ordered by Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR), the wrong size, that are laying in the sands of Iraq. 42,000 meals a day charged to the taxpayers by Halliburton and only 14,000 are actually served."
After telling the amazing tale of the KBR Halliburton subsidiary ordering hand towels for soldiers embroidered with the "KBR" logo, to allow them to double the price of the towels, Dorgan told one Halliburton whistleblower's story of his company serving food date-stamped "expired" to American troops rather than throwing it away.
"[Halliburton was] serving food at a cafeteria in Iraq for the soldiers, and a man named Roy who was the supervisor in the food service kitchen said that the food was date-stamped 'expired,''' said Dorgan. "In other words, it had a date stamp, which meant the food wasn't good anymore, and he was told by superiors that it doesn't matter. Feed it to the troops. It doesn't matter that they had an expired date stamped -- feed it to the troops."Sadly, the mass consumption of tax dollars battling a "last-throes" insurgency continues at astonishing rates, and oversight by Congress evaporates faster than a drop of water in a 5th-grade instructional movie about the cycle of condensation.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Monday Afternoon Web Walk
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly are a few of the category names I could use but I'm not.
So as Mr. Serling used to say: "Submitted for your consideration:"
Funniest thing I've seen in a long time (many bloggers have been posting this like mad, so count me among them.) Here's a clue for those idjits in elected/appointed offices - if Steve Colbert wants to interview you, you're probably an idiot.
Well deserved kudos to Congressman Duncan for his vote against the meaningless non-binding resolution praising all efforts in Iraq. Go right to Congressman's web page and read some of his thoughts on the non-conservative wasteful and dubious achievements of the GOP-led administration. (BTW, Congressman Ford voted the same way.) A taste of what you'll find on Duncan's mind:
"There has been fighting going on in the Middle East for several thousand years. If we say we have to stay until there is perfect peace, that time will never come."
And
"It is sad that some conservatives, who have always been the main opponents of big government, have gone along with this huge expansion of government power just because the word terrorism is used by every government agency now to get more money and power."
How about hiding spending tax dollars from a local perspective. Hamblen County Commissioner Linda Noe rips away the curtain behind the sheriff's office (or tries too). I wonder if this is just one reason the current sheriff was not re-elected??
Speaking of being cancelled - the Chung-Povich show reveals yes, they have no idea what to do with a TV show. I've seen better things on public access. (via NiT)
Does it matter what Bob Corker's daughter does?
Lessons in getting attention for Immigration Reform - the press may find out you only prosecuted 4 employers in 2003, down from 182 in 1998.
"Between 1999 and 2003, work-site enforcement operations were scaled back 95 percent by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which subsequently was merged into the Homeland Security Department. The number of employers prosecuted for unlawfully employing immigrants dropped from 182 in 1999 to four in 2003, and fines collected declined from $3.6 million to $212,000, according to federal statistics."
More later!
So as Mr. Serling used to say: "Submitted for your consideration:"
Funniest thing I've seen in a long time (many bloggers have been posting this like mad, so count me among them.) Here's a clue for those idjits in elected/appointed offices - if Steve Colbert wants to interview you, you're probably an idiot.
Well deserved kudos to Congressman Duncan for his vote against the meaningless non-binding resolution praising all efforts in Iraq. Go right to Congressman's web page and read some of his thoughts on the non-conservative wasteful and dubious achievements of the GOP-led administration. (BTW, Congressman Ford voted the same way.) A taste of what you'll find on Duncan's mind:
"There has been fighting going on in the Middle East for several thousand years. If we say we have to stay until there is perfect peace, that time will never come."
And
"It is sad that some conservatives, who have always been the main opponents of big government, have gone along with this huge expansion of government power just because the word terrorism is used by every government agency now to get more money and power."
How about hiding spending tax dollars from a local perspective. Hamblen County Commissioner Linda Noe rips away the curtain behind the sheriff's office (or tries too). I wonder if this is just one reason the current sheriff was not re-elected??
Speaking of being cancelled - the Chung-Povich show reveals yes, they have no idea what to do with a TV show. I've seen better things on public access. (via NiT)
Does it matter what Bob Corker's daughter does?
Lessons in getting attention for Immigration Reform - the press may find out you only prosecuted 4 employers in 2003, down from 182 in 1998.
"Between 1999 and 2003, work-site enforcement operations were scaled back 95 percent by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which subsequently was merged into the Homeland Security Department. The number of employers prosecuted for unlawfully employing immigrants dropped from 182 in 1999 to four in 2003, and fines collected declined from $3.6 million to $212,000, according to federal statistics."
More later!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
523 Mentos, 101 Two-Liter Bottles of Diet Coke
Science collides with Mentos candy and Diet Coke. The video is here.
Interest in sugar propulsion for rockets is a reality. Rockets launched with Oreos and more.
Interest in sugar propulsion for rockets is a reality. Rockets launched with Oreos and more.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Friday, June 16, 2006
Camera Obscura - Ultra Groovy Edition
"This is my happening and it freaks me out!"
Which movie do you know that line from? Think it's from the first "Austin Powers"? Nope, he cribbed it from a script by film critic Roger Ebert. And Ebert crafted his screenplay at the end of the 1960s collaborating with one of his most favorite filmmakers, Russ Meyer in a big-budget Fox spectacle that finally gets the DVD treatment it deserves.
"Beyond The Valley of the Dolls" hit stores this week, loaded with commentary from Ebert as well as the stars of this very influential cult classic and several new documentaries which make it a must own for true film buffs.
Austin uses the line when he enters the Electric Psychedelic Pussycat Swingers Club - it was a line from BVD which the actor hated saying. Also, the tune "Incense and Peppermints" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock is playing, and that same band was actually in the scene in BVD when the line is spoken.
And while Ebert's work is exceptionally funny as is the BVD movie, the real genius for the movie is Russ Meyer. Meyer had a rep in the early 60s as That Guy Who Made Nudie Movies, but Meyer truly was a master and BVD is the best place to start your adventure with him. Without Meyer (Russ, not the actor who played Austin and no, no relation) there would never have been a John Waters, a "Rocky Horror", or the rapid edit style of MTV or the tounge-in-cheek Tarantino. Yeah, baby, yeah!!!
The studio got this hilarious send-up of Hollywood from Meyers under budget and under schedule and had no idea how to market the satire of the wild and the groovy and ultra-hip. The preview they made is a mash-up madness with some of the strangest all-time rambling announcer lines I've ever heard. The audience got it though, and the movie made ten times what it cost to make on it's first release and became even more popular with time. As for that preview, check it out below.
It is tough to make an easy label for this movie - an all-girl rock band goes to L.A. in a smarmy soap opera satire, is immersed in the most bizarre cult of personality and fame and fortune (yeah, the one that's still there cranking out Weird at high volumes) and encounters all the horrors of the hedonist life.
The stars from the movie are touring together for midnight showings of the movie to promote the DVD and RetroCrush has great interviews with them all here.
In Ebert's DVD comments, he says that the actors were pretty confused too - was this a comedy or not. He spent meticulous time with the actors, telling them how to play the scenes with all the backstory and emotional hoo-ha and to do it with a straight face. He would add the comedy, he said, thru the music and the editing. He does. When a beheading occurs you hear the 20th-Century Fox theme, and he also was the first director to blend in Wagner's opera just as Looney Tunes used much classical music the make their cartoons hilarious.
Also out on DVD in the US finally is the first classic from Meyer, a 1965 movie so bad and hot and wild the title still provides names today for rock bands and rock songs: "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!". Gotta love that title. And the ad lines from the poster: "Filmed in Glorious Black and Blue!" "Belted, Booted and Buckled!!"
This comedy action crazy adventure is made most memorable by the star, Tura Satana - who as a young Japanese girl in America was held in an interment camp as a child with her parents, endured the horrors of rape at age 9 and then life in the girl gangs, dated Elvis, danced burlesque and found much fame from the movie. RetroCrush has a killer interview here.
I was lucky enough to catch the movie on the big screen at the Downtown West when it was re-released in 1995 and laughed myself silly. It's like Mystery Science Theatre and David Lynch made "Thelma and Louise" with the dialog of Ed Wood. Have to see it to believe it and you'll have to go to the late, great Russ Meyer page to order the DVD.
Ah, the 1960s - ultra groovy times indeed. This week I found another wild take on relationships, this time on the Moon with a crazy cast - Dick Shawn, Dennis Weaver, Connie Stevens, Anita Ekberg, Howard Morris (better known as Ernest T Bass ala Andy Griffith), plus cameos by James Brolin and Linda Harrison (soon to be Charlton Heston's girlfriend in "Planet of the Apes") and starring Jerry Lewis.
Yes, that Jerry Lewis. The movie is "Way ... Way, Out!"
A Cold War sci-fi sex comedy with Jerry Lewis ... sorta leaves any sane person speechless. Sadly no DVD on this one yet, look for it on the movie channels, and I'm one of maybe three people who like the oddity. The director was Gordon Douglas, who made the classic sci-fi "Them!" (and how come they don't put exclamation points in movie titles anymore?), and another classic groovy flick from the 60s, "In Like Flint" plus countless westerns and action films, including a trio of movies with Frank Sinatra as a private detective.
Finally this week a big thanks to GAC at Atomic Tumor for her post on Asian Cinema with some fine selections to consider and where I was allowed to ramble endlessly on the topic and probably killed the conversation.
I'll do that.
Which movie do you know that line from? Think it's from the first "Austin Powers"? Nope, he cribbed it from a script by film critic Roger Ebert. And Ebert crafted his screenplay at the end of the 1960s collaborating with one of his most favorite filmmakers, Russ Meyer in a big-budget Fox spectacle that finally gets the DVD treatment it deserves.
"Beyond The Valley of the Dolls" hit stores this week, loaded with commentary from Ebert as well as the stars of this very influential cult classic and several new documentaries which make it a must own for true film buffs.
Austin uses the line when he enters the Electric Psychedelic Pussycat Swingers Club - it was a line from BVD which the actor hated saying. Also, the tune "Incense and Peppermints" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock is playing, and that same band was actually in the scene in BVD when the line is spoken.
And while Ebert's work is exceptionally funny as is the BVD movie, the real genius for the movie is Russ Meyer. Meyer had a rep in the early 60s as That Guy Who Made Nudie Movies, but Meyer truly was a master and BVD is the best place to start your adventure with him. Without Meyer (Russ, not the actor who played Austin and no, no relation) there would never have been a John Waters, a "Rocky Horror", or the rapid edit style of MTV or the tounge-in-cheek Tarantino. Yeah, baby, yeah!!!
The studio got this hilarious send-up of Hollywood from Meyers under budget and under schedule and had no idea how to market the satire of the wild and the groovy and ultra-hip. The preview they made is a mash-up madness with some of the strangest all-time rambling announcer lines I've ever heard. The audience got it though, and the movie made ten times what it cost to make on it's first release and became even more popular with time. As for that preview, check it out below.
It is tough to make an easy label for this movie - an all-girl rock band goes to L.A. in a smarmy soap opera satire, is immersed in the most bizarre cult of personality and fame and fortune (yeah, the one that's still there cranking out Weird at high volumes) and encounters all the horrors of the hedonist life.
The stars from the movie are touring together for midnight showings of the movie to promote the DVD and RetroCrush has great interviews with them all here.
In Ebert's DVD comments, he says that the actors were pretty confused too - was this a comedy or not. He spent meticulous time with the actors, telling them how to play the scenes with all the backstory and emotional hoo-ha and to do it with a straight face. He would add the comedy, he said, thru the music and the editing. He does. When a beheading occurs you hear the 20th-Century Fox theme, and he also was the first director to blend in Wagner's opera just as Looney Tunes used much classical music the make their cartoons hilarious.
Also out on DVD in the US finally is the first classic from Meyer, a 1965 movie so bad and hot and wild the title still provides names today for rock bands and rock songs: "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!". Gotta love that title. And the ad lines from the poster: "Filmed in Glorious Black and Blue!" "Belted, Booted and Buckled!!"
This comedy action crazy adventure is made most memorable by the star, Tura Satana - who as a young Japanese girl in America was held in an interment camp as a child with her parents, endured the horrors of rape at age 9 and then life in the girl gangs, dated Elvis, danced burlesque and found much fame from the movie. RetroCrush has a killer interview here.
I was lucky enough to catch the movie on the big screen at the Downtown West when it was re-released in 1995 and laughed myself silly. It's like Mystery Science Theatre and David Lynch made "Thelma and Louise" with the dialog of Ed Wood. Have to see it to believe it and you'll have to go to the late, great Russ Meyer page to order the DVD.
Ah, the 1960s - ultra groovy times indeed. This week I found another wild take on relationships, this time on the Moon with a crazy cast - Dick Shawn, Dennis Weaver, Connie Stevens, Anita Ekberg, Howard Morris (better known as Ernest T Bass ala Andy Griffith), plus cameos by James Brolin and Linda Harrison (soon to be Charlton Heston's girlfriend in "Planet of the Apes") and starring Jerry Lewis.
Yes, that Jerry Lewis. The movie is "Way ... Way, Out!"
A Cold War sci-fi sex comedy with Jerry Lewis ... sorta leaves any sane person speechless. Sadly no DVD on this one yet, look for it on the movie channels, and I'm one of maybe three people who like the oddity. The director was Gordon Douglas, who made the classic sci-fi "Them!" (and how come they don't put exclamation points in movie titles anymore?), and another classic groovy flick from the 60s, "In Like Flint" plus countless westerns and action films, including a trio of movies with Frank Sinatra as a private detective.
Finally this week a big thanks to GAC at Atomic Tumor for her post on Asian Cinema with some fine selections to consider and where I was allowed to ramble endlessly on the topic and probably killed the conversation.
I'll do that.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
The Best Music Fest In The World: The 'Roo
Billboard Magazine says the Bonnaroo Festival in Middle TN is the biggest moneymaker music fest worldwide, according to an article in today's KnoxNews Sentinel. It would never have happened at all without the immense work by Ashley Capps, who truly seems in his element with the show. Fact is, he has done a tremendous job making TN and Knoxville a top destination for excellent live music shows.
Brittney is blogging from the 'Roo, along with many other folks, and I'd expect you'll see she has some fine concert clips and pictures of the event. Such an eclectic mix of musicians and people is gonna make for a fine weekend. (NOTE: Left of the Dial has directions to get a live feed from this year's event.)
No, I missed my chance to be a paid blogger there, too many applicants! There are many I'd like to see, but I have a real yearning to be in the crowd as the legendary Lousiana singer, songwriter, musician and producer Alan Toussaint perfoms during the hot humid middle TN summer. His tune, "Southern Nights" is so good you can feel the heat. (Yes, I know Glen Campbell ruined that tune, but his version is fantastic.) Not to mention "On Your Way Down," "Soul Sister" and many many more.
Live music is one of the best things in life.
On any given day or weekend in Tennessee you can see and hear an astonishing range of music. No bluegrass, no country, no rock and roll would be what it is today without the works of peformers and promoters who have who called Tennessee home. From the soul and blues in Memphis to the country heart of Music City to the bluegrass from East TN, we totally own the right to say we have helped define the American sound.
Brittney is blogging from the 'Roo, along with many other folks, and I'd expect you'll see she has some fine concert clips and pictures of the event. Such an eclectic mix of musicians and people is gonna make for a fine weekend. (NOTE: Left of the Dial has directions to get a live feed from this year's event.)
No, I missed my chance to be a paid blogger there, too many applicants! There are many I'd like to see, but I have a real yearning to be in the crowd as the legendary Lousiana singer, songwriter, musician and producer Alan Toussaint perfoms during the hot humid middle TN summer. His tune, "Southern Nights" is so good you can feel the heat. (Yes, I know Glen Campbell ruined that tune, but his version is fantastic.) Not to mention "On Your Way Down," "Soul Sister" and many many more.
Live music is one of the best things in life.
On any given day or weekend in Tennessee you can see and hear an astonishing range of music. No bluegrass, no country, no rock and roll would be what it is today without the works of peformers and promoters who have who called Tennessee home. From the soul and blues in Memphis to the country heart of Music City to the bluegrass from East TN, we totally own the right to say we have helped define the American sound.
A Unanimous No To President Bush
It is obvious that a massive power battle is underway in Washington, and it's about time. After endless challenges from the Bush Administration to the checks and balances which have served our nation well, the House and now the Senate, in a unanimous votes, have told the President they will no longer fund the costs of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with emergency funding requests.
If, as Bush says, the wars are the "right thing to do" and that the conflict is a "long war", there is no reason for emergency funding requests from the Pentagon in tens of billions every few months.
The action requires specifics in strategies, supplies, force strengths and the lives of our soldiers abroad. The Constitution is so clear on the issue of oversight and checks of power and spending, even if our security is at stake -- to abandon the tenets on which our government works on a constant cry of "Danger! Danger!" is a reckless act. Both houses should have done this last year, or even required it within a shorter timetable following the approval of the President's decision to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The 98-0 vote demanding budget specifics and the end of emergency funding is, at last, a clear signal to the President that his days as Commander In Chief are waning and the true long-term function of our government needs to return to normal balances.
Will this administration fight this? Most definitely. But it appears the Senate and the House are finally making it clear - our government is meant to operate with oversight of the decisions made, not to write blank checks forever with zero scrutiny. It's the way we will see all our rights, our needs and the lives of those in harm's way best served.
If, as Bush says, the wars are the "right thing to do" and that the conflict is a "long war", there is no reason for emergency funding requests from the Pentagon in tens of billions every few months.
The action requires specifics in strategies, supplies, force strengths and the lives of our soldiers abroad. The Constitution is so clear on the issue of oversight and checks of power and spending, even if our security is at stake -- to abandon the tenets on which our government works on a constant cry of "Danger! Danger!" is a reckless act. Both houses should have done this last year, or even required it within a shorter timetable following the approval of the President's decision to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The 98-0 vote demanding budget specifics and the end of emergency funding is, at last, a clear signal to the President that his days as Commander In Chief are waning and the true long-term function of our government needs to return to normal balances.
Will this administration fight this? Most definitely. But it appears the Senate and the House are finally making it clear - our government is meant to operate with oversight of the decisions made, not to write blank checks forever with zero scrutiny. It's the way we will see all our rights, our needs and the lives of those in harm's way best served.
TN Ranks 10th in Tech Exports
I'm glad to see that a push from the Governor's office focusing on development of high tech business in Tennessee is paying in huge ways, according to reports from the state's Economic and Community Development office. Since the Export Tennessee program was put into place, small and medium sized biz can educate themselves about how to make the global economy work for them, and rather than see jobs outsourced, there's now attention on making jobs selling products abroad.
The billions of earnings in increases are cited in a press release:
"According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Export Assistance Center in Nashville, Tennessee exports rose by 51% from 2003-2005, the highest rate of growth of any major exporting state in the country. Tennessee exports continue their rapid trajectory in the first quarter of 2006, growing 21% above the same period last year and far outpacing the national average of 14%. Tennessee is now the 14th largest exporting state in the nation in terms of overall dollar volume. In 2005, Tennessee companies exported more than $19 billion dollars worth of goods and services to foreign markets. The state’s largest export commodities include cotton, automobiles, auto parts and medical devices. The American Electronics Association’s 2006 Cyberstates Report showed unexpected strength in Tennessee’s technology sector, especially among companies which manufacture computers and data processing equipment. The AeA report placed the dollar value of Tennessee exports from this sector at $3.8 billion dollars in 2005, an increase of 23% over the previous year. That volume was good enough to rank Tennessee 10th among technology exporting states, ahead of traditionally strong export states like Georgia and North Carolina. Tennessee ranked 14th in technology exports in 2004 and 21st in 2003."
The billions of earnings in increases are cited in a press release:
"According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Export Assistance Center in Nashville, Tennessee exports rose by 51% from 2003-2005, the highest rate of growth of any major exporting state in the country. Tennessee exports continue their rapid trajectory in the first quarter of 2006, growing 21% above the same period last year and far outpacing the national average of 14%. Tennessee is now the 14th largest exporting state in the nation in terms of overall dollar volume. In 2005, Tennessee companies exported more than $19 billion dollars worth of goods and services to foreign markets. The state’s largest export commodities include cotton, automobiles, auto parts and medical devices. The American Electronics Association’s 2006 Cyberstates Report showed unexpected strength in Tennessee’s technology sector, especially among companies which manufacture computers and data processing equipment. The AeA report placed the dollar value of Tennessee exports from this sector at $3.8 billion dollars in 2005, an increase of 23% over the previous year. That volume was good enough to rank Tennessee 10th among technology exporting states, ahead of traditionally strong export states like Georgia and North Carolina. Tennessee ranked 14th in technology exports in 2004 and 21st in 2003."
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Wal-Mart To Go Free Trade Coffee?
A report from the WaPo claims the suits at The Mart are reconsidering some of their business practices, which I found most peculiar. The suits are just in the discussion stage with co-ops in South America, but is this an actual response to the anti-Mart movement or just a ploy to get trendy phrases and products on the shelf?
The story says in part:
"Wal-Mart executives are planning to visit Poco Fundo at the end of the month before making a decision. It's part of the new corporate philosophy outlined by chief executive H. Lee Scott Jr.: "Doing well by doing good."
And:
"At Wal-Mart, executives say a rebirth is occurring inside their no-frills headquarters. "Sustainability" and "trend-right" have entered the corporate lexicon alongside "everyday low prices." Chief executive Lee Scott drives a Lexus Hybrid.
Greg Spragg, executive vice president for operations and the No. 2 guy at Sam's Club, has christened Bom Dia's coffee his "volume producing item," which means everyone down the ladder is focused on boosting sales. "I really felt like it was important to be able to put the words that we had been using around sustainability [and] kind of bring them to life in an item," Spragg said from Wal-Mart headquarters. "What we had in these products were really great quality items at an extraordinary value."
Perhaps the spread of acts like this are having an effect?
The story says in part:
"Wal-Mart executives are planning to visit Poco Fundo at the end of the month before making a decision. It's part of the new corporate philosophy outlined by chief executive H. Lee Scott Jr.: "Doing well by doing good."
And:
"At Wal-Mart, executives say a rebirth is occurring inside their no-frills headquarters. "Sustainability" and "trend-right" have entered the corporate lexicon alongside "everyday low prices." Chief executive Lee Scott drives a Lexus Hybrid.
Greg Spragg, executive vice president for operations and the No. 2 guy at Sam's Club, has christened Bom Dia's coffee his "volume producing item," which means everyone down the ladder is focused on boosting sales. "I really felt like it was important to be able to put the words that we had been using around sustainability [and] kind of bring them to life in an item," Spragg said from Wal-Mart headquarters. "What we had in these products were really great quality items at an extraordinary value."
Perhaps the spread of acts like this are having an effect?
Should Knox Co. Be Renamed Inertia?
There is an unholy mess in government in Knox County since their charter was never properly filed (for reasons of "I dunno") and just about everything enacted since then is in question as well. Voters everywhere can learn a tremendous lesson in the current state of disaster, chiefly that citizens must never assume it's all okay and that the principles of inertia are too often the dominant form of governing today.
Here's an excellent definition that applies:
"1. Physics. The tendency of a body to resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in straight line motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force.
2. Resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change: the inertia of an entrenched bureaucracy.
Too often government locally and nationally lumbers along under inertia, aka Business As Usual. Those who dare to question or examine the actions or inactions are vilified as the Anti-Whatever. Here in Hamblen County, we at least enjoy the ability to watch via re-broadcast on Charter Communications Channels the county commission meetings, though there are efforts by some to end that. More than 10 years after creating a government and education channel, the Morristown City Government continues to refuse air a single second of their monthly 4 pm meetings.
A lesson from Knox: even having the camera eye and the mainstream media on government, whopping failures exist.
First rate examinations of the issues can be found at KnoxViews, and No Silence Here notes that bloggers have taken command, swooping down like Al Haig did all those years ago since it's all up for grabs now.
via Rikki at KnoxViews:
"The will of Knox County's citizens has been persistently subverted by negligence and disregard, and [Chancellor] Weaver's ruling is just one more slap in the face. It is now too late to salvage this year's elections. Already defective in execution, they will now be defective in outcome. Office holders complicit in subverting the public interest will be awarded with continued power for as long as they can drag out the appeals process, and our elections, already tainted by big money, ballot manipulation and the two-party straightjacket, will degrade further toward becoming complete charades.
Eighteen years of governing called into question by this ruling. That's just pathetic.
Again, such things occur locally and otherwise. Morristown is notorious for issuing voter referendums under the "non-binding resolution" form of government, which allows them to proceed with whatever they wish despite any public vote to the contrary.
At the state level, increases in lifetime pensions for officials are granted in off-hours voting, with the allowance of some votes to be cast in the name of representatives who aren't even in the room, much less in Nashville.
The bottom line seems to be: We the people just means We the few who live in perpetual inertia.
Here's an excellent definition that applies:
"1. Physics. The tendency of a body to resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in straight line motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force.
2. Resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change: the inertia of an entrenched bureaucracy.
Too often government locally and nationally lumbers along under inertia, aka Business As Usual. Those who dare to question or examine the actions or inactions are vilified as the Anti-Whatever. Here in Hamblen County, we at least enjoy the ability to watch via re-broadcast on Charter Communications Channels the county commission meetings, though there are efforts by some to end that. More than 10 years after creating a government and education channel, the Morristown City Government continues to refuse air a single second of their monthly 4 pm meetings.
A lesson from Knox: even having the camera eye and the mainstream media on government, whopping failures exist.
First rate examinations of the issues can be found at KnoxViews, and No Silence Here notes that bloggers have taken command, swooping down like Al Haig did all those years ago since it's all up for grabs now.
via Rikki at KnoxViews:
"The will of Knox County's citizens has been persistently subverted by negligence and disregard, and [Chancellor] Weaver's ruling is just one more slap in the face. It is now too late to salvage this year's elections. Already defective in execution, they will now be defective in outcome. Office holders complicit in subverting the public interest will be awarded with continued power for as long as they can drag out the appeals process, and our elections, already tainted by big money, ballot manipulation and the two-party straightjacket, will degrade further toward becoming complete charades.
Eighteen years of governing called into question by this ruling. That's just pathetic.
Again, such things occur locally and otherwise. Morristown is notorious for issuing voter referendums under the "non-binding resolution" form of government, which allows them to proceed with whatever they wish despite any public vote to the contrary.
At the state level, increases in lifetime pensions for officials are granted in off-hours voting, with the allowance of some votes to be cast in the name of representatives who aren't even in the room, much less in Nashville.
The bottom line seems to be: We the people just means We the few who live in perpetual inertia.
A New Link - My Canadian Family
My niece has a blog and has just recently returned to the blogland and I most heartily recommend it. She has always impressed me with her writing and I like the blog title too - The Cuspidor.
She recently married young Marko (well okay its been a matter of years) and they are in Canada now, coping with couple-dom and other things and I know you'll like reading it. As we say here, They are good people.
Here's a sample of one recent post, about her efforts to complete guest worker status and being The Housewife:
"Anyway, most people don'’t know how to properly construct a sentence. I know how to write directions so that a sixth grader can figure out how to use a software suite. Yes, I am aware of what an enormous geek I am. Over the years, I have learned to embrace it.
I say, down with human resources! Just because you don'’t like your job, doesn'’t mean I won'’t like mine! If I can actually find one, that is. I must learn to defeat these demons that guard the gates to employment. Why do they ask such inane questions? There must be a right answer to "“What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?"” that will get me a second interview. Otherwise, I see myself vacuuming the living room, baking pies, and issuing time-outs."
Be nice if you visit or I'll have to get all Tennessee on you.
She recently married young Marko (well okay its been a matter of years) and they are in Canada now, coping with couple-dom and other things and I know you'll like reading it. As we say here, They are good people.
Here's a sample of one recent post, about her efforts to complete guest worker status and being The Housewife:
"Anyway, most people don'’t know how to properly construct a sentence. I know how to write directions so that a sixth grader can figure out how to use a software suite. Yes, I am aware of what an enormous geek I am. Over the years, I have learned to embrace it.
I say, down with human resources! Just because you don'’t like your job, doesn'’t mean I won'’t like mine! If I can actually find one, that is. I must learn to defeat these demons that guard the gates to employment. Why do they ask such inane questions? There must be a right answer to "“What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?"” that will get me a second interview. Otherwise, I see myself vacuuming the living room, baking pies, and issuing time-outs."
Be nice if you visit or I'll have to get all Tennessee on you.
Monday, June 12, 2006
The Alchemy of Media Marketing
Getting that advertising out there is vital in biz, but how bizarre for the NYTimes web report this morning on the case of rape at Duke to have a huge banner ad for Victoria's Secret? I'll put the link in though I'm sure the ads change thru the day to increase ad opportunities and fees.
I know marketing is an often strange and marvelous world, sometimes hidden and subtle and sometimes as obvious as holding a rabid wolverine in your hands. The above instance is more of a hybrid, a designer rabid wolverine.
I noticed the other day that a new DVD edition of Monty Python's classic comedy "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" included two free passes to see the "DaVinci Code" movie. I suppose Columbia, which distributes both movies, have a file of Holy Grail-themed products. But alongside the Python DVD was an edition of "The Mark of Zorro" also with DaVinci tickets.
Discerning the logic and logistics of marketing have their own alchemical symbiosis, mystical and unknowable to non-practitioners, another cipher of meanings to fill your day, like some Sodoku puzzle of business.
Director John Waters noted some years back how the "cult" entertainments have been mainstreamed and alchemical mysteries are as good an explanation as any to mark the move of a longtime cult classic like Python's "Grail" moving from midnight movie to Broadway musical - turning lead into gold is primary for alchemy.
This morning's Washington Post had an article about product placement in books, citing an instance of a major change in a book for teen girls because Cover Girl made a deal with the publisher - not to pay them but to feature the book on a Cover Girl website. Proctor and Gamble owns Cover Girl and again, marketing is important for biz.
The story noted that award-winning novelist Fay Weldon was "commissioned" by Italian jewelry company Bulgari to write an entire book - "The Bulgari Connection" was the cunning name of that tome.
The marketing team that hit upon the Cover Girl/teen novel alchemical connections were the novel's authors, who helped design the vast web-based marketing mystery campaign behind the movie "A.I.", which was certainly one of the first successful web marketing efforts where so-called "viral marketing" was imprinted on the business world.
Our minds constantly yearn to find connections and the alchemical marketing wizards know this and exploit it, sometimes for gold and sometimes you just get the rabid wolverine.
I can play in the alchemical crucible too here on this internets dealie - if I include popular tag words from Technorati or Yahoo! I get more traffic, and the same goes for all kinds of words. Sex, hot sex, or free sex will bring readers. I can try this phrase - "Knitting Knowledge: The Basics of Expert Crafts". That too will bring certain readers.
Yeah, that's fun and easy.
Readers and Web-walkers could be seen as potential customers cruising the alchemy magic shop, and I am enough of a shameless self-promoter that even my blog's title exploits my real name and the elixir of the world, coffee. Make that Free Trade Coffee.
Dang - I gotta go - rabid wolverine on the loose! It'll smash my Ikea furniture I'm selling on eBay to finance my Net-Nuetrality petition, or pee on my Ann Coulter book collection, which I'm offering free to Christian Republicans to fight the Democrats Who Hate America.
I know marketing is an often strange and marvelous world, sometimes hidden and subtle and sometimes as obvious as holding a rabid wolverine in your hands. The above instance is more of a hybrid, a designer rabid wolverine.
I noticed the other day that a new DVD edition of Monty Python's classic comedy "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" included two free passes to see the "DaVinci Code" movie. I suppose Columbia, which distributes both movies, have a file of Holy Grail-themed products. But alongside the Python DVD was an edition of "The Mark of Zorro" also with DaVinci tickets.
Discerning the logic and logistics of marketing have their own alchemical symbiosis, mystical and unknowable to non-practitioners, another cipher of meanings to fill your day, like some Sodoku puzzle of business.
Director John Waters noted some years back how the "cult" entertainments have been mainstreamed and alchemical mysteries are as good an explanation as any to mark the move of a longtime cult classic like Python's "Grail" moving from midnight movie to Broadway musical - turning lead into gold is primary for alchemy.
This morning's Washington Post had an article about product placement in books, citing an instance of a major change in a book for teen girls because Cover Girl made a deal with the publisher - not to pay them but to feature the book on a Cover Girl website. Proctor and Gamble owns Cover Girl and again, marketing is important for biz.
The story noted that award-winning novelist Fay Weldon was "commissioned" by Italian jewelry company Bulgari to write an entire book - "The Bulgari Connection" was the cunning name of that tome.
The marketing team that hit upon the Cover Girl/teen novel alchemical connections were the novel's authors, who helped design the vast web-based marketing mystery campaign behind the movie "A.I.", which was certainly one of the first successful web marketing efforts where so-called "viral marketing" was imprinted on the business world.
Our minds constantly yearn to find connections and the alchemical marketing wizards know this and exploit it, sometimes for gold and sometimes you just get the rabid wolverine.
I can play in the alchemical crucible too here on this internets dealie - if I include popular tag words from Technorati or Yahoo! I get more traffic, and the same goes for all kinds of words. Sex, hot sex, or free sex will bring readers. I can try this phrase - "Knitting Knowledge: The Basics of Expert Crafts". That too will bring certain readers.
Yeah, that's fun and easy.
Readers and Web-walkers could be seen as potential customers cruising the alchemy magic shop, and I am enough of a shameless self-promoter that even my blog's title exploits my real name and the elixir of the world, coffee. Make that Free Trade Coffee.
Dang - I gotta go - rabid wolverine on the loose! It'll smash my Ikea furniture I'm selling on eBay to finance my Net-Nuetrality petition, or pee on my Ann Coulter book collection, which I'm offering free to Christian Republicans to fight the Democrats Who Hate America.
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