Statue of a Fool
March 15th, 2013
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I had the privilege of meeting Jack Greene a few years back on a TV show (Country’s Family Reunion) I was working on. By then, he had pretty much lost his mind to Alzheimer’s. His manager led him by the had across the set to his seat, where he sat for hours without talking. He patiently waited for half the day for his turn to sing.
Then he got up, with the help of his old duet partner Jeannie Seely and sang a classic Earnest Tubb song (of which he was a member of the Earnest’s Trubadors):
And he killed it. It reminds me that when singing and performing is in your blood, it is impossible to forget or disgard.
Another country hero is lost, but his musical legacy will be remembered. I made this tribute video, and thought I’d share it with you.
Elvis in the beginning
March 8th, 2013
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I have to admit, I’m an Elvis fan. The old Sun recordings are mostly what I listen to, but the emerging culture just fascinates me. It must have been captivating to witness. I guess that’s why most old timers can tell you the first time they even saw Elvis. It ranks up there with the lunar landing and JFK.
I spent an hour looking though Alfred Wertheimer’s photos of Elvis in the early days. Like a dog (a hound dog, maybe?) looking cockeyed at a stranger, I pondered the life that Elvis must have had when he first made the scene in the late 50′s. The excitement of TV. The long train ride home. The newfangled wonder. For a moment, I was Elvis in these casual photos. Then, after about an hour, my boss came into the room, looking for some work that I had promised. ‘Oh yeah, sure, I’ll get right on that.’ Even a billion years later, Elvis still has that ability to make folks stop, stare, and forget about their own lives for a little while. They called him the king for a pretty good reason.
Make sure to read the photo captions Alfred wrote to help put the photos into context.
Good luck getting any work done.
Oz the Great and Powerful
March 8th, 2013
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Oz the Great and Powerful – Disney’s addition to the cinematic interpretation of the Land of Oz – opens tonight in theaters.
Now I don’t proclaim to be an expert on all things Oz, but I understand that this isn’t an ‘official’ canonical tale from the works of the Royal Historian of Oz himself, Mr. L. Frank Baum. Rather, Oz the Great and Powerful, is a prequel of sorts; a convincing back-story, on how the ‘man behind the curtain’ came to be in Oz. The story of how the Wizard came into being and how it is sometimes better to be good, rather than great. Chronologically, this story falls sometime between the events told in the Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked, and those in Warner Bros’ much beloved 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz.
My wife and I caught an advance screening of the 3D version of this film earlier in the week. Admittedly, I’m not much of an expert on 3D movies and while I typically enjoy them whenever I get the chance, I tend to opt for the regular 2d version of most films. 3D movies hardly ever seem to be worth the extra cash on the barrel-head at the box office. No matter how you slice it, movie tickets are pricey these days… so forking over $18 when you can get just as much enjoyment out of a $12 show seems like something only rich people should do. All that being said, the 3d version of Oz the Great and Powerful justmight be worth the extra $6.
While it may ultimately fall short of Disney’s box office expectations, this film more than exceeded mine. The visual effects are simply dazzling. Danny Elfman’s score ranks amongst his best work. The plot is engaging and the acting is more than you should expect from a Disney movie.
So as not to spoil any surprises, I’ll refrain from rehashing the plot but I will say this – my favorite thing about this movie was the talking/flying monkey. You just don’t see talking/flying monkeys that often… especially such funny and adorable ones. That little feller really stole the show in my book. But don’t take my word alone for it- make yourself an opportunity to see for yourself. After all, I’m sure you deserve to be treated to something nice. You can thank me later.
