A Little Of The Old In And Out



(image via afp via business24-7)

In: Senator Barack Obama. The Senator from Illinois' historic victory last night is one of those well-earned events that our grandkids will be asking about. "Where were you, Gramps, when Obama finally clinched the nomination?" From ABCNews:

"Obama claimed the Democratic nomination in the same St. Paul arena in which Sen. John McCain will accept the Republican nomination in early September.

"'Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another — a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Because of you, tonight I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States,' Obama told his cheering supporters."

(image via darkscenario)

Out: "Art." We just got blasted on the Gawker message boards for commenting, negatively, on transgressive art. It was bound to happen one of these days considering the anarchic, anonymous friskiness that regularly goes on in that arena. But we're game! The subject was the controversy-seeking "artists" who made an exhibit on the assassinations of Senators Clinton and Obama that was apparently shut down by the secret service in NYC this morning. A commenter named "Flossy" attacked us for posting: "There is no such thing as Art anymore, only 'transgressive' assholes -- read: diamond-encrusted skull .. piss Christ, dung Mary Magdalene -- who perform low-grade piece of ass stunts in order to gain publicity. Picasso is spinning in his grave (at fractured angles)."

"Flossy's" response was: "There is no such thing as an educated art critic anymore, just internet commenters who post knee-jerk, conservative reactions to art* they don't care to understand.

"I'm not talking about this assassination b.s. I mean, people who dismiss Damien Hirst, Andres Serrano (Piss Christ) and especially Chris Ofili (elephant dung Virgin Mary) out of hand, without any informed criticism to back it up. Some of those people are seriously talented, regardless of whether or not their work scandalizes the philistines. Do yourself a favor and look them up."

To which we replied: "I am not a conservative and no one who knows me would ever accuse me of being such. Now who is being 'knee jerk,' hmm? I didn't dismiss Damien Hirst entirely, incidentally, only that diamond encrusted skull which went for $100 million to a Russian oligarch, an 'educated art critic,' to be sure. I'm not quite sure this would be the forum to get into whether or not he brought off the whole materialism/existentiality thing with the diamonds and the Death, but it reeked of "art stunt" to me. Nor did I dismiss Andres Serrano as out of hand altogether, just "Piss Christ," for the same reasons. Ditto with the rest."

It will probably go on here.



In: Sarah Jessica Parker. Although the current media winds are prevailing against child stars, Michael Musto, ever the genius contrarian, brings up SJP. Mrs. Parker -- no stranger to the gay white way -- is one of the few exceptions to the general rule that child stars will either porn "stars" or wind up on-the-pipe. From Musto:

"Unlike most child stars, Sarah Jessica Parker hasn't grown up to be a crack addict, serial killer, or reality show star. In fact, she's done quite splendidly while keeping her wit and professionalism about her and not even driving drunk or without the proper accessories. And a new memoir, Put on a Happy Face by Broadway songwriter Charles Strouse, reminds us of just how effortlessly she started out in the biz, with no failure to launch whatsoever.

"Well, maybe just a little. When Sarah Jessica was nine and appearing in an off-Broadway revue of Strouse's songs, he desperately wanted her to go into his wildly successful family musical Annie, but everyone else involved in that show said no way! They were certain the future superstar was 'too sad looking' and 'too dark' to score in that project. (Real visionaries, huh?)

(image via themoviereport)

Out: Dario Argento's "Mother of Tears". God how we loved "Suspiria," probably the most visually arresting horror movie ever. When first we saw that film we could not go to sleep that night for fear of demonic disembodies eyes (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment).

But the folks at Indiewire -- who we trust on these things -- have convinced us not to go see his latest, "Mother of Tears":

"Take away Argento's undeniable craft, and what would you really be left with?

"The answer is 'Mother of Tears,' the official third part of the 'Three Mothers Trilogy,' that, while continuing the saga set forth by 'Suspiria' and 'Inferno' over thirty years ago, contains little of those films' visual ingenuity, and a surplus of their unchecked sadism. Having the dubious distinction of being at once sickening and utterly ineffectual, 'Mother of Tears' seems destined for a short burst of horror geek enthusiasm, soon to be tempered by the reality of its filmmaker's sad decline."