Pop Elegantiarum

All Gone, Save One

2012-01-30T15:05:00.008-06:00

While perusing etsy today I came upon these images of old cinemas, all abandoned except for Screen Cinema in Dublin, which is still going strong. Click on the photos for the links.

Hearth and Home

2012-01-23T17:43:00.007-06:00

Spent the day fighting the blues by baking Linzertorte cookies and making a mix. Can't share the cookies, but I can share the tunes, playable above.

January Hymn :: The Decemberists
Welcome Home :: Radical Face
Take Us Back :: Alela Diane

Sim Sala Bim :: Fleet Foxes

Cinder and Smoke :: Iron & Wine

Angel in the Snow :: Elliott Smith

Paper Forest (In the Afterglow of Rapture) :: Emmy the Great

Wash. :: Bon Iver

Winter Beats :: I Break Horses

Your Tester Bunny :: Kyle Andrews

Cannons :: Youth Lagoon

In the Deep Shade :: The Frames

Boots of Spanish Leather :: Bob Dylan

Guyamas Sonora :: Beirut

Dear Avery :: The Decemberists

Fuck It, Dude

2012-01-17T18:45:00.003-06:00

Best sympathy card ever? If you don't agree, obviously, you're not a golfer.

Tater Juice and the Devil's Brew

2012-01-12T21:52:00.010-06:00

I inaugurated my snazzy new USB turntable today by downloading selections from this little gem, which can best be described as Kiev by way of Nashville.

Side 1

Shutters and Boards
In Heaven There Is No Beer

Mother May I

How To "Yak Ce Myish"

I Have Loved You So Many Years

I Can't Tell My Heart That

Side 2

Song Birds Are Singing
In The Green Woodland
When You Want a Little Loving
The Widow in the Green Woods
He Made You For Me

They Call It Moonshine

Still a 3D Square

2012-01-06T13:34:00.010-06:00

For the first time in ages I went to the movies by myself, to see Hugo. I've had a fraught relationship with 3Ds latest incarnation; Avatar gave me a headache, and the curmudgeon in me asks, why is it necessary? Isn't 2D effectively 3D anyway? But I've been trying to keep an open mind, what with the likes of Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders trying it, so I sat down in the dark and gave myself over to Scorsese's try. And my mind isn't entirely changed. Young Hugo Cabret says in the film that a machine only has the exact number of parts it needs to work, nothing more; likewise, the 3D dimension often seemed an extraneous piece here. Scorsese's fairyland Paris is shiny and magical enough without the pop-up-book effects. So yeah, it's a bit of a clunky machine: it runs long, it's a bit mannered (that means you, Chloë Grace Moretz) and it often comes off like a PSA for film preservation. But screw all that, I was still totally in love with it. How could I not love something that clings as fiercely to film history as Hugo clings to his beloved automaton? And I have to admit, seeing Méliès fantastical world of mermaids and shooting stars and rocket ships, remade and replayed in 3D, took my breath away.

Mystery and Cheer

2011-12-31T10:52:00.006-06:00

Joining the mass of those bidding adieu to 2011 with a list, here is my post on 2011's most inspirational over at The Film Experience. Bottoms up!

I Thought I'd Learned

2011-12-27T11:14:00.003-06:00

I've been watching this over and over today; has me feeling new beginnings. Thanks, Nannette.

Eat, Drink, and Be Moz

2011-12-22T08:57:00.004-06:00

What to wear to retain some mope through the merriment.

Here's to the Wonderful People

2011-12-19T09:40:00.004-06:00

Bring on the martinis.

Charles the Cantankerous

2011-12-13T10:45:00.005-06:00

Just got an early Christmas present when my brother sent me this article on Charlies Grodin, filled with links to his curmudgeonly late night appearances, including his famous SNL appearance and his free-for-all with Sean Hannity.

(And yes, that copy of The Great Muppet Caper that I'm putting in my toddler's stocking is really for me.)

Cribmas Greetings

2011-12-12T10:44:00.007-06:00

Busy writing Christmas cards today. If I didn't feel familial pressure to send a picture of the little one, for sure I'd be sending these from Red Camper.

Woody, Squared

2011-12-05T09:54:00.008-06:00

Since watching both parts of Woody Allen: A Documentary I've been in desperate need of his form of medicine. Some of his films really have a restorative effect on me, and right now, with the snow starting, and a bit of depression creeping in, I really need a good dose of The Purple Rose of Cairo (the best to watch when your reality feels like a letdown) or Hannah and Her Sisters (the perfect tonic against awkward family get-togethers) or Manhattan (when I'm craving urban life again) or, of course, Annie Hall (for any of the above). But with all the holiday busyness, and with my DVD collection lacking, I only have time to stream on Netflix. Looks like I'll have to settle for the slight but fun Manhattan Murder Mystery, always good in a pinch. Portrait above by Peter Mack.

Mixtape Memory: Jill's Greatest Hits

2011-11-28T13:55:00.012-06:00

Recently I ran into an old friend of mine, someone I hadn't seen in at least 15 years. After we said our hellos and talked about our kids and such, I started hearing Mark Knopfler's voice in my head, singing about Romeo and Juliet. And then I dug this up: a mix she sent me back in 1992. Looks like she was into "The Wonder Years" and was a Ferris fan. I'm guessing she doesn't listen to quite as much Pink Floyd nowadays.

Side One

Romeo and Juliet :: Dire Straits
Good Things :: BoDeans
Drift Away :: Judson Spence
For What It's Worth :: Buffalo Springfield

Sugar Magnolia :: Grateful Dead

Give a Little Bit :: Supertramp

Shine On You Crazy Diamond :: Pink Floyd

Imagine :: John Lennon

The Edge of Forever :: The Dream Academy

Bridge Over Troubled Water :: Simon and Garfunkel

Side Two

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around :: Stevie Nicks
Apron Strings :: Everything but the Girl
Take It on the Run :: REO Speedwagon
Dreamer :: Supertramp

The Boxer :: Simon and Garfunkel

Leather and Lace :: Stevie Nicks

Brain Damage :: Pink Floyd

Eclipse :: Pink Floyd

Tracks and Lines :: Eric Clapton

Tears in Heaven :: Eric Clapton

Save the Best for Last :: Vanessa Williams

Helplessly Hoping :: Crosby Stills Nash & Young

I Got You Babe :: UB40

Running To Stand Still :: U2

Happiness, Miss Piggy

2011-11-21T15:22:00.004-06:00

This is my toddler's most requested song right now. I even find her singing along with Charles Grodin. The heart warms.

Un Petit Monde

2011-11-14T16:16:00.005-06:00

Kurt Moses' photography involves three things I'm obsessed with: miniatures, diners, and road trips. You can see more here, and buy cards and prints here.

Torch Song

2011-11-07T16:54:00.005-06:00

60 years ago today, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner got married, back when celebrity marriage was about passion and brawls instead of profits and baloney.

Jack-o'-Louie

2011-10-28T21:31:00.004-05:00

I decided to carve a pumpkin dedicated to our favorite ginger of the year, Louis C.K. But alas, none of us will be dressing as Frederick Douglass this year.

Boo!

2011-10-25T11:10:00.006-05:00

Dance Toe to Toe

2011-10-18T13:50:00.001-05:00

Rapture dolls in plywood, by the sublime Sandra Eterovic.

Dead Fan Walking

2011-10-17T14:50:00.003-05:00

Since our marathon of a few weeks back, all we can do in this house is watch Breaking Bad. It's all I can think about, talk about, dream about. I just made my daughter a grilled cheese for lunch while I streamed another episode on my iPad next to the stove. I may burn my house down. We forgo sleep (not something I do lightly) to catch just one more episode before we pass out for the night. Damn you, AMC, for making us the walking dead. (And God grant us the strength to avoid taking that one up too.) The illustration of zombie Walter White is by Matty M. Cipov.

Filmkunst

2011-10-10T13:46:00.007-05:00

Recently I was lucky enough to see these Piet Zwart-designed film magazine covers at the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibit also included works by El Lissitzky, John Heartfield, and Gustav Klutsis. I was in montage heaven.

Jello Lab

2011-10-03T16:58:00.005-05:00

As if we don't have enough shows to watch, we decided to take on another this weekend, staging a Breaking Bad marathon. What better way to celebrate than with beaker jello and drinks in laboratory flasks?

Trouble with Dreams

2011-09-30T10:51:00.006-05:00

Here's a mix I made, colored by some insomnia of late. I have too many books to keep me awake after my daughter goes to bed. These tunes have been accompanying them, pumping through my iPod while she sleeps in the next room.

Cruise Control

2011-09-26T16:33:00.011-05:00

After seeing Drive this weekend, I was left wondering, when was the last time I've seen a move that singularly cool? Suffice it to say it's been awhile. Everyone agrees that the film has style in spades, from the scorpion jacket to the 80s-infused titles to the soundtrack. But what entranced me was seeing the eruptions of fury from beneath its smooth candy surface. Like Marsellus when he got medieval, this Driver gets all Michael Myers on their asses. Maybe Ryan Gosling is right: all those John Hughes movies needed a little more head smashing. The poster is from a series by Cory Schmitz and Maré Odomo.

Fan Club

2011-09-21T18:13:00.002-05:00

Thanks for the memories.

The Late Night Triad

2011-09-16T11:19:00.007-05:00

In this 2003 installation from artist Jason Salavon, "64 nights' worth of the major US late night talk shows have been aligned and averaged using basic transformations. The result is a triptych of video projections with soundtrack, presenting an amalgamation of monologues which reveals the ghosts of repetitious structure and nightly activity." See the video here.

Edith and the Bears

2011-09-13T11:37:00.018-05:00

It's been months since I finished reading
The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll: The Search for Dare Wright, and years since my Lonely Doll interest first manifest, but I can't get Edith and her bear friends out of my head. They were the creations of the author and photographer Dare Wright, whose images are so haunting that they've inspired me to shoot a series of my old Sindy dolls in Cindy Sherman guises. (I wasn't surprised when I read that Cindy was similarly taken, and even considered curating an exhibit about the books, of course!) My interest has also spread to other children's books illustrated with photographs, like Lilibet: Circus Child and the animal books photographed by Haworth Bartram. But if I won the lottery, the first thing I would do is buy all the books starring Edith. And I'd need to be that rich, since they run you about $400 apiece.

Killer Crush

2011-09-12T16:20:00.008-05:00

Lately I've been challenging myself to find interesting films streaming on Netflix, and with a little digging I've found some treasures. I Start Counting is one of those. From 1969, the film follows Wynne (Jenny Agutter, who falls for a werewolf later on, but I digress), a fourteen-year-old with a crush on her 32-year-old adoptive brother George. This is the sort of raging teenage crush that verges on mania, so much so that when Wynne begins to suspect that George is a serial killer she only grows more infatuated. It's like Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt but with all those weird undertones of incest brought to the surface (and without the services of the marvelously unctuous Joseph Cotton). In fact, if you have a free afternoon and are in the mood for a little discomfiting teenage suspense, they'd make a great double feature.

Handmade Movies

2011-09-09T15:19:00.010-05:00

I've had a weird little obsession lately with the idea of making my own paper movie machines. This is totally ludicrous and puts me one step away from making my own viewmaster reels; nonetheless I went as far as to buy this book on etsy, which has very interesting instructions for making your own thaumatropes, kinematoscopes, rolloscopes and lots of other scopes I had no idea existed. I also bought this readymade zoetrope because I got lazy. How ridiculously analog would it be for me to make strips from screencaps of my favorite films so I could watch them through the zoetrope? Yeah, I've officially become a Portlandia punchline.

Mixtape Memory: Best of Nick

2011-09-06T10:51:00.014-05:00

Seeing all the emotional parents with their kids at Bed Bath & Beyond lately reminded me that it was 20 years ago that I was headed off to college. I'd spent the summer plundering my brother's CD collection, and I knew I had to make a mix before I left to keep listening to all the best he had to offer; I barely managed to throw one together in the midst of packing my new suitcases. I still can't hear any of these songs without remembering the fall chill and fearful excitement that was stirring in me my first semester.

Side One

Girls Talk :: Elvis Costello
Alex Chilton :: The Replacements
Nightclub Jitters :: The Replacements
Skyway :: The Replacements
Nobody :: The Replacements
Sadly Beautiful :: The Replacements

Panic :: The Smiths

Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want :: The Smiths

This Night Has Opened My Eyes :: The Smiths

Oscillate Wildly :: The Smiths

A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours :: The Smiths

I Started Something I Couldn't Finish :: The Smiths

Girlfriend In A Coma :: The Smiths

Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before :: The Smiths

Unhappy Birthday :: The Smiths

Sweet Jane :: Velvet Underground

Sunspots :: Bob Mould

Side Two

See a Little Light :: Bob Mould
Sinners And Their Repentances :: Bob Mould
Uncomplicated :: Elvis Costello
Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind? :: Elvis Costello
Don't Worry About the Government :: Talking Heads

First Week/Last Week...Carefree :: Talking Heads

Blinded by the Light :: Bruce Springsteen

For You :: Bruce Springsteen

Spirit in the Night :: Bruce Springsteen

Lovers Walk :: Elvis Costello

Strict Time :: Elvis Costello

Luxembourg :: Elvis Costello

No Action :: Elvis Costello

You Belong to Me :: Elvis Costello

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood :: Elvis Costello

Still Life with Stapler

2011-08-30T12:11:00.004-05:00

Artist John Tebeau describes this painting as a celebration of a movie that "can fix an otherwise crappy day." Anyone who has worked a soul-depleting office job will agree, no? He's selling prints here.

We Are Detective

2011-08-22T12:25:00.005-05:00

Were my vintage magazine collection not busting at the seams I would snap these up (from this shop).

Polaroid New Wave

2011-08-18T21:37:00.007-05:00

Polaroid collections featuring Anna Karina and Jean Seberg from this etsy shop.

Summer Reading

2011-08-17T10:41:00.004-05:00

Last night I decided to take a break from the books I'm reading (Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor and The Photograph) to try something lighter. Much lighter. I was in the mood for some good retro celebrity trash to send me to sleep. But really, this just made me mad. I think I was hoping for some great behind-the-scenes dirt, something like Bruce and Charles Rocket fighting between takes. Instead there was loads about the Shakespeare episode. Ick. So my next guilty celebrity read will be something I didn't buy for $1 at the Salvation Army: Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century.

Sweetie Pies

2011-08-11T14:47:00.005-05:00

Our weekend trip to Door County, Wisconsin yielded a yummy stop at Sweetie Pies, a pie stand out of Adrienne Shelly's imagination. They didn't have any "baby screaming its head off in the middle of the night and ruining my life pie", though they did have some nice apple-cherry and chocolate-walnut.

Sunspots

2011-08-05T09:00:00.003-05:00

I made this mix because of my recent desire to listen to waves crashing while I take a nap that lasts for days. That, and a little early Linda Ronstadt obsession that has been brewing.

Color Embrace

2011-08-04T09:25:00.006-05:00

Three beauties, each from a separate series by photographer Jessica Backhaus.

Sunglasses and Strings

2011-08-01T11:47:00.009-05:00

Spotted this record while I was thrifting and snapped it up because of its cover. Its light orchestra stylings of film themes make me want to watch Goldfinger, or A Countess From Hong Kong (Charlie Chaplin's last film starring Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren), or Doctor Zhivago, or all of them, with some martinis handy. That, or maybe have my teeth cleaned.

Side 1

Born Free
Lara's Theme (from "Doctor Zhivago")

Goldfinger

Ben Hur

A Taste of Honey

This Is My Song (from "A Countess From Hong Kong")

Side 2

You Only Live Twice
Magnificent Seven
Lawrence of Arabia
Tara's Theme (from "Gone With The Wind")
Zorba The Greek

The Bible

Saint Winehouse

2011-07-24T21:29:00.005-05:00

Rosary by Berndt Offerings.

Fast Food and Flowers

2011-07-19T14:50:00.001-05:00

Perfect summer images from illustrator Tim Lahan.

The Sweater!

2011-07-13T16:29:00.008-05:00

They're trying to auction 'em, they're selling new ones, but I'll take this vintage Pendleton I just scored. Far fuckin' out!

Damn Fine

2011-07-11T13:56:00.004-05:00

Me, the hubby, and our own dismembered Barbie head have been making our way through a bag of David Lynch Signature Cup Coffee. Mattel may not approve, but we do.

Keats and Yeats are on your side, while Wilde is on mine

2011-07-08T11:01:00.010-05:00

This print from Standard Designs made me very happy, but when I saw that there weren't any more up for sale, I was back in a funk. Now that I think about it, that's an appropriate Morrissey moment.

Simulacrum

2011-07-05T11:38:00.004-05:00

Is well-meaning nostalgia enough to sustain a film? I wondered that while I watched Super 8. Even though I'm a nostalgia fetishist, I think the answer is no. Watching it, my thoughts were focused the imitation. "Great ranch house. Very 70s." "I wonder if that lens flare is real or CGI?" "Did braces really look like that in 1979?" As always, I'm with A.O. Scott. It was like Close Encounters with the awe digitally extracted.

Banana, Beach & Cotton Candy

2011-07-01T16:24:00.003-05:00

It was a wonderful vacation. The beach was glorious, the sky was cotton candy. A culinary highlight was during our stop in San Francisco, where we had a breakfast of quiche and banana cream at Mission Pie. I'm still on Pacific time. I refuse to adjust to adjust back.

Off to Dreamland

2011-06-16T09:00:00.015-05:00

We're off for a much-needed vacation to Hawaii, where I'll be taking a break from my digital life.

See you in a few weeks!

Message from the Sky

2011-06-13T15:08:00.008-05:00

The Mother points to the sky and says, "that's where God lives," and suddenly the score swells with the sounds of Smetana's Má vlast. That was the moment I knew that Terrence Malick's Tree of Life had me. It had me through dinosaur detours, through Sean Penn's overearnest cragginess, through too-beautifully-curated Mid-Century furniture. It even had me at the end, though it tried so, so hard to lose me there. You have to admire a film tries to tackle the meaning of life. So far as I can tell, the answer is in the sun and the trees. Or at least that's how the cosmic astronaut God-baby from the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey sees it.

How I Remember

2011-06-12T21:16:00.005-05:00

Everyone agrees that the movie theater experience isn't what it used to be: the floors are grubbier, texting is commonplace, the movies are dimmer. But one thing I continue to value are the ticket stubs. I've been saving each and every movie stub since 1989, when I saw Back to the Future Part II. (I still find it hilarious that that was the first film I chose to memorialize.) Every so often I open the tin to recall the experiences. Like the time I saw Groundhog Day on Valentine's Day after a terrible argument with my boyfriend. Or the time I walked out of the interminable Late for Dinner to sneak into Terminator 2: Judgment Day instead. Or simply the fact that I saw Boxing Helena in the theater. So I hope theaters don't become extinct just yet, if only for the sake of future memories.

The Wind in My Hair

2011-06-07T13:23:00.007-05:00

It's 93° here, so summer has finally arrived. Here are some tunes I like to play while imagining my Jetta is a convertible.

Token Tableaux

2011-06-03T14:36:00.006-05:00

Some evocative paintings by Chris Clamp.

Gena's Got a Gun

2011-06-01T10:13:00.009-05:00

When I was 7 years old, my parents took me to see John Cassavetes' Gloria. The image of mama bear Gena Rowlands firing her gun to protect a mob-targeted little boy has been in my memory ever since. (This poster by Orphan Elliott captures it perfectly.) I just saw it again, this time from a mama's perspective. Cassavetes' most mainstream film, it works because of Rowlands, who is beautifully feral and maternal in flowy Ungaro skirts. Taking her gun out of her purse, she tells young Phil, "Don't be scared. I got my gun, it's nothing for me to blow someone's brains out, believe me, I just hope it's someone I know." I love that my 7-year-old brain had to process this. And I love how 30+ years later, my protective mama brain understands her, just a little.

Aural Memories

2011-05-23T19:28:00.010-05:00

Love these nostalgic letterpress prints from Snoowl. I agree, Van Halen is pretty sweet on the highway.

Two Girls

2011-05-20T10:17:00.010-05:00

The recent paperback posts on Quiddity and Cat Party brought to mind these recent thrift scores of mine. The sulky girl didn't end up so sexy when she was televised. And Marnie, well, there's lots of opinions about how she turned out.

The Real Star

2011-05-16T19:55:00.005-05:00

Seeing these pictures of Lynda Carter signing autographs in the 70s makes me happy that NBC balked.

It Was a Sweet Weekend

2011-05-10T01:22:00.011-05:00

On My Way Back

2011-05-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

I'm leaving for St. Louis today, to visit my old college home and spend my birthday realizing how much older I really am. On the road I'll be listening to some songs that defined my post-adolescent life of leisure. You can listen to a sample below. The collage is by Sandra Marchewa.

NO. WAY.

2011-05-05T11:08:00.007-05:00

This has to be the best thing I've seen all week: Alien sticker cards from 1979! Thanks to Quiddity for the link. You can see more Alien trading cards here.

Pez Typology

2011-05-02T18:43:00.007-05:00

In the spirit of Bernd & Hilla Becher, I created a typology of my Pez collection.

Stanley Kubrick's Chicago

2011-04-28T14:00:00.005-05:00

Check out this amazing series of photographs by young photojournalist Stanley Kubrick, hired to shoot Chicago in 1949.

In the Aisle

2011-04-27T09:16:00.005-05:00

Loving these images by Chicago photographer Liza Berkhoff.

Year of the Rabbit

2011-04-21T09:24:00.019-05:00

Since it's the Year of the Rabbit, and with Easter coming up and everything, I thought I'd make my own short list of favorite pop culture bunnies.There will be no Roger, Anna Faris, or Playboy love here. And while I do love me some Bugs, I was always more of a Road Runner gal. And sorry, Gummo was just too much for me.

1. Harvey: The 6'3.5" tall white rabbit who befriends social outcast Elwood (Jimmy Stewart) is a mischievous fairy fond of eccentrics, brought on by a few too many martinis. He is also a kind of spiritual godfather to Bianca the sex doll in Lars and the Real Girl. Thankfully Steven Spielberg is staying away from him.

2. Steve Martin's stand-up headgear: My favorite emblem of silly. I can just see the ears bouncing up and down while he plays a particularly rousing banjo number.

3. The rabbits of Lost: With all kinds of floating allusions to Alice in Wonderland, Watership Down and Of Mice and Men, the rabbits were everywhere. My favorite was number 8, used by Ben to play mind games with Sawyer. Mostly because I loved a good Sawyer-centric episode.

4. Frank: A creepier man-sized rabbit than Harvey, because, well, he's a harbinger of the apocalypse and whatnot. He's Harvey's evil twin. But that doesn't mean he's not a romantic.

Dynamite Dawn

2011-04-18T18:30:00.002-05:00

This flickr set just made my day. (Thanks to Neato Coolville for the link.)

The Girl with the Most Cake

2011-04-12T11:25:00.008-05:00

This morning found me daydreaming of an upcoming trip to my undergrad alma mater, excited to revisit my old haunts, even though the trip is weeks away. All the old pathways in my brain have opened and I'm back in the grunge era, when I was all cozy flannel and kinderwhore, eating tacos and hating life. I worked on our student newspaper when it was still paper, ripping out this cartoon of Courtney I was particularly fond of, back when she wore secondhand slips instead of couture. Nicely done J. Coats, wherever you are.

Zap!

2011-04-08T13:59:00.010-05:00

A portrait of my old batgirl doll from the 70s. Apparently I played with her so much that her helmet, belt and boots are long gone. In a nice end to my week, she made Pop Candy's Action Figure Friday!

April Showers

2011-04-01T10:59:00.009-05:00

Spring in Chicago is a real drag. The sky is grey, the flowers struggle to come up. I lust after spring dresses while still slogging around in my winter coat and boots. I've been working on this mix to pick myself up out of the dreariness (although it reflects it a bit too). You can play it below.

Mr. Jelly Belly

2011-03-31T11:27:00.009-05:00

Earlier this week I watched the documentary Candyman: The David Klein Story. The film tells the story of Klein, the inventor of the Jelly Belly jelly bean, chronicling his efforts to get the candy made, his brief fame as Mr. Jelly Belly, and how the business slipped through his fingers. Through a combination of his trusting nature and impulsiveness, Klein sold the business to the Goelitz Candy Company for much less than it was worth. The film was spearheaded by his son in an effort to get his father the recognition he lost (the Jelly Belly website says only that “a Los Angeles candy distributor had an idea for a jelly bean made with natural flavorings.") Directed by Costa Botes, the film is wildly uneven, with inexplicable commentary by Weird Al Yankovic and too-little examination of just why Klein sold the business. But Klein is such an eccentric character, keeping notes on paper plates, donning gumdrop suits and riding around in an ice cream truck, that I'll never be able to eat another bean without thinking of him. (He even inspired me to create the above portrait.) So in that way, the film is a success. You can watch the trailer here.

Cha Cha Cha

2011-03-25T18:23:00.010-05:00

Went to an estate sale today at the home of a sassy lady who, as I could tell from looking at her things, liked to wear gold lamé tights and dance. I picked up this selection from her vinyl collection. It includes instructions for how to cha cha cha on the back. Listening to it, especially "Abrete Sesamo," it's hard not to try it yourself.

Side 1

Cha Cha Paganini
Luna De Meil En Puerto Rico
Las Clases De Cha Cha Cha
Cha Cha Chavela
Rico Vacilon
Nicolasa

Side 2

Abrete Sesamo
Senorita Catalina
Pedro Y Pablo
Mi Lo Dijo Adela
Pimpolio
Baila Mi Cha Cha Cha

Goodbye, Liz

2011-03-23T09:26:00.008-05:00

She was a catalogue of female archetypes: headstrong girl, blushing bride, homewrecker, queen. But to me she'll always be the one who seduced Monty over a pool table.

C is for Cookie

2011-03-19T17:16:00.010-05:00

Spent the afternoon baking, and Lena spent the afternoon eating, marching around the house declaring "COOKIE!" Since she was moving too fast for me to take a good picture of her chocolate-covered face, I took a portrait of this new addition to her Little People collection. (In case it isn't obvious, there's a lot of Sesame Street love in the house lately.)

Craft For Japan

2011-03-17T10:45:00.010-05:00

Just a few of the things you can buy on etsy to help Japan. Click on the pictures for the links, or search yourself, many shops are donating all their proceeds for a day or more.

Stars 4-Ever

2011-03-15T13:51:00.008-05:00

Maybe it has something to do with the supermoon coming, but this song has taken over my life. I have an entire music video storyboarded in my mind, where Robyn performs it on Sesame Street with Elmo.

Happy π Day

2011-03-14T17:30:00.004-05:00

Why not celebrate the mathematical constant with a slice of cherry? Photo by LadiesWhoKill.

Mixtape Memory: R.E.M.'s Golden Age

2011-03-09T10:48:00.011-06:00

Since R.E.M.'s new album is out, with accompanying short films and ongoing debates over the band's legacy, I thought I'd share this "best of" mix I made at the end of what many consider to be the band's golden age. Listen to it below.

Side One

Radio Free Europe
Pilgramage

Talk About The Passion

Perfect Circle

We Walk

Can't Get There From Here

Old Man Kensey

Driver 8

These Days

Fall On Me

What if we Give it Away?

Exhuming McCarthy

The One I Love

It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)

Side Two

Orange Crush

Losing My Religion

Endgame

Texarkana

Drive

Try Not to Breathe

The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite

Man on the Moon

What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us

Leave

The River Tam Sessions

2011-03-06T16:47:00.005-06:00

Reruns of Firefly start tonight on the The Science Channel. My DVR is on alert. You can buy the (faux) album from Joebot here.

Black Swan Pops

2011-02-27T11:09:00.002-06:00

Tonight we're having these coconut shortbread Ninas with chocolate martinis. Happy Oscar!

Dances with Death

2011-02-26T11:35:00.003-06:00

In the spirit of my Black Swan mood, here's some images from a great Danse Macabre double feature: Michael Powell and Emric Pressburger's 1948 adaptation of The Red Shoes, and Herk Harvey's 1962 B-movie masterpiece Carnival of Souls.

Hot Poppin' Popcorn

2011-02-22T17:03:00.005-06:00

I decided to create this homage to Slinkachu today. Looks like that damn Wiggles song that's been stuck in my head was finally put to some good use.

Shining Starr

2011-02-16T12:05:00.005-06:00

"Apparently people don't think I can play a winner. People just like watching me lose. Maybe I play it with a certain amount of respect that other people can't." Well said, Martin. Haverchuck illustration by Orphan Elliott.

Here We Go

2011-02-11T08:30:00.002-06:00

As a Valentine's Day experiment I tried to think of a movie that feels like love. Not an aspirational, swoony, eroticized love; for that, watch Notorious. I was thinking more of the giddy, silly, hit-you-in-the-guts-and-slap-you-in-the-face kind of love. For that, I'd watch Punch Drunk Love, a swirly cone of violence and affection that includes pudding, a mysterious harmonium, a slimy phone sex extortionist, seven harpy sisters, and a mini Hawaii vacation. Through it all Lena and Barry find each other. They are so disjointed, so impossible, so perfectly lovely. "I want to chew your face, and I want to scoop out your eyes and I want to eat them and chew them and suck on them," says Lena. "Okay. This is funny. This is nice," Barry responds. And it is. It inspired me to make this collage. If only Adam Sandler would make more like this one instead of mugging in Hawaii with Jen Aniston.

Intergalactic Cruller

2011-02-10T08:59:00.002-06:00

Pink Frosted Cruller in Outer Space, by Kenny Scharf.

iBaby

2011-02-05T12:46:00.003-06:00

Lena has just started eating whole apples. She also knows how to use my laptop to play YouTube videos. This collage by Toshiaki Uchida reminds me to keep her away from the iPod. But it's only a matter of time.

Stripes Split

2011-02-03T09:55:00.004-06:00

"The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack any more. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want." Maybe you can paint them on an old door like mojogoat?

Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School

2011-02-01T13:20:00.007-06:00

We've been spending a lot of time with Roosevelt Franklin in our house lately. Not only does Roosevelt tell some golden rules, he busts some sweet rhymes doing it.

Weighty Issue

2011-01-26T13:55:00.004-06:00

Two ads from one of my vintage magazines, circa 1962.

I see the wind that moves the clouds away

2011-01-24T19:52:00.003-06:00

David Byrne, by Marcia Resnick.

Sindy and Cindy

2011-01-15T14:02:00.011-06:00

Great interview with Cindy Sherman in the Guardian today. Here is my Sindy doll doing her best impersonation of Cindy's Untitled #71.

Family Fitness

2011-01-13T13:43:00.002-06:00

Looks like I'll need to have five more daughters to get in shape.

Colbert Couch

2011-01-10T16:48:00.005-06:00

How much will it cost to sit on his face? Watch the price go up here.

Album Cover Reboot

2011-01-05T09:00:00.004-06:00

Some choice images from the 3.33 art show, where "thirty three and a third artists and designers reinterpret and reimagine existing album covers." Above, Luke Bott covers The Queen Is Dead, Rachel and Adam Little cover Fleet Foxes, and Scott Tolleson covers Pleased To Meet Me.

Lulu and Babe Rainbow at Goodwill

2011-01-03T14:48:00.012-06:00

Sometimes Goodwill has its treasures. They're usually in the glass case. That's where I found Posters by Painters, a book that includes posters by Alexander Calder, Milton Glaser, Man Ray, and Roy Lichtenstein. My favorites are this rare poster for Lulu, an opera directed by Roman Polanski (yes, apparently he directed a few operas) at the Spoleto Festival in 1974, painted by Richard Lindner:

I also love Peter Blake's swingin' Babe Rainbow, or as some people called her, Aunty Sue:

Also in the glass case? An original 1960 Barbie, in a tattered box, wearing her black and white swimsuit. I would have taken her home too, but I'm still saving for my Cyndi one.

What, that's it?

2010-12-25T11:00:00.003-06:00

Here's hoping you got everything you wanted this year. Here's my Film Experience wish list in case anyone wants to buy me a late Christmas present. See you in January!

Black Swoon

2010-12-20T10:47:00.012-06:00

When I got appendicitis a few weeks back, my first thought was, "What, surgery? I have to go see Black Swan!" There's history underpinning my impatience. I spent 13 years of my life, longer than I've done almost anything, striving for Bolshoi perfection in ballet classes. There was nothing I loved more than achieving 11 revolutions in a pirouette, or leaping until I felt suspended in mid-air. But the punishments were many, including blood-filled toe shoes, instructors whacking my belly bulge with a stick ("you're too old for baby fat!"), and the self-hatred that comes when you realize you'll never have a Balanchine body. The trailer to Aronofsky's opus tapped into this uniquely diabolical allure of ballet, and left me with high hopes for the film. Now that I've finally seen it, I think I might have a new favorite film of all time. (Really.) It's as perfect as a film gets, a fever dream where self-mutilation in the service of transcendence becomes paranoid perfectionism tinged with the grotesque. Not since Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive have I seen such a stunning transformation on screen; Natalie Portman moves from fragile to feral so convincingly that my head was spinning. By the final credits I was in tears over the warped perfectionism ballet instilled in me, and the fleeting moments of true beauty it graced me with.

Holiday Boom

2010-12-13T12:40:00.008-06:00

I just bought this card by Betty Turbo to accompany a Christmas mix -- a gift for someone yet to be named. But y'all can play it below.

Goodbye Appendix

2010-12-06T15:07:00.003-06:00

Pardon the brief interruption to the blog, but my appendix decided to burst last week. All is much better now, I'm at home and cozy on the couch, although I'll know I'm fully back when I finally decide change the channel from FaLaLaLaLifetime. Keep you posted. (Collage by twinnieart.)

It's an entirely different kind of flying

2010-11-29T13:39:00.004-06:00

R.I.P. Shirley. Illustration by Diego Mir.

Call of the Wild

2010-11-24T13:25:00.005-06:00

I'm giving thanks to richardzx for this one.

I saw Archie in the wood and I carved it until I set him free

2010-11-18T11:44:00.005-06:00

I imagine that's what Randall Rosenthal said when he carved this pile of Archie comics from a single piece of wood. Go here to see how he liberated a box of baseball cards.

Lurve

2010-11-10T09:08:00.002-06:00

Spotted on the wall of kid art at our local pizza place.

Hello Coco

2010-11-09T09:19:00.007-06:00

Thank you, Steve Dressler. And thank you for last night, Coco and Jack White.

Black Swan

2010-11-01T17:07:00.017-05:00

My heated anticipation for the release of Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan spilled over onto my daughter this Halloween. (See here if you are confused.)