Wed 12.1 - Sun 12.5
From Flavorpill:
"Day one of this inaugural film fest kicks off with a gala showing of Bride and Prejudice from director Gurinder "Bend It Like Beckham" Chadha. Screening 14 films from pan-South Asian directors spanning India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal, as well as Diaspora productions from the US, UK, and Iran, Colors in Fusion balances the saccharine high of big-budget Bollywood beats with sobering, sociopolitical dramas (Black Friday, The Clay Birds) and a concurrent documentary festival, Films for Freedom, at the Rubin Museum of Art. More than just great reels, SAIFF also wants to put the "festive" back in festival with five nights of after parties: ready yourself for booty-shaking bhangra."

Click here for more info

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

FROM ALLHIPHOP.COM
Trick Daddy recently finished taping a cooking show pilot for MTV. If the show is picked up, the rapper said he would invite his peers to participate on the program. "You know a lot of n**gas think they know how to cook," Trick told AllHipHop.com. "I'ma show you how n**gas f**k up & burn eggs. And have the shells in them."

For the full story log on: http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=3806

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

One of the best bands from Scotland, The Delgados, have been together for over ten years now. Their five albums are some of the most interesting music to come from Scotland in recent times. Most of the band met in college. They are Stewart Henderson (bass guitar), Emma Pollack (vocals/guitar), Paul Savage (drums), and Alun Woodward (vocals/guitar). They are dedicated songwriters. Their songs feature a mix of female and male vocals. In 1996, they started their own record label, Chemikal Underground, thus having a hand in the Scottish Underground music scene, and discovering bands like Bis, Arab Strap, Mogwai, and Sluts of Trust.

The Delgados' first album Domestiques (1996) immediately caught the attention of the late John Peel. He soon introduced The Delgados to the world by featuring their music regularly on his radio show. The band toured with Elastica and The Wedding Present, who were at the height of their popularity at the time. They soon worked on their second album, Peloton (1998). They even played a show at John Peel's house for his 50th birthday party. Still they were a very underground band.

Things soon changed when they released their third album, The Great Eastern (1999). This album had a more expansive sound. The Delgados worked with classical musicians and even Dave Fridmann who had previously done great albums with Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. The Great Eastern met rave reviews.

Their fourth album, Hate (2001), was a continuation of the new-found sound. Most of the fourth album was darker. Songs like "Child Killer" and "The Drowning Years" were some of the darkest music they had ever done. A few years passed and now we have the fifth album, Universal Audio (2004). The Delgados toured the United States in November 2004. I spoke to leader Alun Woodward during the recent tour about the new album and the new direction of the band.

AL: When did you record the new album, Universal Audio?

Alun: We started recording it earlier this year. I think that we started in January and February and finished it up by May. We worked with a different producer. The previous two records were done pretty much the same way. This time we worked with a guy called Tony Dugan. So first of all when you work with a different producer that is going to make it different. Secondly, we decided that we weren't going to use that much orchestration. That brought about a different approach.

AL: Why did you decided to not use an orchestra?

Alun: We felt that if we used an orchestra again that it would have a feel that was similar to the previous one. We wanted to take a different approach. Sometimes you want to explore different things. We worked a lot before on harmonies, guitars, and piano parts. It gives the songs a different feel when you have a different emphasis.

AL: How are the songs written in the band?

Alun: Emma and me write all the songs. We bring them in the studio and then we all rewrite them together. It takes ages to be honest with you. It would be easier if you had one or two people who do everything. It doesn't work like that with us. Even though Emma and me write all the songs we are not the best arrangers. Stewart and Paul are better at coming up with parts and arrangements. It's a slow process but it works.

AL: So the songs that you sing are your songs and the ones with Emma's voice are written by her?

Alun: Yeah. We tried to swap around sometimes but it has never worked. It's a strange thing. It has something to do with the familiarity with a song and the phrasing. You write with your own touch.

AL: What are your songs about on the new album?

Alun: A lot of it is about "not giving up." It's funny. You get to a point in life where you realize that life is really short. There are a lot of grey areas. A lot of this record is about trying to be optimistic. Trying to be positive.

AL: Since you have formed a record label, Chemikal Underground, you spend a lot of time listening to and dealing with other bands?

Alun: Yeah. We get fifty or a hundred demos a week. A lot of it is not particularly good. But once in a while you will get something that is fantastic.

AL: Are these all bands from Scotland?

Alun: No, we get stuff from all over the world. We get things from Europe and North America. In the past year we have got a ton of demos from Japan. I think that the label's profile in Japan has gone up. We have many Japanese bands sending us music.

AL: How did you find the band Sluts of Trust?

Alun: We saw them play live actually in a place called Nice and Sleazy, in Glasgow. We were blown away. It was only their sixth concert but it was fantastic.

AL: What other bands are on Chemikal Underground now?

Alun: A band called Mother and The Addicts. Another band called Arab Strap. A band from the States called Radar Brothers. There is Aerogramme. We have a bunch of singles that we do of various electronica people.

AL: You were instrumental in discovering the band Interpol when they were first starting up?

Alun: Yeah. We met Daniel Kessler in 1997 or 1998. He gave us a demo. We ended up releasing it a few years later on Chemikal Underground. Matador picked them up and took them from there. They are a good band. The record we had done with Interpol goes for a lot on Ebay. We had an agreement with the band that we would release a certain amount. I would love to re-release it. It's a great record. You could tell back then that they were a great band.

AL: What other bands have you played with that you liked?

Alun: On this tour we have played with Crooked Fingers. I really like them. I like Sons and Daughters too. They are from Glasgow. Those are really the only two bands that I can think of because this year we have been mostly in the studio. I don't think we have played with that many bands this year.

AL: Were you just doing something today? I called you before and they said you were in the studio?

Alun: We were doing something for Fearless Music. It's a TV thing in New York City. We recorded just three songs.

AL: How did that go?

Alun: One song took up a while, but it was fine.

AL: You have just been touring in America for a few weeks. What are you going to do the rest of the year and early next year?

Alun: We are going to play in other parts of Europe until Christmas. Then we go back to Glasgow. We are not doing much in January. Maybe a few shows in Britain. In February, we are going to Japan and Australia. I have visited those places before, but The Delgados have never played in those countries before. This will be the first time.

AL: John Peel was a real champion of the band early on. He just died a few weeks ago. How do you feel about that?

Alun: It's one of those things. John was a great guy. So much of the music that I have heard, I have heard it first on John Peel's show. He is totally irreplaceable. It's sad that he died for so many reasons.

AL: What other things are musical influences for you?

Alun: You are probably influenced by so much stuff that you grow up with. My brother was really into punk when I was growing up. Some of the first records people played me were Stiff Little Fingers and Iggy Pop. My Dad was into Jazz and Country Music. My Mom liked Folk Music. Most of these things rub off on you and you keep coming back to it. Recently I have been getting into films. I am not sure how much that is an influence on the music.

AL: Have the music of the Delgados been in a film or on a soundtrack?

Alun: No. We did this thing with a guy from New York called Joe Coleman. We put music to his paintings. We did that at Barbican Centre in London. It was a one-night thing. One of our songs was used in a Japanese animation. It was a Manga thing called Gun Slinger Girl.

AL: have you read any good books that you care to mention?

Alun: I read Time Out Of Joint by Phillip K. Dick. I have never read anything by him before. My girlfriend gave me this book. I really liked it. It was really inventive. I am really interested in archeology and history.

AL: Did all the members of the band go to a University?

Alun: Yeah, Paul and Emma met at a University. I grew up with Stewart and Paul. I went to University in England.

AL: Have your parents gone to any shows?

Alun: My mum and dad came to a show last year. That was their first time. They loved it. It was a great show. It was a big concert hall in Glasgow. It's one of those things. Your mum could come around to one of these divey little clubs in the country or to a nice theater. It was a good choice to come to a big event at a hall. I supposed they were really proud. It was the first time they had seen it. There was about three thousand people there.

AL: Were they wondering what you were doing for the past ten years?

Alun: They are pretty cool about it. There are always aunts and uncles wondering when you are going to get a proper job. But my parents have always been quite supportive of things. I know a lot of people who play in bands who get hassled by their families.

AL: What do you love about making music?

Alun: I like writing songs. I usually bring a tape recorder around with me because I often have a melody in my head. Other times I sit down with a guitar and a piano and put songs together. I really like it. That is what I love about what we do. I love writing new songs.

AL: The next album will also be really stripped down?

Alun: I don't know. We didn't know what we were going to do with Universal Audio until we sat down and talked about it. We'll see. We'll have a good thinking.

AL: What should new bands be doing if they want to play in a band?

Alun: It's all about commitment. I see so many bands. Some of these bands have big record deals and they are really good bands. They will cancel shows because someone can't make it. You need total commitment. You will know yourself if you have talent and you have got the songs.

Website: www.delgados.co.uk

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Freelance FREEwilliamsburg designer and Condé Nast employee Jeff Campbell (AKA Teen Wolf) has been collecting Dr. Pepper rip-offs for 8 years now. This was too bizarre for us to not share. Our favorites are Dr. Wow and the perplexing Dr. Lynn. Click for larger image:

Help add to his collection. Email Jeff at jeff_campbell@condenet.com

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

by Dave Thomas
Well, it's been a full year now that I've been doing these previews at Freewilliamsburg. It seems (and was) only a year ago that I predicted that "The Last Samurai" would make $133mil. Fortunately, I only overshot it by $20mil, and nobody guessed that these previews are full of lies, lies, horrible lies! Um, until I said that, I guess.

OPENING 12/3


CLOSER

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Really attractive people cheat on each other.

WILL IT SUCK?
Director Mike Nichols has a knack for couples behaving badly ("The Graduate," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf").

Lately he's been cutting his teeth on cable adaptations of famous plays ("Wit," "Angels in America"). Just as well. This script comes Patrick Marber's adaptation of his own award-winning play.

The cast is solid, too. Jude Law (FIVE!), Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, and Clive Owen play the shuffled couples. Actually only Jude and Clive give me any hope here, but having uber-producer Scott Rudin on board helps.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Opening wide with no competition should ensure a nice debut. However, the cast isn't that strong. Julia in a supporting role ain't the same thing as Julia in a lead (The sole exception being "Ocean's 11," which kind of had a few other big names). The following week, fortunately, big openings "Blade" and "Ocean's 12" won't produce direct demographic competition, but the base for this flick won't necessarily have grown much, either. Oscar buzz could help a little in the long run. $27mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Jude's often sure Oscar bait, but the real buzz here is for Clive Owen.

I AM DAVID

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kind of like "Finding Nemo" in reverse, except it's a real boy in search of his mom from whom he was separated as a Western European refugee. And there's no wacky companion. Okay, it's not really like "Finding Nemo" at all.

WILL IT SUCK?
Audiences seem to like this tearjerker much more than critics, who find it maudlin and predictable. That's too bad, considering that "Freaks and Geeks" scribe and director Paul Feig is helming here his adaptation of the Anne Holm novel. Jim Caviezel is here as well, for about ten minutes, as is Hristo Shopov, whom you may remember as Pilate to Caviezel's Christ. Here he plays someone called "The Man." That can't be a coincidence.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
"House of Flying Daggers" will most likely kick its ass. Family fare is more difficult to push in art houses. $2mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Although kiddie star Ben Tibber has been getting a little festival buzz, the only Jim Caviezel-related fare that might get Oscar attention already come and gone. I'm talking, of course, about "Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius."

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro try to track down suspected revolutionary Zhang Ziyi. Shaw Bros.-style ass-whuppin' from the director of "Hero" ensues.

WILL IT SUCK?
This is how long it took for Miramax to release Yimou Zhang's "Hero." He had time to write, shoot, and get a distribution deal with Sony Pictures Classics for this flick. The plus for us is two Yimou kung fu classics in the same year. This is looking to be almost as well received as "Hero." It's already garnered wide critical and audience acclaim as well as attention at the Chinese Oscars, which are called the Golden Roosters for a reason I'll let you figure out (hint: the first ones were held in 1981).

Andy Lau ("God of Gamblers," "Infernal Affairs") and Zhang Ziyi should be awesome, as usual. And though I've never seen a Shaw Bros. movie, I understand that they are fundamental to the way kung fu flicks evolved and that this film is, in many ways, a tribute to them.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
With all the advance buzz and the sheer lack of true competition, this should do well. Especially if they hawk the whole "Hero" connection. $25mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Since the Oscar options for "Hero" are so limited (it's already been nominated for and lost the Best Foreign Film Oscar), the hopes turn to this movie, China's entry for Best Foreign Film. It's good for that and maybe Best Director, depending how thin that category ends up being.

OPENING 12/10


OCEAN'S TWELVE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Instead of three casinos, this time it's three cities - Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam. I'm gonna guess they'll steal something from the Louvre, the Vatican, and then maybe a shitload of hash.

WILL IT SUCK?
Probably not. You've got the whole cast returning, and they were awesome the last time. You've got sweet additions in Catherine Zeta-Jones and, more importantly, Vincent Cassel, who's long overdue for a breakout American role. Soderbergh is returning, but the one x-factor here is the lack of Ted Griffin, the master scribe behind the first "Ocean's 11." (And by that, I mean the master scribe behind the first remake of "Ocean's 11"). His witty dialogue made the original, and without him, they'd better find a serious writer to fill his shoes. Thankfully, they've enlisted the services of one George Nolfi, who also wrote…wait, this can't be right…"Timeline!" They're giving this to the guy who wrote fucking "Timeline!?!?!?"

I take it back. It's going to suck horribly.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Okay, maybe it will only suck moderately, but even if it's terrible it'll open well. Going up against "Blade Trinity" isn't ideal (especially with that film's two-day head start) but the combined power of Clooney, Pitt, Roberts, et al, will be more than a match for Snipes and that guy from "Van Wilder." The following week, "Lemony Snicket" will give it a trim, but it'll still hold on to the top five for most of the holiday season, if it's even halfway decent. $205mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If "Ocean's 11" couldn't get any traction with Ted Griffin writing, it's not gonna get any with "Timeline" guy writing. Seriously, "Timeline?" What the fuck?

BLADE: TRINITY

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Blade v. Dracula

WILL IT SUCK?
Hee. David S. Goyer, who wrote all three, is taking a stronger hand here, directing and producing. That's not necessarily a good thing. He wrote the second installment, which was fantastic, but he also wrote the first which was, well, incoherent. Now, so far, the third looks promising with one of the best trailers of the year. Goyer has at least shown that he has the visual panache to pull this off. And interesting casting in the form of Ryan "Van Wilder" Reynolds as a vampire hunter who seems to be channeling Jason Lee and roles for Eric Bogosian and Parker Posey adds to the curiosity factor. However, whatever little early buzz there is isn't encouraging.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This would have done better in August, when it was originally supposed to be released. Against "Ocean's Twelve," it's gonna have problems, even with a two-day head start (it drops Wednesday, Dec. 8th). "Lemony Snicket" the following week isn't exactly a demo challenge, but it's gonna suck up a lot of the box office, especially if this can't find the word-of-mouth that helped its immediate predecessor. And don't count out Adam Sandler in "Spanglish" as an audience magnet. $73mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Well, the academy does like it when you stay in character off set (which Wesley apparently did). Of course, I don't know if they like it if that requires you to go around killing vampires. I do, but they probably don't.

THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Bill Murray vs. a shark, wacky crew in tow.

WILL IT SUCK?
Come on, this is writer/director Wes "Bottle Rocket/Rushmore/The Royal Tenenbaums" Anderson we're talking about here. Admittedly, he's not teamed up with co-writer Owen Wilson this time, but his new co-writer did the well-regarded "Kicking and Screaming." In addition, Owen's still in the cast, along with Noah Taylor and Willem Dafoe and a host of others. And, of course, Murray's back, in his third outing with Anderson. The trailers look hilarious. Early buzz is this is on a par with "Tenenbaums."

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Until the end of the month, when "Phantom of the Opera" goes inexplicably into limited release, this will be the limited release of the season. And by the time "Phantom" does its thing, this flick will have opened wide. It could probably stand to begin wide, but against the competition it would face any weekend this month, a platform release is a wise choice. $60mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
I don't think Oscar's gonna give Bill another chance, and I'm guessing this won't have the gravitas of "Tenenbaums," so a nod for Anderson probably isn't in the offing either. However, Oscar does respect comedy when it comes to supporting noms, and so far the funniest thing about the film looks to be Willem Dafoe as a member of Murray's crew.

OPENING 12/17


LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Based on the popular children's series of books, this follows the story of the Baudelaire orphans and their evil guardian Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) who tries to steal their fortune.

WILL IT SUCK?
Director Brad Siberling doesn't exactly have a spotless record. He made "Moonlight Mile," "Casper," and "City of Angels." I'm not sure I'd trust him with truly Burton-esque fare such as this. The writer, Robert Gordon, is even more problematic. He did "Galaxy Quest," which was underrated, but he also did "Men in Black II," which sucked almost relentlessly. The flick's husband/wife producing team Walter F. Parkes & Laurie MacDonald have as many "Twister's" as they do "Catch Me If You Can's" to their credit.

Jim Carrey, as usual, will probably be outstanding. Ditto Meryl Streep, Bill Connolly, Jude Law (SIX!), Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Cedric the Entertainer, and Luis Guzman. Nice cast, but can it save us from potentially uneven directing and crappy writing? The trailer gives me hope.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Nicely. There's no family fare (although this is a shade darker) with name celebrities for a while. "Meet the Fockers" will be a big draw the following week, but not on exactly the same demo. "Spanglish" presents a similar scenario this week, but won't have the usual Sandler appeal. This should be the big moneymaker of December. $273mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Think technical awards like production design. Long shot supporting nom for Carrey since he plays, like, fifteen different characters.

THE AVIATOR

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Leo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes with Martin Scorsese directing.

WILL IT SUCK?
Probably not. You don't need me to tell you that Scorsese is a great director. You might need me to tell you that Leo's a decent actor if you haven't seen "Catch Me If You Can" or "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" John Logan, the screenwriter, can bring the epic characters ("Gladiator," "The Last Samurai") and this is especially up his alley after his work on the underseen HBO pic "RKO 281" about the making of "Citizen Kane." The epic figure there, of course, was Welles (and Hughes actually worked with RKO for a time). Keep an eye on Logan, as his next project is an adaptation of "Sweeney Todd."

The casting of Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, and Gwen Stefani (yes, Gwen Stefani) as Katherine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, and Jean Harlow respectively does not fill me with awe. On the other hand, I am looking forward to turns from John C. Reilly, Ian Holm, Willem Dafoe, and Jude Law (SIX!!!)

This will hopefully be what "Gangs of New York" should have been - the next great Scorsese film. Early buzz is pointing in that direction.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The good news is he's not opening against "Ocean's 12" or "Meet the Fockers." The bad news is he's opening against "Lemony Snicket's" drawing whatever parents might have made an opening weekend of it and "Spanglish" which is bound to also be a fairly strong adult draw. Don't look for a particularly robust opening, but if the Oscar buzz is there, look for it to stick around for a while and make its money slowly. $81mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Count on it. Leo for actor. Scorcese for director. Logan for screenplay. At least.

SPANGLISH

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni are married and have a kid, but all is not well in the Leoni/Sandler household. Spanish maid comes in and makes it all better.

WILL IT SUCK?
Unlikely. James L. Brooks tends to do well, especially when he writes, produces, and directs, as he does here. His one misstep when playing all those roles ("I'll Do Anything") is a textbook case of Hollywood mismanagement, so it's arguably not even his fault. Adam Sandler does well when challenged (okay, the one time it happened in "Punch Drunk Love,") so should perform admirably here. And Tea Leoni, um, she was good in "Bad Boys"?

It'll be nice to see "Talk to Her's" Paz Vega get a chance at a crossover hit and Cloris Leachman get another go round at striking comic gold. Mostly, though, I'm just looking forward to Brooks' uncanny ear for dialogue.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
They're actually marketing this pretty shrewdly. On stations like Comedy Central, this is billed as a Sandler vehicle. Other networks, like CBS, have spots that play up the family angle. Smart marketing usually results in a nice opening weekend, and against any flick other than "Lemony Snicket" that might be the case. Still, word of mouth may help bridge the gap a little. That, and potential Oscar buzz. $52mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
It's probable. Most of Brooks other exploits ("Terms of Endearment," "Broadcast News," "As Good As It Gets") got serious Oscar attention. Even Adam Sandler's a possibility here.

MILLION DOLLAR BABY

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Chick "Rocky." Hillary Swank as Rocky. Clint Eastwood, who directs, as Mickey. Morgan Freeman as…Paulie, maybe?

WILL IT SUCK?
Eastwood knows how to direct. At best he gives us "Mystic River" and "Unforgiven." At worst, well, "Blood Work" didn't totally suck, right? Freeman's also a lot of fun to watch. I'm not sure what to expect, though, from pseudo-newbie writer Paul Haggis, who adapts this from a series of F.X. Toole short stories. His only known credits come from TV, where he won an Emmy for an episode of "Thirtysomething," but wrote more regularly for "Due South" (you know, that show about the mountie). I'm not expecting another "Mystic," but early buzz is extremely good.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Clint will have to compete with Kevin Spacey on the director/actor front this weekend. Warner Bros. needs to advertise more if they wanna catch up to the buzz his flick and "The Sea Inside" already have going into the same weekend. $12mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
After a recent screening, Swank is considered a near lock for a nom and Clint's being fitted for a directing and acting nom. Haggis isn't out of the question for screenplay, either.

THE SEA INSIDE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
True story of a quadriplegic who fights for the right to die. For thirty years.

WILL IT SUCK?
Unlikely. Director Alejandro Amenabar ("Abre Los Ojos," "The Others") appears to have really come into his own. On the IMDB, this is his highest-rated movie yet. He's re-teamed with co-writer Mateo Gil, who helped him churn out the aforementioned scripts. Now, I wasn't crazy about "Ojos" but I really liked "The Others," which hinted at his potential to handle heavy drama. And by all accounts Javier Bardem, who plays the lead here, is the man, so the initial positive buzz is probably justified. That, and it took home Jury, Actor, and Best International at Venice.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This week it should be a pretty fair fight with "Baby," but the following week "The Woodsman," with even more troubling subject matter (and potentially more buzz) may pose a threat. The other "Sea" movie this weekend is the real problem, however, as it will likely suck up all the air in the room. $2mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Count on Bardem to be a contender. Maybe Amenabar for director with a screenplay nod for him and Gil.

BEYOND THE SEA

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Bobby Darin bio-pic. Kevin Spacey, who also directs, plays Darin.

WILL IT SUCK?
Buzz on this is fairly strong. Spacey stacked the deck with a bunch of writers, including Paul Attanasio, who did well with real-life characters in "Donnie Brasco" and "Quiz Show." He also included James Toback, who, not so much with the great screenplays (although he did contribute to the "Bugsy" script). Spacey's directing acumen was honed on "Albino Alligator," and little else. His acting, on the other hand, isn't even a question. Even if it's just him doing Darin karaoke for two hours, it'll probably be entertaining. Still, he's got a lot of recent missteps ("Life of David Gale," "United States of Leland," "The Shipping News") to make up for here.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Spacey hasn't generated dollars recently. It'll take more than just his name to open this. However, in limited release, that may not be as much of a problem. Good critical buzz may translate into good word of mouth that Spacey's still got it. $20mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
The surefire musical bio-pic nominee here is Jamie Foxx. But Spacey's still an option.

OPEN MY HEART

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Italian film in which prostitute older sister bosses around shy younger sister as they vie for some dude.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is not promising, although there's very little to go on. This is basically the Giada Colagrande show. She writes, directs, and stars in this as the younger sister. Unfortunately, that's all I know about her since this is her debut film. Got a little love from some international fests, but this doesn't look to be a breakthrough.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Without a name, in this field, poorly. $40,000.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Italy's already picked their Oscar submission and this ain't it.

OPENING 12/24


MEET THE FOCKERS

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand join the "Meet the Parents" franchise as Mr. and Mrs. Focker.

WILL IT SUCK?
Not in a "Christmas with the Kranks" sort of way, no. Look, I know many people swear by "Meet the Parents" (as in "By 'Meet the Parents,' I swear I shall avenge you!") but I don't roll like that. I think it was a good movie. Funny. But not, like, "Airplane" funny. Not even "Old School" funny.

Now I say all this with the assumption that "Meet the Fockers" will run along the same lines, and there's reason to believe so. Same director (Jay Roach, who I'm a little miffed to report has been tapped to direct "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Was Terry Gilliam monumentally busy? Or tied to a tree?). Mostly the same writers. With the exception of Owen Wilson (who's absence will be, I predict, noticeable) same cast plus one great actor and one good one (I'm not sold on Streisand as a goddess). And the trailer looks to cover the same territory.

So you'll probably get the same treatment you got at the hands of the original. Except that the script wasn't really finished when they started shooting. That's always a good sign.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The only serious competition this faces is from "Lemony Snicket," which will already be in its second frame. "Phantom of the Opera" could pose a threat, but will be in limited release. Plus, this gets a two-day head start. It'll probably end up being a contest between this and "Snicket" to see who gets the highest December gross. "Snicket" will win. $210mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Well, they do love Babs, but not that much.

FAT ALBERT

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Sort of like "Pleasantville," except instead of characters stepping into a TV show, they step out of one. Oh, and it'll suck. That's another difference.

WILL IT SUCK?
I believe we covered that already. Pop quiz, what do Chris Rock and Bill Cosby have in common? Both are great at writing stand-up, not so much at writing feature films. "Leonard Part 6" anyone? I would rather watch Bill stand there and talk about "Fat Albert" for two hours than have him write a movie where Albert and the gang come to life to help out some inner city kid. Not that I have anything against inner city kids, just sucky movies.

And Joel Zwick, man, what's up? You directed "Big Fat Greek Wedding." You had redeemed yourself from directing "Second Sight" (y'know, that wacky caper with Bronson Pinchot as a psychic helping John Larroquette crack a case?). What happened?

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
In a sense, this doesn't have much competition. The other comedies opening this weekend don't exactly have a huge black demographic in mind (though it won't just be white folks going to see "Meet the Fockers"). If it sucks, however, it won't be able to coast on being the only family fare in town, cos' "Snicket" will still be playing right next door. $85mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If there was a stand-up movie category, "Himself" would've won it. But this, no.

FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Plane crashes in the desert. Instead of eating each other, the survivors opt to rebuild the plane.

WILL IT SUCK?
They've got a hell of a screenwriter in Scott Frank ("Out of Sight" "Minority Report") to remake the original (which, by most accounts, is a classic). He's teamed up here with Edward Burns (writer/director of "She's the One" and "The Brothers McMullen") who apparently is cool now with just screenwriting even if he's not directing or in the cast.

Director John Moore ("Behind Enemy Lines") can bring the airplane-affiliated action and the cast (Dennis Quaid, Giovanni Ribisi, Tyrese, Sticky Fingaz, Hugh Laurie) is, um, diverse. This should actually be pretty cool, although I admit to being a sucker for all that MacGyver-style, we're-gonna-build-a-plane-out-of-gum-wrappers-and-socks shit.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
With a PG-13 they're probably going for a nearly family crowd but they're gonna get their asses handed to them by the second frame of "Snicket" and the first frame of "Fockers." Earlier in the season would have been better for them, I think. $51mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
The original had Richard Attenborough and James Stewart and could only scrounge up a Best Supporting Actor nod (for neither of them) and a Best Editing nod - no wins. It's unlikely that this will fare better.

DARKNESS

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
"Cold Creek Manor" with teens.

WILL IT SUCK?
The early buzz is mixed. Anna Paquin usually makes strong choices, and here she stars with Lena Olin, who I'm told is quality. It's been nominated for a few international awards. It should be noted, however, that this has been moving around for two years before its pick up and release by Dimension. Actually, I first posted this preview in June, but they decided to move it again. On the other hand, after the improbably successful delay of "Hero," I can't second-guess Miramax's (or any of their subsidiaries') decision to delay anything. Except that I probably still will.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
There's no horror competition (unless you count "Blade," which you shouldn't) and I wouldn't be surprised if there actually were a closet Christmas horror audience. Not a big one, though. $2mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Remake of "The Phantom of the Paradise," relocated to an opera house. Oh, I can't fool you. Yeah, this is that Andrew Lloyd Webber thing.

WILL IT SUCK?
It's Andrew Lloyd Webber. That alone should make up your mind for you one way or the other. Me, I'm not a huge fan. He co-wrote this adaptation of his hit musical with Joel Schumacher, who wrote another musical adaptation. Can you guess what it is? That's right. "The Wiz." So, make of that what you will.

Joel is directing as well, which, if you've seen "Batman and Robin" shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Really, it might have been better if they sang.

But before you write this off, remember that blogger/pundit/critic David Poland, who tends to be fairly prescient about these things, thinks that unless "The Aviator" exceeds expectations, this will actually win Best Picture.

Yeah, I thought the same thing when I read that. Namely, "Guh?!?"

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Can someone explain to me why this is in limited release? Why aren't they taking the "Fockers" head on? This is an event picture! Well, for whatever reason, they've opted to platform this baby, perhaps expecting word of mouth to build momentum into what's sure to be a weak January. In any case, this will dominate the art houses until it gets its multiplex legs. If it's as good (Oscar-wise) as Poland intimates, that should translate into serious dollars in the long run, a la "Chicago." $171mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Before, I would have said no, but if Poland's on target, and he usually is (he was frighteningly accurate about Fox's domination of the summer b.o.) look for this in most major categories including (gulp) Schumacher for Best Director. We might as well start getting used to those words all being in the same sentence early.

THE WOODSMAN

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kevin Bacon plays a former pedophile who's paid his debt to society and is now trying to rebuild his life. Kind of like "Sling Blade." But with a pedophile.

WILL IT SUCK?
God bless Newmarket. They've become the new Lion's Gate. See, Lion's Gate used to distribute the films other indies were afraid to touch ("Dogma," "American Psycho"). Now that LG is doing the horror thing ("Open Water," "Saw," "Cabin Fever" - maybe they're the new Dimension?), Newmarket is handling titles like "Donnie Darko," "The Passion of the Christ," "Monster," and this.

That having been said, audiences aren't quite as taken with this flick as critics. This comes from "Monster's Ball" producer Lee Daniels, so expect a bit of a hard edge (as if the subject matter didn't tell you that already). Also from that film, Mos Def looks to continue his impressive acting spree as a police sergeant on Bacon's case. Writer/director is a newcomer, so it's hard to say, but my guess is this is going to be pretty good.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
"Phantom of the Opera" will clearly be the larger profile limited release, but it's almost unfair to compare the two since it isn't even an indie. Ultimately, though, it's not "Phantom" that will do this in. I think the subject matter is just going to be too hard a sell, especially without an artsy name like Almodovar attached. $5mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If the academy can get around the subject matter, which is a big if, Bacon has a shot at a nom.

BRIDE AND PREJUDICE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Bollywood adaptation of the Jane Austin classic.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. The musical numbers look great. This is the latest from "Bend it Like Beckham" writer/director Gurinder Chadha, reteamed with her "Beckham" co-writer Paul Mayeda Berges. So expect the same quality here. With more music. Also, keep an eye out for Mike White as a bellboy.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Probably not the best time to release this. It's got a much higher profile musical to compete with upon opening, and the second frame of "Beyond the Sea" isn't entirely unrelated. This might have made a better summer sleeper like "Beckham." $3mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Only room for one musical this year.

IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Documentary about Henry Darger, who was a janitor by day, visionary artist by night.

WILL IT SUCK?
It's a fascinating subject. When the guy died, he left behind a 15,000-page manuscript for a children's book. Writer/Director Jessica Yu has done a couple of well-received docs so far ("The Living Museum," "Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien"), and early buzz indicates that this will continue in that tradition. Her best-known work, however, is probably the "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail" episode of "The West Wing."

Oh, and Dakota Fanning can now be officially described as "ubiquitous." She narrates the doc.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Notice how you haven't heard of Yu's other docs? Same deal here. On top of that, competition is way too stiff. This'll get buried. $200,000.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Her "Breathing Lessons" won Best Short Doc in '97 and this is one of the twelve eligible docs for next year.

HOTEL RWANDA

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
True story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotelier in Rwanda who sheltered refugees during the genocide of '94.

WILL IT SUCK?
Having seen it I can tell you that, no, it doesn't. Don Cheadle is fantastic as Rusesabagina, and the story is compelling. My only regret is that they didn't make it more violent. A strange complaint, but a PG-13 film about genocide can come off as overprotective. That, and the screenplay sometimes falters. Still worth checking out.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I know MGM/UA's got issues at the moment, what with not existing and all, but they need to do a better job of promoting this if they want box office and/or Oscar buzz. If they proceed as they have, they'll get some press, but not much. $12mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Outside shot for Cheadle.

OPENING 12/3


IN GOOD COMPANY

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Topher Grace gets to boss around Dennis Quaid, and date his daughter.

WILL IT SUCK?
Good casting. Along with Topher and Dennis you've got Scarlett Johanssen as the daughter and Marg Helgenberger, Philip Baker Hall, David Paymer, and Selma Blair along for the ride. More importantly, you've got "About a Boy" writer/director Paul Weitz taking what would otherwise be a bad Disney movie premise and, hopefully, turning it into a surprise year-end charmer.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Serious competition. "Merchant of Venice" and "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" will be a problem. Plus there's all the crap from the week before. On the other hand, good word of mouth leading into a typically weak January could, over time, generate maybe half the success of "About a Boy". $22mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
There's a modicum of Johanssen talk, but a nom for her would more likely come from "A Love Song for Bobby Long."

THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Get used to the phrase "What, too soon?" Sean Penn plays a guy who plans to kill Nixon by crashing a commuter plane into the White House. Told you. Based on a true story.

WILL IT SUCK?
Mixed reviews so far. Great cast, though. Naomi Watts reunites with her "21 Grams" co-star and Don Cheadle is up in here as well along with a Michael Wincott cameo. And this was penned by "Tadpole" writer Niels Mueller, who also directs. Still, the buzz is that the plot's a little thin and the pace a little slow. "Taxi Driver" this ain't.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The eternal struggle of the indie film. Is the subject matter so harsh as to be off-putting to anyone or not harsh enough to be considered worthy of the art house? This is a tough call. I think Penn's presence will be enough initially, but without solid word-of-mouth, it'll be hard for this to get traction. $3mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
With better buzz and b.o., maybe. As it is, probably not.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Anti-Semitism, Shakespeare-style. For those of you unfamiliar with this work, Shylock loans money to a guy who can't pay it back so, remember Greed in "Se7en"? Yeah, it's like that.

WILL IT SUCK?
I like how critics tiptoe around this play, calling it "troublesome" or "difficult" as if it were some coke-addicted actor. Look, this one was anti-Semitic and, not for nothing, but "Taming of the Shrew" was chauvinist. Deal with it. That having been said, this adaptation has a lot going for it, artistically. Michael Radford directs, and this is supposed to be his best work since "Il Postino." Al Pacino plays Shylock (and, apparently, plays the shit out of the role), Jeremy Irons plays Antonio, and Joseph Fiennes plays Bassanio. I have no idea whether or not Radford puts the play's prejudice into some sort of context or not, but nobody seems to be complaining about the movie being anti-Semitic, so he probably does.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This will have to duke it out with "In Good Company." And for some reason, Shakespeare rarely translates into big box office. The last time Pacino flirted with The Bard ("Looking for Richard" in '96), he got about $2mil for his trouble. Here, expect maybe $3mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Unless he's falling in love with Gwyneth, the Academy treats Shakespeare in much the same way it treats Sci-Fi. Technical awards only, please. It's been 8 years since a Shakespeare adaptation was nominated for anything (Branagh's "Hamlet," no acting noms, just technical and screenplay). It's been 15 years since one won anything (again, Branagh, costume design for "Henry V," though he was also nominated for actor and director). So expect some technical noms and not much else.

A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Scarlett Johansson goes back to New Orleans when her mother's death leaves her 1/3 of a house. The other 2/3 - an alcoholic (John Travolta) and another alcoholic (Gabriel Macht). Guess which lush is going for an Oscar.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is mixed, but Travolta can be fun to watch when he's actually acting. Scarlett, too, but I'm not sure I wanna see her baby-sit another guy through his midlife-crisis.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Scarlett's gonna have to compete with herself, and "In Good Company" looks to be more fun, plus you don't have to watch Travolta in that one (just cos' I still like him a little doesn't mean the rest of the world has forgiven him for his last sixteen films). $7mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Possibility for Travolta. More buzz, however, for Johansson. I'd give her the nod for Most Unlikely Character Name: Purslane.

Well, that's it. Another batch of semi-crappy Oscar fare. Who knows, maybe the thin field will mean that some of these indies will have a better shot. On the other hand, the last time we had a really weak Oscar year we ended up with "Braveheart" taking the gold.

Next month, really crappy horror films. Oh, who am I kidding, really crappy films in every genre!

--DAVE THOMAS

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The first four digitally remastered recordings by our favorite Krautrockers, Can, were released to, frankly, not nearly enough fanfare. After all, this weirdo quartet of Cologne hippies influenced everyone from Brian Eno to Tortoise to Stereolab to Comets on Fire. Their long-form, improvised ambient funk merged jazz with rock. More importantly, Can was among the first to experiment with electronic improvisation.

If you're a newcomer to their work, start with 1971's Tago Mago. 1972's Ege Bamyasi is equally rewarding, if not as immediately accessible. Soundtracks is an important record as well, but mainly for the people already familiar with Can's work. Their debut, 1969's Monster Movie is the only Can record to feature vocalist Malcolm Mooney (who later had a legendary nervous breakdown). It's a more straightforward rock album, but the 20 minute "Yoo Doo Right" hinted at what was to come.

The release of the remainder of their catalogue is scheduled for 2005 and 2006. We can't wait to for the reissue of Future Days, their most lovely and essential record.

Dino Felipe - "I'm You" (Asphodel/Schematic)
http://www.asphodel.com/

Listening to Dino Felipe's new 26-track full-length "I'm You" for the first time is a lot like opening up a well-shook can of soda pop that springs forth a carbonated splatter of punk-tones and noise funk. Felipe's brand of digital bebop appeals mostly to whiz kids with short attention spans, the computer music-obsessed, and the plunderphonically-inclined, but is uniquely artful and personal.

Like a musical re-animator, Felipe creates abstract electronic compositions by stitching together vocal snippets, fancy-pants digital audio software-sequenced synth sounds, classic 8-bit circuitry, and dinky drum machines. Each Frankenstein monster on "I'm You" has its own special temperament and twitches in time to its own individually programmed tempo.

The many intimate mutations and wig-outs on "I'm You" present infinite twists and turns and dramatic segues. Their brief and numerous natures keep things interesting, but the casual listener might misconstrue it all as aimless clutter. However, it's these tracks that most ignite the imagination and best reflect the artist's personality and sensitivity.

The disc's few beat- and melody-oriented creations, like all good electronic pop songs, are slightly robotic and particularly peppy. "The Orange Field" offers a brief respite from Felipe's spastic sound surgery, with a chill toe-tapping groove that's
sublimely smooth. The oddly titled "uVVu & climb" really percolates and Felipe even lends his own voice to the electro-funk confusion of "Steamy Halls".

Dino Felipe's music is very celebratory and engaging, and draws the listener close. It's his world, but the title "I'm You" suggests he wants it to be your world too.

Johnathan Rickman

Asmus Tietchens / David Lee Myers - "60:00" (Line)
http://www.12k.com/line/

"60:00" is the fourth collaboration between Asmus Tietchens and David Lee Myers, two true pioneers of modern electronic music. Tietchens, a German artist known for his electronic musique concrete compositions, is the duo's primary sound manipulator and arranger. New York City's Myers, a.k.a. Arcane Device, is the duo's primary sound provider — yielding, as always, aural whatnots from his homemade electronic feedback machines.

Unlike their previous collaborations, which were exceptionally dynamic and exhibited a wide range of movement and sound, "60:00" applies a subdued palette of disembodied overtones in a meditative manner and as an environmental experiment that, in keeping with the times, is canvassed in a shroud of silence.

The disc's six untitled tracks reveal a jazz of minutia that glitch about within a backdrop of tinted shade and shadow. Sweeping traces of microscopic drones ebb and flow and create a temperate degree of tension throughout.

The textures in the second untitled track have a stylistic drip-and-bump reminiscent to the humorous, staged bits between the three movements of Pink Floyd's "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast". What sounds like someone shuffling about the kitchen is actually a ghostly dance of incidental electronic detritus.

This newest collaboration succeeds where the others didn't in that it better expresses a sense of multidimensional space. Previously, the duo cast their manipulations within an artificially created sound environment saturated in reverb and other depth-deceiving effects.

On "60:00," however, Tietchens and Myers simply allow each one of their handcrafted micro-sounds to frolic naked within the three-dimensional confines of the playback environment — rewarding the attentive listener with a rare glimpse into the future of minimal sound art, and providing the passive listener with new surround-sound hallucinations.

Johnathan Rickman

Recent Must-Have Releases

• Camera Obscura
Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi
(Merge)
The debut record by Belle and Sebastian's closest niece. Biggest Blue Hi-Fi isn't quite as catchy as the near-perfect Underachievers Please Try Harder, but it's still pretty damn good.

• Neko Case
The Tigers Have Spoken
(Lost Highway)
A beautiful live record by Alt Country's queen, Neko Case. Proves that her voice doesn't need studio enhancement to be magical. Neko Case is this generation's Loretta Lynn.

• Dungen
Ta Det Lugnt
(Subliminal Sounds)
Olivia Tremor Control was pretty cool. Swedish band, Dungen fucking rule. They are immediately catchy and will make Elephant Six fans giddy.

• The Go! Team
Thunder, Lightning, Strike
(Memphis Industries)
Like a more accomplished, The Avalanches, The Go! Team are a party band with influences ranging from hip-hop, to funk, to Le Tigre, to Hawaii Five O. We're not sure if we'll be listening to this record in a few years, but for now we're content to shake our asses.

• Various Artists:
DFA Compilation #2
(DFA)
If you don't know what DFA is, you haven't ever been to this site before. We love this label. This 3 CD collection featuring LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Black Dice, and new DFA artist Liquid Liquid is essential.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

The Bird Blobs are an aggressive band similar to the Australian bands of the late 1970s like The Scientists and Birthday Party. They don't sing so much as scream the vocals. It's blues and rock and roll and it's exciting. Their weird time signature and angular guitars recall Captain Beefhart. They often fight with audience members. Make sure you are not in the front rows or you might get hurt. People have described The Bird Blobs saying: "This music is enough to revive your dead grandma." Check them out.

-Alexander Laurence

NEW YORK DATES:

Tuesday 23rd November - Lit
Friday 26th November - CBGB
Sunday 28th November - The Mercury Lounge
Website: www.birdblobs.com

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By Johnathan Rickman
DC Progressives Join Heads
How can progressives and political activists best work together to build a viable third party that adequately expresses their shared values and convictions, and what is the best way to oppose another four years of regressive Bush administration policies both domestic and foreign?

Those questions were debated on November 11 between rows of fold-out chairs in a church basement in the nation's capital at a public forum hosted by the DC chapter of the International Socialist Organization (ISO).

The forum featured four speakers from four different organizations: Ben Dalbey of the ISO, Jay Marx of the DC Statehood Green Party (DCSGP), Niyi Shomade of the Ralph Nader 2004 presidential campaign, and Shahid Buttar of the DC Spokes Council.

Coke Vs. Pepsi

Ben Dalbey kick-started the event by asking rhetorically how on earth a president with only a 49 percent approval rating could waltz to victory.

"We need to understand what happened with this election because as Falluja is getting pounded with bombs, we are getting pounded with lies," Dalbey said.

"We are being presented with a twisted distortion of what Americans think that is actually designed to preserve the illusion of democracy in this country as well as to provide for the continued justification for the United States' actions in Falluja," Dalbey added.

Dalbey took pains to shed light on the media's reaction to the election on November 3 and afterward, saying exit poll responses are not etched in stone and that the red state vs blue state phenomenon "hides the reality that Bush and Kerry agreed on far more than they disagreed on."

The electoral map and the blue/red phenomenon continue to sideline and make irrelevant the progressive ideals that were ignored by the so-called opposition candidate, Dalbey said.

Ever since it chose to back the 2004 presidential ticket of Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo back in June, the ISO has put forth a fervent effort to illuminate the pitfalls of succumbing to the Anybody-But-Bush and lesser-of-two-evils arguments — describing it as a moral retreat and as a type of pragmatism that only serves to move U.S. politics further to the right.

Dalbey eloquently voiced his organization's disagreements over Senator John Kerry's positions on the war and gay marriage, and echoed the new Thomas Frank book "What's Wrong With Kansas," which urges Democrats to actually stand for something and not simply stand in opposition to its rivals.

"In this last election, the least lesser-evil lost because Kerry ran a race of Coke vs. Pepsi and people voted for the real thing. Saying hope was on the way was simply not enough," Dalbey said.

Act Locally

Jay Marx viewed the last presidential election as a sign that progressive campaigns are likely to be more viable on a local level — despite having received only 8 percent of the vote in his most recent campaign for DC city council on the DCSGP ticket — "not a huge mandate by any stretch," Marx admitted.

Marx viewed local issues such as the lack of local recreation centers, vague promises about riverside development, and the bilking of DC taxpayer dollars towards the construction of a new baseball stadium as tangible issues that progressives could use to galvanize voters.

However, Marx also touched on the difficulty progressives face nationally, saying third-parties must find a way to counter the "martial mindset" of the Right, and seek out exciting, charismatic leaders that can motivate and mobilize people.

Marx also called for more regular strikes and other means of protest that hit powerbrokers where it hurts them most — their pocketbook. Tell the government we're not going to pay for the war anymore via your tax return, Marx said.

Daily Citizenship

Niyi Shomade, a native of Nigeria and the finance officer of the Ralph Nader 2004 presidential campaign, expressed frustration with American complacency in regards to politics. "Bush ran the economy into the ground, the war in Iraq is unpopular, the deficit is out of control — people say it can't get worse, and yet he wins."

"The fact is it was worse when women and Blacks couldn't vote," Shomade said. "It was worse when slave labor in Africa and Asia was a dominating force," he added.

As a resident of Nigeria, Shomade was not allowed to vote in the last election, but he said he felt it was important to get involved politically somehow because what happens in the United States ultimately effects his country as well as the rest of the world.

"We need to start seeing each other as one people and start making more connections," Shomade said.

Shomade also described voting as the lowest form of political expression. It's important that every vote count, but issues like poverty and health care trump electoral issues, he said. It's more important that people participate politically all the time instead of only participating when it comes time vote, he added. "Ralph Nader says you can't have democracy without daily citizenship."

Lastly, Shomade also called for some form of organized "economic sabotage" — showing up an hour late for work, boycotts — something more than just rallying and protesting.

Movements vs. Organizations

Shahid Buttar of the DC Spokes Council — an umbrella group of local activists — also expressed dissatisfaction with electoral politics. By all means vote, but if we accept that as our only means of expressing ourselves, then we must accept our marginalization, Buttar said.

"It's crucial to recognize that movements shift what this country is about, not candidates or political parties — movements come from individuals — people acting in their own private capacities," Buttar said.

He urged individual progressives to circumvent political parties and non-governmental organizations, describing them as disempowering and symptomatic. Striking at the causes of our problems instead of the symptoms is essential, and requires forming alliances and coalitions, Buttar said.

Buttar, who is also a member of a local "guerrilla poetry insurgency," said progressives could build alliances by attending a variety of events and meetings and sharing with others the messages and lessons learned. "Political activists should throw more parties too," Buttar said.

Discussion

The attendees had lots to say in response to the panelists' comments, but by no means was a consensus reached. A Latin American woman in the audience said she too couldn't vote but felt movement-based politics empowered her with a kind of indirect "vote". Others expressed dissatisfaction with protests and rallies, saying they were largely ineffectual.

Others still seemed unable to shake the 2004 election and expressed confusion as to what to do about the passionless politics of the Democrats. Nevertheless, with the debate having occurred just nine days after the elections, the progressives in attendance seemed united in their resolve to make sure their values and issues set the tone for the next four years and beyond.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

photo care of tangentialism

[from tienmao:] Last night was the opening night of Fornino, the new pizza place on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg (CLICK HERE FOR MENU). Dutifully, Adam and I went to try it out and it was excellent. We had three small pies, sampling as much as we could without getting too full. Michael Ayoub, the chef/owner, has three "generations" of pizza on his menu and we sampled piesfrom two - the first and third.

Our first pie was a margherita classica, which had tomato, mozzarella, basil and two parmesan cheeses. Next, we had the patate e salciccia, a fennel sausage, potatoes, fontina and cherry tomato concoction. Finally, we had the vongole, which was clams, mozzarella, parmesan, garlic and oregano. All the pies were smalls, which were $8 for the first generation and $10 for the third (the second was also $10). Large pies run $14 and $16.

The consensus favorite was the margherita, which was super light with a perfect crust. Our second pie was rather eh, with the potatoes "not adding anything" and the sausage lacking spice. The clam pizza was very good, but overladen with oregano. In a twist from a more traditional clam pie that you might see in New England, the clams were served on the shell. If there were less oregano, I think this would have been my favorite pie.

As it's first night open, the pizza was very good and it will probably only improve from here out. Fornino's has a greenhouse out back where they want to grow some of their own ingredients. The oven at Fornino is wood burning, which is evident when you walk by it. Fornino has been dubbed a "artisinal pizza" place, which seems to be the trend these days.

For some reason, we decided to get desert after the meal (damn persuasive waitress). While I had the spumoni, Adam had the ice cream cookies, which had pumpkin, mint chocolate chip, and vanilla cookies. Turns out that after desert, we were stuffed anyway.

A great pizza place and Tasti D-Lite on the same block in Williamsburg? There goes the neighborhood.

187 Bedford Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211
718.384.6004
Sunday-Thursday 12pm-12am
Friday-Saturday 12pm-1am
FREE DELIVERY

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

by Alexander Laurence
Sometimes when an election doesn't go your way, you need a sexy diversion. Har Mar Superstar (Sean Tillman) is a chubby white man from Minnesota who sings R&B tunes while dancing frantically. His live shows, sung to the backing track from a boom box, usually culminate in stripping down to his underwear. He has been around for years and has been busy. He has tour extensively and has penned songs for Jennifer Lopez and Kelly Osborne. He opened shows for The Strokes and Incubus. These are only some of the highlights of the real story.

He first emerged as a recording artist in the St. Paul, MN, band Calvin Krime in the late '90s. His self-titled Har Mar Superstar (2000), launched his libidinous, sometimes B-boy prone, R&B persona. The follow up, You Can Feel Me (2002), turned out to be a more fully realized, well produced, and downright funky release. Rolling Stone Magazine mentioned him as one of the new faces of 2002. After moving to England for a year, Har Mar Superstar is back with his third album, The Handler (2004). His album got a lousy rating from Pitchfork Media, but it is as good as anything Har Mar has done. I spoke to him before his recent American tour.

*******

AL: How long have you been playing music?

Har Mar: I have been playing instruments since I was five. I have been writing songs since I was twelve. I started a band when I was thirteen. Some of that early stuff probably showed up on a record in bits and pieces.

AL: Did you grow up in a musical family?

Har Mar: Definitely. I grew up with an older brother and an older sister. My sister was always into playing piano and singing. She is an opera singer now. My parents are art teachers. My family comes to my shows very often.

AL: How has being from Minnesota influenced your music?

Har Mar: There is an obvious Prince influence. Being from Minnesota has influenced my work ethic. Bands like The Replacements and Husker Du had to tour their asses off just to get noticed. Babes in Toyland were another band. All those bands did things in their own way but the one thing that was common to them was hard work. There are so many good bands from the area in the past fifteen years.

AL: When did you start making the new album, The Handler?

Har Mar: In January 2004. I actually started a year ago in November. But there were some hold ups and I trashed it all and started new.

AL: How do you work in the studio? Did you have some ideas already?

Har Mar: Yeah, I had some vocal hooks and guitar lines. The first time I was in the studio with the producer I was just checking out the studio. We did three songs that day. We just shot ideas off each other and put them on tape. At the end of the day we trashed what sucked and kept what was good. I would take the instrumental tracks and listen to them in my car while I was driving around. I would think of vocal hooks and melodies and lyrics. I would piece it all together. We would make more music and I would record more vocals.

AL: You work very fast?

Har Mar: Yeah. We did this album in two or three months. I left for a few weeks to do some shows and play in England. We did most of it in one month and then came back and fine-tuned the rest. We mixed the album for a month.

AL: How is the music scene different in America and the UK?

Har Mar: I am not sure. I haven’t played in the United States in a long time. In the UK people are more fanatical. They like to jump on something. A lot of people in the USA are cynical. In the UK people are more willing to like everything, and not have their one thing. I lived in the UK for a year. I have been in the UK all the time for the past two years. After I did the American tour with Kelly Osborne I moved to the UK for a year. I was on TV all the time.

AL: What is Ibiza like?

Har Mar: I did a residency there. It’s open during the summer. It’s a 24-hour party from June to September, and the rest of the time it’s an empty island. People come there from all over Europe. It’s one of those places where you go out on Monday night and get home on Thursday morning and don’t know what happened. I did a residency at Club Manumission. Ten thousand people would come every Monday night. I would perform at five in the morning.

AL: How did you get some of these people to play on your record?

Har Mar: Nick and Karen (from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) were around and they are my friends. They came in the studio and we figured out if there was something that they could do. Nick Zinner came in and developed a few songs. He is very good at producing. Karen and I have been talking about doing something that was unrelated to her band for a long time. I gave her the freedom to do whatever she wanted. That was one day of writing and recording. The whole song was done. I was hanging out with Holly Valence and we were talking about doing something. I had a part for her to do.

AL: Holly Valence is known more in the UK.

Har Mar: Yeah. She will be a huge movie star one day.

AL: How did the song with Northern State go down?

Har Mar: We have the same manager. I have always been into their shit but had never met them. When we met we hung out for a few days in LA. They were still working on their album. We worked on one song for their album. I sang the chorus and wrote all the vocals. I had a verse in a song that I wanted someone to guest on and they just rolled it the most.

AL: How was the collaboration with Jennifer Lopez?

Har Mar: That wasn’t really collaboration. They wanted me to be a ghostwriter on her album. I was given a week to do a song in the last week of the production of her album. It sucked. It was one of the hardest things ever to do. I sent one song over. It was like trying to write in the voice of a person that you don’t care about and don’t understand. I don’t think that she cares about anything, so how can you write a lyric for someone like that?

AL: On the last album you had songs like “E Z Pass” and “Power Lunch.” Do you think that you have any songs on this album that can become code words or catch phrases?

Har Mar: Hopefully. I like to open common phrases and make them take a whole new form.

AL: What is the new show like?

Har Mar: I have a bass player and a drummer with me now. It’s more realized. I like the minimalism of a bare stage, a boom box, and me. But now it is time to kick it up a little bit.

AL: Is the new show raunchier?

Har Mar: I just care about making it an awesome show. It has to be undeniable. If people want to hate it, they can’t.

AL: I have seen you a lot in LA. You seem to show up at (www.polaroidscene.com). You jumped onstage with The Libertines a few months ago.

Har Mar: Yeah. I go see my friends play. But I can’t go out as much. I can’t be a fan in the crowd. I can be backstage.

AL: Do you have any hobbies?

Har Mar: I like to watch DVDs.

AL: What made you want to do the song “Alone Again?”

Har Mar: It’s my favorite song of all time.

AL: Any advice to people who want to do music?

Har Mar: You should not sample shit. Write your own music. Don’t be a dick.

Website: www.harmarsuperstar.com

--Alexander Laurence

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

[From CNN]
President Bush Friday signed into law a measure authorizing an $800 billion increase in the credit limit of the United States, the White House said.

Democrats said the debt limit increase, the third in as many years, was necessitated by Bush's "irresponsible" fiscal priorities, including what House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California described as tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate handouts.

Republicans say the 2001 recession and the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks are responsible for the fiscal shortfall.

The budget deficit hit a record $412 billion in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 and the Congressional Budget Office has projected $2.3 trillion in accumulated deficits over the next decade.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 04:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From Gawker:
"Freemans tuesday night the 16th of nov. the bush twins along with 2 massive secret service men tried to have dinner they were told by the maitre 'd that they were full and would be for the next 4 years upon hearing the entire restaurant cheered and did a round of shots it was amazing"

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)

If you don't mind huge enormous mind-boggling crowds, check out the MoMa this weekend as they reopen their doors.

From Flavorpill:
"A treasure chest of modernism, MoMA reopens its Manhattan home after undergoing the most extensive rebuilding and renovation project in its 75-year history. Architect Yoshio Taniguchi's sleek design, which is highlighted in one of the opening exhibits, nearly doubles the capacity of the former building (featured here in the film series Made at MoMA, celebrating the institution's cultural presence). Two other shows also focus on the museum's expansion: Mark Dion displays artifacts excavated from the sculpture garden and demolished adjacent buildings, while Michael Wesely exhibits long photographic exposures of the project's evolution. The icing on the cake is the reinstallation of the permanent collection, a magnificent feat in and of itself."

Sat 11.20 (10am-10pm)
11 W 53rd ST
212.708.9400
FREE

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Thursday at Max Fish, 6:30 - ??:

A combination art show opening and book signing
FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY
NO COVER:

Praise for Food Court Druids, Cherohonkees and other Creatures Unique to the Republic:

"Another funny and strangely insightful contribution to our culture from Robert Lanham, the Margaret Mead of the North American Weirdo."
-Neal Pollack

"This book is a riot."
-Cleveland Plain Dealer

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The merger of Kmart and Sears is affecting retail commerce in ways both obvious and subtle. Most business press is covering large details, such as the questionable decision to position both chains under the name Ksmears. Yet with this merger comes a veritable flood of new business practices, models that might affect careers and communities for some time to come.

For instance, this is the first retail chain (though certainly not the last) to offer midlevel-rent apartments in some of its aisles. While this venture is still in the preliminary phase, with only three shelves set aside for housing units, economists will watch closely the economic and social impact of having people commuting to work and school from within one of their store complexes.

New Ksmears outlets will also be the first to include small convenience stores within the larger complex. Said Ksmears CEO Edward S. Lampert, “We’ve had fast-food cafeterias and the like in our stores before, but this will be the first actual store within a store, for people who have gotten lost or dizzy from hungriness. They’ll want convenient access to some more nourishing Ksmears products, at a price that’s competitive with those outside in the larger store, so they’ll have the strength to continue shopping for bargains. Also, these convenient stores will function as rest stops for those driving through.”

Indeed, the new Ksmears complexes will include drive-through service and will even have major arteries of highway diverted through them, to insure better flow and convenience. Parking lots will be seamlessly integrated with display areas. This will function to help generate traffic (of both the purchasing and automotive kind) and supplement the parking for the airport attachment.

The new company hopes to integrate the two chains quickly and obtain greater savings through improved operational efficiency. It will also maximize profits through cheaper labor on its manufacturing side.

“Don’t get us wrong,” said Alan J. Lacy, Ksmears vice president. “We’re still committed to providing jobs for third world children, but we have to improve our productivity to remain competitive with the Wal-Marts and the Targets of the world, and you can only exploit desperate, hungry people so much. It has come to our attention that several countries are far less squeamish about human cloning experiments, and while those experiments have resulted only in disturbingly disfigured subhumans, those quasi-humans will work under far more stressful conditions than even third world regular humans will. I reiterate, we will always provide jobs for third world children. Some cheap products need tiny fingers to produce, but some need hands with twelve fingers, and we’re pioneering on that front.”

How will these changes impact U.S. labor and small businesses? Just great! Everything’s going to be fine. Prices are low, and profits are high. Someone’s getting rich. That’s all that matters. Remember, our lifestyle, foreign policy, government borrowing and ecology are all unsustainable. So what if we all end up wearing one of three uniforms as we sell crap to each other? The important thing to remember is that we’re all going to die.

By Dan Kilian

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Very Disturbing:

From NY Times:
Porter J. Goss, the new intelligence chief, has told Central Intelligence Agency employees that their job is to "support the administration and its policies in our work,'' a copy of an internal memorandum shows.

"As agency employees we do not identify with, support or champion opposition to the administration or its policies," Mr. Goss said in the memorandum, which was circulated late on Monday. He said in the document that he was seeking "to clarify beyond doubt the rules of the road."

While his words could be construed as urging analysts to conform with administration policies, Mr. Goss also wrote, "We provide the intelligence as we see it - and let the facts alone speak to the policymaker.''

The memorandum suggested an effort by Mr. Goss to spell out his thinking as he embarked on what he made clear would be a major overhaul at the agency, with further changes to come. The changes to date, including the ouster of the agency's clandestine service chief, have left current and former intelligence officials angry and unnerved. Some have been outspoken, including those who said Tuesday that they regarded Mr. Goss's warning as part of an effort to suppress dissent within the organization.

In recent weeks, White House officials have complained that some C.I.A. officials have sought to undermine President Bush and his policies.

At a minimum, Mr. Goss's memorandum appeared to be a swipe against an agency decision under George J. Tenet, his predecessor as director of central intelligence, to permit a senior analyst at the agency, Michael Scheuer, to write a book and grant interviews that were critical of the Bush administration's policies on terrorism.

One former intelligence official said he saw nothing inappropriate in Mr. Goss's warning, noting that the C.I.A. had long tried to distance itself and its employees from policy matters.

"Mike exploited a seam in the rules and inappropriately used it to express his own policy views,'' the official said of Mr. Scheuer. "That did serious damage to the agency, because many people, including some in the White House, thought that he was being urged by the agency to take on the president. I know that was not the case.''

But a second former intelligence official said he was concerned that the memorandum and the changes represented an effort by Mr. Goss to stifle independence.

"If Goss is asking people to color their views and be a team player, that's not what people at C.I.A. signed up for,'' said the former intelligence official. The official and others interviewed in recent days spoke on condition that they not be named, saying they did not want to inflame tensions at the agency.

Some of the contents of Mr. Goss's memorandum were first reported by The Washington Post. A complete copy of the document was obtained on Tuesday by The New York Times.

Tensions between the agency's new leadership team, which took over in late September, and senior career officials are more intense than at any time since the late 1970's. The most significant changes so far have been the resignations on Monday of Stephen R. Kappes, the deputy director of operations, and his deputy, Michael Sulick, but Mr. Goss told agency employees in the memorandum that he planned further changes "in the days and weeks ahead of us'' that would involve "procedures, organization, senior personnel and areas of focus for our action.''

"I am committed to sharing these changes with you as they occur,'' Mr. Goss said in the memorandum. "I do understand it is easy to be distracted by both the nature and the pace of change. I am confident, however, that you will remain deeply committed to our mission.''

Mr. Goss's memorandum included a reminder that C.I.A. employees should "scrupulously honor our secrecy oath'' by allowing the agency's public affairs office and its Congressional relations branch to take the lead in all contacts with the media and with Congress. "We remain a secret organization,'' he said.

Among the moves that Mr. Goss said he was weighing was the selection of a candidate to become the agency's No. 2 official, the deputy director of central intelligence. The name being mentioned most often within the C.I.A. as a candidate, intelligence officials said, is Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden of the Air Force, the director of the National Security Agency, which is responsible for intercepting electronic communications worldwide. The naming of a deputy director would be made by the White House, in a nomination subject to Senate confirmation.

In interviews this week, members of Congress as well as current and former intelligence officials said one reason the overhaul under way had left them unnerved was that Mr. Goss had not made clear what kind of agency he intended to put in place. But Mr. Goss's memorandum did little to spell out that vision, and it did not make clear why the focus of overhaul efforts to date appeared to be on the operations directorate, which carries out spying and other covert missions around the world.

"It's just very hard to divine what's going on over there,'' said Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, who said he and other members of the Senate intelligence committee would be seeking answers at closed sessions this week. "But on issue after issue, there's a real question about whether the country and the Congress are going to get an unvarnished picture of our intelligence situation at a critical time.''

Mr. Goss said in the memorandum that he recognized that intelligence officers were operating in an atmosphere of extraordinary pressures, after a series of reports critical of intelligence agencies' performance in the months leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks and the war in Iraq.

"The I.C. and its people have been relentlessly scrutinized and criticized,'' he said, using an abbreviation for intelligence community. "Intelligence-related issues have become the fodder of partisan food fights and turf-power skirmishes. All the while, the demand for our services and products against a ruthless and unconventional enemy has expanded geometrically and we are expected to deliver - instantly. We have reason to be proud of our achievements and we need to be smarter about how we do our work in this operational climate.''

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Fabio made an appearance today at Conde Nast and wowed the staff with his buffness, his manly locks and his friendly charm. He patiently took a seat while staffers one by one asked for an autograph. No wonder every housewife in America wants to do him. He even posed with a Wrassler for our upcoming show:

more pictures:

-----------------------
Shameless self promotion:
Check out the follow-up to The Hipster Handbook:

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

[From NY Daily News]
Tom Hanks for president?: Looks like "Fahrenheit 9/11" director and proud lefty Michael Moore is hatching a scheme to draft Tom Hanks for the White House in 2008.

"We need to find our Arnold," Moore told Lowdown at Sunday's "Hotel Rwanda" premiere, adding that the box-office star is the Democratic Schwarzenegger.

"You know, Americans want to vote for someone that they trust, that they like, that has a friendly face. They don't expect their President to be the one who's actually setting the policy and writing the laws. They know Bush doesn't do that. They want the person in charge, though, to be someone who will make them feel safe and someone who they like and who they trust.

"Americans love celebrities, they love movie stars, and when they get the chance to vote for them, they do."

Yesterday Hanks, in London promoting "The Polar Express," expressed amusement at Moore's musings but insisted he has no political aspirations.

"That will never, ever, ever happen," Hanks declared through his PR rep.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Movable Hype
The Knitting Factory
Tuesday, November 16

Our friends at Gothamist have put together a fabulous evening of music, with up-and-coming indie acts:
The Fresh
The Sons of Sound
Snowden
Asobi Seksu

Best of all there are $2 drink specials from Triple 8 Vodka!

Show starts at 8PM. Tickets are $10 in advance (you can buy them at the Knitting Factory or via Ticketweb) and $12 day of show. All of Gothamist's proceeds will go towards funding a NYC public school program found on Donors Choose.

Click here for more info

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

[from CNN]
The rap artist O.D.B., whose utterly unique rhymes, wild lifestyle and incessant legal troubles made him one of the most vivid characters in hip-hop, collapsed and died inside a recording studio Saturday. He was 35.

O.D.B. had complained of chest pains before collapsing at the Manhattan studio, and was dead by the time paramedics arrived, said Gabe Tesoriero, a spokesman for O.D.B.'s record label, Roc-a-Fella.

O.D.B. -- also known as Ol' Dirty Bastard, Dirt McGirt, Big Baby Jesus or his legal name of Russell Jones -- was a founding member of the seminal rap group the Wu-Tang Clan in the early 1990s.

With his unorthodox delivery -- alternately slurred, hyper and nonsensical -- O.D.B. stood out even in the nine-man Clan, which featured such future stars as Method Man, RZA and Ghostface Killah.

The Wu-Tang blueprint was for each member to pursue solo projects, and O.D.B.'s were among the best.

He released hit singles such as "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" and "Got Your Money," and appeared on remixes with artists like Mariah Carey.

"There's nobody like him in the game," RZA told The Associated Press in an April interview, when asked if O.D.B. could resume his career after prison. "He's got a lot of problems he's got to iron out, of course, but as far as a one-of-a-kind person, a one-of-a-kind artist, he's one of a generation, one of a lifetime. He's a very rare commodity."

But as his fame increased, so did his erratic behavior, and fans came to expect the unexpected from O.D.B.

When MTV News followed him around at the height of his popularity, he took the camera crew and several of his kids (he was said to have more than a dozen, by numerous mothers) to the welfare office -- in a limousine -- to get an allotment of food stamps.

And he received them.

In February 1998, he crashed the stage at the Grammy Awards and hijacked a microphone from singer Shawn Colvin as she accepted an award, apparently upset over losing the best rap album Grammy to P. Diddy (then known as Puff Daddy). He complained that he spent a lot of money for new clothes because he thought he was going to win. The rapper later apologized.

Over the years, he was wounded in shootings and arrested on a veritable laundry list of charges, including menacing security officers, illegally possessing body armor, driving with a suspended license, shoplifting and threatening a former girlfriend.

In 2000, after escaping a court-ordered stint in a California rehabilitation center, authorities searched for him for a month. He was finally arrested in Philadelphia -- three days after performing in a New York City concert with his Wu-Tang clique.

He was sentenced in 2001 to two to four years in prison for drug possession, plus two concurrent years for escaping from the clinic. He was released in 2003 and immediately signed with Roc-a-Fella.

He heralded his return with a news conference alongside singer Carey -- pop fans may know him best for his memorable cameo on her hit "Fantasy," featuring rhymes like "me and Mariah, go back like babies with pacifiers."

Tesoriero said O.D.B. had been working on his comeback album for more than a year and was almost finished.

"Russell inspired all of us with his spirit, wit, and tremendous heart," Roc-A-Fella founder Damon Dash said in a statement. "The world has lost a great talent, but we mourn the loss of our friend."

His mother, Cherry Jones, said she received the news of her son's death in a phone call, which she called "every mother's worst dream."

"To the public he was known as Old Dirty Bastard, but to me he was known as Rusty. The kindest most generous soul on earth," her statement said. "Russell was more than a rapper, he was a loving father, brother, uncle, and most of all, son."

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

There's a new bar in Williamsburg featuring tons of classic arcade games like Moon Patrol, Centipede, Frogger, and Donkey Kong,and Zaxxon.

(from tangentialism):
i don't normally like big warehousey bars in williamsburg, especially when they're right around the corner from where i live, but at first glance, i kind of like barcade. it's super super "hipster", but then again, there's twelve arcade cabinets lined up against the wall. plus there's lots of different beers, if that's what you look for in a bar. i figure this place will do pretty well in the long run. this crowd seemed a little on the slim side for a saturday night, but i don't think word's gotten out yet

Barcade
388 Union Avenue
Brooklyn, New York, 11211

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

This is hours of entertainment. CLICK HERE, select "open."

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

by Dan Kilian

1. Be white, straight and rich.

2. Adopt a state: Expatriate with others Democrats in mass to red states until the next election is over.

3. Have sex with your gay life partner. In public.

4. Turn up your arrogance when dealing with hicks from the sticks. When tourists ask for directions around your coastal city, say "Turn left at the 100,000 dead people in Iraq, and go directly to hell." If they claim to have voted for Kerry, tell them to go to hell anyway. America isn't about being fair anymore.

5. Slap an angry bumper sticker on the back of your car. Replace your rear window and taillights. Slap another angry bumper sticker over the defaced one.

6. Weep, for four straight years.

7. Handle your anger the way "people with values" do -- blame the gays then blow off some steam by going to Walmart or Red Lobster.

8. Pay a visit to your doctor. Spend $135.00 for the visit. Pay another $75–125 for three antibiotic pills. If you've got anything worse than Strep throat and you don't have healthcare, just lay down and die.

9. Write long ranting e-mails telling all your friends your personal plan to take back the Senate in '06. Don’t forget values.

10. Have an abortion. In public.

11. March, impotently, against a disinterested Washington, protesting the latest atrocity.

12. Speculate on all the Hillary/Edwards/Obama presidential ticket combinations, and imagine one of them defeating some probable McCain/Giuliani ticket. Good luck with that, by the way.

13. Speculate on all the Hillary/Edwards/Obama sexual combinations. If that doesn’t get you hot, imagine some sort of McCain/Giuliani/Jeb tryst. Again, good luck.

14. Inform Nader that RIGHT NOW would be a better time to motivate a 3rd party than September 2008.

15. Blame Jesus and/or Mel Gibson. Or, inversely, accept Jesus as your personal savior, buy 10 copies of the Passion, and give up your perverted behavior in favor of some good old fashioned dry humping.

16. Theorize about conspiracies. Conspire about theories.

17. Thank God that AT LEAST Ashcroft resigned.

18. Knock up a Bush twin.

19. Visit the bathroom at Applebee's and Cracker Barrel (Republican staples) and pee on the seat.

20. When talking to a Republican, pretend you're a robot and say over and over "must pay lower taxes, must pay lower taxes."

21. When the shit hits the fan, take pride in the fact that we can finally blame EVERYTHING on the Republicans.

-----------------------
Shameless self promotion:
Check out the follow-up to The Hipster Handbook:

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (44)

In Conversation: Seymour Hersh, Luc Sante, David Levi Strauss

Moderated by Brian Wallis
Tuesday, November 9, 2004 7:00 pm
The Great Hall - Cooper Union
7 East 7th Street at 3rd Avenue
Free Admission

On occasion of the ICP exhibition "Inconvenient Evidence: Iraqi Prison Photographs from Abu Ghraib," Seymour Hersh, Luc Sante, David Levi Strauss and Brian Wallis will discuss how photography has played in the international debate on the events of the past year. They will speak to a range of ethical and political issues, the function of electronic media, and photography's role in documenting truth.

The panel has been made possible with the generous support of the Open Society Institute and was organized by the International Center of Photography in conjunction with The Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. The exhibition will be on view at the International Center of Photography through November 28, 2004.

For further information and to reserve a space, please contact the ICP Education Department at (212) 857-0001.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

As our Great Nation Healer said last week:
"I'll reach out to everyone who shares our goals."
[jackass]

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

I come from a long line of failures, reprobates, drunks, self-absorbed losers, and cowards. As a young Keane Pepper, I often imagined growing up to be a banker and starting a family just so I could leave them to paint nubile islander girls.

Sometimes I would dream about contracting syphilis from a French whore and begging for money from a rich patron to support my opium addiction. Ah, how I loved to read biographies about my favorite artists. I remember watching "Lust for Life" in 8th grade art class and hoping my life would be just as fucked up as Vincent's.

Somehow, sitting here in my boxers, half-drunk on cheap beer trying to exorcise a two day, hangover and the dismal returns on the election I realize that I have not fulfilled my dream. I promised myself that if Bush were elected (he certainly wasn't re-elected), I would challenge my mediocrity and fully commit to a life of artistic poverty and misery.

I will drink my turpentine, eat paint, and take up with a drug-addled prostitute. If the country believes that Bush is right, then I'd rather be wrong. I mean really wrong.

Despite my longing for a short, brutish life and a solitary death, I managed to drag my friend K, who just moved to Queens after a disastrous series of events following college on this month's excursion. He expatriated to Dublin to pursue his dream of becoming Irish. Unfortunately, they wouldn't just put him on the dole, and he ended up waiting tables for tips miles from the unheated shack he lived in with three, quite authentic Irish alcoholics who tortured my hapless friend. He ended up home shortly before Christmas that same year before starting a long journey through several aborted careers and a doomed relationship. Now, he's moved into a place in Queens without a job, and if you know anyone who desperately needs a place to live for a month, fire me an email. K is looking for someone to pay the rent until he finds a job. While he struggles to be upwardly mobile, I am in a free fall.

31 Grand
At one point, K stops in front of Mike Cockrill's painting and cocks his head like a dog that has just heard something beyond our range of hearing. I am looking at the same paintings of little boys and girls he is, but I am not seeing it. Cockrill's pastel-hued, patchy updates of Norman Rockwell are the kind of saccharine objects that will definitely kill Williamsburg. Call it cancer of the eye.
I'm sure there are more K's out there who will like Cockrill's visual metaphors of sexual innocence and the loss thereof, but I just found his paintings of little girls in dresses a bit creepy. There's no question Cockrill can paint, the large canvasses can be seductive, but his soft-focus facility tastes like coolwhip. I couldn't look at K after leaving the place. I wanted to bitch slap him and call him names.
(1 Greenberg. "then again" is attracting dudes with hairy legs in long jackets through November 14th.)

Roebling Hall

Someone should have told me Roebling Hall closed and a Haunted House opened up for the holiday. I almost asked how much it cost to see Doug Young's spooky art. My nominal favorite was his tableaux of a tree inhabited by some sort of alien birds. The thing shakes a bit, lights up, and chirps. It's far better than the goofy, Hallmark-esque haunted castle diorama or the 'ghost mirror'. There's also a curtained corner that makes noises and a giant castle on a hill that flashes not so ominously with lightning. The entire installation is garishly over the top, channeling everything from Dracula to War of the Worlds. It's hopelessly silly. I really don't like to trash things for being 'theatrical', but this thing is pure camp. K seemed to see the light on this one.
(1 Greenberg. The thing looses any seasonal charm after Halloween, but it'll be there long after…)

Black and White Gallery
1950 called and Abstract Expressionism wants its paintings back. Why? Why? I have no answers. Well, maybe. These are like buying 'antique finish' furniture. Hang them right above your art deco inspired couch.
(0 Greenbergs. Andrew Piedilato is smearing paint until November 29th)

Jack the Pelican
So, K wouldn't even go into Black and White. He simply couldn't believe his eyes. We retreated to the Pelican to see Michelle Handelman's multimedia installation, This Delicate Monster. K went right back into dog mode, this time waiting expectantly for some nudity with his mouth open. I figured Handelman's masked women were more interested in their own desire than ours. The color-coded beauties inhabit a world free of men like us who watched them crawl about in open fields and pant heavily with great interest. At some point, K says, "I'm watching this because I want to have sex with the girl in the black mask." Simply shocked and outraged by his comment I told him to leave the gallery.

Right.
Handelman's nonlinear narrative is overtly about desire. The women travel through an uninhabited countryside devoid of men. Apparently, Handelman and her character's perform on Saturday's in the gallery, involving a vitrine in at the front of the space. Most of the story is told through two videos, one of which is staggered and mirrored on three flat screens, and a large scale projection in the back space. There are accompanying photographs that add to the storyline, which is pretty much a utopian fantasy. I got a kick out it and I think Mick Cockrill should drop by and see what this crazy development called feminism is.
(3 1/2 Greenbergs. This Delicate Monster is getting off through November 21st)

Cinders
Someone over there sends me an e-mail to check it out. I almost couldn't bring myself to go inside. I have an irrational distaste for little stores that also show art. Well, the work wasn't horrible. I actually kind of liked the animal theme going on in Little Might Big. Well, Leslie Harding's drawings of mutant voles, were exquisitely rendered, but they kind of just passed me by. I was far more interested in Tina Mullen's poignant (what the fuck? Did I even think that word?) little doodles of crows. "What Crows Think" captures the off-handed romanticism of the work. They've got a bit of Poe in them. I don't know what to say about "Curious" George Ferrandi's monkey installation. Way too illustrative for me. Sorry. I slapped K's hand away from the merchandise.
(2 Greenbergs. Little Might Big is doing its best in a store through, eh, no date on the old press release.)

Front Room
So, K basically looks around and gives me this look that says "Can you believe this crap? It's all so, topical." I ignored the bastard and tried to be, what do you call it, interactive. I voted for cream pie over Ann Coulter in Mark Esper's boob- trapped work. I still voted Williamsburg 'hot' even though its clearly 'not' in Ann Cypcar's survey. I shredded some votes in a couple of works. The best moment I had in the gallery was reading some jackass's musings in Eric Hollender's piece. The anonymous voter opined "I wish I never . . . came in here" and "I wish I was. . . a hip, Williamsburg artist". I was deeply saddened that nobody, particularly Tim Wilson, nominated me for William Powhida's public enemies list.

Well, to ensure that I make it next time, fuck you all. I deserve to win. It's hard work being an asshole. Ask the President.

I did notice someone nominated the publisher of 11211, Breuk Iverson, but I actually dug his little Orwellian entry. His empty ballot box has some pretty right-on instructions for the future of voting in the 'homeland'. Let's just call it the 'fatherland' and stop pretending. I should have voted for Iverson as a public enemy, but his work redeemed him. Also, Daniel Aycock's entry, a black sleeping mask adorned with the words 'blissfully unaware' is where I'm headed. Anyway, K seemed bored, and I couldn't get into the politics considering that it's all bullshit. I'll never vote again, and I refuse to even consider helping anyone or anything. I'm going to be even worse than I've been in the past. No one should count on me. I'll push an old lady into the street.
(2 1/2 Greenbergs. Send your Republican friends, you know bankers and shit, to Front Room before November 21st)

Ch'I
After years of refusing to enter this place on merit (it was somewhere in that monster building on Kent and its name) I stopped by the new digs. While it currently looks like a Zebra the new space could replace the hated Bellwether nicely. They've just got to stop the madness and lose the new age hokum. I felt like lighting incense in the joint and chanting.
(1/2 Greenberg. Sun K. Kwak. Oh shit. He's going to be working on the walls through the 15th. )

Parker's Box
I guess I should call it Eyewash. In fact, the show New American Story Art is dedicated to Annie Herron, one of the founders of Eyewash, who recently passed away. While I never had the pleasure of meeting Annie, I have heard she helped put Williamsburg on the map. I'd have nothing to bitch about if it weren't for people like her. We owe her our gratitude.

The show itself is arguably the best show this month. It's got some heavy hitters, Sue Coe and Dotty Attie, doing their familiar narrative work. Coe's 9-11 print is disarming even as it is heavy-handed, but she's not known for her subtlety. Attie's film-noir detective montage is competently executed if a little robotic. K seemed a bit in awe of the show, particularly drawn in by David Kramer's polished cynicism. Of course I like it. There are too many great lines to quote, and reading his typed monologues felt something like thinking. The drawings are serviceable, but the action is in the text. Jim Torok's water-color storyboard of the nearly unwatchable "Lust for Life" inspired my opening. Torok's deadpan humor is awesome. Just fucking awesome. There's some other stuff, and apparently there were some videos and performances, but who can go out on a Thursday. Hmmm. Maybe I should quit my shitty job and jumpstart the downward spiral. I heard Larry Krone's musical performance in drag was pretty damn funny and enemies list boy Wiliam Powhida had a spot on video about the pitfalls of being a critic and an artist. My friend says I should really see it. Fuck that, I didn't get nominated. Nobody knows my pain, man.

(4 Greenbergs. New American Story Art despite its generic moniker is saying some great things through the 14th.)



WAH Center
I think this show could have been good. Maybe. The title is pure bullshit. Get this. Breakthrough as Process and Art: Psychological Archeology. Right. The only thing process oriented about this show is that like most art, there is a process. This show is about narrative, figurative painting. There's a freaky painting of mermaids at the end and giant floating head at the front that are almost worth the walk. In the middle there's a painting by someone famous, I think, but that's about it. The sculptures of bodies being compressed or tortured aren't all bad. K didn't even look at the art. He couldn't get over what a shithole the gallery space was.
(1 1/2 Greenbergs. Pretension hangs in the air through November 7th.)

The Place Next to Priska
Oh my god. I am speechless. K gave these Pointillism meets Turner nightscapes a chance. I tried not to laugh out loud and sob uncontrollably at the same time. Call me a NIMBY, but please, don't let the neighborhood become like those crappy faux art galleries in Soho. I left K to call my cell to find out where I had gone. I have never wished for an electrical fire before.
(-1 Greenberg. Yes, it can get worse than a 0.)

Priska
Pretty, geometric systems that are equal parts early Star Trek and playful abstraction. Danielle Tegeder's work is immediately familiar, and sure it's definitely derivative, but compared to the nostalgic Romantic art next door, she comes across like a creative genius. Tegeder might not be, but the central installation is icily beautiful, and her narrative titles are worth reading. K didn't seemed to thrilled by them, but just seeing them was like breathing for me. I generally hate systemic things, but Tegeder's work has lovely details and her hand remains evident in the process.
(3 Greenbergs. Death Rock City is shimmering like a pretty bauble through December 6th)

Southfirst Art
Perhaps they're moving? Don't get my hopes up.

Lunar Base
Carol Anne, stay away from the light!

Pierogi
Let me say how much I hate science as art. There's a bunch of molds and a really long thesis behind this show that sounds an awful like the ironic baloney of post-modern narrative fiction. There's actually a book that goes along with the show with a lot of contributions from writers. You lost me at the press release. K seemed genuinely hurt.
(1 Greenberg for effort. Decipherment of Linear X is baffling those art shoppers through November 15th)

Momenta Art
Swing and a miss.
(1/2 Greenberg. Whatever it is, conceptual stuff about observation, is drying for awhile)

Naked Duck
Indie-Rock star art. I guess Art in America said something about it.
(1 Greenberg. Series 2+3 is also over at Brooklyn Fire Proof through November 21st)

RKL Gallery
As I passed by the window, I saw some landscapes that just didn't have enough gravity, you know?
(1 1/2 Greenbergs for the artists. It closed.)

Plus Ultra
Kate Gilmore's installation of the wreckage of a broken heart and the accompanying video doesn't just capture the physical and emotional toll of a failed relationship; it is also effectively captures how I feel about everything. Gilmore hacks away at a suspended, ramshackle heart until she is battered and bruised. The 16 minute video is captivating, and I couldn't stop watching her break shit. If reading David Kramer was like thinking, watching Gilmore was like feeling. The work aches. It's also pretty funny, but I'm just not feeling so fucking funny right now. I'm going to have to start keeping a bottle of tums behind the bar.
(3 1/2 Greenbergs. If My Shoes Matched My Dress I Could Destroy You is up through the 15th. )

Schroeder Romero
Booty is an ambitious sculptural installation by Marsha Pels that draws inspiration from the looted Iraqi museums. Pels fell in love with the Mesopotamian objects when they traveled to the states a couple of years ago. Now, they like self-determination are missing. Pels transforms the beautiful objects into political commentary about our own Imperialist foreign policy. The big necklace in the center of the gallery is a stunning piece, but the rest of it doesn't do a whole lot for me. Still, the necklace and the attendant gasmask/ancient warrior helmets are pretty amazing. K didn't get much out of it, but then again, he like Mick Cockrill's work.

That's it. I'm getting ready to start being the fuck up I knew I could be. As a young Pepper, my moms took me to see a Polish language movie about a dysfunctional family that burns their house to ground rather than conform to the strict conservative values of the close-minded town. I've never felt so much like torching my shitty, overpriced shack and following the train tracks to parts unknown, except then I realize there's almost nowhere else to go in this wretched land. If I was agnostic before Bush Part II, now I am an atheist. I deny the very existence of God. You hear me you mid-life crisis converts. Where'd you find Jesus? At Walmart? There is no one to save you from yourselves.

Alright kids, Keane will probably be dead soon from cadmium poisoning or something. Till next month. Oh, I'm thinking of curating a show. Send me images.
Galleries, who's crazy?

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 07:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

11/5 Releases:

THE INCREDIBLES

WHAT'S THE PITCH?

Family of superheroes gets called out of a witness protection program to save the world.

WILL IT SUCK?

This is Pixar, folks. They're 5 and 0. Not only that, but they've teamed up with Brad Bird, who wrote and directed the criminally underseen "Iron Giant." Rumor has it that Brad came over to Pixar from WB because of their mishandling of his feature debut. That also means this is one of the few Pixar outings to not be either written or directed by Andrew Stanton, but if I'd trust anyone with their product besides him, it'd be Bird.

The voice talent is impressive. I'm particularly looking forward to Sam Jackson and Jason Lee joining the Pixar family. Pixar regular John Ratzenberger is back for another round. His Abominable Snowman in "Monsters, Inc." is still one of my all time favorite movie cameos.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
They're 5 and 0 on that count, too. However, the following week "The Polar Express" will present a serious challenge. Apparently Bird's old company isn't scared off by "Incredibles'" release date. They're going to have to split the pot. $184mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Will take on "Shrek 2," which drops on DVD the same day, for Best Animated Flick.

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BIRTH
(They changed the release date on this at the last minute, so it's already out, but play along.)

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Remember last month when Laura Linney fell for a guy who looked like her dead high school sweetheart? Well, this month Nicole Kidman falls for a little boy who looks like the reincarnation of her dead husband. Next month, Maura Tierney will fall for a goldfish who looks like this guy she saw on a subway once.

WILL IT SUCK?
All right. Let's just put this right out there. Nicole Kidman does something shocking in this film. Just about every preview is talking about it. She does, in fact, wear a short haircut throughout the entire film. Oh, and she full-mouth kisses a little boy. But the hair is something we're all just going to have to accept.

That having been said, the creep-out factor may be mitigated by the wealth of writing/directing talent they've thrown at this one. The director of "Sexy Beast" and writers from "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" and "Monster's Ball." Regardless, reviews are pretty bad. Must be the hair.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I'd say this is a clever case of counter-programming, but even folks who'd be up for watching Nicole make out with little Timmy are gonna be more interested in "The Incredibles." That's the power of Pixar; their films appeal to every-frickin'-body. You just don't open anything against them. You wait until next weekend when "Seed of Chucky" comes out. Nicole Kidman kissing a kid won't seem nearly as sketchy next to Jennifer Tilly getting impregnated by a doll. $6mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
It's Nicole Kidman. I think they're required to by law.

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ALFIE
(Held over from October to prevent this month from being Jude-less.)

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Jude Law (THREE! No, FOUR! Oh, fuck, now my count is off!) reprises the role Michael Caine made famous in…Wait. What do you mean you've never heard of "Alfie"? It was nominated for five Academy Awards people! Yeah, I never saw it, either.

WILL IT SUCK?
By rep, "Alfie" is a movie with a whole lotta fuckin'. It's about a guy who sleeps around and damn the consequences (which in the original include not one, but two pregnancies, one of which ends in an abortion). It centers on a pitiful, self-loathing, dark character for whom we feel sympathy, but not the warm, cuddly kind.

So why is the writer/director of the "Father of the Bride" remake up in here?

Maybe it's because he also did a remake of "The Parent Trap." Maybe that's why the trailer comes off looking like "Alfie McBeal."

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I think a lot of people would like to see "Alfie McBeal," or at least Jude Law fucking a lot. If Paramount had released it when they were going to originally, this might have benefited from that. As it is, it'll have to settle for couples who couldn't get into "The Incredibles." $26mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Jude might have a shot here, but I think one of his other, less sit-commy performances will get more attention. Maybe "Closer."

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11/12

THE POLAR EXPRESS

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Santa Claus. No Martians. Lots of animation.

WILL IT SUCK?
The good news is Robert Zemeckis is directing. He's an ace with new technology films (e.g. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"). Here, motion capture CGI lends credibility (or creepiness, depending on your tastes) to the digital versions of Tom Hanks and the other actors. The bad news is Robert Zemeckis is also writing, and one of his last scripts was "Bordello of Blood," which was great, but not in a "good film" kind of way. He's co-writing with William Broyles, Jr. who penned Zemeckis' "Cast Away" and also "Apollo 13" (does this guy like Hanks or vice-versa?), so that should even it out a bit.

Speaking of Hanks, his collaborations with Zemeckis are pretty solid. But the most important thing to remember about this film, besides the fact that it's the last performance of the late, great Michael Jeter, is that it finally reunites Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari, whom you might know better as "Bosom Buddies." I can only hope they'll dress in drag and say "who is it?" in that high pitched falsetto before the movie ends.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I have to admit, it's pretty damn ballsy to open this one week after "The Incredibles." However, there's a reason they're not opening it the following week. (It rhymes with "GrungeMob PearDance"). This'll do well, however, pretty much any time you release it, so Castle Rock (c/o Warner Bros.) shouldn't be concerned.

Based on an award-winning children's book (from the guy who wrote "Jumanji") and hence already bringing a following, the film also has the history of Zemeckis/Hanks blockbusters behind it. The pair has yet to make a film that grosses less than $200mil. Of course, they've only made two together ("Forrest Gump" and "Cast Away"), but still. $262mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
And the nominees for Best Animated Feature are, "Shrek 2," "The Incredibles," "The Polar Express,"and "Some Japanese Film, maybe Ghost in the Shell 2." And the winner is…

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SEED OF CHUCKY

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
In a meta-twist worthy of the "Scream" trilogy, Chucky and his new belle Tiffany (voiced by Jennifer Tilly) are resurrected by their son and somehow end up stalking the real Jennifer Tilly, who, of course, is shooting a Chucky-like film. John Waters does some stuff, too.

WILL IT SUCK?
Don Mancini, who wrote all of the Chucky films, finally gets to direct one, so if you liked the other Chucky films (yes, I see two or three of you in the back) you'll be getting the writer's full vision here. And his full vision includes Chucky running Britney Spears off the road. So it can't be all bad.

It's no coincidence Waters has a bit part as "Sleazy Reporter" as this is the only film this year that promises to be raunchier than his own "A Dirty Shame." If you don't believe me, check out the trailer. Or just look closely at the teaser poster. The eye has sperm in it. The iris is kind of an egg. Cute, no?

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This is pretty unchallenged for the horror audience this month. Although I'm thinking of this more as "American Pie" than "American Werewolf in London." In any case, there's surprisingly little crossover between this and "Polar Express," so this should claim a decent niche. $32mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No, but there should be some sort of Best Achievement in Post-Modernism Award.

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AFTER THE SUNSET

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
"The Thomas Caribbean Affair"

WILL IT SUCK?
The only reason I'm at all curious about this film is Don Cheadle. He plays the crime boss who tries to sucker retired thief Pierce Brosnan into another big score. I'm not interested in seeing Pierce play another posh thief pursued by another fed (this time it's Woody Harrelson) who doesn't think he's retired. Director Brett Ratner will, I'm sure, do as competent a job with this as he did with the "Rush Hour" films, but this feels more like a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon on cable than in the multiplex.

One of the screenwriters, incidentally, used to write for "Weakest Link," so look out for lots of great trivia. Or perhaps dominatrixes.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Arguably, this is nicely placed. Whoever doesn't go see "Polar Express" or "Seed of Chucky" just might be in the mood for this. And the following week, "National Treasure" looks to fill the "dumb" action movie slot whereas this will probably angle for the "smart" action movie slot. Still, I don't think this will generate enough buzz for anyone to really give a damn. $15mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Don deserves so many back-Oscar noms, I don't even know where to begin. But nothing for this.

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FINDING NEVERLAND

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
J.M. Barrie (Johnny Depp) meets a tragedy-stricken family and then writes "Peter Pan."

WILL IT SUCK?
Extremely positive buzz from critics and audiences alike. Depp is supposedly superb, and the look and feel of the film should be really cool, with fantasy sequences entering the mind of the playwright. Probably doesn't hurt to have Dustin Hoffman in a supporting role and "Monster's Ball" director Marc Forster at the helm, given his skill with portraying troubled family lives.

And the scene where Depp goes undercover to bust that teen chop shop is supposed to be awesome. (Sorry. "21 Jump Street" just came out on DVD.)

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This has all the hallmarks of an indie crossover hit. It's got a major star in a "prestige" flick with strong word of mouth. Look for it to platform but then quickly expand to a theater near you. $48mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Count on it. We could see director, screenplay, even film, and maybe another shot at Best Actor for Depp.

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KINSEY

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Liam Neeson plays the historic sex researcher Alfred Kinsey. Who better to confess your dirty little secrets to than Qui-Gon with an even goofier haircut?

WILL IT SUCK?
This comes from "Gods & Monsters" writer/director Bill Condon. Left to his own devices (that is, when he's not directing something he didn't write, like "Candyman II: Farewell to the Flesh") he tends to do good work. Having Liam, Laura Linney, Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Curry, Dylan Baker, Timothy Hutton, Oliver Platt, John Lithgow, and Gore Vidal (!?!) on board probably doesn't hurt. Early buzz is very strong, but more on that in a minute.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
A lot better if it weren't opening against "Finding Neverland," one of the few indies with stronger buzz this month. Still, the advertising push for "Kinsey" has been more prolific. But "Neverland" will draw a more family friendly crowd, especially after the controversy gets some press. What controversy? Well, the real Kinsey was accused of all sorts of things, not the least of which was aiding and abetting pedophiles. The jury's still out on a lot of these allegations, even after fifty years, but the upshot for the film will be free press on top of Fox Searchlight's strong ability to market. $14mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
This could be looking at some acting noms, especially for Linney and perhaps for some supporting players like Sarsgaard. We'll see how the controversy plays out. Polanski got an Oscar and there was much less ambiguity about his guilt. Condon has already won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar ("Gods and Monsters") and got a nom for "Chicago" so another adaptation nom isn't out of the question. Don't think a directing nod is in the making, though.

------------------------------

11/19

NATIONAL TREASURE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
A while back, Dave Barry did a parody of "The Da Vinci Code" in which a secret map was encoded on the back of The US Constitution. That would be too far fetched for a non-parody, so here it's The Declaration of Independence.

WILL IT SUCK?
Guess how many writers it took to concoct this. More. Stop when you get to nine. One more and they get a free entrée. Now among those writers are some of the creative minds behind "Shrek," "Aladdin," and "Pirates of the Carribean," as well as Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, who wrote some of the funnier films of the eighties and nineties, including "City Slickers" and "Gung Ho" (admit it, it was funny).

But these were merely the doctors and first-drafters. The final screenwriting credit goes to Marianne and Cormac Wibberley, the husband/wife writing team who brought us "I Spy," "The Sixth Day," and, their most highly rated film on the IMDB, "Bad Boys II."

The closest the director, John Turtletaub, has come to helming an actioner is "3 Ninjas." (His most highly rated film on the IMDB is, btw, "While You Were Sleeping.")

But hey, it has Nicholas Cage!

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This weekend is going to be a free-for-all, with three key demographics - kids, young males, and women - all being given specific outlets. So really it's just a matter of how many of each actually go to the movies. This will do pretty well with males. Especially if they're drunk. $150mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No, but I'll give it the "Really?" award for Most Unbelievable Premise.

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BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Bridget sees the other side of the happily-ever-after ending she thought she had in the original. It involves, naturally, a Thai prison.

WILL IT SUCK?
Hard to believe that a film with four screenwriters would be the film with the least credited scribes opening wide this week. At least they've brought back the original writers (including novelist Helen Fielding), though they added the guy who wrote "Wimbledon" for some reason. They got a new director who's most famous work (to Yanks anyway) is "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar," so that's a big "huh"?

Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, and Jim Broadbent are all back. They've also added that chick from "Real World: London," if you keep up with that sort of thing. I couldn't make it through "Real World: Philadelphia," and I freakin' live there.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Should handily pick up the female audience and hold onto it (losing a few to fans of the other Colin in "Alexander" the following week). $72mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Unless your movie has the words "God" and "Father" in the title, getting an acting nom for a sequel is a long shot, especially for the same role twice.

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BAD EDUCATION

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
There's actually a lot of nuance and subplot going on here, but the only thing anyone is going to remember is that a priest sexually abuses a boy.

WILL IT SUCK?
The two names to keep in mind here are Almodovar and Bernal. Pedro Almodovar is a virtually can't-miss director, and this is considered one of his best. Early buzz is extremely strong from critics and audiences alike, and it's already picked up two European Film Awards (that's what they're actually called) for Best Director and Best Actor.

Which brings us to Gael Garcia Bernal, who's quickly becoming THE Mexican actor of the decade. Since 2000, he's managed to be there for most of the watershed moments in Latin American film, including "Amores Perros," "Y Tu Mama Tambien," "El Crimen de Padre Amaro," and "The Motorcycle Diaries." Leads in all. A guy worth keeping your eye on and, by most accounts, this is a good place to do it.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
If it weren't for "Kinsey" and "Finding Neverland" from the previous week, this would pretty much run the indie table. However, this is a very limited release to get the Oscar word out followed by a larger release in December, which is when the real bucks should roll in. Almodovar has been doing much better on this front since his films started to garner BAFTA/Oscar attention. "All About My Mother" made nearly 8 times as much as "Live Flesh," before "Talk to Her" made even more. $10mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Count on it. Probably a nod for Bernal, almost definitely one for Almodovar. Just don't expect any actual awards this time.

------------------------------

11/26

ALEXANDER

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Colin Farrell looks a lot like Treat Williams if you give him long blonde hair. That's not what the movie's about, but that's all I remember from the trailer.

WILL IT SUCK?
Well, how do you feel about Oliver Stone? Was "Platoon" too preachy? "JFK" too loose with history? "Nixon" too damn long? "U-Turn" too…well, "U-Turn" just sucked. At heart, I'm a Stone fan. At the very least his work is interesting, and most of the time it's fascinating with terrific performances. So the direction doesn't concern me here.

The writing on the other hand… Stone took some story credit but the screen credit goes to a guy who did "K-19" (not bad, maybe even underrated) and a woman who used to write for "Birds of Prey" (Oh, dear God!) That's not the worst part. The worst part is that's somehow qualified her for the "Wonder Woman" script.

I have confidence in the acting ability of everyone involved and I'm sure it'll look sumptuous but the end result will likely be an incoherent mess.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Not as well as you might expect. I think the second frame of "National Treasure" is gonna pose a greater threat than anticipated. Sword and sandal epics are not sure money, as "Troy" proved earlier this year (with bigger stars). The best friend this flick has is the Thanksgiving weekend, but that's more of a family affair and this is an "R" (a hard "R" if Stone shoots par). I'm not saying it's gonna tank or anything, but this is not "Gladiator." $101mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Epic battles? Check. One lone man, preferably in a loincloth (or kilt) leading a great army? Check. Takes place long, long ago in a galaxy on the other side of the Atlantic (a galaxy populated by - or at least portrayed by - mostly white folk)? Check. Sounds Gladiatorheartariffic to me! Noms for Picture, Director, Actor, Screenplay and lots of technical shit.

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CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
The Kranks, known for their holiday cheer, decide to skip all that when they learn that their daughter will not be home for the holidays. At the last minute, they find out she will be around and so they try to put on a last minute celebration. From legal thriller novelist John Grisham. I'm not kidding.

WILL IT SUCK?
I hate Revolution Studios sooooooo much! And this is being helmed by their fearless leader, Joe Roth. It's written by "Home Alone" helmer Chris Columbus. {Interesting aside: Guess who's writing the film version of "Rent." That's right. Chris Columbus. The guy who wrote "The Goonies." Now, I give out mad love for "The Goonies," but I don't want the leads in "Rent" singing about how "It's our time. Down here."} Anyway, he's doing the adaptation here of the best-selling John Grisham novel "Skipping Christmas." To put it delicately, John Grisham novels don't always make the best movies. He has about as much luck with adaptation as Michael Crichton.

But put that aside for a minute. Even put aside the trailer that can only be described as…is "sucknificent" a word? And even grant that Columbus might pull another "Gremlins" (or better yet, "Gremlins 2") out of his hat. And that Joe Roth can incorporate the few parts of "America's Sweethearts" (which he also helmed) that didn't suck. Even assume that the presence of Felicity Huffman and celebrated character actor M. Emmet Walsh will somehow elevate the material instead of them being dragged down into some "I really needed the money" abyss of mediocrity. Assume all of that. At the end of the day, it's still a Revolution studios film and they can make anything suck.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
As much as I hate to admit it, the pundits, who say this film has everything going for it, are mostly right. It does have Tim Allen in a key demographic-pleasing genre for him (think "The Santa Clause") and Jamie Lee Curtis who's synonymous with family-friendly comedy now ("Freaky Friday") and a trailer that, much as it traumatized me, made the family behind me guffaw like it was early Eddie Murphy. And most importantly it has the Thanksgiving "Grinch" slot that's a money tree for family fare. I can see the Variety headline now. "Kranks Konquer Alexander" $145mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
That's my one consolation.

------------------------------

NOTRE MUSIQUE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Concept movie from Jean-Luc Godard (go figure). Part one takes place in Hell (i.e. a bunch of war footage), part two in Purgatory (Sarajevo), and three in Paradise (a beach guarded by marines). Each part is a different musical movement as well.

WILL IT SUCK?
Much better received by critics than audiences. Supposedly an interesting mediation on war and cinema. I already like it more than "Christmas with the Kranks."

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The foreign film event this weekend will be "A Very Long Engagement." And the following week, "House of Flying Daggers." $500,000.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If France or Switzerland, who both lay claim to this film, had submitted it, probably. But they didn't.

------------------------------

PURPLE BUTTERFLY

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
You know how sometimes you run into an ex and you find out that they now work for the government organization that you've sworn on your life to destroy? Awk-waaard!

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz not so good. This in spite of a Palme D'Or nod at Cannes, which is why Palm Pictures (no relation) probably decided to pick it up. That, and it stars Zhang Ziyi.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The big Zhang Ziyi event will happen next week, when "House of Flying Daggers" opens. $70,000.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
"Daggers" steals that crown, too. It was China's selection for submission to the Academy.

------------------------------

A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
A woman ("Amelie's" Audrey Tatou) goes off in search of her fiancé, a captured World War I deserter left to die in no man's land (the quaint name given to that space between trenches).

WILL IT SUCK?
Probably not. Jean Pierre Jeunet, besides having about the Frenchest name in director history, is also one of the best. "Amelie" represents some of the most imaginative filmmaking I've seen in a while. The rest of his work has a similar rep. And remember, he didn't write "Alien: Resurrection." He did, however, write this flick with long-time collaborator Guillaume Laurant, another plus. The early buzz is very, very good. And he's working again with Audrey Tatou who in "Amelie" and "Dirty Pretty Things" alone has shown almost peerless range and talent.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The subject matter is a bit darker than "Amelie" (okay, a LOT darker) so there won't be quite as big an audience. However, it's not nearly as dark as "Bad Education" and may have an audience that can compete with the slightly different demographic for "Daggers" the following week. This has a pretty good shot if Warner Independent gives it a big enough push, which they probably will (see below). $16mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
That's the plan. Due to some weird changes in Oscar rules, this film is ineligible for submission for Best Foreign. Warner had the chance to release it in such a way as to accommodate those new rules, but has decided, apparently, to push for a Best Picture nod instead. It's not inconceivable. And it'd be really neat to see a doc and a foreign film taking up two of the five slots. And with a year looking as Academically anemic as this one, it's possible (though still unlikely). Also, I'd love to see Tatou get the nod she was woefully denied for "Amelie". Jeunet as well.

Next month, all the real hard-core Oscar contenders come out to play. None of which look nearly as interesting as "Ocean's Twelve" or "Blade: Trinity." Did I mention the Oscar race sucks this year? Dave Thomas
http://travelindave.blogspot.com

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Crashinin.com Presents:
Brit/Indie/PostPunk/Nu-wave dance music
Djs: Oil (KanineRecords),Gerald (OtherMusic), and guests TBA.
Hosts: Marc Ramsey and Lio
Supreme Trading 213 N8th (near Driggs), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
10:00pm-4:00am Friday Nov. 5
NO COVER
This is a new party at Williamsburg's newest spot. It contains many different rooms (a room with live Djs, a couch/booth & table room to chill in, an amazing outdoor patio to smoke/drink & chat, a live band/performance room, and an art gallery.) No Cover every Friday Night in the front Dj/Bar room. Cheap drinks including Stella on tap! Conveniently located on the first stop of the L Train(get off at the Driggs exit and you are right there). There also is a taxi service station around the corner from the bar

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TALLY

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 09:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

Don't miss the butterfly exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. Shut up, its cool. To find out more about Tropical Butterflies Alive in Winter, click here.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

From Russ Josephs:

This election had nothing to do with values or a poorly run Kerry campaign. The Democrats were victims of massive voter fraud via electronic voting machines and other methods.

1. States using e-voting gave Bush mysterious 5%
advantage

http://www.newstarget.com/002076.html

2.Electronic voting in Ohio gave bush thousands of
extra votes

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041105/ap_on_el_pr/voting_problems

3. Bizarre Florida results, county by county

http://ustogether.org/Florida_Election.htm

4. Black Box Voting declares fraud via electronic
voting machines

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/

5. Did Kerry concede too soon?

http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/981

6. Why Kerry really won, by Greg Palast, contributing
editor to Harper's and the BBC, and author of "The
Best Democracy Money Can Buy."

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/kerry_won_.php

7. Was the Ohio election honest and fair?

http://www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR110304.htm

8. Some thoughts from Mark Crispin Miller, media
critic, professor of communications at New York
University, and author, most recently, of "Cruel and
Unusual: Bush/Cheney's New World Order." (from
Salon.com):

First of all, this election was definitely rigged. I have no doubt about it. It's a statistical impossibility that Bush got 8 million more votes than he got last time. In 2000, he got 15 million votes from right-wing Christians, and there are approximately 19 million of them in the country. They were eager to get the other 4 million. That was pretty much Karl Rove's strategy to get Bush elected.

But given Bush's low popularity ratings and the enormous number of new voters -- who skewed Democratic -- there is no way in the world that Bush got 8 million more votes this time. I think it had a lot to do with the electronic voting machines. Those machines are completely untrustworthy, and that's why the Republicans use them. Then there's the fact that the immediate claim of Ohio was not contested by the news media -- when Andrew Card came out and claimed the state, not only were the votes in Ohio not counted, they weren't even all cast.

I would have to hear a much stronger argument for the authenticity, or I should say the veracity, of this popular vote for Bush before I'm willing to believe it. If someone can prove to me that it happened, that Bush somehow pulled 8 million magic votes out of a hat, OK, I'll accept it. I'm an independent, not a Democrat, and I'm not living in denial.

And that's not even talking about Florida, which is about as Democratic a state as Guatemala used to be. The news media is obliged to make the Republicans account for all these votes, and account for the way they were counted. Simply to embrace this result as definitive is irrational. But there is every reason to question it ... I find it beyond belief that the press in this formerly democratic country would not have made the integrity of the electoral system a front page, top-of-the-line story for the last three years. I worked and worked and worked to get that story into the media, and no one touched it until your guy did.

I actually got invited to a Kerry fundraiser so I could talk to him about it. I raised the issue directly with him and with Teresa. Teresa was really indignant and really concerned, but Kerry just looked down at me -- he's about 9 feet tall -- and I could tell it just didn't register. It set off all his conspiracy-theory alarms and he just wasn't listening.

Talk to anyone from a real democracy -- from Canada or any European country or India. They are staggered to discover that 80 percent of our touch-screen electronic voting machines have no paper trail and are manufactured by companies owned by Bush Republicans. But there is very little sense of outrage here. Americans for a host of reasons have become alienated from the spirit of the Bill of Rights and that should not be tolerated. 5. And from Greg Palast, contributing editor to Harper's and the BBC, and author of "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy."

I know you don't want to hear it. You can't face one more hung chad. But I don't have a choice. As a journalist examining that messy sausage called American democracy, it's my job to tell you who got the most votes in the deciding states. Tuesday, in Ohio and New Mexico, it was John Kerry.

Most voters in Ohio thought they were voting for Kerry. CNN's exit poll showed Kerry beating Bush among Ohio women by 53 percent to 47 percent. Kerry also defeated Bush among Ohio's male voters 51 percent to 49 percent. Unless a third gender voted in Ohio, Kerry took the state.

So what's going on here? Answer: the exit polls are accurate. Pollsters ask, "Who did you vote for?" Unfortunately, they don't ask the crucial, question, "Was your vote counted?" The voters don't know.

Here's why. Although the exit polls show that most voters in Ohio punched cards for Kerry-Edwards, thousands of these votes were simply not recorded. This was predictable and it was predicted. [See TomPaine.com, "An Election Spoiled Rotten," November 1.]

Once again, at the heart of the Ohio uncounted vote game are, I'm sorry to report, hanging chads and pregnant chads, plus some other ballot tricks old and new.

The election in Ohio was not decided by the voters but by something called "spoilage." Typically in the United States, about 3 percent of the vote is voided, just thrown away, not recorded. When the bobble-head boobs on the tube tell you Ohio or any state was won by 51 percent to 49 percent, don't you believe it ... it has never happened in the United States, because the total never reaches a neat 100 percent. The television totals simply subtract out the spoiled vote.

And not all vote spoil equally. Most of those votes, say every official report, come from African American and minority precincts. (To learn more, click here.)

We saw this in Florida in 2000. Exit polls showed Gore with a plurality of at least 50,000, but it didn't match the official count. That's because the official, Secretary of State Katherine Harris, excluded 179,855 spoiled votes. In Florida, as in Ohio, most of these votes lost were cast on punch cards where the hole wasn't punched through completely-leaving a 'hanging chad,'-or was punched extra times. Whose cards were discarded? Expert statisticians investigating spoilage for the government calculated that 54 percent of the ballots thrown in the dumpster were cast by black folks. (To read the report from the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, click here .)

And here's the key: Florida is terribly typical. The majority of ballots thrown out (there will be nearly 2 million tossed out from Tuesday's election) will have been cast by African American and other minority citizens.

So here we go again. Or, here we don't go again. Because unlike last time, Democrats aren't even asking Ohio to count these cards with the not-quite-punched holes (called "undervotes" in the voting biz).

Ohio is one of the last states in America to still use the vote-spoiling punch-card machines. And the Secretary of State of Ohio, J. Kenneth Blackwell, wrote before the election, "the possibility of a close election with punch cards as the state's primary voting device invites a Florida-like calamity."

But this week, Blackwell, a rabidly partisan Republican, has warmed up to the result of sticking with machines that have a habit of eating Democratic votes. When asked if he feared being this year's Katherine Harris, Blackwell noted that Ms. Fix-it's efforts landed her a seat in Congress.

Exactly how many votes were lost to spoilage this time? Blackwell's office, notably, won't say, though the law requires it be reported. Hmm. But we know that last time, the total of Ohio votes discarded reached a democracy-damaging 1.96 percent. The machines produced their typical loss-that's 110,000 votes-overwhelmingly Democratic.

The Impact Of Challenges

First and foremost, Kerry was had by chads. But the Democrat wasn't punched out by punch cards alone. There were also the 'challenges.' That's a polite word for the Republican Party of Ohio's use of an old Ku Klux Klan technique: the attempt to block thousands of voters of color at the polls. In Ohio, Wisconsin and Florida, the GOP laid plans for poll workers to ambush citizens under arcane laws-almost never used-allowing party-designated poll watchers to finger individual voters and demand they be denied a ballot. The Ohio courts were horrified and federal law prohibits targeting of voters where race is a factor in the challenge. But our Supreme Court was prepared to let Republicans stand in the voting booth door.

In the end, the challenges were not overwhelming, but they were there. Many apparently resulted in voters getting these funky "provisional" ballots-a kind of voting placebo-which may or may not be counted. Blackwell estimates there were 175,000; Democrats say 250,000. Pick your number. But as challenges were aimed at minorities, no one doubts these are, again, overwhelmingly Democratic. Count them up, add in the spoiled punch cards (easy to tally with the human eye in a recount), and the totals begin to match the exit polls; and, golly, you've got yourself a new president. Remember, Bush won by 136,483 votes in Ohio.

Enchanted State's Enchanted Vote

Now, on to New Mexico, where a Kerry plurality-if all votes are counted-is more obvious still. Before the election, in TomPaine.com, I wrote, "John Kerry is down by several thousand votes in New Mexico, though not one ballot has yet been counted."

How did that happen? It's the spoilage, stupid; and the provisional ballots.

CNN said George Bush took New Mexico by 11,620 votes. Again, the network total added up to that miraculous, and non-existent, '100 percent' of ballots cast.

New Mexico reported in the last race a spoilage rate of 2.68 percent, votes lost almost entirely in Hispanic, Native American and poor precincts-Democratic turf. From Tuesday's vote, assuming the same ballot-loss rate, we can expect to see 18,000 ballots in the spoilage bin.

Spoilage has a very Democratic look in New Mexico. Hispanic voters in the Enchanted State, who voted more than two to one for Kerry, are five times as likely to have their vote spoil as a white voter. Counting these uncounted votes would easily overtake the Bush 'plurality.'

Already, the election-bending effects of spoilage are popping up in the election stats, exactly where we'd expect them: in heavily Hispanic areas controlled by Republican elections officials. Chaves County, in the "Little Texas" area of New Mexico, has a 44 percent Hispanic population, plus African Americans and Native Americans, yet George Bush "won" there 68 percent to 31 percent.

I spoke with Chaves' Republican county clerk before the election, and he told me that this huge spoilage rate among Hispanics simply indicated that such people simply can't make up their minds on the choice of candidate for president. Oddly, these brown people drive across the desert to register their indecision in a voting booth.

Now, let's add in the effect on the New Mexico tally of provisional ballots.

"They were handing them out like candy," Albuquerque journalist Renee Blake reported of provisional ballots. About 20,000 were given out. Who got them?

Santiago Juarez who ran the "Faithful Citizenship" program for the Catholic Archdiocese in New Mexico, told me that "his" voters, poor Hispanics, whom he identified as solid Kerry supporters, were handed the iffy provisional ballots. Hispanics were given provisional ballots, rather than the countable kind "almost religiously," he said, at polling stations when there was the least question about a voter's identification. Some voters, Santiago said, were simply turned away.

Your Kerry Victory Party

So we can call Ohio and New Mexico for John Kerry-if we count all the votes.

But that won't happen. Despite the Democratic Party's pledge, the leadership this time gave in to racial disenfranchisement once again. Why? No doubt, the Democrats know darn well that counting all the spoiled and provisional ballots will require the cooperation of Ohio's Secretary of State, Blackwell. He will ultimately decide which spoiled and provisional ballots get tallied. Blackwell, hankering to step into Kate Harris' political pumps, is unlikely to permit anything close to a full count. Also, Democratic leadership knows darn well the media would punish the party for demanding a full count.

What now? Kerry won, so hold your victory party. But make sure the shades are down: it may be become illegal to demand a full vote count under PATRIOT Act III.

I used to write a column for the Guardian papers in London. Several friends have asked me if I will again leave the country. In light of the failure-a second time-to count all the votes, that won't be necessary. My country has left me.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Our scary prediction for the RNC's choice in the 2008 presidential campaign:

JEB BUSH

We know that people keep whispering the name Rudy, but a pro-choice candidate would force the Religious Right to boycott the vote.

I hope we're wrong.

This article from Newsweek sums up how we feel:
"Liberalism is dead. Liberal internationalism is dead. The Democratic Party is dying. There is no center to speak of in American politics anymore. America is now a "Red State" nation that is totally out of synch with Europe and the rest of the world -- embracing religious fundamentalism, reactionary values on gay marriage and other social issues. America under a second Bush presidency will continue to flout international opinion, "pre-emptively" making war on countries as it sees fit. A new Dark Age looms." continue

Our next post will feature bunny rabbits and candy. We all need to feel better.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

The moon turned red a few days ago and now it looks like Bush is getting another term. Can anyone say Apocolypse?

Let's not forget about the other depressing results from yesterday:

Eleven States Approve Gay Marriage Ban
"Eleven states passed ballot measures banning gay marriage last night. Georgia and Ohio went furthest, banning all domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples."
Read the L.A. Times article here.

It's time for NY to secede from the union.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)

Electoral Vote Predictor 2004:
Kerry 298
Bush 231

http://www.electoral-vote.com

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Le Tigre played a sold out Halloween show last night at Irving Plaza. Even though they signed to a major label, it was great to see that they are still really fucking cool. Kathleen took the stage dressed as Orphan Annie. She looked hot as hell in a huge red afro. Adrock was there sans costume. So was Joan Jett. The crowd couldn't get enough and it was great to see that, despite mixed reviews for the new record, the band can still actually get hipsters to dance. They closed with a cover from Footloose wearing matching anti-Bush dresses. Great show and no one is cooler than Kathleen Hanna.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 02:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)