Summertime Catsup

Summertime 2016, the livin' wasn't easy. Catfish weren't jumpin' and Dorothy Dandrige was nowhere to be found.

Besides The Big Move (see previous posts because I will never mention it again), the last few months have been filled, quite frankly, with plenty o' nothin', but nothin' wasn't plenty for me.I have no one to blame but myself. This is my pity party and I'll whine if I want to.

The high point was the opportunity to see my son Matt Silber perform his first ever stand-up set at Helium Comedy Club here in Portland. He had taken the Stand Up Comedy 101 course at the club taught by local comic Alex Falcone. The "graduation ceremony" involved performing in front of a live audience and quite frankly, Matt killed, as they say in the biz and I was proud as punch, as they say nowhere.

But other than that outing, I didn't venture very far and chose to be a shut-in for most of the season. Boo on me. I did manage to finish another play and made some headway on a long gestating project, but for the most part, I sat in front the TV so often, my ass skin nearly melded to the leather couch.

I caught up on a butt-load of movies, most notably THE BIG SHORT, SPOTLIGHT, DEADPOOL (almost too meta for its own good but when it worked, it was a nasty delight), CREED (a big and pleasant surprise), THE GIFT, a little British comedy called WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY, HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS (not as cloying as expected and actually very moving in places, mostly thanks to Sally Field) and, best of all, BONE TOMAHAWK, a horror Western with a script that ran circles around Tarantino's bloated  and disappointing HATEFUL 8. Add to the mix a slew of other comic book movies of varying quality-ANT MAN, BATMAN VS SUPERMAN, AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON that I became numb after awhile.

What I found more enjoyable than those were my latest guilty pleasure, craptacular Lifetime movies, particularly those starring Eric Roberts. Here's a guy, a past Academy Award nominee whose career bumps should have propelled him deep into the Dreaded Depths of Despair, throwing caution to the wind and giving his all to wretched material, elevating them with performances so over the top, they are a joy to behold. Check out my personal favorite, STALKED BY MY DOCTOR, and believe me, you won't be sorry. (That is, unless, you're his sister, Julia.) Roberts has to be the modern incarnation of John Carradine. His IMDB lists 443 movie roles, with over 50 in post or pre production over the next year at this writing. A man's gotta make a living, even one as bat shit crazy as this one.

And last night, the Emmy award show proved to be more enjoyable than it has been in years, mostly thanks to host Jimmy Kimmel. While the wins for The People vs OJ Simpson were glorious, I couldn't be happier for my girl, Tatiana Maslany picking up the Best Actress in a Drama Series award. ORPHAN BLACK, represent!

So even though I am sicker than Cujo with some rabid flu I picked up in the last couple of days, bring on the autumn, baby! This illness will pass and it's time to dive headfirst into the best season of the year.

2013: It Was What It Was

Another hoary year-end wrap-up? Yes,please!          

                                                              
After all, nobody's hoarier than I am. Or is that whore-ier?

2013 will be known as the year we got our collective panties in such a wad that they may never unravel  Pontificate all you want about social media giving everyone a voice, however anonymous, but we're all speaking at the same time and nobody is listening to each other unless they are in agreement. The loudest of the bunch are usually the most ignorant and that's what becomes the meme. (2013 is also the year I first used the word meme in a sentence) It's all so deafening.

Then Nelson Mandela dies, a man who faced adversity and struggle like no man in modern times, then was able to rise above it all by his shear humanity.His passing should have given us pause to reflect on his example of how a life should be lived.
We paused all right, just long enough to collect our thoughts on the Duck Dynasty debacle.
Heaviest of all possible sighs..............................................................................................
See? I'm as guilty as the rest. I couldn't wait to lambaste the moronic opinions of others. Stop the vicious cycle, I want to get off!

Enough of this hoo-hah. Let's talk about the good and the hell with the bad and the ugly for the time being, otay? Otay!
This is an incomplete list, but these selection definitely deserve your attention.

Favorite Album of the Year
I honestly did not listen to very much music this year. Nothing really grabbed me, so I have to take a step back to 2009 for Grant-Lee Phillips' LITTLE MOON, which counts because I hadn't heard it until now. In full disclosure, yes, I know Mr. Phillips, even though I've never called him Mr. Phillips. Even if I wasn't a friend, I'd still be his fan. But never have I experienced the unbridled optimism that emanates from this collection of tunes. The unconditional love Grant expresses to his new born daughter in "Violet" as well as the pure joy of being alive in "Good Morning Happiness" warmed the cockles of this aging cynic's heart.

Switching gears abruptly...
Favorite Horror Film
Not a genre I follow as I once did, decent horror films are few and far between for my tastes these days. I'm not usually up for treasure hunts. However, a couple of titles caught my attention. The name Guillermo del

Toro's name attached to MAMA piqued my interest enough for a late night viewing that paid off in spades. Andres Muschietti's film delivered some damn creepy goods to my psyche. On the other hand, DREAM HOME, was definitely the NASTIEST damn picture I saw this year. When I say nasty, I'm talking brutal, over the top, crossing the line way too far violence as I've never seen before and hopefully never will again. However, Ho-Cheung Pang's film is also the best indictment of the housing crisis I've seen. A political conscious splatter movie...be warned. This shit is brutal

Best Male Performance
Damn you, Matthew McConaughey. Now that you've finally decided to act instead of pose, I'm forced to spell your name correctly. Dick. And he's superb in Jeff Nichol's MUD.
Best Female Performance
Hands down-Tatiana Maslany in ORPHAN BLACK. Seeking this show out, first airing on BBC America, is well worth your time.
Favorite Film
I'll be damned. I don't have one this year. My favorite is last year's DJANGO UNCHAINED, so that's going to have to do it unless I see something in the next few days. As it stands, Tarantino gave me the best time I had at the movies all year.
Favorite Books
Three titles: & SONS by David Gilbert, a sweeping saga of a famous author's children that make Jonathan Frazen's work pale in comparison, is my number one, followed by Michael Chabon's super-duper ode to the East Bay TELEGRAPH AVENUE and Michael Daly's TOPSY, a fascinating and cruel tale of circus elephants that PETA probably has in their permanent collection. Of course, my guiltiest pleasure of the year had to be Alan Goldsher's PAUL IS UNDEAD: THE BRITISH ZOMBIE INVASION. Sounds incredibly insipid, but it works. I'll be damned if Goldsher doesn't get it right. Well done.

On a personal front, 2013 saw the publication of my new book, SONG OF THE CANYON KID as well as the announcement of a new production of the play from which it's based set for summer 2014. Those came in just under the wire. So, hooray for me.

I lost a couple of friends at almost the same time. Ray Rustigian, a crony from my Pollardville days and Doug Hansen, a fair and decent human being that I had the privilege to know in the past couple of years. I mention him because he deserves to honored in some manner just for being a good guy. Isn't that enough?
Biggest highlight of 2013 was the trip to Colorado this past summer, spending time with my daughter and son-in-law and most of all, my too-gorgeous-for-mere-words granddaughter who owns my heart and it's hers to keep. Combine this with the rest of my incredible family that makes me, like Goerge Bailey, the richest man in town.

So see? 2013 was what it was. It was frustrating. It was rewarding. It was aggravating. It was inspiring. It was annoying. It was the year I fell in love again.

Happy New Year to all and to all a good night.
Bring on the Proseco.

Performance Artists

At the half-way point, 2013 already adds another year to the Platinum Age of television. Four new shows have added riches to the treasure trove of programming with outstanding performances that definitely must be celebrated.

FXs THE AMERICANS, the Russian sleeper cell saga set in Reagan era America, began as a decent methadone for those jonesing for HOMELAND heroin. Once it picked up speed, it became a definite contender for that spy thriller throne the Showtime show currently wears. Star Keri Russell has definitely put FELICITY in her rear-view mirror and is formidable as a suburban spy mom. But the real breakout star here is the actor who plays her comrade in arms, Matthew Rhys. He drew me into this show and kept me there, mastering a high wire act between hero and villain. Aiding and always abetting is the remarkable Margo Martindale.

Sundance Channel had two major events this year. Film director Jane Campion tackled the small screen with finesse with the mini series TOP OF THE LAKE, a better and more compact mystery than THE KILLING. Elizabeth Moss, taking time off from MAD MEN, definitely had the chops to carry the five hours with memorable moments from Holly Hunter and, tearing the scenery part like a pit bull, the great Peter Mullan.

Also on Sundance, RECTIFY, created by a new force of nature o contend with named Ray MacKinnon, tells the methodically brutal tale of a death row inmate, cleared of murder charges by DNA evidence, returning to his unforgiving hometown. As Daniel Holden, the main character of this candidate for new show of the year, Eden Young is so hauntingly powerful, he makes RECTIFY absolutely unforgettable television.

Another star exploded across the airwaves this spring on BBC America's sci-fi clone series ORPHAN

BLACK. The tour de force performance-or performances, rather- of Tatiana Maslany elevates this show into the stratosphere. This is an actor's dream, recalling Sally Field's SYBIL sensation of the 1970s that put her on the map. Maslany varies each clone of herself with the precision of a master of her craft. She and Eden Young of RECTIFY give the performances of the year and it will be difficult for anyone to even come close to their level of excellence.

But it will be fun to see if anyone can because we, the viewing public, will be so much the richer for it.

While I bitch and moan incessantly about the Modern Age, it is gratifying to witness the flourishing of what was once known as the Vast Wasteland.