JaBbA's Hut - Culture

Music, no strings attached

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 10:26:39 -0500

Check out Magnatune. Basically, Open Source music. Good open source music. Artists get 50%. You get high-quality downloads, with album art, guilt-free. And you are encouraged to give away 3 copies.

WAV for burning to CD. MP3/Ogg/AAC/Whatever for playing on your media player. All of it 100% up front, legal, no DRM.

What a concept. Support them. The more they sell, the more artists will try a new way, and the more great music we'll have available.

Also, I wonder what Courtney Love could have done if she hadn't gotten so into drugs. Because she can write amazingly well when she needs to. Well worth a read about just how screwed up the music industry really is.

Goodbye, Mrs. Robinson

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 14:01:27 -0400

Anne Bancroft died yesterday.

The Graduate was released in 1967. I was 3 years old, and if I've seen the whole movie, I can't remember sitting through it.

But I, and anyone else who has been around even a little while, know what Mrs. Robinson represents. Forbidden fruit. Lust. Opportunity

There are very few people who get that kind of iconographic role.

My condolences, Mr. Robinson (Mel Brooks).

Goosebumps

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Fri, 10 Sep 2004 14:00:24 -0400

Well, I just heard a sample of "Sinner's Prayer" off Ray Charles' Genuis Loves Company.

Ray's piano and Lucille. Chills are still running up and down my spine. Whoa.

JaBbA says sit back, relax, and check it out.

I'm Mad as Hell

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Thu, 15 Jul 2004 01:02:06 -0400

I've been meaning for a long time to watch Network. Had it on my Netflix list since the beginning, but I finally got around to bumping it up to the top. I'd heard that it was even more relevant today than in 1976.

What must have seemed outrageous in '76 seems incredibly true today. Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage - they have a different message, but the form and the function is the same.

I'm not sure what disturbed me more..The Communist and the "Ecumenical Liberation Army" leader arguing over distribution rights with a bunch of lawyers, or Ned Beatty (Jennings) proclaiming "You have messed with the PRIMAL FORCES OF NATURE".

There's a lot more to this movie than just Peter Finch yelling "I'm Mad As Hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!".

JaBbA says check it out.

More Fahrenheit 9/11

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Fri, 02 Jul 2004 02:41:12 -0400

Paul Krugman gets it. And he can write it a hell of a lot better than I can.

Another movie coming to a DVD near you...

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Wed, 30 Jun 2004 23:53:31 -0400

I don't think it'll make $23.8M it's first weekend, but I'm looking forward to OutFoxed anyway.

OK, that was cool

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Wed, 30 Jun 2004 23:30:06 -0400

I haven't had a chance to see F-911 yet, but I took my older sons and some friends to see Spiderman 2.

I was a huge Marvel Comics fan when I was younger - just pulled my old X-Men out of the attic and tried to throw them away 2 weeks ago, but they were intercepted by my oldest - like father, like son I guess. Daredevil, X-Men and Spidey were it for me. I always felt for Peter - what picked-on geek didn't dream of getting bitten by a radioactive spider?

What can I say about this movie? It was AWESOME. Great villain, awesome fights, and the pain that Peter Parker feels just grabs you. There are scenes in this movie that were twisting my emotions inside out - Raimi has set a new standard for "comic book" films.

Oh, and I was surprised but oddly pleased that I caught the glimpse of Stan Lee and recognized him on my first viewing

Someone asked me how F-911 was doing

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Sun, 27 Jun 2004 21:43:49 -0400

Well how about...$21M in one weekend.

Bowling for Columbine, the highest-grossing documentary of all time, got $20 Million dollars...in SIX WEEKS.

People are noticing.

Moore isn't the only filmaker out there...

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Sat, 26 Jun 2004 21:30:04 -0400

WashPost has a review of The Hunting of the President: The Ten-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill Clinton.

Focused on the "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy", this film makes a well-researched case that Hillary might have been lied to, but it doesn't make her wrong.