Richard of Doomed Moviethon on the Daily Turniquet
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Seriously

Sweet Charity
Mood:  cool
Topic: Seriously

If The Music Man is a clever, albeit doily covered, soda shop/tea room of great musicals then Sweet Charity is a smokey, red-velvet covered after-hours club.  

I have to admit, before I met my husband, I knew very little about the crazy creative force that was Bob Fosse.  I knew what I liked, but it never occured to me to dig into it and rip from its bowels what would be the shared essence of other things, similar things, I might like just as much.  I was a late bloomer musically too--about the only creative product I was completely up on until college was visual art.

Knowing a little more, now, about the personalities that mold any one creation, its easy for me to see that Sweet Charity reeks of Bob Fosse's sweat, and genius, and insanity, and it is lovely for it.   I'm not big on heavy video posts, but I cannot help myself here.  I'd rather watch these than continue to rattle on about it, so that's what you get to do too. 

 

Sammy Davis Jr. and the "Rythm of Life"

My favorite number -- "Big Spender"

"Rich Man's Frug"

"There's got to be something better than this"

 

Noises Off
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Seriously

There are movies in my collection that are both so good and so not mentally taxing that I can run to them every time TV programming pisses me off.  This is a lot.  And so, these movies get watched a lot--and that's how good they are, as I never get tired of them.  One such is Noises Off!.  It is the story of the stage production of something called "Nothing On," which is full of sardines and telephones and doors.  My only ever roomate, ex-roomate, wonderful friend can't stand this movie because she said it was too spot on (or something like that, she'll probably deny everything).  I've never worked in theater myself, so I couldn't say though I have worked in artist spaces--which are just as flaky--and been in the small and buzzing enclosed spaces of a working theater production, so.....The characters in Noises Off! are the amalgamated caricatures of theater.  At least I hope they are amalgamated caricatures, and amplified.  It would be like walking around in a cartoon if one were surrounded by people like this.  Walking around in a cartoon might seem cool at first, but I have a feeling it would drive everyone to lunacy(like Who Framed Roger Rabbit right?)--that's why cartoons are so fun to watch and not live.  That's why Noises Off! is so much fun to watch.

A few random, closing thoughts:  I wish Christopher Reeves had done more comedy.  Carol Burnett is and always will be the bomb.  I miss John Ritter.

Bavadoom at Doomed Moviethon
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Seriously

 

After gallons of work and heartache (I know, I watched) the much asked after Bavadoom is complete and offered up spread-eagled like on that paramount of horror movie obsession sites:  DoomedMoviethon.com.  From the Cinema Somnambulist (child and successor of DoomedMovieBlog):

"The moviethon consisted of 17 Mario Bava films watched in a little under 54 hours. While it was not as insane as Argentophobia and it wasn't nearly as drunken as Doomed Fulci-thon, my Mario Bava moviethon was a whole hell of a lot of fun."

Moonlight
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Seriously

While everyone is in a tizzy about Twilight and True Blood, I have been watching a completely different vampire drama and enjoying it very much, thank you.  Rerunning on the SciFi channel right now, Moonlight is the classic vampire detective set up.  Those of you who read The Vampire Files by P.N. Elrod will know what I'm talking about.  While I have little to no interest in current SciFi shows I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the re-runs that pop up.  This is how I discovered The Dresden Files, which I later bought;  I will most likely buy Moonlight as well.  

Of course, since its a re-run, perhaps all those Twilight and True Blood fanatics tuned in when it was new.  I am behind the times--it happens a lot where TV is concerned.  Moonlight offers up all the angsty, I-don't-want-to-be-a-vampire sentiment without getting too whiny; it has action, sexual/romantic tension, flashbacks, vampiric psuedo science, alternate history and a damn handsome leading couple.  And while it may not be the most nourishing TV sustenance, it isn't complete junkfood--at least I don't feel dirty watching it.  It's kind of like vitamin enfused softdrinks, that way.  If you want to give it a try you can view clips on CBS.com.   

Death Note: manga, anime, movie, movie, movie, movie
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: Seriously

Hmmmm, I'm finding it hard to begin.  Death Note is a hugely popular manga and anime series internationally(US offical anime site).  So popular, in fact, that it's become a muse of sorts for a killer in Belgium.  Recently the internets have been buzzing with the news that  Warner has aquired the rights to make an American live action movie based on the story. 

Anybody who's been reading my ramblings for a while now will, no doubt, have stumbled across my crazy rant about Hollywood xenophobia.  So it appears that regardless of how amazingly easy it is becoming to get my grubby little paws on overseas movies, meaning, to me, that I am far from the only grubby paw person out there, most of our media consuming population is still unable to read subtitles, unwilling to accept the small cultural quirks that make their way into movies made elsewhere, and completely fine with being fed the same uninspired, uncreative regurgitated mess that is our current 'Now Showing' list at the movies.  The second of the Japanese live action Death Note films is available through netflix and has recently visited my house.  Both it and the first one are awesome, in my opinion, and need no reworking.  I hope for the best, but I am thoroughly rankled.   

Ginger drink
Mood:  cool
Now Playing: "Qui Sommes Nous" - Olivia Ruiz
Topic: Seriously
I finally got to the Asian market round here for some goodies and I couldn't pass up talking about this amazing drink.  Gold Kili's Instant Ginger drink is like hot, slightly creamier ginger beer.  I love ginger beer.  I love the strange difficulty I have drinking it when the carbonation forces the face smacking spice into my nasal cavity.  I love the warmth and the weird non-sweat that happens to my face.  Ah, its good.  And somehow, this instant ginger drink is even better!  Lacking carbonation, but consumed hot/warm, this drink is amazing!  I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't have an unsubstantiated hate of ginger (you know who you are) to drink this drink.  Bonus for those who like something invigorating but are cutting down their stimulants--this is caffeine free.

Online TV: thoughts first, where to get it second
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Seriously

I read an article once about how we have ceased creating new words for concepts in lieu of retrofitting old ideas to new innovations.  The article had to do with the concept of e-Books and how the book is really only a vessel for content.  Before we had the book the very same content was held in a codex or scroll, so, since the online environment is a new vessel--we should come up with a new name.  My husband says the author had too much time on his hands to resort to obsessing over something like that.  I can't say I don't agree with him, but its a very interesting point.  Take, for example, online TV:  the television is really just a vessel the same way that the book is, but with today's mirror world online the things that exist there are not given their own life entirely.  It's like ebooks and online TV are so named and will always be named this way because they are tied like a shadow to their counterparts in the real world--wherever that is.

Anyway, that was a big paragraph for a thoughtful meander.  I haven't done much online TV watching myself besides short videos here and there, but I am warming to the idea more and more, especially as my at home office situation gets more and more comfortable.  One day, I will have my living room TV hooked into a server that gets me full access to files and internet and such in a TV viewing style, and when I do, this list of where to score TV online will really come in handy.

Beyond the über popular worlds of  YouTube, Yahoo video, Google video (question:  since Google encompasses YouTube now, why are these still separate?), and the all Japanese Nico Nico Douga (there's a pretty cool introduction to Nico Nico Douga on MetaGold) lives sites dedicated to content more along the lines one might find on TV.  These are what I found:

• Hulu -- could this be self-explanatory?  Everyone in the world, it seems, has been here before me.  But, there is a lot of English language programming--stuff that is very traditionally TV channel oriented and movies galore.
• Yubby seems to be more an aggregator where you can mine video sites in order to create custom content channels.  Check out the Bob Ross channel, man!
• Crunchyroll -- fresh news on Crunchyroll is that Kadokawa Pictures USA has teamed up to bring their Japanese Horror anthology and the Tomie series online (Japanator).  Subtitles here!
• NFBA (National Film Board of Canada) hosts documentaries, animation and alternative dramas online.  
• MySoju offers daytime dramas and movies from Korea, Japan, and Taiwan--and a plus--all of them I've tried are subtitled.   
• AnimeNetwork Online has some programming online for all the poor folks (like me) who live in states that don't get the channel.
• FUNimation Online chanel also has anime programming available to watch onlnie.  
• PBS programs have recently begun hosting entire sets of their series online.  Did you miss the last NOVA?  Well, catch it here. 
• Free Culture TV and Yes We're Open:  free movies, music videos, and TV using MIRO (Boing Boing).  This is untried for me, so if you know about MIRO give a hollar.
• Danny Choo talks up Fresh Verse for streaming Japanese programming.  I have not tested this yet myself and he says the programming is pretty sporatic.  
• Keyhole TV for Japanese programming requires downloading a player, but gets rave reviews online.
• Livestation also requires viewers to download a player and touts channels from France, the UK, Russia, and more.
• TV Online has channels from many countries that will play directly through the player you already use--at least it does on Windows Media Player.  My tiny little comlaint:  what's with the constant sound?
• TVChannelsFree also has channels from all over the world.   Looks like they all play in an embedded player.
• Beeline TV also plays through your media player.  Why is Rod Stewart on German music TV?
• ChannelChooser plays through an embedded player as well and has channels from all over the world.
• wwitv also plays through an embedded player and offers world selection.
• inner-live with embedded player and world selection

Oh Oh, more Japanese
Mood:  cool
Now Playing: Miyavi
Topic: Seriously

I promise, I am not going to steer this blog by way of the Japanese language--there are many already who do it better than I could, but because I was just jumping up and down in my chair I had to share.  Read the Kanji is a kanji flashcard program/site that keeps statistics on your knowledge.  I am ridiculously low level right now, but I just love it when I conquer one.  Yay! 

I heard about it originally through Tofugu, and those other blogs I was talking about (if you are interested) are:

J-list side blog

Japan Probe

Japan Subculture Research Center

Japanator

Japan Newbie

Rocking in Hakata

Tokyo Mango

Oh yeah and this handy site:  http://hiragana.jp/en/ will put furigana (hiragana cheats next to kanji) on any web site.  I just tried it with Nico Nico Douga (YouTube esque? video site) and it worked on all the text that was not an image.  Pretty awesome, yeah.

The Online Personality: thoughts
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: Seriously

A couple of little things have got me thinking about the way people portray themselves on the internet.  One of those things was talking with my Mother about the process of friending and un-friending people on social networking sites, and another of those things was signing up for yet another social networking site myself. 

Seeing as how she's a regular reader of me , let me get this out of the way--'Hi Mom! I'm gonna talk about you now.' 

When we were talking about relationships online my Mom was rightly, I think, but maybe impractically applying her concept of person to person relationships into the social networking environments.  Really, I think a person should handle their online relationships anyway they see fit.  If they are a more private individual they obviously are not going to wrack up hundreds of friends on Myspace/Facebook.  However, when entering social environments these people are in the minority, and its only good to be mindful of the type of relationships that proliferate the most successfully in the network.   Our talk got me thinking that most of social network 'friendships' are like gradeschool.  We friend and un-friend based on some bizarre virtual make-up and break-up dance--you know:  "Suzie wore pink when she said she was going to wear green like me so I can't be friends with her anymore"--at least not until Penny does something that forces me to commiserate with Suzie.  I know I am cynical and sarcastic, but overall I think our social networking environments allow us to remain 14 forever online, even if we grow beyond that offline.  

This idea was only supported by what I found when registering for a professional social network.  This is a site dedicated to information professionals to discuss policies, ideas, innovations, happenings, etc.  Part of registering included listing some interests.  Not feeling very inventive at the time I selected the option to scroll through ones people had already listed and lo and behold I found some fourteen year olds!  There was some clever nonsense like 'cannot find my harddrive' and some juvenile sex obsession like 'blowjobs' and 'naked,' but they were all surprising to me in the environment I was in.  They were surprising until I realized that this environment is still online, and regardless of the intent, I guess the medium really does encourage juvenalia.   

On the other hand, I find I really admire those people who create and flesh out a completely alternate personality online.  I've considered trying this often but am daunted by the work it would be--an extra but completely anonymous and unconnected email account that would get me more but completely separate personality accounts and then thinking up someone who wasn't me, but was close enough to something inside that I could convincingly play that person.  And finally, the secrecy--you could never really tell anyone and remain successfully a different person online.  You would have to make friends from scratch.  It all reminds me of Little Heroes by Norman Spinrad--a book I read long ago by browsing chance on one of my bookstore trips.  Two programmers create the ultimate rock star and though it is a triumph for the company, it is also a secret that the guy doesn't really exist at all.  Music fans need that human connection, I guess.  And on Twitter Japan there are bots like this--more power to the programmer that can make their bot believable!  

I think, because of its insubstantiability, the online environment is more condusive to humor than anywhere else.  This might be what explains the constant teenage like behavior.  I can't say I'm specifically imune either.  I enjoy when weighty matters are dealt out like rubber swords and I laugh, and upon being confronted with other's more thoughtful reactions I wonder--"why so serious?"

What exactly have I been doing?
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Seriously

I'm not sure the Bean really ever recovered from the sporadic posting over the holidays.  I do like to have a post for every work day, even if they only hit RSS readers on Wednesdays.  I am trying, but my normal writing routine has been thrown way off.  Why, you ask?  I have finally hit my second wind on my language learning.  For any of you who may think this sound familiar, let me outline how my self instruction usually plays out.

• Firstly, I become absolutely obsessed with lots of energy, goals and dedication.
• If I'm serious about what I'm doing I might not have a few lazy nights where-in I have to force myself to stick to my plan--it takes three weeks to build a habit, they say.
• Eventually, kicking myself in the butt a couple of times will actually commit me to it.
• But then there will be a vacation, or overall upset that will keep me away from my chosen study for long enough that I totally get over feeling guilty for not doing it.
• And then it is like starting all over again, except that there is an added task of review that makes it all the easier to avoid.
• Enter the second wind--if I manage to get this far I am obsessed all over again and overfill all my free hours with study.

Like I mentioned in relation to the iKnow site, the in class practices of guilt and reward for work make this whole sequence fade away into a simple follower mentality.  We are never taught to teach ourselves, and so it is often ridiculously hard to do so.   While I am still so very satisfied with I know!, even after they admonished me for not studying often enough, I have been playing around and researching other online options that would give me a variety of inputs like tutorials, writing and correction, reading comprehension, chat and friends.  

Oddly enough many of these sites, especially the social ones, are in beta mode just like I know! (now Smart.fm).  

• http://www.babbel.com/ --(European languages) although I am constantly given the message that tutorials in German are not yet available, I enjoy the vocabulary lists and quizzes that are available.  This is my favorite of the sites I have tried to get my German on, but it still doesn't compare to iKnow course ware.  Where it far exceeds is in the socialization (I probably say that because I made a friend).  Babbel allows you to ask others for help and make language exchange connections without forcing it.  I quite enjoy the requests I get to check someone else's English work, even if I never exchange with that person again.
• http://www.palabea.net/ --BETA (European languages) focused primarily on getting you in direct contact with a language exchange partner or a language school.  I was unimpressed with the few study aids that were offered, but this is in Beta, so its bound to develop further. One small detraction is that there is no way for a user to delete their own account--this is a pet peeve of mine.  I have tried out a lot of social networking sites and I find that the ability to remove myself on my own is comforting even if I never use it.  On the other hand, the help I got in this arena was very quick and accommodating.
• http://busuu.com/ -- (European languages) mix of vocabulary list/lessons, mini quizzes and texting with native speakers.  I am somewhat irked that I cannot complete a list/lesson without posting on the forum and then texting with a native speaker. The mix of inputs is good I think, but shouldn't be forced. There are also a couple of features for paying members only, that I can't report on, because I'm cheap.  ***UPDATE:  I may be completely hooked on Busuu  now.  The writing requirement for the lessons just took some getting used to and I found a way to get past the chat.  Eventually I will try this as well.  Two things now have me hooked.  I made a friend, and for each lesson set completed my little garden picture filled out more and more.  I'm all for the intangible and symbolic rewards, and getting those email notifications that I have a message waiting for me gets me on the site often--which just leads to doing more lessons.
• http://www.mangolanguages.com/main -- (European languages + Brazilian, Greek, Russian, and Japanese)  Mango offers free introductory lessons, but requires membership for anything further.  The lessons are much like what you might get from listening to Pimsleur with written accompaniment.  There is very little interaction and a lot of repetition.  Consequently this would be a good way to start if you had no prior study in a language.  
  
• http://www.phrasebase.com/english/ -- BETA (Large language selection) This is a forum focused social learning site.  There are areas for web classrooms and lessons that are, as yet, not fully developed.  The phrase and word lists have promise but are also not complete.  However, unlike some of the more structured sites the words and phrase lists are open for user alteration.     
• http://www.livemocha.com/ -- (Many languages) this social community records your progress and interaction with a 'mocha points' account.  Slick internal design including the ability to create personalized flashcard sets to use and share with other language learners.  There is a writing portion to the exercises much like Busuu, although, I think it is a bit more difficult.  It certainly took more agonizing from me.  Also included in the lesson plans is a verbal section where other users can listen to your pronunciation and give you tips.  This is both awesome and problematic.  I know nothing personally about my computer mic set up and so have not completed this part of the lesson.  I think it may be worth a good headset, though.

There are, of course, several non-social sites with excellent language material as well.  Here are some that I picked up along the way--if you have any that you like, please let me know.  So many of the open access college pages are great references but do not index well in Google Searches.

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/--I don't know about you but I love the BBC online--the history, the news, everything!  So of course, I was tickled to find they had a languages area as well.  They do not represent all the languages you might want to study but it is worth stopping here to see if they've got what you are looking for.
• MIT OpenCourseWare--has a hefty list of online tutorials and study guides on a fair few languages and the cultures that go with them.
• http://www.internetpolyglot.com/--advertized free language lessons online. I haven't yet completely explored here, but browsing through, I see a lot of extensive vocabulary lists with sound functionality for a very large range of languages. 
• http://abacus.bates.edu/~kofuji/ --A Bates University Japanese course with excellent materials lists the way only Academia can build them.
• http://www.about.com/ --has loads of pages on Languages as well.   I have mainly used the page for Japanese (http://japanese.about.com/) and it is really wonderful. 
  
• http://jisho.org/ --Japanese phrase and Kanji dictionary.  This seems to be the best online Japanese/English dictionary there is out there.  It is not always so good with full sentences, but indispensable for Kanji meanings. 
• http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/dings.cgi?lang=en;service=deen --German/English, German/Spanish, German/Portuguese dictionary.  I believe it was created to primarily serve German speakers learning other languages, which is most likely why its such a good dictionary for English to German.  Although more focused on certain languages, the best course work and dictionaries I have found were not originally made for English speakers learning other languages, but for the other way around (like iKnow). 
  

Doomed MovieThon's Chow Down
Mood:  happy
Topic: Seriously

 

It is finally here!  Richard Schmidt of DoomedMovieThon has released his "Chow Down:" a Stephen Chow marathon review spectacular.   I was there for it, and it was a wonderful movie-thon--amazingly devoid of moviethon hangover.  I still find it hard to gush over Stephen Chow without sounding like a fan lunatic, but I have made some previous attempts.  Please read the awesome article, and maybe you will understand how the greatness of this comic/actor/director.

Previously on the Bean:

News that makes me happy:  beauty and the commedic genius

Stephen Chow

Phantom of my childhood: Rock and Rule
Mood:  happy
Topic: Seriously

Rock and Rule entered my brain around the time that Heavy Metal and Fire and Ice did, but it left more of an impression.  In a world where humans have destroyed themselves and smaller mammals have evolved to fill the anthropomorphic void, rock and roll rules the world and opens glowing and unstable portals to other realms through which angry, bulbous demons scream.  Mok -- god of rock-- 's character design still influences my drawing today. 

I am happy to say after years and years of searching and coming up woefully empty, UNEARTHED cinema released it from obscurity and brought it to my, and my Dad's, DVD collection.  Funnily enough, the founder of UNEARTHED used to work at an awesome rental store that my husband frequented just down the street from us.  The store is sadly closed, but Rock and Rule is open any time I want it to be on my TV.  And yes you see correctly on the DVD cover the names Debbie Harry, Iggy Pop, Cheap Trick, and Lou Reed doing the music vocals.  

Because I can just almost remember the title
Mood:  cool
Topic: Seriously

There are lots of reasons why I am currently plumbing the depths of my memories to create a list of all the books I've ever read.  I don't suppose that I will be completely successful, but I at least want to get as many titles and authors as there are vague plot lines floating around in my head from long ago.  Even I think this project is a little crazy, but its one of those things that I get wrapped up in on a whim.  I have to say I'm doing pretty good--better than the first time I worked on it getting just under three hundred titles that was then lost in Google Notebooks, then found, then lost again--its probably my fault.   All that's neither here nor there because what I want to talk about is Loganberry Books a bookstore in Ohio.  

While conducting my vague plot reminiscences I stumbled upon the Loganberry Books Stump the Bookseller.  I'm sure there are other forums to get help from people who might know what your talking about when you only have a sliver of an idea, but Stump the Bookseller has popped up repeatedly in my searches for strange stories about separated twins, virtual rock stars, and red wizards.  I realized that I was doing a diservice to it by simply using it as a mine for my potential forgotten titles, so I'm talking it up to you guys.  I want to visit Loganberry books someday--anybody who lives near it should wait for me though.  Go and keep this place in business!   

News that makes me happy: beauty and the comedic genius
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Seriously

I was unsuspectingly reading through my own personal news real when io9 brought me this awesome bit of news about Anne Hathaway being cast in one of Stephen Chow's new projects.  Not much is known about the film so far and it is untitled, but it has to be one of the shiniest news bits I've ever heard.

Although Stephen Chow broke into U.S. theaters with Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, there are too many people who've never heard of this genius writer, directer, actor, in my opinion.    

I talked up Stephen Chow once before, and if I didn't convey my admiration then, I just wasn't doing my job.  So, I'd already be waiting on the edge of my seat for a new movie from him, but the news that Anne Hathaway has been cast in it is even more giggle inducing.  Though I have to admit I have no inclination to ever see Bride Wars, Anne Hathaway had already won my heart long before that.  She has an easy way of presenting a character that is completely believable and translates well to comedy.  I can't wait to see how they'll work together.

picture from CRIENGLISH.com