Rosenbush Cafe

Another month is about to end and while it was a high energy beginning of the year for me it is winding down nicely, except for breaking a finger on my left hand in a door today. Nothing like stupidity, coupled with breaking a bone on my dominant hand, to put everything in perspective. How can the second finger, longer than the pinky, but shorter than the middle finger, find itself interspatially trapped in a door when the other digits had the good sense to duck? To alleviate the pain music is needed and nothing heavy or hard or rock or pop but serene and worthy of a twirl on the dance floor. Big band music was played a lot around our house in the fifties and Moonlight Serenade is one of my earliest musical memories since my father was a Glenn Miller fan and introduced me to his music as a child. I have always remembered those days fondly and for whatever reason the song popped into my head this evening so here it is for all of you to enjoy. Have a great weekend and if you have a partner, hold them tight and spin them for a dance to this wonderful song.

Take me home!

Wildlife you won't find in Alabama

Natalie and her new friend

Alaskan Summer 2003

Ready for her close-up

In 2003, Natalie traveled to Alaska to visit her eldest daughter, Gisele and her husband, Tim, and she returned with some of the finest pictures one is likely to ever see of mountains, bays, glaciers and wildlife all sites travel agencies would never book. Although I was invited, my mother’s health and my business kept me home in Alabama. It’s not likely I’ll ever travel to the far Pacific Northwest or into the beauty of Alaska but at least I have the pictures to share with you. Alabama has some beautiful scenery but face my fellow southerners, Alaska is one the final unspoiled states in America and its splendor is unparalled. Watch for more pictures soon. For all my nilhistic and cynical musings this is as close to transcending all negativity with a stunningly wonderful existence beyond bricks and mortar and steel and - cough - pollution. Let’s keep it that way. Thanks to Tim McGraw for the photos.

U.K. transplant Paul McGuigan, who offered the clever, but underrated, Lucky # Slevin and the brutal, yet compelling, Gangster No. 1, directs PUSH, a supernatural thriller with telekinetic subtext. Opening February 6, the PG-13 film stars Chris Evans, who is making a career playing likeable heros (Cellular, Fantastic Four flicks), Man on Fire’s Dakota Fanning, who turns 15 next month, Camilla Belle (10,000 B.C.) and West African-born Djimon Hounsou (Amistad, Blood Diamond).

Always a fan of psychic thrillers, good and bad, this movie has the potential to be a sleeper and a bomb simultaneously. Much can be inferred from the trailer which combines humor, mind-over-matter action and once again a malevolent U.S. governmental agency that kidnaps and uses the talented psychics for, well, malevolent purposes. The special effects look cheesy and professional, a hybrid in vogue these days, especially with the ever-present computer generated tweaking and graphic-comic book to screen translations (The Spirit, upcoming Watchmen) dictating film style.

When are government agencies rendered sinister with black ops and shadow men? In this science fiction subgenre naturally; if the U.S. - or any world - Government is involved it is rarely presented as altruistic. Hounsou is the heavy with black supernatural eyes -thank you Asian extreme for black evil eyes motif - against the other stars. With a PG-13 tag for the action and some adult thematics, I suspect Hounsou’s comeuppance will not reach the gory surprise-axe-to-the-head death from Deep Rising but he is too confident that he survives.

Upgrades continue at the Cafe this week with more codes to learn; it’s all techno-babble to me since I’m a writer not a programmer. There is a calendar, blogroll and descriptions for the categories in Entrees. Expect more changes this weekend. We have your booth ready by the fireplace.

I watched the original interview and was admittedly bored for much of the running time until the last night when David Frost finally reached deep journalistic soul and asked the tough questions. Much like in the John Kennedy debate in 1960, when Nixon balked at wearing make-up, rich JFK wisely did, for no one could explain the heat from the large set lights would cause him to perspire. Nixon came across looking uncomfortable and shifty while the future leader of Camelot looked more the movie star; cool, calm, convincing. If Frost/Nixon (reviewed below) isn’t your cup of tea check out clips from the original 1977 syndicated broadcast.

You can go to WNYC’s webpage and click on the link: Listen to the whole show for an interview with Sir David Frost discussing the really happened behind the scenes.