Cinematic Arias

I caught most of NINE and just wasn’t blown away. I talked to some friends that also saw it and they just couldn’t put their finger on it either. Then I heard this episode of Theater Talk.

Once again I have KCRW to thank for their insight.

A while ago I covered The Business by KCRW but they also have a sister program hosted by their producer Matt Holzman. This week’s topic sent a shiver down my back.

I’m gonna assume you’ve seen THE BOONDOCK SAINTS. Have you seen the documentary OVERNIGHT? If not, do that next.

That Troy Duffy gets held up as a 2.0 filmmaking hero and that it’s suggested that others should try to emulate his resolve, well, I know what they mean but that also kinda makes me sick.

In my continuing effort to turn you on to KCRW’s wonderful programming, may I suggest you take a listen to A Second Opinion.

So why this particular episode? Allow me an indulgence. Growing up, I had a best friend that was a genius. I don’t use that as hyperbole; he was studying to become a doctor (both PhD and MD) at the same time. Therefore he studied, researched, trained and worked like a mad man (did I ever mention the sumer he and I drove strippers around town at night? No? Well, that’s for another post).

My buddy couldn’t afford to sleep more than 3-4 hours a night but after a while the body starts to buckle. This was when a medical school friend of his turned him on to Ritalin. “Once in a while” turned into “once a week” which turned into a crystal meth addiction that led to his heart exploding one night.

And I can say with certainty that he isn’t the only MD I knew that (ab)used Ritalin (also knew a few more MDs that partook in the crystal meth).

So to answer Dr. Michael Wilkes, I don’t think we need jacked up doctors that can see more patients. I think we need well rested doctors that don’t need the crutch.

If you’ve ever found yourself under the spell of a Russian baritone expounding on art then you’ve heard one of the true treasures of KCRW. If not, allow me to introduce you to Art Talk:

Edward has got to be one of the most forthright commentators on the station. And fie on LACMA for ending their film series. At a time when Hollywood is packing more theaters with the same tent pole fare, Los Angeles needs to preserve every possible alternative theater space imaginable. That means we can’t lose The Egyptian, The New Beverly or The Bing at LACMA.

Also, if you haven’t been to the summer screening series at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, you’re missing out on one of the truly awesome Los Angeles experiences. Need a better reason? August 22 they’re showing SINGING IN THE RAIN.

‘Nuff said.

PS, if I had the stones I’d come dressed up as Alex DeLarge and bring a few of my droogies for a bit of the ol’… whoa, pardon, that was Dark Tony popping up out of nowhere. Ignore that.

Time to tell ya about another podcast I love. This time I’d like to give ya a taste of KCRW’s The Business.

Think of it as Entertainment Tonight for the Whole Foods crowd. No, I don’t like that, it sounds too pertentious. How about ET for the Trader Joe’s patron? Yes, I’m happier with that (but who approved that “headshot“?).

And I’m sorry if I upset some of you with the following but I have a message for Matt Holzman.

“Bring Claude back!  Or you host the show.”

At some point just after getting my first iPod, I got hooked on podcasts (this was way before iTunes could handle podcasts. This was a time when Adam Curry was still king of the medium).

Since then, I’ve come to love quite a few podcasts and this is one of them.

Why Martini Shot? Not only am I amused by Rob Long’s industry insider observations but as of late I’ve found some strange synchronicity between his musings and my life. Take the above episode for example. Just this week I’ve had a surge in unsolicited “you know what you should do?” advice. I know, it’s like a horoscope or fortune cookies (you’ll find the connections you want to make) but I’m not about to start pitching a reality rom-com with “wedding” in the title. Thank you, but no.

(Yes, that happened to me this week while quietly sitting in my seat waiting for a work [non-industry] function to begin.)