Liz From St. Louis

“Snow” from White Christmas

The first snow of the season falling upon the streets of St. Louis right now and looking out the window make me think of this song. It’s one of my favorite holiday songs, mostly because it features one of my favorite crooners – the Bing Crosby.

Enjoy!

Meet 2009’s toy craze – Zhu Zhu

These little hamsters are cute and rather inexpensive, if you can find one available at MSRP that is. I was unaware of this new toy until last week when the following conversation took place:

Me: So Mom, what do you want for Christmas this year?

Mom: One of those hamsters with the little car it drives around in.

My sister Grace: Yeah, she doesn’t want the habitrail, just the car.

Me: Then where’s it going to live?

Call me aloof but clearly, I thought my Mom meant a real hamster – I had thoughts of her putting a real live hammy in a remote-controlled Barbie car or something. I wouldn’t put her past something like that. My Mom went bonkers over the Geico commercial with the gecko driving the car while tapping his ‘fingers’ on the steering wheel. She also owns a Tickle Me Elmo, was able to procure a Furby, Cabbage Patch Dolls and even coveted Beanie Babies in their perspective hay-days – I give that woman credit for tracking down the hot toy du-jour! So I really wanted to get her a Zhu Zhu for Christmas this year…

Alas, in my shopping excursion on Fallout Saturday (what I like to call the day after Black Friday as the stores look like a bomb dropped – messy and void of the sale items from the day before) there were no Zhu Zhu’s to be found. Looks like Mom will have to settle for a gift that doesn’t include a small animal in a vehicle. Drat.

Belleville, IL native Peter Sarsgaard staked his claim as one of my favorite actors after I saw him in 2003’s  Shattered Glass. Since then, I’ve watched nearly every film which lists his name in the credits. Sure he may get type-cast as ‘creepy’ but who didn’t laugh their behind off at his mock-infomercial for the Peter Sarsgaard’s SARS Guard when on SNL in 2006? Too funny!

Being that Halloween was near, I had already watched The Skeleton Key and was excited when my sister brought home the recently released The Orphan – Mr. Sarsgaard + scary movie = my kind of entertainment. Oh, the movie delievered quite a scare as I watched just before trying to go to bed.

Lessons learned:

1. Never adopt 9-year old Russian girl
2. Stop letting handsome men influence what movies I watch

Though, it is freaking scary and therefore awesome, it wasn’t the best before-bed movie choice.

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Meanwhile, Sarsgaard’s newest film, An Education looks lovely. It’s already won the Audience Choice award and the Cinematography award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and is showing as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival. Looks like it’s actually showing tomorrow at The Tivoli, better see if there’s tickets left…

“My heroes were Dylan, John Lennon and Picasso, because they each moved their particular medium forward, and when they got to the point where they were comfortable, they always moved on.”

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A week or so ago I felt some random urge to talk about John Hughes, director and writer of some of my most beloved movies – movies that shaped my childhood and teen years. My Mom, sisters and I discussed his work and withdrawal from Hollywood. I read an article in the LA Times about his reclusion a few years ago and since have been fascinated with the idea that he’s living in some big house in the Chicago ‘burbs writing masterpieces that will surface and blow everyone away – movies far more relevant and timeless than those of his heyday.

The entire family and I were watching the national news on NBC this evening when Brian Williams mentioned the death of an iconic figure. It wasn’t the top news story, or the second, or the third. We all wondered who could have passed away? That image came up in the right-hand corner of the screen and I gasped, jaw hanging open.

John Hughes has passed away.

Tears in my eyes, I was in disbelief and still am. 58 years old and died of a heart attack while on a walk, in NYC visiting family. Sad.

Oh, it may seem so silly but this man was my ‘Michael Jackson’ – while the world gathered to mourn and celebrate the loss of their King of Pop, their star and their hero I merely watched with interest and fascination; wanting to feel what they felt or see what they saw in Michael Jackson. Sure, I felt sad at the unnecessary loss of human life, but nothing that brought me to feeling a personal loss. Not until now. Today I lost my King of Storytelling.

I recite lines from Uncle Buck on a daily basis, it’s not the holidays without watching Home Alone and…

I do not know of a single girl who has watched Sixteen Candles or Pretty In Pink and was unable to sympathize with Molly Ringwald’s character in either film.

Then there’s what I consider to be the jewels of Hughes’ work – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club and Christmas Vacation

Words escape me. There’s so many things I feel right now, chief among them is the great sadness to lose such a talented and prolific man who was able to express the honest and intricate workings of the teenage psyche. He didn’t exploit his audience, he gave them a voice to show the world how sensitive and influential they were. Hughes was simply able to view life and present it through a witty, honest and stylized view in a way no one will ever be able to do again. His films are more than entertainment and that’s evident in how 20+ years later on a Saturday afternoon you can surf through your cable channels and find at least one of this movies playing, making people laugh and nod along in understanding with the well-crafted characters.

I want to go to the video store and collect my treasured John Hughes films and dive deeply into them because that will be his legacy – the ability for future generations to connect with and be entertained by his works.

And in all of this, I’m hoping my notion is right; that somewhere in the drawers of a large desk are scripts of movies yet to be made. But that’s selfish to think about, I know that no matter what John will live on through his masterpieces and for that I’m happy.

May I present you with Dorrough’s “Ice Cream Paint Job”

I cannot get enough of listening to this song. The moment I start my car and the radio turns on, I say a little prayer that this song will come on the radio.

Yes, I realize I’m an odd duck. I like it that way.

Last nite I had the pleasure of attending the ‘St. Louis’ (technically Sauget, IL) stop of the 2009 AP Tour. And let me tell you what, those good dudes and dudettes at AP Magazine sure knew what they were doing when they put together the lineup of bands, it was a phenom. The kids didn’t stop rocking out all nite and everyone left sweaty and tired but with huge smiles on their faces.

Check out the rest of my photos from the nite…

I was able to catch 3OH!3, The Maine and Family Force 5 – I missed Hit The Lights and A Rocket to The Moon due to the fact that I had work obligations. All three of the bands that I saw were really great live and had the crowd going; seriously I haven’t seen such an enthusiastic crowd that was ready to P-A-R-T-Y in such a long time, it was awesome. 

Being the ‘old fart’ I am, I had only ever heard the names of The Maine and Family Force 5, never having listened to their music before. I was completely blown away by Family Force 5 – from their comical coordinating outfits, their sheer energy, ability to work the crowd, sweet dance moves and OMG can we talk about some awesome beats and sampling? It literally was just this frenetic dance party that didn’t stop for a second, that band made my nite.

Be sure to check out Family Force 5. You can thank me later

The Killers’ “Spaceman” from the MTV Australia Awards.

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I’m still quite disappointed in myself for not having gotten tickets for The Killers show here in May at The Fox Theatre. They’re #1 on my list of ‘bands to see that I haven’t seen before’ and the show is SOLD OUT; bummer.

As far as The Killers are concerned, my favorite album of theirs is Sam’s Town, yet their rarities & b-sides disc Sawdust is a must listen. From the cover of Joy Division’s “Shadowplay” to the Lou Reed feature “Tranquilize” to the stripped down Abbey Road recording of “Sam’s Town” it’s a little treat for the ears.

Enjoy this performance of “Spaceman” which happens to be one of my favorite tracks off Day & Age.

Happy Friday!

From Mike Shea’s blog:

I did get my inspiration to be a music journalist after watching Almost Famous for the first time. Hiding behind a camera lens just so happened to be the natural progression of things for me. It’s funny just how truthful, and applicable to my own experience, that snippet from Mike’s blog is.

Sometimes I think about resurrecting my dream of becoming ‘the enemy’ – the 17-year-old Liz would be highly disappointed with how uneventful my post-collegiate life is, but those are the breaks, kid. I still watch Almost Famous whenever I lose perspective on things; I still relate all too-well with William Miller sitting in the bathtub surrounded by disregarded, balled-up, half-written ideas while trying to pull through in the eleventh hour.

“Listen, you’re doing great. The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool. Listen, this is my advice to you… be honest and unmerciful. You have to make your reputation on being honest and unmerciful. And if you get into a jam, call me. I stay up late.” – Lester Bangs in Almost Famous

I don’t think there could be any truer words than those. We all have to settle into our own uncool and base our reputations on being honest and unmerciful.

& Elizabethtown is quite an inspirational film as well…

– WATCH THIS SPACE –

I can barely contain my excitement as I will be attending the Chip Kidd lecture and book signing, presented by the St. Louis AIGA chapter, tomorrow evening. CAN’T WAIT!

Photos and full review to follow…

Ah, Morrissey, you never fail to deliver.

Yesterday I visited Vintage Vinyl to pick up my copy of Years of Refusal which, much to my delight, came with the 7″ single of “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris” that contains this very image on the inner sleeve:

The deluxe edition of the album is packaged nicely as a digipak with a silken linen finish to the paper stock it’s made from. The CD and DVD are incased in inner-sleeves much like a vinyl album is, the same silk linen paper is used. The type treatment throughout is very Art Nouveau and the cool color scheme of grays and soft blues takes cues from the dark black and blue look of the Ringleader of the Tormentors cover and progresses to this. I like seeing a theme taken and expanded upon in a new direction, which is the case of the album design from the previous album to this one. Packaging: A+

Still exploring the sounds of the album but, upon the few listening I’ve given it, there’s something in here that was merely toyed with in Ringleaders which is a bounce – an up-and-down movement of beat that takes hold of even the slowest songs (”Black Cloud” and “You Were Good In Your Time”).

The Spanish-sounding guitar at the very beginning of “When I Last Spoke to Carol” harkens back to The Smiths’ “Bigmouth Strikes Again” for me. And the guitar intro of “Sorry Doesn’t Help” sounds a bit like Queen to me, then the drums come beating in big time only to have Moz’s voice echo the warmth of that guitar over the crisp cymbals and pulsing kick drum. This layering of sound is found on every song, the production is spectacular, producing a warmth that makes me want to listen over and over.

Standout songs are:

• - “All You Need Is Me” for the sheer bravado only Morrissey can deliver.
• - “Something Is Squeezing My Skull” simply for the line ‘There is no hope in modern life.’
• - “It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore” in the delicacy, richness and reach of the vocal delivery. This song illustrates everything about Moz’s voice that makes him unique.
• “That’s How People Grow Up” stands out for the fact that it’s a great song greatly ruined by the shrill trill of Kristeen Young. I would have bypassed Ms. Young and simply used a Theremin for the same effect.

Album: A-

I’m now looking forward to the April 8th Morrissey concert at The Pageant more than I was before, knowing he’s got a great source of material in the new album to pull from. As long as I don’t have to sit through another drawn-out performance of “Life Is A Pigsty” again, I’ll be happy. Also, he’s bringing fellow Brits, The Courteeners, along as the opening act – replacing former long-time openers Kristeen Young (who I am none to keen on).

Bottom line: If you want a good solid record, go pick up Morrissey’s Years of Refusal. Even if you think you don’t like him, I’m betting you’ll find at least one track you’ll like on this album.

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