top five

Wouldn't it be great if every Tuesday (or, this week, Wednesday) I wrote about the songs that are getting the heaviest rotation on my iPod? I think so. So here we go, the
inaugeral list.

1. I'll Dream Alone, The Magnetic Fields, off their new album, Distortion
2. Tarpit, Dinosaur Jr., off the classic, essential You're Living All Over Me
3. Cybele's Reverie, Stereolab, off the album Emperor Tomato Ketchup
4. Mansard Roof, Vampire Weekend, off the self-titled debut
5. Soft Revolution, Stars, off the Arts & Crafts label album Set Yourself on Fire

and W ruled the day (and night)

I was walking along Houston yesterday and saw a striking woman walk out of Whole Foods, sipping a cup of soup. She had long legs, pixie features and flaming red hair. I found her stunning, and thought that if she wasn't a model, she certainly should be. Ten minutes later, flipping through a W waiting to get my hair cut, I came across a striking photo spread set in D.C., with a young woman done up as Jackie O, photographed alone against the monuments. Long legs, pixie features, flaming red hair. Same girl. A lovely New York moment.

That night I went to a party at a killer loft in Chelsea. It was a scene, to be sure. Fashion people, mostly, kids with great clothes and lives that are very different than mine. One of the hostesses wore a black slip dress that was low cut in the back and hung loose on the sides. We saw the sides of her breasts all night, and at one point she revealed star-shaped, glittered pasties covering her nipples.

I ended up talking with a friend-of-a-friend's girlfriend who, as it turns out, works at W (she was also quite beautiful and wore the perfect shade of red lipstick). I mentioned my coincidence, and not only did she now it, she helped pull clothes for the shoot. Another lovely, W-related New York moment.

The night continued as parties like that must, slowly unraveling to an inevitable crescendo. In this case, somewhere north of two, someone broke the pedestal sink in one of the bathrooms. There it was, the toppled basin on the floor, cracked porcelain strewn about and pipes exposed. No spewing water though. I wish I had a picture.

So it was a crazy night. It ended, though, on a nice note. Around three or so, I had a compelling conversation with a late-arriving guest, one markedly lucid and thoughtful given the hour. He was older (shockingly so, it turned out) and was there with his boyfriend (of course), but we had a great conversation about media, print journalism and New York vs. everywhere else. It was unexpectedly mature and provoking and pleasant given that this was a party where people broke sinks.

this happened too

I had planned to do a hefty Oscar nomination wrap-up entry, but the Heath Ledger business put a damper on a normally shameless, self-congratulatory frenzy of a day.

My parents always had an Oscar party when I was growing up. My dad started throwing them in college. Something tells me it was probably the only annual Oscar party Sherman, TX. Anyway, the Oscars have always meant celebration to my family. The day was always filled with preparation, the smells of my mom's special dishes, and the arrival of, at least in the years we lived in Dallas, a lot of Junior Leaguers with big hair and strong perfume. Most movie fans get into the yearly derby, but for me, it's family lore.

This year, the nominations offered few surprises. Atonement snuck into the top five ... I really thought it would go the way of Cold Mountain, a pretty, literary epic with high awards aspirations that failed to garner a Best Picture nomination. That means Sean Penn's soulful Into the Wild got snubbed (only receiving mentions for editing and supporting actor Hal Holbrook, who could well win), which is too bad.

The acting categories offered a few good mentions. I was excited to see Viggo Mortensen finally receive Academy attention (he should have made it for A History of Violence a few years ago). And while I disliked Eastern Promises enough to walk out, what I saw of his performance was impressive.

It was also nice to see Laura Linney make it into the Actress race. Overall, The Savages was pretty mediocre, but Linney is expert as always, playing a tattered, unraveling version of her role in You Can Count on Me. She's one of the best working, so it's nice to see her recognized. Also in that category, I'm a bit surprised to see Cate Blanchett (a double nominee this year) make it in for the drag queen walk-off that was Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Blanchett's my favorite, but even I think this is a bit much. Instead, they should have recognized (the admittedly overexposed) Angelina Jolie, for impressive work in A Mighty Heart.

Other gripes? Where's Zodiac's sublime editing, cinematography and art direction (not to mention Robert Downey Jr.)? Or the Simpsons Movie for animated feature? Helena Bonham Carter in Sweeney Todd? Jennifer Jason Leigh in Margot at the Wedding?

That's my take, what's yours?

on a sad note

As this blog is as much about film and New York as it is about my odd quirks, it would be wrong to not observe actor Heath Ledger's untimely passing. Normally, the public reaction to a celebrity death highlights the more morbid aspects of fan adoration. Craving details, taking pictures, thrusting microphones in the faces of friends and loved ones. We'll never know the truth. And that's fine. It's none of our business.

The truth is that Ledger was a very talented actor. It's a loss to the film community, and one that stings because he was so, so very good. His turn in Brokeback Mountain did recall, as The New York Times suggested at the time, the work of James Dean, Sean Penn, or a young Marlon Brando. He brought power, control and restraint to a tough role, and gamely related the depth and conflict of a complex, taciturn character. Above all, he moved me.

I was talking with a similarly shaken friend earlier today, and we concluded that not only has our generation lost one of our own, but our community has as well. Recently, Ledger had become a New York fixture. When he and ex-fiance Michelle Williams moved to Boerum Hill with their daughter Matilda, they become the darlings of Brooklyn, poster children for the brownstone lifestyle. When they split and Ledger fled to Soho, an entire borough felt jilted. And like any loss in the communities in which we live, it feels close by. I've walked by that loft countless times, it's just a few blocks away from the bookstore where I volunteer. At moments, especially with the media coverage, it all feels within walking distance.

It will be interesting to see how we write the Ledger narrative. Like other public figures who go too early, we will construct a myth. Will it be a cautionary tale of reckless, wasted youth (see River Phoenix, Cobain), or a story about someone stolen from us, unfairly, who quickly achieves iconography (Dean)? I suspect the latter, with images of Ledger in his cowboy garb (like the one above) reaching the same matinee idol heights as Dean wearing a white t-shirt and smoking a cigarette in Rebel without a Cause.

We'll see. The certain truth is that, at least for this finicky moviegoer, he will be sorely missed.

112 things - part 6

41. In college, gin and tonic was my drink.
42. Now, it's jack and (diet) coke.
43. I live in constant fear of getting spinach caught in my teeth.
44. I love road trips.
45. One of my favorite recent memories was a picnic last year in a field in the mission (in San Fran). Tartine sandwiches and the best people.
46. I don't dance.
47. In the summer and when I run, I totally sweat.
48. In New York, I fall in love daily, on every street corner, it seems.

112 things - part 5

33. I love diner food.
34. I support brunch, and the lifestyle that goes with it.
35. I'd rather not show up than be late.
36. I was a year-round swimmer from second grade through middle school.
37. In high school, I was on the Varsity swim team for four years, and was Captain for two years.
38. Despite this, I do not have a tall, lanky swimmer body.
39. I feel that people are either Joan Crawford people or Bette Davis people.
40. I will live and die a Joan man.

112 things - part 4

25. I had oysters for the first time just a few weeks ago.
26. I drink my coffee black.
27. I'm great at Taboo and Scrabble.
28. But horrible at Pictionary and Charades.
29. I have a thing for giant plaster cows.
30. Post-its are my favorite office supply. Legal pads come in a close second.
31. I'm thrilled that American Gladiators is back. Nothing beats the original. Yay for spandex and unabashed tackiness.
32. In high school, I was (junior) prom king.

112 things - part 3

17. I went to the principal's office in fourth grade for writing and distributing a gossip column that documented the colors of all the girls' underwear.
18. I am a dog person.
19. I love hiking. When I lived in LA I would be in Runyan Canyon daily.
20. I don't like camping. I thinks it's the tents. Or inevitably getting moist (from rain, dew, spills). Yuck.
21. I've seen Some Like it Hot so many times (countless, really) that I've got it memorized.
22. My acting career has been limited to the Junior League of Dallas annual fundraising ball. I was in the Purple People Eater Number. There was a purple sequin bomber jacket involved.
23. I learned to drive on a 1995 blue VW Cabrio (and drove it through college).
24. I have a print of Lichtenstein's "Drowning Girl" hanging in my bedroom.

112 things - part 2

9. In first grade, I won my class' award for best speller, despite being (then, now and probably always), a lousy speller.
10. My favorite short story is Flannery O'Conner's A Good Man is Hard to Find.
11. I haven't eaten beef since high school.
12. I will never hang out in Murray Hill.
13. The last time I wore a baseball cap was fly-fishing in a glacial lake last summer. Before that, eighth grade.
14. When I was a lifeguard in high school, I dyed my hair using Sun-in. Yes, it was as bad as it sounds.
15. My first Halloween costume? I was in pre-school, we lived in Houston, my brothers had just been born, and I wore a bat costume that my grandmother sewed for me.
16. My best Halloween costume? In college I dressed as a UN Weapons Inspector (white boxer briefs, an orange mesh vest, a hardhat) and spent the night looking for WMDs. I didn't find any. Just like the real thing.

112 things - part 1

My friend Emily has a list of 112 about her on her blog (linked on the right). It's a "on a need to know basis" list of random facts, likes and dislikes. It's cute and witty, so I'm giving it a try. 112 is a lot, so I'm splitting it up. Also, in one swoop the self-indulgence would be overwhelming. Check back for more (of me).

1. I wanted to walk out of Eastern Promises after the first twenty minutes. I knew the naked Viggo fight scene was coming, so I waited for it, basked, then left.
2. As a kid, I briefly collected baseball cards. The most valuable was a Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. I hid it in a Boxcar Children book (so nobody would find it and steal it, of course), and have never seen it since.
3. I was born in Denver (little known fact). This means I've lived in every state that starts with a "C" (California, Colorado, Connecticut).
4. The first concert I ever went to was in fifth grade. It was Boyz II Men and Mary J. Blige. TLC was supposed to be there, but cancelled. Years later, I learned they were bankrupt at the time (thank you, Behind the Music).
5. When I lived in LA, I lived in a studio apartment above a great and crazy lady's garage. The whole estate was built by a production designer in the 30s. The place had a nautical theme ... there was a porthole above the toilet that was in Mutiny on the Bounty.
6. Currently, my favorite snack foods are pita chips dipped in peanut butter (natural peanut butter, of course) and baby carrots dipped in hummus.
7. Every time I try to eat at the Little Owl (in the W. Village), it's closed.
8. Every time I try to eat at Freeman's (on the LES), it's a two-hour wait.

absent

It's hard to imagine it's been about six weeks since my last posting. That's a long time, I suppose. In elementary school, that was the length of every grading period, so of course it felt like an eternity. These days, though, it feels like the blink of the eye or flick of the wrist.

No, I wasn't on strike. I do fear, though, that I may have lost what little readership I had. The holidays cause even the most finely-oiled routine to unravel, and combined with a hectic work schedule, I've become harried, anxious, and with little time to muse on life's quirks (bummer).
But, I'm going to try harder. And, as a peace offering, here's a picture of a Showgirls-inspired gingerbread lady I decorated over Christmas. She stood at the center of a platter of cookies, as if popping out of a cake. My grandmother said that she was quite adorable.