Tag: entertainment
The Americanization of Emily – “War is not moral”
An evening pause: A fine performance by James Garner from a Paddy Chayefski screenplay. While I agree that putting soldiers on pedestals is often a misplaced emotion that can lead to future unnecessary wars, I do not agree that all war is immoral. There are times, as a last resort, when good people have to stand up and fight, if only to prevent bad people from dominating the battlefield. In 1964, when The Americanization of Emily was released, Americans could be forgiven for being hostile to war. After World War II the country had gotten itself into a string of wars, the goals of all having been poorly considered. It was also a time when evil people were well restrained by our willingness to stand up to them.
Today, our fear and hostility to war is allowing evil to run rampant worldwide. It will very soon descend upon our heads if we do not begin to fight back.
Having said that, this is a fine and thoughtful scene from a fine and thoughtful movie, raising many profound thoughts about the nature and consequences of war. Hat tip to Phil Berardelli, author of Phil’s Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime.
Extreme wood bending with ammonia
Boston – More Than A Feeling
An evening pause: Performed live, Giants Stadium, June 17, 1979. The song is good, of course, but the improvisations are much better.
Hat tip Danae.
Lori Lieberman – Killing Me Softly with His Song
An evening pause: The song was written for Lieberman after she saw Don McLean perform in concert, but was made a big hit by Roberta Flack in 1973. Here, Lieberman shows us how its done.
Hat tip Danae.
R.I.P. Grace Lee Whitney
R.I.P. Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand in the original Star Trek.
R.I.P. Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand in the original Star Trek.
Claude Bolling – Sentimentale, Suite No. 1 for Flute and Jazz Piano
An evening pause: Bolling, on the piano, and Jean-Pierre Rampal, on the flute, let it all hang out.
Hat tip Danae.
Faith Hill – This Kiss
Musica Universalis – Blackbird
An evening pause: A remarkable performance, using juggling to play music. Stay with it, it only gets better.
Hat tip Danae.
“Let’s all be manly!”
An evening pause: One of the many classic scenes from the classic Hollywood masterpiece, Adam’s Rib (1949).
Another hat tip to Phil Berardelli, author of Phil’s Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime.
The Band – The Weight
An evening pause: This is truly a great performance, worth watching and listening to. I just wish it wasn’t so darkly lit.
Hat tip Danae.
Ravel – Pavane pour une infante défunte
Gilda Radner – Miss Emily Litella
Paul Simon, David Crosby and Graham Nash – Here Comes the Sun
An evening pause: A fitting song as we move into the heart of spring. Performed live as a tribute to George Harrison at the 2009 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall Fame Concert at Madison Square Garden.
Hat tip Danae.
For the birds
Massenet – Meditation from Thais
An evening pause: The violin player, Daniil Bulayev, is especially impressive, being only 8 years old.
Hat tip Danae.
“If life were only like this.”
An evening pause: A classic comedy scene from Woody Allen’s Annie Hall (1977). What especially makes the scene work is how realistic he portrays what it was like to stand in a movie line in New York in the 1970s.
Another hat tip to Phil Berardelli, author of Phil’s Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime.
Patty Loveless & Vince Gill – My Kind Of Woman/My Kind Of Man
Donna Summer – McArthur Park
An evening pause: I especially like the energy of the song and performance. Everyone is moving, all the time. Can you imagine this happening during a symphonic performance of one of Beethoven’s symphonies in Europe in the early 1800s?
Hat tip Danae.
Fleet Foxes – The Shrine / An Argument
An evening pause: It has been a few years since I last posted a Fleet Foxes animation. Time to revisit their surreal vision.
J.S. Bach – Air on a G string
Brandi Carlile – The Story
An evening pause: Nicely place, with beautiful lyrics. Like Danae has noted in a previous evening pause, however, I would prefer if she wouldn’t do the modern slurring of the words.
Nonetheless, ’tis a great song. Hat tip to Tony R.
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain – Smells like Teen Spirit
Sierra Hull – River Of Jordan
An evening pause: On this Good Friday evening, which is also the beginning of Passover when Jews worldwide sit down to retell the story of their exodus from slavery and the giving of the law, I think this lovely American bluegrass gospel song captures that same sentiment, from another time and place.
If you can’t watch the embedded video below, go here instead.
Ben-Hur – John Wilson Orchestra
An evening pause: From the 1959 classic movie Ben-Hur, written by Miklós Rózsa. Watch the musicians as they aggressively play this very driving piece of music. Shows that classical orchestra music is far from staid and boring.
Hat tip to Phil Berardelli, author of Phil’s Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime.
Les Paul – Sleepwalk
An evening pause: Performed live by Les Paul & the Les Paul Trio at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City on Paul’s 90th birthday, June 9, 2005.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
Yo-Yo Ma and Chris Botti – Cinema Paradiso
An evening pause: It has been a few years since I posted a performance of this magnificent music by Ennio Morricone from the magnificent 1988 film Cinema Paradiso. The time has come to do it again.
Hat tip Danae.
Keith Jarrett – Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Tony Smiley – Baby Steps
An evening pause: He calls himself “The Loop-Ninja”. Watch. It is amazing what one person can do with today’s technology to produce music.
Hat tip tdub.