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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
New Video Interview with David Mackenzie on "Hallam Foe"
There is a new video online (well new to me at least) of a Question & Answer session with David Mackenzie. In this interview conducted after a screening of "Hallam Foe" at the Glasgow Film Theatre last August, David discusses working with Jamie Bell, and his choices as a director to look at characters in perhaps a more unconventional and different perspective than we normally see (and results imo as well, in a more realistic and honest character than often times is seen in films- I LOVE THIS ABOUT YOU DAVID!!! ) David also gives some cool background on how artist David Shrigley was involved in the project and made the title sequence for Hallam Foe. I understand that there are a plethora of interviews with David already out there, but to me anytime you can watch a interview with him is a good day indeed :) The five minute interview is courtesy of Shooting people.org
Saturday, April 26, 2008
New Feature on "New Town Killers"
Scotland on Sunday has posted a new feature on actor Dougray Scott, who discusses his role in the upcoming "New Town Killers" which also stars actor Alastair Mackenzie of Sigma Films. In this lengthy feature, Mr. Scott does mention his high opinion of New Town Killer director Richard Jobson ("He is one of the most knowledgeable directors I've worked with in Britain) and there is also discussion on filming for the movie. Quotage:
"He is in high spirits today, he assures me, and that is largely thanks to being in Edinburgh. He is filming Richard Jobson's upcoming film, New Town Killers, a thriller also starring Alastair Mackenzie, in which they play a couple of reckless, mercenary private bankers preying on those less fortunate than them just for the fun of it. A crew member tells me that, the night before, they shot a scene in which Scott's character had to beat someone up. Everyone was genuinely terrified.
For Scott, the best part of filming around Edinburgh, in areas including Leith, the New Town, Calton Hill and Muirhouse, has been seeing a city he knows so well in a different light. Later, I go on set to watch him in a scene on the rain-lashed, wind-whipped roof of a disused building off Princes Street. He gestures towards the view of the Old Town and the Castle and says: "See? I bet you've never seen the city from up here before."
Side note: Having never been to Scotland, I do not know quite what areas of the city they are talking about in the previous quote, but I remember Colin had posted several photos of his filming on rooftops of Edinburgh for Hallam Foe, that showed the absolutely beautiful buildings and landscape of the city like the one below, which is one of my favorite.
This feature shows a fairly reflective actor, not quite the image you think of when you watch him on Desperate Housewives. He also speaks quite glowingly of his wife, actress Claire Forlani, who starred in Hallam Foe. The paper notes: "He is surprisingly open about his marriage, and is clearly smitten with Forlani, whom he was introduced to by a director friend two and a half years ago. She has already been to visit him in Edinburgh once during the five-week shoot and is coming again. "She is extraordinary," he says. "I've never met anyone like her. She's really special, you know… to me." He wasn't sure he wanted to marry again but "it came along and felt right. We have a great, really healthy relationship and a real understanding of each other's psyches and needs. She's incredibly supportive."
New Town Killers continues in production in Edinburgh, and is due for release sometime next year.
The Vikings are Coming!
The Press and Journal reports that an open casting call is taking place in Glasgow, Scotland for the part of a young boy to play a pivotal role besides Mads. The paper saysm"they are looking for a small, slightly-built 13-year-old, no bigger than the average 11-year-old. At the same time, he must be athletic enough to appear in action scenes and must have his sea legs, as much of the film will be shot at sea. The successful applicant will get all the best lines." LOL dunno if that is quite the way to appease the other actors but that is one way to generate interest! :)))
Its was interesting to see that the casting director quoted for this piece is someone named Des Hamilton who has worked with Sigma Film's Kahleen Crawford in the past and helped cast films such as Hallam Foe, Young Adam, Dear Frankie, and Sigmas/Paddy Considines' short "Dog Altogether." The newspaper article quotes Mr. Hamilton saying " "It's so exciting that Scotland is attracting this kind of co-production.It's got a budget of £3.5million, which is very healthy these days. The production is in full swing now, and the director is here.For someone who wants to be an actor, this is as good as it gets.It's a tremendous opportunity and it will be lucrative as well. It will be a good earner for a little kid as well as a leg-up into the industry."
There is no indication if Sigma will be involved in this at all, or any other crew from past Sigma films will work on the film, this film,which had been rumored for years now as seen on the official Norway website, should be an interesting one.
Mr Hamilton said: "Mads Mikkelsen's character is a warrior who has had his tongue cut out and the boy communicates for him."
The casting director has already been round dozens of schools in the west of Scotland in his search for a star. The story is set in the 11th century and Vikings have been living in Scotland for decades.
An expedition sets out to return to Scandinavia but gets lost in fog. They eventually reach an unknown land and think they have died and gone to Valhalla, the Viking equivalent of Heaven. But it turns out to be America.
Further info on the movie can be found here.
Bonus Video: Even though I tend to avoid war pictures, Im mad for history and historical pieces, and the woman who sings in this fan video for Tristan (including Mads in King Arthur) is just wonderful, wish I could sing like that.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Mr. Foe is Cool
ahhhh! Tis Friday and thats always a good thing, and to end the week on a positive note, finally FINALLY the big movie sites (here in the US that is) are starting to review Mister Foe....oh wait- its now apparently MR. Foe, cause as we know, we Americans can't get big words like Hallam and esp stuff like 'Mister' all spelled out you know... meh
Anyway, Aint It Cool posted a very good review of Mr. Foe from the Hawaiian film fest, where apparently the reviewer actually knew the film makers and the film was set in SCOTLAND (and not Ireland like the local press corp though lol) More importantly, the reviewer also seemed to actually get what was happening on the screen, as this report reads:
MR FOE succeeds partially due to the fine work of its director David Mackenzie. Mackenzie( who co-wrote the film's script as well) skillfully steers his actors through the film's slightly creepy material but wisely decides not overload the film with a darkly overwrought tone but lightens the mood at the times.
The result is a film that feels transitional throughout-moving from light to dark touches-just as it moves from the sylvan countryside to the urban but not unpleasant cityscape.
Mackenzie also gets fine performances from his cast in particular Jamie Bell as the film's main character Hallum.
Bell does fine work in MR. FOE in creating a nuanced character out of what could have a one-dimensional part. Bell is so good here because he portrays Hallum not merely as a obsessive mother-loving peeping tom but as a young man on the cusp of adulthood who is wrestling with his issues and interests on the way to becoming a man.
Notice how Bell balances a somewhat mild, quiet persona with impassioned verbal precision. When Hallum does speak, he knows precisely what he wants and states exactly what his demands are.
What I enjoyed about MR FOE is that it that the film is a true coming of age story that manages to bypass the potential mine fields of obsessive whodunits and creepy melodrama and aims for a slight richer and more evolved canvas on which to paint its characters and backdrop.
By the final images of MR. FOE in which Jamie Bell is walking down with a smile on his face, we can understand why the film is called MR. FOE because Hallum has moved away from the obsessions of boyhood and is beginning his path into adulthood.
Side note: The word is now spreading about the June 6 release date as MRMovietimes.com (look!another Mr..... :P) are also starting to carry more about this film including this date and also the "R" rating for the movie.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Jamie Sives Joins Cast of "Triage"
In addition to the news this week that Franz Ferdinand is indeed recording at Film City Glasgow, there was a bit of good news regarding a role for one of my favorite actors, Jamie Sives. Jamie has appeared in several Sigma Films productions, most recently as Alasdair in Hallam Foe, and has now joined the cast of "Triage." The Hollywood Reporter says Triage is based on the novel by Scott Anderson, involving the chronicles and tribulations of a photojournalist who covered several war zones, including the hell that was Bosnia- Herzegovina in the early 90s. The film is being directed by Danis Tanovic, and has a cast that includes Jamie, as well as Christopher Lee, Paz Vega and oh yea, some dude named Colin Farrell. woot! The incredible limelight (and subsequent relentless paparazzi) that led me to even learn Jamie was in this movie, as there were new photos from the set that showed them both at work. Currently filming at the Ciudad de la Luz studios in Alicante, Spain, popsites were quick to note "Ireland Meets Spain" heh, already tracking the star of the film in coffee shops and the like, and then flynetonline.com posted these good set photos a few days ago. Today, new articles are online and Reuters has a new batch of similar photos, where you can see earlier filming that apparently took place in Bosnia or Ireland, and now currently on going in Spain.
As exciting as this is for Jamie and his career, I'm not sure how I feel about this movie as a whole, having been there once to work in that situation was enough for me... but then again, I intend to go read this novel first. I couldn't agree more with this author after reading this short interview in NY Magazine where he said on war journalists: "I think part of it is the romantic notion that the rest of the world doesn't know and you're going to make them know. In fact, people do know, but they don't care. And after you've seen your fourth or fifth suicide bombing or you hear the bullshit people use on all sides to perpetuate a conflict, you start seeing how war in a lot of places has become addictive to people." INDEED! As a rule of thumb I now stay firmly away from war pictures, but then its already been reported David wants to work on a film involving journalists in Somalia I think, but no idea if that will ever become a reality-so perhaps Ive been away from all that long enough now I will watch these things someday in the future-dunno. Anyway, its very cool to see actual photos of Jamie working, being in a film with someone whose has the press and pretty good critical standing I think-In Bruges was really good! surely must be a good thing to say the least!
Unrelated and random Hallam Foe note: The film is continuing the journey across the US, and MPR reports that at a recent screening at the film festival in Minnesota : "the reels of the film had been spliced together in the wrong order." good grief!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Franz Ferdinand Rocks Film City Glasgow
It's Monday, and it's a rule that things are always either annoying, or off- kilter, thus I feel compelled to do both, plus reveal how big a dork geek freak I really am by the following post (as if it wasn't painfully obvious already :P)
Its true that Sons and Daughters are my favorite band at the moment, but right up there are Snow Patrol, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band and Franz Ferdinand. Now the first three are NOT currently recording a new album in Glasgow, but OHO Franz Ferdinand most certainly is, as they've been posting a series of highly interesting photos on their official MySpace blog...
Raised on endless Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Nancy Drew mysteries lol, I've put those sleuthing skills to work *snort* and if you look closely at these photos (beyond the sheer awesomeness of the band members themselves that is ;) )
you can see these were taken in an eerily familiar building somewhere in the fabulous city of Glasgow. Now it is very very possible these could have been taken anywhere in the world and I well could be dead WRONG, but I gotta say those lovely chandeliers, beautiful ceiling and trim look mightily familiar... hmm...FILM CITY GLASGOW anyone? :)) wheeeeee!
*puts on Princess of mindless fangirl geekness tiara*
Am I the only one who cares about this? oh yes probably so lolol...well besides the band and the employees of FCG that is!... but to me I think this is awesome that great and talent people of Franz Ferdinand are making use of that lovely old hall. I know that the band and I think Mr Mackenzie have a personal friendship and heh clearly played on the Hallam Foe soundtrack which was just wonderful-hope they do more for any of Davids/Sigmas future films too! It looks as if maybe FF filmed a new video in the hall, which would be even better. Speaking of recording, a video snippet of new music of the band doing some killer work in rehearsals surfaced on youtube...UPDATE: latest word is that this was indeed recorded at FCG! and if I had a) seen the video on their blog first before I saw it on youtube, then b) bloody well read the title of that post, I would have realised it said "under the stage" god but I can be so STUPID at times. *sigh* Anyway, this music is great stuff indeed! If this is how the new album is going to sound this will be their best yet- I cant wait!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Sail on the HMS Mackenzie!
Well it's not quite the S.S. Minnow nor the Queen Elizabeth, but its time to set sail on the HMS Mackenzie...err sorta! If you've ever had the hankering to own a piece of movie history of sorts, and have a cool half a million dollars to spare, then the Young Adam barge can be yours! According to this website (and Im assuming by the date, it is still available,) "The Young Adam is a beautiful 60ft Replica Dutch Barge. Benefiting from years of boat building and engineering experience, Young Adam is an excellent example of compact accommodation afloat. The hull built by South Holland Marine in 2002 was used as the Scottish coal barge which featured in the film "Young Adam", starring Ewan McGregor. Young Adam is for sale on a mooring at Cadogan Pier in Chelsea, on a five year renewable lease. The pier is one of the only pleasure boat moorings in London to be accessible on any tide."
LOL awesomeness! No word if David is available for private Captain duties but woot...tempting ! ;) The accommodations look to be a bit more posh than were seen in the film, but lol I couldn't believe it, too funny.
I remember reading somewhere along the way that the father of the Mackenzie brothers (and a sister I think?) was an admiral in the Navy which is a tough job actually. My cousins on mamma's side of the family are mostly the military-if not in jail or embroiled in some political fiasco heh (two are currently serving on nuclear subs though, others are naval aviators) and I do have a serious appreciation and enjoyment of sailing swimming snorkeling etc, but I have to confess, barges are not the first thing that spring to my mind when I dream of owning a boat. Surely barges still have a presence here in the States (party barges I can attest are notoriously a lot of fun to rent for a weekend at a big lake etc) but I always wanted to learn more about how David and co went about shooting the scenes on the boat. I remembered during the slew of Hallam Foe press though, there was one piece at the Edinburgh film festival where it was pointed out they were celebrating right round the corner from where scenes of Young Adam were filmed. Anyway that Young Adam shoot would be one I would like to learn more about. I suppose the difficulties shooting on the barge helped in as he went on to shoot other tricky scenes in other films (a treehouse springs to mind lol) Anyway, I dont envision there will be a huge stampede of buyers for this barge, but it was too odd and quirky piece of news not to mention ...hopefully there will be proper news this week on some of Sigmas or Davids more recent work this week!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Zombies Attack Film City Glasgow!
I guess I'm weird in that at Halloween and such I have no problem at all with the scary bloody stuff and dressing up and go to parties where you see all sorts of people walking around dripping with fake blood etc. I completely love some fantasy books too, like LotR or Potter or even the Twilight series (which really wasnt that well written but it was a nice escape for a weekend to plow thru all three of them at once) or some films or tv series (openly admit-Buffy fan! stick me thru the heart I know but Spike/Buffy forever :P) However when it comes to these type of films, I guess I just dont get what the appeal is. Heh I know I can be so so so dreary and dull and serious all the time, and this makes me terribly uncool and unhip, but it's so hard for me to even see commercials for this stuff- I cover my eyes in the theaters when horror trailers come on like a little kid gah...I just cant stand these things though, mostly because when you've seen that type of thing in real life in war which is so not pretend, and covering local news stories every day where people fail mankind and each other in the worst possible way all the time, it affects you I guess and I just well no matter...anyway this is one film I most certainly wont be seeing. I understand there is quite the market for these films, and from what I've heard making these films is fun change of pace (lots of work for the makeup teams obviously and people enjoy the challenge and opportunity to add to the resume as one dude on imdb has a thread titled 'I get shot in the head in this film! lol so there you go). I guess if you could stomach that and think of it as all pretend it makes it ok, but still not my cup of tea.
The interesting thing to me, besides the fact that part of it was shot at Film City Glasgow was that the couple who produced this film, risked quite a bit, including their house and home to get the picture financed. Along with The Herald, The Evening Times also has a nice piece (including video interview) featuring this couple, who apparently "gambled their Glasgow house and borrowed from friends and family to raise £300,000." One of the producers says "We could have lost the lot," says Arabella. "But sometimes you feel you have to take a gamble and we did." Now that is faith and determination to say the least. The brain can tell you that making a film takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to get it to the screens, but its another matter to try this in real life and put your heart and heh home on the line for this, so its alway so cool to hear stories like this sometimes when risking a lot can pay off in a big way.
Random Friday Fail note: Mister Foe continues to find his away across the US popping up in various film festivals. This weekend, the Honolulu Advertiser (Honolulu= uber expensive, yet uber beautiful though with fabulous beaches and hella good mai tais ) previews the film for the local film festival as such "This is a really great film from Ireland, starring Jamie Bell, who was 'Billy Elliott,' which captures the fun of 'Billy Elliott' — kind of 'The Graduate' meets 'Juno.' He's kind of an off-kilter character, but he's going into adulthood, is seduced by an older woman, so it's an adventure into adulthood — in an Irish way, with that sense of humor. Jamie Bell is amazing; with so many films from Asia, it's great to have something wonderful from Europe."
*slaps hands on head* IRELAND??? sense of humor clearly cause as we know, Scottish people have no sense of humor..... :P
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The Red Road to Cannes
Cannes is one film festival I've been meaning to get to, having had several chances with the intrepid press corp, but either declined or missed it for reasons not worth going into at the moment. Regardless it is, I think, considered the height of the film festivals (although others will dispute that such as Sundance etc) and it is one I would love to go to. Ive been to Sundance which was awesome when I was there, but Cannes has a certain amount of inherent glamour and a sense of chic and excitement that the others will never quite reach I dont think.
While unfortunately many of the old photos of the Sigma crew are missing from the blog these days, I remember two years ago now oy! they went there with Red Road, which won the Jury prize. Although you can now buy the film on DVD and watch it on various channels in the US now, it was kinda cool to look on the Cannes site and see the old clips, interviews and most especially, the excitement and joy in the cast members faces as they made their way up to the top of the stairs. Not sure when the next entry from Sigma will be screening at Cannes, but lets hope Rounding up Donkeys will meet the same warm reception! :)
The Post that is no longer relevant to the old title
If you've ever ventured into any of the forum discussion of any of David Mackenzie's films or those of Sigmas, I think it's safe to say you are usually going to find at least one conversation about that pesky three letter word...sex.
Incredibly, there are still ongoing long conversations about the Jackie/Clyde sex scene from Red Road, and plenty of reference to sex as well in both the reviews and discussions of Hallam Foe. However, while most of them focused on the 'Oedipal' aspect, there was also discussion on Kate being with a younger man.
While Kate surely was no Mrs. Robinson and wasn't that much older, the fact was that Hallam was a younger guy and she didn't have a problem with that ...the peeping thing is another matter of course lol. Jamie Sives is like 7 or 8 years older than Sophia Myles, yet the only discussion of that relationship was that he was a married man and his character was a big jerk, but ZERO on the age difference... and what if Hallam had been like in his early 20s and Kate in her 30s or 40 and REALLy looked more like his mother, would that have made a difference? In fact, if I think about it a couple of the women in David's films have been a few years older than their male love interest, although I'm not sure if that was a deliberate thing, but most likely it just was a fluke or it is deliberate, but has little to do with the overriding plot points of importance and nothing the viewer is supposed to focus on. Hmmm I need to go look that up eep, and heh maybe its just my faulty OLD mind because Natasha Richardson looked a lot older than Marton Csokas in Asylum, although technically I guess she is only a few years older...same for Tilda and Ewan; Ewan looked really young in that movie Young Adam I thought. Anyway, I would love to hear some comments from David, who clearly isnt shy at all about discussing sex, on what he thinks about this matter.
I remain confused as to why this issue of older women/younger is such a big deal anymore. Yes I know here in the States our views on matters of sex are more err conservative or repressed or less open about it than our UK/European friends, this is true (and heh there is more sexuality used on tv in the UK, and our papers have NOTHING on the UK tabs especially who well woah lol) While I hardly am what anyone would call a babe or 'cougar' material lol, and perhaps it's because I've dated younger and older men, but to my way of thinking this issue of younger guys with older women shouldn't be a big deal, and yet there surely is a plethora of media attention about this 'phenomena' lol. (BTW The urban dictionary describes "Cougars" as older women on the prowl for younger men). One of the most frequently mentioned couples used as an example of 'defying the odds' with their relationship (as opposed to something you know dull, like having a successful happy marriage that survives continual media scrutiny at every turn)involves the star of David Mackenzie's latest film Spread.
As noted last weekend, Ashton Kutcher was a guest host on Saturday Night Live, and today someone uploaded that hilarious skit where he and they poked fun at this cougar label. With this added bonus of actress Cameron Diaz, they had a good skit mocking the ludicrous "cougar den'' label and it really made me laugh. Perhaps it might be not so funny to the British mentality but to me it was funny, and I gave him (and Ashton's wife the OLDER woman gasp!, Demi Moore, who was there in the audience) loads of credit for this. Yea it was silly crude humor, but ooh the hidden truths and funny! (bjoy ..joy, well its certainly not a job! and then lmao look, its not going to be as gross as you think LOL) POUNCE ON IT! hahahha
Monday, April 14, 2008
Foe Flash: Claire Forlani, Ewan Bremner in the News
Several mentions of the family Foe today, as there are new articles focusing on Mister (Hallam) Foe cast members Claire Forlani and Ewan Bremner.
First, Claire Forlani is featured on the cover of the Evening Standard Magazine. Unlike many of the papers who charge you IMO a lot to read the digital copies of their weekly magazines, such as woefully The Herald in Glasgow, where I believe they've had quite a bit of Sigma/Foe news that I have been unable to read-boo!, the Evening Standard magazine can be accessed by all. Just as Jamie Bell (Hallam Foe) was featured recently, so too is there a nice article and great new photos of the actress who played the (evil?) stepmother Verity in Hallam Foe. The piece dwells mostly on her new marriage to Dougray Scott and her flourishing career. Life does seem to be treating her right, as she attended the premiere of Flashbacks of a Fool (staring Daniel Craig who stars with Jamie Bell in the upcoming Defiance) and she looked fabulous!
Speaking of fabulous, the always wonderful Ewan Bremner also was out and about lately, attending the premiere of "Fools Gold" in London as well. The Scotsman has a nice feature on the versatile actor, where Mr. Bremner discusses having a career in Hollywood, while sticking to his Scottish roots and living in Edinburgh. He also mentions his role in Hallam Foe, as the article says quote:
"But at the same time he has made more films in Scotland than Sean Connery and admits it was nice to be able to walk to work when he played a hotel concierge in David Mackenzie's recent offbeat sexual drama Hallam Foe, with Jamie Bell and Sophia Myles."I love the city. I love living there. I like it because you can walk around," he says. "To tell you the truth, the things that I've done in Scotland generally, things like Hallam Foe and 16 Years of Alcohol, are because the film-maker is a friend and they have asked me to come and do a little bit." Yay for David and making that casting move for sure! Ewan Bremner received many good notices for his funny turn in the film, and it was so nice to see him in a role like that.
Bonus video: The EXCELLENT teaser trailer for Hallam Foe which is ten time better than the official full length one
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Hot Pants Fizzle and Burn
Exhibit A: tacky red shorts used in scene for "Spread" filming in LA.
Big deal , who cares right? Well,what to my wondering fan girls eyes do I see, when last night when watching Ashton's opening monologue on SNL?? Demi randomly popping up and not happy, asking about a pair of
Exhibit B: red shorts/brief
Hahahaha spooky kooky coincidence?? I think not! ha!, yea I know but still , cracked me up....and yet further proof I've lost my mind ;))Goo ashton/demi/david :)) TV guide has a review of the show here and I admit I laughed at the sorta tacky Cougar Den skit-kudos to them and viva dating younger men lolol. Anyway, obviously this really had to do with the last time he memorably was on SNL of course, lol but still made me laugh :))
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Feature on Alastair Mackenzie Film "New Town Killers"
Well this is a banner day for me, with three entries in one go-whats a fan girl to do lol!
The Scotsman has a new feature online (I think for their Sunday paper?) focusing on New Town Killers, starring Alastair Mackenzie and Dougray Scott. The interview contains many new quotes from the director of the film, Richard Jobson, who describes the film as "It's pretty dark," he nods. "It's about two forms of social invisibility. On the one hand you have kids who have fallen off the social radar then the other end of the spectrum of social invisibility are these hedge fund managers who control our economy." Mr. Jobson also mentions working with actor Alastair Mackenzie (who is of course, a main force at Sigma Films) when he describes the character Al is portraying as "so nihilistic, his view of the world is just a game," says Richard. "He sets people up to hunt them down. Dougray is playing him with an incredible charm and luxuriousness that you kind of like him until you really see what he does."
There is bonus great news on the film side of things, as the director says New Town Killers has been picked up by Warner Brothers (oho!!!) and reveals production has been ongoing in the city of Edinburgh recently as "the cast and crew have been enduring sub-zero temperatures on the top of former bank buildings on St Andrew Square."
Stating something all his fan like me have long suspected, Richard Jobson says working with the former Monarch of the Glen star on this otherwise serious movie has been enjoyable noting "Alastair Mackenzie is also a very funny guy, so we've been having a blast."
Finally, Richard Jobson gives away a hint of a release timeframe (oh no lolol) when he discussing his involvement with the Circle charity (ALWAYS glad to see mentions of charity work which makes a big difference!) and he says that a friendship with the current UK Prime Minister may lead to him attending the" premiere of New Town Killers when it is released early next year."
David Mackenzie's "Spread" Wraps Production
Congratulations David, Ashton, and all on the big Hollywood film; lets hope the movie does well and on to bigger and brighter things for you and Sigma!
The Floundering Invasion of Hallam Foe
Right...honestly I am grateful its even being released here in the US clearly and adore Sigma etc or I wouldn't even bother with this blog heh, so how now to be positive and hopeful about June 20...*looks the date up in history, sees nothing positive related to this..oh look June 21, Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, patron saint of youth! Hallam=tale of mixed up youth- bonus!LOL Plus theres St. Aloysius' College in Glasgow, so its a positive sign right? right? *lolz, gives up* Heh I think I'll take Ted's advice and just buy the UK DVD at this point so I can watch it again. Ive avoided those plethora of downloads of the film all over the net, but really want to watch the film again :(
Although I'm tempted just to retire my goofy HF/ Sigma pompoms at the moment I guess though I really shouldn't complain. I fully understand that making films requires a HUGE amount of PATIENCE, hope and belief in the film. I know that others are keen to see the film do well over here and they are doing the best they can I guess (there is a reason that behind the scenes stuff/negotiating is called behind the scenes and lol not 'fodder for random doofs to blog about publicly.') The Hallam Foe Facebook group continues to grow and people are even posting again and uploading new pics so rock on for that. I even saw a fun video pop up on Youtube this week using a clip from Hallam Foe (featuring Hallams chase through Edinburg-even saw the Arty guy again huzzah ;))) ) so lets hope the distributors can get things settled and this film will make it into theaters before all the buzz and excitement is lost in the waves of frustration.
PS: one fun unrelated note... Ashton is in New York ,though probably not to filmmore on David Mackenzie's Spread, but to host the classic Saturday Night Live. While not always consistently funny, Ive watched that for years, so lets hope this episode will be funny too. You can submit Q's for Ashton to be used on the blog ...and LOL NO Im not emailing asking about Spread, but hmmm this would be a COOL THING if we could please do an open Q & A on the Sigma blog one time wouldnt it? :)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Bits and Bobs
(£386,948) though I had to chuckle over this line from the press release " The funding was officially announced yesterday, although it will have been known about for a few weeks within some film circles." ya think? ;)
Also The Edge of Love starring Keira Knightley and Cillian Murphy will be opening this year's Edinburgh Film Festival. While there much ballyhoo over the marquee names due to attend, it did not mention if Alastair who is also in this film, would be there for the premiere, but I am hopeful he will attend.
Finally, on the "Spread" front, the status on imdb has mysteriously changed from "filming" to "post production." However the papperazzi spotted and some lucky fans have videoed David and Ashton doing a scene in NYC recently (ahh I was sooo close too soho, drats!), so I am not sure if the movie wrapped this week or what. The time frame seems a bit short for a bigger film, than say the six week shoot I think that had been set for Rounding Up Donkeys (which is still cloaked under the discouraging no news blanket of silence alas), but then again I dont understand enough about how they go about filming these things to speak to this properly. Aw well, maybe more will turn up this weekend.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Raise the Roof at Film City Glasgow
"Music is what feelings sound like"
There must be hundreds and hundreds of quotes on music, thousands upon thousands of films on the subject, and millions upon millions of musicians and those who love what they do-make music. Just like almost everyone else I love music, its something I actively listen to each and everyday, and just like most people I love hearing new music or learning about a new group. One the best things about following the getyourpeople blog and the workings of Sigma Films is their clear love of music, especially the wonderful sounds that are coming out of Glasgow. Obviously David Mackenzie loves music, making the bold decision to have the soundtrack for the wonderful Hallam Foe be fresh and original with the entire score for a film consisting of modern pop music. Bold fresh and it worked so well. Several of the bands frankly I had not heard of before, and now after reading about them, and listening to the music, they've become one of my favorite groups.
It was a happy coincidence then to realise that not only had this band, Sons and Daughters featured on the HF soundtrack, but they had also actually performed last fall at Film City Glasgow. I was just surfing around on Facebook when I stumbled over a group for FCG, which I didnt know existed. Whiles its currently an open group, its not normally the type of thing that you go about actively promoting I suppose, but they had some wonderful photos taken by photographer Iain Smart of a few bands performing at the old town hall which is now the headquarters of FCG. One of these bands was Sons and Daughters. Apparently this was for UK Channel 4's show called Transmission with T-Mobile, which we don't get here in the states, but from what I gather its a music show where they travel round the UK catching various bands in different cities.
Now having bands appear at Film City Glasgow is nothing new of course, since the old town hall was built many years ago and has been used to host a variety of live performances. We have these old building by the dozens here in almost every city, and once when I was little I remember my mother being actively involved in a campaign to save the local hall. My imagination is so vivid (goofy?) that even last fall when I went to the legendary Carnegie Hall for an event, I just sat there for a few minutes trying to imagine all the amazing acts that had past through there during the years. What is that old saying-if the walls could talk? could reprise the amazing opera, symphonies, plays, speeches, and bands that filled it time and time again. I am certain its the same for FCG. If you look at photos, you can clearly see the lovely woodwork and structure, the light fixtures reflecting their age and invention and its such a nice thing to see. It was great great fun to see the comparison then between this photo from FCG
to these great photos from Iain Smart taken of the crowds and set for Transmission.
Recently of course, the We are the Physics music video was recorded at the same location, and shows the band in performance there. Obviously they are making good use of the facilities of Film City Glasgow and I think this is a cool thing to use the place for not just as a film base but for other ventures such a plays and more. Plus it most certainly cant hurt that companies such as Savalas Post production sound is located there as well (That site has a very cute and cool opening, and heh they've done some nifty work on not only Sigma's Hallam Foe and Wilbur but other TV shows and commercials that are very much worth a look) The Trifecta of S, Sigma, Savalas and Serious facilities (who do really solid good work, esp on some videos of some great Glasgow bands including Franz Ferdinand and S&D) really have a wonderful base at Film City Glasgow, and I look forward to more of their productions in the future.
Bonus video: Sons and Daughters raising the roof at Film City Glasgow for Transmission.
Thanks to Claire at FilmCityGlasgow, and Iain Smart
Sunday, April 6, 2008
You Can Do Athletics BTW Video Now Online!
The WE ARE THE PHYSICS -YOU CAN DO ATHLETICS -BTW VIDEO IS NOW ONLINE!!! Update ten thousand and 12: Blurgh- well no idea why they moved it off of youtube but here it is via the band's official site
I gotta say, I was uncertain what this side project of Sigma's Colin Kennedy would result in and frankly, my expectations were mixed, however after watching that video,all I have to say WOW!!! It was fantastic, and I was truly impressed, I loved it! Well done to all involved! The guys in the We are the Physics band were clearly clearly having a blast in that video and I actually enjoyed all that old scifi noir Mad Dr. Frankenstein-ish look to it all- very fun stuff indeed!
As a matter of principle I boycott MTV and don't watch too many music videos other than a few and so its not something I keep up with anymore (I mean if I'm out and they have videos on, its usually Kanye or something which is ok I guess, but omg his videos are all the same, and the latest Madonna/Justin Timberlake cool song but what is the deal with the AIRBRUSHING??- Plus I remember the day the first MTV video aired -I was at the original Live Aid too so it makes me an antique and the MTV of today is so not my MTV anymore) I do know enough to know that making these things is an art form all itself anyway, but this video by Colin Kennedy was wonderful! I have no shame in rambling on about how talented I think he and the fine work that he and all of Sigma do , and to me this was just another excellent example of what good work is going on there in Scotland. Well done and kudos to all involved!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Shopping David Mackenzie's Spread
Because I am made of all kinds of fangirl fail, I caved and had to check to see what was happening with the progress of David Mackenzie's Spread. To no surprise (and frankly great joy) there were not only new tabloidy set photos X17online, but these photos involved a scene where they go SHOPPING.
Filming apparently took place a couple days ago on the very hip Robertson Blvd in LA, a place I actually know. In these photos you can clearly see Anne Heche filming with actor Ashton Kutcher, carrying a slew of shopping bags from these stores. On this road (major haven for press seeking celebs and major papparazi lurking land), there are loads of chic trendy shops, including a few I know such as Kitson, Citizens of Humanity. While my dull wardrobe staples are basics from BananaRepublic/Ralph Lauren/DKNY/Gap even I cautiously branch out once in a while to wear something (sorta) hip, and know this Lisa Kline, though I've not shopped there before.
Now clearly product placement is an issue/monetary bonus for the film industry anymore, but I wasnt sure to what extent David has done this in his previous films with Sigma (aside from say various cars and the locales they filmed in for say Hallam Foe) I mean, Anne and Ashton flash those bags around big time and I figure this was totally deliberate, and not just indicative/in keeping with the trendy frivolous nature of the character. Even more evidence of this is in VIDEO and lots of it from Hollywood Bubble, of them shooting this scene over and over (Bonus: at the end, David is there :) and joking about with his star) Ps---------->
Anne is wearing some killer shoes!
Side note: What precisely is the deal with Ashton and his leaping about over the car??? I swear this is like the third or fourth filming pic I've seen where he goes skipping gleefully around the edge of the car. Unless you are say Cary Grant, it has been my experience that most men do NOT leap over the edge of the car, especially after a day of what is long (and expensive due to all those bags) day of shopping-run for freedom yes lol, leap merrily, NO. :)
Today is a day of celebration, for today is the official TARTAN DAY here in the US! On this day the speeches are in full flow there are parades, piping, dancing colorful costumes, good talk and good spirit and most certainly good will from all of us celebrating our Scottish heritage.Nunquam Non Paratus
US politicians weighed in already, heh shock-not!The ever popular Sean Connery also weighed in with his thoughts on the matter in the LA Times, especially on the topic of a Scottish Independence, noting
"Independence is something Americans inherently understand. My whole adult life, I have waited and worked for the day that Scots are able to decide democratically if they wish to rejoin the community of nations as an independent and equal member. A recent poll showed that two-thirds of Scots would welcome that opportunity under certain circumstances.
I believe that day -- Scotland's independence day -- is closer than ever."
As for me, I just wish for a thriving growing successful Scotland (and much more world wide notice and respect and success for the fine work being done by Sigma Films), and while I cant be there today, I will be among those happily celebrating Scottish heritage and good things from that fabulous country!
Slàinte mhòr agus a h-uile beannachd duibh.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Dinner and Drinks
Fancy a drink and something good to eat? Well go to Scotland...well not quite lol but tis Friday, and Scotland week would not be complete of course without a mention of some of the food and beverages as a source of tourism.
Speaking from experience, all Southern people here in the states think they know all about what makes good cooking, and while there are places that leap to mind when you traditionally think of fine cuisine (France, Italy, Greece, some cities in the US etc) frankly I dont know that many folks goo oh yea, lets head to Scotland for all that fine food!.... Unfair of course, because there is good food to be found EVERYWHERE, although there is the dreaded Haggis that is so associated with the food in Scotland which errm well doesn't exactly appeal to me. I gotta say that is one food I have zero desire to try, cowardly lol perhaps but i dunno (then again there is a certain understandable amount of disdain for some meals served in the South ie Crawfish which aren't generally considered haute gourmet despite ole Emeril and his blams! Personally I recommend Commander's Palace and well just about anywhere in New Orleans really)
Right, well in my family beer reigns supreme with my father in his retirement now serving as a consultant to many of the microbrewers who focus not just on quality beers (which is my dads area) but are also hiring great chefs as microbrew food is big thing (and totally not complete common pub fare anymore!) On a few occasions Ive tagged along with my parents on this visits, I've spoken to the chefs and have been impressed at the quality and talent, yes really, that is actually going into some of these places. As much as I enjoy wine, I do enjoy beer and would love to go to where they brew McEwans and try some of the various local whiskies ,Pop also mailed last year quite excited about some beer trail thing he hopes to drag us all on when we descend on Scotland hopefully next year for that Gathering 2009 event which I fear will dominate the time there alas lol (great a whole week of drunken Americans tourist roaming rampant in the country, just what the Scots want lol NOT). Anyway, I enjoy going to restaurants (clearly as no skinny minnie I appreciate good cooking!) I also pay attention to things in the culinary world and food tourism too. Most certainly food tourism is a hugely profitable thing no matter what country, and as such I saw there is a nice EatScotland page online which is definitely worth checking out.
Now, I'm fairly certain the fine folks at Sigma Films all appreciate the finer art of cooking for in at least two videos Ive seen Gillian Berrie being interviewed in the kitchen cooking or doing something with the groceries in one of Colin's podcasts. (nitpicky me: I so wish Glasgow film office would offer the films they have on their site easier to link too, and bigger so you can see what is going on, the tiny size is so frustrating!) Plus die hard Monarch of the Glen fans like me remember that Archie clearly was into the restaurant scene, and Lexie the housekeeper/cook and all round awesomeness of course ,with food and the practical aspect of running an estate being a nice and honest, and realistic backdrop in the show.
I was thrilled to stumble over a pretty nice film Alastair Mackenzie did outside of acting, where he interviewed a famous chef regarding his modern cuisine. The restaurant is someplace in Cumbria and while not all of the food appealed to me, some of it looked fabulous and it was especially nice to see Mr. Mackenzie talking about something he so clearly enjoys. Food network hire him please!!! He was also apparently a host at something called The London Gathering celebrating things Scottish in the fabulous London, and not sure if besides presenting he did anything with the food displays or anything but that would be a FUN event to go to this year.
While all the various cities and such have pages on the restaurants and bars in their respective cities, places to hit while in Glasgow are fore on my mind. I really would love to try a couple great restaurants and see as much as I can, so reading up on all of this, I was thrilled when I saw that they have a page up now featuring the awesome Dawn Steele doing a tour of the city. There is a video she narrates on the page, plus on iTunes there is a slew of really good podcasts (free! bonus!) she does about various things in the city...such a nice surprise and what a great way to end the week! Cheers!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
A Word, Please
Today, words are on my mind. Well, given by the multitude of lengthy posts in this blog, clearly its safe to say I love words! Words in a book, words in a script, even the word of the day emails; to me, words are a thing to savor and enjoy. It is to my great regret I am not better adept at presenting words in a more enjoyable (or as witnessed by latest pitiful attempt at a thesis which bombed badly) more intelligent manner that I am capable, but none the less, the love of words and all things written remains.
Peter Jinks, he the author of Hallam Foe and clearly a lover of words too lol, is giving a presentation for Word Weekend at the University of Aberdeen on Sunday May 11. According to the description of the event, there will be a screening of Hallam Foe after his presentation, where he will probably discuss the adaptation and working the Sigma Team (David Mackenzie and Ed Whitmore) on developing the screenplay to Foe. I remember that Mr. Jinks was part of a panel on this at the Edinburgh film festival which I missed last year, but perhaps I can catch a similar panel this year (although no foe , woe ;) ) In the interviews I've read/seen with the author about his experience with the film, one interviewer cites him saying "Everyone who writes a book hopes it will get optioned and made into a film," says Jinks. "But I didn't have any idea how it would work with my book. I knew that I liked Dave's films and that he understood the underlying idea of the novel, but the book was just source material. They've been making their own piece of art."
Indeed! I love David and Sigma's art but that is pretty obvious now isn't it? Now that Ive read the HF book and seen the film, I can understand the changes made (much better to have Hallam work in the hotel than at the charity I think, plus much better visually and a greater chance to showcase that gorgeous city). Their history of adapting of books to film is impressive of course, and Im certain it will continue with whatever they have in the works (not sure if that Ewan Morrison Swung movie is going to happen) If there is one thing I admire about David and Gillian and well all of the team is that they have a clear appreciation of literature and the written word matters in their films, so bring more on I say!
Speaking of words and Sigma ...well sorta, the words and phrase 'Rounding up Donkeys' is certainly an interesting choice for a film title and I believe they chose the title from something in the script. I don't suppose it will generate the buzz and uber hipness that the "I drink your milkshake" phrase has gained (in part because of the extraordinary talents and performance of Daniel Day Lewis in the Oscar nominated and winning film There Will Be Blood which was adapted from Upton Sinclair's Oil! .. and who alas is not in Donkeys or prob not in any Sigma films any time soon, but a girl can always dream! ) I believe that the movie must be nearly done filming if they are holding to the six week time frame or have a week or so to go. Last word on the film's progress came in the form of a blogger who is apparently friends with the director Morag Mckinnon and the screenwriter Colin McLaren. The author of Shadowplay, who also has a joyful abundance of love for words too, mercifully provided a morsel of news writing that the shoot is undergoing "six-day weeks and 50% night shoots. Some scenes are being shot night-for-night purely for cost reasons — without enough funds to black out the windows of a church, the production was forced to shoot after nightfall."
As for the script, an older piece regarding the Advance Party series found via indieWire went into detail on the collaborative nature of the films and hence some story elements. More hints about RUD came from the director who said in the lengthy profile piece:
In the development stage, the directors added two entirely new characters, a teenage girl that McKinnon needed, as well as another man. "We added a significant new character to facilitate the tone we wished to achieve," says McKinnon, who hopes to shoot her own film this fall. "Although he started out as Avery"--described as a 40-year-old who stays far away from drugs and alcohol because he knows that his interior contains anger'--"that wasn't going to work with the casting that Andrea needed."
And because McKinnon wanted to add these two characters, "the rules were that if somebody incorporated a main character that wasn't included in the main list, everyone had to agree to include them," explains Arnold....
"We were all going for different main characters which meant that we would not be in conflict about the casting," explains McKinnon, whose own film is about a 64-year-old character named Alfred who realizes he is dying and tries to make amends with Jackie, his estranged daughter. "Had we chosen similar main characters then it would probably have made for a more difficult situation," she adds.
"It's kind of a collaborative process," McKinnon notes, "but in terms of the casting, it's safe to say that we all had to compromise somewhere." McKinnon worries about the impact "Red Road"--having come first in the series, and winning much acclaim--will have on her own film. "'Red Road' will definitely influence ours," she says. "When people see it, it will set up a sense of expectation which will be very difficult to live up to. People have got used to seeing these characters in this way, and if they loved them like that they might not want to see them change."...[Rud] will be "tragi-comic," she says. "I hope we will have something that is naturalistic yet absurd, both funny and sad."Bonus video of the exceptional Daniel Day Lewis, an actor who can always make a word speak volumes in the most amazing of ways.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Young Adam a Top Scottish Film
In other news, Scotland week continues, so its time to focus on another random Sigma Film reference. With tourism and promoting all things Scottish to the fore this week, I was checking out the various Scottish tourism sites. Visit Scotland. com has gotten a new makeover, featuring a much brighter and cleaner layout, complete with updated info on tours etc. They still have these city breaks pages, although I personally think the SeeGlasgow (Scotland with Style) website is much better for info on that city; not sure about a good Edinburgh site yet. Although I am interested in Glasgow of course and not just because of Sigma!, I have to say Edinburgh really appeals to me, however I have friends who are urging me to try and get a job in Aberdeen which seems quite lovely to be honest but a bit to remote (read=COLDer than other parts of Scotland lol) for my tastes.
Anway, while surfing about I saw that Hannah McGill, the director of the Edinburgh Film Festival where Hallam Foe opened so gloriously last August (older video coverage here and here (with the Jamie/David interviews), has compiled a list of the top five Scottish films. On the list she included David Mackenzie's Young Adam. She writes of the film:
"The other end of the equation: still a study of extreme acts, but told in a sedate, poetic, melancholic style. It's about a young traveller working on a river barge who knows more about a dead woman in the river than he's letting on. With excellent performances by Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton and Peter Mullan, it offers a true sense of the mysteries of human character and motivation."
Side note: I find it amusing that the photo they use is her with the awesome Jamie Bell, star of Hallam Foe. I still think a very good review of Young Adam can be found at the Verging Writer blog spot that is well worth a re-read. Heh and of course, the entire Young Adam movie is up on YouTube, where you can also see a video which contains some very good and interesting comments from director David Mackenzie, and the cast including Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton in the following behind the scenes feature:
Mister Foe Release Date Changed for US
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Edinburgh is making a killing
Well now that we've all been suitably Rickrolled enough for one year and April fools is almost over (here in the states) there is an legitimate bit of news of interest tonight. Variety is reporting that Alastair Mackenzie is to star with Dougray Scot in the New Town Killers film which is now filming in Edinburgh, Scotland. This film is written and directed by Richard Jobson, with Alastair to play the character of Jamie, in a "tale of two high-flying financial whiz kids who get their kicks hunting people on the margins of society. " On his blog, the director described the film he was then developing when he wrote
We were born from violence. The stardust that is the fabric of all nature was born from the largest single act of violence ever known. Nature lives by a code of violence. We as a race are given to extraordinary moments of distilled violence prosecuted against the vulnerable and the innocent. The next film I hope to make THE NEW TOWN KILLERS is the story of two private bankers who have everything life can give them but they need to search further for new sensation; this takes the shape of hunting people. They create a scenario where they research someone they would regard as being at the bottom of the social ladder and offer them £1k to hide for twelve hours with the notion that if they are not found they get to keep to the money. Edinburgh becomes a playground for the two nihilists as they crash and burn their way through the night. The violence in the story is real and extreme and absolutely appropriate in the context of the story. The central characters have no respect for the people they encounter, abusing them with a venal corporate arrogance, as they think their will be no consequence to their actions. They at one point play a game on a computer called THE NEW TOWN KILLERS, which indicates that they are/feel part of a virtual world rather than something thats real. Their victim is a 16 year old rent boy who is awaiting the results of an AIDS test. He is to all intents and purposes invisible, a social leper, who would not be missed if he disappeared. Could this happen in our society. If you have to ask the question you're asleep or already dead.
Quite! I think this looks interesting, and although I never picture Alastair Mackenzie as one who should be trying with the bad guy roles, he does seem to want to strike against the stereotype casting and take on another part which hopefully will allow him the chance to showcase some edgier sides to his acting repertoire. Imdb also says the cinematographer is Simon Dennis who shot Sigma Films/David Mackenzie's The Last Great Wilderness which of course, starred Alastair. What's this, Archie has developed a mad killer streak all those years up there in the highlands? the illusions are shattered!boo lol just kidding ;) Mr Jobson, the former lead singer for the Skids, is also the same man who directed and wrote A Woman in the Winter that starred the wonderful Jamie Sives (Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself).
(Side notes for the Six Degrees of Sigma Separation game: Dougray Scott is married to Claire Forlani who of course starred as Verity in Hallam Foe along side Ewan Bremmer who starred in Richard Jobson's first film 16 Years of Alcohol that also starred Kevin Mckidd. Kevin Mckidd, who appeared in the series Rome with Ciaran Hinds (Papa Julius Foe in HF) also starred with Jamie Sives in a film called On a Clear Day which was up against A Woman in the Winter in the same category at the Scottish Baftas...Phew! Crazy Scots film world, love em all! :)
As much as I adore Jamie, that Woman in the Winter film is one I struggle with. I mean, it was gorgeously shot, and there were several really great moments, but overall it was too slow at times and I got a bit distracted with the use of slowmo time travel stuff. As a person who enjoys most of the sci-fi fantasy genre, I thought the plot was OK not entirely original, but appreciated they were trying to do an original and fresh type of film coming out of the UK/Scotland, for which I give him/them serious props. Problem for me was I had just re watched Truly Madly Deeply which is one of my all-time most favorite films, and wrongly or rightly that movie pretty much owns that whole ghost lover storyline these days and I think took away from my enjoyment of the movie which I need to go see again (dont own the DVD yet alas, slacker Jamie fan I am!) Can I just say though the whole physics time travel thing is HUGE again...coughLOSTDesmond/Penny /Faraday storylinecough*
Video: A few minutes from A Woman in the Winter


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I traipsed into downtown Seattle's giant new Whole Foods Market this afternoon to get a load of what I knew I'd see: the same WF I've become addicted to, for better or for worse, kicked up a notch by more local produce and cheese, enough pre-made dinner options to feed me something different every night for a year, a complete Japanese/Korean fast food bar with (okay) sushi, noodles, and rice bowls, and a pick-your-own-fish grill and fry bar right next to the fish counter.
Since I've been working hard over the past few years to overcome the urge to buy everything in sight when I enter any Whole Paycheck, I was pretty proud of myself for only walking out with a bag of produce (on sale!) and a barette.
However, I was NOT prepared to be robbed by the automatic parking stub machine after parking in their parking garage. The downtown Whole Foods experience comes with 90 minutes of free parking (if validated, how thoughtful of them) but NOT, as it turns out, 91 minutes. After going the wrong way to get out, my exit was delayed by perhaps a portion of a minute while a frantic be-neoned flagger tried to point me in the right direction, and I actually saw the clock on the exit toll booth turn from 7:02 to 7:03, resulting in a $6 charge for one minute of extra parking.
I hate Whole Foods.

subset: commoncrawl


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Craftageddon: @AlexiDuggins attempts giant knitting
Editor-at-large Alexi Duggins is at your mercy… So you had him get play with some giant needles:
It's hard to argue against the benefits of craft. It's creative, it's individual and it's practical. But, erm, is it getting a bit silly?
Take the trend for classes where you colour in pictures of sneakers. Perhaps nothing says 'I love hobby craft' like celebrating something glued together by a toddler in a sweatshop. And maybe taking a course in making soap is a great idea. After all, Google says the process is only 'mildly caustic'. So your new skincare hobby probably won't leave you looking like you've replaced your skin with jam.
Nah, sod it. Crafting has got out of hand. Literally. Because the giant needles that Broadway Market's eco textile shop, Fabrications, uses on its macro knitting course are so big you have to rest them on the floor. 'Welcome to my imaginarium,' says shop owner Barley Massey as we step into a bright, chic basement. In the corner is a pair of knitting needles so long they could skewer you from scalp to bumhole.
'They're very creative,' says Massey. 'They're a good way to reuse things that would be harder to knit on small needles.' We start by cutting up plastic bags and old T-shirts to make our own yarn. Then she demonstrates a French knitting wheel. After winding yarn around pegs for a few minutes, I've made a knitwear tube. Given that I'm a novice, I can't help but feel that this is advanced stuff. It is complex and impressive.
'I taught some five-year olds to do this a while ago,' says Barley. We move on to the giant needles. Turns out they're brilliant: way less fiddly than normal ones. But I do have to balance their ends on my lap. 'Yeah,' says Massey. 'Notice how the balls control the movement.' Erm, sorry? 'The ones on the end of the needles.' Oh, right.
We use my T-shirt yarn to knit a belt with an even larger pair of needles . They're so big I put the ends on the floor and position them in a sort of knitwear teepee. When I start a new stitch, I have to swing the whole caboodle to the left, then back to the right. There's a satisfying rhythm, though. And it's way easier than piddling around with tiny stitches. Plus, in 15 minutes, I've made a belt. But is macro knitting craft gone daft? Is it make-do-and mend for loons? Not at all. After all, our yarn came from an old T-shirt. Which means we stopped something being wasted. And that's exactly what craft should be all about.
Next macro knitting class Sat Feb 16 2-4.30pm. £30. For info, see fabrications1.co.uk.


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Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Clinton might just do it
I hope the incident -- even though Bill will probably downplay it during active negotiations -- will bring more attention to North Korea's incredibly brutal hard-labor camps, described in this WaPo piece and to which Ling and Lee were sentenced. Not many people emerge alive from them.
1 comment:
Why doesn't the USA try a whole different approach to North Korea? Instead of treating N.K. like a pariah, why not establish diplomatic relations? Open an embassy there and begin trading with N.K.? Right now the North Koreans have no incentive for good relations with America. There is no carrot. Only the "stick" of the U.S. military. And America is most unlikely to actually launch an unprovoked attack on N.K. Why not give the N. Koreans some reason to want to have good relations with America like trade and diplomatic incentives. I am NOT talking about appeasment here but a system of rewards for good behaviour. As it currently is N.K. has nothing to lose by having poor relations with America. The same logic applies with Cuba. What has that incredibly stupid embargo achieved in almost fifty years (and why should "free" Americans be told be their government where they can travel to)? What if America did billions of dollars of trade with Cuba and hundreds of thousands of Cuban jobs depended on American investments? Wouldn't that be a better way of ensuring good behaviour from Cuba then a pointless embargo? Sadly for America the only tool in its toolbox is a hammer so every problem becomes a nail...


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Elliot Jager (h/t Doc's Talk)I'm not sure this is an issue you can indoctrinate people into. Education for me is not the answer. What needs to happen is we as Jews need to define our position online. The problem is that the media has monopolized thinking. The internet is an opportunity to reclaim the parameters of the argument. If it is believed that Nationalism is a bad character then one has no foundation to educate with. We as Jews need to reclaim the semiotics of the arguments. It is Judea and Samaria... there never was a place called the West Bank... for example... but further we need to define why borders and Nationalism is a positive attribute that reinforces and helps any neighbors to benefit as well. Jewish people need to take a cue from Republican thinking (no not the party). A Democratic Republic without defined borders is tyranny by definination. It is what they call the NWO. Forcing the youth to accept what is not logical will not help. What needs to happen is new people in the Jewish community must be accepted as thinkers. Jewish thought has become stale and was stuck in Socialist parameters. This must CHANGE!
For all the theological, ritualistic, and institutional differences separating the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform movements, for all their divergent approaches to revelation, halakhah, and communal
decision-making, what distinguishes the groups in the minds of many ordinary American Jews comes down to branding. Orthodoxy is on the right, Reform on the left. In the middle stands Conservative Judaism. But if the new crop of Conservative rabbis has anything to say about it, Conservatism may not occupy the center for very long.
For all the theological, ritualistic, and institutional differences separating the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform movements, for all their divergent approaches to revelation, halakhah, and communal
decision-making, what distinguishes the groups in the minds of many ordinary American Jews comes down to branding. Orthodoxy is on the right, Reform on the left. In the middle stands Conservative Judaism. But if the new crop of Conservative rabbis has anything to say about it, Conservatism may not occupy the center for very long.
That, at least, is the message of a recent report by the movement's Jewish Theological Seminary, based on a survey of political views among "Generation Y" rabbinical students—born in the mid-1970's to mid-1990's—and the Seminary's somewhat older rabbinical alumni, ordained since 1980. At first blush, the report purports to show what one would hope to find among the rabbinate: a solid Jewish identity and strong attachment to Israel. On closer examination, this identity appears increasingly filtered through a universalistic and liberal political perspective.
Among American Jews as a whole, according to the Pew Forum, 38 percent identify themselves as liberal; 39 percent call themselves moderate. In contrast, 58 percent of the Conservative rabbis surveyed and 69 percent of the rabbinical students called themselves liberal. It's hard to defend the center when you're not in it. These rabbis and rabbinical students are "pro-Israel," but they are redefining what "pro-Israel" means. As liberals, they hold an optimistic view of human nature: Though Palestinian leaders see their conflict with Israel as a zero-sum game, it seems hard for the rabbis to acknowledge this grim fact. Instead, they get their understanding of events in Israel from ideologically reinforcing left-oriented sources: liberal media outlets, Facebook posts, and Haaretz.
These sources help explain the conspicuous disconnect between the next generation of Conservative rabbis and mainstream American Jews on the subject of the Arab-Israel conflict. More than three-quarters of American Jews, according to the latest American Jewish Committee survey, believe that
the Arabs' goal is not merely the return of the "occupied territories" but the actual "destruction of Israel."
Only 30 percent of the JTS rabbinical students agreed with a similar statement. Indeed, fully 12 percent of the rabbinical students are "uncomfortable" with Israel's being a "Jewish state." To individuals with this
universalistic bent, moral relativism comes more naturally. Most of the future rabbis ;all of whom have studied in Israel; do not see Palestinian leaders as their enemies. A majority, 56 percent, say the Palestinian side is no "more to blame" than Israel for the ongoing conflict. Sure, Hamas dominates Gaza. Yes, the West Bank Fatah leadership refused to negotiate with the Netanyahu government during a ten-month settlement freeze. Even so, a majority of the rabbis wants an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders, with "land swaps" and a freeze on any "expansion of settlements in the West Bank."
Compare these views with the position of most American Jews in the face of unremitting Palestinian intransigence: 55 percent, according to an AJC poll, oppose a Palestinian state. In equally stark contrast, most Israelis, regardless of their political views, simply do not believe that today's Palestinian leadership is capable of making peace with Israel.
The JTS survey elicited the opinion of 68 percent of the rabbinical students that the "settler movement"; not just extremist settlers,;is a "threat." The survey did not bother to ask whether the Palestinians should be required to accept Israel as a Jewish state (the position of 96 percent of American Jews) or whether Mahmoud Abbas should abandon his demand for a Palestinian "right of return."
The survey tells us that 72 percent of the rabbinical students have engaged in efforts at dialogue with Arabs: Some head to Ramallah for the opportunity to socialize with Palestinians, while others take excursions to West Bank Arab villages with New Israel Fund-supported activists.
The survey says nothing about any commensurate efforts by the rabbis to understand the "settler mindset." Many report having visited a "settlement"; but the definition of "settlement" and the auspices under which the visits were made are left to our imagination.
We can guess the reasons for the disparate treatment of Palestinians and settlers. The rabbis believe AIPAC is not liberal enough. J Street, whose platform practically mirrors that of the Palestinian Authority, is closer to their hearts, with 58 percent approval. At 80 percent approval, the New Israel Fund is the absolute cat's meow.
The 63-year-old Zionist enterprise is a work-in-progress. No Israeli would suggest it is beyond criticism. But 30 percent of Reform rabbinical students return from Israel feeling "hostile" or "indifferent" toward the Jewish state; now we learn that 53 percent of JTS rabbinical students are "sometimes" or "often" ashamed of Israel.
Is it the ultra-Orthodox stranglehold on state-controlled religious life that alienates them? Too bad, then, that so few future Conservative rabbis volunteer extensively at Conservative-affiliated Masorti congregations in Israel.
Seminaries and professors have been unable or unwilling to provide their students with the moral compass needed to navigate between worthy universalistic values and particularistic Jewish standards. By the time they get to seminary, it may be too late. Most of today's rabbinical students did not attend Jewish elementary or high schools, though they are likely to have attended Camp Ramah. The attitudes
revealed in the JTS survey hammer home the need, now more than ever, for the community to find ways to provide its youth with, yes, a parochial education.


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Check It Out People, get involved!!!
The Westchester News
Check It Out People, get involved!!!
The Westchester News
She's the daughter of Billy Joel and Super Model Christie Brinkley, and smashingly beautiful like her mother and musically talented like her father, Alexa Ray Joel.
Alexa Ray, accidently took an overdose of Traumeel, A homeopathic anti-inflammatory drug that is used often to treat muscle spasms and pain.
Alexa Ray's Publicist, Claire Mercuri confirmed Alexa has been released from St Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan a few hours after she was rushed there for over medicating on the herbal medication at her apartment in Greenwich Village in New York City.
Alexa is resting comfortably at home with her mother Christie Brinkley, Billy Joel said, Alexa accidently swallowed eight pills, we're all shaken, but, she was never in any danger because she got to the hospital quickly, and she's okay. New York City Police said, we are no longer investigating this case and there will be no criminal charges filed.
Alexa Ray Joel, she's a songwriter, pianist and singer who has appeared on Wendy Willams and Jimmy Kimmel's Show. Recently, she broke up with her boyfriend Jimmy Riot, a bass guitarist, who is in her band, they we're living together in the village, and in an interview in July 2009, Alexa said, the breakup left her struggling with her identity, it's a lot to absorb. Alexa is 23-years-old and she is planning two free concerts for her fans in New York City.
A Note To Alexa~
Alexa, you're a very talented and beautiful young lady.
Perseverance is part of the journey, keep moving forward~
Links To Another Story "MISSING DOGS"
The Westchester News.Com
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A collection of thoughts from my experiences as a Jewish educator, a teacher and learner of texts, a parent, a member of the Jewish community, a firm believer in bring all of us together by what unites us, and a human being, and my attempts to put it all together.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
The Generation of Entitlement
The Generation of Entitlement We are ready to begin our eighth week at Solomon Charter School though Hurricane Sandy has delayed this until tomorrow, Wednesday, October 31. So, due to the wonders of nature, I, along with everyone else in our area, am now sitting in my home staying busy and productive without the normal rhythm of life and work as distractions. Here I am in my protective bubble, catching up on phone calls to friends, making sure that others are safe and dry. I do not want to lose those contacts which are so much the essence of who I am as a person even though forces of nature and our Governor's declaration of State of Emergency have made it more challenging to stay connected. Yesterday (before we lost our Internet), I wrote what were for me difficult letters to more than a few of our students suggesting strongly that they consider letting go of the community component of our program and just focus on their academic subjects through cyber and distance learning. While this is a perfectly legitimate (and state preferred option, for whatever reasons) for our cyber school, this was difficult because one of my most powerful dreams for our school community was and still is to build an "intentional community of diversity and invested learning." Holding on to this dream, here I am telling students for whom I am responsible to continue working on math, science, history and other academic subjects but to stay away from the wonderful interactive community we create day by day. This action was necessitated by their inappropriate behaviors and lack of ability to think beyond what "I want" and "I need" to do for me from minute to minute. The notion of empathy for others which is so critical in our world eludes them. As Robert Bly eloquently and clearly states in his book, The Sibling Society, this problem is pervasive today as parents are often abdicating their role as teachers and mentors to our young, and all are left to fend for themselves. Left without clear boundaries and requirements, why not decide "I am out for myself and only myself?" I have seen this in the wealthiest communities as well as the least socio-economically endowed. Allow me to be perfectly clear. I am not cutting these students off, I will continue to work on this important aspect of their lives as members of the human family; I just cannot do it at the expense of so many others in our Learning Community. The trick is one has to think of WE more than ME in order to be part of such a community and sadly, about 1/5 of our students cannot do this at this time. One of the things that distressed me so profoundly in the supposedly (but I would argue not so much) privileged world of private Jewish education was the degree of entitlement I often witnessed amongst too many of our students as well as some of their parents. I found the unchecked attitude of "You will do what I want you to because I am entitled to have what I want" to be offensive, repulsive and for whatever it is worth, expressly against every Jewish value I hold near and dear. We teach "Do not separate yourself from the community" and we spout forth that "All of our community is responsible for each other" and yet once you move from these lofty ideals to the harsh reality, they seem pithy at best and irrelevant at worst. This hurt me beyond words given we were in Jewish educational institutions. So, now as I work with an amazing group of professionals for whom I have more respect than I can say, we collectively confront too often the very same dynamic of "ME comes before and at the expense of WE" in our Solomon Charter School community amongst a number of our students. Entitlement is a funny thing -- like so many horrible plagues it apparently knows no boundaries of race, faith, ethnicity, socio-economic level or any other set of identifying features by which we define the groups in our larger society. I have had many conversations with some of our wonderful parents and we share our own stories of growing up, how we learned to accept responsibility, take initiative and care, I mean truly care about others. We are collectively frustrated that too often our new generation has lost this most important and critical set of skills. How does this bode for our future? I remember years ago someone (and unfortunately I forget who) did a farcical précis on a future epoch where each person was in a cubicle by themselves with their computer and all their needs. No one talked to or worked with others and there was no cooperation or collaboration. Each person just withered away and as time went on each individual forgot what they learned about being part of society and eventually lost all skills of communication and cooperation. Jewish teachings and so many other systems of values and beliefs teach us how to balance confidence and respect for self with effectiveness and importance of the group. Yet, amongst too many of our youth, these elements do not seem to be present. This is OUR challenge -- how do we work to offset the inertia of this dangerous dynamic. Our Generation of Entitlement MUST be retaught basic skills and components of what it means to speak with others, think about others, work with others, and learn with others. Otherwise no Hurricane will ever result in the degree of destruction that our own complacence can produce.
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Dr. Abdel Moniem Ali El-Ganayni, an Egyptian native, has lived in the United States since the 1980s and worked as a nuclear physicist for Bettis Laboratory. In 2007, El-Ganayni passed out copies of a Muslim religious tract called "The Miracle in the Ant" at a prison. He was grilled by the Bettis Laboratory security manager and then the FBI. Investigators suggested that some of the scientific information contained in the work, specifically that some ants can burst their bodies open and secrete a deadly substance as a defense mechanism, could be construed as an apology for suicide bombing. Soon after the interviews, the Department of Energy ("DOE") revoked El-Ganayni's clearance and fired him without providing specifics, saying in a letter that it believed he "may be subject to pressure, coercion, exploitation, or duress which may cause [him] to act contrary to the best interests of national security. Specifically, the circumstances or conduct involve conflicting allegiances."
El-Ganayni filed suit against the DOE to obtain a hearing to contest the decision and alleged that he was fired because he (1) spoke out against the FBI, the war in Iraq, and U.S. foreign policy in Pittsburgh-area mosques and (2) worked as an Imam at a prison where he ran afoul of officials for distributing Muslim literature. The trial court dismissed El-Ganayni's petition, and he appealed to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Third Circuit upheld the trial court's decision, noting that El-Ganayni's claim "could never be meaningfully litigated" and that the "outcome is pre-ordained" due to the broad national security powers given to the Executive Branch. The court based its decision on the 1988 case Department of the Navy v. Egan, in which the United States Supreme Court ruled that while agency action is presumptively reviewable, that presumption is limited when it comes to national security issues. The court explained as follows:
The legal framework applicable to that claim would demand from the DOE an explanation of its decision to revoke El-Ganayni's clearance, and allow a factfinder to weigh the DOE's arguments in support of that decision. Egan forbids both.
For the full story, click here.


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This opinion piece was written by the CEO of UnitedHealthcare of New Jersey, a health insurance carrier, on elective C-sections and NICU admissions, etc., which I've blogged about previously, and I've seen it blogged about extensively on other blogs.
I'll pull a few quotes from here, but I urge you to read the whole thing [any bold or italics will be mine]:
It turns out that in an audit of all UnitedHealthcare-insured ba bies admitted to the NICU in one market, 48 percent of all newborns admitted to NICU were delivered by elective admission for delivery including scheduled C-sections (cesareans), many taking place before 39 weeks of pregnancy, or full term.
Note that "elective admission" includes scheduled C-sections as well as inductions of labor — inductions which may ultimately have failed and then required a C-section to complete the birth of the baby. While I find it extremely interesting, not to mention unsettling, that almost half of the NICU admits were due to "elective admission" for birth (I would assume from the language that these are all not medically necessary; although I could be wrong in that), I will point out that "full term" is not usually defined as 39 weeks of pregnancy, but rather 37 weeks — although not too many years ago it was 38 weeks. Still, in another way of looking at it, I only consider "full term" to be when labor begins spontaneously — there is so much we don't know about labor and birth and a baby's maturity, that to cause the baby's birth prior to natural onset of labor is to risk prematurity — regardless of the week of gestation.
When we shared this startling data about C-sections and health problems in newborns with a pilot group of physicians and hospitals, they significantly reduced the number of elective admissions for delivery prior to 39 weeks, including C- sections. The result: There was a 46 percent decline in NICU admis sions in three months, a decline that has held stable for more than a year. That's almost half the number of newborns with potential health problems, almost half the number of distraught parents, almost half the number of potential tragedies. The cost savings to these hospitals, the parents and the health-care system is enormous.
Reducing elective admissions prior to 39 weeks significantly reduced the number of babies that needed to have intensive care in a hospital setting. Not only does this translate into significant cost savings (which is of high importance to an insurance provider, naturally), but think of how many lives have been altered, perhaps tragically, by these unnecessary inductions and C-sections which led to many days or even weeks in the NICU, for no medical reason!
There is evidence that reducing the overall number of Cesarean deliveries would significantly reduce health risks for mothers and their newborns. More than 1.2 million C- sections are performed annually in the United States at a cost of more than $14.6 billion per year, according to the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). While some women do need C-sections because of fetal distress and other medical issues, AHRQ says that more than half of all Cesareans are medically unnecessary.
My thanks to Empowering Birth for originally blogging about this article, thus bringing it to my attention.
Filed under: birth choices, C-section, induction | Tagged: C-section, cesarean section, elective C-section, elective cesarean, elective induction, induction, neonatal intensive care, nicu, nicu admission, prematurity, preterm birth |


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Well, howdy, ho! I have returned to the blog after six months. One of these days, I might write this thing on a consistent basis.
Today's post is going to be a veritable potpourri of thoughts. First up, the 49ers. In following the title of this post, the glory of the Niners has certainly experienced a resurrection this year! Today, they sit at 10-2. They have won the NFC West and they are in the playoffs for the first time since 2002. After six seasons, Alex Smith has developed into legitimate NFL starter. Okay, quick show of hands: Who predicted this level of success for the Niners going into this season? Yeah, neither did I.
What has been happening in the Land of Red & Gold is a tribute to the value of good coaching. If you look at this team, barring the secondary, the personnel is not vastly different than the team that took the field for Singletary in 2010. The 2010 team I felt had some good pieces; they just needed to be utilized properly. Harbaugh has utilized them to hilt. And what he's done with Smith is nothing short of amazing. Or is it?
Alex Smith has had the deck stacked against him from the get go. He was picked too high in the draft (thus elevating expectations beyond his ability level). He was thrown into service midway through his rookie year with an offense that brought whole new levels of suck week after week. Since the Offensive Coordinator position was a revolving door of coaches, each year brought a new offense for Alex to learn. The one time he had a coordinator two seasons in a row, the guy was perhaps the worst OC to ever man the booth at Candlestick. Finally, his first two Head Coaches threw him under the bus publicly. Combine that with with a skill set that needed to develop to be effective, and you have the recipe for Smith's career coming into this season.
Most everyone under the sun (myself included)thought that Smith's time as Niner was done following 2010, and that he would be nothing more than a semi-competent backup QB. Jim Harbaugh looked at the twisted wreck that was Smith and saw a hot rod. All he had to do was give Alex the things that had been denied him. He's given Alex Smith an offense plan that was competent. He's trotted out the offense slowly, waiting until Smith had a good grasp of what he was being asked to do before opening up more of the playbook. But most importantly, he's had Smith's back.
And look at the results. Smith no longer resembles Steve DeBerg. While his yardage numbers are not stellar, he no longer is making the crucial mistakes he used to do. Amazing what a person can do when someone believes in them.
I have more to say, but it will have to wait until after the game!


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Well, just in case you would rather NOT serve up rBGH milk to your family, today's post is dedicated to listing companies that have pledged to go rBGH-free. The good news is there is an alternative to the rBGH milk on the market in grocery stores. And there are even options that are non organic.
Certainly ALL organic milk products are rBGH free. My friend told me about Organic Valley Milk. It is a nationwide company owned by farmers. The milk is produced and delivered in its region. So when I buy it at the grocery store, I know that it came from a Texas farm. That is cool. Their website has detailed information about the different farms and regions available. Who Is Your Farmer? When we go to the farmer's market we love Texas Daily Harvest Organic Milk. The girls can't get enough. Yummy!!!
There are also some companies that labeled their products rBGH free. Whole Foods non organic cheese does label rBGH free but follows up with this statement: "The FDA has said there is no significant difference between milk from cows treated with rBGH and untreated cows. No test can now distinguish between milk from treated and untreated cows."
Here are non-organic companies that have dropped rBGH from their products: General Mills (Yoplait yogurt), Dannon yogurt, Costco's "Kirkland Signature," Target's "Archer Farm," Sam's and Walmart's "Great Value," Safeway's "O," Publix's "High Meadows," Giant's "Nature's Promise," Fresh and Easy store brand, and Kroger store brand. I'm sure there are other brands also. I'll update as I find out. It would be wise to ask the store you frequent if they provide rBGH free milk products. The list provided is just a sample. Please visit this link. It detailed information on rGBH free products. Here is another link that provides brands state by state and details the products they produce. It may be wise to double check and ask your local grocery store to in fact be sure.
When in doubt as to if a milk product has rBGH look for "organic," "hormone free," and "rBGH or rBST free." Like I stated earlier though, it is hard to find products labeled. Or maybe it isn't hard, there just aren't many products that are rBGH free.
Why does everything have to be so complicated? I just want wholesome fresh milk and milk products without the research. Monsanto, you are a trouble maker!!!!