Happy Anniversary So.

Hi there!

A number of years tend to arrive and then depart without giving much thought.  Interestingly, as I get older, many social and cultural artifacts that seemed new and exciting now are looked at as old and hopefully lasting; along with the hope that younger people can enjoy and be amazed at what we were and are still amazed at.

I point this out because this week, May 19 to be precise, marks 30 years since the release of the landmark Peter Gabriel album So.  Years go by and the album becomes more and more ahead of its time and beyond its time.  It is also one of the few albums I will listen to from back to front a number of times during the year.  Either to mark a special occasion, notice new textures and soundscapes I had neglected to hear before, to see how far Peter Gabriel has come since then, and in a way to remember the time and the significant impact this one album/video/tour had.  Indeed, looking at this from a 2016 perspective, we do not seem to have a collective knowledge and liking of when an artist releases a new album or music video that everyone that is a fan of art and pop music, knows and likes.  There may be only a small number nowadays, such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Radiohead to name just six.

Even back in the 1980's, an album would drop and the album and artist would be the talk at the water cooler for months on end.  Mind you it would not be everyone talking about this, yet if a good album was out it was analyzed and discussed continuously. So was one such album.  This gem of a Peter Gabriel album came under the right circumstances. It was the peak of MTV's influence as a cable network for music lovers, along with a burgeoning era where the introduction of the Compact Disc allowed people to hear music as clear as could be and as easily as could be.  It came during the New Wave 80's, what I would consider as the second British Invasion of singers and bands.  Mr. Gabriel's preferred rock and roll classification, a hybrid of Art/Progressive rock fused with World, Pop and Soul influences, was experiencing a sort of revival and retroactive recognition thanks in large part to Art Rock being a New Wave precursor.  As well, many artists by this time had grown to expand their sound with the latest synthesizers and electronic sequencers and engineering equipment.  In effect, you could have an orchestra right at your fingers when playing a keyboard.

Not only were the circumstances in the industry ripe for So, this came at an important time for Peter Gabriel himself.  It had been 11 years since he left Genesis, and during that time Mr. Gabriel had released 4 self titled albums along with a live album and a soundtrack album based on the movie Birdy.  He had also done notable tours and started the world music festival WOMAD.  Using the latest studio and keyboard technologies available, and with an interest in doing more slightly pop songs, and the creation of Mr Gabirel's home studio Real World; So took about a year to complete.  Indeed, a number of stories to tell on how the album was made was later put forth as an installment of the long-running documentary series Classic Albums.  I particularly like those anecdotes Daniel Lanois speaks of in enticing the completion of some songs.  What came out was perhaps Mr. Gabriel's highest selling and most accessible album to date.  So brought Peter Gabriel a few years at least as being on league with the pop and rock giants of the time; the album sold 9 million copies and went 5 times platinum in the US, peaking at number 2 on the Album harts in the US and number 1 in the UK.  Two tours came out of this album; Conspiracy of Hope, which went to numerous stadiums and had numerous artists for social and political awareness.  And This Way Up, Mr. Gabriel's own tour which got him to perform in arenas and stadiums worldwide.

Interestingly, Genesis had their first number 1 album with Invisible Touch that same year; and Steve Hackett, who had left Genesis in 1977, achieved a top 20 hit with When The Heart Rules The Mind collaborating with Yes guitarist Steve Howe.  This was a good year to be a fan of either Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Genesis or any combination therein.  I will get to those other albums in a later time.  Right now, I think an analysis of So is of interest.  Perhaps the best way to do it is to go track-by-track.

1. Red Rain: A brilliant and abstract beginning to a great album.  In a lot of respects, Red Rain melded Peter Gabriel's earlier experimental songs with a greater emphasis on lyrics and structure. Lyrically, Red Rain was supposed to be the thematic element in a story Mr. Gabriel had conceived of earlier in his career, Mozo.  Much of the details have never been released, but Mozo would have involved a flood in a village caused by supernatural elements.  The song itself, possibly a metaphor for nuclear fallout and/or AIDS, has some of the most impressive keyboard playing Gabriel was utilizing at that point; mainly due to some cutting edge synths and pianos like the Fairlight CMI, Yamaha pianos and Sequential Prophet synthesizers.  I also am impressed with the distinctive bass playing of Tony Levin, heard throughout the album.  A good opening song that is still played regularly at Mr. Gabriel's concerts.
2. Sledgehammer:  This was the big hit, going number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and dethroning Genesis' Invisible Touch no less!).  And yes, it still holds up.  A very impressive song which is impressive in stating in no uncertain terms "let's have intercourse".  It came with an impressive music video which I still think is one of the best of the era.  Not much more can be said that has not already been said; just watch the video and be amazed once more.
3. Don't Give Up: It is equally a great Peter Gabriel song along with a great Kate Bush song.  It is a duet, and one of the better duets I have heard.  A song regarding the problems and personal frustrations unemployment and an economic downturn has on a family, with the optimistic slant that a better tomorrow may be ahead.  If you ever get to hear Don't Give Up live, it gets very lively towards the end.  The song, along with others on the album, have personally helped me during periods when I was done on myself.
4. That Voice Again: Only recently starting with the Back To Front tour has That Voice Again been performed live.  None the less, it is an impressive piano driven song which deals with the longing of being back with a loved one.  Fortunately, the lyrics Mr. Gabriel wrote do not go through obvious cliches and are well versed.
5. Mercy Street: Influenced by the writings and life of Anne Sexton, Mercy Street is a precursor for the trip-hop and House/Trance movements, in my opinion.  A good song to start Side B on the Vinyl edition.
6. Big Time: The other top 5 chart topper off of So, Big Time has held as one of Peter Gabriel's most accessible pop songs.  Only towards the end does it delve into double entendres ("bulge in my big big big..."); the rest is a biting commentary on making it in the industry and overindulging on life's pleasures.  I always thought this was Mr. Gabriel taking a subtle yet impressive dig at his old band Genesis, since by that time they had become arguably the biggest band of the era.  Phil Collins, in particular, was everywhere: there was his Genesis moniker and there was his solo ventures.  Indeed, Phil Collins recently said in an interview with Classic Rock magazine's Prog spin-off that he got more money while Peter Gabriel got the acclaim and recognition, such as his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2014.
7. We Do What We're Told: influenced by the experiments in brainwashing done by Dr. Stanley Milgrim and the 37 patients who did not submit, this has the least lyrics yet is possibly the most unnerving song off of So.  It is also a distinctive ambient work.
8. This Is The Picture: A collaboration with Laurie Anderson and Nile Rodgers which is at times funky, at times abstract, and yet so unique.  This song was the first one to be performed in the This Way Up tour, one of the highlights of the show as can be seen in the Live in Athens 1987 concert film.
9. In Your Eyes: 30 years have passed, yet In Your Eyes is quite possibly one of the best love songs of that time and of all time. Indeed, of the many Peter Gabriel songs out there, In Your Eyes has been covered and re-interpreted the most, and has been heard in so many different occasions.  Who could ever forget its usage in the Cameron Crowe gem Say Anything, with John Cusack holding his boombox to win the love of Ione Skye.  Or its place in Mr. Gabriel's concerts as at least the third to last song on the set list.  And note, the song was not entirely a hit on the charts, yet became one after the fact.  In Your Eyes is great on its So version, yet is unique when performed live, including added lyrics and a world influence brought to the forefront, which was most known when involving Youssour N'Dour.

To summarize, the Peter Gabriel album So is one of the most important albums of its time, and might be considered among the best 100 albums released in my lifetime.  I actually own the 26th anniversary box set, which with the album and audio and DVD features and the book enclosed is a gem in and of itself.  And for Mr. Gabriel himself, So was a watershed in many ways.  His first no. 1 album, first no.1 song, the most MTV Video Music Awards given to Sledgehammer and him being given the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, a Grammy nomination  for Best Album (losing to Paul Simon's Graceland), over 6,000,000 copies sold, 6 music videos released with 5 of them being alongside the best of that time, and over the years a reputation that has only grown.

This was also an important landmark for Peter Gabriel because So was the album that ended any debate as to whether he was better in Genesis or on his own.  While I think both eras and artists are equally important, and indeed it should be known that Genesis did get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame themselves in 2010 with Mr. Gabriel going in 4 years later, So was the album that eclipsed Gabriel-era Genesis.  And yes, it does mean that as much as we may wish for a miraculous epiphany, there is no way that the classic Genesis lineup of Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins will get back together again.  As can be seen in the 2014 BBC documentary Sum Of The Parts, there is still subtle yet bitter tensions when the five of them are in the same room.  But you know what, Mr. Gabriel does not need Genesis to prove his artistry and influence.  He has been able to do it on his own, and exceedingly well.  Indeed, Peter Gabriel may be the one in Genesis that might get knighted one day, or receive a Kennedy Center Honor if so chosen.

You see, this is a clear reason of the need for artistry and creativity, and its important in our everyday lives.  So and many other albums and artists may not have got me to be doing music (my voice is just adequate and I can barely play a keyboard), but it was there for me and many to discover and have as a memory of our times and a reassuring comfort when life was down.  The best art and creative artists can do that and do it well, when the bulk of the art from that era and any era for that matter is disposable and not worth our time.  To that I say for this specific art and album, thank you and great job Peter Gabriel.  And Happy Anniversary!

PS. Best of luck to Mr. Gabriel on his upcoming tour with Sting, titled Rock Paper Scissors.  It should be interesting.

One journey to a trip down memory lane,

Robert

Oh and here is the album in all its influential glory.

And some music videos to tide you over.

Oscars 2016: the unintentional CB4 sequel

Way back in 1993, just after departing Saturday Night Live, Chris Rock starred in and co-wrote a pretty underrated comedy/musical on the hip-hop/r & b music scene of the day; not to mention a look at African-American culture as perceived by black people thinking of how white people saw them.  It was named CB4; and was ostensibly a parody and homage to Dr. Dre and N.W.A and Public Enemy along with other like minded artists.  Typical of audiences at the time, CB4 was give good write up yet meager box office.  It did not even matter that Phil Hartman was in this movie, as were a litany of important African-American celebrities.  Few Caucasian audiences saw CB4, nor even bothered to understand the social commentary within the laughter.

So we flash forward 23 years, and it is the night of the 88th annual Oscars, or Academy Awards if you are more perfunctory.  I watched it, and I was quite impressed with Chris Rock throughout the night.  I also applaud the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in their commitment to be more diversified in their minority outreaches.  Yet, here is the rub: and mind you, I do say this being a white Caucasian man of 33.  As the night went on, the knowledge of the current African-American issues and the white counterparts were becoming a bit much.  Now, it was supposed to become a bit much.  However, it appeared that we were watching a real life CB4 occur.

By that I mean, a lot of what was mentioned was brilliant and thoughtful.  None the less, for every two brilliant observations, thee were at least the same amount of questionable and awkward moments.  Once again even the awkward moments were unintentional, yet there they were.  For instance,  was there a need for Stacey Dash's appearance? I am not so sure putting forth an appearance from a rare Republican-oriented celebrity was successful.  Also, while I do applaud the quick and important pledge drive for audience members to donate $65,000 for the Girls Scouts; it did come on the same night a number of African-American artists, including Ava Duvernay, were hosting a fundraiser in Flint, Michigan in support of alleviating the poisoned water crisis.  The donated totals for that fundraiser were less than the amount of money donated to the Girl Scouts on Oscar night.

In addition, when the three young Asian-American men were presented as members of Price Waterhouse Coopers, I think the joke fell flat on its face.  Fortunately, that is about the only missteps I had noticed.  Pretty much everything else was on point and rather hilarious.  What might be found as awkward are moments I thought were brilliant.  Now, there is a big difference between the Oscars and the Grammys:  in the Oscars, the awards matter along with the show.  Indeed, the awards make the show and always have.

Well, I was not 100% on my predictions. Indeed, some of my predictions were way off.  So, you may be wondering, what do I think of these newly minted award winners?  On the surface, I have few to no complaints whatsoever.  None the less, were I to go category by category, here is what I would consider of these award winners.

Best Visual Effects: I was genuinely surprised to see Ex Machina win.  A damn good movie, one in which I hope more people will look at in the near future.  It was amazing how Alicia Vikander looked in that movie.

Best Film Editing:  No surprise it went to Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Makeup and Hairstyle:  Once again it was Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Production Design:  Mad Max: Fury Road won the award.  I had an idea it would go that route.

Best Sound Editing:  it was Mad Max: Fury Road once again.  I of course am quite pleased with the decision.

Best Animated Short Film:  This was one of the biggest surprises of the night.  I was expecting World Of Tomorrow to have won the award.  In its place the Oscar went to Bear Story, which is unique in it is the first Chilean movie to receive an Oscar of any sort.

Best Live-Action Short Film:  The award went to Stutterer, a short film which I was not certain would win the Oscar.  I was not expecting it, and indeed I have yet to see the short film.  Hopefully it is well made.

Best Documentary Short Subject: I was hoping Claude Lanzmann: Spectres Of The Shoah would have taken the all important prize.  Seeing as how Shoah is one of the most important movies in recent memory, one would have thought a recognition by the Academy would suffice after a considerably long wait for recognition.  None the less, the award and perhaps some financial funding for the film makers' next project was given to A Girl In The River: The Price Of Forgiveness.  I did indeed get to see the documentary when it was on HBO, and it is quite compelling.  In point of fact, the reaction to A Girl In The River is promising, with the hope that honor killings in Pakistan will be eliminated.  Perhaps I should have taken the impact of a documentary on a government as more important than a legacy of a great film and its astounding director.

Best Costume Design:  I was hoping Sandy Powell would have received her Oscar for her impressive designs in Carol.  Alas, the award went to costume designer Jenny Beavan for her designs used in Mad Max: Fury Road.  I have no complaints on this matter, as the designs were quite important to the visual aspect of Mad Max, all four of the films to be precise.

Best Sound Mixing:  I was under the assumption that Gary Rydstrom would have received another Oscar due to his involvement in Bridge Of Spies.  None the less, the award went to Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo for their sound designs utilized in Mad Max: Fury Road.  This marked the sixth award Mad Max: Fury Road won, the most of any movie.  And again, it was quite an important aspect for one of the bravest action movies to come in at least my lifetime.

Best Documentary Feature:  I was really expecting the Joshua Oppenheimer film The Look Of Silence to be honored.  Interestingly, the award went to Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees for their film Amy.  Sadly, I have yet to see this interesting documentary on Amy Winehouse; on that matter, I had thought the Nina Simone biographical documentary What Happened, Miss Simone? would have taken the award.  Perhaps I should now see Amy.

Best Animated Film:  Interestingly, I did get to see Anomolisa just before the Oscars.  And I was equally impressed and even emotionally floored with Charlie Kaufman's newest movie.  Heck, I think Tom Noonan should have gotten a Best Supporting Actor nomination, and you will know why once you see it. None the less, I was pleased when Pete Docter won the award for his movie Inside Out.  Do go see Inside Out, both children and parents.  You will not regret the experience.

Best Foreign Language Film:  No surprise, it went to Laszlo Nemes and his debut movie Son Of Saul.  I have only seen clips of this movie, so I do hope to get to see the full movie fairly soon.

Best Original Score:  In a rather touching and meaningful gesture, Ennio Morricone won his First Oscar outside of an honorary one for his work in The Hateful Eight.  I still have not seen that movie yet, though I have listened to the score and it is fantastic. I am not certain if it is among his best, though an award of this magnitude is legitimate.

Best Original Song:  I thought it was a given that Lady Gaga and Diane Warren were to win the Oscar this year.  Gaga's performance of Till It Happens To You had me in tears.  In a surprising move, Sam Smith won the Oscar for his song The Writing's On The Wall, as heard in Spectre.  It is a decent song, and I do commend Sam Smith for his interesting writing and performing.  Yet, it is far from being even among the best James Bond songs.  In my opinion, this one is.

Best Cinematography:  Well, Emmanuel Luzbeki won his second Oscar involving The Revenant.  Well deserved, though I am now wondering if Roger Deakins will ever receive an Oscar now.  Yet, that is irrelevant, as Luzbeki is one of the best DPs in the business these days.

Best Original Screenplay:  I am extremely pleased that Tom McCarthy won this award for Spotlight.  I have been impressed with McCarthy's prowess ever since he was involved with The Wire; and we can now see that early period pay off well.

Best Adapted Screenplay:  In a rather brave and ballsy move, Adam McKay won for the screenplay based on Michael Lewis' book The Big Short.  I thought it was quite an impressive storytelling technique and was pleased with the overall messages displayed.  Indeed, The Big Short has led me to reconsider McKay's other films, both with Will Ferrell and on his own.  Mr. McKay is a very socially and politically keen filmmaker.

Best Supporting Actor:  I was hoping Tom Hardy would have won and I was expecting Sylvester Stallone to win.  So you can imagine that it came as a complete surprise to see Mark Rylance win for his involvement in Bridge Of Spies.  I liked Bridge Of Spies and consider it to be one of Steven Spielberg's better films from his more recent period.  I was also impressed with the screenplay which involved the Coen Brothers.  Indeed, Mr. Rylance stood out in a role which marks only the second time an actor won for a Steven Spielberg film.

Best Supporting Actress:  I thought Rooney Mara sould have been the winner, and while I did not see The Hateful Eight I did see Jennifer Jason Leigh in her moving role in Anomolisa and hoped an Oscar would have come for her.  Instead, it went to Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl.  I have yet to see that movie, and am aware that not everyone thought it was great.  I did however see Ex Machina, and was impressed with Ms. Vikander in that particular role. So for me, I feel Alicia Vikander won mainly for her role in Ex Machina, rather than The Danish Girl. In that regard, I can easily justify her Oscar win.

Best Actor:  Leonardo DiCaprio at long last won an Oscar in The Revenant.  Though I still think the Academy should have nominated more worthy candidates along with DiCaprio, including Michael B. Jordan, Abraham Atta, the cast of Straight Outta Compton, Jacob Tremblay and David Thewlis to name a few; Mr. DiCaprio deserved this Oscar and I a pleased with it.  To think, it has now been 25 years since he became a known actor, starting with one of the Critters movies.  How far we come.

Best Actress:  I liked Cate Blanchett and Saoirse Ronan in their movies, and think Charlotte Rampling is an underrated performer.  Yet I was happy to see Brie Larson win for her role in Room.  It is a most brilliant movie, and deserves the accolades it has received.  My only regret is that Jacob Tremblay was not nominated for Best Actor, and Joan Allen for Best Supporting Actress.  Of course Ms. Allen is well known, and I expect Ms. Larson and Mr. Tremblay to be well involved in films for years to come.

Best Director:  for the second year, the award went to Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu for his film The Revenant.  Mr. Innaritu is one of the most visually impressive filmmakers around today, and The Revenant was quite the master work.

Best Picture:  many times, a Best Director win means a Best Picture win.  So I was by the end of the night expecting The Revenant to collect the top prize.  Instead, Best Picture went to Spotlight, produced by Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust.  I have said before that Spotlight was the best movie I saw in 2015, and I am pleased the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences thinks the same way.  By the way, it is still in theaters and now on demand, as are many of the movies discussed in these past essays.  Do see them, and especially go see Spotlight.

Well, those are my thoughts on the Oscars this year, where social and political matters were rightfully at the forefront of the awards and ideas were presented.  I must say this needed to be published earlier.  None the less, I have been attempting to conjure what and how to respond to this ongoing political problem we call the 2016 Presidential Primaries.  It did make its way to the Oscars, of course.  None the less, we now have nine months for the election to take place.  And at some point, this will be warranted to be said when all heck breaks loose.

A more playful of the famous words Martin Lawrence uttered in Bad Boys 2.

Take care and more political discussions to come,

Robert

PS.  By all means, do go see CB4.  It is rather good and still topical.

Predicting the 2015 Oscars, Part 2

Now that we have gotten the lesser known but equally important Oscar categories out of the way, I think it is time to look at the other categories.  These categories are the ones everyone will be talking about by Monday morning.


Best Costume Design:

Not going to win: The Danish Girl
Might contend: Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant
Nominees to look for :
Sandy Powell, Carol
Sandy Powell, Cinderella

I believe Sandy Powell will win Best Costume Design, and it will be for Ms. Powell's impressive designs for Carol.  I honestly cannot see this award going to another costume designer for this year, as Ms. Powell was excellent last year.

Best Sound Mixing:

Not going to win: The Martian
Might contend: Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Nominee certain to win:
Gary Rydstrom, et al., Bridge Of Spies

At this point in the film industry, Gary Rydstrom may just be the most important and innovative sound engineer today.  And clearly Mr. Rydstrom was innovative yet again for his designs used in Bridge Of Spies, particularly in the 5.1 mix I heard in the theater and on Blu-Ray.

Best Original Song:

Not going to win: Simple Song #3, from Youth
Nominees to look for:
The Weeknd, et al., Earned It, from Fifty Shades Of Grey
Anohni Hegarty, et al., Manta Ray, from Racing Extinction
Lady Gaga and Diane Warren, Til It Happens To You, from The Hunting Ground
Sam Smith, et al., The Writing's On The Wall, from Spectre

I happened to like Earned It and Manta Ray, even though their respective movies left much to be desired.  Then again, The Weeknd is quite the good singer, and Anohni is someone that will likely get more notice stateside.  I happened to like Spectre, and of course Sam Smith is one of the best singers out there today.
None the less, Till It Happens To You happens to be one of Lady Gaga's most impressive songs; to say nothing of it being one of Diane Warren's best too.  I expect Gaga's performance to be one of the highlights of the show, as it was last year and most recently at the Grammys.  Indeed, Vice President Joe Biden will be introducing her performance in advocacy of the rights of victims of sexual assault.  And having seen The Hunting Ground, I am convinced this is the right way to honor the movie with a great song.

Best Documentary Feature:

Not going to win: Amy, Cartel Land, What Happened, Miss Simone?, and Winter On Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom
Nominee certain to win:
Joshua Oppeneimer, et al., The Look Of Silence

Joshua Oppenheimer has brought forth a most amazing documentary that is a perfect companion piece to his 2012 film The Act Of Killing. I was most particularly impressed with the involvement and reporting taken place to expose the darker secrets of the 1965 purge of communists in Indonesia.  This documentary will certainly win.

Best Foreign language Film

Not going to win: Embrace Of The Serpent, Theeb, and A War
Nominees to watch:
Danize Gamze Erguven, Mustang
Laszlo Nemes, Son Of Saul

Son Of Saul will win best Foreign Language film this year.  It is not even close.  A rather innovative debut for Laszlo Nemes which I think will be looked at as one of the defining movies of 2015, and perhaps a defining anti-war movie.

Best Animated Film:

Not going to win: Boy & The World and Shaun The Sheep Movie
Nominees to watch:
Charlie Kaufman, et al., Anomolisa
Pete Docter, et al., Inside Out
Hiromasa Yonebayashi, et al., When Marnie Was There

I still have yet to see Anomolisa, and hope t see it fairly soon.  None the less, I thought Inside Out was one of the best films of 2015, and the best Disney and Pixar created in quite some time.  Inside Out will in all likelihood be the recipient of a much deserved Oscar.  By the way, if you have children; have them see Inside Out with you.  It will be beneficial for the young and old.

Best Original Screenplay:

Not going to win: Bridge Of Spies
Might pull off an upset: Straight Outta Compton
Nominees to watch:
Alex Garland, Ex Machina
Pete Docter, et al., Inside Out
Tom McCarthy, et al., Spotlight

I was completely blown away by Tom McCarthy's writing in Spotlight.  However, what Pete Docter accomplished with his team in creating Inside Out is astonishing.  It resonates to anyone that has seen this movie, and I hope that Inside Out can be a positive influence on anybody that is in a depressive state.  Again, I was completely impressed with the very intelligent writing.

Best original Score:

Not going to win: Thomas Newman, Bridge Of Spies
Contenders for the Oscar:
Carter Burwell, Carol
Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
Johann Johannson, Sicario
John Williams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I have not yet seen The Hateful Eight, yet i did get to hear excerpts from Ennio Morricone's score.  It is quite good, and might win the Oscar.  I think that my sentimental pick would be John Williams, perhaps the most important composer of his field; apart from Mr. Morricone and Carter Burwell.  None the less, the score to any Star Wars movie is of such importance, that without it the movies fall apart.  So I am hoping John Williams will win the Oscar; yet I will not be upset if it goes to an equally deserving composer.

Best Cinematography:

Roger Deakins, Sicario
Edward Lachman, Carol
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Revenant
Robert Richardson, The Hateful Eight
John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road

John Seale quite honestly should win Best Cinematography, in recognition of a most impressive and groundbreaking action-adventure film.  None the less, at some point Roger Deakins needs to get his much deserved Oscar.  I do wonder if Sicario will be the movie to end the streak.  It was shot very well too.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Not going to win: Drew Goddard, The Martian: from the Andy Weir novel.

Contenders for the Oscar:
Adam McKay et al., The Big Short: from the Michael Lewis book.
Nick Hornby, Brooklyn: from the Colm Toibin novel
Carol: adapted from the Patricia Highsmith novel,, initially named The Price Of Salt
Emma Donoghue, Room: adapted from her novel.

All four contenders are worthy of an Oscar.  I would like to see Emma Donoghue win this important award, particularly in adapting her own novel to an excellent movie.  Truthfuly though, I would hope that Adam McKay and his team win the award for their highly intelligent and multi-layered script of The Big Short.

Best Supporting Actor:

Not going to win: Mark Rylance, Bridge Of Spies

Contenders for the Oscar:
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

I personally would like to see Tom Hardy win Best Supporting Actor.  Mr. Hardy's presence in The Revenant was just completely astounding, and he held his own.  I also really liked Mark Ruffalo, whom I consider one of the better actors that can be involved with socially conscious films.

Yet, I think Sylvester Stallone will take home the Oscar this year.  Creed was one of the more pleasant surprises in 2015: a worthy follow up and an important addendum to the Rocky movies.  And Sylvester Stallone did a tremendous role which was surprisingly poignant once more.  Indeed in light of Tony Burton (Duke in the Rocky movies) having passed away just recently, I am convinced that Mr. Stallone is going to receive his long deserved Oscar.

Best Supporting Actress:

Not going to win:  Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl; and Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Contenders for the Oscar:
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Again, I have not seen The Hateful Eight yet; but I do like Jennifer Jason Leigh and would be pleased with her winning.  Having mentioned that, I was particularly impressed with Rooney Mara in her role in Carol.  In my opinion, this is a stunning role that I would hope gets Ms. Mara an Oscar.

Best Actor:

Not going to win: Bryan Cranston, Trumbo; Matt Damon, The Martian; Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs; and Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl.

Going to win:
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

This is the one virtual lock for the Oscar season this year.  Mr. DiCaprio is long deserving of an Oscar, and honestly the competition this year is not as impressive.  Yet, Leonardo DiCaprio should prepare for his well deserved gold statue.

Best Actress:

Not going to win:  Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Contenders for the Oscar:
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Soairse Ronan, Brooklyn

I have yet to see 45 years, though I do like Charlotte Rampling.  Having mentioned that, in a rather tight and impressive category, I think Brie Larson should win Best Actress this year.  It was quite revealing and impressive.

Best Director:

Lenny Abrahamson, Room
Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, The Revenant
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Adam McKay, The Big Short
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

It would be a ballsy and brave move for George Miller to win the Oscar.  I would hope Tom McCarthy gets this Oscar and some much deserved acclaim.  Yet, I will not be surprised to see Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu win a second consecutive Best Director Oscar.  A.G.I. is one of the most impressive and unique filmmakers of his or any era.  The Revenant certainly proves this ideal.

Best Picture:

Not going to win:  Steven Spielberg, et al., Bridge Of Spies, and Simon Kinberg and Sir Ridley Scott, et al., The Martian

Could pull off an upset:
Brooklyn
Room
Spotlight

Contending to win it all:

Brad Pitt, et al., The Big Short
George Miller, et al., Mad Max: Fury Road
Arnon Milchan and Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, et al., The Revenant

Once again, the ballsiest and most brave choice would be Mad Max: Fury Road.  My personal choice would be Spotlight.  None the less, the likely and more interesting Best Picture may be The Revenant.  Perhaps AMPAS is awarding Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu The Revenant and from last year Birdman due to the oversight of not honoring 21 Grams and Babel years ago; both of those movies having become modern classics.  Having mentioned that, Birdman and The Revenant are likely going to be modern new classics for many years to come.

I note this is last minute.  None the less, this is before the show begins.  So, now on with the show!  My responses to come in a timely manner.

Happy viewing,

Robert

Handicapping the Oscars, Year 2

On February 28, 2016, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the 88th annual Academy Awards; better known as the Oscars.  The past year in movies, 2015, was a watershed year in that matters pertaining to how films are distributed and what types of films should get nominations will the focal point for a discussion on the future of the industry.  In all fairness, I am not too certain what will be the future of Hollywood; though I suspect movies will always be around because it is the art form that has shaped our society for some 100 years now.

It is with this idea that I bring forth for the second year my thoughts on the nominations for each Oscar category, and who I think is most deserving of a statue.  Having seen many of the nominated movies, I can certainly attest to these films deserving of a nomination or perhaps even a win in their respective categories. Think of this as a continuation of what Siskel and Ebert had done every year with their hour-long special If We Picked The Winners.  And yes, every category will be looked into.

Best Visual Effects:
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I am hoping the visual effects team from Star Wars: The Force Awakens gets the award. Yet I was quite impressed with the practical effects used in Mad Max: Fury Road.

Best Film Editing:
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

In the same result as we see in Visual Effects, I would like to see either Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Mad Max: Fury Road take the prize.  A good action adventure film needs to have a competent and dedicated editor or editors to make the perfect cut for a movie.  These two films are clear examples of how editing is needed to make an audience enthralled with what they are seeing.

Best Make-Up and Hairstyle:
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared.
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

I am more inclined to see The Revenant win this award.  The most impressive Make-Up jobs tend to be the ones that seem most realistic.  This is not to take away Mad Max: Fury Road in its approach to Make-Up and Hairstyle; yet The Revenant was more interesting.

Best Production Design:
Bridge Of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant

I would be pleased for either Mad Max: Fury Road or The Revenant winning this all important category.  Though I would prefer The Revenant due once again to its realistic approach to designs.

Best Sound Editing:
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Sound Editing is quite an important award in the process of cutting and splicing soundscapes and audio to enhance a movie.  How I see it, the Revenant did best in the approach to Sound Editing.  I was quite impressed with the results.

Best Animated Short Film:
Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay's Super Team
We Can't Live Without Cosmos
World Of Tomorrow

I was very impressed with World Of Tomorrow.  Indeed, it is quite possibly one of the better experimental animated films to come out in recent years.  It is a near certainty that World Of Tomorrow will win Best Animated Short.

Best Live Action Short:
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay
Shok
Stutterer

Shok seems to be the most interesting Short Subject to win this award.  It is a very good period piece regarding the war in Kosovo in the 1990s.

Best Documentary Short Subject:
Body Team 12
Chau, Behind The Lines
Claude Lanzmann, Spectres Of The Shoah
A Girl In The River: The Price Of Forgiveness
Last Day Of Freedom

I am hoping that Claude Lanzmann: Spectres Of The Shoah wins this category.  Shoah, though extremely long even for a documentary, is one of the better movies to have been released in some 40 years.  This seems to be the most proper way of rectifying the oversight.

Now that is part one of my look at the Oscar nominees this year.  The remaining categories are a bit more thorough to consider and thus, since this took me a while to finish, I have decided to present a part two which will be posted shortly.

More to come; stay tuned,

Robert

A tale of two Halls of Fame

On Wednesday, the National Baseball Hall Of Fame, dedicated to presumably honor the greats in Major League Baseball and American Baseball at the highest levels, announced the results of the vote taken late last year by the BBWAA.  The BBWAA are the organization of sports writers devoted to covering MLB and making their slack-jawed opinions known whether we want them or not.  Every year, a select number of recently retired ballplayers who have been inactive for at least five years are voted by these writers to receive this prestigious honor.  And in most cases, ballplayers that deserve the honor are routinely denied the honor of having a day devoted to them and a permanent plaque in Cooperstown, NY.

For 2016, only 2 ballplayers will receive a plaque.  These players are Ken Griffey Jr., one of the better center fielders of the 1990s and early 2000s who totaled more than 620 home runs and a slew of personal records; and Mike Piazza, perhaps the best hitting catcher of his era with over 420 home runs and 2600 hits.  Being from New York, most of the attention is on Piazza getting in; more so now since he will go in as a Met.  By the way, Junior Griffey is going in as a Mariner, but that was a given.  It is all well and good, until you realize the amount of ballplayers and off-the-field leaders who are not in the Hall of Fame, either still alive or since passed away.

I was going to provide a list of these oversights, yet that will be for another time.  Suffice to say, these oversights, brought forth by a collection of sportswriters and self-proclaimed moralists who think only the purest of pure shall be granted induction, have greatly delineated most people's interest in the Hall of Fame beyond a regional level.  I will have more to say about this one day.  It might though be a multi-part examination of the Hall of Fame which I know few of you have interest in reading about now, so perhaps in the summer this will suffice.

Now, onto a more lively and exciting Hall of Fame discussion.  One day after the Baseball Hall of Fame announced their inductees, the Pro Football Hall Of Fame announced the 18 finalists for their Class of 2016.  The 8 inductees will be revealed at the NFL Honors one day before Super Bowl 50, February 6, 2016.  Now right then and there, the reveal carries a lot more weight in the NFL than MLB cares to be involved with.  As well, the 18 finalists are of such great importance that any of these finalists could be inducted this year and no problems would be had for who went in and who did not.  The 18 finalists are:

Morten Andersen
Steve Atwater
Don Coryell (1924-2010)
Terrell Davis
Edward DeBartolo Jr.
Tony Dungy
Alan Faneca
Brett Favre
Kevin Greene
Marvin Harrison
Joe Jacoby
Edgerrin James
John Lynch
Terrell Owens
Orlando Pace
Ken Stabler (1945-2015)
Dick Stanfel (1927-2015)
Kurt Warner

With that in mind, discussion these next few weeks will turn to who gets inducted, when we are not following the playoffs and being armchair quarterbacks.  As I mentioned before, 8 of the 18 finalists are likely to be inducted.  4 of them are certain locks.  These would be Brett Favre, Ken Stabler, Dick Stanfel and Edward DeBartolo Jr.  Stabler and Stanfel made it to be Senior Committee nominees, and Debartolo Jr. is the Contributor nominee; that means three of the eight slots are to be reserved for these specialized candidates. I am certain all three will go in.  It also goes without saying that Brett Favre is a certain lock, and I need not explain why.

So that leaves 4 finalists to be inducted.  Here is how I see the direction this will go. From what I gather, the four I would choose to go along with the obvious locks are as follows:

Kurt Warner:  I do realize we are talking about inducting three quaterbacks getting in one year.  However, there have been no quatrerbacks inducted since 2006; so the Hall of Fame is in need of ending the quarterback drought.  Warner's backstory and accomplishments speak for themselves I believe.

Kevin Greene:  when Kevin Greene retired after 15 years following the 1999 season, Mr. Greene amassed 160 quarterback sacks.  Not only was it the third best total of that era; it was and still is the most sacks by a linebacker.  Only Lawrence Taylor came closest with 142 sacks.  Nine times during his career, Kevin Greene led his team in sacks, and had been a pivotal component in being a defensive leader for playoff teams.  It is often hard to pick which team Greene made the most impact for, though I think it was the LA Rams.  None the less, Kevin Greene was clearly one of the more consistent linebackers and defensive play makers of his time, and should finally get the long sought induction this year.

Tony Dungy:  starting as an effective assistant coach, and then becoming a most impressive head coach with the Bucs and Colts; Tony Dungy had an impressive track record in turning around piss-poor teams and making them playoff contenders.  The results are impressive: 148 wins, 10 seasons of 10 or more wins, only one losing season, only two seasons not making the playoffs, three conference championship games, and in 2007 winning Super Bowl 41.  With that, Dungy became the first African-American head coach of a Super-Bowl winning team.  Not only that, Tony Dungy was and still is an important mentor and role model to his players and active in numerous charitable activities; not to mention his impressive transition to NBC's football coverage and analysis.

Marvin Harrison:  never the flashiest player, Marvin Harrison went on to become one of the better wide receivers in the game.  Along with perhaps the best wide receiver in Colts history.  To this day, Harrison holds the record for the most receptions in one season, set in 2002 with 143.  He also had nine seasons of 10 or more touchdowns and 1000 receiving yards, 4 seasons of 100 receptions, only one season in playing less than 10 games, 188 starts out of 190 games played, 1,102 receptions, 128 touchdowns and 14,580 yards.  Harrison is also part of the most accomplished quarterback to wide receiver tandem in NFL history along side Peyton Manning.  And yes, he did win a Super Bowl as well.

Once again, I presume these will be the eight inductees announced next month.  I do think there will be five finalists that could also get selected this year which would not surprise me.

Terrell Owens:  though having never won a Super Bowl, and not as consistent in his later years than his 49ers tenure; Terrell Owens was quite the good wide receiver.  Owens was also one of the best characters in the game as well, complimenting his 153 touchdowns and numerous records of importance.

Terrell Davis:  he only played 7 seasons, and then only the first four were fantastic.  Yet I keep mentioning this opinion:  the Denver Broncos do not win back to back Super Bowls without Terrell Davis, who came and went as if he were a bright comet.  Very comparable to the shortened career of Gale Sayers, whom by the way went in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot though never appearing in the playoffs.  If Sayers is in, Davis should go in one day.

Alan Faneca:  a great Steelers offensive lineman similar to Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson.  Faneca also had 11 fumble recoveries and started 201 out of 206 games played.  As well, for a retired player, Alan Faneca looks much better today than in his playing years.

Orlando Pace:  Pace was the leading fulcrum in guiding the greatest show on turf during the halcyon era of the Rams.  He started 165 out of 169 games played and recovered 9 fumbles along the way.

Morten Andersen:  the all time leader in games played, points, field goals, points after touchdowns, field goals of at least 50 yards, and holds the team records for kicking in both the Saints and the Falcons.  Andersen became the prototype for the idea of the kicker to be the deciding factor in not only a win for a team, but also an identity.

I think Steve Atwater may be waiting at least another year.  Don Coryell might get a posthumous induction, though Coryell not having been to a Super Bowl is a bit of a damper.  John Lynch will get inducted one day, though it may take a few years.  Edgerrin James will likely go in one or two years from now.  And Joe Jacoby is a candidate that could be a surprise inductee, though I am just not seeing it this year.

Well, those are my thoughts on the two different Halls of Fame.  Truthfully it is really only the Pro Football Hall of Fame that my focus was on; not a surprise since I am more interested in football than baseball.

I have also been informed that this marks one year since I started this weblog page.  To all that are continuing on this journey with me; I offer my heartfelt thanks and appreciation.  2016 is promising to be a very intriguing year and one full of newer possibilities and avenues to show my opinions.  I hope you will like what is coming next.

More coming; stay tuned,

Robert

PSA Fail

I want to show you some recent Public Service Announcements that were authorized by the New South Wales governmental premiership in Australia.  The first three are separate YouTube videos.

The next two are a bit difficult to embed, so here are the direct YouTube links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoSudhJJE58

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NLUSDlUvcE

Now here is a compilation of all three videos.

Now, if you did not know any better, you would think the sloth ads espousing the need to cut sodium from your diet, recognizing the signs of crippling depression and telling people that it is okay to come out of the closet were the real ads.  Well, those ads were fake PSAs created with good intentions by YouTube user quolism.  The Actual three ads in the 2 minute compilation are the ones which, I think still. are being shown throughout Australia.

Let it be known; I do not use weed, nor any other drug for that matter.  None the less, weed is among the least problematic of drugs.  At worst, weed is basically a crutch with little purpose: apart from having a craving for foods, getting momentarily buzzed, aiding some medical issues and slowly but surely making someone feel odd.  I can think of far worse drugs and tranquilizers:

Tobacco one can find at a store, which causes cancers and health problems.
Alcohol, particularly if used daily.
Cocaine
Heroin
Meth
Quaaludes
Prescription medicines used beyond and above the needed amount; including over the counter medicines.
Crack cocaine

Indeed, the outdoor party commercial shows everyone except the sloth with an alcoholic drink of some kind.  You would think the ad would have showed the problems of drinking a bit much.

Clearly, the NSW government have little idea of how to do effective anti-drug messaging.  What should be sober ads are shown to be pretty damn funny.  As I said, the Stoner Sloth campaign dropped the ball on these messages.  And to think, the ads could have been more interesting and more worthy.

Do better next time should there be a next time,

Robert

20 Answers before the Eve of Christmas (Give or Take a few days)

Last week, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced who were the five top vote getters in the Performers category for their class of 2016.  This means these five artists are definitely getting inducted, with perhaps more to come in other categories.  The five artists are:

N.W.A:  This will be the first of two inductions for Dr. Dre; I expect him to get inducted on his own, probably as a Non-Performer in a couple years time.  Also going in as part of N.W.A. will be Ice Cube, Eric "Eazy-E" Wright (1964-1995), MC Ren, DJ Yella and Arabian Prince.

Chicago:  Including the inductions of Terry Kath (1946-1978) and Peter Cetera.

Deep Purple:  Inducted would be Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Jon Lord (1941-2012), Roger Glover, Ian Paice, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Steve Morse, Don Airey, Rod Evans, Nick Simper, Joe Lynn Turner and Tommy Bolin (1951-1976).  Not included is Joe Satriani; he was never really a member of Deep Purple and is more than likely to get inducted one day on his own, probably as a Sideman.

Steve Miller

Cheap Trick

Since the announcement, there have been a number of bone headed moves and odd reasons given for why this is the leading artists for induction next year, and other issues that come with the territory of the RRHOF.  Indeed, on Sunday, the webmasters at Future Rock Legends posted on their blog page 20 questions regarding this year's named inductees and the future of the RRHOF.  It is intended to be posted in public so that those that run the Hall of Fame (Jann Wenner, Jon Landau, Joel Peresman and Greg Harris to name four) can provide the answers and give transparency in their voting and induction methods.

I should come out and say this:  I doubt any of the four, including Jon Landau but especially Jann Wenner, will answer these questions.  For myself, having been a regular poster and participant in elections on the Future Rock Legends website, I figured that since no one in the leadership will likely respond; here then are my answers to these questions.

My assumption as to why there are only five Performers inductees instead of six, which is still small since we at FRL have inducted seven Performers per year into our Rock Hall Project:  This may have been suggested by HBO along with Play Tone (Tom Hanks' production company) to have the telecast go within 3 and a half hours and attempt to lessen the editing of speeches and performances.  The ceremony is not broadcast live.  It does indeed revert back to a sense of creating a massive backlog that I had hoped was starting to ease since 2012.

Perhaps only having 5 inductees as Performers will in turn shorten the ceremony, subsequently fitting the time alloted for the HBO telecast.

The Barclays Center is quite the state of the art arena, one that is indeed expanding in importance since the New York Islanders have now called Barclays home.  As well, Jay-Z owns a percentage of the arena; perhaps this is a second test run for when Jay-Z one day gets inducted in the arena he calls home turf.

I am rather aghast that Nick Simper, Steve Morse, Don Airey, Joe Lynn Turner and Tommy Bolin are not yet listed as inducted members of Deep Purple.  I do think, if there are no goof ups, this was an intentional act by the hall of fame for a particular reason.  Mark II and III are fully in, yet Mark I are 4/5ths in mainly as a way to somehow entice Rod Evans to show his face in public after 35 years.  Well, that is not going to happen; and here is why.

To discuss this stupid and asinine move would be an essay in itself.  Suffice to say, Ritchie Blackmore in particular became so incensed that he and the band's attorneys cut off Evans' royalties.  Yes, Blackmore has a problem with most people but he does have a legitimate gripe against Evans.  As do most Deep Purple fans.

Steve Miller, under himself or as part of Steve Miller Band, has always had the focus be upon him.  This is most true once Boz Scaggs went on to do his own thing.  I can hardly name off the top of my head every person involved in the Steve Miller Band, and neither in fact can most RRHOF voters.  So, the easiest and most honest route is to induct Steve Miller, and not the backing Band whichever it may be.

It is absolutely certain that bands with complicated memberships seem to have more trouble getting inducted than bands with clear lineups, even if only classic lineups.  It is perhaps one reason why King Crimson is not yet inducted, and the same goes with Megadeth.  Those are just a couple examples.

I do not who these "experts" might be to determine honorees in a band. I wold not be surprised if these "experts" include someone's father's sister's brother's nephew's cousin's doctor's roommate.  In other words, a complete unknown.

The fan poll, I think, is utilized as a way to determine who will be inducted.  Since 2012, most of the Performers inductees per year from 2013 onwards has been determined by who eventually gets to be on the fan ballot.  For 2013 and 2014, 4 out of the top 6 on each fan ballot was inducted.  In 2015, it was 5 out of 6.  In 2016, it is 4 out of 5.  As well, each artist that led the fan ballot (Rush, Kiss, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, and Chicago) all got inducted.  It appears that more often than not, the fan ballot is what determines the sort of inductees that will be presented in each class.  It would not surprise me if the official 'experts" that receive a ballot also vote on the fan ballot.

As has been determined in post October 15th voting and voting on the Future Rock Legends website, Yes and Janet Jackson respectfully led each poll and by all rights should have gotten inducted.  However, I believe it was determined that 2016 would be the year for classic rock and a high percentage of 1970s based acts.  In particular, since Chicago, Steve Miller and Cheap Trick were first time nominees, lifelong fans of these artists who also are tech savvy elected to bot the voting.  Most of the bot votes went to Chicago.  Now, I do not have a problem with Chicago getting inducted, nor any of the named inductees so far.  Yet I do think the RRHOF allowed the tainting of the vote to be enacted primarily to enforce a Peter Cetera reunion with Chicago at least.

As I mentioned before, the fan vote adds a lot more teeth if, and I think it has happened, people with an actual ballot get to also vote on the fan ballot.  So that one vote on the fan ballot ideal gets tossed aside when Voting Committee members place their votes online on the fan ballot for all to see.

I do not think in past years this sort of chicanery was utilized.  In 2015 though, it may have been used on an experimental scale in order to legitimize fan support for an induction of Paul Butterfield and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band.  Since the Butterfield experiment proved a success (and mind you, I felt he should have gotten in before he passed away), it seemed that this experiment could be utilized to have fan support be named for at least a few of the nominees.  The fact that by October 15 Chicago received some 20 million votes, most of it by bots, and two months later the inductees were announced shows that this ballot was completely flawed.

For the record, I do not receive a ballot and thus I am not on the Voting Committee.  In truth, aside from known inductees who have a ballot and vote on it, along with several other names, I do not know every person who gets a vote.  It very well could be hacks and lackeys.  Sadly, I also do not see much gender diversity in who might be added to the Voting Committee.  It is a bit sad, considering the gradual rise of female artists and pioneers in rock and pop music in the past half century.

I have know idea how and why Gary Dell'Abate received an official ballot.  Being a Steely Dan fan and having an admittedly nice home theater does not say to me that this man needs a ballot.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a gender diversity problem.  By comparison, our most recent projected Rock Hall Project inductees, while not as much as I would like, inducted Mariah Carey and Pat Benatar this past October.  By the way, Ms. Carey and Ms. Benatar have not yet been seriously Considered by the Nominating Committee as of yet.  I would request the RRHOF conduct a special election and ballot for this coming new year consisting solely of female candidates and female inductees.  Indeed, if I had a ballot for 10 female inductees, mine would look like this:

Mariah Carey
Pat Benatar
Janet Jackson
Whitney Houston
The Runaways
Siousxie Sioux
Carole Kaye
Joan Baez
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Connie Francis

All were inducted into our Rock Hall Project, yet not the actual Hall of Fame.  That is not right.

I tend to believe the NomCom should have final say on who will eventually be inducted.  The Voting Committee apparently are best used as a recommendation body, not a voting body.

I would tend to believe that less than half of the 800 ballots were returned.  Perhaps even lesser than years before after the fan vote bots locked in the fan ballot.

The voted were likely counted by a computer software of some kind.  I also doubt that the voting ballot totals will be released to the public.

As mentioned before, it appears that the RRHOF wanted enforced reunions of three different groups (Peter Cetera with Chicago, Ritchie Blackmore with Deep Purple, Cheap Trick with their past drummer).  The Cheap Trick reunion might happen, though it will not be easy.  I doubt Ritchie Blackmore appears at the ceremony, and while Peter Cetera could entertain the idea of reuniting with Chicago for a final time; Mr. Cetera has not felt the need to reunite in the past 30 years.  The Kiss reunion uncertainty in 2014 only involved One act.  2016 has Three acts that people want to see a reunion at any cost.  As for N.W.A,, a reunion of surviving members, including Dr. Dre, has always been on the offering so no problem there.

We all assume the remaining inductees will be announced early in the new year.  I am not sure who gets inducted through other means, though I assume they will generate a lot of needed buzz.  I am guessing the RRHOF do not want a second Ringo Starr situation when the inductee that was not on a nominating ballot gets to be the headliner.

This may sound absurd, yet i think the RRHOF made the decision to scrap the Los Angeles location for one in New York due to the every several years weather pattern El Nino.  A pattern in which the West Coast gets colder and wetter, and the East Coast remains wet yet far milder.  We just noticed this peculiarity when on Christmas Eve, New York City was in the upper 60s.  Fortunately, this will not last long and is expected to be considerably colder in the days and months and even years to come.  I say years because after an El Nino there is a La Nina.  Not to mention there has been a methane gas leak off the coast of California that has only been given nationwide attention on Christmas Eve: after 6 weeks of leakage!  To give you an idea, methane is far more dangerous than carbon dioxide.  So, environment, weather patterns and short sighted ideals have the ceremony now taking place in New York.   Perhaps next year the ceremony will return to Los Angeles.

Well, since I doubt you will get official answers from Jann Wenner, Jon Landau and Co., I do hope these answers I gave will suffice.  I was going to finish this before Christmas Eve; yet dinners, parties and a far amount of gifts I received made this get posted at this time,  Leave it to the Holiday season to receive much desired gifts like new Roger Waters and David Gilmour films and albums, a new LP player, two more vinyl LPs and finally getting the Beatles on music streaming services like Apple Music.  And that is just rock and roll and music related.

Any comments and/or questions are greatly encouraged and appreciated.

Talk to you all sooner than later,

Robert

Anyone for Idiocracy, wouldn't that be nice?

Some 12 years ago, a retired businessman and budding novelist was in the process of revising his political thriller "Bush 2004".  His name is Dr. Lawrence Britt; the Doctorate was for political science.  As a result of what the world was seeing in a rightward shift that was increasingly war-like and nationalistic, Dr. Britt wrote an article in Free Inquiry magazine taking notice of totalitarian dictatorships and adapted t what was happening in the US.  The article, Fascism Anyone?, was posted and reposted to many different websites and was considered one of the defining political statements of 2003.

At its heart was what Dr. Britt considered the 14 defining characteristics of fascism.  Interestingly, it was found that the Cheney-Bush administration had enacted all 14 characteristics.  Although it would take another 5 years and the 2004 election to alter the course of leadership, people became aware of the growing nationalistic and fascist tendencies of the right wing in America.  And now it appears we are witnessing this yet again; this time under the rubric of the Republican candidates for President.  In particular, we focus on one Donald Trump; currently leading both the Primary and General Election polls (!).  So, does Mr. Trump and his people and travelers define the 14 characteristics?  Well let us have a look.

Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. 
Well, the slogan for the Trump campaign is "Make America Great Again", which is also followed by massive generalizations of important topics.  The same goes true for many of the other Presidential campaigns in the Republican field, and some in the Democratic field included.  We see this often in campaigns and rhetoric that invoke the United States as being something it is not.  Any time I hear phrases such as "greatest country" and "freedom" applied to the US, I tend to respond in more thoughtful approaches.  In short, the US is not, has never been and could never be the greatest country.  Why is that?  It is because America is currently at war.

Disdain for the importance of human rights. 
This is shown in spades.  Donald Trump, along with many right wingers, have managed to alienate and belittle any and every person that is not a white rich man.  For myself, the Trump campaign has not shown even One ounce of dignity and support toward people with special needs, including individuals with Asperger's Syndrome and/or are on the Autistic Spectrum.  Indeed, we have seen utter ridicule and belittling when these issues are brought forth.  If this is how Asperger's Syndrome are perceived by Trump, other groupings are clearly given worse considerations.

Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. 
The easiest sorts of scapegoats we have seen these past 14 years have been Arabs, Muslims, Islamists and Middle Easterners.  At any point a false flag occurs, Arabs are given the immediate blame, particularly by the Republican Party.  The knee jerk reaction these past weeks has been to tell any Muslim they are not welcome into the US.  Donald Trump has been the sole candidate mentioning this proposal; yet you can bet your sweet bippy that Every Republican candidate is agreeing to this, even if they will publicly be against such proposals.

The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.
The political class on the whole have never met a war they did not want.  The Trump campaign seems intent on altering the current and future international policies of the US.  Shockingly, there are worse Republican candidates that feel war is the first option of foreign policy.  Rest assured, if we get a Republican president; we will be at war within one year of the election.

Rampant sexism. 
Each and every campaign for the presidency on the Republican side has espoused anti-abortion, anti-women and sexist rhetoric.  Donald Trump is obviously not someone that understands women.  Being on your third wife is a big giveaway.  This is to say nothing of espousing anti-abortion views that would easily reverse 100+ years of women's equality.

A controlled mass media.
We often hear that the mainstream media is liberal minded.  Well, for each liberal minded viewpoint, I notice two conservative viewpoints given longer time to be presented.  To provide a more potent example:  Sen. Hillary Clinton, or any Democrat for that matter, may get a mention and some air time on the news channels if Sec. of State Clinton is on a campaign stop.  Donald Trump, along with other Republicans, will have an entire half-hour at least devoted to whatever speech they are giving; and if not a speech, news coverage will be devoted to live footage of Trump attending the opening of a napkin.  I would not be surprised if some form of payola among news organizations for access to the Trump campaign has been approved.

Obsession with national security.
An unfortunate rule of thumb present in ideal lacking campaigns is when your domestic policy is horrid or, worse, invalid; it is time to whip up the threat of the boogeyman luring at your front lawn.  I find it disgusting that a great deal of people willingly fall for this malarkey; only temporarily gaining their sanity back when their money runs out.  And as I mentioned before, it is easy to put blame on the other when the problem is and has always been the self.

Power of corporations protected.
Donald Trump has had the gall to put his name on most services and goods, including bottled water! While it would not be a surprise to see The Trump Organization expand in a Trump presidency should it happen, corporate expansion and claims of corporate person hood will be front and center in any Republican presidency.  What is worse is many of these corporations provide non-informational goods and services that only provide benefit for the corporations.  And none of these corporations give a flying fig about either you or me.

Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.
The labor movement as it is now is rather fractured, as we see in unions and trade organizations splitting their endorsements for whom their leadership want to see become president.  However, it is certain not one of the labor unions will support a Donald Trump presidency, and with good cause.  Mr. Trump's business practices, or lack thereof, has caused stagnant wages and at least 5 businesses going bankrupt, while the Donald expands his riches.

Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts.
Donald Trump currently leads the polling demographic in people willing to vote for him that were never university educated; to say nothing of those without a formal education of any sort.  Incidentally, a dumb person tends to be far more religious than a smart person.  Mixing those two, negative feelings arise when confronted with intellectuals and people involved in the arts; which also incidentally happen to coalesce as well.  I should know, because for someone that is on the Spectrum, I do happen to think of myself as an intellectual and a patron of the arts in the limited scope I may have.

Obsession with crime and punishment. 
This also extends to disdain for attorneys and simplification of laws and regulations to mere children's tantrums.  The sorts of laws that are in the likeness of "well, if I cannot do this, then Nobody can!"  Indeed, there will be an increase in people being charged for one thing while it is really for a matter of ignorant plebs wanting to be rid of someone that reminds them of their collective guilt.

Rampant cronyism and corruption.
With a name like Trump, we could expect nearly every member of the family to gain an executive cabinet level position.  Not only that, we could expect business people to be appointed to governmental offices or even downright elected who have no clue whatsoever about public policy.  As it is now, Donald Trump has no damn clue what he is talking about.

Fraudulent elections.
The votes and opinion polls are completely rigged for a number of candidates.  Donald Trump has been polling at the top of national polls since July, and it is usually anywhere between 27% and 40% of the vote.  Extend this to general election mode, and Donald Trump can pull off an election miracle at the last minute using e-votes and effectively buying his way into the presidency.  Sure, it could be done by all sides, and we have seen this time and again most recently in the 2012 election when both sides used e-voting tactics to inflate votes.  Yet, a man like Donald Trump with nothing to lose will stand to do anything to win a race and claim his perceived kingdom.

In short, of the 14 defining characteristics of fascism present in our lives; Donald Trump, his campaign, and much of the Republican field has sadly been confirmed to invoke all 14.

In a related matter, in the 10 years since Idiocracy was completed, some 30%  of Mike Judge's observations and inferences have come true.  This seems to be not a coincidence that we are witnessing a potential presidency of Donald Trump which may be just as problematic as a Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho presidency.

Knowledge will be our awakening.  Ignorance, and will ignorance, will be our undoing.  And yet, so few care about the ills and needs of our planet.

On a positive note for the moment, a worldwide treaty was drafted to reduce carbon emissions and reduce the impact of global warming.  We now need to initiate the next important step and have a carbon tax.  I say this because right now, it is night in the lower 50s in December.  December weather needs to be below zero with snow.  Otherwise, our children and their children will never know what Christmas was like.

I will be writing more sooner than later.  Indeed, I will have a lot to say on my favorite movies, music, events, TV shows, websites and books for 2015 as soon as can be.  Hope you are looking forward to these opinions, and you might be a bit surprised.

Say no to Trump!,

Robert

Curses; Fooled Again!

In my most recent post, I had expressed concern over what we have been seeing with respect to the elites of this world wanting to initiate a war against Syria, and eventually Russia.  In all fairness, I was hoping most people would start waking up to the obvious false flags and emotional manipulation being used against them.  And yet, days after another inside job, this time in San Bernardino, California; it appears that Americans, particularly the uneducated and gullible, are willing to get their war and violence mindset into full view.  In response, functions in world governments and financial institutions, to say nothing of certain factions of the US Government, are more than willing to give them the rope to destroy themselves.

Many of you may be thinking "Robert, why is it you look at these events and think we are not told the truth?"  I have ample reason to conclude these recent IS/Daesh/Muslim purported attacks are not what we are being told.  When you look into any one of these purported acts of terrorism, the most important question to ask only consists of two words:

Who Benefits?

In each of these cases, it is never the people and groups publicly blamed for any such tragedy that will benefit.  Indeed, the result is either their deaths or their arrest. Such is the matter of the married couple that supposedly were the perpetrators of the San Benardino shooting.  So, with that out of the way, what and who is leading you to the abyss?  By that I mean, since there are more gullible people than smarter free thinking people, their answer for their problems will become our problemsif left unchecked.

The more I think of this, the more I come to believe these false flags we have seen this year: the Charlie Hebdo shooting, Charleston, Chicago, San Bernardino, Paris, and others, are being managed and conceived not entirely by the current Obama leadership.  No, I think much of these inside jobs have the hallmark of the New Conservative movement; alongside the financial dynasties and the ever omnipotent Mossad peeking by.  The same sorts of groups and financiers that financed and authorized 9/11.  It pains me to say this; yet I think these false flags are to continue until election day in the US next year.  And in response, someone is getting the propaganda of being the savior of us all, yet again.  Do I have to spell him out?

D-O-N-A-L-D T-R-U-M-P, oh no:(

Now of course, Mr. Trump is only one person, and cannot be the only person instigating these matters.  Yet, every move to a fascistic and xenophobic nation, which is where we are at now, needs a public face.  And that face is typically an educated loudmouth male who promises the moon and says stuff without consequences.

Pretty soon, within a day or so, I am going to do a retrospective commentary on a Lawrence Britt essay from 2003, "Fascism, Anyone?"  I find that in 12 years the ideas presented therein apply at this time than it may have even less than a year ago.  It is my hope that at least one person reading this will be certain to review their incorrect beliefs, and to think twice at least once more.  In my lifetime, the world survived a number of politically conservative leaderships with our faced and lives intact.  I honestly do not think we and the rest of the world can survive a Trump residency (pun intended).

Here is what I referenced in a section of the essay.

Quite honestly the best John Lennon song not by John Lennon.  35 years since Lennon  died; 14 years since George Harrison died.  If they were alive today, what would these two men think of us now?

My commentary o the Lawrence Britt article appears shortly,

Robert

PS.  I just recently found out John Venditto won the recount to his 2015 Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor election bid.  Why in the hell am I not surprised?  Well, here is hoping Venditto is indicted post haste.  It also says a lot about those that voted for this ne'er do well.

An Award that means little and a Station that means a lot

This Sunday, I and others watched the American Music Awards.  Some of the performances were quite excellent; I really liked seeing Coldplay, Alanis Morrisette, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Meghan Trainor and Celine Dion.  Yet, the others either had a bit of an off night; or they are not that great singers and performers as one may think.  I do not outright hate them; yet I am not one to buy their CDs or hear their new songs on Apple Music and iTunes.  Of the leading artists that either performed or were there, I can think of only one band or artist that is among the all time greats:

Coldplay.

The only other artists that come close to being legendary and influential singers that night were:

Alanis Morrisette
Gwen Stefani
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
Carrie Underwood

The rest, even though I may like them; I do not think they will ever sniff the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, or even receive a Lifetime Grammy, AMA, or MTV award.  It is quite clear that the mainstream music scene is running out of ideas.

And yet, there is some good music to still be found.  One place that I do find it, apart from the Apple Music service, is the radio station of Fordham University.  It is 90.7 WFUV, and it frankly is a godsend.  If you want to get a sampling of the best music of 2015, WFUV is the station to go to.  In fact, here are some songs I have heard on WFUV  released this year that might eventually make my personal best of music list next month.  Do have a look and see if you like these.


Adele - Hello

Kurt Vile - Pretty Pimpin

Tame Impala - The Less I Know The Better

Dawes - Things Happen

Josh Tillman aka Father John Misty - True Affection

John Grant and Tracey Thorn - Disappointing

Nathaniel Rateliff - SOB

Dave Gahan - All Of This And Nothing

New Order - Restless

And again this is just a Small sampling of some of the best music one can find: albeit, I doubt I Heart Media will play these songs on their stations, and you can forget MTV showing any of these videos.

One more song. This ties with the Christmas and holiday seasons upon us.

Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You

More observations of the year to come as we draw it to a close.

Have a good night,

Robert

Same Old False Flag

Earlier today, I went to see the newest 007 James bond movie, Spectre.  It was quite good, though this Daniel Craig vehicle felt at times similar to the Roger Moore era.  There was something I had noticed during the course of the movie which revealed the nature of false flag inside jobs.

A proposed global intelligence operation is in the planning stages to be implemented in the United Kingdom involving 9 countries.  At one point, the proposal wins a majority of votes for approval, yet with South Africa being the lone holdout; the proposed Center for National Security can not go forward.  This obviously changes when CNS' financier, the longtime Bond nemesis Spectre, authorizes a false flag terror incident in South Africa.  Within days, South Africa joins the CNS.

Now, that was a movie; yet a movie at times reflects real life more so than what our leaders and news media would like for you to believe.  Just yesterday, a 27 year old British Arab agent for different organizations (MI5, Islamic State, CIA, KGB, does not matter) was targeted for death by a drone strike.  His name was Mohammed Emwazi, known to many as Jihadi John.  He purportedly was known for supposedly beheading supposed hostages on camera in a desert.  These videos, which I have seen, look fake; all of them.  They all follow the same script, with the same cutaway when the supposed beheading occurs.  In effect, in order to legitimize President Obama's recent news interview with George Stephanopoulous of ABC News that Islamic State is "contained" (and we wold know since IS is funded by US); Mr. Emwazi was killed.

A little over 24 hours later, and just one day before an important multi-nation conference regarding Climate Change which would include perhaps a plan to end the Syrian wars; purported IS sympathizers coordinated some 6 different hostage takings and dirty bomb assaults in the 10th and 11th districts of Paris, France.  As of now, 153 Parisians have since passed away; the largest one day death of French citizens since the end of World War II.  I am not sure who is responsible, and I am certain this was not a coincidence in respect to the killing of Mr. Emwazi.  However, it would be easy for so many to want to believe this was an us vs. them attack.  It usually never is; in fact, the culprits can be found in one's government and financial dynasties.  Who benefits, one may think?

The Rothschilds
MI5
IDF
the Military-Industrial-Security complex
A French government under President Francois Hollande that while liberal minded has seen a dip in public trust.
The United States Government.
the War Party.
Social organizations devoted to repressing minorities.
The New Conservatives and their Presidential candidate acolytes in the US.
The Departments of Defense in most Western countries.
Newspaper and traditional mass media; there is always a need to sell product that scares.
CIA
The financiers of IS, which are many and include our own leaders knowingly and unknowingly.
Law enforcement in the United States.
And a number of people and organizations that, you watch, will be willing to make money off of these events.  Mostly with bad intentions.


Another question to ask is; who loses?  Well, it is not a pretty picture.  Along with politically liberal minded and Democratic affiliated people and campaigns, the noted losers are ourselves.  Now, this sort of problem may not occur here in America for the time being; yet it sadly seems that a transformation of Europe to a more centralized structure reminiscent of the Catholic religious monolith in the Middle Ages might be forthcoming.  Of course, it was planned long in advance for these events to occur; most people will only alter their security concerns when a tragedy of significant proportions is in effect.  In all, I am extremely concerned about the reactions that will take place; exponentially from here in the United States should something in the likelihood of another 911 happen.

With that in mind, I urge all of my fellow readers to vote early and vote often for a number of political candidates from the Democratic Party and their supported propositions.  In particular, we need to now make it known our endorsement for Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton in her Presidential bid.  Interestingly, this false flag in Paris took place one day before the second Democratic Presidential Debate; making the debate tomorrow a non-issue, as was intended by those against the Clinton or Sanders ideals.  Each day that passes seems more and more likely that without our voting, a Republican (Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson) will be elected President next year.  And then it is back to not only the 2000s, but also the 1980s.  And not in a good way.  30+ years ago, we all were as close to death as a populace could be.  This was squarely on the hands of the Reagan Presidency and his financiers.  Ask yourself; could you trust Trump or Carson with maintaining peace in this world?  I sure as heck do not.

A final word:  one way a person could tell this is a False Flag is when it is only the common people that are targeted for being killed. No one well known to all needs to deal with being near death, thankfully.  If these proposed terrorists were who people say they are; individuals like Presdient Francois Hollande and Josh Homme would not be secured.  But again, common people and those we know little about are sent to die; the elite will always be kept safe.  I am not condemning the Elite; I am just stating the obvious.

And another thing:  Where are any videos of the Eagles of Death Metal concert, if any?  Even one concertgoer would film something to bypass a no cameras policy.

Last thing to note:  you need to go watch this movie again, if you have not already,  We cannot allow our lives to end up like this.

https://vimeo.com/18781528

Ask Questions: Demand Answers,

Robert