Flapper's Folly

Yesterday was my birthday. No, I'm not revealing the number. The Puter Ho's birthday was the 4th, so over the weekend we had a houseful of family to celebrate our combined birthdays. When Monday rolled around and everyone was gone, I was too tired to celebrate more. We stayed home and had takeout, vegging on the sofa. I have a wonderful husband and family. I'm soooo very lucky.

Last week I had set up TiVo to record "Second Hand Stories" which aired on PBS last Tuesday. Last night we watched it and it was just too good not to put a plug in here.

John Freyer, who sold every one of his possessions on eBay for a project called "All My Life for Sale" , met Christopher Wilcha when Wilcha was making a documentary about garage-sale culture in northern New Jersey. The two have teamed up for the ultimate road trip. Part On the Road with Charles Kuralt, part Flea Market Finds With The Kovels , Freyer and Wilcha take off to buy and sell their way across America in a 1977 Chevy ambulance bought on eBay for $2500. The pair document their adventure using second hand cameras and old records they have bought for the soundtrack. But that's not all... Much, much more than a hokey trip down memory lane, the duo interview an obsessive collector, talk to the inventor of many familiar board games of the 60s and 70s, visit with a guy selling the sole prototype of his invention in a garage sale, and are suspected of terrorism by local law enforcement as they meander through flea markets, lost baggage depots, and Goodwills across America. When money runs low, they pull over and sell some of the treasures they have acquired along the way.

Never boring, the show moves along, punctuated by interesting statistics and bits of old footage regarding their finds or sometimes just snippets of someone's home movies that have been discarded. You're even treated to tapes of incoming and outgoing messages left on old answering machines they have bought. The show is not about bargain hunting or collecting at all, it is more an archeological expedition into our culture.

Second Hand Stories will be rebroadcast at various times across the country on PBS. You can find the times here for your area.This is merely a pilot and there is no mention of future episodes, though it obviously was set up to be a series. Watch it. Then take the time to go here and leave feedback. Hopefully we will get many more Second Hand Stories.

Posted by Rockelle at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A remake of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre opens this weekend. It looks to be slick and cool. The original was anything but.

Being a fan of horror films, I've seen a lot of them, and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre stands out in my memory. It was 1974 and in a new theatre. Up until about this time theatres were huge with balconies and cry rooms. Before the big multiplexes became common, a lot of small single theatres were opened. Not much more than an oversized garage, rows of probably ten seats and thirty rows deep, aisles on the sides, these places left you feeling like a sardine and on top of the small screen no matter where you sat. The sound was better, louder at least.

It was a Friday night and I was with a date. Obviously boys thought this was a great flick to take a girl to see. Scare her shitless and she'll be in your lap in no time. There were lots of couples. I honestly don't remember details of the film. I remember well it being gross and repulsive. At one point, at least half the audience had left. Girls would jump up and run out, their boyfriends sitting there a few minutes longer, before following. Some boys immediately joining the girl, grateful to finally get out. All adults present left early. It was a riotous scene. I remember not looking a lot.

I'm sure that today the film would seem fairly benign. It had a feel similar to the Blair Witch Project. Raw and documentary like. Too real. It was banned in the UK for over 25 years. Over time, we've all become blase about gore and violence. I want to rent the old TCM just to see what it was that shocked everyone back in '74. It's an interesting barometer of society's change. We've lost something.

Innocence? Compassion? I don't know.

Posted by Rockelle at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I saw Kill Bill (mustn't forget_ Volume I) over the weekend. The reviews before it opened weren't glowing, yet it opened #1 for the weekend, taking in $22.7 million.

If you watch MadTV, you might be familiar with a character played by Michael McDonald named Stuart who does a spastic little dance in his whitey tighteys while chanting "Look what I can do." Very similar to what Tarantino did in Kill Bill. Watch me do anime! Watch me do Hong King cinema! Watch me do film noir! Watch me do spaghetti westerns! Look what I can do!

Oh yeah, there was lots of cool stuff. The old Green Hornet theme song. Thurman wearing a replica of Bruce Lee's yellow suit. Cato masks. Sonny Chiba. Great little things that make those who think they are cool insiders sweat. I could say how beautifully it was shot. I could describe how boring it actually was. I'll sum it all up by saying this.

It was like watching Tarantino masturbating and inviting all his best buds to join in a circle jerk.

Posted by Rockelle at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I know this is late, but better late than never. The trailer for the third season of 24 aired on Fox on September 7th. If you missed it, go here to see it. While searching for the trailer, I also came across a fan site with what seemed to be up-to-date facts and rumors.

The show premieres, commercial free, October 28 on Fox. It's top priority in the Tivo, but hopefully I'll be watching it as it airs.

Posted by Rockelle at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

What a great weekend. I would have preferred to be at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, but we didn't plan ahead on that one. If you attended, please feel free to let me know how great it was and feed my green monster.

As we were totally childless all weekend, we wanted to do something besides yardwork and chores. The nice part of living in the Metroplex is that there is always something interesting going on. We considered attending the Greek Food Festival in Dallas. I nixed that for the simple reason that when dieting one should not go where the main attraction is delicious food.

Friday night, after eating at Ocean Rock on Bluebonnet Circle, (Seafood in honor of TLPD) driving through the cutural district, we happened upon Jazz By the Boulevard . As it was late and the event was outdoors and seating on the grass, we decided to return on Saturday.

Saturday, after sleeping shamelessly late and spending a couple of hours at the Fort Worth Library downtown, we headed over to the Jazz Festival. The event was a fundraiser to preserve and beautify the Camp Bowie district. There were arts and crafts booths, the usual radio stations and business were represented, and lots of fair-like food concessions. I must say that the Argentina wine, costing almost five bucks for a tiny medicine cup, was appropriately dispensed. It was _not_ great. But the music was.

We took in Bertha Coolidge, Dewey Redman, and Spyro Gyra before folding up our chairs and heading home. It was a beautiful night, no mosquitos, but sadly, no stars. I'll never get used to the orange glow that is the night sky here. I miss the stars so much.

Even though on Sunday, the Puter Ho found that the Dandy Warhols had been at the Gypsy Tearoom on Saturday, we still considered the weekend a huge success.

Posted by Rockelle at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I absolutely cannot let this day go by without sharing this. I stumbled across a link to it on geekychick.net. Check out The Ricky Martin Arrgh Adventure Site. Keep clicking and you too will say WTF?

I love the internet!

Posted by Rockelle at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Okay ladies, get out your most rippable bodices. You guys find an eyepatch quick. Tomorrow, September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. For the official site, click here.

You cannot imagine my glee. Must have been all those silly gothic novels I read as a girl, but I love pirates. How I long to be tied to a mast. My husband will absolutely not be allowed in the house unless in full pirate persona. Shed a tear for me that I didn't make it to see Johnny Depp in Pirates Of The Caribbean. Best I see it at home to revel in it. I mean, Johnny Depp and a pirate to boot, whooo hooo.

Don't forget. Yarrrrrrrr.

Posted by Rockelle at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just read that Cameron Diaz is the world's highest paid actress based on earnings of $42.2 million. I'm thinking no way this could be true. Then I scroll down the page and find that Adam Sandler is the world's highest-paid actor, based on a salary of $49.5 million.

'Nuf said, don't you think?

Posted by Rockelle at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Just a quickie update. Since writing about the season opener of 24, I found a site that features spoilers. SpoilerSluts.com features spoilers for a number of television shows including 24, Alias, Friends, and more. Although, at this point, I would seriously worry about anyone that interested in Friends.

Instead of writing about it, the link provided is to their page on 24. Some of the rumors are contradictory, but it's interesting.

I can't believe I didn't know about this place before.

Posted by Rockelle at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I don't watch much tv, but when I find a show I like, I am a faithful viewer. 24 is such a show. It's not much longer until the new season begins and I can hardly wait. The third season will kick off Tuesday, Oct. 28 with a commercial-free episode, sponsored by Ford.

The final episode of season two had President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) falling to the ground in pain after shaking hands with an assassin sporting a plastic sheet of who knows what poison or infectious agent on her palm. Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland) is being wheeled off on a stretcher clutching his chest after having had his heart stop earlier while being tortured.

Fox has begun dropping hints of what to expect in the third season. Apparently we will skip forward a couple of years in time. Bauer will have a partner, as yet unnamed. Bauer's daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) will now be working at CTU. I really can't imagine this. I've always felt she was superfluous to the plot. I can only guess that it involved a contract or she was kept as eye candy for young males viewers. Haysbert apparently survived and will be back and in the middle of his re-election campaign.

Regretfully, Penny Johnson Jerald, who plays Sherry Palmer, has not been signed as a regular. That's a shame. Her character has to be the most cold hearted, conniving, mean, bad-badder-baddest bitch ever. She is great. Of course, not being a regular doesn't mean she won't return. I'm sure we'll see her again. Sadly the same is true of Sarah Wynter who played Kate last season. We can hope she won't be back. More of my opinion of her here.

The show is always full of surprises. No hint from Fox on what crisis will drive the plot this season, but hopefully it will provide the same roller coaster ride the previous seasons have given us. I'm marking my calender on September 7th when Fox will air a four-minute trailer during the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Posted by Rockelle at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

TGIF!

We started our weekend early Thursday night with a trip to the movie theater to see 28 Days Later . Not for the squeamish, it definitely was not the horror pic it was often hyped to be, but a great thriller. A PETA type group trying to free lab chimps sets free a viral rage that quickly destroys humanity by turning those infected into raging zhombie like creatures. Well almost. The story is about the survival of a few and their ordeal. I've always liked stories like this and enjoy imagining what it would be like to one day wake and find the world as we know it is gone. We really enjoyed this film, and I really appreciated the lack of highly digitized FX. I'm just sick of seeing movies which are cool, but nothing is real. Much harder (and better) to create something fantastic in the old way. It seems like cheating to just digitally make those effects. I recommend 28 Days Later, and if nothing else, this time of year a couple of hours in a chilly theater is a welcome break from the heat.

Tonight we plan to take the youngest son down to Zeke's, a guilty pleasure of ours. A quirky fish and chips place located at 5920 Curzon, just off the 5900 block of Camp Bowie in Fort Worth, Zeke's doesn't look like much from the outside. Come to think of it, it doesn't look all that great inside either. But you won't care. It's clean and if you are looking for the best deep fried fish, shrimp, all manner of things that swim, and fresh veggies, this is the place to get it. Dipped in batter and fried up light and crispy eggplant, mushrooms, corn, okra, and zuchinni are just a few of the veggies available. Of course, there are fries, slaw and hushpuppies, and all accompanied by cups of tartar sauce and dill dip. I always order a salad to help cut the grease, but it really isn't necessary. Zeke's has healthier offerings such as shrimp salad and baked fish, but I suggest you splurge (calorie wise).....and indulge. It's inexpensive and friendly and always packed, but there is seldom any waiting as there is a large dining room and a patio. The generous portions are brought to you on bar trays and I suggest you and your dining partners order a variety of goodies and share. Oh.. and don't forget an icy pitcher of beer. Truly cholesterol laden heaven.

Eat at Zeke's soon and have a great weekend.

Posted by Rockelle at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you are worried about mad cow, see this. It had me rolling on the floor. I just love the internet.

Posted by Rockelle at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last night I saw the anti-war video "American Life "(download here) that Madonna pulled from release in the states. I have to start by saying that I think Madonna is truly talented and a marketing genius. Over the years, she has reinvented herself time after time, sometimes quite edgy, still remaining mainstream. So we have to ask, "Whassup?" The video has aired overseas and apparently was only held back here. It seems to me that most MTV viewers have the means to view it online and, most likely, it will soon be available at your local Blockbuster. Obviously it was created before actual fighting in Iraq began, but it manages to seem as if parts were yanked from today's headlines. Cool.

She stated that she didn't want to offend anyone. My take is, if it was aired, it definitely would offend some. (I don't know these people, but polls constantly tell me they exist.) Like the girl that says "no" and means "yes", she has managed to be naughty and not bear responsiblity. It just all seems so contrived to me. She did it. We're all seeing it and she has managed to escape retribution by disclaiming it. What a coup! Perhaps she was inspired by Michael Jackson's recent much ado about nothing. After all, any publicity is good publicity and Madonna certainly knows how to use the allure of the forbidden to her advantage.

So much truer, Natalie Maines' recent statement and the hoopla it created. Gotta love west Texas women for their candor. :) Yeah, she apologized to Dubya, she had little choice, but it was made clear how she felt. Nothing contrived or superficial there. Simple honesty followed by a conscripted acquiescence. I didn't own a Dixie Chick CD before, but I do now. You go, Natalie!!

I can't hang this up without mentioning Sheryl Crow. She seems to _try_ to reinvent herself. I've enjoyed her music but ever since she penned and sang "I bring you apples from the vine" I've not been able to take her seriously. C'mon!! Who the hell ever heard of apples on a vine? Others have argued poetic license about this, but I don't buy it.

I figured she just wasn't very bright. At this year's American Music Awards, she conclusively proved it. Showing up in an ever so tacky tee shirt with "War is not the answer" emblazoned in sequins, she offered this conjecture, "The best way to solve problems is to not have enemies" Profound, huh? Oh yeah, and coming soon, exclusively at a Starbucks near you, "Music that Matters to Her"

At least she didn't write the songs.

4/6/03 update More Madonna opinions

Posted by Rockelle at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Okay, I have to do this. I planned to this morning, but felt I had to mention the Firedaemon thing. I really like 24. I don't watch much tv, and 24 is the only show on my "must see" list, so I miss it when it doesn't air and when it does, I expect a one hour thrill ride leaving me hanging in thin air until the next episode.

Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer is great, and cute too. Xander Berkeley, who played CTU Director George Mason, was fantastic this season. It's a shame he is gone. Dennis Haysbert, as President, is wonderful. Everyone does what I consider a bang up job. All but one. The one bad apple in the bunch. The shoe that stepped in doodoo. The rotten egg. Kate Warner, as played (should we call it that?) by Sarah Wynter

Since the first time we saw her skulking around her father's house before her sister's wedding, the expression on her face has not changed!! Somewhere along the way she learned to crease her forehead and do some weird Kermit the Frog thing with her mouth. It ain't pretty, folks. And it's not acting either. Finding her Father is a spy, having her sister try to kill her, sneaking into a mosque, facing torture, the look on her face is always the same. It was rumored earlier in the season that Jack Bauer might express some kind of romantic interest in her character. When he sorta/kinda did, if anything, her brow creased more tightly and her upper lip protruded a bit more. Ewwww!!

So why am I ragging on this poor woman? For one thing, she really is the weakest link on 24. Secondly, my husband, sharing my opinion of her, came in a few days ago with the latest Maxim (I hate to admit it, but yes, he subscribes. ) and slapped it down before me asking if I could believe it. Now I really don't pay much attention to the cover of Maxim other than keeping it off the top of the coffee table pile. (It is just so tacky) But he's pointing at it and I'm scanning the cover, checking the featured articles, and trying to figure out what he is so fired up about, when he points and says "Look! It's her!" It takes me a minute. After all, she is lying back and that alone smoothed some of those creases. Now I'm not saying she isn't pretty or hot or whatever the reason she is in Maxim, but the caption inside with the article is, and I quote____EVERY HOUR CAN FEEL LIKE AN ETERNITY ON FOX'S NAIL-BITINGLY TENSE SERIES 24--BUT THE STUNNING SARAH WYNTER MAKES EACH MINUTE WELL SPENT__

More aptly, it should have read: EVERY MINUTE OF SARAH WYNTER ON 24 SEEMS LIKE AN ETERNITY.

Posted by Rockelle at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)