I'm reading "My Life in France," Julia Child's memoir of her life in the late '40s/early '50s with her husband, Paul. Everything I'd read about Julia and Paul indicated that theirs was a perfect love story - that they were inseparable and blissfully in love - when in fact, Julia was probably more like Julie Powell (author of Julie & Julia) than critics of Powell would like to admit.
The book is written in a colourful manner, probably mostly thanks to Alex Prud'homme, her husband's twin brother's grandson (Julia did admit to being a terrible writer). You're able to easily envision every scene and can almost taste every dish, smell every aroma, fragrance, temperature... AND feel the indigestion rising.
All those high-fat, high-sodium foods she loved so much - the heavy creams, red meat, etc. - is ironically what made her sick and might have caused her cancer. She definitely romanticized what was obviously very difficult living in post-war France. She had a positive attitude and absolutely loved what she was doing... but the movie, Julie & Julia made it seem as though she were living in luxury, when in reality, it was the opposite. Paul's $95/week - only $15 to live on after expenses - could not have sufficed for this ambitious lady.
Julia was rebelling against her rich, conservative father and went for the opposite life - she was one of those spoiled California girls going off to live a so-called charmed Bohemian life struggling in the streets with the working class, yet still taking money from her parents - so not exactly struggling like the rest of the impoverished, just living among them. Though I do admire Julia's determination to document authentic French life and cooking rather than choosing to mingle with the bourgeoisie.
She wasn't interested in creature comforts; she'd discovered a great passion - her wonderful career - relatively late in life and was determined not to take the easy road, to instead work hard to be the best cook possible - admitting her limitations and overcoming them step by step along the way. And thanks to her husband's support, she was able to achieve that and so much more.
In every venue, including the movie version of Julie & Julia, Julia Child comes off as a beloved American master (thanks to Meryl Streep's brilliant portrayal); and her cheerful, optimistic attitude was the impetus to her success all along the way. Julie Powell, on the other hand, has become maligned for evidently cutting off her own nose to spite her face, revealing her dark side and being too "whiny" and "immature."
Powell might be judged in the reviews as a despicable person, but she was smart and creative enough to find her mirror image and to bring the Childs to the forefront of American history because of her discoveries about Julia. Julia Child may not have thought much of Julie's blog idea, but she can thank Powell for sparking an interest in us all so Julia Child is not just remembered as the goofy gawky cook on PBS in the '60s lampooned on SNL, but rather a real romantic - a brave woman, great pioneer in gastronomy - who found true love and her calling and was able to live a very full life in spite of limitations one of lesser character may have found insurmountable.
The jury is still out on this one... I'm reading further and will post an update shortly.
Joan Baez is a polarizing figure in my life now that I am grown... I have mixed feelings about her... unlike the way I felt about her when I was young. I played her songs in bars and open mike nights in Chicago - "Diamonds & Rust," "Love Song to a Stranger," and her imitations of Bob Dylan were always amusing to me.
Seeing her on "American Masters: How Sweet the Sound" was touching, inspiring and also perplexing to me. I think she enjoys being an enigma and I got the impression that her own reflections caused her to need to reflect even more. She's a wandering troubadour - a minstrel, a poet and a woman of the global world who lives everywhere yet lives nowhere in particular.
I really admire her as an artist, a mirror of our times... I admire her ability to reflect upon her life and put things into perspective. I admire the way, in this documentary, she takes us on a sobering journey through her past and you hear her mention the word "learn" a lot as she tells us that she learned the lessons of life the hard way... she didn't choose an easy path or easy people with whom to associate. Yet she's very much in the present and open to new songs, which she pours over and new concerts, which she organizes strategically to fit in with her improved priorities.
She admits that when she was young, she was "promiscuous" but doesn't really tell us what that means. She tells us of the pain she believes she caused (Dylan and others) and the pain she herself felt so intensely as a political activist. This is the story of a woman who grew up and learned from everything she'd experienced and then blossomed into a silver-haired, contemplative traveler of the universe whose eyes have not faded and still see with crystal clarity.
You are able to truly feel her pain in Vietnam as she herself was caught in an air raid and ended up in a bomb shelter... and Sarajevo with the cellist playing in the streets, how she hugged him with all of her might and then sat in his chair and sang "Amazing Grace" with the extraordinary instrument of her calling - that gorgeous, lilting, sweet voice. This is a mature, smart woman with a great gift of musicality who was always certain of her calling and she is determined to live it to the end.
Watch her here...
Go here for more...
My picture, "Gandhi Spinning" will appear in a new book entitled Peace Fibres: Stitching a Soulful World by Karen Lohn. In it, she enlists "fibre work as metaphor and manifestation for developing harmonious relationship to self, others, and the larger world." They plan to use the image as a centerpiece for a page called "Threads for Thought" in which she discusses Gandhi's daily spinning and the role he played in leading India to independence.
Elvis died 33 years ago today and I remember just where I was. The faithful followers and worshippers are flocking to Graceland as they do every year... but would Elvis have wanted to be adored in this manner? He was, despite his obvious lack of faith in himself, a deeply religious man. I don't know if he'd approve of his fans turning him into a golden calf. It would go against the commandments in which he believed.
When I think Elvis was only 42 when he died, I can't believe it. I still don't understand how he could have let himself go - once the most handsome man in the world, slender, filled with more talent than 100 so-called "stars" of today put together... I just don't get it. He must have been really sad on earth. I think the only thing that made him happy was singing those old gospel songs.
I loved Elvis when I was a child... I guess I kind of worshipped him like any other little girl. But I moved on... yet still loving his music as much as ever all my life. I've never been to Graceland... I think, on purpose. I didn't want my childhood bubble burst by all the commercialism and flashy fakeness.
I grew up watching Elvis's movies... so I couldn't really relate to his Las Vegas jumpsuit years. My favorite song was "In the Ghetto" because supposedly he'd recorded the Mac Davis composition for Chicago, where I grew up. A few years ago, I bought the DVD of his 1968 Comeback Special, which is Elvis at his best... but I can't bring myself to watch it. From Elvis in Memphis is my favorite Elvis album. R.I.P., Elvis! You were one in a hundred million!
Can you imagine the ghosts of artists, musicians, poets and writers that must haunt the studios of Carnegie Hall's towers? Just ask Elizabeth Sargent. All of her neighbors are gone, forced out. She is the last holdout tenant of Carnegie Hall's towers, and is preparing to leave the affordable studios that for more than a century housed some of America's most brilliant creative artists.
Sargent, a one-time dancer noted for her boldly sexual poetry, is now in her 80s and in remission from cancer. For 40 years, she's lived on the ninth floor of the red brick southern tower above the famed stage of the 119-year-old landmark. She has until Aug. 31 to clear out.
Red scaffolding surrounds Carnegie Hall as the city-owned towers are being gutted this summer in a $200 million renovation that includes adding a youth music program. Celebrities like Robert De Niro and Susan Sarandon had fought to save the homes, petitioning the city not to "displace these treasured artists and master teachers."
Musicians, painters, dancers and actors thrived in the two towers built by 19th-century industrialist Andrew Carnegie just after the hall went up in 1891. The towers - one 12 stories high, the other 16 - housed more than 100 studios, some with special skylights installed to give painters the northern light they prize.
Over the years, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Robert Redford took acting lessons here and Lucille Ball had voice coaching. James Dean studied scripts and Leonard Bernstein, music.
Women once lined up on the street to visit an alluring resident - the young Marlon Brando. His studio space on the eighth floor was demolished in early July. [more...]
The story of Isaiah Zagar is lovingly portrayed by his son, Jeremiah, in the documentary film, In A Dream. It's shocking, heartbreaking, colorful, filled with life and all its intricacies... and inspiring in its own special way. Jeremiah skillfully captured not only his father's art, but the depths of his mother, as well as his brother's recovery from drug addiction and all the struggles they went through.
Over the past four decades, Isaiah Zagar has covered more than 50,000 square feet of Philadelphia with stunning mosaic murals. "In A Dream" is a documentary feature film that chronicles his work and his tumultuous relationship with his wife, Julia. It follows the Zagars as their marriage implodes and a harrowing new chapter in their life unfolds.
A short silent comedy that was lost for decades holds a big surprise for film buffs and historians when a familiar face emerges from the bushes in police uniform and that unforgettable mustache.
The 1914 film, "A Thief Catcher," was missing for so many years that everyone forgot Charlie Chaplin made a brief cameo as a buffoon Keystone cop, with all his familiar twitches and gestures.
Out of nowhere, the 10-minute film turned up late last year at an antiques sale in Taylor, Mich. Film historian Paul Gierucki thought he was buying just another Keystone Studios comedy and didn't watch the 16mm print for months. [more...]
I met Alice Tan Ridley back in 2007 singing her heart out in the subways of NYC and set up this MySpace page for her back then. I bought one of her homemade CDs and have listened to it for years... also posted some samples on this site. I told her I was going to put her on the Internet so others would be able to hear her sing.
I'm so glad she is at long last being recognized for her great talent! Her daughter, Academy Award-nominee Gabourey Sidibe of 'Precious,' will soon be cheering her mom on. As previously reported, Alice Tan Ridley, auditioned for the new season of 'America's Got Talent' this past March.
Read more: Alice Tan Ridley: Moving to Next Round on 'America's Got Talent'
Always fascinated by Ambroise Vollard, one of the most important dealers in French contemporary art at the beginning of the twentieth century, I was amazed to read this article today about all these paintings that were found in 1979, but neglected for decades!
"A long-lost trove of Impressionist and Modern art not seen since World War II will be offered at auction in London and Paris, Sotheby's said Friday. The 140 works - including paintings, prints and drawings - belonged to Parisian art dealer Ambroise Vollard, who played an important role promoting artists including Renoir, Cezanne, Picasso and Matisse. The collection was found in 1979 in a Paris bank vault. It had been neglected for decades because Erich Slomovic, an acquaintance of Vollard who deposited the art in the bank in 1939, was killed by the Nazis in 1942.
The key work is a 1905 painting by French artist Andre Derain valued at up to (EURO)15 million ($18 million). Derain co-founded the short-lived Fauve art movement with Matisse in the early 20th century." [more...]
A cache of 75 long-lost silent films uncovered in the New Zealand Film Archive vault, including the only known copy of a drama by legendary director John Ford, is being sent back to the United States to be restored.
Among the movies found in storage are a copy of Ford's "Upstream," the earliest surviving movie by comic actor and director Mabel Normand and a period drama starring 1920s screen icon Clara Bow. Only 15 percent of the silent films made by Ford, who won four Oscars, have survived.
New Zealand Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Christopher Finlayson said the find is important as there are no prints of the films remaining in the U.S.
"These important films will be preserved and made available to both U.S. and New Zealand audiences to enjoy," he told The New Zealand Herald newspaper Tuesday. [more...]
