Roger O Green

Diane Keaton is 70

I do want to watch the movie Marvin’s Room.

My love for the movie Annie Hall is well-documented. Diane Keaton is wonderful in it. I always appreciated the fact that Diane’s given last name was Hall, so all those references about Grammy Hall seemed more genuine. La-de-dah, la-de-dah.

Yet, I remain convinced that, though she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in the Woody Allen film, she was picked as much for the much darker film from 1977, Waiting for Mr. Goodbar. Or, at least, it added to her “body of work” that year that allowed an actress in a comedy to win an Oscar.

Her first claim to fame was performing in the original Broadway production of Hair, in which she refused to disrobe at the end of Act I when the cast performed nude. This was actually controversial at the time, though being naked was contractually optional.

She has appeared in a number of Woody Allen films, starting with Play It Again (1972) through Manhattan (1979), with a cameo in Radio Days (1987) and another starring part in Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), all of which I have seen.

Interesting, and I could have noted this last month on Woody Allen’s 80th birthday, I now wait for the reviews and decide whether to see a Woody film. In the days when Diane was his costar, I saw everything he made. That’s probably more a reflection of his filmmaking than her star power, but there it is.

I’ve also Diane Keaton in The Godfather (1972 – she’s in all three films), Reds (1981 – nominated for a Best Actress Oscar), Crimes of the Heart (1986), Baby Boom (1987), Father of the Bride I and II (1991, 1995), The First Wives Club (1996 – which I liked a lot), Something’s Gotta Give (2003 – nominated for a Best Actress Oscar), and The Family Stone (2005).

I haven’t been drawn to see her more recent films, and I see her only in L’Oreal commercials. But I do want to watch the movie Marvin’s Room (1996), for which she received her fourth Academy Award nomination.

“Keaton wrote her first memoir, entitled Then Again, for Random House in November 2011. Much of the autobiography relies on her mother Dorothy’s private journals, in which she writes at one point: ‘Diane…is a mystery…At times, she’s so basic, at others so wise it frightens me.'”

Z is for Ze (or zie)

American University’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion offers a pronoun guide.

While many of the world’s languages do not, English has historically had gender specificity in certain of their pronouns, particularly in the third person singular (he, she). For many years, a gender-specific, almost always masculine, pronoun was used to express a gender-neutral meaning:

“A candidate should work to the best of his ability, and he must comport himself appropriately.”

A few solutions that been used to improve on this, include “he/she” (clunky), the word “one” (did not seem to catch on), or the third person plural word “they” (which I hate). Some attempts have been made, by proponents of gender-neutral language, to introduce invented gender-neutral pronouns.

In September 2015, “Harvard University made a buzz after allowing students to select gender-neutral options like ‘ze,’ ‘e,’ and ‘they’ on registration forms. In doing so, it joined a wave of other major colleges in acknowledging that gender identity, and the pronouns that go with it, is more fluid than how previous generations understood it.”

American University’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion offers a pronoun guide which states “the practice of asking individuals what pronouns they use for themselves should be done in an effort to respect the diversity of gender identities beyond man and woman.”

Here are some of the gender-neutral contenders, with a breakdown of their strengths and weaknesses:

Ne: Ne laughed. I called nem. Nir eyes gleam. That is nirs. Ne likes nemself.
Ve: Ve laughed. I called ver. Vis eyes gleam. That is vis. Ve likes verself.
Spivak: Ey laughed. I called em. Eir eyes gleam. That is eirs. Ey likes emself.
Ze (or zie) and hir: Ze laughed. I called hir. Hir eyes gleam. That is hirs. Ze likes hirself.
Ze (or zie) and zir: Ze laughed. I called zir. Zir eyes gleam. That is zirs. Ze likes zirself.
Xe: Xe laughed. I called xem. Xyr eyes gleam. That is xyrs. Xe likes xemself.

As noted, “‘Hir,’ although it’s supposed to be pronounced ‘here,’ is read as ‘her’ by many people unfamiliar with the term.” The author prefers ne (n as in neutral) or ve (popular in science fiction), to ze, for reasons of pronunciation in combination with other words, as well as being more gender-free.

I’m not opposed to the use of more gender-neutral language. But the linguistic conservative in me wishes that some sort of consensus would have developed in the past few years, such as when firefighter replaced fireman, and flight attendant encompassed stewardess and steward.

Now, The New York Times Adds ‘Mx.’ to the Honorific Mix, at least on one occasion, in lieu of Mr. or Ms.

Of course, this all has been and will be, a continuing source of debate about whether the trend is cultural sensitivity, or political correctness run amok.

ABC Wednesday – Round 17

The blog at random 2015

The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and #10 in South Africa in 1975.

This is a thing I continue to do at the beginning of the year: pick a post for each month of the previous year, using a random number generator. See how well it reflected that year just passed, or did not. Pretty sure I got this from Gordon, who lives in Chicago, who remains the only non-local blogger I ever met.
I think I enjoy this a lot because it’s so…numerical. And random.

The graphic is random. I went to Google, limited to .gov sites, and typed in the word random, and this was the first one to come out.

January: So, unintentionally, I’m taking life lessons from David Brooks.

February: Viola Liuzzo was a white Detroit housewife who was shot to death by Ku Klux Klan members following the voting rights march in Alabama, the march depicted in the movie “Selma.” (This was in a conversation about Black History Month.)

March: Now, Arthur explains this situation more than I’m inclined to. (About NYC newspapers, and George W Bush and Selma)

April: “Devote your energies to a cause that might actually make a difference in someone’s life.” (A quote from some annoying local media persona, with whom I disagreed.)

May: So I checked out Fred’s blog, and liked it so much that I read his entire backlog of articles, EVERY DAY, going back to January 2003. (How I started my blog, on the 10th anniversary, thanks in part to Fred Hembeck.)

June: One of the two or three best James Bond songs, this from The Spy Who Loved Me. (Re: Carly Simon at 70)

July: The need, at least for some of them, to ascribe all the problems in of the world at the feet of religion. (Answering An Arthur question re: ask Roger Anything)

August: Dealing with the environment’s a waste of time? (A real-life- non-Internet, argument I tried avoiding having with a stranger.)

September: For instance, what is the character to the right? (Political correctness, and Donald Trump.)

October: The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and #10 in South Africa in 1975. (Re: the song Jackie Blue)

November: However, a few will struggle and it is exactly those veterans who need a Veterans Treatment Court program the most. (My 11/11 post)

December: In some way, the politics are more utopian than the science. (My review of the movie The Martian.

Oddly, I missed all the weekly ABC Wednesday posts. In fact, more than their fair share of posts were from Fridays and Saturdays.

Music Throwback Saturday: Weird Al, Part 3

How many different ways can one say someone’s none too bright?

The illustrious Illinois blogger SamuraiFrog decided to rank all of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s songs, 165 of them, an impressive undertaking. So, I decided to come up with a list of my 33 favorite Weird Al songs. Why 33? Because LPs play at 33 revolutions per minute. And I’m going to break them up into three posts of 11 songs each, mostly because posting 11 posts of three songs each would be weird.

Here are Part 1 and Part 2.

11. Trapped In The Drive-Thru
(based on Trapped in the Closet by R. Kelly, from Straight Outta Lynwood, 2006)
An epic narrative about everyday stuff that married couples might go through, just trying to pick up dinner. Though I HOPE you don’t. Unexpected Led Zeppelin riff.

10. Gump; #102 in US, 1996
(Parody of “Lump” by The Presidents of the United States of America; from Bad Hair Day, 1996)
I found the wordplay funny, and the clash between the movie, that I didn’t love and went on too long, being so succinctly described in 140 seconds pleased me.

9. Genius in France
(Style parody of Frank Zappa; from Poodle Hat, 2003)
I have fallen in love with this pairing of the “Jerry Lewis phenomenon” of being more highly regarded in Paris than in Peoria, while totally capturing the Zappa sound and vocals. How many different ways can one say someone’s none too bright? I think they are all here. Dweezil Zappa performs the opening guitar solo riff.

8. Dog Eat Dog
(Style parody of Talking Heads; from Polka Party!, 1986)
It’s all about office politics. A great imitation of David Byrne’s vocal style.

7. Dare To Be Stupid
(style parody of Devo; from Dare to Be Stupid, 1985)
All the cliches turned on their heads. Frog’s #1 song.

6. Mission Statement
(Style parody of Crosby, Stills & Nash; from Mandatory Fun, 2014)
It was the juxtaposition of the hippie-dippy CSNY and the corporate BS buzzwords, which, as a business librarian since the early 1990s, I’ve heard these far too often, as though they meant something, and learned to despise them.

5. White and Nerdy: #9 in US, #14 in Sweden, #80 in UK, 2006
(Parody of “Ridin'” by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone; from Straight Outta Lynwood, 2006)
I’m not sure who bought this, his biggest single ever, which went platinum. Was it the white and nerdy kids, or the black kids impressed with Al’s rapping? With Key & Peele, AND Donny Osmond!

4. Amish Paradise; #53 in US, 1996
(Parody of “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio; from Bad Hair Day, 1996)
From SamuraiFrog: “I think this parody is especially interesting if you take into consideration that Coolio’s original song is itself a reworking of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Pastime Paradise’ from his 1976 masterpiece Songs in the Key of Life…

“I’ve seen it criticized heavily for being weak (I think it was Entertainment Weekly who said something about the Amish being a pretty lame target for a parody), but those people are missing the point.” Another criticism was that the Amish and the Mennonites aren’t exactly the same; so fussy!

3. I Lost on JEOPARDY!; #81 in US, 1984
(Parody of “Jeopardy” by Greg Kihn Band; from “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D, 1984)
I did, so there’s that. I’m pretty sure JEOPARDY! was off the air, but came back later that year with Alex Trebek. Coincidence? This video features original host Art Fleming, who I used to watch with my aunt Deana at lunchtime when I was growing up. Plus cameos by Kihn, Dr. Demento, and Don Pardo.

2. Word Crimes; #39 in US, 2014
(Parody of “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke featuring TI and Pharrell Williams; from Mandatory Fun, 2014)
In spite of its infectious, Marvin Gaye-inspired tune, I HATE Blurred Lines lyrically; it’s a damn date rape song. Conversely, I LOVED the content and the visuals of Word Crimes, as I have lovingly(?) been accused of being a grammar Nazi. So I’m glad the tune has a much different manifestation.

This was Al’s fourth US Top 40 single, all in different decades. Michael Jackson and Madonna are the only other artists with Top 40 hits in four different decades.

1. Smells Like Nirvana ; #4 in New Zealand, #24 in Australia, #35 in US, #38 in Sweden, #48 in Canada, #58 in UK
(Parody of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana; from Off the Deep End, 1992)
The first time I ever heard Smells Like Teen Spirit, I thought the lyrics were very funny and terribly silly (“a mosquito, my libido.”) Then I discovered that it was meant to be a serious representation of youth angst. It was at that moment I felt a bit old, though, in fact, I eventually bought three or four Nirvana albums.

And it appeared that Weird Al had disappeared. He hadn’t released anything for a few years, and I figured that his decade-plus run had come to an end. Then this video came out on MTV. It is my favorite story about Al getting permission, in this case from Kurt Cobain. The song wasn’t about food, as the Nirvana lead singer had assumed. And it features both gargling AND kazoos! This song, his second US Top 40, was the beginning of a new phase in Al’s career.

2015 in review

All men and women living on the Earth.
Ties of hope and love,
Sister and brotherhood,
That we are bound together

This is the thing that Jaquandor does on December 31, but I do on January 1.

Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

If I made one, it was to do less. I failed miserably, except when I had to because of the hernia operation, which felt really good, actually.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Not that I recall.

Did you attend any weddings?

Affirmative: Ron and David, just a couple of weeks ago.

Did anyone close to you die?

Well, yes, three people in the first six weeks of the year. Jimmy Rocco, who was in my church choir, and Bonnie Deschane, who cleaned our house for a while, and Robert Yates, my mom’s first cousin, who was closer in age to me than her. I think it made the winter far more difficult. And the average of 12F in February, cf the normal of 19F, didn’t help.

What countries did you visit?

None and I would like to change that someday.

What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?

World peace. Or some approximation thereof.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Surviving November.

What was your biggest failure?

Not finding someone to whom I could delegate a specific task.

What was the best thing you bought?

Marvel Masterworks book of The Defenders comic book, written by Steve Gerber.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Anyone who acts with caring and compassion in the midst of fear and paranoia.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

And speaking of fear and paranoia, let’s just put it this way: I’m more distressed by the political supporters of a particular political candidate than I am with the candidate.

Where did most of your money go?

The house, specifically the bathroom renovation.

What did you get really excited about?

Learning new stuff, often through this here blog.

Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

I have to admit, sadder.

Thinner or fatter?

Yo-yo much of the year.

Richer or poorer?

Richer, marginally. We had pledged a chunk of money for our church’s elevator, and that is paid off.

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Reading books.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

I’d like to say “watching the news”, but I don’t want to be beholden to false narratives, so I watch more, from various sources.

How did you spend Christmas?

Christmas Eve means singing at church, so that. Eventually, we go to the in-laws.

Did you fall in love in 2015?

You betcha.

How many one-night stands?

Jaquandor: “Now, that’s not the kind of question a gentleman answers! (Another stock answer!)”

What was your favorite TV program?

The Good Wife, CBS Sunday Morning, JEOPARDY!

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Hate hurts the hater. Now, intense dislike, I have a few.

What was the best book you read?

The Heart of Christianity by Marcus J. Borg. This will require a review, eventually. But kudos to Jaquandor for Stardancer.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

I blame someone from church, who put two Bruno Mars songs on a mixed CD, one of which was Uptown Funk. But more important, and on the same mix, is the song Glory, from the movie Selma. The more I listen to it, the more I appreciate it. Some lyrics:

The biggest weapon is to stay peaceful
We sing, our music is the cuts that we bleed through
Somewhere in the dream, we had an epiphany
Now we right the wrongs in history
No one can win the war individually
It takes the wisdom of the elders and young people’s energy
Welcome to the story we call victory
Comin’ of the Lord, my eyes have seen the glory

What did you want and get?

Out of Corporate (frickin’) Woods, and working downtown.

What did you want and not get?

An office with a door, which was bitterly disappointing beyond belief.

What were your favorite films of this year?

Selma; Love & Mercy; Inside Out.

What did you do on your birthday?

I thought I would have written about this, but I can’t find it. I had my annual hearts game with friends Broome, Mary, and Orchid. Lifelong friend Karen came up because of work that evening, regaling us with stories about Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, and elevators.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2015?

See these stories. This is about five minutes longer than what I care about in terms of fashion.

What kept you sane?

My dads’ group in church.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, George Takei.

What political issue stirred you the most?

Congress couldn’t even limit guns to those on terror watch lists, because FREEDOM, which epitomizes my despair that ANYTHING will happen to make guns less available to people who ought not to have them.

Who did you miss?

Madre, padre.

Who was the best new person you met?

Our acting presbyter, and a young woman at a church dinner.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015:

Doing the right thing sometimes backfires.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

After the Charleston shooting, James Taylor sang Shed A Little Light in Columbia, SC. The lyrics:

And recognize that there are ties between us,
All men and women living on the Earth.
Ties of hope and love,
Sister and brotherhood,
That we are bound together
In our desire to see the world
Become a place in which our children
Can grow free and strong.
We are bound together by the task
That stands before us
And the road that lies ahead.
We are bound and we are bound.

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