Mexican magazine: Reputed drug lord fears jail

From USA TODAY:

"One of Mexico's most famous reputed drug lords said in a rare interview published Sunday that he lives in fear of getting caught and believes the military has closed in on him four times.

'I'm terrified of being incarcerated,' Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada told the Mexican news magazine, Proceso, adding that he would even contemplate suicide if he was about to be caught. 'I'd like to think that yes, I would kill myself.'"

Olajuwon watches daughter in Final Four

From The Globe and Mail:

"For the first time in Oklahoma center Abi Olajuwon's four years with the Sooners, Hakeem Olajuwon watched his daughter play from the stands Sunday in Oklahoma's 73-66 loss to Stanford in the national semi-finals.

“You feel goose bumps,” Hakeem Olajuwon said. “You want her to do so well, and win so bad. I want to go in and do something.”

After carrying the Sooners to the Final Four, Abi Olajuwon was held to six points and nine rebounds in her final game.

Hakeem Olajuwon sat with the rest of Abi's family, and was easy to spot: the Hall of Famer wore a bright green polo shirt in a sea of Sooners crimson."

I know very, very little about sports, but I remember Olajouwn's career and I thought this was cute. I wonder if she's even the best player on the team...

Two Quotes

"We shall be judged finally by the delicacy of our feeling for when to stop short." -- Robert Frost, in a letter to Sidney Cox

"She had the utterly disdainful expression of a dame who makes her dates by long distance." -- Raymond Chandler, The High Window

Hot mama, dressed in black, New Wave Coffee - m4w (LoSq.) 29yr

"Wowee. Wednesday, March 10, (late morning) maybe you are/were with a friend. Sexy, straight dark hair, somewhat athletic get-up--boots and tattoos, etc. And then glasses! You're voluptuous and lovely. Then I saw you typing alone by a column.

Tall, good-looking lad (bespectacled) typing by a window would like a moment or two of your time."

You know what you did... - m4w (Birthday Train)

"You unilaterally made my day. I was outside smoking, looking at my iPhone FB alerts, thinking 'wouldn't it be cool if....'... and there you were, one minute later. I didn't want anyone else to feel less appreciated, because they aren't, so I'm saying it here: Extra-special thank yous to you. Don't tell the other kids, they wouldn't understand :)

I would love to see you out tonight, coincidentally or otherwise."

Scarlet's Michael - m4m (Boystown)

"I think your name is Michael. You're really cute and always so nice to me on Friday's! Are you dating anyone? What is your type? Most of the time I see you with this cute little lady or tie wearing guy

Signed,

Crush"

Blonde inside the diner in Logan Square - m4w (Logan Square) 29yr

"You totally eye-petted my dog as we walked past Johnny's Grill (I think that is the name...) yesterday afternoon. It made my dog confused. He now demands a play date with you, but we need to get drinks first so I know you won't hurt his feelings.

You were blonde, wearing a blue plaid shirt and eating with a friend."

CVS Pharmacist - m4m (LaSalle and Kinzie) 27yr

"I came in to pick up a prescription right when you opened this morning. I joked with you about drinking while taking medication. You're blond with, I think, a Polish last name?"

undercovers - w4m

"I just tried to put myself in your dreams.

did it work?"

I wanted to talk to you. I really did. - m4w

"So I'm kind of a quiet guy, it turns out. God has given people worse curses, from what I can tell, and from what I see every day.

But you. I wanted to talk to you. I didn't know how. Isn't that funny? There you were -- everything I've ever wanted and needed in a woman -- there you were. Standing there. Waiting. Listening. Sending those messages that women send: 'I'm listening.'

I didn't know what to say. It's been buried so deeply for so long that it didn't come out right. It came out like a complicated German narrative poem on crack, or like Joni Mitchell on a 40.

You were all, like, 'um. okay. whatever.'

Later, the words came out right, and they *were* right, but you were gone."

When I said it wasn't working... - w4m (West Loop) 28yr

"Thats because I want more than you want to give me. I don't need or want everything, just more 'I miss you'texts while you are away and a few naughty ones too. :-) Your travel schedule is perfect actually, I get my alone time and I love that you aren't needy or clingy. I had to end it because I have been down this road before...we are soooo good together and I'm so comfortable with you but you've made it clear that I am not the entire package deal that you are looking for. I hope you have a few bad dates and will write me and tell me how perfect I am :-). Maybe you'll read this and ... ha, well and that would probably not make matters better. But to the great CL abyss that I send this....I very much want to keep doing what we are doing and not change anything but I need more -just a little - from you to make me feel special."

Looking for a face - m4w (Chicago) 23yr

"I've been riding around this city looking for something, maybe non existent. A face like Anna Karina's, but with sharp, piercing eyes. One who cares nothing for the heights of society immortalized. A wit as fast as a cat falling three stories, and an imaginative personality that only could be on par with taking mescaline. Some call her predatory, and I've met this archetype three times in my life. Every incarnation of her seeming to add a vein of ingenuity to the absent minded world around it. If I found this woman again, I would follow her."

Blonde on the Eisenhower & Madison Street - m4w (inbound) 35yr

"You: gorgeous, blonde, driving an Infiniti SUV (I think). You hastily veered off on 17th Ave and drove down Madison through Maywood, River Forest and Forest Park. We made eye contact as I pulled alongside. I said 'Wow,' and you smiled and enjoyed the rest of that cigarette. I'm in love."

Sexy can I? - m4w (North/Sheff) 42yr

"Me: Casual, life enthusiast, people pleaser, sensual, careful, hunter/gatherer

You: Peppy, bouncy, hip shaker, nature lover, sexy all around.

Us: Happy, tickle fights, whip cream madness, mixed babies, LOVE

Give us a chance, meet me at the corner of north ave and sheffield. I'll be the one holding a carnation in my lapel."

The Reader - w4m (#36 Bus - last Wednesday) 30yr

"You sat down next to me on the bus (#36 northbound) last Wednesday night & asked me what I was reading. We talked about our books (you - Madame Bovary, me - Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil), bookclubs & how we're both bucking the literacy trend. I had to get off at Buena & started kicking myself immediately for not asking if you'd like to get a coffee some time. Care to help me with this?"

sorry - w4m (west)

"I liked you, a lot. I'm sorry that you have issues, and I'm sorry I can't handle your issues due to my issues and I'm sorry I have mine own separate issues. Most of all, I'm sorry that it didn't work out, I really was hoping it would. I miss you. My heart is a bit broken."

through it all - w4m (Russian blue ) 31yr

"I saw a little life for us. Of animals and flashlights, sex toys, movies, kungfu pandas, fashion, chicken breasts, english muffins, bad movies, feet curled together. And when I was with you I did not care as much about fancy shoes or fancy food. I was so happy having not very much, but just curled in your arms at night. And when I walked the halls of your office a few weeks ago, every pretty girl made my stomach churn and I got very scared thinking of the reality of which I'll never know, because when your glass is not half empty or full, and you just finally feel full, pouring it out and the process of re-judging the value breaks your heart.

and these days I am trying very hard to do my best. and to be honest I am really tired. and lonely, and heartbroken. and struggling every day to make my head right and still be kind and smile at people. and I manically clean and drive order, hating and wishing my love for you so great, that I forget to care.

my primordial love love love you. I can only lie so long to myself."

Starbucks (Tuesday, March 9th) - m4w (Armitage and Sheffield) 30yr

"We were facing each other in the leather chairs in front of the fireplace. You were wearing black tights with a skirt and passing the time working with a ball of yarn but didn't get that far before getting up to leave. I was too shy to say anything at the time. I also was unsure of your age. You seemed younger and there are a lot of DePaul students in this area as you could imagine.

Please put what color yarn you were crocheting (spelling?) in the subject line when you reply. If you put the right color in the subject line I will respond."

"It's like Maggie but with an E, Meggie." (Loop - Michigan Ave.) 28yr

"I already had dinner and came to meet my friends for a beer, but because of you 'Meggie' I ended up ordering wings and way too many beers. I doubt a girl like you would be reading things like this, but its worth a shot.

You - were - awesome. My initial reaction was holy shit she's hot, but then you also became cute annnnnd funny! I admit to looking through MC's occasionally after reading an article, but I have never posted one, until today. I want to take you on a date somewhere and make you laugh (I liked your smile). I am determined to have atleast a drink with you, even coffee or tea. I will be back to your place of work.

I was the guy with brown hair wearing a shirt and tie. You - blonde and gorgeous."

Metra Train 3/7 to Fox Lake (FOX LAKE) 23yr

"You were on the night Milwaukee Metra Line to Fox Lake. You have a broken hand? WE caught eyes a few times and gave each other a smile. All I could think about was asking you your story, where you were going? What you were doing? What happened to your hand? Before I could my stop came up. Next time I see you in this world, I will stop to ask."

at first i thought you were following me... - w4m (trader joe's) 22yr

"but it turns out we really were just going to the same place.

we sat across from each other on the train, and i thought you were super cute. unfortunately, i was listening to a really good song at the time, so i was a little distracted. plus i'm awful at flirting with strangers. clearly. anyway, we both got off at addison, and considering the fact that we were the only two people exiting the train, you were standing veeeerrryy close behind me. or hey, maybe you stand that close to all your fellow train-exiters. in any case, just as i was crossing lincoln, cursing myself for not at least smiling at you, you reappeared, right behind me. and then you followed me all the way into trader joe's... where you work. what are the odds? i don't really need to tell the rest of the story at this point, because if this happened to you around 5:30 today, you're likely the right one.

anyway, just know that you're pretty cute. we should awkwardly maneuver around each other at the tropical carrot juice stand again sometime

re: hammer's anvil

"This isn't for me, but it rang true in how I feel about a man. When you want to understand and it all gets mixed up and you say the wrong thing, or do the wrong thing because you're not sure what exactly is happening. For once I just enjoy time with somebody and am more comfortable than I have been in years and just wish to understand why and what, even if only friends, it is supposed to be. I take it for what it is and enjoy what little time I do get with him, it's all I can ask for.

You are not alone. And it's nice to see that men go through the same things as women sometimes."

To be your hammer's anvil - m4w

"I want a charmed try. Connection does not need enhancements of romantic, physical, or mental. Why am I instantly at ease with you? I have run into other women after I've made a mess of things. Sure, I made some rather smallish talk, but I was astounded at the time. I told you I'd had a feeling I'd see you there. I slipped, because its not something I would really want you to know, especially after my clodding about. I just spoke what I was thinking, because it was absurd. There you were, right in front of me. I had/have no expectations. I only hope it really was good to see me, and that you weren't in freak-out mode, trying to be nice so as to expedite your escape. Anyway, so I kinda admitted that I still think of you, yet I do see how I did not heed boundaries. As I said at the time, I'm sorry I didn't. But I'm not sorry I know there is a connection. It's not about music, literature, art, etc...

Simply put: I'm supposed to know you. You're supposed to be on my mind. I'm meant to be at ease with you. I'm not sorry for any of that. I can't explain it, or determine the 'hows' of this. Not meant to be lovers? Fine. But how? How are we meant? I wouldn't be at all surprised if none of this means a thing to you, if you don't ever think of me, if I am just some weirdo (Gonzo was my guy, anyway). Nonetheless, I am telling you that it is there, and you haven't recognized it. We are not meant to go our separate ways, it's that simple. I've had crushes, this is not a crush. This is the undercurrent, driving me to thoughts of you. This is much more special than I care to admit, to anyone. Partially because I don't understand it, partially because I'm the only one who has witnissed it, and the balance because upon seeing it, I gushed it from the proverbial mountaintops sans echo. I hate that I did that; telling you everything the way I did. I do not recieve compliments well, and having that perspective, I wish I would have saved much of it. You close my circuit. From a million miles away, you close my circuit. My ones and ohs streamed out so fast, beating my mind's tempering pace by a country mile. If I ever run into you again, I'm not going to waste it. I'm going to buy you a beer, and see if you just wanna hang out for a couple minutes. I need to un-weird this, so whatever it is that's meant can be. That's all I know."

you at filter reading 'i know why the caged bird sings' - m4w (wicker) 28yr

"there you were, in a black top with dark pants and converse sneakers (which went well with your haircut that reminded me of uma thurman's character in 'pulp fiction--so cute), reading 'i know why the caged bird sings,' while sipping coffee from a cup that must've been one foot tall. i never saw the front of the book, but i could tell it was maya angelou from the picture on the back, her subtle, subdued and lonely look. a baby on the floor next to the couch we were both sitting on kept putting a green plastic toy on your right shoe. the goodness of you struck me, observing your simple smile at this naive and cute kid.

do you remember me asking you politely to watch my bag while i stepped away? that was a pathetic excuse to say something to you. i'm shy."

LOVE this one.

Re: loving with no target - m4w

"Thank you.

I could have wrote that. I love with reckless abandonment.

I love because I love, because I am loved, because I AM love.

Love,
mike"

Love with no particular target 31yr

"I'm so in love. But the insane part is that I'm not quite sure if there's a specific WHO or WHAT that's the object of my affection. Yet I walk around sparkly-eyed, constantly sighing, and just plain full of love. Woe unto whoever or whatever crosses my path...because they'll probably end up being victims of all this unexplained warmth and affection.

I know it's nuts... I know that people guard themselves from loving each other because it potentially sets them up for a lot of hurt and disappointment.... I know that many are incapable of accepting or returning it [and that's ok]... I know that some will think that I'm carelessly tossing around the 'L' word... But it doesn't change how I feel. In contrast, and in all sincerity, nothing hurts worse than holding back this emotion.

It makes me want to randomly do good things and bless people when they least expect it... it makes me want to embrace friends/strangers/acquaintances just because.

Sometimes it gets lonesome...because people don't understand, or they aren't in a place to accept it, or they don't know how to react. But for the most part, I'm at peace with it [though some days are definiely harder than others].

So even if I don't fully understand this part of me, my gut is telling me to stay true to it. Why not? Everything has lined up for me so far, and maybe this is why.

xoxoxox"

Yes, Chicago is the most sentimental city on earth. Must be something in the water...

SW flight from STL to MDW - w4m (Lakeview) 28yr

"This seems quite silly and fairly pointless..but..

We chatted a bit on our flight from St. Louis to Chicago...about books/authors, running on the lake, half/full marathons, loving the city...

So, I guess if you see this and are interested, we should continue the chat over coffee or drinks.

And, because this is quite bold of me to post and by the sheer chance you see this...just to make sure it's you...where did you mention that you would like to someday run a marathon?"

So you're six feet tall in heels? - m4w (Wicker Park) 30yr

"I approached you at the bar in Debonair. Alas, you were with some other guy. And as a gentleman, I wasn't about to trespass on that. But we talked for a moment. And there seemed to be a spark.

It's safe to say that we're both tall, striking, and intelligent. But are you available?

A."

At Pick Me Up today, late afternoon. - w4m (Pick Me Up Cafe)

"You were sitting alone up by the window today at Pick Me Up. You were on the 'bar side' (I always still want to call it the 'smoking section'). You were chubby, had brown hair, brown beard, and glasses. You kind of looked familiar to me, but I am not sure. I thought you were cute and for some reason was really inclined to go up to you and ask if you wanted to hang out sometime, and I normally would do this as I have little shame, BUT..I was on a first date and didn't want to be rude. If this is you email me, and let's hang out sometime.

PS: Being in the restaurant/bar industry myself I am sure that the PMU staff hangs up all missed connections somewhere to make fun of the people who post them. That is what we have done everywhere I have ever worked. So...tell that guy about this as I got the impression he was a regular."

Farewell to ‘The Hills,’ With a Wink and a Nod

From the ArtsBeat Blog at the NYT:

"“The Hills” ended on Tuesday with a wink to all the fans and critics who have questioned its semi-scripted nature over the years.

After Kristin Cavallari said goodbye to her former boyfriend, Brody Jenner, on a quiet street, the Hollywood sign gleaming in the distance, the camera pulled back to reveal that Mr. Jenner was standing on a studio backlot, implying that the coming-of-age-in-tinseltown stories were never as real as they appeared."

The end of the Hills; the end of an era (or sideshow.) Here's what I remarked after first watching: "I found myself oddly moved by the finale, the obligatory photo montage, the labored attempt at narrative closure, the confused attempt at being 'self-reflexive' at the end; the genuine pathos of Brody and Kristen's mismatch; the utter absence of Speidi and L.C.

New Opera Focuses on Bill Clinton's Life - Washington Whispers

From U.S. News & World Report:

If any recent president's life is the stuff of operas, it's Bill Clinton's. There's been comedy, drama, back-stabbing, shouting, crying, death, and many miraculous comebacks. But that's real life. Now art will be imitating life in a project coming together in Little Rock and meant to show how his struggles as a kid raised by a fun-loving mother influenced the making of the 42nd president.

File this under bleh. This might be interesting if Clinton didn't support it--in fact, was actively fighting to have it stopped--but with his support, it is sure to be hagiography.

Shoes -- Yes, Shoes -- Inspired By Ernest Hemingway

From ArtsJournal:

"'Hemingway was very fond of loafers,' said Patrick Hemingway, the writer's 82-year-old son. 'A lot of celebrity endorsements are phony, but not in this case. Hemingway had a great sense of style. He especially loved leather boots from Madrid.'"

Haha, I believe it. I even believe he had 'a great sense of style.'

Lena Horne Is Remembered at Funeral Mass

From NYT:

"In the pews were hundreds of mourners, among them Jessye Norman, Leontyne Price, Dionne Warwick, Lauren Bacall, Chita Rivera, Cicely Tyson, Vanessa Williams and Gov. David A. Paterson. Leslie Uggams said that Ms. Horne had been someone to look up to. “When my father reluctantly figured out that I was going to go in show business,” Ms. Uggams recalled outside the church, he said, “I want you to be like Lena.”

The service began with a cello piece by Bach. Later, Audra McDonald performed an arrangement of “This Little Light of Mine” and “Amazing Grace,” and one of four speakers, Representative John Lewis of Georgia, said Ms. Horne had been “a light, and she did shine."

I never had much of an opinion about Lena Horne--a passable supper-club singer, a civil wright stalwart, a beautiful woman, an MGM star that could never really became a star--until I learned, in Billy Strayhorn's biography Lush Life, she was very close to Ellington's legendary collaborator, and I purchased a record of her standards called, unsurprisingly, Stormy Weather--both her signature song and film role. Both gave me a better appreciation for her gifts and her personality.

Stormy Weather was a great film, and she was a giant.

The list of mourners is fantastic--Leontyne Price and Jessye Norman the ones I was most pleased to see.

Michael Jackson crypt abloom with sunflowers

From SF Chronicle:

"Sunflowers are now blooming outside Michael Jackson's crypt.

Grower Jason Levin on Friday delivered as many as 2,000 sunflowers to the massive marble and concrete Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.

Levin says he decided to donate the $3,000 to $5,000 worth of bright yellow flowers after hearing Lisa Marie Presley complain that there were only a few bouquets, candles and gifts surrounding the tomb. And Levin heard sunflowers were the late pop star's favorite.

Levin, the owner of the Sunflower Guy in Vista (San Diego County), loaded up a truck and left at dawn. Three hours later, he was unloading the flowers outside the heavily guarded mausoleum.

Jackson died at age 50 on June 25."

Perfect. There's a poem in here somewhere. And say what you want about MJ, but his work--perfect, perfect pop--will endure. My first album was Bad and it still spins like a dream. (I should specify: the first album that was bought for me, as I was only three years old at the time.) I still remember singing "Man in the Mirror" to the mirror.

"Trisha Brown is the Sexiest Dancer Alive," says Petronio.

From Dance Magazine:

"The men in Trisha Brown’s company never got to do Spanish Dance, that slowly advancing line of swaying hips and spooning bodies. So yesterday at my last talk on Trisha at DTW, six post-Trisha choreographers and I did Spanish Dance to “break the ice” before our talk. No one had access to the Dylan song, so we used part of Bizet’s Carmen. Stephen Petronio, Keith Thompson, and Stacy Spence finally got their wish to sway, pelvis to pelvis, along with us girls. It was bumpier than usual, but lots of fun. You should try it.

So, the talking part of this 'Talking About the Work' series: Here are some quotes from the six panelists' responses to my question: What did you get from working with Trisha that you could put into your choreography?"

I know next to nothing about dance, but I love reading about dancers. I love they way they talk about their craft and each other. I love to imagine a performance as it unfolds in the Times. I even admire dance criticism, having been exposed to the incomparable work of Edwin Denby a few years back.

Each response to the question has a choice phrase, but the best quote, for me, is the headline which, in the article, also includes: "and no one talks about that." Even better.

Piano to the People!

From the NYT City Room Blog

".... volunteers have been enlisted to keep an eye on each of the pianos around the city — 36 in Manhattan, 10 in Brooklyn, 4 in the Bronx, 6 in Queens and 4 on Staten Island. Sing for Hope, the New York-based charity that imported “Play Me, I’m Yours” from Britain, says the pianos will stay put: They are anchored by cables to fences or to cinder blocks. Even a piano mover would have a hard time making off with one.

Sing for Hope had an unlocking ceremony at 9 a.m. in Times Square, where a piano is at 42nd Street and Broadway, just below a walk-don’t walk sign. There was a concert that began with “I Love a Piano.” Alexander Long, who recently graduated from New Rochelle High School, accompanied two singers, Jaela Cheeks-Lomax and Samantha Bogle."

Pianos in New York; what a lovely idea.

Review: Yuja Wang plays with poetry, precision

From SF Chronicle:

"Sunday's San Francisco Performances program, rescheduled from April, was yet another case in point. In three Schubert-Liszt song transcriptions to open the evening, Wang paid full homage to both composers. Her readings reminded a listener of how tender and dramatically resonant Schubert's original songs are and of how ingeniously Liszt captured those qualities in his versions for the piano alone."

I love Liszt, and I love his transcriptions, though I'm not sure if I've heard these ones. A pianist, in any event, to look up.

Move over Jack Bauer ... Brabbins gives Beethoven just 24 hours | Music | guardian.co.uk

From the Guardian:

"One of the greatest achievements of western music, performed complete in concert this weekend, a chance to hear an event of such enormity of vision that any classical music lover should jump at the chance: no, not Bryn or Placido at the Proms in Wagner or Verdi, but a soupcon of a symphony cycle at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. A Beethovenathon, to be precise. With the Salomon Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins conducts all nine Beethoven symphonies in just a single Saturday, starting with the shockingly cheeky First at 11 in the morning, and progressing through four concerts to the epoch-shaking Ninth at about half seven. Assuming, of course, that his tempos don't flag, and that the musicians don't need massages, physio, or therapy by that time."

File this under amazing. I think every Saturday should be spent listening to all of Beethoven's symphonies.

The New Dating Tools - A Card and a Wink

From the NYT:

"Ms. Cheek, an architect who works part-time in sales for a high-end Manhattan furniture company, founded one such venture, Cheek’d, which had its debut in May. Users receive calling cards to dole out to alluring strangers they encounter in their everyday lives, be it in a club or in a subway on their morning commute. Recipients of the cards can use the identification code printed on them to log onto Cheekd.com and send a message to their admirer. A pack of 50 cards and a month’s subscription to Cheek’d, where users can receive messages and post information about themselves, is $25. There is no fee for those who receive cards to communicate with an admirer through the site.

Each Cheek’d card has a sassy phrase like “I am totally cooler than your date,” or, for those with no regard for subtlety: “I’m hitting on you.” Ms. Cheek is dreaming up specialized card sets, too. One for New York City singles will have lines like “I live below 14th Street” and “I hope my five-story walkup won’t be a problem.”"

There's something delightfully 19th century about these tools: the card as conduit to romance. Long live the revolution!

Ragtime's Umoh to Join Cast of Off-Broadway's Falling for Eve

From Playbill.com:

"Stephanie Umoh, recently seen as Sarah in the Broadway revival of Ragtime, will join the cast of Falling for Eve, the new musical by 2010 Tony winner Joe DiPietro, Bret Simmons and David Howard, Aug. 3 at Off-Broadway's York Theatre Company."

Thanks to my "Stephanie Umoh" Google news alert—yes, you heard me right—there's not a press mention that has eluded my detection since I first encountered her story in the Boston Globe. (Settle for nothing less than the boolean phrase, folks.) She is a star in the making, and a wonder already made, and if I had the opportunity, and by opportunity, I mean if I passed her on the street, I'd propose marriage. No hesitation whatsoever.

Movie Review - Agora - Love Amid the Togas and the Intolerant

From NYT:

"Hypatia, a humanist and an intellectual, finds herself threatened from all sides. And though her predicament is sometimes laid out in heavy thematic speeches, it is also very moving. This is partly because Ms. Weisz is such a sympathetic presence and adept at showing how her character’s combination of wisdom and unworldliness makes her vulnerable to the guile, cowardice and opportunism of others. But it is also because Mr. Amenábar and Mr. Gil do not stack the odds in her favor. Films about ideological strife in the past frequently reassure modern audiences with a vision of progress in which ignorance is at least partly vanquished and enlightenment is allowed to prevail.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that “Agora” treats this kind of wishful thinking with a skepticism that makes the film not only sad but also chilling."

I will be Netflixing this movie; it sounds excellent. Especially as it stars Rachel Weisz in the lead role, an actress I have been impressed with since The Shape of Things, one of my favorite films.

A ‘Law & Order’ Farewell: These Were Their Stories

From the ArtsBeat Blog at the NYT:

"The acting on “Law & Order” in recent seasons has been at a level far above that on “Lost” and “24,” shows often singled out for their performances. More mystifying — or galling — has been reading the weepy comments about how much the complex characters of “Lost” will be missed. Elaborate back stories don’t make characters any less two-dimensional. The police and prosecutors of “Law & Order” may have spent most of their time in dingy offices and had no personal lives to speak of, but we’ll likely miss them more in the long run than the hothouse heroes of those other shows. That’s what happens when you focus on the writing and the acting for, say, 20 years."

Hear, hear. Say what you want, but Law & Order was a giant and we are the poorer for its end. God bless the cast, past and present, and long live its continued existence in syndication.

Royal Opera to stage Anna Nicole premiere

From the Beeb:

"The Royal Opera House (ROH) is to stage the world premiere of an opera about the life of former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith, who died in 2007.

The work, by composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and writer Richard Thomas, will be 'a major event in the UK arts calendar' the ROH said."

File this under CRAZY.

Sean Haldane: 'I now think poetry has more capacity to change people than psychotherapy'

From The Observer:

"Has work been done in studying the effects of reading poetry on the brain?

Neuropsychology can help to explain poetry, to demystify the impulse. There has been work done on why poetry can send shivers down our spine. The poem activates the same parts of the brain that react when a child is separated from its mother. A deep sense of separation and longing.

To borrow from psychoanalysis, do you think poetry gives closure on emotions?

I do think they finish things off, yes. Most of my poems are written in the heat of emotional things. I publish them much later. Someone once asked my wife what my poems were about. And she replied 'what torments him'. Because I am almost too close to them, it has taken me almost until last year to read them to other people."

The quotation in the headline is alone worth the interview—the other choice parts of the interview are excerpted above. I'll have to check out his poetry, at some point. We need more poet-scientists. And we surely need more scientists in literary study.

Renée Fleming, Opera Star, Tries a Rock Album

From NYTimes:

"Renée Fleming, a darling of the opera world, has a new album titled “Dark Hope,” on which she covers indie rock acts. The classical world scratches its head at the impulse. The recording’s promoters — and Ms. Fleming herself — shy away from labeling it a crossover album, calling it instead, “somewhat sheepishly,” as Anthony Tommasini, the chief classical music critic of The New York Times, wrote in Sunday’s Arts & Leisure section, a visit to a “parallel universe.”"

First Peter Gabriel, now Renée Fleming, covers indie rock. I don't love this album, but I like it more than I expected, and in an appropriate twist, she covers—the best one, in my estimation—In Your Eyes, that anthem for Lloyd Dobblers everywhere, myself included. I could have done without the 10 millionth Hallelujah, however. There should be a moratorium on covers of that song.

The Rest Is Noise: Varèse does jazz

In an account of the Varèse festival at Tully Hall, Alex Ross at The New Yorker tells us of Varèse's encounter with Charlie Parker. This is about the saddest thing I have ever heard.

"With jazz, the ones who could have been good become very conventional. I heard the man who was playing—what was his name? He died. He was a god of music in that field. He played a kind of saxophone—Charlie Parker. At that time he lived in New York. He followed me on the street, and he said he wanted to be with us. The day I left I said, 'We'll get together. I'll take you for my pupil.' Then I had to catch my boat. It's when I went to Europe for Déserts. And Charlie Parker died in '55, in March. Oh, he was so nice, and so modest, and he had such a tone. You could not know if it was an angelic double bass, a saxophone, or a bass clarinet. Then one day I was in that big hall there on 14th Street, the Cooper Union. Somebody said, 'I want to meet you.' She was the widow of Charlie Parker. She said, 'He was always talking about you, so I know all about you.' And that man was a great star. He wanted to study music and thought I had something for him."

Dance Review - Poetry in Motion by Anne Carson and Rashaun Mitchell

From the NYT:

"“Nox,” by contrast, investigates areas of personal despair and pain, with many images that suggest different aspects of trauma, loss and psychological disturbance. Here Ms. Carson’s starting point is the classic elegy (Poem 101) by the Roman poet Catullus at his brother’s grave in Asia Minor. She links this poem to the challenges of translation and the complexities of verbal meaning; to different aspects of history, ancient and modern (including memoir); and, recurrently, to the death of her own brother. She and her collaborator Robert Currie are onstage, listening and projecting lights, but her voice is recorded (at one point over itself); so is music for multiphonic guitar and alto saxophone by Ben Miller."

I've heard of poems being paired with music in performance, but not dance. I like the idea, to be sure, but am skeptical of the product. This sounds beautiful, however, and Anne Carson is about the best poet going, so if anyone could make it work, it makes sense that it would be with her work.

Ernest Hemingway Stories As Told By George Plimpton

From The Awl:

"So that’s how he had fun with his friends—by punching them in the face. Good times. Also, there’s the time he met Tennessee Williams in Cuba in 1960. Plimpton assesses how the nervous, eager to impress playwright did in their first meeting:

I don’t think the meeting went very well for him. Tennessee began by saying that when he lived in Key West he had known Hemingway’s former wife Pauline.

“How did she die?” Tennessee suddenly asked.

Hemingway peered at him in the gloom After a while he offered an explanation that seemed lifted from a freshman Hemingway parody: “She died and then she was dead.”

A silence ensued."

Key West, Cuba, Hemingway, Tennessee Williams. Grist for the dissertation? Who knows? It might make it in. I do love me a good anecdote.

Caravaggio in Ascendance - An Antihero’s Time to Shine

From the NYT:

"It happens that a show of Michelangelo’s drawings is at the Courtauld Gallery in London, through May 16. Gifts for a beautiful young Roman nobleman, Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, on whom Michelangelo had developed a crush, the drawings were ostensibly supposed to help Cavalieri learn to draw. Imagine Roger Federer handing you a DVD of himself at Wimbledon, saying “Just do this.” These are drawings of the most arcane refinement, unearthly beautiful."

Caravaggio has become hipper than Michaelangelo, apparently. Color me skeptical: I wonder to what extent either has ever been, or will ever be, hip, and whether his supposed antiheroism really means anything. I singled out this paragraph, because, as great as Caravaggio is, for me it will always be Michelangelo, and I remember when these drawings were first put on display. The Times of London gave the exhibition a beautiful write up.

Miguel Delibes, Prolific Spanish Writer, Dies at 89

From the NYT:

"The last novel Mr. Delibes wrote before he was operated on for colon cancer in 1998 — “El Hereje” (“The Heretic”) — is “the one he wanted to be remembered by,” Ms. Sili�said.

He explained why in the prologue of an anthology of his work published after the operation. “The writer Miguel Delibes died on the operation table in Madrid on May 21, 1998,” he wrote. “That is, his last literary years were worthless. The surgeons stopped the cancer from killing me, but they couldn’t stop it from affecting me gravely. It didn’t kill me, but it rendered me useless to work for the rest of my life. Who was the victor?”"

Bloomsbury Archive Includes Letter About Woolf Suicide

Bloomsbury Archive Includes Letter About Woolf Suicide:

"'I'm not sure whether the Times will by now have announced that Virginia is missing. I'm afraid there is not the slightest doubt that she drowned herself about noon last Friday,' Clive Bell wrote in a detailed 1941 letter that's part of an archive newly opened to the public...."

Incredibly sad in its prosaicness: for me, the worst part: "she cannot be declared dead legally until her body is found."

The Greatest Present-Day Liszt Pianist

The Greatest Present-Day Liszt Pianist:

"You can now watch Mykola Suk's incendiary Liszt Sonata on youtube.... - The Unanswered Question"

All art should be made the way that Liszt played the piano. All great art is. Let's hear it for Suk.

Exhibit Of Salinger Letters Is First Leak In 'Dam Of Silence'

From WSJ:

"'The paper (Salinger had a fondness for goldenrod-colored sheets) and the typeface, ordinary in themselves, are the same ones with which the writer, in between letters, must have been producing hundreds of pages of extraordinary, unpublished fiction. Even the envelopes tell a story of growing fame and isolation.'..."

There are bits in most of his fiction I admire (especially Franny & Zooey), but I think Catcher in the Rye is just about the worst book ever, and I think Mary McCarthy got Salinger just about right. In the wake of his death, I remember hearing of an early fan letter he sent to Hemingway being recovered, it was written not long after Salinger's first story was published in the New Yorker, and I also seem to remember some rare candid photographs published in the New Yorker, pictures when he was still living in New York and hadn't gone crazy. The real questions are, of course: has he been writing fiction, how much of it is any good, and how long will it take to get published?

Reconnecting with Spanish Modernism -- and The Problem of de Larrocha

From the Unanswered Question at ArtsJournal:

"The defining austerities of Albeniz and Falla were irrelevant to the cushioned readings of Alicia de Larrocha -- one of three reasons we don't know or understand the efflorescence of Spanish modernism in the early 20th century...."

Call me unsophisticated, but I like de Larrocha's interpretation of Albeniz and Falla, to say nothing of her Mozart (I have a Mostly Mozart recording on vinyl) and the piano music of Granados, too. Her death struck me sufficiently--yet another great pianist I will never see in performance--for her to slip into a poem I was writing at the time. I imagined a little pas de deux to one of Grandos's Danzas Espanolas. I've always wanted to write a poem about Granados, specifically, the fact that he died on the Lusitania, but it hasn't come off yet.

I winked, you flashed your knife - m4w (Southport) 26yr

"You: cute blonde bartender who makes a mean Sangria.

Me: a perfect contestant for 'Beauty and the Geek'.

Location: Cuban establishment on Southport with a sweet bathroom faucet.

Time: Saturday afternoon until sun down.

Why: want to pay you back for the apple and limes we stole."

Eye tag at Bros K - m4w (Evanston)

"You were at the big table in back at Brothers K this afternoon, working on some project with two other females. You appear to be of Asian or Pacific Island descent. I sat by the window working a crossword puzzle in a white shirt with orange sleeves. I have dark hair and was wearing reading glasses. Our eyes met more than once but only for the briefest of moments. I didn't know if you were interested or just wondering if it was you I kept checking out. It was.

I wrote these notes about you in the top margin of the paper I had in front of me:

“fantastic smile”

“beautiful eyes”

“intelligent”

“caring”

I thought you might like to know. Perhaps you'd like to know more? I would."

Brown Line - m4m (Belmont) 35yr

"Earlier tonight we both boarded the brown line at Belmont. We were the only two persons in our car until someone else got on at a later stop. We made some eye contact, and then you missed your stop because you were talking on your cell. You jumped up and were frustrated. I took advantage of the situation by striking up a conversation with you. You reciprocated, but I think you were too drunk to fully realize the situation. :) You were HOT and I'd like to get to know you over coffee or lunch sometime. Hit me back with what stop you missed and where you got off of the train.

As Lady Gaga would say, 'I want you BAD, BAD, BAD!'"

J, I'll live after all. - w4m (away) 26yr

"J,

For the first time in almost 4 years, I kissed someone who wasn't you. I am awkward and fighting the urge to bolt like a horse, to run off into the night and get far away from this guy. But he seems nice, and he's not you, and one day at a time I am learning that you didn't love me, because I didn't know how to love you back in a genuine way. Sorry for all of the time we wasted together. For what it's worth, I loved you as much as I was capable. You made the right decision and it has forced me to grow up in a lot of ways. So I should say thank you, because I'm in a better place now and have a chance to create a good life for myself. Thank you. I miss you sometimes, but a little less each day.

-R"

Beautiful polish lady shopping at Lord and Taylor - m4w (woodfield)

"I was waiting for the family members I was with at Lord and Taylor in Woodfield on Sunday.

Going thru the sale racks, I saw your gorgeous smile. I sat down in the chairs....closed my eyes..and dreamt.

Openned them..and there you were across from me, still with that stunning smile!

I know you were polish because I heard you speaking to the lady you were with.

Write me...would love going shopping with you...would be alot of fun!"

Brunette in gray suit this morning ~ 9:30 - m4w (Chicago Ave, walking east)

"We were both walking east on Chicago Ave this morning about 9:30. You were smoking and wearing a gray suit. While not a great approacher of random people on the street, you are simply gorgeous and I would have attempted to be spontaneously charming and chat you up, but I was already cutting it close getting to work on time. Still, I wish I had. I was guy in black coat with shaved head, though there were a ton of people around. In any event, if you are single and happen to want to talk to a guy upon whom you made a great impression, feel free to say hello."

thanks for giving a hoot - m4w (california/irving park) 23yr

"to the girls in the car that ow-owwed at me while I was riding my bike saturday night around 9pm. thanks!"

Red Line (95th/Dan Ryan) - w4m (Chicago)

"Craig's List is silly and I am even sillier for thinking this will work:

A few Mondays ago, I was working late to finish up a project. I left the office at 5:34pm and arrived at the Grand Red line stop shortly after that. That's when I saw you: tall, black man, mocha skin, in your twenties, wearing glasses. We exchanged glances a few times. You looked eerily familiar but I couldn't place the face. I was the girl in the black coat with the hood up (great description I know) desperately rifling through her bag (I was searching for my knitting needle). I got off at Jackson half expecting that you would get off there as well. While walking through the tunnel to connect to the Blue Line, I kept looking back hoping to see you but no such luck... I've been kicking myself in the butt ever since! I've retraced my steps every Monday since hoping to cross paths with you again. Once again, no such luck.

Does any of this sound familiar? If so, please respond! There's a Puerto Rican girl out there that's been thinking of you these last few weeks. :-) Here's hoping we'll bump into each other later today... sometime after 5:34pm. :-)"

Magnetic Fields: Engineer Boots In Row J - m4w

"Hi, hello. I saw you at the Magnetic Fields show last night. I think you were in row J. You were wearing a gray sack dress & seemed to know Laura Barrett, or at least the person next to you reacted when she mentioned that you guys had seen her before. I only really just wanted to say, you're extra cute."

Oscar night at the 33 Club - m4w (Old Town) 25yr

"Hi there!

We split a cab from 33 club and had it drop me off on Huron. We talked about yoga and martial arts at the bar.

You also mentioned you were able to meet someone from a missed connection on Craigslist, so here I am, hoping this finds you.

Your fence net stockings and little tease flash made me go to sleep a happy man.

I know you are committed, but if things don't work out, be sure to give me a call. You have my card ;)"

(Last Friday) Bus stop, halsted bus, jst - m4w (#8 bus) 19yr

"Last friday, the 5th of March, I was standing at the bus stop at Halsted and Harrison when you came with your friend. You kept looking at me over and over. I wasn't complaining because I got to keep looking at you too. We got on the bus and ended up both getting off at Roosevelt and Halsted. I had finally worked up the courage to ask for your number and I decided to ask you once we got inside of JST. Unfortunately, when I followed you in, you and your friend met up with a guy. It would have been too weird to ask you out in front of one of your guy friends so I just walked by. I'm still regreting it four days later so I wrote this message. I hope you get a chance to read this."

The only Joe I HAVEN'T met - w4m (Not There Yet) 35yr:

"For some strange reason, I keep running into Joes! I have met so many of them recently, age 30-40 who live within an hour of Chicago, that I am beginning to think I am destined to meet a very important Joe.

If you are a Joe and in case I haven't met you yet, please write me so I can figure out why I am supposed to meet you! You're going to show up in my life anyway, so why not just do it now? ;)

Being the optimist that I am, I would like to believe that you could be the 'one' I have dreamt about since I was a kid. In my dreams you are tall, at least 5'10'. In my dreams you have brown hair and beautiful blue eyes, but it is your kindness and compassion and willingness to fight for what you want that intrigues me the most. And on top of all that, you are very sweet. You like diversity and other cultures. The Joe in my dreams was willing to wait, fight, and to be patient for me. And I think he worked with kids......

Olivia's ex working on boat

Olivia's ex working on boat: "Olivia Newton-John's missing former lover working on a tourist boat for last five years in Mexico, locals claim."

Proof that sometimes interesting stories happen to boring celebrities.

Nurse Outduels IRS to Deduct M.B.A. Tuition

From WSJ:

"A Maryland nurse accomplished two rare feats in her battle with the Internal Revenue Service: She defended herself against the agency's lawyers and won, and she got a ruling that could help tens of thousands of students deduct the cost of an M.B.A. degree on their taxes.

The U.S. Tax Court handed Lori Singleton-Clarke her victory last month, saying the 47-year-old Bryantown, Md., woman had properly deducted nearly $15,000 in business school tuition. The Tax Court ruling should make it easier for many other professionals to deduct the expense of a Master in Business Administration degree."

Fantastic story! I love Americans.