January 26, 2008. South Carolina Democratic Primary + 1. I'm filling out my California absentee ballot today.
The man is a bit of a self-parody at this point, but can I please vote for him?
What were your top 10 favorite songs or albums of 2007?
Here are my top 5. Each one impresses the hell out of me.
In the honorable mention section, some almost perfect records that I love anyway:
Songs that made my year, not from the above albums:
Linda Thompson "Do Your Best For Rock 'N Roll": "God, if there is a god / Save my soul / And if you can't do that / Just do your best for rock 'n roll."
The Ting Tings "That's Not My Name": Such a guilty pleasure. I can't get enough.
UNKLE with Ian Astbury "Burn My Shadow": One of those great moments in the car at night where you hear a great new song and need to make it part of your life immediately. It makes me very happy.
Amy Winehouse "Valerie": Flawlessness from Mark Ronson's Version and arguably better than anything on Amy's own record. Better still, it's one of the very few times where a cover outshines the original (by The Zutons.)
Bill Drummond, formerly of The KLF, has been observing November 21 as No Music Day for a few years now and is hoping to turn it into something of a movement. Listen to his somewhat coherent interview from NPR and see what you think.
Personally, I protested by listening to The KLF's The White Room on my way to work this morning.
Audio/Video: Share a great use of a song in a commercial.
Video: Show us a music video you'd gladly watch over and over again.
Why stop at one? Here's my Monday morning:
Saw on CNN today that John McCain was trying to have a serious political discussion while several high school students resorted to name calling. Oh, wait, no. I have that backwards.
Sad news from Hollywood today. Sherman Torgan, owner of the revival house and Hollywood institution New Beverly Cinema, died unexpectedly yesterday while riding his bike in Santa Monica.
His double-feature theatre featuring foreign favorites, recent overlooked gems, David Lynch-athons, cult comedies, old grindhouse stuff, etc., has always been an underdog in this premium theatre town. Film fans' affection for the place seems to be as much out of appreciation for the programming as that underdog status itself.
I saw Jules et Jim and All About Eve for the first time at the New Beverly and we saw a midnight screening of Electroma there just a couple weeks ago.
No word yet on the long-term prospects for the theatre. The place really is an LA treasure, owing entirely to Mr. Torgan, and I hope it will stick around as a tribute to his 30 years of keeping the New Beverly alive.
[UPDATE: A nice remembrance in Friday's LAT.]
