I’ve been raving about the work of Japanese film director Sion Sono for a few days here on the blog. This weekend at Cinefamily in Los Angeles, several of Sono’s films will be shown and there will either be an introduction or else a post-film Q&A with the director. Friday night there will be a special free screening of Sono’s latest film, Cold Fish:
Right from its sucker-punch opening with its jagged hand written titles and razor editing, Sion Sono’s Cold Fish grabs you by the hair and drags you through an intense narrative of betrayal, infidelity and murder. Ostensibly inspired by the story of a real-life Japanese serial killer (who raised dogs, rather than fish), Cold Fish has all of Sono’s trademark brilliance and nihilism in its tale of sad-sack Shamoto (Mitsuru Fukikoshi), who’s stuck with a failing fish store and a family who hates him. When Shamoto meets the the charismatic and rich Murata, owner of a popular high-end fish shop and a hot-red Ferrari (Denden, in one of the greatest serial killer portrayals of the last few decades), his life changes irrevocably. Easily manipulated and coerced into progressively worse situations, it’s not long before Shamoto realizes that not only has Murata car-jacked his life, but he’s also shut the windows, locked the doors and is driving them full-speed off of a cliff.
Series co-presented by Giant Robot and Bloody-Disgusting
William Tapley, the 71-year-old retired furniture engineer from Forestport, NY and self-described “Co-prophet of the End Times” and “Third Eagle of the Apocalypse” actually made it on to CNN the other day.
And here, I thought he was just another obscure Christian crackpot making preposterous “biblical” predictions in YouTube videos, that we and a few other sites linked to just to goof on him…
Now, Billy the Tap is goin’ international!
Even though Tapley is, of course, being ridiculed here, I’m sure in his mind, this will be interpreted as a good thing anyway, because his God’s message will be “getting out there” more. Even though he must get slammed with “you’re an idiot” type comments and emails all day long, I’ve never seen Tapley address the subject of people ridiculing him. I guess he’d have to be impervious to Internet hecklers in his role as “Co-prophet of the End Times” and “Third Eagle of the Apocalypse.”
Debbie says, “I really love cats. And I just want to hug all of them, but I can’t, ’cause it’s crazy. I can’t hug every cat.”
I watched this video several times trying to figure out if it was real or a put-on? I honestly couldn’t tell.
This is one of the most hilarious things I’ve seen in some time. I suspected it was, you know, “authentic” but when I asked my husband to watch it, he had the same reaction as I did. He thought it “seemed real” but that it was too hard to tell.
So then we watched another one of her videos. Yep, she’s not being ironic… I guess she just really loves cats.
Seminal electronic disco pioneer Bernard Fevre, aka Black Devil Disco Club, has returned with an album of all new material featuring a stellar cast list of guest vocalists. Lending their dulcet pipes to the spectral four-four funk are Nancy Sinatra, Afrika Bambaataa, Jon Spencer, The Horrors’ Faris Badwan, YACHT, Cocknbullkid and more.
Black Devil Disco Club was one of the first European acts to record disco using mainly synthesisers in the late 70s, finding a unique sound that was both darker and druggier than the popular electronic symphonies of Giorgio Moroder. Though never finding a great amount of success or acknowledgement at the time, the act has had a major revival over the last few years due to their influence on the techno, nu-disco and Italo scenes. The original 1978 Disco Club LP release was re-issued in 2004 by Rephlex, and Fevre has returned to recording new music for the electronic label Lo Recordings.
The new album Circus maintains the core insistent dancefloor groove married to a spine-tingling creepiness that made the act stand out. The sound has not progressed very much but really doesn’t need to - it was singular at the time and remains that way to this day. And rather than being the usual roster of big names with little to offer, the guest vocalists are well chosen and work within the context. Worth special mention are the contributions of with the rock singers Jon Spencer and Faris Badwan of the Horrors and Cat’s Eyes, who lend the music a gothic timbre, while Afrika Bambaataa forgoes the rapping to deliver a menacing cackle worthy of an urban witch doctor. Nobody else does Black Forest disco quite as good as this. The first single from the album is the track “To Ardent” which features the legendary Nancy Sinatra, which may seem like an odd choice on paper but works beautifully:
Black Devil Disco Club ft Nancy Sinatra - “To Ardent”
Black Devil Disco Club ft Faris Badwan - “Distrust”
Black Devil Disco Club ft Jon Spencer - “Fuzzy Dream”
Celebrated fop-about-Tinsel Town, Mr. Kristian Hoffman, is an artistic and musical sophisticate, a multi-multi-multi-hyphenate in a city full of, at best, just plain old multi-multi-hyphenates...
In the mid-1970s, Kristian was an active participant in New York’s CBGBs punk scene with his band The Mumps. He was involved with “No Wave,” and has performed with legends like Klaus Nomi, Lydia Lunch, Mink Stole, Rufus Wainwright, Jane Wiedlin, Ann Magnuson, El Vez the Mexican Elvis and even Pee-wee Herman. He’s also responsible for the “Bendover Girl” artwork found in the original edition of the New York Dolls’ first album. And he is a very snappy dresser.
Tomorrow night, he’ll be performing in Los Angeles:
With the cream of Los Angeles singers interpreting their own material, and classic but obscure pop psych classics!
This musical extravaganza will take place at the Rhino Records Pop Up Store. The legendary Westwood record store that provided music lovers with a place to commune, find great deals, and hear rising music stars from 1973 to 2005, is “popping up” again just blocks away from the original location to raise funds for The Recording Academy’s popular music community charity MusiCares. The schedule for the rest of the Rhino Records pop up event can be found here. Still to come, Martha Davis and the Motels and Brother Wayne Kramer from the MC5.
Rhino Records Pop Up Store, 10952 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles
There is suggested donation of $5-15 for each show, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Below, the video for “Hey Little Jesus, Get Out of That Hole” featuring Prince Poppycock of America’s Got Talent fame as the savior. Directed by Stephen Moramarco :
Former Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to be just as willing to appear in big money product endorsements in Japan as he is to sire children out of wedlock. Maybe even more so.
There seems to be nothing Arnold won’t lend his name and image to, as you can see in the below video montage, but this new ad, photographed and tweeted by golfer Luke Donald, has got to take the proverbial cake.
Actress/artist Mary Woronov has had a singular career that begins dancing with the Velvet Underground and appearing in Andy Warhol’s Chelsea Girls. Along the way she was in Rock-n- Roll High School, Death Race 2000 and Eating Raoul. She’ll be will be making a special appearance this Thursday night, June 9th, at 7:30p.m. at Cinefamily in Los Angeles:
Not every actor can list both Warhol films and “Murder, She Wrote” in their CV—oh, wait, no actor can claim that but Mary Woronov. There is a cult of M.V., and it’s richly deserved; her performances are so distinct and unique that her mere onscreen presence sharpens each image, and gives every scene a B12 shot in the rear. To admire Mary’s work is to get deeply involved, like you would with a new favorite band: once you’re introduced, you’re hooked, and have to track down every last appearance. She is smart, she is hilarious, she is sexy, and she can convey everything from knife-edge danger to warm familiarity with a single look. Beyond her voluminous career in film and TV, she’s also a painter, a novelist, a a dancer, a college professor—in short, a superstar. Join us in a spirited on-stage discussion with Mary, as we weave a web taking us from her days as a member of Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable, to her stint on a network soap, her award-winning stage work, the Corman years, her kinship with Paul Bartel and beyond!
At 9p.m. there will be a 35mm screening of the classic black comedy Eating Raoul:
“You really get to like Paul and Mary, and want them to succeed, even if they do have to kill some perverts along the way.”—J. Read, Monsters At Play
An outlandish mixture of ‘50s-themed high camp, ‘70s Robert Downey, Sr.-style bizarro satire and ‘80s gross-out sex romp, the indie hit Eating Raoul is Cult Film Director Hall Of Famer Paul Bartel’s finest hour. Bartel and Mary Woronov star as a sexually conservative couple (“Paul” and “Mary”, natch) who, after they need quick cash to open their dream restaurant, devise an makeshift S&M operation to lure rich horndogs to their deaths. Beyond its savagely funny swipes at the Sexual Revolution (featuring squads of lecherous swingers, all whacked out like Mr. Farley from “Three’s Company” on PCP), the film is as much a love letter to our city as a prime Cheech & Chong vehicle, for it’s crammed full of nutty local characters and enough unmistakably L.A. locales to fill an entire season of Huell Howser specials. Woronov easily steamrolls over the film’s population of wackos and sleazoids with aplomb; with her distinct mixture of understated deadpan comedy, soft sensuality and no-bullshit ingenuity, Mary’s radiant heat has ensured that Eating Raoul remains a “classic cult classic.” (Rob Lineberger, DVD Verdict).
Twin sisters Kim Deal of The Breeders, Pixies, and The Amps and Kelly Deal of The Breeders and The Kelley Deal 6000, celebrated their upcoming dual 50th birthdays with a “twins inside the womb” birthday cake. Happy birthday, ladies!
YouTuber dingdangler is back with the most violent scene from There Will Be Blood redubbed with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck voices. This is damn hysterical, especially near the 1:07 mark.
Bonus: Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly AKA “Dr. Steve Brule” rocking out in Disney Nights.
If you recall me raving about the Torchwood mini-series, Children of Earth a couple of years ago, you’ll understand why I’m so excited to see that Torchwood is returning next month. There’s a new sneak preview for Torchwood: Miracle Day, featuring John Barrowman as Capt. Jack Harkness, that’s just been released. Gwen Cooper’s back too, shooting down a chopper with a bazooka… just like old times.
Bill Pullman joins the cast (SPOILER ALERT: I read he’s the “baddie”) for this series and it does seem like they’ve “de-gayed” Capt. Jack, as was widely speculated about when an American version of Torchwood was being discussed in 2009. According to press materials from the Starz premium cable channel (where Torchwood will now air in the US, instead of BBC America): “The only thing that could call Jack Harkness back [to Torchwood, which was decimated in the bleaker than bleak last series, of course] is his unstated love for Gwen Cooper.”
Gimme a break. Still, I’m massively looking forward to this. Apparently the action is centered in Los Angeles, this time round, great for we locals! Torchwood: Miracle Day premieres on Starz and BBC1, one month from today, on July 8th. Series creator Russell T. Davies has written the first episode.
If you want to read a bunch of spoilers, read them here.
What do all political sex scandals seem to have in common? That would have to be a shot of the lead actor looking down at his shoes in shame! It’s practically become a cliché, as this hilarious blog points out. Some of these shots have almost become iconic.
Yet another depressing post from me this morning, but what are you gonna do?
Tuesday afternoon an Oregon jury found Timothy and Rebecca Wyland guilty of criminal mistreatment for denying medical care to their baby daughter, Alayna. The couple now faces up to five years in prison.
The jury deliberated a little over an hour, and was unanimous in their verdict.
Authorities filed charges against the Wylands after an abnormal and deforming buildup of blood vessels in the child’s left eye was left untreated. The buildup, known as a hemangioma, would have left Alayna blind in the left eye if untreated.
While the Wylands prayed over Alayna, anointed her with oil and used other spiritual rituals endorsed by their church, they failed to seek medical attention for their daughter’s obvious ailment. From January to June of 2010 the couple did nothing while their daughter’s condition deteriorated.
The Wyland’s are members of the Followers of Christ Church located in Oregon City. The church is notorious for prohibiting members from seeking medical attention, favoring prayer over medical treatment. The consequences of church doctrine have been tragic: the preventable deaths of numerous children.
Defense attorneys for the parents tried to argue the couple was the victim of religious persecution - an argument the jury was definitely not buying.
Good for this jury, obviously. This is appalling and reckless stupidity. People this dumb and superstitious should not be allowed to procreate.
Other children of families belonging to the Followers of Christ Church, the church the Wylands attend, have died. The Wylands were the third couple in 24 months to be prosecuted for failing to provide medial treatment for their children.
Last months’s legislation in the Oregon state Senate ending legal protection for parents who practice religious faith healing was directly due to the cases related to the Followers of Christ Church.
The Vintage Lesbian Tumblr Blog is dedicated to well, wonderful vintage photographs of lesbians. The blog writes: “Vintage lesbians. Affectionate women. Boston marriages. Lesbian innuendo. Antique erotica. Women being nude together. Lesbian history. Vintage drag. Women who may not be lesbians but we wish they were.” BTW, some of the images on the website are NSFW.
This story is do distasteful, twisted and nasty, it’s hard to know where to begin…
There was a piece on Anderson Cooper 360º last night that was so shocking to me, I was simply dumbfounded by what I was seeing. It’s sad. Oh, is it sad. And infuriating. It’s that in spades.
Fundamentalist Christian leader, anti-gay activist and infamous hirer of male prostitutes, Dr. George Rekers, who foundered the Family Research Council (with Dr. James Dobson) was the lead in the grotesque mind-rape of an innocent child—not just one child, several—in a bizarre psychological experiment at UCLA in the 70s called the “Feminine Boy Project.” Boys as young as 4-years-old were trusted with this creep by parents who were worried that their sons would turn out to be “sissies,” looking for a “cure” for this behavior.
When you watch this, you’ll want to cry. It was child abuse, pure and simple, under cover of “science” and administered by a self-loathing gay man with severe psychological issues of his own. When Rekers was caught in his “rent boy” scandal, with male prostitute Jo-Vanni Roman in 2010, Frank Rich of The New York Times wrote: “Thanks to Rekers’ clownish public exposure, we now know that his professional judgments are windows into his cracked psyche, not gay people’s. But…his excursions into public policy have had real and damaging consequences on a large swath of Americans.”
Like young Kirk Murphy, whose life was ruined by Rekers’ sick Pavlovian “therapy.” From CNN:
Kirk Andrew Murphy seemed to have everything to live for. He put himself through school. He had a successful 8-year career in the Air Force. After the service, he landed a high profile position with an American finance company in India.
But in 2003 at age 38, Kirk Murphy took his own life.
A co-worker found him hanging from the fan of his apartment in New Delhi. His family has struggled for years to understand what happened.
“I used to spend so much time thinking, why would he kill himself at the age of 38? It doesn’t make any sense to me,” said Kirk’s sister, Maris Murphy. “What I now think is I don’t know how he made it that long.”
After Kirk’s death, Maris started a search that would uncover a dark family secret. That secret revealed itself during a phone conversation with her older brother Mark, who mentioned his distrust of any kind of therapy.
“Don’t you remember all that crap we went through at UCLA?” he asked her. Maris was too young to remember the details, but Mark remembered it vividly as a low point in their lives.
It’s a pity Kirk didn’t live long enough to see Rekers’ disgrace, downfall and the complete discrediting of his life’s work by the scientific community. He is a pariah now, even in the Christian conservative community, something he so richly deserves, but. humiliation isn’t enough for a guy like George Rekers. Humiliation is too kind for a monster of his caliber.
Imagine what it’s like to Google your own name and see yourself compared to Josef Mengele THOUSANDS of times? I hope that more of his victims and their families come forward like the Murphy family has and publicly denounce this evil man. He should be investigated, his degrees should be stripped from him, and I sure hope that he’s wrapped up in expensive lawsuits from his victims that will ruin what is left of his time on this planet.
Perhaps it’s impolite to say this, but it’s too bad that Kirk didn’t take George Rekers with him when he killed himself, but I doubt that I was the only one thinking it, watching this.
Maris Murphy, said it best:
“The research has a postscript that needs to be added,” she said. “That is that Kirk Andrew Murphy was Kraig and he was gay, and he committed suicide.”
“I want people to remember that this was a little boy who deserved protection, respect and unconditional love,” his sister said. “I don’t want him to be remembered as a science experiment. He was a person.”
This is some powerful reporting. Anderson Cooper and his team did a great job with this explosive story.
Therapy to change ‘feminine’ boy created a troubled man, family says (CNN)
