Baron Dave Romm
Marscon Movies 2
By Baron Dave Romm
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Marscon Movies
Marscon 2010 was loads of fun. I wasn't entirely sure until I looked at all the pictures and videos I took. Being behind the camera means, all to often, that you live vicariously. Even if you were there.
Even though I picked up scads of CDs at Marscon, I've been too busy to listen to them. After the con, I visited the hospital, several times, and got to see various parts of my body which are normally escape visual inspection. The good news is that the routine tests found nothing particularly wrong. I'm in good shape, for someone who's falling apart. The bad news is that I was never in the the right mood to hear funny music.
Here are the images I took, in three Facebook Galleries:
All galleries are public.
Marscon 2010 - Thursday and Friday 3/4 & 3/5
I've put up eight videos from the convention, including the ones mentioned last week. I'm semi-randomly excerpting events and concerts, so more of each will probably be posted as time goes on. These are all available on Baron Dave's YouTube page. The easiest way to keep apprised of new videos is to subscribe.
The video is in HD, and embedded YouTube doesn't allow for the 16:9 aspect ratio, so I'm only going to make the links.
The day before the convention, Chris Mezzolesta of Power Salad and I went to the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.
During the Marscon, various Dementia Music artists took to the stage.
And what sf convention would be complete without parties and costumes?
More videos and moybe some music reviews in the near future. Coming up next: Minicon 45, April 2-4.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog maintains a Facebook Page, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Susan Estrich: Real Genius (creators.com)
A year ago, David Axelrod, the president's senior adviser, was a genius. A year ago, Rahm Emanuel, the president's chief of staff, was a wizard.
Ed Pilkington: The amazing true story of Zeitoun (guardian.co.uk)
Abdulrahman Zeitoun is the real-life hero of Dave Eggers's new book. In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina he paddled from house to house in a canoe, offering help to his neighbours. For his trouble, he was arrested as a suspected terrorist.
Greg Beato: Starbucks' Midlife Crisis (reason.com)
The coffee giant can't quite accept its own customers' tastes.
Terry Savage: Closing Credit Accounts Safely (creators.com)
Q: I've had my credit card for many years and always paid on time. Now they've notified me that they'll start charging an annual fee. I'm angry - but afraid to cancel the card because it will hurt my credit score. What should I do?
Terry Savage: How Washington Stuck Us With the Wrong Incentives (creators.com)
Yes, I think I can cheer you up - because I have a basic belief in both the intelligence and the moral compass of the American people.
Susan Carpenter: Young adult lit comes of age (Los Angeles Times)
It used to be that the only adults who read young adult literature were those who had a vested interest - teachers or librarians or parents who either needed or wanted to keep an eye on developing readers' tastes.
Ian Chant: "Opera, Death, and Overcaffination: An Interview with Shannon Wheeler" (popmatters.com)
The Too Much Coffee Man comic creator Shannon Wheeler discusses the plans for a TMCM opera, tells you how to get a job at the New Yorker, and reveals a "little Nixon list" of revenge.
Julia Keller: 'A little bit of a miracle': Jodi Picoult talks about life, writing (Chicago Tribune)
She takes none of it for granted. Not the sales figures, the fame, the fortune, the fact that her name pops up on best-seller lists with the frequency of freakishly popular scribes such as Stephen King and Mary Higgins Clark.
Rob Nixon: Literature for Real (chronicle.com)
Thirty years ago, I majored in literature without being required to read a single nonfiction text. Of the 200 books I had to master for my M.A. prelim exam, exactly two (Walden and Black Boy) were nonfictional. Since then nonfiction's standing may have improved inside academe and beyond, but only marginally. On those proliferating lists of greatest writers, the novelists, poets, and dramatists remain utterly dominant.
Reed Johnson: Angelique Kidjo brings African experiences to her craft (Los Angeles Times)
The term clanked off Angelique Kidjo's ear when she first heard it. "African-American." How could someone be American and African at the same time, she wondered?
Evan Sawdey: "20 Questions: Pinback's Zach Smith" (popmatters.com)
Another day, another musical project for Zach Smith. At least, that's how it seems to go for the celebrated guitarist behind such groups as Three Mile Pilot and Pinback. Zach Smith's playing style has always been a bit off-center and deceptively complex, but his love for his craft has shown through in each song he's created during his nearly two-decade run in the music industry.
Frightened Rabbit in the headlights (guardian.co.uk)
Frightened Rabbit's Scott Hutchison was so shy he was kept back a year at nursery - but now fame in American beckons, writes Jude Rogers.
Music Go Music go crazy for Abba (guardian.co.uk)
Music Go Music bonded over a love of Abba and make Scissor Sisters look like a folk act. Maddy Costa meets the purveyors of outrageous prog-metal disco.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Problem-Solving (athensnews.com)
The characters in the TV series "M*A*S*H" showed some pretty inventive problem-solving. In one episode, a hawkish general who sends many young men needlessly to their deaths is stopped - the M*A*S*H surgeons fake a medical emergency and give him an unnecessary appendectomy.
David Bruce: Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn": A Discussion Guide (lulu.com)
Free Download.
Hubert's Poetry Corner
"Cold, Cold Depart"
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'Moore of the same, or not?' Edition
Michael Moore wants President Obama to replace Chief-of-Staff, Rahm Emanual, with... Michael Moore... Moore has penned an open letter to 'The Man' writing...
"Dear President Obama, I understand you may be looking to replace Rahm Emanuel as your chief of staff. I would like to humbly offer myself, yours truly, as his replacement..." Welcome to MichaelMoore.com.
That begs the question...
How well do think Michael Moore would do as Obama's Chief-of-Staff?
A.) Better than Rahm...
B.) Worse than Rahm...
C.) It wouldn't make a whit of difference who it is, we're doomed - doomed I say, any way ya cut the cards, dagnabbit!
Send your response to
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Tom Munro Interviews
Jesse Ventura
Hey Marty,
I just scored this great great phone interview with Jesse "The Body" Ventura. His latest book, American Conspiracies, was released just a few days ago. Jesse is also in between seasons of his television show, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, which can be seen on TruTV.
We also met last night after his booksigning at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ.
"Have you seen the movie Conspiracy Theory? Where they think the main character played by Mel Gibson is crazy and in the end he wasn't as crazy as people thought."
Jesse: "Yeah, well that's kind of how it is when you write about these conspiracies because main stream media is gonna put out that you're crazy. They say, how can anyone believe these things? I say, how can you not?"
"Why do you think John Lennon was killed?"
Jesse: "That's interesting because John Lennon was making a huge comeback and he was the voice of the left. And if you remember right, Ron Reagan had just been elected. The interesting thing about Lennon's death , Malcolm X's death and Martin Luther Kings death is they were all 3 under heavy survailence by the CIA when they were shot and killed. I couldn't believe how much the CIA were following Lennon and had him under survailence, because I don't know what they felt he was a threat to the country? I mean c'mon, the singer for the Beatles is a threat to the country."(laughter)
"Do you think Oliver Stone's depiction of the movie on the Assasination of JFK was accurate or just Hollywood fluff?"
Jesse: "Oliver Stone's movie was a hell of a lot more accurate than the Warren Commission."
For the rest (and a great last question) - Tom Munro interviews Jesse Ventura
BadtotheboneBob
Michigan's Only Wolverine
Michigan's only wolverine has a fan in Deckerville science teacher (with video)
BAD AXE - Michigan's only known wolverine seems to be doing just fine, making a home for itself in the thick woods of Huron County... Michigan's first-ever confirmed sighting of the animal was by coyote hunters in February 2004...
Michigan's only wolverine has a fan in Deckerville science teacher (video) | - MLive.com
(We have wolves, pumas, bobcats, lynx, black bears, elk and moose here but only ONE wolverine... Here's an actual picture of the beast - The video is pretty cool too. Particularly when it tries to eat the camera! The location is about 50 miles NE from me in the 'Thumb' of Mitten- BttbB)
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and warmer.
Media Awards
GLAAD
Joy Behar, Cynthia Nixon and the ABC drama series "Brothers & Sisters" are among this year's recipients of media awards from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
Presented Saturday in New York, winners of the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards also include the NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation," MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," the Lifetime network film "Prayers for Bobby" and a report on CNN's "American Morning" program called "Why Will Won't Pledge Allegiance."
The ABC daytime drama "One Life to Live" and an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" were also recognized, as were the Spanish-language networks Univision and Telemundo.
The GLAAD Media Awards salute fair, accurate and inclusive representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives in the media. The remainder of this year's awards - chosen from a total of 152 nominees in 32 categories - will be presented at ceremonies held in Los Angeles and San Francisco in April and June, respectively.
GLAAD
Saturday Night
DVF Awards
It was hard to tell who was more impressed when film star Meryl Streep presented a leadership award to Ingrid Betancourt, the former Colombian presidential candidate who endured years of captivity in jungle camps.
Betancourt was one of four women honoured Saturday night at the inaugural DVF Awards, created by fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg to honour women working for change in their countries.
Sadiqa Basiri Saleem, an Afghan women's rights activist, was another recipient of a DVF Award, receiving her statue from CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour. She said she hoped to use her award money from the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation - $50,000 - toward building the first Afghan women's college.
The other honorees were Danielle Saint-Lot, an activist in Haiti, whose award was presented by Melanne Verveer, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women's affairs, and Katherine Chon, head of the U.S.-based Polaris Project, which combats human trafficking. Her award was given by ABC's "Good Morning America" co-host Robin Roberts.
DVF Awards
Begins 14th Season
`South Park'
Golf clubs in hands or not, the kids of "South Park" are ready to take on Tiger Woods.
Creators of the Comedy Central cartoon have long since proven that no subject is sacred to them. So for the opening of its 14th season on Wednesday, the troubled golfer encounters Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman in their animated Colorado town.
"It's such an important issue in America right now - the sex addiction outbreak," Matt Stone, who makes the series with partner Trey Parker, said on Friday. "We're all really concerned about him and hope he gets better."
Sex addiction, the intersection of powerful men and willing women, late-night phone calls to the police and bad public relations gave them so much fodder they could have made an entire Tiger-centric season, Stone said.
`South Park'
Animator Brings Hollywood to Nepal
Incessant Rain
In a busy office in downtown Kathmandu, young Nepalese are using state-of-the-art technology to create special effects for a Hollywood remake of the cult movie classic "Straw Dogs".
Until recently, some of them had never even used a computer. Now, they are working for the likes of Walt Disney and Columbia Pictures at Nepal's first special effects and animation studio.
The company, Incessant Rain, is the brainchild of Kiran Joshi, who returned to his native Nepal to set up his own business in 2008 after a 17-year career in animation with US movie giant Disney.
Joshi whose film credits include "The Lion King" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," admits he had his doubts about going into business in one of the world's least developed countries.
Incessant Rain
Flaming Torches Light Up
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall, a Roman-era fortification spanning the width of northern England, was lit up from end-to-end by volunteers carrying flaming torches Saturday.
As night fell, 500 gas flames were lit at 250-metre intervals for 84 miles (135 kilometres) from Wallsend in northeast England to Bowness-on-Solway in the northwest.
Hadrian's Wall was built in 122 AD on the orders of the Roman emperor Hadrian to mark his empire's northern frontier. It is the largest monument from the ancient era in northern Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The torch-lighting event marked British Tourism Week and the 1,600th anniversary of the Roman departure from Britain in 410 AD.
Hadrian's Wall
Face Greater Risk of Artery Problems
Marathoners
If regular exercise such as jogging is good for the heart, then turbo-charged workouts like training for marathons must be even better, right?
Not so fast, according to new research by Greek doctors who found that marathon runners have increased stiffness of the large arteries, suggesting that some types of high-intensity exercise may actually be bad for the heart, potentially leading to hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, heart attack and even death.
"Our data suggest that exercise may have an inverted U-shape relation with arterial stiffness. In other words, when you do not exercise you have higher risk of cardiovascular events, but the same also happens when you exercise too much," study lead investigator Dr. Despina Kardara, of Athens Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, said in a news release. "Regular long-term endurance training is generally beneficial for heart health, but it seems that the cardiovascular system is like a sports car engine. If you do not use it, it will decay, but if you run it too fast for too long, you might burn it out."
The study, which the researchers said was the first examine the long-term effect of intense, protracted endurance training on the elastic properties of the large arteries, found that male marathon runners (females were not included in the study) had significantly increased stiffness of the aorta -- the major artery leading from the heart -- when compared with people who took part in recreational exercise.
Marathoners
Provokes Muslims
European Art
With the West locked in conflicts across the Muslim world, why would anyone throw fuel on the fire?
A small group of Europeans have been doing just that - provoking death plots and at least one murder by turning out art that derides the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran in the name of Western values.
Behind the scenes is something bigger: a rising European unease with a rapidly growing Muslim minority, and the spreading sense that the continent has become a front in a clash of civilizations.
Recent events - including surprising electoral success by an anti-Islamic Dutch party, moves to ban veils in France and minarets in Switzerland, and arrests in Ireland and the U.S. this week in an alleged plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist - are signs of the rising tensions.
European Art
Fake Russian Invasion Report
Outrage in Georgia
Outraged Georgians on Sunday slammed a local television channel that sparked panic by broadcasting a faked report announcing that Russia had launched an invasion and the country's president was dead.
The Georgian opposition condemned the newscast as a state-sponsored stunt aimed at smearing President Mikheil Saakashvili's critics while the president himself added to the furore by appearing to defend the broadcast.
The report, aired Saturday night on privately owned Imedi television, said Russian tanks were headed for the capital Tbilisi, Saakashvili had been killed and that some opposition leaders had sided with invading forces.
A brief notice before the report said it was a "simulation" of possible events but the report itself carried no warning it was a fake.
Outrage in Georgia
Adopts Poison Pill, Rejects Offer
Lions Gate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. on Friday rejected a bid by activist shareholder Carl Icahn to boost his stake in the movie studio, and its board disclosed the adoption of a provision meant to keep him from buying more shares.
The so-called poison pill, which takes effect Friday, triggers whenever any hostile acquirer gets a stake in the company exceeding 20 percent. Under a shareholders rights plan adopted by the company's board, which has been fending off Icahn's advances for a year, such investors would suddenly find the value of their shares diluted.
Icahn, a billionaire who owns nearly 19 percent of the company, wanted to raise his stake to nearly 30 percent, a move that the company said would have given him an effective veto over major transactions.
The larger stake would have given Icahn "superpowers" over company decisions without actually paying for complete control, Lions Gate vice chairman Michael Burns said in an interview Friday. "That is not a good thing for all of the shareholders in any way."
Lions Gate
Dad Running
Kara DioGuardi
The father of "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi, former Republican congressman Joe DioGuardi, is set to announce he is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Kirsten Gillibrand.
DioGuardi represented the suburbs north of New York City for two terms before he was defeated by Democrat Nita Lowey in 1988.
He is a certified public accountant who lives with his wife in Ossining, N.Y.
DioGuardi has a reputation as a kinetic politician and a fiscal conservative. He would join a Republican field that already includes former Long Island lawmaker Bruce Blakeman. A number of other Republicans are considering a run.
Kara DioGuardi
Loyalty Saved Life
Packers
A Wisconsin man who says his Green Bay Packers loyalties helped save his life has been voted into the team's Fan Hall of Fame.
The team announced the honor Saturday for 79-year-old Jim Becker. He attended Packers games for 56 years.
Becker says his passion for his team helped save his life. He and his wife raised 11 kids, so money was tight. To afford his season tickets without taking money from his family, he began selling his blood for $15 per pint.
His doctor later found that Becker's father died at age 43 of a condition in which the blood retains too much iron. The only treatment is to remove the iron by giving blood.
Packers
Weekend Box Office
"Alice in Wonderland"
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" easily remained the No. 1 weekend draw with $62 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Disney fantasy has climbed to a $208.6 million total domestically, becoming the first $200 million hit released this year.
In its second weekend in theaters, "Alice in Wonderland" pulled ahead of the $206.5 million domestic haul of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to become the top-grossing of Depp and Burton's seven films together, which include "Edward Scissorhands," "Sweeney Todd" and "Corpse Bride."
A rush of new movies had so-so openings, led by Matt Damon's Iraq War thriller "Green Zone," which debuted at No. 2 with $14.5 million domestically. Released by Universal, "Green Zone" stars Damon as the leader of a U.S. Army team who stumbles onto a conspiracy over the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Alice in Wonderland," $62 million.
2. "Green Zone," $14.5 million.
3. "She's Out of My League," $9.6 million.
4. "Remember Me," $8.3 million.
5. "Shutter Island," $8.1 million.
6. "Our Family Wedding," $7.6 million.
7. "Avatar," $6.6 million.
8. "Brooklyn's Finest," $4.3 million.
9. "Cop Out," $4.2 million.
10. "The Crazies," $3.7 million.
"Alice in Wonderland"
In Memory
Peter Graves
Peter Graves, the tall, stalwart actor likely best known for his portrayal of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in the long-running television series "Mission: Impossible," died Sunday.
Graves had just returned from brunch with his wife and kids and collapsed before he made it into the house, publicist Sandy Brokaw said. One of his daughters administered CPR but was unable to revive him. Graves' family doctor visited the house and believed he had a heart attack, Brokaw said.
Although Graves never achieved the stardom his older brother, James Arness, enjoyed as Marshal Matt Dillon on TV's "Gunsmoke," he had a number of memorable roles in both films and television.
Normally cast as a hero, he turned in an unforgettable performance early in his career as the treacherous Nazi spy in Billy Wilder's 1953 prisoner-of-war drama "Stalag 17."
He also masterfully lampooned his straight-arrow image when he portrayed bumbling airline pilot Clarence Oveur in the 1980 disaster movie spoof "Airplane!"
He also played roles in such films as John Ford's "The Long Gray Line" and Charles Laughton's "The Night of the Hunter," as well as "The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell," "Texas Across the River" and "The Ballad of Josie."
Graves' first television series was a children's Saturday morning show, "Fury," about an orphan and his untamed black stallion. Filmed in Australia, it lasted six years on NBC. A western, "Whiplash," also shot in Australia, played for a year in syndication, and the British-made "Court Martial" appeared on ABC for one season. In his later years, Graves brought his white-haired eminence to PBS as host of "Discover: The World of Science" and A&E's "Biography" series.
Born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, Graves adopted his grandfather's last name to avoid confusion with his older brother, James, who had dropped the "U" from the family name.
He was a champion hurdler in high school, as well as a clarinet player in dance bands and a radio announcer.
After two years in the Air Force, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota as a drama major and worked in summer stock before following his brother west to Hollywood.
He found enough success there to send for his college sweetheart, Joan Endress. They were married in 1950 and had three daughters - Kelly Jean, Claudia King and Amanda Lee - and six grandchildren.
Peter Graves
Peter Graves was the answer to the trivia question of the day - BartCop Entertainment Archives - Monday, 23 March, 2009
In Memory
Theodore C. Olbermann
The father of MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has died in New York City at age 80.
Theodore C. Olbermann was thrust into the nation's health care debate through commentaries made by his son on television.
Keith Olbermann says the former architect died Saturday of complications from colon surgery.
Theodore Olbermann's wife of nearly 60 years, Marie Olbermann, died last year.
Keith Olbermann had talked on his weeknight cable news show about his father's experiences in the hospital and how his family dealt with them. Three weeks ago he talked on TV about how his suffering father had asked to be killed.
Theodore C. Olbermann
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