Yesterday was beautiful, I wasted it doing much-needed yardwork, though, and will do more this wonderful afternoon.

Sitemeter Sez: Kansas City, Kansas; Van Nuys, California; Los Angeles, California and beleaguered Belfast, Northern Ireland, where some of my Scottish ancestors lived on occasion.

ROCK against Reaganomics at: Theater X-Net

Starring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Ida's Places in Paris -- from my first jet-lagged day by the Seine.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
NEW --Launching NOW! Outre Space Cinema -- Featuring: 1930's Rocketry, Spitfires of the Spaceways and Cellulose to Celluloid, Flash Gordon in the Saturday Matinees and Sunday Comics -- UPDATED!





Many thanks to Jim Keefe (Visit his Website) -- the LAST Flash Gordon illustrator of the 20th Century, and Flash's first illustrator of the 21st, for his recommendations -- HERE!

Charity Alert: Check into Terra Sigilata blog -- donate $$$ to cancer patients just by clicking onto the site. Keep that Resolution to click on The Hunger Site every day.

In The Community: More packing at the Hockaday Museum of Art, getting ready for the Cawdrey tour.
Check out Fall for Glacier -- a fundraiser for several programs that make Glacier National Park even better!

Concert Review: Pfunk 4/26 Kansas City Crossroads
Funky Marque wrote:
F_cking amazing! I can't even name names here. Every single person on stage that played, sung, or rapped was incredible last night. One cohesive unit of in your face funk. It was the kind of night where you loose yourself in the groove and all sense of time is gone.
One of the best shows I've seen EVER!

The Real Joker wrote:
Man I totally agree! One of the best P-Funk shows I've ever seen or from anyone. This show went way past my expectations. I'm still amazed by it. The US Funk Mob kicked some major ass. The show was high energy from start to finish. Ricky Rouse is an awesome guitarist and entertainer.
Let me just say that they were TIGHT!!! I talking tight like I haven't seen them in years. Now mind you this is a different crew but the level of showmanship took me back to the 76' Mob. Everyone came dressed up and Rico and Frankie were on it. Frankie played like I haven't heard him play in years. And most of all it was FUNKY!!! Real funky. George's voice was clear and in good singing form as well as Garry, Steve and all the rest. Kim and Kendra danced and sang with vigor.
They played Make My Funk the P-Funk which was a treat. Pumpin It Up was off the chain. Mike Hampton murdered Maggot Brain. Trey Lewd and George busted out a funny rap called Crackheads, that was totally hilarious.
This was the second night of the tour. It's hot new arrangements , an increased level of showmanship among the crew and very high energy.
P.F. Oh yeah Garry is a strawberry blonde now. lol He's sportin a wild new hairdoo.
Don't miss it!!!


Kim Manning (L) is touring with George Clinton (R) and the P-Funk All-Stars again. My friend Michael Hampton is with them too on screaming electric guitar.

Media Watch: It's not exactly current, but Guillermo del Toro signed on to direct a two-movie version of The Hobbit. Ian McKellen is supposed to play Gandalf, with Andy Serkis doing his wonderful version of Gollum again. Peter Jackson and Saul Zaentz are still in the mix, so I am forced to be ruefully skeptical about the script. I wonder how they are going to stretch the story over two separate films and still keep the charm of There and Back Again intact. The adventure with Gollum may have been pivotal, but it was short. There is potential for some disastrous decision-making here. I didn't like the musical made-for-TV cartoon series -- they are hopefully forgotten by now. If something better comes from this project, I should be happy. Anyway, sales of the book will probably increase and a whole new generation will wander in Wilderland if anything at all goes right.


The late J.R.R. Tolkien and Guillermo del Toro (inset) have a love of sketching in common. I respect the young Mexican director for his visual sense, and I'm hoping that he respects Prof. Tolkien's vision of Middle Earth more than his executive producers did in Lord of the Rings. These two creative individuals share Catholic backgrounds too, which may be significant, or not. The strength of The Hobbit is it's simplicity. Tolkien told the original story to his numerous young children during the precious hours he spent with them outside of the male-dominated world of Oxford dons. The book had the same guile-free spirit, but benefitted greatly from the professor's diligent study of fairy stories, Dark Ages legends, and keen appreciation of 19th and 20th Century fantasy writers.