An overnight snowstorm coated everything with white again, but it was above freezing all day.

Sitemeter Sez: South Boston, Virginia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Jersey City, New Jersey; Jefferson City, Missouri; Houston, Texas; Hingham, Massachusetts and Brussels, Belgium.

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!





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

In The Community: All students are FREE this year at the Hockaday Museum of Art, thanks to Pacific Steel & Recycling. I spent all Saturday afternoon there, doing necessary grunt-work.
Check out Fall for Glacier too -- a fundraiser for several programs that make Glacier National Park even better!

Media Watch: Metropolitan Opera LIVE -- Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Puccini from 1893. Let's see -- U.S. Premiere August 29, 1894; Metropolitan Opera Premiere January 18, 1907. Karita Mattila sang the title role. I heard the whole first act before going to work, plus Ms. Mattila's first aria in Act II. The plot features the same kind of sleazy tragedy that everyone held against Georges Bizet a generation earlier, and seemed to expect by the time Grand Opera faded in the 1920's. (Challenge -- if anyone's heard an opera as good as Turnadot written since then, tell ME about it! Les Miserables is DAMN GOOD, but another genre altogether.)

Updates for my OWN Media:


By command of Princess Aura, I added ONE more similarity between the Flash Gordon Sunday strip and 1936 Saturday serial.
(Click to see a larger image.)
Clockwise from Upper Left -- Alex Raymond's Aura as a traitor; Patrica Lawson's Aura, still besotted by lust for her blond Earthman, eavesdropping on Flash's inexplicable plans to escape her violent, dangerous planet. Next she'll sic a tiger on Jean Rogers' platinum version of Dale Arden; Raymond's dark-haired Dale, in a spitfire moment, as she defeats her long-time nemesis -- too late to avert disaster, unfortunately. Much later on, the two will join forces to spring Flash from Emperor Ming's prison.
Read the whole contrast/comparison at: Cellulose to Celluloid or check out the Further Misadventures of Princess Aura on its own.

The snow has let up a bit, and the temperature rises above freezing during the day. We needed the break to clear the roads, walks, and driveways.

Sitemeter Sez: North Fort Myers, Florida; Dalton, Georgia; Oakville, Ontario, Canada; New York, New York and Wiesbaden, Germany.

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!





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

In The Community: There will be 400 high schoolers visiting the community college this upcoming Tuesday at a College for a Day public-relations event.
All students are FREE this year at the Hockaday Museum of Art, thanks to Pacific Steel & Recycling.
Check out Fall for Glacier too -- a fundraiser for several programs that make Glacier National Park even better!


Happy Birthday Galileo!
If he were alive today, he'd still be a remarkable man -- 'cause he'd be 444 years old. (rimshot)

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.

I think that in the discussion of natural problems we ought to begin not with the Scriptures, but with experiments, and demonstrations.

It vexes me when they would constrain science by the authority of the Scriptures, and yet do not consider themselves bound to answer reason and experiment.

It is surely harmful to souls to make it a heresy to believe what is proved.

The Bible tells us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.

Media Watch: MTV's America's Best Dance Crew has been a somewhat-better-than-average competition show. Injuries are making a difference with these untrained but enthusiastic young people. One thing I DIDN'T like was the producers making one of the all-woman crews wear high heels for their number -- took half their vocabulary away just by balancing on those things. They did alright, but it wasn't the least bit fair. The Buckethead clones were awesome, and didn't look like amateurs at all. The roller skater/dancers amazed me too. The street dancers from Boston were treated a touch too harshly, I thought.

Propaganda is flying fast and thick nowadays, with lousy Bu$hCo throwing more than their share. The following video may be SATIRE, but it's a clear and present warning about what we face if we allow the criminals who are running our government to remain in office:

Snowing again -- sticking like white frosting on my car windows this morning.

Sitemeter Sez: Somewhere in France; Independence, Missouri; Bratislava, Slovakia and Louth, Ireland (Did ya' see your picture? Drop me a line, Eavan!)

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!





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

In The Community: My boss at the Hockaday Museum of Art will speak at the college where I also work TODAY. All students are FREE this year at the museum, thanks to Pacific Steel & Recycling.
Check out Fall for Glacier too -- a fundraiser for several programs that make Glacier National Park even better!

Media Watch: It ain't Allen Toussaint's song, although Sen. Obama ALMOST made it so by saying an extra "can," that very few heard. It IS a very inspiring speech and video which is making it's viral way throughout the entire world --
Yes, We Can! - Si, Se Puede! Song & video by Will I Am of The Black Eyed Peas. Inspired by Barack Obama's 'Yes We Can' speech.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.
We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --
Yes. We. Can.

Celebrities featured include: Jesse Dylan, Will.i.am, Common, Scarlett Johansson, Tatyana Ali, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adam Rodriquez, Kelly Hu, Amber Valetta, Eric Balfour, Aisha Tyler, Nicole Scherzinger and Nick Cannon

The carport for an apartment house collapsed in Whitefish, Montana from heavy snow, but luckily nobody was hurt. Some insurance agents are saying "ouch" though.

Sitemeter Sez: Knoxville, Tennessee (Yo! Tari DeWille); Lehighton, Pennsylvania; Dunnellon, Florida; Portland, Oregon; Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; Salt Lake City, Utah; Chicago, Illinois; Rome, Italy and Sherman, Texas.

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!





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

In The Community: My boss at the Hockaday Museum of Art will speak at the college where I also work tomorrow. All students are FREE this year at the museum, thanks to Pacific Steel & Recycling.
Check out Fall for Glacier too -- a fundraiser for several programs that make Glacier National Park even better!

Media Watch: Trash A Go Go II AKA Dance Wars has one week left before it sinks beneath the waters of oblivion. There were some entertaining moments, but not enough to overcome bad ideas or confused producers. The touring cast of High School Musical showed everybody how to mix dancing and singing. Trash A Go Go II doesn't have sufficient rehearsal time for it's OWN talent. Their elimination process is also too humiliating to enjoy.

Now for something completely different:

A Preview of Upcoming Ida Rubinstein Updates


(L to R) Ida Rubinstein as La Dames aux Camélias in 1923. She recreated Sarah Bernhardt's interpretation of the character, coached by the great actress herself before she died. This role was her greatest success in the 1920's; Greta Garbo as Hollywood's Camille in 1936. Alexandre Dumas II's doomed courtesan has haunted the arts since 1848.

No widespread ill effects from the rain-over-snow weather. The main roads are evaporating and draining.

Sitemeter Sez: Layton, Utah (looking for Lisa of the Disco Drippers band -- check http://theatrex.net); New York, New York; Montreal, Canada; Bologna, Italy and Rochester, New York.

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!





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

In The Community: My friends Virginia and Rockie showed up at the Hockaday Museum of Art. Welcome by! All students in the valley are FREE this year too, thanks to Pacific Steel & Recycling.
Check out Fall for Glacier too -- a fundraiser for several programs that make Glacier National Park even better!

Media Watch: America's Best Dance Crew -- an MTV show produced by Randy Jackson of American Idol and hosted by shoulda-been Dancing With The Stars champ Mario Lopez. Street dancers on many levels of professionalism -- generally energetic and entertaining. What is best about the show is that it reflects a true popular phenomenon from the last two generations which deserves national exposure.
Montana PBS played a couple of hours of music featuring guitarist Ralph Towner, composer of Icarus, on Sunday afternoon. It was a coincidence, but a beautiful one, since I raved about the song earlier on this blog!

Garage Sale Booty: The FIRST album by the Moody Blues -- Magnificent Moodies, an English Decca vinyl from 1965. Drummer Grahme Edge, flutist Ray Collins, and pianist Mike Pinder are in the group, along with lead singer Denny Laine and bassist Clint Warwick. The 1964 single Go Now, written by Americans Larry Banks and Milton Bennett, outshines everything else but there are four songs by Pinder, and a Gershwin tune sung by Thomas. John Lodge and Justin Hayward replaced Laine and Warwick by 1967 and the group created an astonishing flood of original material. Hayward's magnificent Nights In White Satin was a radio hit where I grew up, but it took awhile for the Moody Blues to really catch on with the American public. Justin Hayward wrote another nice single called Leave This Man Alone which was played on AM Radio the same winter that Nights made it's rounds, but was forgotten somehow. Lodge's Ride My See Saw and their adventurous albums helped make them VERY popular by late 1968. It's a ludicrous mistake that they're not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame yet, while the Dave Clark Five got in ahead of them this year. Both groups have been eligible for awhile. The DC5 enjoyed a short, but successful career, but never made the kind of waves that the Moody Blues did -- creating a whole new form of Rock Music and making albums which generated long-term sales that led to the domination of LP records and FM radio as the 70's began.


An amalgamation of slipcovers on this Moody Blues single from 1967
Inset: (L to R) Lodge, Hayward, Thomas, Pinder, and Edge covering-over a gig shot of Laine and Warwick. That's Pinder, Thomas and Edge onstage.

Young girls with long faces
Come to me at night and stay the night
Why am I so lonely?
Tell me is it right? Is it right?
Leave them, leave them, leave them
Leave those things alone
Leave them, leave them, leave them
Leave those things alone

Someone said I loved you
But I can't think where
I can't think where
You know so much about me
So don't stand and stare
Stand and stare
Leave me, leave me, leave me
Leave my mind alone
Leave me, leave me, leave me
Leave this man alone

Someone said I loved you
But I can't think where
I can't think where
You know so much about me
So don't stand and stare
Stand and stare
Leave me, leave me, leave me
Leave my mind alone
Leave me, leave me, leave me
Leave this man alone

Ah, ah, leave this man alone
Ah, ah, leave this man alone