Sitemeter Sez: Visitors from Zlechov, Czech Republic; Louth, Ireland; Bronx, New York; Spokane, Washington; Westminster, Maryland; City of London, UK; Atlanta, Georgia; Salamanca, Spain; Wigan, UK; City of London, North Arlington, New Jersey; Seattle, Washington; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Bors, Sweden and Tempe, Arizona.
Watch for revisions 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 UPDATES! Outre Space Cinema -- Featuring: 1930's Rocketry, Spitfires of the Spaceways and Cellulose to Celluloid, Flash Gordon in the Saturday Matinees and Sunday Comics.
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 including my efforts on his Flash Gordon Resources Page -- along with actual creators like Alex Raymond, Al Williamson, and others!
Charity Alert: Play the FreeRice Game -- improve your vocabulary, and donate food to the United Nations. 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. BTW -- AIDtoCHILDREN.com is a bit simpler than FreeRice Game.
In The Community: The Hockaday Museum of Art has two new shows -- Seldom Seen, from the Permanent Collection, and First Nations Artists -- Contemporary / Traditional. We still have Crown of the Continent, and Ace of Diamonds. Dan Fagre's show about the vanishing glaciers of Glacier National Park is a true labor of love by himself and other scientists from the USGS. Here's another website comparing glacier photos from the early 20th Century and now.
Media Watch: Verdi's Rigoletto (1851) on Montana NPR yesterday -- the most decadent of his death-operas. The short canzone La donna è mobile became a very popular song over the last century and a half:
La donna è mobile
Qual piuma al vento,
Muta d'accento — e di pensiero.
Sempre un amabile,
Leggiadra viso,
In pianto o in riso, — è menzognera.
This woman is flighty
Like a feather in the wind,
She changes her voice — and her mind.
Always sweet,
Pretty face,
In tears or in laughter, — she is always lying.
La donna è mobil
qual piuma al vento
Muta d'accento e di pensier!
e di pensier!
e di pensier!
The woman is flighty
Like a feather in the wind,
She changes the tone of her voice and her thoughts,
And her thoughts!
And her thoughts!
È sempre misero
Chi a lei s'affida,
Chi le confida — mal cauto il cuore!
Pur mai non sentesi
Felice appieno
Chi su quel seno — non liba amore!
Always miserable
Is he who trusts her,
He who confides in her — his unwary heart!
Yet one never feels
Fully happy
Who on that bosom — does not drink love!
Waking up this morning, I heard baritone Thomas Hampson on Saint Paul Sunday, singing American folk songs in that big resonant voice -- just like he did when I saw him live in Spokane.
I'm working at the college today, overseeing the tech for a so-called Sober Bowl Party -- watching the Super Bowl on two LARGE screens. (Following are live-blog paragraphs, written during the event.)
Pre-Game: NBC's gang of coaches, former players, and sports announcers filling time -- Bob Costas, Keith Olbermann, Chris Collinsworth, Tony Dungy, Mike Holmgren, Tiki Barber, and assorted talking heads.
80's Rock Stars Journey, with their young Phillipines-born singer, doing Street Light People.
A taped interview with President Barack Obama, who was trying to remain relaxed as the questioner dived from serious to shallow, as the president hosted his own Super Bowl party at the White House.
What's all this about 3-D glasses? The crew just brought in a whole bag of them.
Faith Hill and Jennifer Hudson sing separate patriotic songs before the kickoff.
The miracle crew who belly-landed that passenger plane on the Hudson River stand mid-field to unanimous applause.
The Game: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals in Tampa, Florida -- play by play by Al Michaels and John Madden. Coin Toss -- Arizona gets their choice, and kicks. The Kickoff -- Pittsburgh runs to their own 27, but are stopped by the kicker. Quarterback seems to run in a touchdown afer a couple of great passes, but it's overturned on appeal -- field goal instead; 0 to 3
Arizona's first possession -- they face the NFL's #1 Defense, and have to punt; Great goal line save by defensive back Rodgers-Cromartie; Steelers on Cardinals' 5 yard line as the 1st Quarter ends; Three hard plays, but Steelers score a touchdown + extra point. 0 to 10
Cardinals' second possession -- first 1st Down = a good start, more please; Long pass, short pass, touchdown, extra point; 7 to 10
Cardinals' Rodgers-Cromartie almost intercepts a pass again; Steelers punt after taking hit after hit; Cardinals make a good run-back, but have to punt too; Steelers are deflected and intercepted 34 yards from the wrong goal line for them; What can the Cardinals do in less than two minutes? A 4th Down becomes a 1st Down; Cardinals' MVP Larry Fitzgerald catches a critical pass; 1st and Goal -- Steeler #92 (James Harrison) intercepts the ball and run 100 yards to the far end zone, but does it count? It does! Point after -- good! 7 to 17
Halftime: Here comes the 3D commercial. A trailer for Monsters and Aliens from Dreamworks. The 3D effect worked fine, and the audience laughed at the jokes.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band -- "Turn that TV all the way up!" said Springsteen. (Yes, Boss!) The vocal mix was a bit muted at first, but it was alright for the magnificent Born To Run, a gospel choir showed up, and they ended with a delightfully extended Glory Days.
Back to the Game: Cardinals have first possession in the second half; Edgerrin James is running a lot, but they have to punt anyway; Everyone's starting to play rough -- we're seeing stupid penalties; Steelers slowly drive to the red zone; Stupid defensive penalty on field goal attempt, meaning an automatic First Down; Goal Line Stand -- works to an extent, and Steelers are 'forced' to kick a field goal; 20 to 7
(I don't think any Steelers are sad about the score.)
Cardinals have seventeen minutes to score two touchdowns and somehow stop the Steelers; Offensive holding, and the Cardinals have to punt at the start of the 4th Quarter; Two major defensive plays by Dockett, and Steelers have to punt also. No-huddle offense by the Cardinals; Fitzgerald gets the ball to the 10 yard line; Fitzgerald catches the ball at the 5; Cardinals on the 1; Fitzgerald catches a pass in the End Zone; Extra point -- good! 14 to 20
Anthing can happen now, but the Steelers have the ball; Dockett flattens the Steelers' quarterback deep behind the line of scrimmage, and Pittsburgh has to punt;
Stupid penalty by a Steeler gives 15 yards to Cardinals, trouble is, Arizona has committed over 100 yards in penalties; Crazy playing and a well-placed punt leaves Steelers at the wrong 2 yard line; Touchback caused on an offensive penalty; 16 to 20
Cardinals have the ball on their own 36 yard line with three minutes to go;
CRUNCH TIME -- Cardinals' Warner to Fitzgerald, who goes all the way to the End Zone; Point after -- good; 23 to 20
IT'S YOUR TURN, STEELERS -- Two and a half minutes to go; Two Minute Warning (no commercials of note here, just lots of them); Steelers throw a long one, and run it to the seven yard line; It looks like a touchdown deep in the End Zone, is it? YES! Point after -- good; 23 to 27
The Cardinals have twenty nine seconds and 77 yards to go;
Hail Mary, full of grace.
Our Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
One long pass -- complete; Time out; Medium pass -- complete; Time out; Fumble or incomplete pass? FUMBLE! The Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl #43!
Commercials of Note: Anti-steroids "spot;" Ageless Jane Seymour; LeBron James clowning; Dylan's Forever Young reinterpreted; Trailer for a lame-assed DaVinci Code clone, with Tom Hanks no less; Low-comedy Bud Lite spots, per usual; Expensive car chases and stunts; Chimps as "grease monkeys;" Ultra-low comedy Doritos number; Cute animals of all sizes; Pepsi jumps on the slapstick wagon; Upcoming Star Trek movie with young actors as Kirk, Spock, McCoy etc; Stupid talking flowers; Funny Pidgeons and Cheetos; Lots of obnoxiousness, but that's neither newsworthy nor notable; Many movie trailers of varying quality; Elaborate Coca Cola CAD/CAM animation; Exploitive references to the recession; Does NBC owner GE really have a brain? Alec Baldwin stars in a masterpiece from HULU -- an evil plot to gelatinize YOUR brain, too! (No commercial was better than this.)
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