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February 2011
A few thoughts on the Oscars (and winners)
After much anticipation about one of the tightest best picture races in years, the Oscars got off to an interesting start.
With the supporting actor categories pushed from their usual opening spot, “Inception” and “Alice in Wonderland” made the biggest splashes early, with both winning multiple technical awards.
As the bigger awards started being handed out, however, the show took the shape many expected. The best picture favorites “The King’s Speech” and “The Social Network” both won for screenplay - “Speech” for original and “Network” for adapted. But when “Social Network” won for editing, often a predictor of best picture, it seemed the movie about Facebook was showing some slight upset potential.
Best director nod, however, went to Tom Hooper, which pretty much started the sprint to best pic for “Speech.” While editing is a good indicator, directing is even better. And the fact that many expected David Fincher to win this award, pretty much assured that “Speech” would win big at the end. And so it did.
So, even after two young stars took over hosting duty, and after all of the hip comedic bits aimed at young people (the SNL-style digital short to open was nice, but … auto-tune jokes, anyone?), the best picture went to a British period piece. Don’t get me wrong, I loved “Speech,” but it felt like the night was a bit ironic in that sense.
Outside of directing, there was not an upset to be found. The acting awards were all well deserved and expected, and it would be hard to quibble with any of them.
Kudos:
David Seidler (“The King’s Speech”) for his speech after winning best original screenplay, as well as Colin Firth following his best actor win. Both men were gracious and humble. On accepting his award, the self-effacing Firth gave one of the night’s best lines : “I have a feeling my career just peaked.”
“Inside Job” filmmaker Charles Ferguson, who after winning best documentary for his film about the financial collapse, briefly noted that, “Not a single financial executive has gone to jail, and that’s wrong.”
The short that opened the ceremony was funny and gave hope for promise for the show. (False promise.)
Natalie Portman gave a touching and heartfelt speech and thanked everyone important in her life, including Mike Nichols and Darren Aronofsky, whom she called a “fearless leader” and “visionary.”
Opposite of kudos:
Whoever told Billy Crystal that whatever work he’s had done on his face looks worthy of a television appearance.
The producer who had Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock (last year’s best actor winners) adding a personal touch in the first-person mentions of the nominees. I like both Bridges and Bullock, and few would ever question their sincerity, but the forced bonhomie felt a little contrived.
Franco is charming, funny and a bit of a chameleon, but his attempt to downplay the haughtiness of the august and often pretentious affair came off a little flat, making him seem disinterested and smug. Hathaway is sweet and sincere, but came across a bit corny at times.
Slight surprises:
“Black Swan” took home only one Oscar (Portman) and “True Grit” went 0 for 10.
Complete list of Oscar winners:
Art Direction: “Alice in Wonderland”
Cinematography: “Inception”
Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”
Animated Short Film: “The Lost Thing”
Animated Feature Film: “Toy Story 3”
Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, “The Social Network”
Original Screenplay: David Seidler, “The King’s Speech”
Foreign Language: “In a Better World,” Denmark
Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, “The Fighter”
Original Score: “The Social Network,” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Sound Mixing: “Inception”
Sound Editing: “Inception”
Makeup: “The Wolfman”
Costume Design: “Alice in Wonderland”
Documentary (short subject): “Strangers No More”
Live Action Short Film: “God of Love”
Documentary Feature: “Inside Job”
Visual Effects: “Inception”
Film Editing: “The Social Network”
Original Song: “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3,” Randy Newman
Directing: Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”
Actress: Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Actor: Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
Picture: “The King’s Speech”
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Interview: Texas keeps working for Joel and Ethan Coen
The last time the brothers took a movie they shot in Texas to the Academy Awards (2007’s “No Country for Old Men”), they walked home with arms full of Oscars.
The Coens return to the star-studded festivities tonight with “True Grit,” nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including nods for best picture, director, actor and supporting actress. The film trails only the 12 nominations for “The King’s Speech.”
Parts of the movie, starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, were shot in Granger, Austin and Blanco last spring.
The brothers, who also serve as producers on their films, say they chose Texas for the terrain and congenial atmosphere for production talent as well as its tax incentives — which are under attack in the current legislative session.
Known for movies such as “Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou,” the Coens were first drawn to Austin to film their debut feature, “Blood Simple,” after Joel Coen’s one-semester graduate school stint at the University of Texas, where he studied film.
The 1984 noir thriller caused a sensation in the indie film world when it was released, winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Like “No Country for Old Men,” “True Grit” is that rare Coen Brothers movie based on source material that is not their own. But rather than a true remake of the 1969 movie starring John Wayne, their film is more loyal in tone and narrative to the 1968 novel of the same name by Arkansas native Charles Portis.
The Coens say they were turned on to the author’s works years ago by actor John Goodman but didn’t consider movie possibilities until Joel Coen decided to share “True Grit” with his son.
“The movie actually came from Joel rereading the book a lot to his son,” Ethan Coen recently said by phone. “And it got him thinking about it as a movie.”
While “True Grit” is undeniably a Western in the strictest sense — the ruthless meting out of justice, the rustic setting and horses are all genre staples — the brothers did not necessarily see it as such, and simply fell in love with Portis’ language and the adventure of the story.
Horse-blinkered by the desire to make the film, they didn’t stop to consider that the Western genre is a notoriously risky endeavor — the list of recent box office hits is a short one.
“In a strange way, I don’t think we were thinking about it even as a Western, exactly,” Ethan Coen said. “We weren’t even aware or thinking, ‘Oh, this is a popular genre or an unpopular genre; it’s commercially easy or it’s commercially not.’ That, actually, we were made aware of when we got a little farther down the road and started actually trying to get the movie financed. That was more something that we sort of discovered through the attitude of the studio. \u2026 Short answer is we really maybe idiotically weren’t thinking about it.”
Joel Coen wryly rejoined, “Nobody can say being idiots hasn’t worked for us.”
Indeed it has. “True Grit” is poised to become the highest-grossing Western of all time — it trails only 1990’s “Dances With Wolves” in domestic box office receipts at $165 million.
Not bad for a couple of New Yorkers.
Though the period in which the story takes place is new ground for the filmmakers, the Portis novel shares several of the Coen brothers’ hallmarks: surprising and intense bouts of violence, a facility with language and rhythmic dialogue and a bone-dry humor. The result is a family-friendly film with an edge, and arguably the Coens’ most accessible work.
Set in Arkansas before the turn of the 20th century, “True Grit” tells the story of Mattie Ross, an indefatigable girl seeking to avenge the murder of her father at the hands of a man named Tom Chaney. In pursuit of the killer, Mattie (Steinfeld), enlists the help of a Texas Ranger (Damon) and a crotchety old drunk of a U.S. marshal (Bridges, in yet another Oscar-nominated role).
This surprising band of brothers (two dichotomous uncles and a niece?) sets out from Fort Smith into Indian Territory in search of Chaney, who has taken up with a gang of outlaws.
Lovers of the book and astute observers of geography could be excused for being a little confused by the landscape in the Coen brothers’ film. Though set in Arkansas and Oklahoma, the movie was shot in Texas and New Mexico, in land that in no way resembles the story’s actual setting.
“It was a conscious cheat,” Ethan Coen said, citing the nondescript terrain and their desire to film in the snow, which is a feature in the book. “So we kind of opted for what people expect in a Western as opposed to what people might expect who know their geography and know this book.
“We also felt we could get away with the fact that she crosses this river and goes into this sort of wild Indian Territory, and events become more violent and weirder and more dangerous. We almost looked at it as a sort of Alice ‘Through the Looking Glass’ sort of thing. Given that, we thought that also lets us take some license with the landscape.”
After a nationwide search and months of open casting calls, the Coens found their “Alice” at the last minute. The film hinges on the quick-talking, self-reliant character, and the casting of Steinfeld ended up being a stroke of luck and genius.
In her first feature role, the now-15-year-old actress, who was selected from thousands, gives a beyond-her-years performance that earned her an Academy Award nomination for actress in a supporting role.
With “The King’s Speech” and “The Social Network” garnering most of the pre-Oscar buzz, the Coens have tempered expectations of walking home with Oscars of their own but find satisfaction in the attention the film has brought to their cast and crew.
“First of all, it’s not going to happen,” Ethan Coen said bluntly about the brothers’ chances of winning their second Oscar for achievement in directing. “To be quite honest, the thing that’s really nice about this round of Oscars is we’ve been there and done it and won it, and that’s great to be nominated again.
“But it’s really very gratifying to us that some people that we worked with and have for many, many, many years — like (costume designer) Mary Zophres and (production designer) Jess Gonchor, (cinematographer) Roger Deakins again — have gotten nominations. Because so much of the success of the movie is attributable to what they did. That’s pretty cool.”
As for whether the Coens saddle up for a return to Texas, the answer might rest in the hands of lawmakers.
The Texas Film Commission says the Coens have applied for incentives for filming “True Grit” here, but the commission declined to answer questions Thursday about how much money they were seeking. The American-Statesman was asked to file an open records request, which it did. Such requests typically take two weeks for a response.
With Texas facing massive budget shortfalls, the state’s tax incentives — which are actually smaller than New Mexico’s, where other parts of the movie were filmed — have faced intense scrutiny in the state Legislature.
In January, both the House and Senate proposed $10 million in funding for the incentive program to be spread out over 2012 and 2013 and administered by the Texas Film Commission. That amount is well short of the $66.5 million the commission wants.
Another proposal, from the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute, recommends an end to the incentive program.
“If they go away everywhere, it levels the playing field. And they might,” Ethan Coen said of state tax incentives. “If they go away some places but stay others, it is absolutely certain in my opinion that those places where they stay will attract huge amounts of production.
“When you deal with movies really at any level, at the low-budget level — or even at the very high-budget level — it makes a big difference as to where these movies wind up, and in some cases whether they get made or not.”
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Charlie Sheen gets real with Alex Jones
If you’re wondering why “Two and a Half Men” has been canceled, you need not look much further than this amazing piece of audio from The Alex Jones Show. But that doesn’t mean the TV star isn’t “winning.” Just ask him.
The syndicated radio host based in Austin had the beleaguered actor on his air to discuss, well, just about everything that was on Sheen’s mind.
Sheen ends up strafing Hollywood (specifically “Two and a Half Men” co-creator Chuck Lorre), the mainstream media and its consumers, Alcoholics Anonymous and even Thomas Jefferson. He says he will not idly sit by and be attacked and judged. “There’s a new sheriff in town and he has an army of assassins.”
The star of “Platoon,” who makes several references to “Apocalypse Now,” in which his father Martin Sheen starred, said that “you either love or you hate and you must do so violently.” He says his new motto, taken from “Apocalypse Now,” is “You have the right to kill me, but you don’t have the right to judge me.”
Jones says he and Sheen have been friends for six and a half years, which is probably why the actor went on his air to unleash his fury. And while Jones does ask some questions, in the words of Sheen, “Why give an interview when you can leave a warning?” That warning seems to be that he will not be bullied by the media or act soft any longer.
Sheen says he is determined to protect his ‘family,’ which includes the porn star and model with whom he is vacationing right now and with whom he has a “marriage of the heart.”: “It might be lonely up here, but I sure love the view.”
Why don’t you take a listen for yourself?
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My Oscar predictions: Who will win, who should win
“The Social Network” seemed to be racking up the most “friends” and “likes” when the awards season began late last year. But a funny thing happened on the way to its Oscar coronation.
Slowly, whether as a backlash to Facebook (or technology in general) or its founder Mark Zuckerberg, the more subtle and mature “King’s Speech” gained steam, taking home dozens of awards in recent weeks. Some might credit the shift in front-runner status to Harvey Weinstein, the executive behind “The King’s Speech,” who just so happened to help another British-themed movie, “Shakespeare in Love,” to a surprise victory in 1999 over the critically acclaimed “Saving Private Ryan.” But such are the ways of Hollywood. Entering Sunday’s ceremony, the two films are neck-and-neck in one of the tightest races ever.
“The King’s Speech” leads all nominees with 12. The Coen brothers’ take on the Clinton Portis novel “True Grit” follows with 10, though it seems unlikely the Central Texas-filmed Western will ride off with any awards outside of art direction or costume design. “The Social Network” and Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller “Inception” earned eight nominations. Pixar’s “Toy Story 3,” the highest-grossing film of 2010 with more than $1 billion worldwide, received four nominations. And while its chances to take home best picture are slim, its win in the animated category appears as certain as someone mixing politics into their acceptance speech.
Below I look at the six biggest categories and tell you who I think will win, as well as who should win. Let the debates begin.
Best picture
“Black Swan,” “The Fighter,” “Inception,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “The King’s Speech,” “127 Hours,” “The Social Network,” “Toy Story 3,” “True Grit,” “Winter’s Bone”
One features a bunch of brilliant and arrogant young people fighting over intellectual property and untold millions of dollars. The other is a personal period piece about a man coming to grips with his fears and his father issues in World War II-era England. “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech” could not be more different, although they both center on power and psychological motivations. The Academy loves classic dramas, but voters also want to seem relevant and hip. It will be interesting to see whether the Academy splits down generational lines with the two frontrunners. Director Danny Boyle’s breathtaking “127 Hours” was the most enjoyable time I had at the movies in 2010 (despite the horrific sounds of bone snapping), but it would be hard to see the Oscar going to a film that mostly takes place in a crevasse. “Inception” may have been too difficult for some voters to follow, and “Black Swan,” despite its originality, boldness and great performances, may have pirouetted too far into surrealism.
Will win: “The King’s Speech”
Should win: “127 Hours”
Best actor
Javier Bardem, “Biutiful”
Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”
Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
James Franco, “127 Hours”
If you had to bet the kids’ college fund on one race, this would be it. The debonair Colin Firth lost to a deserving Jeff Bridges last year in this category, but the 50 year-old Firth should have an easy time taking home the Oscar this time around — although Bridges was inarguably the best part of “True Grit.” Firth’s heartfelt performance as the stuttering prince who would be king blended humility, fear, warmth and a touch of anger that showed Firth is one of our best actors. Oscar host James Franco, with the help of the brilliant Danny Boyle, carried every second of “127 Hours.” If he weren’t so good-looking, young and somewhat overexposed, he would have a better chance, but I believe he will undoubtedly be making return trips. Jesse Eisenberg’s clipped, one-note portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg may or may not have been close to the truth; either way, it was obnoxious and distracting. Though he gives a masterful performance in the underseen “Biutiful,” Javier Bardem has little shot of pulling a Roberto Benigni (that is, winning for a performance in a foreign-language film or climbing over auditorium chairs to reach the stage.)
Will win: Colin Firth
Should win: Colin Firth
Best actress
Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”
Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine”
She delivered the breakthrough performance of the year in “Winter’s Bone,” but young Jennifer Lawrence must be a little intimidated going into Sunday’s ceremonies. Every other actress has been nominated for at least one Oscar. Annette Bening leads the list with three previous nominations (and no wins). The Academy favorite gives a performance that is at once steely and tender as a mother who watches her family slowly slip through her fingers. Both Michelle Williams and Nicole Kidman give gut-wrenching performances as women whose personal lives are upended, and Kidman already has one Oscar, for her role in 2002’s “The Hours.” Williams embodies the emotional and psychic pain of love lost. But the statuette probably will go to 29-year-old Natalie Portman, who plays a deeply troubled and manic ballerina tortured by her neuroses and her extremely creepy stage mother (Barbara Hershey’s lack of a nomination for supporting actress is a travesty). It’s hard to believe Portman’s great work in “Beautiful Girls” was 15 years ago.
Will win: Natalie Portman
Should win: Michelle Williams
Supporting actor
Christian Bale, “The Fighter”
John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”
Jeremy Renner, “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech”
With apologies to the brilliant Geoffrey Rush, who gives a lovely and sympathetic performance as Lionel Logue in “The King’s Speech,” the Academy can stop this fight now. Christian Bale transformed himself into former boxer and drug addict Dicky Eklund in “The Fighter.” Bale’s kinetic and brazen performance steals the movie. In fact, he is so good, it almost becomes distracting. For those who think Bale overacted, they need only to dig into the history of the larger-than-life character he portrayed. Both Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner are great and will be back, and it was gratifying that former Austinite John Hawkes was noticed for his knockout performance in “Winter’s Bone.”
Will win: Christian Bale
Should win: Christian Bale
Supporting actress
Amy Adams, “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter, “The King’s Speech”
Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom”
Golden Globe winner Melissa Leo seemed poised to walk away with the prize here, but then she got in her own way. Leo waged her own controversial promotional campaign with advertisements in trade publications. Then she backtracked and said that the studio made her do it. Wherever the truth rests, it left a bad taste in many people’s mouths. The whole dustup is a bit hypocritical considering some of the backroom deals that generally go on during awards season, but such is life in Hollywood. There is no doubt that Leo is deserving for her performance in “The Fighter,” but it will be interesting to see whether someone can sneak in and snag the belt from her. The best possibility would be Hailee Steinfeld, who impeccably delivered Clinton Portis’ classic lines in “True Grit” and arguably should have been nominated as a lead. The acting of Amy Adams gets a little too lost amid Leo and Bale in “The Fighter,” while Jacki Weaver will have to settle for the honor of being nominated. And it’s always wonderful to see the enigmatic and titillating Helena Bonham Carter (especially as the Queen Mother!), even if the nomination here is for a relatively light load. Maybe voters were just happy to see her playing a more toned-down character.
Will win: Hailee Steinfeld
Should win: Melissa Leo
Best director
Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”
Joel and Ethan Coen, “True Grit”
David Fincher, “The Social Network”
Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”
David O. Russell, “The Fighter”
This category will be one of the most wide open. Although it is extremely rare, the winner here might not correspond with the winner for best picture. The Coens could enter an elite group of directors with a second Oscar win in this category, though it seems highly unlikely. David O. Russell’s film relied mostly on incredible performances to achieve its effect, and Directors’ Guild winner Tom Hooper, while steady and more than competent, in no way dazzled with his direction. It would seem this is a two-man battle Darren Aronofsky and David Fincher. With “Black Swan,” Aronofsky created a world of passion, delusion and mystery that bordered on camp and provided a “Showgirls”-meets-“The Shining” feel. After seeing the movie, it is hard to imagine anyone else making “Black Swan.” With “The Social Network,” Fincher made a movie about nerds, lawsuits and young people sitting at computers extremely compelling and enveloping. Fincher has been knocking on the door, while Aronofsky is making his first appearance to the dance. That could be a determining factor.
Will win: David Fincher
Should win: Darren Aronofsky
The 83rd Academy Awards
Sunday, Feburary 27
Red-carpet arrivals, 6 p.m., ABC (earlier red-carpet shows can be seen on various networks such as E!)
Oscar telecast, 7 p.m., ABC
Visit www.austin360.com/movies on Sunday evening to join a live chat during the telecast.
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What they did for love: Jason Schwartzman, Michael Cera and Edgar Wright
But the post reminded me of a story Jason Schwartzman shared with me when he was in town last summer to promote “Scott Pilgrim Saves vs. the World.” I was talking to the “Rushmore” star, along with Michael Cera and writer-director Edgar Wright. Since the movie is about one what young man must go through to win the hand of a lady, I asked the guys for stories about the lengths to which they had gone to woo a woman.
The goofy and charming Schwartzman’s tale involved a trip to the movies. I will let him tell the story:
“I was a drummer in a band, and in the movie “That Thing You Do,” Liv Tyler wants to be with Johnathon Schaech, but Tom — the drummer — really wants her and finally she sees it. So, I took this girl to see the movie because I was a drummer but this particular girl was into the lead singer of my band. It was like my story playing out. I took her to see it just so she would get a hint, and right at the scene when she decides she wants to be with the drummer, my date gets up and goes to the bathroom. Ans I was like, ‘Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go …’ Also, around the same time, the same thing happened. I took a girl to see ‘Swingers,’ to kind of be like (tentatively), “See, maybe the shy, sweet baby is the guy you should be with … “
While his teenage attempts failed, Schwartzman seems to have landed on his feet just fine. While Wright did not have as detailed a heartbreak, he did say that he took a date to see a movie he liked quite well, “Misery.” He said it did not end well.
Cera did not have a movie-related story, but he did share another tale about trying to impress a girl. It was hard to tell if the notoriously dry Cera was being serious or not, I really hope he was. From Cera:
“I have a good story about a girl. I took her to a zoo in El Paso for her birthday. And I called all my friends and asked if anyone knew anyone in El Paso. And I got a phone number and set this thing up where we walked into the zoo — and, first of all, the zoo was a surprise because we were driving across the country and we stopped there and took her to the zoo. And we walked in and this mother — like this 45 year-old woman who had rubber bands in her mouth — and her daughter, who was like 23, walked up and the mom grabbed my girlfriend and went, (in super creepy, breathless old lady voice), ‘Oh my god! How are you? I haven’t seen you since you were a little girl [and hugged her]. It’s so good to see you. [And my girlfriend got nervous.] How are you? I wish I didn’t have to go. I have a meeting, I’ve got to go. I haven’t seen you since you were a little girl. Do you remember Alex? You two used to play when you were kids. You’ve got to tell your mom hi. I haven’t talked to her in years. Let me give you my card, you’ve got to get in touch with me. Here you go. It was so good to see you.”
And she walked off, and [my girlfriend] was so confused. And I went, ‘Look at the card.’ And the business card she handed her said, ‘Happy Birthday. Stay out of El Paso.’”
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Thoughts on Willie Nelson and the new ACL Live
It’s understandable then that when he took the stage at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater dressed in a dark suit and backed by a massive orchestra, I got a little misty. And the tears would well several times throughout the night.
I’m a sentimentalist and a softie, I know, but the night — one austere set of ballads (some Willie’s and some the work of others) and one call-to-the-road set stuffed with the rollicking classics and touching swooners we’ve all come to know and love — conjured well-earned nostalgia … nostalgia for the Austin and Hill Country of my youth, nostalgia for my parents’ bell bottoms of the 70s, nostalgia for raucous campfire nights fueled by whiskey and summer dips in swimming holes at twilight. I wish every friend and family member could have been there to experience it with me, but in a way they were. As one of my friends said, at times it seems Willie is made of magic, and that magic has the amazing ability to conjure spirits.
I will leave the review of the concert to Ed Crowell (read it here), but I will say that Willie was in epic form. When he reaches a place where his voice can no longer go, he takes us to new places that feel fully realized, honest and fluid. He still stays just behind the beat and the jazzy beauty of his picking serves as a great counterbalance to some incredibly fierce strumming.
Simply put, nobody else had any right opening the new home of the revered TV show that first set sail with Willie at the prow 35 years ago. As for the venue, I can hardly muster a complaint. The downtown social scene has been revitalized of late, with serious new restaurants (Haddington’s, Bar Congress) resetting the bar of our expectations. What those places have done for the culinary microcosm of downtown, ACL Live will do for live music.
While the audience will be limited to 800 for tapings, the capacity of the actual venue is 2750. And I can not think of a more intimate venue of its size. I watched the show from up close on the floor (where soft-cushioned seats with drink holders offered a wonderful and comfortable view) but I also climbed to the last row in the balcony to get a fuller perspective. I would venture that with the lights up, sitting on the floor I could probably read the lips of a friend in the upstairs seat furthest from the stage. The balcony is rather steep — and getting to it requires a bit of a climb — but that steep gradient puts even the back row almost right on top of the stage.
The lobby area of the balcony level lacks personality and light, and feels like a finished out basement, but I would imagine (or at least hope) some art work and more lounge seating will help complete the space.
The main floor offers a great open-air space for mingling with drinks before the show and during intermission. And there are bars everywhere. While I am sure the bars inside the concert hall will come in handy at rock shows, the noise and commotion they caused during the more subtle opening set provided a slight humming of unwelcome voices.
Most importantly, the sound was absolutely impeccable, best exemplified by the opening set with the orchestra, where every plucked and bowed string could be heard. I would imagine once word begins to circulate among musicians and their representatives, ACL Live will become a preferred Austin venue for touring bands, as it has a unique combination of space, sound design, location and comfort. And while thousands of musicians will file through the doors, over the next few decades, none will own the room and the hearts of the audience as Willie did Sunday night.
And, yes, last night I was one of those people who actually takes video at a show, but it seemed fitting …
Photo of Willie Nelson by Alberto Martinez AMERICAN-STATESMAN. Photo of me and Willie courtesy of me. Photo of braid installation by Knitta Please from James Moody.
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Celebrate the dark side of love at House of Torment
Sure Valentine’s Day is a great once-a-year opportunity for the romance-adverse to flex their creative muscles. But there’s a flip side to all of that decadent chocolate and sweet, sweet infatuation. We speak, of course, of the people who won’t stop calling after the last date where you simply hugged them goodbye while still in the car. The exes who just so happen to be jogging on the Lady Bird Lake Trail at the same time as you. We speak of the Stalkers.
To celebrate the dark side of love - or maybe to simply flout the saccharine spirit of Valentine’s Day — Austin’s masters of horror, the House of Torment, is holding an event it calls Dark Stalkers.
“The pitch-black walk-through attraction takes daring souls through a terrifying journey to find their way out of more than 20,000 square feet of total darkness with only a single glow stick,” a release says. “Daunting monsters equipped with night vision technology lurk in every dark corner to take guests through a mind-blowing, psychological and emotional spiral as these characters of the shadows chase their unwelcomed visitors in endless circles and even steal their glow stick.”
The House of Torment says, “Dark Stalkers has no preset paths or time limits and for some the nightmare can last over an hour.” Just as the haunting spirits of a failed relationship can seemingly follow you for years.
House of Torment’s Dark Stalkers
Where: 523 Highland Mall Blvd
When: February 11th & 12th 2011 7 p.m. - Midnight; Valentines Day February 14th 7 p.m. - 1030pm
Tickets: $14 in advance and $20 at the door
Information: thehouseoftorment.com
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How does Slash really feel about the Black Eyed Peas?
We don’t need to spend any more time talking about how bad the Black Eyed Peas were at the big game Sunday. They were historically horrific. And bringing out Slash for “Sweet Child of Mine,” just added insult to injury.
Why would one of the greatest guitarists and rock stars of the past 30 years stoop to play with that act that look like it stepped out of a dance club in “Demolition Man”? Well, money obviously.
But, maybe, just maybe Slash actually digs the Peas. Well, according to him, not so much. Except for one song, apparently.
Just last week, the frizzy haired rock god appeared in the “On My iPod” segment of Entertainment Weekly, in which an artist explains what is on his MP3 player and why.
The third entry was, surprisingly, the Black Eyed Peas’ “The E.N.D.”
About the tune, Slash said, “I normally hate that kind of sh**, but it’s the most infectious, uptempo party record that I’ve heard in some time.” He also forgot to add, “Oh, and those dudes are about to help me get mad paid.” To be fair, it is unclear if the “sh**” to which he was referring was the BEP’s typical songs or god-awful dance music from a scary future.
So, either Slash was preparing his fans for the horror of seeing him on stage at halftime, or he was caught in an mistimed bit of honesty.
One thing is for sure, the Peas were definitely “infectious” Sunday night. Infectious like the plague.
Rock on, Slash.
Photo of Slash and Fergie from the Associated Press.
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Will there be a ‘Big Lebowski 2’?
When asked about her upcoming projects, she told Hollywood.tv that she had a movie coming out called “The Fields” and “The Irishman.” After that ho-hum news, she said, “we’ll be doing ‘American Pie 4’ this year and ‘The Big Lebowski 2’ this year.” (She also said something about getting the whole gang back together 10 years later, but since neither movie was released in 2000 or 2001, it’s hard to know what she was talking about exactly.)
In the words of Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right,” “Shut the front door.”
Could it be? One of the greatest comedies of all time is getting a sequel?
I spoke with Joel and Ethan Coen today (look for that story closer to Oscar time) and mentioned Reid’s comments.
Ethan responded with a chuckle, saying, “I’m glad she’s working on it.”
When I asked if they actually had something in the works, Ethan said, “Well, we don’t but we’ll watch it when it comes out.” To which Joel quickly added, “Especially if Tara’s in it.”
So, apparently Tara Reid is not the most reliable person in the world. Who knew? Well, we’ll always have ”American Pie 4.”
Apparently, Tara Reid’s people have tried to clarify the misstep, as well. A spokesperson for Reid told Entertainment Weekly, “She heard Jeff Bridges say that he wanted to make ‘Big Lebowski 2’ and have all the original cast members in it, so she may have misspoke, thinking that included her based on what Jeff said.”
I guess that clears that up.
(If you want to relive the greatness that is “The Big Lebowski,” you can watch some clips on Hulu.com.)
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Rolling blackouts hit Texas but avoid site of Super Bowl
We all know Texas is a football state. But things have been taken to a whole new level with news today that rolling blackouts will affect people across the state, but not the site of the Super Bowl.
It seems even God can’t stop Jerry Jones from hosting the biggest game of the year at his new multi-million dollar spaceship known as Cowboys Stadium.
[From the Associated Press]
One of the state’s largest utility providers said rolling statewide electrical outages that started Wednesday in response to high demand from a rare ice storm will not affect Cowboys Stadium in suburban Arlington. But Oncor spokeswoman Jeamy Molina said other Super Bowl facilities, such as team hotels, were not exempt.Oncor, which serves 7 million customers in Texas, said the planned outages would happen in 15-minute intervals. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said some hotels have experienced “brief but expected” blackouts without any problems. A hotel spokesman said both team hotels are equipped with backup generators that would make any outage brief.
The freezing temperatures in the Metroplex have left some to question whether Dallas was a wise choice and wonder whether it will hamper Dallas’ future bids for the Super Bowl. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is having none of that talk.
“This is football country. It runs deep. It runs through men and women,” Jones said. “It’s a big deal. That’s the way it is here — period. All that should help us if we have ambitions of hosting future Super Bowls.”
While Dallas is usually cold in early February, it’s not as cold as it is in Indianapolis or New Jersey, where the big game will be held in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
Obviously Super Bowls go to teams with fancy new stadiums, but this is getting a little out of hand. Maybe it’s high time to adopt a three-city rotation for Super Bowls: San Diego, Phoenix and Miami.
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How many prostitutes does it take to host a Super Bowl?
As if football fans, corporate executives and athletes needed any more bad press about being gluttonous cretins with a mind for only three things (sex, money and sports), the Internet has been abuzz the past few days with the news that thousands of prostitutes will be descending on the Metroplex for this weekend’s Super Bowl.
But the numbers haven’t just been speculation from far reaches of the Internet or James Dobson’s Twitter account.
In November, “Dallas Police Sergeant Louis Felini told the The Dallas Morning News that between 50,000 and 100,000 prostitutes could descend on the metroplex for the Super Bowl,” the Dallas Observer writes.
That would be close to one prostitute per ticket holder. And even if a few ticket holders doubled-up on ladies of the night, the numbers are still astounding.
Adding to the plethora of prostitutes, there also came news that Super Bowl weekend features an alarming amount (and, really, any amount is alarming) of child sex trafficking.
Speaking to USA Today, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said, “The Super Bowl is the greatest show on Earth, but it also has an ugly underbelly. It’s commonly known as the single largest human trafficking incident in the United States.”
In response to the expected crush of sex slaves and hookers, Abbott has teamed with the FBI and is “bringing in at least a dozen extra agents from Austin and other cities to monitor and combat cases of trafficking in underage prostitutes during Super Bowl XLV in Arlington,” USA Today reports.
For their part, the Dallas Observer believes all of the hyperventilating about prostitution and sex trafficking is an urban myth propagated by the media. The Observer’s story analyzes actual arrest numbers from recent Super Bowls and World Cups and interviews NFL personnel and a former madam and comes to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, everyone is getting a little too worked up about a plague that is much smaller in scale than some would have us believe.
[From the Dallas Observer]
The routine is the same in every Super Bowl city. The media beats the drum of impending invasion, warning that anywhere from 15,000 to 100,000 hookers will soon arrive. Politicians lather on their special sauce of manufactured outrage. Cops and prosecutors vow stings and beefed up manpower.By implication, the NFL’s wealthiest and most connected fans—captains of industry and senators from Utah—will be plotting a week of sexual rampage not seen since the Vikings sailed on Scotland. And they must be stopped.
“This is urban legend that is pure pulp fiction,” the NFL’s McCarthy says. “I would refer you to your local law enforcement officials.”
So that’s what we did. Meet police Sergeant Tommy Thompson of Phoenix, which hosted the 2008 Super Bowl. “We may have had certain precincts that were going gangbusters looking for prostitutes, but they were picking up your everyday street prostitutes,” Thompson says of his vice cops. “They didn’t notice any sort of glitch in the number of prostitution arrests leading up to the Super Bowl.”
Conspicuously noted: He doesn’t recall a single arrest of an underage girl.
For the complete story, visit DallasObserver.com.
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