Robert, Ruth and Randomness

The last week saw the deaths of both Robert Altman and Ruth Brown. I don't really have much to say about Robert Altman. I probably haven't seen a third of the guy's films, but anyone who can make The Long Goodbye, Nashville and The Player is alright in my book (I'll admit, I can't quite get past the misogyny in MASH). I had no idea so many people had covered the theme from MASH.

As for Ruth Brown, one of the important rock n roll artists of the early 50's, check out her 1953 hit "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean." This version is a little faster than the record, but she makes the same squeak with her voice, and you can see her great showmanship in that expressive face.



Ruth also appeared as Motormouth Maybelle in John Waters' last great movie, Hairspary.

On to the positive, a great thing to wake up to on Thanksgiving morning: EW talking to Joss Whedon about his upcoming Buffy "season 8" comic! There's even some drawings (which look...um...not that good). So how's Buffy going to be enjoying the newfound freedom of not being the one and only Slayer?

''Not so much with the freedom,'' quips Whedon. ''Not that everything is dire and angsty and season six-y, But she's dealing with the consequences of having empowered thousands of girls around the world. She may have closed the Hellmouth under Sunnydale and defeated The First. But evil? Still rampant!''

Yes, Joss still talks in that cadence that's clever and snappy when characters do it on his shows, and kind of annoying when a writer does it in an interview. First issue of the 25-30 issue run is due in March, which means we might see it before the end of 2008. He also says he's still trying to nail the Wonder Woman script, so no solid dates for that yet.

Andrew Sullivan's search for the best and worst 80's videos has uncovered something I've long been curious about: Tori Amos' hair-metal band, Y Kant Tori Read. Although, now that I've seen it, it's not really "hair metal"--more like the kind of 80's pop that Sheena Easton or Kim Carnes or Bonnie Tyler made, I think (OK, most hair metal wasn't really metal or even hard rock, but I think even Bon Jovi or Winger were more rock than that). Still, incredibly cheesy.

If you missed it when The Tofu Hut posted J. Walter Negro and the Loose Jointz's early proto-hip hop single "Shoot The Pump," you have a second chance at redemption! Locust Street (the best mp3 blog on the web) has posted this 80's masterpiece! Get it while you can!

Dig that poster!

On a political note, can you believe this asshole that Bush has appointed to oversee Title X family planning programs?