A soupçon of KITTY's new musical: Sauws Go Soft [working title]
Logline: A feline professor is astonished to find scratchings on ancient rocks. They resemble hearts. She tries to dismiss them as fakes or that her eyesight and mind are failing. How wrong she was! And her life is changed for ever, and ever, and ever. And ever.
Let’s not talk politics at this historic moment in American history. Rather what this website always was and forever will be: philosophical, psychological, psychiatric, mindful, curious, unbiased. Slings and arrows exactly not welcome but words can’t, or shouldn’t, hurt. Though oft can.
Know where AI could become revelatory, and by no means replacing historians like Simon Schama et al: feed AI all the historic election results/data/knowledge. Everything. Then interrogate. To alleviate slightly Democrat despair, Roosevelt and Johnson were the ONLY Presidential winners to top 60% in the popular vote in history. Everyone else above 54% was Republican. Though Harding was 60.3. Equipoise. Surely learned treatises on all this? Circumstances change though not human nature. And those for whom the Trump election victory was not exactly a surprise didn’t need AI for what was already in front of one’s eyes. Suddenly dinosaurs are singing….
Und so weiter: more dead people, no solution.
Despair. Is there love in the absurd? Loads of absurd comedy dating back to the Pythons and Spike Milligan. The Marx Brothers? Buster Keaton? Can comedy ever exist without love? Ricky Gervais' case probably not: a well of love rather than cynicism and nihilism. Or is it love of oneself and onesother: well, glad I didn’t slip on that banana skin. Idiot! Read Erving Goffman. Or maybe just sit there do nothing and observe humanity. Goffman may get your bus there quicker. See: a positive for humans isn’t it!
Speaking of what’s in front of one’s eyes, you don’t need to be a ‘Leftie’ art affectionate to love Fake or Fortune? Airing for the past decade and now in its series 12, it’s basically a murder mystery kinda in reverse. [most past eps available on Youtube] A whodunnit. Who painted this? This’ll educate you more than CSI! One has a lot of sympathy for ‘fakers’ and not much for someone who pays say $50million, stores it in a Swiss vault, and only gives a shit about the profit margin. Steve Martin, really smart with really smart advisors bought a renowned Rheinland artist Campendonk which turned out to be faked. The fascinating takeaway is that the faker (Wolfgang Beltracchi) strived to paint what the artist hadn’t painted yet. And not that the experts ‘fell for it’ rather he/she/it (and the original artist) utterly succeeded in their vision. It was real.
The great thing about New York is if you can create a little niche in that ocean really you can experience ofttimes pearls in the oyster. There was a doctor or dentist from Chicago selling his estate from the 50s/60’s on at Heritage Auctions. He had some honest money to spare and indulged instead in art. Fascinating was his un-curated eye. A neglected Marsden Hartley here another something there. All were museum quality all one needed were curious eyes.
The pterodactyl-diplodocus pas de deux [Saurs Got Soft] OK, it's not KITTY but no royalties: we're good. KITTY’s kind to her band of friends. Or is that felons? Anycat, the sound’s great and all that matters.
“We don’t talk to each other.”
When one of Cynthia Erivo caliber is asked to partake in a 3hour audition [as did Ariana though seperately] you know the Wicked team is deadly serious getting this film version right for everyone, forever and ever and ever! Composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz reminds me most of Jerry Herman: the wit, the melody, the oft simplicity of achingly memorable lyrics. Seems so easy, so incredibly difficult yet liberating writing and composing: every single image evolving into its world. Isn’t this really a ‘baby Wicked’ song way back when;)? High hopes for his Queen of Versailles with Kristin Chenoweth. He wrote an opera you know:
Stephen Schwartz & Jeanine Tesori
You don’t have to be a straight white New Jersey Italian to appreciate this!
Moo @Sometimes just pretzels and beer, But I'm here
A Certain Idea of America [Peggy Noonan]
If KITTY’s parachute doesn’t open, well, at least she died happy. …Of course it will you sadistic, jealous bastards! Can’t have been very nice for poor KITTY to overhear the dogs on set saying “They can’t will for you to die can they.” What did she ever do to deserve that! Thankfully humans aren’t like…!
Once Upon a Time a cat with moonlight in her eyes…
The Creature Collective recommends:
Little cat, little cat, why do you look so blue? Did somebody paint you to look like that, or is it your birthday, too? Little fish, little fish, do you think I will get my wish.
Alas, no ants in Gypsy. Arguably;) Everyone knows but few have seen the whole movie A Hole in the Head. It’s so great! And Sinatra always is as an actor always! The famous story of his Billy in Carousel, he saw two cameras “You’re not getting two Sinatras for the price of one.” Maybe Ava Gardner was to blame.
Always amazing how extraordinary talents so easily are overlooked. Composer Florence Price only recently getting her due the last decade. And now her friend Margaret Bonds- early teacher of Ned Rorem, orchestrator for Leontyne Price and lifetime friend of Langston Hughes. An extraordinary life ending so sadly once Hughes passed away.
Don’t know whether start nor finish with Rita Moreno. One few legends still alive! Nay-say leaping about! One feels purr-thetic curling upon sofa 30years younger, waking up 5pm and meowing any stranger towards the kitchen cupboard?
Speaking of inspiring legends…Katharine Hepburn. Clive James such a great interviewer and intellect. Germaine Greer [still alive to tell the tale] once observed ‘if anyone needed fame’. True. Irony Clive knew always all was sawdust and some glitter and true talent shines forever. Does being inside allow understanding all more? Or do the Russian dolls just mess u up more and more>
Should we ‘cancel’ Sinatra switching allegiance Democrat to Reagan? For painting a July 4th fireworks and gifting it to that President?! Ever more worrying nay terrifying is our social media tablescape. Now no conversation only inanimate objects. Not so much, only lack of animation outside themselves. Cezanne and Morandi growing bored moving on. If I had a dollar for everyone who asked over the decades ‘how do you know this’, whoah, rich as Elon Musk. OK, sounding like Trump now;);( No way. The arts and reality!
Pre-internet/streaming/digital/doucheball? Guess the latter’s somehow embedded DNA. Our quacking duck’s little existencial quip. Schlepping to the NYT London office scrutinizing their culture section. THAT’s how I learnt what was happening in the rest of the cultural world outside, and let’s be honest, culturally xenophobic Britain for the most part at that time. Now we have Nicole Scherzinger [American] heaped with praise for London production of Sunset Boulevard and now Broadway ‘cancelled’ for what?! It’s a hat for fuck’s sake! We don’t know what’s going on in Russell Brand’s head, or atop, and maybe better off for that;) Was it ironic? Who cares! Not linking to any of this [you can Google], but Scherzinger simply responded as avowedly Christian, and a sense of humour. Wokeness [or is that wokenicity] totally out of control.
More to come. Just thought I’d spike your interest! Meow!
Told you that mouse was a problem!
Meanwhile: Malcolm Gladwell’s tap dancin’ elevator neurons.
Joyce DiDonato, Teatro Real, Madrid [Handel’s Theodora]
Fearing this post a bumper X-Mas issue for the oppressed and depressed! All about LOVE, did you miss the title?;( I want everyone to succeed and not force rub two sticks together for the Winter and strangle the neighbor’s cat for sustenance?! And they say curiosity killed the…
Both Germaine Greer and Kathleen Stock, writers/philosophers, wear hats of curiosity not dunces. Though their protestors seeming see a mirage atop their heads of hate and loathing. That in itself just isn’t factually accurate.
This kinda happened after Jonathan Franzen wrote his climate change piece for The New Yorker. No dissing of climate change nor activists nor solutions. Only a thoughtful as ever meticulously researched essay on why things may be too late. What’s the beef?
What if Shakespeare turned out to be a total bastard?! Some of the so-called scholarship strangely is that way bent, and that from admirer’s not detractors. Go figure. Germaine Greer more scholarship than a 6-figure publishing advance argues otherwise.
There’s absolutely no hatred nor disapproval nor condescenation of anything from Greer and Stock. “Our existence is not a debate” spake protestors outside Stock’s Oxford Union gig. One, wearing a T-shirt saying “no more dead trans kids”, glued themself to the floor less than 2 metres from Stock’s chair. Finally the world is listening to YOU. But are you still listening to the world?
Surely a more nuanced and caring argument about finding a ‘new world’ balanced solution from these thinkers. Existence surely always a debate. Cliche after cliche: why do the good die young? Cause they fucked up? Oh. Please…Chomsky vilified: Nietsche’s The Last Man following the herd.
Piers Morgan interrogates Neil deGrasse Tyson on Elon Musk, Trans Sports…Very thoughtful, very balanced, very pragmatic, and in no way opinion forced down one’s throat. Take a look.
Ukraine Cat. Do I really need to post a banner on my website wearing heart upon sleeve? Ukrainian Cats Matter! Design another costume. We’ll think about it.
Fish in the sea, you know how I feel: KITTY’s Hippy Holidays Hot Damn Video. Paw-bump!
Got to thinking: what would Nietzsche thunk of Jerry Seinfeld? Descend from the mountain, dispense great coffee, people finally will listen! Wirklich?! Open a little Gilmore Girls coffee hub, overtake the boring local newspaper and and and up and up and up, you’re Bernie Sanders Nietzsche. What’s not to like except cheap shitty coffee. Like why bother? Social change needs the best coffee. The alternative, standing on your 7am head chanting, temporarily removing oneself from the oblivious temptation you’ll succumb to. Can’t think of a punchline. Oh: the so-called pregnant female you spied in yoga class, hmmm getting a discount. Now jumping the coffee queue ‘cause she needs the bathroom. She lost a pillow along the mountain pathway? Thus sipped…
ANDREW’s Saturday Night Movie [What do you do on a Saturday night alone without KITTY]
Over my dead body! Is there a better choice….Mille tendresse
Promised myself I wouldn’t touch this post again. But so many thoughts running through my head. Like I need a podcast! Toyed with that idea…pp’oh please!
What lit a spark was the International Opera Awards 2024, more over the guest and winning artists performing. All one needed was 16 bars if that. Broadway audition cliche but in these cases so true! Reached a point in their career, nailing it in major opera houses. And got to thinking, it’s always all about work moreover belief. Some folk are blessed with gorgeous voices [have you heard some The Voice Seniors? OMG!] Yet again, totally closing one’s shell, don’t give up! Find your own Sinatra! And if not, your own Lou Reed! No boundaries music only beauty. Don’t think I ever got to what I was going to say. Hey but that was nice?:) No ‘merch’ for belief though one can wear it. Soul.
A great X-Mas present for someone special: another female composer no longer lost and forgotten.
And in honor of Jon Stewart’s full of balance berzerk comeback year, BRILLIANT ADVENTURES @home presents: Irresistible. I mean, who wants their head sleeping on a bed of nails for the holidays as if in a Saw franchise or Alien: Romulus!?
Everyone deserves a chance to fly!
You were always first choice for Elf Jon, so way too busy. Dispiace Will;)-
rheindeer-it kisimiillutik qimakkit Julemanden aamma tikilluaqqusineq
Life and Elf [oh Amy: how could u steal from Santa. Ojh ho ho..no shame!…couldn’t wait for the mistletoe?]
S1, Ep7. Must the Oscars come so soon?/ Night after night I hear my inner deer/Wander weeping in the woods…It is a long award season. Here…
No, o ,no we’re not going inside Sarah Silverman. Yo a mensch, no punchline ya all here. Hey: what if Elon Musk declared all jokes virtual? What? We gets paid double what we need no suffer the crowd, stay at home comedissta. Old ma’ Letterman not happy! Now HACKS agin, S3, Ep.5-Hiking never so special was …’{ and to think it was all about me….[not what was I thinkin’ better/worse- who cares…let’s just, just be FREE…..and fly like Jon Stewart to the moon and…. …. . .
Destined as a Hanukkah oily fave, Gary [a Jimmy Kimmel writer], spreads the light with his movie starring Haliey "hawk tuah" Welch. Meanwhile, guess who’s on this year's naughty list?
Now where were we: Audrey Hepburn and reality for the Holidays.
Paws of War [Walter! Was Will gehts? Willkommen…]
