Tired of Debates and Campaigns? Imagine "If a Song Could Be President"
Listen to this Election Year's theme song: Go to Over the Rhine's MySpace page and listen to "If a Song Could Be President."
Then, read the latest update on Over the Rhine from Linford Detweiler.
T-Bone Burnett's "Tooth of Crime" Album - Due May 13 (Finally!)
I can't believe my eyes.
USA Today reports T-Bone Burnett's Tooth of Crime, the album of material he wrote as accompaniment to the Sam Shepard play of the same title, is coming out on Nonesuch on May 13.
This collection has been talked about for, what? Three, four... TEN years?
And Sam Phillips is on six tracks. Marc Ribot plays guitar, of course. And there's even a song penned by Roy Orbison.
This will really help distract me from the unfortunate postponement of Sam's Don't Do Anything.
The Void Within Daniel Plainview
Steven Shaviro, who applauds Daniel Day-Lewis's performances as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, poses an insightful rebuttal to Stephanie Zacharek's critique of that performance.
In doing so, he deepens my appreciation of Anderson's latest masterpiece even further, and inspires enthusiastic comments.
The Browser: Dobson and the election. Another Top Ten List. O'Connor.
Whitman on this election year's Dobson factor
Some writers make me nod off. Andy Whitman makes me nod on, and on, and on. 
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A Lively List
VJ Morton has one of the most interesting Best of 2007 lists I've seen, and a thoughtful trip through the acting categories too. Bonus! Actual scenes from great films! 
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Falling for Flannery... Again!
And last but certainly not least... in fact, perhaps this should have been first... Flannery O'Connor, via her blog:
What the fiction writer will discover, if he discovers anything at all, is that he himself cannot move or mold reality in the interests of abstract truth. The writer learns, perhaps more quickly than the reader, to be humble in the face of what-is. What-is is all he has to do with; the concrete is his medium; and he will realize eventually that fiction can transcend its limitations only by staying within them. Henry James said that the morality of a piece of fiction depended on the amount of 'felt life' that was in it. The Catholic writer, in so far as he has the mind of the Church, will feel life from the standpoint of the central Christian mystery: that it has, for all its horror, been found by God to be worth dying for. But this should enlarge not narrow his field of vision.
The Browser 2/20: Iron and Wine
John Wilson, editor of Books and Culture, attended an Iron and Wine concert. And in this short testimony about the experience, he captures perfectly exactly what disturbs me about Sam Beam's writing... and what disturbs me about the fact that many young Christians hastily embrace Iron and Wine because of the "spirituality" in the lyrics.
Granted, Beam is a talented poet and an excellent, inspired musician. But he's singing about the Bible from the point of view of a "conscientious objector" to what he reads there. That makes for fascinating art, and a journey worth following. I'll keep listening to Iron and Wine albums for the musical beauty and the intriguing perspective. But if you embrace Iron and Wine's poetry without perceiving the writer's dangerous flirtations with darkness or what often sounds like sympathy for the devil, you should know what you're embracing.
Credit to Steve Beard at Thunderstruck for alerting me to the link.
UPDATE: For different perspectives on Iron and Wine, read this review of The Shepherd's Dog in Christianity Today and this rebuttal to the review in Patrol.
Which Band Should Reunite?
Sixpence None the Richer was, for a long time, my #1 pick for Band That Should Get Back Together. Then, they did! So who should take a hint and follow their example?
I might recommend The Police, but, well... too late. And then, what about Portishead? Look! Here they come, together again, releasing 3 very soon!
Lone Justice might be near the top of my list now. Or The Smiths. Whiskeytown might force Ryan Adams to slow down and write some great songs again instead of album after album of decent songs. And I'd love to see The Traveling Wilburys get back together and replace Roy Oribson and George Harrison with... hmm... Robbie Robertson? Paul McCartney? Wait, no... Elvis Costello and Tom Waits.
Who would be at the top of your "Band I'd Most Like to See Together Again" list? (And no, please don't nominate bands whose members are dead!)
Readers Respond to the CT Movies Critics Choice
It's business as usual as readers respond to the 2007 Critics Choice list at CT Movies.
What did readers think of Juno, which was the #1 favorite film amongst CT's film critics? And what about Into Great Silence, which showed up on both the Critics Choice list and the Most Redeeming Films of '07 list?
Let's sample the first two letters posted on the updated Feedback page... Read more
Must All Good Things Come to an End? Exhibit 54325697a: No Depression
For No Depression, style was substance.
Alas, time has run out for the last great music magazine in which writing about music was the Main Event.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of Paste. But Paste is a very busy magazine, and sometimes it's a challenge to get past the wild and crazy designs to actually read the text. No Depression was a consistent, dependable delivery of passionate perspective on music every single time, with no razzle nor dazzle. It was in the pages of No Depression that I discovered Whiskeytown, Lizz Wright, and many other favorites. To this day, there hasn't been a better article about Sam Phillips than the one chronicling the story behind Fan Dance and A Boot and a Shoe.
I will miss No Depression. The punchline for this story is just too obvious.
The Browser 2/19: Engagement Sandra Bullock-style. Anne Lamott. Kindlings Muse.
Best Engagement Story Ever?
My friend Tara Mansbridge and I had an extensive IM chat this weekend. She sent Anne and me an exciting announcement -- she's engaged to a fantastic guy named Bryan. This was no surprise. Tara recently relocated from Toronto to Colorado Springs due to Bryan's influence. But we're delighted that it's official now.
Why am I blogging about this? Because it's the best movie-related engagement story I've ever heard. In fact... I think it's the best engagement story I've ever heard. Bryan is a brave, ambitious, imaginative man. And this is one spectacular story.
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If Anne Lamott Ran the Oscars...
Anne Lamott is one of several writers at Salon speaking out about their favorite films of 2007.
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The Kindlings Muse and the Oscars: Are This Year's Nominees "Theological"?
Last Monday night, Dick Staub hosted another edition of The Kindlings Muse before a live audience at Seattle's Hale's Pub and Brewery. I joined Greg Wright and Jennie Spohr for a heated discussion of the five films nominated for Best Picture... and what those films are really about.
The crowd participated in a lively Q&A time, and the whole evening was a joy. It's such a pleasure to be among Christians who are eager to discuss and contemplate works of art, rather than complaining about what offends them.
I suspect you missed it. But no worries... you can listen in on our conversations here!
(An archive of Kindlings Muse film discussions is located in the sidebar on the right side of this blog.)
"Bridge to Terabithia" and "The Spiderwick Chronicles"
Since Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films, fantasy has become (predictably) a disappointing genre at the movies.
It's becoming all too familiar... a director borrows Jackson's techniques for dazzling audiences, but demonstrates ignorance when it comes to good scripts and character development. Or the filmmakers get so excited about editing their film for maximum excitement that they make mincemeat of their actors' performances. Pan's Labyrinth is the most impressive exception, but for the most part, Peter Jackson's achievements look better and better all the time.
That's why I'm delighted to discover (rather late, I'm afraid) that Walden Media's Bridge to Terabithia is one of the better post-Jackson fantasy efforts, and it's an unexpected delight from a studio that has been consistently disappointing.Read more