ali macgraw

If I were going back to school this fall, I would dress like Love Story.

julie christie, bunnies, paperclips

Art by Elad Lassry. See also Elad in Interview and Flash Art.

on the road, soundtrack

So this weekend I immersed myself in Jack Kerouac's On the Road. I followed it up with John Leland's Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of 'On the Road' (They're Not What You Think) which not only deepened my appreciation of Kerouac's novel but cleared up a lot of misconceptions about the book and Kerouac. One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the music and Leland compiled a great list of songs that Kerouac references. I thought I'd share.

The film version is in production now with director Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) attached. I can't imagine anyone else who would be able to bring this to the screen but him.

Lover Man - Billie Holiday


Central Avenue Breakdown - Lionel Hampton


Cement Mixer - Slim Gaillard


Duke Ellington - C-Jam Blues


Red Norvo - Congo Blues


Perez Prado - Mambo Jambo


Blue Skies - Frank Sinatra


A Fine Romance - Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers


Hallelujah I'm a Bum - Al Jolson


Beethoven's Fidelio

some obama love

lost in the stars

Abbey Lincoln (1930 - 2010)

the best & worst of the friday the 13th series

Happy Friday the 13th everyone! I thought I'd share my favorite and least favorite of the series.

The Best:

1. Friday the 13th (1980) There's still a lot of fun to be had with the original. Especially when Betsy Palmer shows up in her powder blue cable-knit, giving such an outrageous performance.

2. Friday the 13th - Part 2 (1981) This one has aged well. A classic, 80s-slasher set up with a little more atmosphere (great full moon shots) than the rest, and the most inventive final girl.

3. Friday the 13th Part III (1983) A ridiculously slow-paced opening sequence but the 3-D effects are charming, characters are pretty well-drawn and Jason finally gets his mask! Plus I love the disco opening theme song!

4. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) Pretty terrible and ridiculous Carrie ripoff, but oh so fun. Lar Park-Lincoln's telekinesis brings Jason out of his watery grave.

5. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) Oh how I wish Corey Feldman could have been a series regular. He elevates the material here, especially in the spooky finale, which overall, is pretty standard Jason-slash-teen fare.

6. Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986) I give director Tom McLoughlin some credit for his horror movie in-jokes and style (filmed around foggy Georgia lakes). It takes quite a leap of faith for Tommy Jarvis to age at least fifteen years as he does in this movie.

The Worst:

7. Freddy vs. Jason (2003) Basically a noisy, hyper kinetic battle between the two horror icons mismatched in the jokey, overly raucous Bush era of horror film-making.

8. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) Filmed mostly in Canada, turgid scenes on a cruise liner full of high school graduates lend way to slight Jason mayhem in the Big Apple. Unfortunately most of Rob Hedden's original script involving many New York scenes were scrapped due to budgeting issues. The best thing about the film was its brilliant teaser trailer. One wonders what it could have been.

9. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) Unfortunately Violet with her crimped hair and robot dance can't save us from this nadir.

The Unwatchable:

Jason X (2001) and Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

see you in september

Halle Berry graces us on the cover of Vogue's September issue. Photographs by Mario Testino.