Elizabeth Taylor

I've long believed that actors aren't remembered for their acting, they're remembered for their movies. John Wayne was in The Searchers, Stagecoach, They Were Expendable, Red River, The Wings of Eagles, The Big Trail, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Shootist, In Harms Way, Rio Grande, Rio Bravo, The Quiet Man, and The Long Voyage Home. Laurence Olivier was not. With Rebeca, Spartacus, and a few solid, though not great films, Olivier will fade from memory while John Wayne will be remembered.
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When I heard that Elizabeth Taylor had died, I realized that while I knew a lot about her personal life, I had trouble recalling anything from her movies. A quick look at her filmography and Giant jumped out at me, but I've long held the Giant's status as a classic had more to do with the James Dean death cult than any special qualities that the film had. While Taylor made a number of solid movies, most were on the over the top soap opera side.
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So why was Elizabeth Taylor such a film icon? One of the things that I've observed as a film fan is that there are some people who photograph well in black & white. Greta Garbo is an excellent example. From her early silent films to Ninotchka, there was just something about the way the planes of her face reflected light and and reproduced in black & white. There are also some people who photograph well in color. Elizabeth Taylor came along right at the time when black & white was fading from the scene and color was taking over the movie screen. Those violet eyes, the pale skin, the jet black hair, and the red lipstick she almost always wore could take over the large screens of her day. She was stunningly beautiful and she was made for technicolor.

The Nuclear Renaissance

From the front page of yesterday's Los Angles Times, "Japan Crisis May Derail Nuclear Renaissance." What nuclear renaissance? Conservatives love to blather on about how evil environmentalists destroyed the nuclear industry in the United States, and as an environmentalist I'd love to take credit, but that's not what happened. For those too young to remember, we stopped building nuke plants because they were prohibitively expensive to build. After they were built, it was still far cheaper, per kilowatt hour, to generate electricity by burning coal. (Also true of hydroelectricity, solar , and wind.) But the big reason the nuclear industry died in the United States, after Three Mile Island, the insurance industry realized that they could be on the hook to replace Philadelphia. Now that's a high risk policy.
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The nuclear industry was crippled by the conservative holy grail, the free market. I suspect Obama talks about new nuke plants to shut up the cons, knowing that there won't be new nuclear plants as long as the free market rules.

Better Late Than Never Oscar Predictions

Well, I should have done this a couple of weeks ago, but here are my annual Academy Award predictions. This year I'm going to do something a bit different. I'll make one prediction for who I think will win in some of the major categories. Then, who I think should win from among the nominees. Then, who I think should win from all the films I saw last year. In the second two tiers of predictions, I will list more than one winner, but the first of the group will be who I would vote for, if I had a vote, and if someone had a gun to my head and said choose one.
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Best supporting actress. Melissa Leo, for The Fighter will win. Even though I think she is mis-nominated and should be considered a lead, from among nominees I would vote for either Hailee Stienfeld for True Grit or Amy Adams for The Fighter. Melissa Leo was, in my opinion, over the top, while Amy Adams did the hard work of toning down what could have been a real scenery chewing role. And my favorites from all movies...Chloe Moritz from Kick-Ass, Kristen Scott-Thomas from Nowhere Boy, and Barbara Hershey and Mila Kunis from Black Swan. This is the one category where most of the my nods didn't even get nominations.
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Best Supporting Actor. Christian Bale for The Fighter will win. From among the nominees, Bale or Geoffrey Rush from The King's Speech. Across the board, Andrew Garfield for The Social Network,Vincent Cassel for Black Swan, Armie Hammer for The Social Network, and Bale and Rush. Garfield's performance of the only true friend of Mark Zuckerberg who watched, understood, but couldn't believe that his friend would betray him is one of the best acting jobs I've ever seen, bar none. I couldn't believe he hasn't won all of the acting awards.
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Actress. Natalie Portman for Black Swan will win, I'd vote for her and only her among the nominees, and opening things up to all the films I saw lasy year, only Hailee Stienfield for True Grit would be considered on the same level. Between those two, my only toss-up.
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Actor. Colin Firth for The King's Speech will win. From among the nominees, Javier Bardem for Biutiful, Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network, and Jeff Bridges for True Grit. And no, Firth would not be on my short list. From all films, the same list, with one addition, Mark Wahlberg from The Fighter.
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Director. Tom Hooper for The King's Speech will win. Who should win from among the nominees, David Fincher for The Social Network or the Coen brothers for True Grit. Again, the same list for all films.
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Best Picture. The Kings' Speech will win, and it does not deserve the award. There is a certain type of American that has a reverence for all things British, and any examination of their history... well let's just say it's an undeserved reverence. From among the nominees, The Social Network, True Grit, Black Swan and The Fighter. Among all films, add Biutiful after The Social Network, and Kick-Ass Taking up the rear.
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And the best release from last year, the restored version of Metropolis.

Super Bowl 45

To quote the great Dallas Cowboy running back, Duane Thomas, "If it's the ultimate game, why are they going to play it again next year?" Remember that you read it here first...Pittsburgh 31, Green Bay 27. And no, I'm not making this prediction because I grew up near Pittsburgh. I really think we're going to win. Of course I also start every baseball season thinking that the Pirates are going to have a winning season.

GUNS DON'T CAUSE VIOLENCE....

.....conservative political policy causes violence.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar for their much deserved election to the Hall of Fame. I was surprised, last year, when Alomar wasn't elected his first year on the ballot. With a lifetime 300 batting average and the sure hands of one of the greatest defensive second basemen of all time he seemed like a lock to me. I grew up in western Pennsylvania and had the privilege of seeing Bill Mazeroski play, and Alomar was every bit as good as Maz in the field and a far better hitter. If Maz deserved election (And I believe he did) for his defensive skills, as important a part of the game as batting, then Roberto deserved it more.
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Bert Blyleven played for several teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates which always earns the benefit of the doubt with me, but how the Baseball Writers could wait 14 years to put him in the hall...well, it's all part of the lunacy of the writers. 287 wins, and had he played for better teams, he would have easily gone over 300. But it's being in the top ten in both strikeouts and shut-outs that's really amazing. I would love it if he went into the Hall as a Pirate, but I'm sure he'll go in as a Twin.
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Now let's get into the hypocrisy of baseball. There is no way in hell that management didn't know about PED use. Baseball players get multiple physicals every year. Teams have training staffs that monitor fitness every day of the season, and those trainers report to management. Baseball didn't care about steroids until congress came snooping around the game looking for illegal steroid use. So why are players like Rafael Palmeiro not getting their due? We know that Palmeiro used steroids toward the end of his career, and might have used them earlier as well. Probably did, as a matter of fact. But, he was facing pitchers who were also juicing, and he did hit over 500 home runs and over 3,000 base hits. He should have been a first year lock. Mark McGwire is a far more problematic choice even if he had been clean and needle free. Big Mac did hit 500 + HR's, but beyond that...a good though not great fielder, oft injured, and a not very good batting average. I wouldn't have any problem one way or the other with McGwire. Great power, but a one dimensional player.
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There are a number of deserving players that have survived to be on the ballot another year, but I'd like to signal out two who I feel should get in. Fred McGriff with 493 home runs. Come on, are we going to keep the guy out because he was seven short of 500? And Tim Raines...great all around player with no personality.

Save Me From Myself

I sometimes listen to the Thom Hartmann show on the radio. On Fridays he has as his quest in the first hour Senator Bernie Sanders, the liberal independent from Vermont. It never fails. At some point during the hour a listener will call in and ask about the filibuster system and whether it can be changed so that the Republican minority can't block everything it disagrees with. Sanders will then explain about the importance of respecting the opinions of the minority and about how it isn't democratic if the majority can ride rough shod over the minority. Too, someone will call and ask about a liberal solution for some pressing problem. "In my opinion that doesn't go far enough," Sanders will reply. "But, they are (Fill in the blank with whatever special interest is being discussed.) just too powerful. There is nothing we can do."
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It seems to me that the House is passing liberal legislation that then goes to the Senate where liberal Democrats don't have the spine to stand up for what they profess to support. Then when President Obama steps in and salvages whatever he can from the mess that's been made, those same liberal Democrats criticize him for selling out. "Oh please Mr. President, save me from myself," they cry. How pathetic.