STILL A MUSIC VIDEO......

KANYE WEST "PARANOID"  feat: RIHANNA  Dir: NABIL from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Just watched Kanye's West's new music video. Very nice visually and pretty to look at.

But somehow this still strikes me as style over substance. I don't see a story here, just multiple shots of the two vain stars, Rihanna and Kanye. As to the vague werewolf theme, who knows?

I do love the typeface used here, but it seemed a waste to spell out the words on the screen as they are sung. Rihanna was driving but to where and why seems a mystery.

Of course it is a music video and primarily entertainment- but these still strike me as words from those without a whole lot to say.

POWERFUL

This little guy, after being granted an invitation to the White House, had only one request for the President: Can I feel your hair, to see if it feels just like mine?

NO MARRIAGE FOR YOU

PROP 8 PROTEST, SF CITY HALL

As expected, the California Supreme Court today upheld the validity of Proposition 8, the November  ballot initiative that made gay marriage illegal in California. At the same time, they kept valid the 18,000 gay marriages performed prior to November, which would seem to set up a constitutional contradiction, but more on that later.

For supporters of gay rights, the logical question is: What now?

The most likely next step will be a counter initiative in the year 2010. Civil rights groups began fundraising for this as-yet-hypothetical proposition even before today's ruling. Indeed, it would seem to be the most logical step- but in order for it succeed many things would have change from the last fight, and failing yet again would be an unthinkable blow to the movement.

A few alternatives to the 2010 proposition could include.

CLASS ACTION DISCRIMINATION

The California constitution guarentees equal protection under the law. That the 2008 gay marriages are valid and subsequent gay marriages aren't may lay grounds for a discrimination lawsuit. In other words, the state is discriminating not against gays but among gays.

JUDGEMENT IN FEDERAL COURT

Actually, this has already begun, as of a few hours ago. Litigators today filed suit in U.S. District Court, in Los Angeles, on behalf of two gay California couples, arguing that Proposition 8 violates the U.S. constitution's equal protection clause. The suit seeks an imitate injunction against Prop 8 and would restore gay marriage in California. This has a good chance of ending up before the U.S. Supreme Court, which is usually split 5-4 against expanding gay rights.

Of course, a national policy must eventually be forged that would be comparable in scope to the 1964 Civil Rights Acts. Having different states with different standards for marriage and having the civil rights of Americans constantly in flux is not a sustainable reality. The time may be ripe for Californian gay marriage, but when will it be for national gay marriage? None of the conservative supreme court justices are forecast to die within the next few years, so is it not time?

TAKING IT TO THE STREETS

For now, it seems, the surest bet to gay marriage will be another proposition here in California, in 2010. That gives supporters just 18 months to assemble, fundraise, organize, inform, convince, and pass an initiative.

Success will depend on vast differences in approach from the Proposition 8 fight, namely in reaching voters beyond the affluent, white, urban Californians who support gay marriage. In particular, much more work needs to be done in the latino and black communities. This is something organizers seem keenly aware of, as they today announced the expansion of offices into "new communities" in California.

The truth is that one year may not be enough time to convince people who have deep-seeded religious and cultural sentiments against gays. So it may come down to strategy.

People need to remember that the ethnic minorities who voted in huge numbers for Obama and against gay marriage in 2008 will represent a lower portion of the voting electorate in 2010, a non-presidential election. There are also the republicans who won't show up on the off-year, as California doesn't elect conservative senators and they aren't energized by a presidential race. Of course, I want everyone to vote- but the likelihood that many people won't could be a good thing for gay marriage.

2010 might be the perfect year to run such a campaign.

We'll see. Until then, I'll be here in the peanut gallery, watching and waiting.

Brilliant Cover

Want more American Idol videos? Click here.

MAX BATT ARTS UPDATE

I have FINALLY updated my "professional" site, Max Batt Arts [www.maxbatt.com]. There are some lingering technical issues which I will probably solve by redoing the thing in Flash, but at least it's not like it was. I've added some items from school, and hopefully I'll be adding some more cool stuff soon.

WILD ABOUT THIS

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

EVERYONE'S been asking me if I've seen the Where the Wild Things Are trailer, and what do I think of it?

I've seen it guys. And I think it's the shit!

For reals though I mean this movie is so loaded for me that it can only disappoint, but I'm trying to keep my expectations down on the earth:

*Directed by Spike Jonze

*Script by Dave Eggers

*Puppetry by Jim Henson Studios

*Starring Forrest Whitaker et al. badasses

Yes, I mean it sounds good, great. But as many of us know, it has so far been rapt with turmoil. Essentially there was a schism between the filmmakers (Jonze) and the distributor (Warner Bros.) regarding the 'direction' of the film.

Where the Wild Things Are was slated for an October 2008 release, but was delayed an entire year after pre-screenings had come off as "too dark/ too scary" to the children watching. Or so goes the story. Also, it is rumored that Warner Bros. was pushing hard for the cheaper computer-generated monsters while Jonze wanted live-action/ puppetry. So until the trailer was released, out of nowhere, many of us assumed the movie was dead. 

Essentially I think Warner was thinking more 'blockbuster' while Spike Jonze was thinking more 'Spike Jonze.' A copy of the 111-page script was leaked to New York Daily News (the original book is 10 sentences long) and journalists there, while mostly tight-lipped, wrote only that the script was "really, really good."

From the trailer, it looks like Spike Jonze won his battle.

I mean, let's be honest here, this thing is straight art-house. It has the freaking Arcade Fire for it's song. The dark colors, the crying monsters, the absent mother, the morose Max, this stuff looks heavy. It communicated a lot in these few minutes, and Max is on a deep trip here. One shot, in particular, where Max is sailing to the monster island, in what looks like a toy boat through what looks like a real ocean storming--that could sum of the difference in tone between, perhaps, the original book and this film.

Which brings me to my thesis, if you will. Maurice Sendak's original children's book has been read by tens of millions of people through the generations and languages. Not just read, but like revered, lived, taken. No matter what this movie is, it will upset huge, huge numbers of people. Part of the beauty of the picture book is its ability to morph into what each reader wants it to be. It's ten sentences long and what is it really saying? People still argue about it. The coming of age? The loss of innocence? Anger?

What degree you read into those original darker undertones will inform how you interpret the movie, which is...emotionally poignant.

Visually, this looks stunning. Safe to say nothing in this style, on this scale, has been attempted before. The monsters have the feel of traditional human puppetry but are seen doing James Bond style live action and stunts. The backdrops seem to be a mixture of the Australian wilderness where it was filmed and huge, otherworldly CGI monuments. The scenes are beautiful to the eye, which is one of the benefits of having a music video director in a movie; they are masters of visual captivity and know how to make something pop in three seconds.

This movie will all come down to narrative, but I think this trailer is a huge success and I won't hide that it gave me chills the first time I saw it. It looks amazing and seeing it makes me really happy they took another year to make it the right way, whatever that meant.

ICON!

Mrs. Obama's status has gone from misunderstood to beloved to icon. Her trip to Europe has defined her as the pre-eminent American celebrity!

What happened?

How did she become like religiously important in a weekend? To see her receptions across the world is like watching footage from the Beetle's concerts in the 60s. 

Mega-celebrity.