Archive for the ‘Just for Fun’ Category
Sherlock Holmes and The Sparks
posted by Deven Desai
Here’s just a little free association for what I hope are ongoing happy holidays for everyone. Sherlock Holmes opens on Christmas Day and is a front runner for holiday films I want to see. I happen to think that Robert Downey Jr. is in a great groove. I loved his acting in Chaplin and am quite pleased to see that his career as bloomed. Whether Guy Ritchie can make this one good remains to be seen. My guess is that like Star Trek some annoying we-have-to-do-it allegedly new action sequences or martial arts inspired skills and fights will make their way into the series. As William Goldman noted, film is a business; idealized versions of a story don’t often work in that arena. So perhaps this potential nonsense is necessary.
As a fan of the original works, I am sure to be disappointed and think that House is a better modern version of Holmes than this film’s idea. But that is the fun of open culture. Folks get to play with types and see what works. Indeed, theorists can track the way in which Holmes is portrayed and examine how a given era sees the character (Check out the difference between Bogart’s 1941 Sam Spade and the earlier, 1931, version to get a sense of how much a character can morph; or think of the ever-changing, yet stable, James Bond. Les Liaisons Dangereuses provides another example. The Marquise de Merteuil is quite different in Dangerous Liaisons and Valmont).
Regardless of my concerns, there is a chance people will discover the original works and enjoy them as well (free at the link). Or maybe the film will introduce you to the Sparks, a band that I happen love for its lyrics which are rather good at poking at society by mixing cultural references into their music. For instance you might enjoy the song Mickey Mouse (I especially enjoy the introduction which discusses the mouse as a general matter but this version has better sound and some fun mashup). The song I Predict may seem too familiar to lawyers and law students with its refrain “Are My Sources Correct?”, but it also refers to transsexuals, Elvis, Lassie, Maxim’s, marketing, and the oddity of prediction in general. Cool Places seems to pick up on theme of society’s obsession with being, well, cool. And after the jump there, you can check out The Sparks and their comment on Sherlock Holmes. Believe it or not, the song is a love song of sorts (the ironic tone makes it hard to be a straight forward ballad). Here is a teaser
“Fog matters to you and me, but it can’t touch Sherlock Holmes
Dogs bark and he knows their breed
And knows where they went last night
Knows their masters too
Oh baby, hold me tight.
Just pretend I’m Sherlock Holmes.”
Who knows? Maybe The Sparks predicted what the film industry hopes happens with the film: millions will want to be (or be with) Sherlock Holmes (but as the song points out, they can’t be).
December 24, 2009 at 7:05 am
Posted in: Culture, Humor, Intellectual Property, Just for Fun
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Cultural Evolution?
posted by Deven Desai
You be the judge.
1976
Pastime Paradise – Stevie Wonder
1995
1996
By the way, I suggest that anyone wanting a great album acquire Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life.
November 16, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Posted in: Intellectual Property, Just for Fun
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Shame on the Brits!
posted by Nate Oman
By temperament, I am not a particularly passionate person. Every so often, however, the world throws up an event of such mindless horror that even phlegmatic me is roused to ire. Chris Lund points out such a horror in this post over at Prawfs. All I can say is, “What the hell are their Lordships thinking over at the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom?” Shame! Shame on you! Read the rest of this post »
October 22, 2009 at 7:50 am
Posted in: History of Law, International & Comparative Law, Jurisprudence, Just for Fun, Law Practice, Politics, Weird
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A Little Los Lobos and Early Halloween
posted by Deven Desai
One of my best friends gave me the album Kiko by Los Lobos as a college graduation gift. I love the album to this day. The title track, Kiko and the Lavender Moon, is great. It always reminds me of old spooky cartoons from the Bugs Bunny era with the sheet-like ghosts drifting, floating, bobbing down the hall and inexorably coming towards your room. Enjoy.
Kiko And The Lavender Moon – Los Lobos
As general matter, although I cannot say I know all Los Lobos’s work, I love almost everything I do know. If you like the film, Bull Durham, the song during the fabricated rain out is “I Got Loaded” performed by Los Lobos. You may also want to check out an odd and, to me, creepy Sesame Street version of the song, Elmo and the Lavender Moon.
October 18, 2009 at 11:00 am
Tags: Kiko, Los Lobos
Posted in: Just for Fun
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Because Sometimes You Need a Little Mental Vacation
posted by Deven Desai
As a way to get ready for the Brazil Olympics and as a little throw back for hipsters and neo-hipsters, enjoy:
The Girl From Ipanema – Stan Getz
I urge folks to discover or re-discover, Jobim, Getz, and Gilberto. Great stuff to get into another world of jazz and far away lands while staying right where you are.
For those into pop culture history, the song has tended to be an elevator music favorite. That version loses the magic of the original. That being said, The Blues Brothers juxtaposed the elevator version, which played as the heroes went up to pay off the tax debt, with complete mayhem descending on Chicago city government in great way. Mr. and Mrs. Smith riffed on this scene as those heroes also heard the song in an elevator before a final standoff. That standoff is an ode of sorts to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid right down to a small shack for cover against horrible odds. One was made recently; one in the 1970s. Guess which one has the more poignant ending?
October 13, 2009 at 6:53 am
Posted in: Just for Fun
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