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One of the most fascinating tributes to that American icon: the Peep.
Which is the more sacrilegious: Jesus on a tortilla or a Jesus of Peeps?
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When I was growing up, Peeps, those glorious, fluffy, sugar-coated marshmallow confections, were only sold for a few short weeks before Easter--AND they only came in two basic colors, yellow and pink-- AND one basic shape, the blob of a chick.
Now, of course, they are sold year-round, with shapes associated with every conceivable holiday (although I have yet to see them shaped like flags for 4th of July) and in myriad colors and flavors. And they have become the stars of numerous tableau contests sponsored by newspapers. When I was a wee child, I never saw one in a library. But apparently, 21st Century Peeps are tech-savvy, information-hungry researchers who know their way around a PAC catalog, online databases and the Internet. Don't believe me? Take a look at this.
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Well, the master/mistress could only be Google... and the latest foray into his/her/their mission to "organize the world's information" is terribly exciting: GoogleArtProject
Of course, in order to access it, you have to download Google Chrome Frame (for free, of course). After all, that's how they hook you--giving it to you for free.
Google approached over 150 museums and universities throughout the world and amassed 32,000 works of art for release in digital format: searchable by name, artist, location. What an amazing resource for art lovers, teachers and writers! Thank you, Google, may I have another? Dominate me at will.
Of course, in order to access it, you have to download Google Chrome Frame (for free, of course). After all, that's how they hook you--giving it to you for free.
Google approached over 150 museums and universities throughout the world and amassed 32,000 works of art for release in digital format: searchable by name, artist, location. What an amazing resource for art lovers, teachers and writers! Thank you, Google, may I have another? Dominate me at will.
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As you may have noticed, fairy tales are hot right now. From books to television
to movies, fairy tales in all their various permutations (straight-forward, fractured, updated, post-modern) seem to have the market cornered. The Grimm Brothers have certainly received their due; so let’s celebrate another man of fairy tale renown on his birthday: Hans Christian Andersen, who was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark.
His is a classic poor boy-makes-good story. Born of a shoemaker father (I kid you not!) and a laundress mother, his family background flavors many of his tales, as he frequently explored class differences between the poor and the wealthy. He was teased by school mates for his ungainly appearance and was later bullied by a teacher who told him his writing was fit only for the trash can (any writer can relate to that!). At age 14, he left home to make his fortune. He dabbled in art, music and acting; was not especially successful at any of those trades, and sank into poverty. The director of the Royal Theatre took pity on him and gave him some money to continue his education. He high-tailed it to Copenhagen, the capitol city, entered the university and found a new interest in writing.
Andersen explored poetry, and finally found some success. Wealthy patrons sponsored his way on a Grand Tour of Europe. Through his travels, he became interested in writing for children and his first book of fairy tales was published in 1835. He hit the big time and followed it with numerous volumes of children’s stories, writing at the pace of almost one book a year. In his lifetime, he wrote more than one hundred and fifty fairy tales, and his stories have been translated into over 100 languages!
to movies, fairy tales in all their various permutations (straight-forward, fractured, updated, post-modern) seem to have the market cornered. The Grimm Brothers have certainly received their due; so let’s celebrate another man of fairy tale renown on his birthday: Hans Christian Andersen, who was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark.
His is a classic poor boy-makes-good story. Born of a shoemaker father (I kid you not!) and a laundress mother, his family background flavors many of his tales, as he frequently explored class differences between the poor and the wealthy. He was teased by school mates for his ungainly appearance and was later bullied by a teacher who told him his writing was fit only for the trash can (any writer can relate to that!). At age 14, he left home to make his fortune. He dabbled in art, music and acting; was not especially successful at any of those trades, and sank into poverty. The director of the Royal Theatre took pity on him and gave him some money to continue his education. He high-tailed it to Copenhagen, the capitol city, entered the university and found a new interest in writing.
Andersen explored poetry, and finally found some success. Wealthy patrons sponsored his way on a Grand Tour of Europe. Through his travels, he became interested in writing for children and his first book of fairy tales was published in 1835. He hit the big time and followed it with numerous volumes of children’s stories, writing at the pace of almost one book a year. In his lifetime, he wrote more than one hundred and fifty fairy tales, and his stories have been translated into over 100 languages!
Hans Christian Andersen
The difference between Andersen and the Brothers Grimm is like the difference between directors Alfred Hitchcock and Quentin Tarantino: one goes for the soft-kill of psychological suspense and the other gives you the blood-and-guts.
Melancholy and longing permeate Andersen's stories. Many of his humble characters long for love and/or acceptance into a higher realm of society or what they perceive as a more exalted existence. A mermaid pines for a human prince; an ugly toad crawls up from the bottom of a well to seek something "higher"; a starving beggar child who sells matches on a streetcorner imagines ever more beautiful tableaux of prosperity as she freezes to death.
Melancholy and longing permeate Andersen's stories. Many of his humble characters long for love and/or acceptance into a higher realm of society or what they perceive as a more exalted existence. A mermaid pines for a human prince; an ugly toad crawls up from the bottom of a well to seek something "higher"; a starving beggar child who sells matches on a streetcorner imagines ever more beautiful tableaux of prosperity as she freezes to death.
Andersen was an expert of personification and throughout his stories you will find objects such as darning needles or candles that have thoughts, intentions, and feelings. He had a sharp eye for pretension and vanity, and often satirized these human flaws. The emperor in The Emperor's New Clothes is so fearful of being thought stupid that he (and his courtiers) allow themselves to be tricked into ridiculous behavior by a pair of charlatans. Andersen consistently elevated the stock figures of traditional fairy tales with human weaknesses and strong personal emotions.
Andersen's stories often have unhappy endings. In The Little Match Girl, a starving child dies alone in a freezing ally; in The Steadfast Tin Soldier, the toy is reduced to a lump of melted metal; The Little Fir Tree sees its protagonist thrown into a fire. Andersen eschewed the usual fairytale ending which endows the hero or heroine with love and wealth as a redemption or reward for suffering; instead he preferred to examine how integrity, humility and goodness can ennoble the final moments of a lonely and poverty-stricken life. The starving child does not truly die alone; we, the readers, feel sympathy for her plight. The toy soldier's love does not really remain an eternal secret; we, the readers, empathize with his unrequited emotions. The traditional fairy tale usually shows how bad luck can be tranformed (with a little magical intervention and plucky persistence) into amazing success. Andersen, a revolutionary in gentleman's clothes, instead focused on the beautiful glow of spiritual dignity in the face of the most relentless ill fortune.
"But he has nothing on!"
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Several stories on the origins of April Fool's Day at National Geographic and the Museum of Hoaxes.
And then, always appropriate for April 1st, there's George Michael's Kissing a Fool:
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Announcing my latest literary endeavor... the soon-to-be-published biography:
Pre-publication kudos for Bringing Sexy Back: The Resurrection of George Michael:
"If I still recommended books, I'd recommend this one!" -- Oprah
"A masterpiece!" -- James Frey
"Nonfiction that reads like a novel; kept me up at night!" -- Margaret "B. Jones" Seltzer
"Wish I'd thought of this one!" -- Clifford Irving
"If I still recommended books, I'd recommend this one!" -- Oprah
"A masterpiece!" -- James Frey
"Nonfiction that reads like a novel; kept me up at night!" -- Margaret "B. Jones" Seltzer
"Wish I'd thought of this one!" -- Clifford Irving
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While we are on the subject of hoaxes... here's a few of the most outrageous ones in the publishing world... hard to believe some of these people almost carried these off... but what's that old saying? "Fool me once, shame on me..."
1. Clifford Irving and the Howard Hughes biography: Tycoon, aviator, playboy, Hollywood legend-turned-hermit Howard Hughes intrigued the American public throughout his eccentric life. During the late 1960s to mid 1970s, the mystery surrounding him deepened. He became a recluse, so isolated that many believed him to be dead, whereas others thought he had simply gone completely crazy. This ambiguity fed the public’s fascination, which spawned a media obsession. Realizing that there was an opportunity to make a load of cash in the marketplace, author Clifford Irving set out to do what no one else had done. Clifford convinced his publisher, McGraw-Hill, that Howard Hughes commissioned him to write his biography. He told his representatives that the book would be based on interviews conducted with Howard. In actuality, he never met Hughes and faked the interviews, believing that "Howard Hughes was too ill to
come forward and repudiate the book.” After all, Howard had not been seen publicly since 1958 and as far as he knew the man could have really been dead. Of course, it all unraveled in the end. But the nonsense did serve to provoke Hughes to crawl out from under his rock to denounce the fraud and give the hungry public one more glimpse at the man behind the legend.
1. Clifford Irving and the Howard Hughes biography: Tycoon, aviator, playboy, Hollywood legend-turned-hermit Howard Hughes intrigued the American public throughout his eccentric life. During the late 1960s to mid 1970s, the mystery surrounding him deepened. He became a recluse, so isolated that many believed him to be dead, whereas others thought he had simply gone completely crazy. This ambiguity fed the public’s fascination, which spawned a media obsession. Realizing that there was an opportunity to make a load of cash in the marketplace, author Clifford Irving set out to do what no one else had done. Clifford convinced his publisher, McGraw-Hill, that Howard Hughes commissioned him to write his biography. He told his representatives that the book would be based on interviews conducted with Howard. In actuality, he never met Hughes and faked the interviews, believing that "Howard Hughes was too ill to
come forward and repudiate the book.” After all, Howard had not been seen publicly since 1958 and as far as he knew the man could have really been dead. Of course, it all unraveled in the end. But the nonsense did serve to provoke Hughes to crawl out from under his rock to denounce the fraud and give the hungry public one more glimpse at the man behind the legend.
The dastardly Mr. Irving and the dashing Mr. Hughes
2. James Frey fools Oprah: A Millions Little Pieces, which purports to show how Frey's drug addiction landed him in a hospital, jail and, finally, rehab begins with this lovely image: "My clothes are covered with a colorful mixture of spit, snot, urine, vomit
and blood. Oprah Winfrey selected it for her book club in 2005 and sales rocketed. However, the smart cookies at The Smoking Gun smelt something suspicious and, rooting around, found out that his so-called "criminal record" and life in the underworld of drug abuse was highly embellished. Frey spent just 3 hours in jail, not the 87 days as he had claimed. Scandal ensued.
and blood. Oprah Winfrey selected it for her book club in 2005 and sales rocketed. However, the smart cookies at The Smoking Gun smelt something suspicious and, rooting around, found out that his so-called "criminal record" and life in the underworld of drug abuse was highly embellished. Frey spent just 3 hours in jail, not the 87 days as he had claimed. Scandal ensued.
Oprah, meet Liah, Liah, meet Oprah
3. Oprah: Won't Get Fooled Again! You think she would have learned the first time. But shame on her. After the Frey debacle, Oprah got herself involved in another literary hoax. After chatting with Holocaust survivor Herman Rosenblat on her show as he promoted his memoir Angel at the Fence, O declared it was "the single greatest love story" she had ever heard. Unfortunately, like Frey, Rosenblat
had considerably embroidered his life story. That romantic part about meeting his wife after she began secretly tossing apples and bread to him over the fence at the Buchenwald concentration camp? Total balderdash. He actually met her years later! (I mean, who really cares that the entire plot, not to mention its title, is based on this assertion.) When numerous Holocaust scholars questioned the book's authenticity and noted that the physical layout of Buchenwald would not have been conducive to clandestine meetings, Rosenblat confessed. The book's release was cancelled. Rosenblat ranks right up there with disgraced author Misha Defonseca, whose A Memoir of the Holocaust Years about escaping the Nazis and being raised by wolves turned out to be not true in the least. (I'm shocked, simply shocked!)
had considerably embroidered his life story. That romantic part about meeting his wife after she began secretly tossing apples and bread to him over the fence at the Buchenwald concentration camp? Total balderdash. He actually met her years later! (I mean, who really cares that the entire plot, not to mention its title, is based on this assertion.) When numerous Holocaust scholars questioned the book's authenticity and noted that the physical layout of Buchenwald would not have been conducive to clandestine meetings, Rosenblat confessed. The book's release was cancelled. Rosenblat ranks right up there with disgraced author Misha Defonseca, whose A Memoir of the Holocaust Years about escaping the Nazis and being raised by wolves turned out to be not true in the least. (I'm shocked, simply shocked!)
Perhaps Oprah should have consulted a research librarian first...
4. Oprah's not the only one: The same publisher, Penguin Books, that was taken in by Rosenblat's Angel at the Fence bought and promoted Love and Consequences, the purported autobiography of Margaret B. Jones. The memoir tells of her childhood as a half white/half Indian girl living in a black foster home in gang-infested South Central LA. She passes time running drugs for The Bloods. When the book hit the bestseller list, the author's older sister recognized her photograph in The New York Times. Turns out that "homegirl" Jones is actually Margaret Seltzer, a thirtysomething Valley Girl raised by her biological parents, who attended a very white, very upscale Episcopalian school. At least Oprah wasn't taken in by this one! She knows a Vanilla wafer when she sees one.
Yo, where you come from, it's a scarf, where I come from, it's a babushka, so don't you dare be callin' it your do-rag!
Just goes to show you that a lot of people weren't listening to the professor in their Writing 101 class: if you are going to write about your life and add things that aren't true to spice it up a bit, you call it a "novel," not a "memoir."
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Okay, so now that I have managed to get JohnBr02 a recording contract and convinced George Michael to go back on tour, with an orchestra, no less [don't believe me, check out his website! ;-) ] I have definitely raised my level of influence on Klout.
But I jest! Not for me the self-promotion that drives many to chirp away and fill the air with endless, aimless chatter: "look at what I'm doing," while the quiet ones are actually doing, and just not talking about it.
"Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air." -- Elegy Written in a Country Church-Yard Thomas Gray (1716-71).
I am not an expert hoaxer, but do check out David Cardinal's entertaining and revealing article at Extreme Tech on the 8 Greatest Tech Hoaxes in History. It's a trip down memory lane... for those with long memories!
But I jest! Not for me the self-promotion that drives many to chirp away and fill the air with endless, aimless chatter: "look at what I'm doing," while the quiet ones are actually doing, and just not talking about it.
"Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air." -- Elegy Written in a Country Church-Yard Thomas Gray (1716-71).
I am not an expert hoaxer, but do check out David Cardinal's entertaining and revealing article at Extreme Tech on the 8 Greatest Tech Hoaxes in History. It's a trip down memory lane... for those with long memories!
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After having spent two afternoons spring cleaning, including windows, I realized why the world needs George. Like Frank, he just makes everything more enjoyable. Classy, swanky, whatever. George even makes scouring the nooks and crannies of window sills tolerable! This guy, Johnbr02, understands:
And so does this guy:
And him, too:
And he's not just a pretty face; he actually knows music:
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Today I pose the question: Aging superstar most in need of a comeback?
My answer: George Michael
While I am sure that he would insist that he never left, I would posit that his potent, velvety-smooth voice has been missing from the top-of-the-pops scene for far too long. The man has one of the most versatile and beautiful voices ever recorded; he needs to be heard---NOW!
My answer: George Michael
While I am sure that he would insist that he never left, I would posit that his potent, velvety-smooth voice has been missing from the top-of-the-pops scene for far too long. The man has one of the most versatile and beautiful voices ever recorded; he needs to be heard---NOW!
George: the baby-faced years
When you think of 80's pop music, you probably think of Madonna, Duran Duran, the Bangles, Prince, Michael Jackson, and, yes, Wham!, the duo that George formed with his boyhood chum Andrew Ridgeley (who is definitely residing in the "where are they now?" file).
That's the dark and sultry Andrew on the right.
The Wham! era saw George blossom as a singer-songwriter possessed of pure pop craftsmanship. Even today, songs such as "Careless Whisper" and "Everything She Wants" sound fresh because of their precise construction. Okay, the synthesizers sound a little old in 2012 and that saxophone break in "Whisper" is a little cheesy, but I dare you to resist the glamorous melodies and the tight, spot-on lyrics. "Freedom" riffs on the luscious 60's girl-group sounds and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" sounds as stupidly bouncy as ever!
George circa the Faith album
In the late 80's, George went solo and produced Faith, the album and the single, which resonated with its Bo Diddley beat. It's the epitome of a butt-shaker. Then there's the kinda-creepy, kinda-compelling "Father Figure:" "I will be your father figure, put your tiny hand in mine..." Hmmm, okay, let's not go there. Let's just enjoy the transcendant beauty of the music and the voice as the bridge overwhelms us and we do remember the ones who have lied, who said that they cared but then left as we cried and George reassures us that we won't be thinking of him in these moments because all he ever wanted... "is in your eyes."
George: revealing himself and asking us to listen without prejudice
In 1990, George took his Eighties pop sensibility and broadened and refined it
on Listen Without Prejudice, Volume I. The somber lead single, "Praying for Time," took a distraught look at the world's festering wounds (and is still astonishingly relevant to our society now, in 2012). In "Freedom 90," which combines dance beats with soaringly vital gospel choruses, George shared confessional secrets with his audience and challenged us to rise above. He wised-up enough to admit that, in the past, "it was enough for me, to win the race, a prettier face, brand new clothes and a big fat place, on your rock and roll TV." But he was endeavoring to leave the apparently embarrassing butt-shaking Faith era behind: "Posing for another picture, everybody's got to sell, but when you shake your ***, they notice fast, and some mistakes were built to last." This is a far cry from the man who unabashedly titled a Wham! album Make It Big. Here was a singer who wanted to be taken seriously as an artist.
on Listen Without Prejudice, Volume I. The somber lead single, "Praying for Time," took a distraught look at the world's festering wounds (and is still astonishingly relevant to our society now, in 2012). In "Freedom 90," which combines dance beats with soaringly vital gospel choruses, George shared confessional secrets with his audience and challenged us to rise above. He wised-up enough to admit that, in the past, "it was enough for me, to win the race, a prettier face, brand new clothes and a big fat place, on your rock and roll TV." But he was endeavoring to leave the apparently embarrassing butt-shaking Faith era behind: "Posing for another picture, everybody's got to sell, but when you shake your ***, they notice fast, and some mistakes were built to last." This is a far cry from the man who unabashedly titled a Wham! album Make It Big. Here was a singer who wanted to be taken seriously as an artist.
George in action
Unfortunately, George's fans seemed to prefer the butt-shaker, because Listen Without Prejudice, while a million-seller, never reached the heights of multi-platinum Faith. He fought with his record company, released a couple of CDs, came out, but never regained his place at pop's pinnacle. In 2008, George withdrew from touring, saying he wanted a "more private life" and that, at 45, he felt a bit old for the game: "I think pop music should be about youth culture," he told the BBC. "It shouldn't be an endurance test."
George: changed the way he played the game and got himself happy
Well, I'm here to say he's wrong. Some areas of pop culture may be for youth, but did Frank Sinatra cede pop music to the young? Hell, in his early 50's, he was topping the charts with "A Very Good Year," "Strangers in the Night," and his collaborations with Antonio Carlos Jobim. Did Tony Bennett cede pop music to the young? He's still recording duets in his mid-80's, and sounding fab. So why not George Michael?
This is an artist whose songs have been covered by everyone from Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds to Limp Bizkit. He's sold 100 million records. George, wake up and smell the coffee! Your silver-tongued voice is still needed!
I propose an album of standards (yes, I know you did something like that awhile back with Songs from the Last Century, but you have to admit your choice of material on that one was quirky to say the least). Take on the Great American Songbook: try some Gershwin, have a go at Cole Porter, croon a Rodgers and Hart tune! If croaker Rod Stewart can do it, you can-- and better!
This is an artist whose songs have been covered by everyone from Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds to Limp Bizkit. He's sold 100 million records. George, wake up and smell the coffee! Your silver-tongued voice is still needed!
I propose an album of standards (yes, I know you did something like that awhile back with Songs from the Last Century, but you have to admit your choice of material on that one was quirky to say the least). Take on the Great American Songbook: try some Gershwin, have a go at Cole Porter, croon a Rodgers and Hart tune! If croaker Rod Stewart can do it, you can-- and better!
George: ponders the idea of interpreting Harry Warren's "I Only Have Eyes For You"