Word(s) of the Day:
Soiree - n. An evening party or reception.
Apéritif - n. An alcoholic drink taken as an appetizer before a meal.
Idiom/Slang of the Day:
Jack of all Trades:
A handyperson in several fields / someone with ability in many areas.
Poem of the Day:
The Tyger (from Songs Of Experience)
By William Blake (1794)
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
Film of the day:
The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)
Directed by: Mary Harron
Biopic chronicling the career of notorious American pinup and bondage model Bettie Page. Set in the conservative 1950’s under the backdrop of the obscenity trails surrounding pornography being held at that time. Gretchen Mol does a stellar job embodying the look of the naive Page, raised in a strict Christian household. Difficult childhood experiences are hinted at though not exploited by the camera explicitly and it is this restraint which keeps the film tasteful throughout. Page’s utterly naive behavior and ambivalence to matters of sex are hard to believe but not being an authority on her life I am not sure how close the portrayal holds up to the real Page. There isn’t really a drive to go for strong social commentary but rather this film stands a document of the times and indeed of Page’s life with the viewer left to form their own impressions of this influential American sex symbol.
My Rating: 3.5/5
Quote of the day:
“One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion.”
Arthur C. Clark, author. Source
Person of the Day:
Haruki Murakami
One of the most widely read Japanese author’s internationally and the 2007 winner of the prestigious literary “Kiriyama Prize” (which he declined to accept for “reasons of personal principle”). Haruki Murakami’s major breakthrough occurred with the publication of his 1987 novel “Norwegian Wood” which sold millions of copies after which he traveled throughout Europe, and settled in the United States. His other major novels include “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” and “Kafka on the Shore”. Murakami is famed for his richly imaginative style where social criticism and bizarre and surreal plotlines intersect.
“Murakami writes of contemporary Japan, urban alienation and journeys of self-discovery.” Independent.
“Critics have variously likened him to Raymond Caver, Raymond Chandler, Arthur C. Clarke, Don DeDlillo, Phillip. K. Dick, Bret Easton Eillis and Thomas Pynchon – a roster so ill assorted as to suggest Murakami is in fact an original.” New York Times.
Artwork of the Day:
A piece by David Hockey:
Book of the Day:
Lady Chatterly’s Lover
From wikipedia:
“A novel by D. H. Lawrence written in
1928. Printed privately in Florence in 1928, it was not printed in the United Kingdom until 1960 (other than in an underground edition issued by Inky Stephensen’s Mandrake Press in 1929). Lawrence considered calling this book Tenderness at one time and made significant alterations to the original manuscript in order to make it palatable to readers. It has been published in three different versions. The publication of the book caused a scandal due to its explicit sex scenes, including previously banned four-letter words, and perhaps particularly because the lovers were a male and an working-class male and an aristocratic female. The story is said to have originated from events in Lawrence’s own unhappy domestic life, and he took inspiration for the settings of the book from Ilkeston in Derbyshire where he lived for a while. According to some critics the fling of Lady Ottoline Morrell with “Tiger”, a young stonemason who came to carve plinths for her garden statues also influenced the story.”
Band of the Day:
Dir en grey
Formed in Japan in 1997 and hailing from Japan. Dir en grey is one of Japan’s premier hard rock/metal acts. With five full-length studio albums under their belt and another on the way, Dir en grey has had a string of chart successes in Japan since their inception and gained a cult fan base in Japan and internationally. In recent years they have toured extensively overseas with many prominent acts including KoRn and Deftones and headlined their own US tour. Their music is hard to categorize and songs differ greatly in style and tone, from pop to death metal. Earlier offerings had more pop leanings spreading out into prog-rock and now into hard rock and melodic metal territory with their 2007 release “The Marrow of a Bone”. Known for their charismatic stage presence, (especially the wild antics of their lead vocalist, Kyo) and offbeat or extreme music video output, Dir en grey lead the pack in the new wave of J-rock fever sweeping the world.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 
Offical Myspace
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Website of the Day:
http://www.pinky-violence.com/
From the main page:
“What is PInky Violence? It’s a line of sexy, action-exploitation thrillers begun in the late sixties in Japan. These films featured female yakuzas and girl boss guerillas duking it out for their freedom, their pride and their own piece of the pie. This electrifying genre mixed titillation with social commentary, predating its closest American and European counterparts by several years. These groundbreaking films continue to influence some of cinema’s most celebrated directors, like Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and Takashi Miike. Step inside for the be-all, end-all of grindhouse girls gone way past wild!”
This site with contributions from Chris D, author of “Outlaw masters of Japanese cinema” is a perfect introduction to underground Japanese cinema and highly recommend to anybody who is looking to venture into the world of extreme Asian cinema.
Trivia of the Day:
”Celtic warriors sometimes fought their battles naked, their bodies dyed blue from head to toe.”
