Cracks In Sidewalks

I just noticed Patricia Clarkson has parts in two movies I want to see, “Elegy” and “Vicki Cristina Barcelona” both starring Penelope Cruz.  I’m always happy when I see her name because I love to watch her on screen.  She’s one of those brilliant character actresses that in my opinion is completely capable of filling up the screen and becoming a leading actress.  I’m certain she agrees with me, but so far Hollywood doesn’t have quite the faith in her that I do.  They trust her enough so that she is almost there, but not enough for them to invest all their big bucks in her.  But did you see “The Station Agent?”  She was magnificent!  If you haven’t seen it, I definitely suggest renting it.  It was a small independent film about loneliness that was both funny and sad.  But she did get to star in it, and if I were a film critic and got to rate it, it would get 4 big apples from me, two thumbs up, 4 stars, etc., and so would she!

Looking at her filmography, I’ve seen a lot of movies she’s been in, so I have something on which to base my opinion, a Patricia Clarkson context so to speak.  I also loved her on television in “Six Feet Under.”  And if by now you still don’t know who I am talking about when I mention the name Patricia Clarkson, google her.  Once you see her face the memories of her performances will come flooding in.  There’s “Lars and the Real Girl,” “Good Night and Good Luck,” “Dogville,” “Pieces of April” for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, “Far From Heaven,” “The Safety of Objects,” and I could go on and on but won’t.  The point being, check her out if you haven’t.  Rent movies she’s been in.  If you’re at the rental store and your mind has gone blank like so many of ours do, ask the person behind the counter to look up Patricia Clarkson and you’ll be able to go home.  Most of her movies have been on the smaller side so they’ll probably have it, and almost any title of hers they mention will be good and interesting.  The woman has made wise choices.

A little bio info, Patricia Clarkson studied acting at Fordham University, got her MFA at Yale School of Drama, and made her film debut in 1987 in the movie “The Untouchables.”

“A Change Is Gonna Come”

Whenever in need of inspiration Aaron Neville is there with “A Change Is Gonna Come”.  For me when I listen to this song I think of not only a universal change for the betterment of mankind, but I also think about what ever changes I need to implement in my own personal life in order to facilitate movement to help lead me to a better place.  When I hear Aaron Neville sing this song, it makes me believe that anything is possible.  That a change will truly come, “oh yes it will.”

To listen to a rendition of this song, click on the link below or cut and paste the link into your browser.

http://www.nutsie.com/song/A%20Change%20Is%20Gonna%20Come/86722

To learn more about Aaron Neville and The Neville Brothers check out the link below.

http://www.nevilles.com/

“Coupling” the BBC British sitcom is a little like an English “Friends.”  It’s about 3 women and 3 men, all in their late 20’s early 30’s, their love relationships and the mishaps and incidences they both incur and endure.

The show aired for 4 seasons in England and airs presently on BBC America in the states, in syndication elsewhere, and is available on DVD.  “Coupling” remains very relevant and very funny and I always try to catch it if I can.  But I find few people outside of the UK are familiar with the series, and I would still be unfamiliar with the series if not for an Anglophile friend of mine who turned me onto it this past winter.  “Coupling” covers subjects we all think about but rarely talk about except perhaps on occasion with our best friend, while also broaching on subjects we all discuss and encounter thus creating its universal appeal.

Created by writer Steven Moffat, and his wife, producer Sue Vertue, who also named two of the main characters Steve and Sue.  The sitcom is loosely based on the real life meeting of Moffat and Vertue and the issues that arise in new relationships. It’s a story of present relationships, prior relationships, and best friends delving into such subjects as their sexual adventures, a mans “private” video collection and when and if he should dispose of it, how far one should go to get a date, the “melty man”, commitment, aging, etc.   Something that I also find very funny in the series is the way the show displays six people discussing the same subject or the same event, and each of them is experiencing it entirely different.

The main characters are the sure of herself Susan, who was having casual sexual relations with the promiscuous lady’s man Patrick and ends up in a serious relationship with the more conventional unsure of himself Steve, who use to be in a relationship with the hilarious and somewhat crazy Jane, allowing Patrick to eventually get “somewhat” involved in a relationship with Susan’s terribly insecure best friend Sally.  Then there is the completely self doubting Jeffrey who works with Susan and once had a casual sexual encounter with her only to become best of friends and companions with Patrick and then Steven.  And in season 4 we see the departure of Jeffrey to be replaced by the equally socially inept idiosyncratic Oliver who eventually wins the heart of Jane.   If this sounds like a lot, it is, but it is equally as funny and entertaining.

I’m not certain why it only ran for 4 seasons in Britain, but all four seasons are worth watching and I get very excited when I note an episode that is airing that I haven’t yet seen.  You can see “Coupling” on BBC America, Tuesdays at 8pm and 11pm, and Wednesdays at 1am.  It also looks like BBC America is going to run a “Coupling” marathon on Sunday August 24th starting at 2pm and will be airing 6 episodes back to back.  Check your local listings.

Somehow I missed the Cocteau Twins when they were around and playing.  I guess I was into other music then.  It wasn’t until 2001 that I listened to the Cocteau Twins for the first time and at the time I didn’t realize that they had already been disbanded for years.  But I fell in love with the vocals and sound of the band even when I could barely understand a word that was being sung.  It still conveyed emotion and at times possibly even more.

I was first introduced to the band with their CD “Blue Bell Knoll.”  So I decided to introduce the Cocteau Twins to this blog with the song “Blue Bell Knoll” from the disc of the same name.

The band was comprised of Scottish singer, Elizabeth Fraser, who was the vocalist and lyricist for the band, Scottish guitarist, keyboard, drum and bass player Robin Guthrie, and English bass, guitar, and piano player Simon Raymonde.  By this time Will Heggie had left the group and Simon Raymonde had taken his place.   All three contributed to the songwriting and feel of the group and also to this particular cut.

If you want to talk about the sound of the Cocteau Twins, the words that come to my mind are ethereal, haunting, and other worldly.  When Elizabeth Fraser sings, she could be singing anything; you don’t focus on the lyrics of a song, you just feel the music.  And the musical montage that creates the setting on which her vocals fall, rounds out the cloud on which they land.   I guess that’s what I like best about their sound.  It can take me anywhere I want to be at the time I’m listening to it, and I don’t have to think.

Below I’ve connected you to two links.  The first is a YouTube video that someone put together using the Cocteau Twin’s cut from the CD “Blue Bell Knoll.”   I want you to be able to hear the entire song.  And the second I just couldn’t resist, having always been a major Tim Buckley fan, it’s a video I found on YouTube of Elizabeth Frazer singing live, Tim Buckley’s “Song To The Siren.”  She does an absolutely amazing arrangement of the song!  Maybe it’s because they are the Cocteau “Twins,” I gave you two this time?

Cocteau Twins “Blue Bell Knoll”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oespMmWnDo&feature=related

Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP2vw189q4U&feature=related

For those traveling or for those staying put, Café Beaujolais is a must visit.  Located in Mendocino California this bakery/French restaurant, is a long time standing tradition with most my friends who live in N. California, S.F, and Santa Cruz.  You can’t visit Mendocino and not make the Café Beaujolais stop either for baked goods or if you’re lucky a sit down meal, lunch or dinner.  Your trip to Mendocino would just not be complete.  Thankfully, for the rest of us and even those Californian’s who can’t frequent Mendocino, they have an online store with a select few items.  So if you start dreaming of open skies, beautiful N. California coastal sunsets, and this fabulous restaurant, and you just can’t get the thought of Café Beaujolais out of your head, you don’t have to.  There is still an outlet to supply you with a small taste of something wonderful.

Café Beaujolais has been a favorite of mine for many years.  And for those east coasters, mid-westerners, travelers from around the world who haven’t heard of the restaurant, it you’re planning a trip to N.California to see the Avenue of the Giant redwood trees, or to visit wine country in Sonoma or Napa, Mendocino is not so far away.  Mix up your trip a bit and do something a little different, and take the time and make the stop. You won’t regret it!

If you do make the decision and go to Mendocino and you want to enjoy lunch or dinner at Café Beaujolais, you will find your plate served with a bevy of delicacies.  Café Beaujolais uses mostly organically grown produce, and free range chicken and beef.  For fish lovers, the fish is either line caught or farmed seafood, and for vegetarians there is always something special besides the smell of their wonderful herbs and the use of the freshest vegetable’s and ingredients.  Café Beaujolais makes a point each day of listing on their menu the local farmers and fisherman who supplied them that day with the ingredients to fix your meal.

Now for the online store.: Café Beaujolais is especially known for their Panforte, but I can also vouch for their Granola, Hot Chocolate, and Blackberry Jam.  I’ve tried them all.  Actually I can’t imagine any item they sell not being exceptional.

If any of this has peaked your interest, or made your nose twitch or your mouth water, check out the Café Beaujolais website.  If you’re traveling to California file this away for that trip, if you have friends about to visit California pass the tip along, if you have no plans to go to California check out their Online Store, and if you live in California, just find a way to get there.

For more information about Café Beaujolais either click on the link below or cut and paste it into your browser.

http://www.cafebeaujolais.com/

I went to my first Beth Orton concert this past spring.  She was playing at the Hiro Ballroom in NYC, downstairs from the Maritime Hotel in Chelsea.  I had been working crazy like a dog on a freelance project I was producing and was just a couple of days away from having to have some major surgery.  So I really didn’t know what to expect of myself when we got there, as I was pretty wiped and very distracted by what I needed to accomplish over the next several days.  I didn’t know if I could truly enjoy the show, but decided it was good for me to go anyway; put some energy back into my system and enjoy life.

When we got into the club it was standing room only. Then I noticed a big table to the side of us that had been reserved and there were only two people sitting at the table.  Given everything I was dealing with and how tired I was I decided to be bold.  So I tapped on the shoulder of the man sitting at the table and asked if he wouldn’t mind if my date and myself joined he and his friend at their table (The table could easily hold 6 people and they were only two.)  So he asked his friend and they motioned for us to come up and join them.  My date later told me it was Sam Mendes, the film director who directed one of my favorite movies, American Beauty, and is married to Kate Winslet.  It was very funny!  Anyway the concert was wonderful and we enjoyed the show, and Beth Orton shared some amusing stories of new motherhood, and the hiatus she took to have her daughter and to be a mom.  The tales she told, and the simplicity and strength of her vocals and musical arrangements created an organic evening that I found both amusing and touching, nicely tying together words, humor, humanity, love, and song.

Below is a sample of Beth Orton.  The song I chose is called “Shopping Trolley,” and is from her album “Comfort of Stangers,” which was released about two years ago and is a CD I have enjoyed tremendously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TiR__3g3dU&feature=related