Farewell Seattle P-I: A Photo Journey

The Seattle P-I and I had a love hate relationship. In my youth, I wasn't a big fan of its coverage. As time went on, and the Seattle Times moved further and further to the right, the P-I became the only source for a centrist (maybe slightly center-left) daily voice in Seattle. In such a majorly center-left city, to be left solely with a paper that endorsed George Bush in 2000, came out in favor of going to war in Iraq, and endorsed Dino Rossi in 2004 and 2008, is an absolute disgrace. In light of the loss, I leave you with a photo journey through the years of the Post-Intelligencer.

1920's




1930's





1940's







1950's





1960's







Tomorrow we will visit another four decades of pictures!
R.I.P. Post-Intelligencer (1863-2009)

K Hates Sandwiches!

This is Caroline:

She hates sandwiches! Clearly, she needs to be excommunicated from Seattle!

Dustin Lance Black Wins for Milk

Dustin Lance Black, the writer of Milk, won an Academy Award tonight for Best Screenplay. While I was very happy to see Milk win this award, his speech was astounding. Black weaves his own personal story into the notion of gay rights and calls for marriage and general civil rights equalities. It pretty much speaks for itself, so here ya go:

The Grendel Academy Awards - Actor in a Supporting Role

Leading up to the Oscars, I will be laying out my picks for who I want to win the Academy Award in each category...this isn't who I think will win, but who I think SHOULD win.

Josh Brolin

Josh Brolin plays Dan White, the conservative former fireman who is elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors at the same time as openly gay politician Harvey Milk. This is the first Academy Award nomination for Josh Brolin.

Robert Downery, Jr.

As Kirk Lazarus, Robert Downey Jr. plays a white Australian actor who has immersed himself completely in his latest role as an African-American soldier. This is the second Academy Award nomination for Robert Downey Jr. He was previously nominated for:
CHAPLIN (1992) Nominee, Actor in a Leading Role

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Father Brendan Flynn, a progressive priest in a 1960s Bronx school who is suspected by its head nun of improper relations with a student. This is the third Academy Award nomination for Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was previously nominated for:
CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (2007) Nominee, Actor in a Supporting Role
CAPOTE (2005) Winner, Actor in a Leading Role

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger portrays the Joker, a psychopathic criminal mastermind who will stop at nothing in his scheme to outwit and humiliate Batman. This is the second Academy Award nomination for Heath Ledger. He was previously nominated for:
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005) Nominee, Actor in a Leading Role

Michael Shannon

As John Givings, Michael Shannon plays a young man confined to a mental institution whose dinner with his parents' friends unleashes his relentless propensity for telling the truth. This is the first Academy Award nomination for Michael Shannon.

To be fair, I have not seen Revolutionary Road. I hope to before the Oscars, and if I do, I will report back. This is tough. I loved Hoffman in Doubt and Brolin was phenomenal as the despicable Dan White. But I'm afraid I am gonna have to go with my heart on this one and vote for Heath Ledger. The Dark Knight was a fantastic movie and he was great in the role. He was creepy and awesome and so so dark.

Returning to the Internet!

So, I know it has been some time since I have posted, and you are all probably wondering what has happened...but following the loss of my laptop, I was left without regular internet access. I have recently borrowed an iBook G4 that I am still learning how to use (I have always had PCs), but it looks like I should be online now with the ability to write...so expect some blogs in the near future. So much has gone on, and I have so much to comment about, but I will do my best to pick and choose for now. At least until I get my own laptop. In the meantime, if you want a music fix, head over to Seattle Subsonic and read my posts there! www.seattlesubsonic.com.

Philip Seymour Hoffman creates DOUBT

Tonight I was lucky enough to see a sneak preview of the new movie DOUBT. Doubt is the film adaptation of John Patrick Shanley’s multi-award winning play Doubt: A Parable. The film was directed by the playwright, and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as Fr. Brendan Flynn, Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius Beauvier, and Amy Adams as Sister James. Taking place at a Bronx Catholic elementary school, the story unfolds as the showdown between the charismatic Fr. Flynn, who seeks to modernize the Church in his Congregation, and Sister Beauvier, the hard-headed school principal who suspects Fr. Flynn of paying “special attention” to the first black student to attend the school. Sister James, a young, idealistic nun, is caught in the middle.

Here is the trailer:

Doubt - Trailer

While the film does have its lulls, as a whole I found the film very well done. First, the film played very strongly on symbolism, using stormy weather to show the “storm” taking place within the school. It allowed the tension to grow and develop the themes that ran throughout the film, including morality and authority.

Second, the cinematography was outstanding. At many times throughout the film, the camera would take cockeyed angles, showing the characters in less-than-usual shots. This heightened the on-screen conflict and only furthered the mood set by the heavy symbolism.

Finally, the acting was superb. Meryl Streep is fantastic as the time-hardened nun, who likely has a soft interior, while Philip Seymour Hoffman wows as the angst-ridden priest being torn apart from the inside out. It is no wonder the film is already being nominated for awards from Best Picture to Best Supporting Actress (having been nominated for 5 Golden Globes and 4 Satellite Awards). Go check it out.

Prop 8 The Musical

I am glad Huffington Post is finally putting this out there for more people to see. If you havent seen the video, here it is:

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

I think anything with the likes of Jack Black, Andy Richter, Neil Patrick Harris, Margaret Cho, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, and more you really can't go wrong.