Oy! Again with the Russians. Here’s an interesting look by historian Mikhail Safanov of how the Beatles brought down the Soviet Union.
Guardian Unlimited: Confessions of a Soviet moptop
During a chess match between Anatoly Karpov and Gary Kasparov in the 1980s, the two grandmasters were each asked to name their favourite composer. The orthodox communist Karpov replied: ‘Alexander Pakhmutov, Laureate of the Lenin Komsomol award’. The freethinking Kasparov answered: ‘John Lennon.’
By chance, we continue in our Hollywood theme of unsung heroes, with this feature on Don La Fontaine, the most famous voice-over artist you didn’t know the name of. Don who? you may ask. Three words, baby: “In a world…”
Golden Voice
The lights dim. The trailer begins. “In a world beyond imagination…” No matter what the film, one man is always featured – only one man – alongside Arnold, Bruce and Sly. You never see him. But you know his voice: breathy, deep, sonorous, ominous. Don La Fontaine is the most successful, most ubiquitous voice-over actor working in show business promotion today. And although his agent, Steve Tisherman, is hesitant to reveal Don’s salary, cinema’s golden voice reluctantly admits that he is, in fact, “a millionaire…several times over.”
By way of Creative Generalist
You may think you’ve never heard the Wilhelm Scream but you have: since 1951, when some Hollywood sound engineer recorded an anonymous actor screaming in three different flavors, the “Wilhelm Scream” has been used in movies ever since as everybody’s favorite sound of anonymous death. The Wilhelm Scream site is devoted to cataloging Sir Wilhelm of Scream’s numerous appearances. (Most recent: “Dell Computers – PC Dreams” TV Commercial (May 2003): One of the Dell Interns is repeatedly dropped through a trap door in a dream about how Dell computers are tested.”)
Once you hear it, you’ll keep on hearing it!
By way of J-Walk
Continuing in our Russian theme (check out my post over at the Spires), here’s a wonderful collection of Russian Anthems for you to download. This will be a hit at any party or meeting. Or Party Meeting. To quote the site: As you can clearly see, Russian anthem technology is vastly superior to that of any other country.
So this stuff really does happen. I’ve often wondered if it could. Now I just run and jump into elevators when they arrive. Or take the stairs.
Doctor decapitated by faulty elevator at hospital
By PEGGY O’HARE
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle
Doctor was driven by compassion for indigent
An aspiring missionary doctor, who was voted by medical school classmates as the epitome of a good physician, was killed Saturday at Christus St. Joseph Hospital when an elevator malfunctioned, decapitating him, authorities said.
Hitoshi Nikaidoh, 35, of Dallas, a surgical resident at the hospital at 1919 La Branch, was stepping onto a second-floor elevator in the main building around 9:30 a.m. when the doors closed, pinning his shoulders, said Harold Jordan, an investigator with the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office. The elevator car then moved upward, severing the doctor’s head, Jordan said.
Worse is that his co-worker was inside the elevator when it happened and had to stay in there with the head for an extended period before rescue workers could get her out. Brrrr.
If only I had rock-hard abs, was ten years younger, and half my IQ, I’d be down for this!
Lapdance Island
By way of Metafilter
I experienced a mini-blackout of my own this past weekend, when on Friday evening my email and web page packed up. It was too late to call my provider, so I had to do so Saturday morning. I discovered that I hadn’t renewed www.tedmills.com. But why hadn’t I been informed? Apparently, my provider had been sending me emails, but at my old domain address. Baka. The mistake was rectified, but I had to wait nearly 24 hours to use email again. Difference: I seem to have been dropped from several mailing lists, I guess because the mailbot kept getting bounced back mails. Crapola.
I find myself more and more fascinated by those who record, manipulate, and release field recordings. This one site has much to download, links to other artists, and some good essays on doing it yourself.
quiet american
By way of Robot Action Boy
A Wild West version of “The Taming of the Shrew” has been so popular in recent years (I counted at least five nationwide on a quick Internet search) that it’s nearly deserving of its own sub-genre.
For those who love the play’s rowdy, rough-and-tumble attitude but are a bit queasy over its sexual politics, the lawlessness of the frontier offers a broad canvas and several ideological escape routes. Dress up Katherine as Annie Oakley and you’re already halfway toward a character. And the transitory nature of the West makes all outcomes liable to change without notice, unlike the established Padua of Shakespeare’s original.
No, no, no. Wrong, wrong, wrong. On the other hand, I have a feeling that many advance orders are being filled right now by legions of student filmmakers. I just hope Commander Bunnypants winds up taking his orders from an anatomically correct Ken doll.
Elite Force Aviator: George W. Bush