It's Boxing Day

Which in England it is traditional to dress up in shorts and gloves and whack the hell out of each other – well no not really – nobody’s really sure what the deal with boxing day is but it’s come to be a day when you go visit friends and family you didn’t get to see on Christmas Day. Seems like a nice tradition but if it ever took off in the US we’d just end up with “Boxing Day Madness” sales where the stores open at 6 am because people didn’t get a chance to shop enough during the 6 week build up to Christmas.

Working on the play a bit these days – prelim stuff – like who sings what and when – and we got someone with a key board who will be able to work the music and add things like an overture (gasp) and incidental music here and there.

The net brought us news that James Brown is dead. Another giant gone – I don’t know but it just feels like this era where American Idol is the pop ideal, in the future when the current generation goes, people aren’t going to be as moved. James Brown was so influential – an obit claimed that one of this songs has been sampled over a 100 times by hip hop artists and not just for the music, there was , the showmanship, and, when in his prime, his mind boggling dance movies and the flat out truth that he was the hardest working man in show business. He had a rough personal life and was a terror to his band but he never gave the fans less than everything he had. Rest in Peace and Hit me!

Meantime inside the bubble W is trying to tell himself that the message of the elections was that we want more bi-partisanship, which to W means doing exactly what he wants to do and then having Joe Lieberman say on fox news what a good idea it was.

The war on Christmas is over until next year. It’s been very depressing to watch this whole thing turn what is a pretty nice idea (treating other people nicely for a change) into a time where mean spirited thin skinned biddies of both sexes throw pouty fits on television and just piss all over the good feelings like a dog with bad kidneys. Thanks guys, looking forward to what nonsense you come up with next year.

Watched Godzilla films a lot over the weekend (you have your holiday traditions and I have mine) some notes.

1. Never live in Tokyo, like ever. It’s dangerous to be even near Tokyo since the monsters keep coming ashore and heading for Tokyo.

2. Osaka isn’t a much safer bet.

3. Mothra is in these films a lot.

4. I hear one more song to Mothra I’m going to go nuts.

5. The male lead in Destroy all Monsters is an asshole. A total jerk. Or course it could be the dubbing or the fact he has to wear in a very Bright mustard yellow space suit which makes him look like he should be driving the French’s Mustard Float in a parade that made him so bitter.

6. They have about 33 names for Angularis (the hedgehog like monster that first showed up in Godzilla Raids Again) none of them very good.

7. Akihiko Hirata shows up in two films wearing an eye patch. (Godzilla and Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster) – damned if I know why.

8. While they tired in the late 70’s to get a more adult look to the Godzilla movies – the fact the Godzilla suit made him look like a plush toy didn’t help.

9. Raymond Burr looked very tired and embarrassed during Godzilla 1985 as well he should. And what was with the Doctor Pepper Placement? Whose brilliant idea was that? They are supposed to be in a war room in the pentagon at the least the soda machine would be down the hall.

10. I’ve seen it several times but the plot of Gojira tai Kingu Gidorâ (1991 – Godzilla vs King Ghidorah still doesn’t make a lick of sense.

11. While I love the big G’s roar, I think the decision of the post 2000 films to limit the number of times he did it was wise, the 70’s film’s had him doing it every time he opened his mouth – it was like Tarzan only doing the yell – too much.

12. You haven’t seen overacting until you see Japanese actors pretend to be natives of the South Seas.

13. All of these films – with the exception of Godzilla vs. Megalon (best viewed in the MST3K version) and Godzilla’s revenge (a horrible kids movie) are better than the 1998 US Godzilla.

14. Absolute favorite line “Attention Godzilla has been sighted in Tokyo Bay – This is no drill” crack up every time.

15. The original Japanese version of King Kong vs. Godzilla is a heck of lot better and smarter (making some points about commercialization) than the American dubbed version which is aimed, I think, at people who eat a lot of paste.

Peace, Love, take me to the Bridge