Music Reviews-Eight Women Guitarists

Etta Baker as a young woman

Whether it is cross-cultural socialization or biological coincidence, most guitarists are men. However if there's one thing I firmly believe it's that one's skills are not determined by birth. Anyone can succeed at virtually any endeavor if he or she is willing to put in the time and work needed to do so. With that in mind here are eight women guitarists whose work you might be interested in. They are not listed in any particular order. I am not saying these are the ONLY women guitarists who ever did anything of note. They are just some of the better ones I've heard. YMMV of course. I've left out a few for space concerns.


1) Etta Baker (1913-2006)
2) Elizabeth Cotten (1895-1987)

Elizabeth Cotten

Both Cotten and Baker were from North Carolina. Each worked in what is often referred to as the "Piedmont" style of blues, which is quite different from the Mississippi Delta, Chicago, Texas and other forms of blues. The Piedmont style had a lot more ragtime and other piano based influences. It's not as "harsh" sounding. There is usually an alternating bass line combined with separate melody and rhythm. Some skilled musicians can thus make a guitar sound just like a piano or even a full band. The fingerpicking skills required were also used in slightly modified form in early bluegrass and what later became country music. If you listen to early music by people like Chet Akins, Merle Travis, or Jerry Reed you can hear Euro-American versions of this Piedmont style.   

Cotten was left-handed and played everything upside down and backwards compared to a right handed player. Baker was not only an excellent fingerstyle player but could hold her own on the slide. Each woman also played banjo. Both started playing at quite early ages; Baker started at 3. Unfortunately for music fans, because of family requirements/expectations as well as spending most of their lives under segregation, neither one was able to pursue a music career as vigorously as they could have.  

Etta Baker in about 2002

Cotten was partially responsible for kicking off the sixties folk revival. She was working as a domestic in the Seeger home when she was "discovered". Cotten did not release her first album until 1958 when she was 61 years old. Etta Baker did not travel as a performer but there is a 1956 recording, Mrs. Etta Baker Family and Friends, in which Etta Baker performs live with her father and in-laws that is worth obtaining. Taj Mahal also made a 2004 recording with her , Etta Baker with Taj Mahal.

Because of her stunning beauty, Etta's husband refused to let her travel and perform away from home; nevertheless, she never stopped playing her music. This gracious grandmother was the source of a great deal of joy and surprise when I found that she still played guitar after I had heard her early recordings from the 60s. One of the signature chords of my guitar vocabulary comes from her version of "Railroad Bill". This was the first guitar picking style that I ever learned."–Taj Mahal

Baker and Cotten each matured musically before music had become ossified into numerous categories. Each guitarist could flow seamlessly through what we would consider wildly different styles. (folk, blues, Irish jigs, pre-blues African American music, English murder ballads, ragtime, jazz, country, etc) 
(Baker)
Carolina Breakdown  Railroad Bill     John Henry
(Cotten)
Take me Back to Baltimore   Freight Train (She wrote this at 10 years old)  Georgie Buck



3) Bonnie Raitt

She's been called the best slide player alive by BB King. She was mentored by such blues notables as Sippie Wallace, John Lee Hooker and Mississippi Fred McDowell (who was probably her primary influence). Although she spent most of the eighties and nineties pursuing a light rock/pop sound she to me has always sounded best when playing blues. She's not just a blues player though. She has performed collaborations with a wide variety of songwriters and musicians worldwide. Like McDowell, Raitt usually plays with the slide on her ring finger. With everyone and their mama playing slide today Raitt still maintains a style and sound that is her own. 

I'm in the Mood(with John Lee Hooker)    Texas Flood (with Stevie Ray Vaughn)
Something to talk about




4) Nancy Wilson

Nancy Wilson is the co-writer and primary guitarist for the band Heart which she joined shortly after her older sister Ann. She is an multi-instrumentalist and equally adept on acoustic or electric guitar. She's another guitarist who is fond of alternate tunings.
   
Years ago when I first heard Heart I wasn't a huge fan. I saw them as a Led Zeppelin knockoff. Also rhythmically Heart wasn't what I was looking for. But I now like a few of their songs made before their crappy synth-pop eighties period. Mistral Wind is impressive. Barracuda was written to protest record company execs and music journalists who were pushing fake stories the Wilson sisters were sleeping together. Heart was quite popular in the seventies and eighties. Nancy Wilson is kind of a godmother for some of the bands that came out of Seattle in the nineties, especially Alice in Chains. Much like Keith Richards for The Rolling Stones, Wilson probably won't take every solo in every song. She may spend much of the concert on acoustic guitar. But her tone is pretty identifiable. And she's the engine for the band. 
Crazy on You     Barracuda     Alone  Mistral Wind

5) Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973)

Tharpe was one of the first performers to combine gospel and secular music (blues). She was also one of the first guitarists to seek out a distorted tone and increased volume. Her guitar playing was just as important to her music as her singing, which was unusual at the time (forties/early fifties) for a gospel performer. Although she didn't get all the attention she deserved she was still popular during her life. Tharpe was an unsung founding mother of rock-n-roll. She was playing rock-n-roll before it was called that. 
Tharpe was an intensely physical player. Tharpe was an influence on people like Elvis Presely, Isaac Hayes, Johnny Cash, Little Richard and Bonnie Raitt among others. She gave shows that were noted for their energy and spectacle. Tharpe was also a headcutter and delighted in holding her own against other guitarists. Sam Cooke used to tease his guitarist Bobby Womack about being outplayed by a woman.
Up Above My Head  Down By The Riverside  No Room in the Church for Liars




6) Ellen McIlwaine

McIlwaine was the lesser known Caucasian redheaded female blues guitarist trying to make a name for herself in the late sixties and early seventies-Raitt being the better known. But the two guitarists have totally different styles. McIlwaine's slide tone is nastier and thicker. She also has a slightly stronger rhythmic sense imo. Her dream was to play guitar in James Brown's band. Her vocals complement her guitar playing though honestly I am not a fan of her scat-singing.


Indian and other "world" music has often fascinated many Western musicians and McIlwaine was one such musician. Her 1973 We the People, (recorded live when she was opening for Mandrill ) was an early post-Coltrane example of American musicians attempting to combine blues or jazz with Indian ragas. This mix and match motif would remain an ongoing career theme of McIlwaine's, one that she would most gloriously explore in Egyptian Blues , a melange of blues and rock riffs, faux-quawalli singing, and Middle Eastern tones.
We the People   Egyptian Blues     Can't find my way home   Down So Low




7) Beverly Watkins

Watkins is another unheralded guitar heroine who late in life is finally getting some attention. Her first noticeable gig was with Piano Red aka Dr. Feelgood and the Interns. She was the third guitar in that band. It's unclear as to who exactly was taking each different solo as the other two guitarists Curtis Smith and Roy Lee Johnson (composer of Mr. Moonlight) had similar tones. But if you want to hear early versions of a guitar army you might want to hunt these recordings down. She was recently "rediscovered" and has taken up where she left off, playing a mix of rock-n-roll, R&B, soul, gospel and blues. 
Piano Red Tribute  Do the Breakdown  Live in Paris(Back in Business)




8) Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell could probably have her own post. She is arguably the best woman post-war guitarist. Mitchell started out in folk music but has moved thru jazz, blues, Afro-Brazilian, pop, world music, synth-dance, funk, rock and anything else that piqued her interest. Her unique sense of rhythm and harmony and odd tunings were influences on some of the other guitarists listed above as well as too many other musicians to mention, including such people as Jimmy Page, Prince, Madonna, Jeff Buckley and Tori Amos, just to name a few. Led Zeppelin's Going to California or Prince's Ballad of Dorothy Parker probably wouldn't exist without Joni Mitchell. 
Mitchell is one of those rare individuals who is equally distinctively talented in her guitar skills, her vocals and her songwriting. Because she's had such a diverse career there's probably something she's done over the years that may speak to you. Mitchell is a such an inventive guitarist that you can go back and listen to things she did years ago and still find new pleasure in hearing things you hadn't heard before. She's also a talented pianist.
  
In the mid seventies Mitchell started listening more to jazz and this led to interesting collaborations with such people as Jaco Pastorious, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and most interestingly Charles Mingus. Mingus (who will get his own review soon) was an irascible genius who did not suffer fools easily but evidently he was impressed with Mitchell. I haven't listened to the Mitchell-Mingus album but I will get around to it one of these days.  

Prince attended one of my concerts in Minnesota. I remember seeing him sitting in the front row when he was very young. He must have been about 15. He was in an aisle seat and he had unusually big eyes. He watched the whole show with his collar up, looking side to side. You couldn’t miss him—he was a little Prince-ling. [Laughs.] Prince used to write me fan mail with all of the U’s and hearts that way that he writes. And the office took it as mail from the lunatic fringe and just tossed it! [Laughs.]

Source

Herbie Hancock did a 2007 tribute album to Joni Mitchell, River: The Joni Letters, which was well received and won Grammies. You can read Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's review of it here.

Black Crow  All I want   River   Big Yellow Taxi

The Politics of CatCalling

Not since the turmoil of the 1960's has the American political culture been more divided, more split, more fractured than of course if you consider the political climate between the sexes from the beginning of time. We here at The Urban Politico discuss a multitude of topics daily before actually bringing you our loyal viewers thorough analysis on said topics. One of those topics was on the issue of catcalling.

Shady_Grady brought this lovely video to our attention: (start at the 4:30 mark)



Girl gets hit on, declines, and goes on to make a video about being hit on and declining because she was still mad that she got hit on. While 4:30 in the morning is not the most appropriate hour for casual conversation on atheism over coffee, I will give props to the man for trying.



I also give props to this man, Richard Dawkins, who called out the woman in the comments on a blog about the video, where he takes the cynical approach and compares the plight of Rebecca Watson to oppressed Muslim women in Afghanistan:

Dear Muslima

Stop whining, will you. Yes, yes, I know you had your genitals mutilated with a razor blade, and . . . yawn . . . don't tell me yet again, I know you aren't allowed to drive a car, and you can't leave the house without a male relative, and your husband is allowed to beat you, and you'll be stoned to death if you commit adultery. But stop whining, will you. Think of the suffering your poor American sisters have to put up with.

Only this week I heard of one, she calls herself Skep"chick", and do you know what happened to her? A man in a hotel elevator invited her back to his room for coffee. I am not exaggerating. He really did. He invited her back to his room for coffee. Of course she said no, and of course he didn't lay a finger on her, but even so . . .

And you, Muslima, think you have misogyny to complain about! For goodness sake grow up, or at least grow a thicker skin.

Richard

I don't think asking a woman to coffee is misogynistic. I think the man may have had bad timing; 4:30 in the morning really... umm no. But bad timing is not and has never been ever misogyny.

So what's the bigger issue here; being asked out, being asked out inappropriately, or just the gall of a man to approach a woman with the idea of getting to know her better and maybe down the road a week or two trying to parlay that love of her mind for seeing how the booty work?

Now fellas don't go off on me for that last statement. You know as well as the ladies know you know that if sex is an option slightly hinted or not, nine times out of ten you're going to go for it. Which brings us to the issue of blatant catcalling instead of the not so smooth "I want to meet your mind" come-on.

Growing up on the southside of Chicago I can recall the numerous times some random dude yelled from across the street, "Hey girl, come here." First thought... "Hell no." Roll eyes keep walking toward bus stop. In high school after a homecoming dance one guy referred to me as "Ms. Thickums." When he saw me one day having car trouble with my mother he couldn't speak to me because of course he didn't know my real name.

I've had friends referred to as "red-bone" and then "bitch" for not responding to the color catcall. On the southside of Chicago or even on my college campus of Florida State University being catcalled was nothing, and a guy getting an attitude because of it was also nothing, just another day in the life of a girl. One time at a club I had a guy approach me and say, "Girl you make dudes nervous to approach you. You got the look like don't even talk to me if your shit ain't together." My response "You're right." Apparently I had my stank face on; the look in the club girls get that says, "Don't talk to me and definitely don't touch me, because I will fight you;" something I've come close to doing when a goon decided he wanted to put his hand on my friend's ass.

From these anecdotes you see the good and the bad sides of catcalling. An issue men can never win just like Republicans in debt limit talks. There is no good outcome for men and there constituent just as there is no good outcome for Republicans and their party.

But flip the scenario and it's almost cute. If you've watched an episode of VH1's newest show Single Ladies you've undoubtedly seen the scene that's used in promos when a fine man jogs by and all three ladies say in unison, "He can get it. All of it!" The same line Andre 3000 rapped in John Legend's "Greenlight" one thing you ain't considered/ I heard you when you told your girl ooh he can get it.

When I met my fiancee at the gym, he walked by and I said, "Damn he's fine!" To this day I don't know if that was said out loud for him to hear, or just loud enough in my head that I thought he heard. If you ask my friends they think I said it out loud.

Other instances of women making the first move, albeit on a grander scale, Janet Jackson's 2001 single "All For You" where she makes it clear all you have to do is approach her and she might ride it tonight. Or Jill Scott's 2011 single "Shame" where she puts brothers on notice you missing out on me.

Women obviously can get away with such brassy and brazen statements of sexuality toward men -- accept for toward Will.I.Am -- because it gets men off the hook of having to approach a woman, and they are then put in the powerful position of rejecting the woman's advances.

Double standard most definitely. But honestly ladies, can you even imagine a man being offended because a woman approached him -- even an unattractive woman -- and said "hey boy, I'm feeling you." Groove Theory wrote a 90's jam "Tell Me" on this very premise. It's considered cute when a woman does something like that but it is a terrible risk to the ego, sometimes, when the situation's flipped.

So back to our damsel in distress at the top of the post; is it wrong for her to have been approached? No. How else is dude going to find out if he has a chance. Is it wrong for her to have made this video chronicling her "harrasment?" Not according to the first amendment. Is it trivial and childish compared to actual misogyny Muslim woman live everyday? Absolutely. Is it inconsequential compared to the woman who endures actual verbal or perhaps sexual abuse? Most definitely. In that light catcalling is not an issue. But in everyday play between the sexes is it an issue that should be addressed?

I'll leave you with this: If you followed Sex and the City you remember the episode when Miranda hadn't had sex in forever and was getting catcalled by the construction worker. When she responded to the tacky come-ons the construction worker backed down. In another episode Miranda thought she was being harassed by a man promoting a sandwich shop, dressed as a sandwich, saying "Eat Me." When she complained to the manager it was only then that she realized she wasn't being harassed and the sandwich man was just doing his job. Then she started to flirt and realized saying "Eat Me" wasn't so bad after all.

It is obvious from the go to TV show of women almost everywhere that catcalling can have one or two, or three effects on women, It can be annoying and you can complain about it, It can be annoying and you show the annoying ones how annoying it is, or it can be annoying but somewhat attractive. The point is fella's you will never win, unless of course you're Michael Jackson in a dark alley singing "The Way You Make Me Feel," or Darius Lovehall showing up at the door unannounced with an Isley brother's CD and some smooth ass line about how persistence will really get you far.


Questions
1. Should men not catcall at all?
2. Should women get over men catcalling?
3. Is catcalling appropriate under any circumstance, from either sex, and what is your general reaction to it.

Tips on Corporate Life from Ned Stark

This week I will begin the latest installment from George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series which started with the book A Game of Thrones. HBO recently completed an adaptation. The book describes human rivalries in a world similar to our own past. As humans haven't really changed over the years it became apparent that Ned Stark, a key character from A Game of Thrones, provided us an excellent example of how not to win in Corporate America. I thought it would be amusing to list some of Ned's mistakes to see how they relate to our own workplace challenges.

This has some spoilers-including a pretty big one-so if you intend to read the book or watch the series when it's released on DVD/Blu-Ray and don't want to know anything about it you need to skip this post. On the other hand if you've already read the book/watched the series or are just curious by nature hopefully this post will be humorous.

SERIOUSLY. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ SPOILERS DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT!!

1) Don't rest on your laurels. Your old friend may like you but business is business. Robert and Ned were tight but King Robert refused to counter Queen Cersei's command (against Ned’s pleas) to kill Ned's daughter's pet. You may have been close with a college buddy but don't assume you still have their loyalty-especially if they're your boss now. Bosses stick together-just like kings and queens do.  It’s rare that a boss will openly side with you against another boss.

2) Always know what's going on. If Ned had had his own intelligence network not only would he have known the secret about the Queen he wouldn't have needlessly endangered himself by clumsily looking for this secret and alerting his enemies. Similarly if you are part of a network you may well know about hirings, firings and transfers before they happen. Information is key to success. Just ask Littlefinger.

3) Be aware of what you have to lose before doing something rash. It may be quite exciting to stand up in that next status meeting and tell your boss exactly just how inept, bigoted, stupid and smelly you find them to be. You'll be keeping it real, just like Ned Stark did. Now your boss may not hold your daughters captive or have the power to order your execution. But getting fired can have almost the same impact on your family. Sometimes even the most honest man has to know when to keep his mouth shut.

4) Choose your allies and subordinates carefully. Ned trusted his wife Catelyn and her friend Littlefinger. Although only Littlefinger betrayed him, Catelyn arguably set things off by arresting Tyrion without her husband's knowledge or permission at a time when her husband and daughters were already in a weak position. Ned could hardly have disavowed his wife's actions and it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway since HE was the one in charge. Similarly, at work, if someone reporting to you does something stupid, you will be blamed. It is essential that everyone on your team understands which decisions they are allowed to make and which ones they aren't.

5) Understand the difference between de facto and de jure power. Sometimes, a person with the title or formal authority isn’t necessarily the real boss.  Often someone with REAL power may prefer to be the man behind the throne. I've known project managers who don't use the bathroom without checking first with some supposed underling. Occasionally someone who's not a formal leader may have such detailed business knowledge that higher ranking managers defer to her wishes. You need to know who the real players are. Don't be like Ned Stark and ASSume that because you have a title that everyone must do what you say or that someone who has no title (Littlefinger) may be safely used or ignored.

6) Be flexible. There are many ways to solve a problem.  Be willing to investigate these methods. Don't just automatically reject them and/or insult the people who suggest them. Even if you decide that they don't work for you, do your due diligence beforehand. In extreme cases (ie. hiding evidence in a capital case or ordering the murder of a pregnant rival heir to the throne) you may well be morally justified in declining to endorse them. If so, also keep in mind that the powers that be will not see this as a principled stand but will rather mark you down as an enemy. Flexibility also means you’re less predictable which means your corporate rivals or sworn enemies can't easily foresee and counter your next move. Ned was not flexible and paid a price.

7) Expect the worst from your enemies. 

Life isn't a game and your enemies and rivals are just that. There are after all only so many corner offices, promotions, or thrones to go around.  If you have one of these, I guarantee that someone else also wants it. If you are trying to take one from someone else or prevent someone from getting ahead, they will probably react quite badly.  

So if on Monday you tell your bitter rival manager that you're going to reveal to the entire department in Friday's status meeting that she never went to college and thus has no right to her position, don't be too shocked if on Wednesday you are falsely accused of financial improprieties or sexual harassment and immediately terminated. People play for keeps. Fair play is not something that is common in corporate America or feudal Westeros. Ned Stark had to learn this the hard way but you certainly don’t.

8) Take jobs that make sense and have room for growth. Many of us have taken jobs for money or obligation. Quite often these don't turn out well. If you don't like the job, chances are you won't be very good at it. If the job has no room for growth or any chance of success, then you are doing yourself and/or your family a disservice by taking it. A more self-interested Ned would have told Robert, "Thanks but no thanks. I just found out the last guy to take that job was murdered. When my brother and father went South they were also murdered. I also hear that the Kingdom is deeply in debt to the Lannisters, of whom I'm not overly fond.  And frankly I'm not too good at being #2 or in playing nice with others. So I'm not seeing much upside here, bro. Think I'll just stay North and raise my family."

  

9) Have a strong backup plan. Despite your best efforts sometimes things just don't work out. You get fired. A psychopathic little punk with Mommy issues decides to chop your head off.  It happens. But when this occurs, you should have a backup plan. But since your older brother, sister and father were already dead, your remaining brother was unavailable to help your family, your daughters were too young to have been married off to allies, and your sons and wife are tough but not exactly ready for prime time, perhaps you should have kept quiet until you had put your affairs in order. Similarly in the real world the time may come to quit your job, but try not to do that until you have a new career, a new job or lots of money saved.

10) Listen to what people tell you. Sometimes people tell you who they are, purposely or not. When this happens pay attention. When you get the promotion or the plum assignment and someone on your team tells you that he wanted it: believe him. Chances are this fellow wouldn't mind seeing you fail.  So his "advice" needs to be taken with that caveat in mind. When the on-site project manager calmly and coldly tells you he didn't want/need you on his team and you're only there because the home office wanted to make their "bench" stats look better for month-end, (yes this did once happen to me) know that this person probably won't be a career mentor.

 Similarly when Ned learns that Littlefinger used to have a SERIOUS longing for Ned's wife and Littlefinger openly tells Ned not to trust him, why in the world would Ned trust him? When Renly ,who despite his other issues, knows Cersei FAR better than Ned does, warns Ned that Cersei will NOT heed the will of a dead man, why doesn't Ned listen? When Cersei herself tells Ned that,  "You either win or die There is no middle ground", why doesn't Ned hear the warning rattle of a rattlesnake?  Listen to what people tell you. Pay attention!!!

Movie Reviews-The Eagle, Battle:Los Angeles, Elizabeth and more

The Eagle

The Eagle gives a different take on the Roman Ninth Legion's disappearance, which was source material for the film Centurion which I watched earlier. The Eagle starts the story about two decades past the events shown in Centurion. Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) is a Roman centurion who is the son of the Ninth's commander. He comes to Britain to wash away his family's shame by recapturing the Legion's standard, the eagle. 
Everyone thinks this is ridiculous but after Aquila proves his mettle as garrison commander he wins his soldiers' respect. However they still have no wish to follow him north of the wall, the massive fortification which separate the wild lands of Caledonia (Scotland) from Roman conquered Britain. And once the injured Aquila is forcibly retired from the Army, his men are under no obligation to help him regain the standard. And they don't. 

Ironically the only person that Aquila can even remotely count on in his quest for his father's standard is a Pictish slave, Esca (Jamie Bell) who he capriciously saved from the gladiator's pit and on whom he will rely for translation and to lead him through the North. Despite his rescue from death Esca is not fond of Romans in general or Aquila in particular. Seeing your female relatives raped and your male relatives killed tends to have that effect on you.


This should have been a better movie but really it seems like the director and Tatum were both channeling too much Huckleberry Finn. The  Northern Celtic tribes look like American Indians and the Aquila/Esca relationship doesn't work. The battle scenes stand up to those in Centurion but there is no real antagonist for Aquila to test himself against or for the audience to get invested in seeing Aquila defeat. So-so.   The Eagle Trailer


Battle:Los Angeles

This is the movie that Skyline should have been. Much like Skyline there is an alien attack on Los Angeles that everyone initially mistakes for a meteor shower. So a group of Marines, including a veteran Staff Sergeant (Aaron Eckheart) who had just put in his discharge paperwork are ordered to help with civilian evacuation.  What is a movie without some form of "One Last Job". 
His new platoon includes several types-the naive rural guy, the virgin, the just-engaged guy,  the heavily accented African, the street smart east coast Italian wiseass, the green leader (a lieutenant who is on his first assignment and wants to do everything by the book) and so on but none of this is portrayed offensively. The platoon is indeed a diverse group of men.

The main issue between the Staff Sergeant and his new platoon is that in Iraq, during an ambush the Staff Sergeant allegedly made some mistakes that got several Marines killed, including the brother of one of the platoon Corporals. So between the green nervous Lieutanant and Eckheart the men don't exactly feel like they have the best leadership. 
Once the battle between humans and aliens REALLY kicks off though Eckheart shows that his leadership skills and ass-kicking qualities are second to none. This is an enjoyable action movie. It doesn't require a lot of deep thought but I liked it because no character does anything mind numbingly stupid and some black people actually survive. Go figure.

Elizabeth

Not Prince's backup band circa 1984

Elizabeth has a very deliberate visual and thematic similarity to The Godfather. The director, Shekhar Kapur, purposely did this, was not shy about pointing it out and shamelessly lifted the entire infamous "Communion" scene from The Godfather, right down to the ominous baroque music and church motifs. But the film is more than The Godfather meets Hamlet and may be enjoyed completely on its own merits, by people who have never seen, do not wish to see, or did not enjoy The Godfather.

I can not say this enough-Elizabeth is a masterfully shot and choreographed film. The scenery, settings, lighting and clothing are incredible. The film does play fast and loose with many many facts surrounding this period but that's why it's a movie, not a history book.

Elizabeth starts with an ugly scene of heretics being burnt alive. They are Protestants but for the determinedly Catholic Queen Mary I of England, known as "Bloody Mary" for just these sorts of actions, Protestantism IS heresy.  As Queen, Mary embarked on a crusade to purge England of Protestants as well as eliminate actual or possible challengers to her throne-primarily her own relatives.

A person who was both Protestant and a possible threat to Mary's rule was Mary's younger half-sister Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett). Mary keeps her under arrest and monitors her communications but for whatever reason decides not to kill her. Mary is old and sick with uterine cancer. She dies, leaving the religiously divided kingdom in the hands of a young unsure girl.  

The Pope (Gielgud) doesn't intend to tolerate a Protestant ruler. The Royal Treasury is running low. The Anglican Church and Parliament are each convinced they have a puppet to use. Elizabeth's lover, Dudley (Joseph Fiennes) may have a wandering eye and ulterior motives. Mary of Guise (regent of Scotland) and the Spanish are in open opposition to her. Some English nobles think accepting a woman ruler is preposterous and are certain they could do a better job as ruler. Elizabeth's primary counselor, the avuncular but totally ineffective Cecil (Richard Attenborough) won't stop bugging her about getting married, as since she is "just a woman" , she can't possibly hope to rule on her own. 

The film portrays a hero's journey for Elizabeth. She must change and grow from a young naive girl who is manipulated by others to a strong Queen who states "I will have one mistress and no master! " Power is who Elizabeth marries and the film grimly shows exactly what that entails. Again, the use of light and scenery is superb. Some of the film's scenes were shot in Durham Cathedral and the viewer gets to enjoy the late Romanesque/Early Gothic feel of that place. 

Look for Geoffrey Rush as Walsingham, a sort of combination Luca Brasi and Tom Hagen for Elizabeth. He is very dangerous, very intelligent and extremely loyal. He handles her intelligence services. Other names of note include Mr. Monica Bellucci (Vincent Cassel), Christopher Eccleston, Daniel Craig, Emily Mortimer and Fanny Ardant. This was a fun film. It is literally impossible to picture anyone other than Blanchett in this role. She was that good. Don't bother seeing the sequel. Elizabeth Trailer

Malena

Malena starred Monica Bellucci in the title role. At the time of the film's release Bellucci was (still is??) one of the planet's most beautiful women. Bellucci also spent much of the film in flattering attire that emphasized her feminine traits. 

The initial story concerns a Sicilian young boy on the verge of "adulthood" who has a desperately strong and totally unrequited and unnoticed crush on Bellucci's character during the waning days of WWII. So yes indeed, some parts of this film will primarily appeal to those people who used to be 12 year old boys and still remember the anticipation and angst of that condition. But this film is much more than the memories of a raunchy kid. It actually has some important things (beyond the carnal) to say to everyone about how human beings react and respond to each other. 

Malena (Bellucci) arrives in a small town accompanied by her father, a sickly schoolteacher. Malena's husband is at war. Malena soon becomes the object of bitter jealousy by the townswomen and the object of open and honest lechery by the remaining men. There are a lot of African-American blues songs about trains and cabooses and evidently there are a few Sicilian jokes about such things as well. 
Malena's young admirer Renato attempts to defend her against her detractors but as is repeatedly pointed out by all and sundry in the film, he's just a punk kid who doesn't even wear long pants yet so what could he know? Renato spends a lot of time daydreaming of winning Malena's favor. That is what he intends to do just as soon as he is allowed to wear long pants. This is played for very broad earthy comedy at first-almost like a more modest Italian American Pie or Porky's.

The film takes a darker turn however when Malena receives bad news about her husband and her father suffers a tragedy. As the war comes closer to home Malena faces some difficult choices about survival. Her neighbors' attitude towards her, which was previously depicted as something akin to slapstick, morphs into something uglier and much more dangerous. Renato is even less able to "protect" her from what is coming.

I like how the director, Giuseppe Tornatore (best known for Cinema Paradiso)  balances the comedic, dramatic and horrific arcs of this film. This movie combines sadness, nostalgia, humor, lust, maturity, honor and conflict all in equal measure. Bellucci carries the film even though she doesn't have a lot of lines. She shows that she's much more than a pretty face. It's a shame she did not have a more serious career in American films.


The Man Who Wasn't There

I really enjoy the Coen Brothers' work and for my money this film was their best. It has a superb cast that includes Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini, Tony Shalhoub, Jon Polito, Michael Badalucco, and Scarlett Johansson. This movie was shot in color and transferred to black and white. It has a very heavy noir influence-specifically that of the crime writer James Cain, whose novels were the source material for the films Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. So if you like noir you will enjoy this film.

The story is that in a post WW2 California town Ed Crane (Thornton) works as a strangely dissatisfied barber. He can't quite put his finger on it but he knows that something is wrong with his life. He's not sure that he enjoys or dislikes working in his talkative's brother-in-law's (Badalucco) barbershop but something isn't right. Ed discovers that his alcoholic and unpleasant wife Doris (McDormand) is having an affair with her boss Dave Brewster (Gandolfini). Ed isn't even sure how to proceed with this knowledge until he is approached by one of his customers Tolliver (Polito) who is looking for suckers investors to give him money for his new dry cleaning business. Then Ed decides to blackmail Dave (secretly of course) to get money to invest with Tolliver.  


Of course things don't go as Ed would like. And that is probably the understatement of the post.
The direction, acting, writing and production of this film are top-notch, top-notch!! And the soundtrack wasn't bad either. It is always fascinating to enjoy artists at the top of their game-whether that be film, artwork, music, literature, whatever. And the Coens and their actors bring it.  I really enjoyed the uses of light and shadow in this movie. Philosophically this film has a heavy heaping of existentialism.

Affirmative Action in Michigan

In 2006 Michigan voters, via a voter's referendum, constitutionally banned public sector affirmative action for race and gender in education, employment and contracting. This meant that race or gender could officially no longer be taken in account when deciding who was accepted to a given school, which company won the bid for a state or local contract, or who got hired to a public sector job. This referendum was named Proposition 2 and passed easily by a 58-42 margin. The impact of this was mixed to say the least, as there is a Federal Executive Order 11246 ,which under certain circumstances requires federal contractors (ie. public universities) to have affirmative action programs or goals. 

But honestly few people in Michigan cared too much about the impact on employment or contracting so much as they did about the impact on education. Proposition 2 was passed as a reaction to two cases involving the University of Michigan and two different plaintiffs,  Jennifer Gratz (pictured above with Ward Connerly) and Barbara Grutter, who upon being denied admission to the undergrad program and the law school program respectively, threw the mother of all temper tantrums and literally decided to make a federal case out of it. Ultimately Gratz won her case and Grutter lost, for reasons which I am sure The Janitor can explain in great detail. Basically the Supreme Court decided that the undergrad affirmative action admissions policy was too strict and too close to a quota while the law school admissions policy was more narrowly structured, although Justice Sandra Day O'Connor noted that she did not expect that the law school's policy would be necessary 25 years from her decision approving it.

A 50% win wasn't good enough for Grutter and especially Gratz so in short order they hooked up with Ward Connerly, a man who proves that yes you can still make a living as a token minority, and convinced the majority of Michigan voters to alter our constitution to make it crystal clear that public sector affirmative action wasn't allowed any more, no way no how. Period.

Now here's where it gets kind of tricky. The other side (i.e. the good guys) decided to fight this ban in court. Although it was a long shot and I wasn't totally convinced of the validity of the legal arguments, to many's surprise, recently they actually won in federal court-The US 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The appeals court said Proposal 2, which was [passed] by a 58-42 percentage margin, is unconstitutional because it restructured Michigan’s political process in a way that placed special burdens on minorities that deprived them of equal protection under the law.“The majority may not manipulate the channels of change in a manner that places unique burdens on issues of importance to racial minorities,” Judge R. Guy Cole said in an opinion joined by Judge Martha Daughtrey. Judge Julia Gibbons dissented, saying she didn’t think Proposal 2 impermissibly restructured the political process.Cole and Daughtrey were appointed by President Bill Clinton. Gibbons was appointed by George W. Bush.Attorney Washington said Michigan colleges and universities provide preferential treatment to a variety of groups, including veterans, the poor and students from rural areas. He said Proposal 2 discriminated against blacks, Latinos and native Americans.Today’s decision is the latest development in a long and bitter battle over race admission policies in Michigan colleges and universities.

Needless to say Miss Jennifer wasn't too happy about this turn of events:

Gratz, however, said the majority opinion is “ludicrous and illogical.”
“This court is saying that we place a burden on minorities by treating them equally with non-minorities…that we have to treat people unequally in order to treat them equally,” Gratz said, “That is insane.”

And Michigan, which is now under Republican management, has promised to appeal.

But Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said this afternoon the decision will be appealed to the full 6th U.S. Circuit, and that, in the mean time, Proposal 2 will remain in effect.
"MCRI embodies the fundamental premise of what America is all about: equal opportunity under the law," Schuette said in a statement. "Entrance to our great universities must be based upon merit, and I will continue the fight for equality, fairness and rule of law."

Article

Court Decision

I think that Grutter's and Gratz's arguments were ultimately unconvincing because there were several white people that had received admission to the law school or undergraduate program that had less competitive scores or grades than they did. In addition as supporters of affirmative action court pointed out there were several other categories of students who received diversity points in the admission process (geographical/poverty/veterans) besides just racial minorities. However I also must confess a slight bias against affirmative action in so-called objective criteria (i.e. grades/tests) while having a HUGE bias for it where the criteria aren't objective (real life/the workplace). In the workplace I've just seen and experienced too many instances where it's not what you know but who you know, who you are, how people respond and relate to you. I've seen whites with high school degrees making the same or more money than blacks with college degrees. I've seen whites picked out and groomed for promotion by white managers while blacks languish in the same area for years.  In virtually every organization I've been in the further up the chain you go the fewer and fewer black people you see. There I think some form of affirmative action is not only a good thing but required.

However one can make a convincing argument that because of historical and ongoing segregation, discrimination and consumption and endorsements of racist beliefs that blacks are still suffering from a disbelief in their own abilities and that this shows up in tests and grades. If this is really the case then it is incumbent upon society to provide some form of corrective to this reality.

Although I find this argument to have merit I don't think that Gratz or more importantly the Supreme Court will. Honestly I think this is just a road bump to the Supreme Court allowing Proposition 2 to stand. It's a huge step from saying that you can allow affirmative action to you must allow affirmative action.

QUESTIONS:

What's your take?

Do the voters of Michigan have the right to ban state public sector affirmative action?

Do you think affirmative action is a winner politically?

Do you find the Court of Appeals' reasoning valid?

Rules of Engagement

I think there is a pretty strong consensus that marriage proposals and engagements supposed to be special, memorable, and – dare I say – conditional.? I think it is safe to say that there are rules that most folks would agree too. Of course, these rules are… fuzzy…and can be subjective. But for the most part, you would get most folks to agree that there were a couple of things that went wrong in Roy Williams' proposal to his girlfriend Brooke Daniels.

Let me give you the background in a nutshell. Just before Valentine’s Day, Williams, an NFL wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys, attempted to propose to his girlfriend Daniels, a former Miss Texas. This proposal, which was sent by mail (yes, mail – USPS), consisted of a signed baseball for her brother, money for school and dental bills (Destiny’s Child – Pay My Bills?), a recording of his proposal, and a $75,000 engagement ring. Got all that? He mailed a baseball, money for school and dental bills, a recording of his proposal, $75,000 engagement ring. After receiving her care package, Daniels rejected Williams leading to him asking for his ring back. Daniels said she lost the ring so Williams filed an insurance claim on the “lost” ring. Of course, the insurance company isn’t going to just pay the claim on a near $80K ring – right? Of course not; they investigated. During their investigation, they found that, in fact, the ring wasn’t lost; it was in the possession of Daniels’ father. Neither Daniels nor her father had plans to the ring to Williams. So, what started off as an act of “love” ended up as a law suit for a $75K platinum ring.


A lot's going on wouldn’t you say? Now, I’ve had many-a conversation with friends and family – as I’m sure you have as well. It is pretty apparent to me, that there are some pretty straight forward rules both Williams and Daniels broke:

1.) The only time recording a marriage proposal is acceptable is if: If you’re going to do a recording a marriage proposal, you must be:

a. You are in the military or away in another country,
b. You put it on the big screen at a professional sports event (or high school/college if it is big in your town), or
c. You record it, but then you pop up from behind the curtains or something yelling “Surprise!” Bottom line, you need to BE THERE!!! 

OBSERVE

Otherwise you just look like a lazy asshole who isn't interested in actually putting forth the effort for a face-to-face proposal thereby making it appear as if you aren't interested in the person.

2.) You MUST be more than 90 – 95% (or better) sure that the young lady (or gentleman) you are about to propose to will say “YES!” If the rule – for non-NFL folks – is to spend upwards of three times your monthly salary on your engagement ring, you need to be damn sure there’s a YES on the other end of that question. Clearly nothing is 100%; some folks will get cold feet or what-have-you. But we are in a recession; I don’t know about you, but a little more homework is needed prior to taking that leap. I don’t know, maybe some sort of consultation with your partner… Just a thought.

3.) IF proposal is made and/or you break off your engagement, YOU DO NOT GET TO KEEP THE RING!!! This isn’t a “gift” it is an engagement ring. If there is no longer an engagement, then there is no longer a ring! Even if that ring is delivered in a piss ass way – like through the mail – neither you nor your father get to keep said ring!

Oh, just as a practical matter, you should NEVER - EVER - EVVVER, put jewlery in the mail - let alone something worth $75 grand!

Understand this isn’t a complete list. There are plenty of other “Rules of Engagement.” I pretty sure that list is dynamic and changing all the time, but I had to pause for a moment and ask “WTF” with this story.

Am I wrong, or are these pretty universal rules?
Was a marriage proposal through the mail romantic or tacky?
Should you have to give the engagement ring back?
Are there more rules? What are they?