Rushdie's two cents :
Can Hollywood See the Tiger?
By SALMAN RUSHDIE for nyt
"LOS ANGELES -- Without Hollywood, they say, Los Angeles would just be Phoenix with a coastline. This year, as deadlines approach for strikes by actors and writers, L. A. is facing the possibility of becoming, for a time, a characterless, movieless sprawl.
Rumors are flying: The studios actually want the strikes; the actors don't, though their representatives are talking tough. And the writers? Well, they're only writers, after all. Talks keep breaking down an inch away from agreement. Television companies are preparing to flood the schedules with even more reality-TV programming it's cheap! it's popular! it's not unionized! to fill the holes created by The Strike. There's plenty of bad feeling in the air, and a growing sense of inevitability. The shutdown is "going to happen" (which means it either will or won't).
And in the midst of this uncertainty, the movie community awaits its annual festival of big business interests disguised as individual achievements. The lobbying season is over. The city is no longer being bombarded by "for your consideration" videotapes. Rock stars are no longer playing impromptu gigs in old folks' homes in the hope of garnering a few votes for Best Song from elderly members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The votes are in. The Oscars are coming.
The movies are Los Angeles's culture. At the weekend, big audiences go to the new pictures the way the opera-loving Milanese go to an opening at La Scala. I haven't seen such enthusiastically participatory audiences anywhere else outside the Indian subcontinent.
This can get irritating: for example, when a man comments loudly every time Penelope Cruz appears on screen in "All the Pretty Horses" "She's so beautiful! Oh, oh, he's going to fall for her! Uh-oh, here comes trouble!" or when a 5-year-old insistently asks her parents during "Cast Away," "Mommy, when is the volleyball going to talk?"
Angeleno enthusiasm can, however, also be thrilling. In a packed theater on La Brea, the whooping and cheering at an afternoon showing of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was astonishing even by L.A.'s standards. The audience knew it was sharing in the arrival of a great, classic film and was simply transported by the movie's brilliance. Anyone who thinks DVD's will someday replace moviegoing should have been there. Those killjoys who have denigrated "Crouching Tiger" as a piece of latter-day Orientalism, a Western appropriation of Eastern manner and material, would have seen an audience as diverse as America itself Korean-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Hispanic Americans and African-Americans easily outnumbered any WASP-y Orientalists who might have been there enjoying the film for the wrong reasons. It was evident to the audience that Ang Lee's beautiful, intimate epic is a luminous work of art.
In the context of the Academy Awards and the shadow of the strike, the success of "Crouching Tiger" is especially significant. It's being talked about as the breakthrough movie that has taught Americans to accept subtitled foreign films into the giant cineplexes where the big money is made. And this is why the various players and the studios above all may be making a big mistake if they think they can ride out the strike without losing their stranglehold on the market.
In the 1960's and early 1970's, a flood of great non-American filmmakers pried Hollywood's fingers off the cinema's throat for a few years. The result was a golden age, the time of the great films of Akira Kurosawa and Satyajit Ray; of the French New Wave; of Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman. Now, once again, world cinema is blossoming in China, in Iran, in Britain. And it may just be that the mass audience is ready, at long last, to enjoy rather more diversity in its cultural diet. After all, there are plenty of dreadful American films we could all cheerfully do without.
The Oscars usually show us how Hollywood sees itself. Ridley Scott's technically brilliant but woodenly scripted "Gladiator" is the big-studio candidate for honors, just as the latest sentimental Miramax confection, "Chocolat," leads the charge of the smaller companies. Comedy comes off badly, as usual the Coen brothers have to be content with screenplay and cinematography nominations for the wonderful "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" There's no nomination for Renee Zellweger's moving, subtle work in the title role of "Nurse Betty." But behind all this familiar maneuvering, the tiger is crouching, the dragon hides.
And if by some chance the one genuinely great movie to have been nominated this year runs away with the big prizes, it may just be the wake-up call that Hollywood needs. When the world's finest filmmakers are coming after your audience, it may not be such a smart idea to shut your industry down.
Salman Rushdie is the author of ``The Satanic Verses'' and ``The Ground Beneath Her Feet.''
Can Hollywood See the Tiger?
By SALMAN RUSHDIE for nyt
"LOS ANGELES -- Without Hollywood, they say, Los Angeles would just be Phoenix with a coastline. This year, as deadlines approach for strikes by actors and writers, L. A. is facing the possibility of becoming, for a time, a characterless, movieless sprawl.
Rumors are flying: The studios actually want the strikes; the actors don't, though their representatives are talking tough. And the writers? Well, they're only writers, after all. Talks keep breaking down an inch away from agreement. Television companies are preparing to flood the schedules with even more reality-TV programming it's cheap! it's popular! it's not unionized! to fill the holes created by The Strike. There's plenty of bad feeling in the air, and a growing sense of inevitability. The shutdown is "going to happen" (which means it either will or won't).
And in the midst of this uncertainty, the movie community awaits its annual festival of big business interests disguised as individual achievements. The lobbying season is over. The city is no longer being bombarded by "for your consideration" videotapes. Rock stars are no longer playing impromptu gigs in old folks' homes in the hope of garnering a few votes for Best Song from elderly members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The votes are in. The Oscars are coming.
The movies are Los Angeles's culture. At the weekend, big audiences go to the new pictures the way the opera-loving Milanese go to an opening at La Scala. I haven't seen such enthusiastically participatory audiences anywhere else outside the Indian subcontinent.
This can get irritating: for example, when a man comments loudly every time Penelope Cruz appears on screen in "All the Pretty Horses" "She's so beautiful! Oh, oh, he's going to fall for her! Uh-oh, here comes trouble!" or when a 5-year-old insistently asks her parents during "Cast Away," "Mommy, when is the volleyball going to talk?"
Angeleno enthusiasm can, however, also be thrilling. In a packed theater on La Brea, the whooping and cheering at an afternoon showing of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was astonishing even by L.A.'s standards. The audience knew it was sharing in the arrival of a great, classic film and was simply transported by the movie's brilliance. Anyone who thinks DVD's will someday replace moviegoing should have been there. Those killjoys who have denigrated "Crouching Tiger" as a piece of latter-day Orientalism, a Western appropriation of Eastern manner and material, would have seen an audience as diverse as America itself Korean-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Hispanic Americans and African-Americans easily outnumbered any WASP-y Orientalists who might have been there enjoying the film for the wrong reasons. It was evident to the audience that Ang Lee's beautiful, intimate epic is a luminous work of art.
In the context of the Academy Awards and the shadow of the strike, the success of "Crouching Tiger" is especially significant. It's being talked about as the breakthrough movie that has taught Americans to accept subtitled foreign films into the giant cineplexes where the big money is made. And this is why the various players and the studios above all may be making a big mistake if they think they can ride out the strike without losing their stranglehold on the market.
In the 1960's and early 1970's, a flood of great non-American filmmakers pried Hollywood's fingers off the cinema's throat for a few years. The result was a golden age, the time of the great films of Akira Kurosawa and Satyajit Ray; of the French New Wave; of Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman. Now, once again, world cinema is blossoming in China, in Iran, in Britain. And it may just be that the mass audience is ready, at long last, to enjoy rather more diversity in its cultural diet. After all, there are plenty of dreadful American films we could all cheerfully do without.
The Oscars usually show us how Hollywood sees itself. Ridley Scott's technically brilliant but woodenly scripted "Gladiator" is the big-studio candidate for honors, just as the latest sentimental Miramax confection, "Chocolat," leads the charge of the smaller companies. Comedy comes off badly, as usual the Coen brothers have to be content with screenplay and cinematography nominations for the wonderful "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" There's no nomination for Renee Zellweger's moving, subtle work in the title role of "Nurse Betty." But behind all this familiar maneuvering, the tiger is crouching, the dragon hides.
And if by some chance the one genuinely great movie to have been nominated this year runs away with the big prizes, it may just be the wake-up call that Hollywood needs. When the world's finest filmmakers are coming after your audience, it may not be such a smart idea to shut your industry down.
Salman Rushdie is the author of ``The Satanic Verses'' and ``The Ground Beneath Her Feet.''
More Green Teas info :
"China Tea" is a term used to describe tea grown in China for the foreign or export market only. "Chinese Tea" is the term used to describe that tea which is grown in China and intended for local or internal consumption only. We, in the United States, would probably never taste "Chinese Tea". That may be both good and bad at the same time. There are over 1,200 varieties of tea grown in China and since only a very few are exported, we are limited to what taste experience we can enjoy. On the other hand, it insulates us from some extremely unpalatable teas.
Tea is thought to have originated in China, broadly speaking, where longitude 100 passes through the Tropic of Cancer. From China it spread by seed, and for the most part without the intervention of man, to most other parts of what is now known as the tea-growing world, either directly or in steps from one country to another. There are exceptions to this natural spread but they are limited to those varieties hybridized by man.
The precise history of China Green Tea (China Black Tea is a relatively new process or invention) is difficult to trace and thus establish. There are some tea scholars who say it is 2,000 years old, others 2,500 and still others say it may be 5,000 years old. There are several reasons for this confusion. The Chinese character (ideogram) for tea, until recent times, was basically the same character as that used for an herbal tea made from sow thistle or sow weed, making it difficult to know exactly to which plant a writer was referring. Another reason is that as each succeeding dynasty rose to the "Dragon Throne, " they would eliminate previous records of a particularly excellent tea and literally rewrite history to make their dynasty the one which discovered that particular tea. Also, at certain times in China's history, there were two or more ruling dynasties or a major and a minor dynasty coexisting, each of which would rewrite the history of tea or a specific tea to prove that they had discovered it. Historical records regarding China tea became very confused and confusing. The only thing that can be said for certain is that the art of growing, processing, brewing and drinking tea evolved in China; just when, however, is totally uncertain.
There are a number of China teas available to us, but because of growing conditions and plucking seasons they are not all available at the same time. Below are just a few, a very few, with their English spelling, Old Chinese spelling and New Chinese spelling:
English/Old Chinese/New Chinese
____________________________________________________
Dragon's Well/Lung-Ching/Long-Jing
Lion's Peak /Shih-Feng /Shi-Feng
White Cloud /Pai-Yun /Bai-Yun
Jeweled Cloud /Pao-Yun /Bao-Yun
Purple Sprout /Tz'e-Sun /Ce-Sun
Old Man's Eyebrows /Shou-Mei /Shou-Mee
Sow-Mee
(None) /Pu-Erh /Pu-Er
Country Green /Ching-Cha /Ching-Cha
Oolong (Style) /Wu-Lung /Wu-Lung -or-(Wu-Long)
If one enjoys excellent China green or Oolong teas, it is a must to prepare them using fine utensils from China. We most heartily recommend Yixing (pronounced E-SHing) Ware. That is, authentic Yixing Ware, not imitation or Yixing style (refer to section: Yixing Ware for more detail).
We respectfully quote from an honored Tea Master (Mr. John Blofeld): "a combination of fine tea, enchanting objects and soothing surroundings exerts a therapeutic effect by washing away the corrosive strains and stress of modern life...(it) induces a mood that is spiritually refreshing...(and produces) a genial state of mind." I honor Mr. Blofeld, now deceased, for the years he devoted to his studies of China Green and Semi-Black Teas.
"China Tea" is a term used to describe tea grown in China for the foreign or export market only. "Chinese Tea" is the term used to describe that tea which is grown in China and intended for local or internal consumption only. We, in the United States, would probably never taste "Chinese Tea". That may be both good and bad at the same time. There are over 1,200 varieties of tea grown in China and since only a very few are exported, we are limited to what taste experience we can enjoy. On the other hand, it insulates us from some extremely unpalatable teas.
Tea is thought to have originated in China, broadly speaking, where longitude 100 passes through the Tropic of Cancer. From China it spread by seed, and for the most part without the intervention of man, to most other parts of what is now known as the tea-growing world, either directly or in steps from one country to another. There are exceptions to this natural spread but they are limited to those varieties hybridized by man.
The precise history of China Green Tea (China Black Tea is a relatively new process or invention) is difficult to trace and thus establish. There are some tea scholars who say it is 2,000 years old, others 2,500 and still others say it may be 5,000 years old. There are several reasons for this confusion. The Chinese character (ideogram) for tea, until recent times, was basically the same character as that used for an herbal tea made from sow thistle or sow weed, making it difficult to know exactly to which plant a writer was referring. Another reason is that as each succeeding dynasty rose to the "Dragon Throne, " they would eliminate previous records of a particularly excellent tea and literally rewrite history to make their dynasty the one which discovered that particular tea. Also, at certain times in China's history, there were two or more ruling dynasties or a major and a minor dynasty coexisting, each of which would rewrite the history of tea or a specific tea to prove that they had discovered it. Historical records regarding China tea became very confused and confusing. The only thing that can be said for certain is that the art of growing, processing, brewing and drinking tea evolved in China; just when, however, is totally uncertain.
There are a number of China teas available to us, but because of growing conditions and plucking seasons they are not all available at the same time. Below are just a few, a very few, with their English spelling, Old Chinese spelling and New Chinese spelling:
English/Old Chinese/New Chinese
____________________________________________________
Dragon's Well/Lung-Ching/Long-Jing
Lion's Peak /Shih-Feng /Shi-Feng
White Cloud /Pai-Yun /Bai-Yun
Jeweled Cloud /Pao-Yun /Bao-Yun
Purple Sprout /Tz'e-Sun /Ce-Sun
Old Man's Eyebrows /Shou-Mei /Shou-Mee
Sow-Mee
(None) /Pu-Erh /Pu-Er
Country Green /Ching-Cha /Ching-Cha
Oolong (Style) /Wu-Lung /Wu-Lung -or-(Wu-Long)
If one enjoys excellent China green or Oolong teas, it is a must to prepare them using fine utensils from China. We most heartily recommend Yixing (pronounced E-SHing) Ware. That is, authentic Yixing Ware, not imitation or Yixing style (refer to section: Yixing Ware for more detail).
We respectfully quote from an honored Tea Master (Mr. John Blofeld): "a combination of fine tea, enchanting objects and soothing surroundings exerts a therapeutic effect by washing away the corrosive strains and stress of modern life...(it) induces a mood that is spiritually refreshing...(and produces) a genial state of mind." I honor Mr. Blofeld, now deceased, for the years he devoted to his studies of China Green and Semi-Black Teas.
Can anyone with IE on Windows (or just anyone that was having these troubles) comment on the formatting on the discussion pages? Is it still bold? Otherwise screwed up? Thanks.
nice icon
got to get up here--there is a 13 page (mostly pictures) article in the new Saveur!!! very hungry!! Fore Street
288 Fore St., Portland, Maine, 207-775-2717
MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express
$$$
Chef/owner Sam Hayward is dedicated to the precept that simple foodvery, very pure and good food&3151;is better than any amount of processing or saucing could ever be. His showcase is this handsome place in the old area of Portland, where meats, fish, and, especially, vegetables are treated to wood fire or roasted in an oven until their goodness shines forth. This may sound too plain, but the creations belie that. And the lively ambience and sheen of sophistication make a visit to Fore Street a happy time.
Just heard something on the radio about a prosecuter named Jordan trying to convince the justice department to go after promotors at "rave clubs" (are there such places?) for creating a culture which supports drug use, specifically extacy. He is arguing that they can bust them for the posession and sales of bottled water. It being "harmless and legal" on it's own but since it is needed by the drugged out, dehydrated raver it can be classified as drug paraphanalia. In addition, the report mentioned something about him also considering the baby pacifiers which are sold at the clubs as paraphanalia. (This one I do support) I didn't hear the whole report and hadn't had my cup of Typhoo so I'm a bit fuzzy on the details (what's new?) And I haven't seen anything on the net about it. So I can't claim a scoop. Dave? Jim? Heard anything about this?
wine stuff from old china
For you fans of The Matrix and Crouching Tiger choreographic style, check out master Tsui Hark. Both of these films, but especially Crouching Tiger, owe a huge debt to this mavirck. His films are both action packed and poignant. Some of note; Zu Warriors of Magic Mountain, Red Dragon Inn, Chinese Ghost Story, Once Upon A Time In China I II & III and Peking Opera Blues. His brilliant Swordsman 2 is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Interested New Yorkers keep your eye out, his films play in the Chinatown theatres (those which remain that is) and The Quad's Kung Fu Festivals.
I tried something else but it didn't work so I'm trying this now, my Academy Award(tm) picks:
1. Best Movie--Crouching Tiger
2.Best Actor, only saw Gladiator and CastAway, have to pick Hanks, although Crowe was good enough, don't really feel strong about this one. But only the CastAway part with no dialogue (could be the worst script of any major movie this year.) The deciding factor was the dentistry by iceskate. Pretty crappy movie really, but it was hot that day.
3.Best Actress, the toughest choice by far and I don't think I can pick between Burnstyn, Allen, and Linney, although that's the order Ima stick with.
4.Best Supporting Actor--Bridges or Del Toro, equal, Bridges played a great president. Let's give it to him.
5.Supporting actress--Kate Hudson
6.Director--Ang Lee
7.Best Screenplay (Direct)--Cameron Crowe, Ken Longeran, another tough one, but in that order.
8.Best Screenplay (previous publish--Steve Kloves for Wonder Boys. The only flick I've really liked Michael Douglas in.
And although I can see why most people thought The Cell sucked, I really enjoyed the visuals--let's give it Best Makeup
1. Best Movie--Crouching Tiger
2.Best Actor, only saw Gladiator and CastAway, have to pick Hanks, although Crowe was good enough, don't really feel strong about this one. But only the CastAway part with no dialogue (could be the worst script of any major movie this year.) The deciding factor was the dentistry by iceskate. Pretty crappy movie really, but it was hot that day.
3.Best Actress, the toughest choice by far and I don't think I can pick between Burnstyn, Allen, and Linney, although that's the order Ima stick with.
4.Best Supporting Actor--Bridges or Del Toro, equal, Bridges played a great president. Let's give it to him.
5.Supporting actress--Kate Hudson
6.Director--Ang Lee
7.Best Screenplay (Direct)--Cameron Crowe, Ken Longeran, another tough one, but in that order.
8.Best Screenplay (previous publish--Steve Kloves for Wonder Boys. The only flick I've really liked Michael Douglas in.
And although I can see why most people thought The Cell sucked, I really enjoyed the visuals--let's give it Best Makeup
I think it was last night I read Dave's iditarod post, cruelty to animals and whatnot, and it was no doubt the seed for the dream I had this morning in my sleeping bag on the floor at Rocheblave which had me harnessed to a pitbull puppy being dragged about the mundane chores of my life except the pitbull wasn't much of a mule and he had to stop and play every few minutes, and then pee on something.
this is kind of interesting. check out your name transliterated into chinese. im figuring my name dai wei to mean great guardian.
Mike Leigh Began his career directing films for the BBC in the early70's. He is best known in the US for his film Naked. One of my favorites from him is 1983's Meantime It features Tim Roth with Gary Oldman in a supporting role. It stars Phil Daniels, who, despite having also starred in Quadraphenia has remained relatively unknown. Other than one of the voices on Chicken Run, Mr. Daniels doesn't seem to have done much since. This is unfortunate because he clearly has the talant to be a great actor. (shame on the promo company, the new posters and vid packaging feature Roth and Oldman only) Here in NYC Evergreen Video and Kim's Video (sorry, no link) are good sources for Leigh's work.
one of my favorite movie's of all time was Powder!!--did that one suck too??
what happened? did she go nuts?
as long we are talking wacky packs, check out the latest -- people cards.
HBO just played eyes wide shut and it blew.
Cinefiles is up. Go crazy. Let me know what is broken.
I know there are some problems cropping up with our increase in usage. Particularly on the discussion pages. The way I am making the indentations to show the nesting of comments is not scaling. My guess is this is particularly apparent in Navigator (which doesn't like so many nested tables.) On the really long threads it might even seem like your computer crashed, but it's just thinking. (Remember, if you get into trouble on the mac - command-option-escape will force quit Navigator, and then you can start it right up again.) Anyway, I now see how to do it without nested tables (which aren't really a good idea, I now see why.) Hang in there. Help is on the way. One thing you can do in the meantime is to try to post comments from the top link on the comments page so that there aren't so many levels of nesting going on.
I know there are some problems cropping up with our increase in usage. Particularly on the discussion pages. The way I am making the indentations to show the nesting of comments is not scaling. My guess is this is particularly apparent in Navigator (which doesn't like so many nested tables.) On the really long threads it might even seem like your computer crashed, but it's just thinking. (Remember, if you get into trouble on the mac - command-option-escape will force quit Navigator, and then you can start it right up again.) Anyway, I now see how to do it without nested tables (which aren't really a good idea, I now see why.) Hang in there. Help is on the way. One thing you can do in the meantime is to try to post comments from the top link on the comments page so that there aren't so many levels of nesting going on.
O.K., I think it's working. Let me know about anything that isn't. I'm going with Cinefiles because it seems to have some support, and I like it. I'm open to changing this if there is enough support for a change. Voice your opininon.
