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Archive: March, 2010
Apparently, it's "Something that reminds smart people they are better than dumb people."
I also enjoy "a good excuse to grow a mustache."
Really, it's all for the 25th Independent Spirit Awards, which airs this Friday on IFC at 11 p.m. EST (thanks a lot, California).
(Oh hey, is that Viola Davis, Philly's faux mayor in Law Abiding Citizen? Oh hey, is this an awesome excuse to link to Meal Ticket's post about LAC's discussion of Del Frisco's? Yes. Yes, it is.)
Like we told you when the noms came out, Philly has a big stake in them this year with nods for Precious' Lee Daniels, (500) Days of Summer writer Scott Neustadter, Maria Bello, Big Fan and, most importantly Tom Quinn's Mummers' flick Near Year Parade, which Mark Mauer told you about upon its release. It's up for the John Cassavettes Award given to a feature made for under $500,000. Give another big "Hell Yeah!" for Quinn, why dontcha?
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| Evan M. Lopez |
Gawker brings up a point about Inquirer movie critic Carrie Rickey's review of The Art of the Steal, the documentary about the Barnes Foundation controversy and the subject of this week's cover story.
A tipster points out a conflict of interest that's apparently pissing off some insiders at the Philadelphia Inquirer, the financially teetering Brian Tierney-owned paper. A new documentary called The Art of the Steal explores the struggle over control of Albert Barnes' multibillion-dollar art collection after his death—a struggle between keeping the collection in Merion, PA, or moving it to downtown Philadelphia.
The problem? The Inquirer's review of the movie is written by Carrie Rickey, the paper's film critic, who happens to be married to Paul Levy, the director of the Philadelphia Center City District. As our tipster points out, "Mr. Levy's organization has actively campaigned in favor of the transfer of the Barnes Foundation collection to center city Philadelphia."
Rickey's review—which was certainly sympathetic to the move of the collection—did not carry any disclosure of her husband's role in the incident. Which doesn't look too good.
They're right, it doesn't look good and a note of disclosure certainly wouldn't have hurt anyone, but does this make me discount Carrie's review? No. Carrie's a long-time film critic who understands that she's judging the merits of a film — narrative qualities, visual details — rather than its standpoint. It may be because this is a review rather than an unbiased piece of reportage but I think disclosure on Carrie's part (who, full disclosure, I know, being a movie critic myself) is somewhat superfluous.
She's not judging the controversy, she's judging the film, which, for the record she only gave 2 1/2 stars to, saying "As a movie, Steal is as finely wrought as the decorative ironworks that hang on the walls of the Barnes between Picassos and Seurats. Yet as a narrative of the facts, it is as one-sided as a plaintiff's brief." Our own Shaun Brady, on the other hand, gave the film a B+. Gawker doesn't mention that.
Agree with me? Disagree? Give it to me in the comments below.
And don't forget to read Sam Adam's story, The Art of The Art of the Steal.
UPDATE: Carrie Rickey left me a message clarifying why there was no disclosure of her marriage to Paul Levy in her review. She says that the Center City District had no involvement in the Barnes move and only welcomed the institution after the judge ruled that the Barnes could legally move. "Had Paul been involved with lobbying the Barnes movie, I wouldn't have reviewed the movie," says Rickey.
The comments below Carrie Rickey's review are very interesting.(http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/flickgrrl/The_Art_of_the_Steal_Barnes-storming.html) She writes: "Yes, I am married to Paul Levy of the Center City District. It's news to me that he is a major proponent of the Barnes move." A few facts that may just qualify him as a major proponent of the move: 1.) Here is Mr. Levy's quote from the Inquirer (12/14/04) in the article entitled "Judge Backs Move by Barnes Gallery." "With the addition of the Barnes to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, we will have one of the world's best ensembles of art collections within a half-mile from Logan Circle to the Philadelphia Art Museum, with the Rodin collection, the extraordinary collection at the Art Museum, and with the addition of Barnes and possibly a Calder," said Paul Levy, president of the Center City District. 2.) He will be speaking after a screening of "The Art of The Steal" at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. The title of the panel is "As Seen from the City and the Parkway:" (From http://www.brynmawrfilm.org/) Sunday Afternoon, March 21 Paul R. Levy, President and CEO Center City District and Melanie Johnson, City Representative for Philadelphia will reflect on the anticipated effect of the Barnes on the Parkway. Reception at 3:00pm; Screening at 4:00pm 3.) He is on the Parkway Council Foundation's Board of Directors whose mission is "Enhancing and Promoting the Parkway." Derrick Gillman, President of the Barnes Foundation, also sits on that Board. I mean seriously? Embarrassing.
I have followed the Barnes Foundation story since 1989. When the Inquirer was reporting what were basically press releases from the Barnes management, where where all of the "we need both sides of the story" types? The Inquirer's Lucinda Fleeson's hook-line-and-sinker approach to Richard Glanton's tenure is just one of many well-documented examples of the paper's fawning coverage of the first of the institution's many plunderers. The problem with the "balance" types is that no one ever requires that stories that promote the corporate/institutional/republicrat side of things are ever questioned about where is the other side. HBO films is reportedly working on a Barnes piece in cooperation with Barnes management. Guess what, no one I know who wants the collection to stay in Merion has heard from them. The story told in The Art of the Steal is the story. If you want the press releases from the Barnes Foundation you can go on their web site, but you will not learn anything about why the collection is being moved. It is not lack of money, it was solvent in 1990 on a $1 million budget that was subsequently inflated with attendant diminishment of the endowment by successive egomaniacs in violation of Barnes's will and with the nodding approval of well-supported politicians and one particularly dull-minded assistant attorney general. I have three filing cabinets full of documentation on that and published over 40 newsletters that were widely distributed, including to many at the Inquirer. Rickey claims there are not enough facts on the institutional side of the story, well I think Rendell and Mike Fisher said it all: we (and our backers)wanted to move it so we did. Want some more facts not in the film, how about about at least $500,000 in campaign contributions to Rendell from direct supporters of the move. I don't see Rickey asking why that fact was left out. The Barnes/Pew/Lenfest/Anneberg crowd chose to keep their lips sealed (and the gallery doors as well) hoping that the film would not succeed without them. One can't now complain that it is one-sided when they are the ones that made it so. The fact is that the "facts" that the Barnes Foundation argued in court changed even during the trial and that an expose of the "facts" from their case would only dig a bigger hole. Case in point, Rendell's argument on film that the Merion gallery is "too small." Well everything I have read is that the new building will duplicate the size of the rooms, so what's the real reason, Ed ? Was the exposure of the Pentagon Papers one-sided ? Should Nixon have been consulted for comment before they were released ? A good friend of mine was sacked as a corespondent to NPR because he reported a story that made Ronald Lauder look bad and didn't feature the "other side" despite having a fax from the "other side" saying no comment. Even the vaunted NPR caves when big dollars are around. I'm not a film critic, I hardly ever watch TV. I am in the Art of the Steal because I think that the more info about the matter that's available the more people will figure it out for themselves. Rickey's paper has had a 60 year stretch of promoting the Annenberg view of the Barnes Foundation, I think one small film showing Dr. Barnes' side is barely a dent in evening up the facts. As for the film, any film is going to be the author's selection of facts. Go see it and decide for yourself whether the ones they chose work or not.
Carrie Rickey should not have reviewed this film. First of all, she writes for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The film comes down very hard on The Inquirer. The Levy connection, I guess, is a no brainer. Clearly, Rickey is biased. You say she is "soft" on the move. I disagree. Her review is a mess. It is filled with reportage, facts and figures that have nothing to do with a film review but which may be kosher in an Op Ed piece objecting to the move. Her objective pose is just that--a pose. In the end, she gives the film a low rating because if she rated it high there WOULD be a conflict of interest. She's a clever fox. The best review in the city is the one that appeared in the The Bulletin (Thom Nickels). Check it out. Carrie, I usually like you, but honey you blew it this time.
As a reader of the Inquirer, I am highly offended that in her review, Carrie Rickey concealed her marriage to Paul Levy. When I first read her review, it seemed like a strange cross between a movie review and a press release written by a publicist for the Center City District. Now that Rickey has been exposed as the wife of the head of the Center City District, she owes an apology to the entire readership of the paper.
In response to a tipster outing her, Carrie Rickey finally confessed on her blog (but not as far as I know in the print version of "The Philadelphia Inquirer") that she is in fact married to Paul Levy, President of the Center City District.
However, Ms. Rickey continues to defiantly deny that she did anything wrong by failing to voluntarily disclose this salient fact to readers in conjunction with her review of "The Art of the Steal," which coincidentally (give me a break) trumpets the same position espoused by the Center City District. Incredibly Ms. Rickey is still sticking to her far-fetched story that she had no idea that her husband was a major proponent of the Barnes move (Ms. Rickey's level of cynicism recalls the classic scene in "Casablanca," in which Claude Raines tells Humphrey Bogart, "I'm shocked-there's gambling going on here." LOL)
Here is Ms. Rickey's mind-boggling quote:
"Yes, I am married to Paul Levy of the Center City District. It's news to me that he is a major proponent of the Barnes move."
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/flickgrrl/The_Art_of_the_Steal_Barnes-storming.html
News to you? Come on Ms. Rickeyâdon't let the truth get in your way. How could you not know this? Your claim is totally unbelievable. It's not exactly a state secret that your husband has been a big champion of the Barnes move, both in print as well as at public forums. After all, Mr. Levy's job includes acting as an advocate of the Barnes move to the Center City District. If Ms. Rickey is right and Mr. Levy isn't a big proponent of the Barnes move, then he is stealing his paycheck.
Note that before this whole controversy around Ms. Rickey's lapse in journalistic ethics erupted, Mr. Levy had been scheduled to speak at a screening of "The Art of The Steal" at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. This fact was reported in Ms. Rickey's own paper, "The Philadelphia Inquirer."
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/onmovies
All this certainly makes any reasonable person doubt the honesty of Ms. Rickey's contention that somehow she didn't even know that her husband was a big proponent of the Barnes move to the Center City District.
Mr. Levy appears at the public events, such as the screening of "The Art of the Steal," to act as a vocal proponent of the Barnes move and to shoot down the premise of the film. That seems obvious to everyone except Ms. Rickey.
Of course, if Ms. Rickey didn't harbor a hidden personal agenda, why didn't she just allow one of the other writers at "The Philadelphia Inquirer" review "The Art of the Steal"?Wherever the Barnes is mentioned there are the crazy, nutty, Barnes maniacs. They always see a conspiracy lurking within every crevice, behind every corner. Lurking, lurking, lurking ... Everyone is against them. Everyone is out to get them. Rickey's review was rather kind and tame, I thought. But not the Barniacs. They erupt because of a lie placed in a couple of media outlets and now they are rallying around the lie. Meanwhile, on the Parkway construction continues on the wonderful new Barnes museum. And the Barnics are reduced to a punchline.
Dante: You defend Carrie Rickey's journalistic misbehavior by launching personal insults at everyone who has concluded that she was wrong to conceal her marriage to Paul Levy. You say that they must all be crazy, nutty, Barnes maniacs who sees a conspiracy lurking behind every corner. Why would you leap to such conclusions? You are way off base. I am definitely not a Barniac. And I don't have any paranoid fears that people are conspiring against me. I haven't even seen the film and can't say whether it is any good. However, I do know that what Carrie Rickey did was very wrong. If Carrie Rickey had an opinion about the Barnes Foundation, she could have written an editorial not pose as a critic who is assessing "The Art of the Steal" as a film. Even if Carrie Rickey was going to write an editorial rather than a film review, then she still needed to divulge that she was married to Paul Levy, whose organization officially supports the move to the Parkway. You don't need to be a Barniac or a conspiracy theorist to recognize that what Carrie Rickey did was very wrong.
Dear Jennifer, Barniacs like you always try to prove that others are evil. The original story itself was plant by the Barniacs, like yourself. The claim that Levy had a vested interest in the outcome of the Barnes was proven false beyond a shadow of the doubt. Gawker and Philebrity, the only two blogs that ran the story ran retractions. But you damn Barniacs are still crying foul. The truth is front of your smug, elitist noses and you refuse to see it. Why? Because, because the truth is detrimental to mission of the Barniacs. Rickey gave the movie 2.5 stars and was rather mild in its criticism. But it's in the Barniacs best interest to pretend that she had an axe to grind. Why don't you Barniacs ever mention that Don Argott does work for philly.com? Because again, that would not be in the Barniacs best interest. It's better for the Barniacs to hide the fact that Don Argott works for philly.com. Remember Jennifer, the truth doesn't set you free. It's the search for the truth that will set you free. Until then, you will just be another Barniac enslaved by lies.
Dear Mr. Dante:
Why are you so hateful? I don't understand what makes you so mean-spirited. It is not necessary or in any way helpful to respond to a posting with nasty personal insults. It interferes with a civil dialogue. Did you bother to read my posting? I genuinely do not think so. I already said I am not a Barniac. In addition, despite that you say, I am not "always trying to prove that others are evil." I believe that God made humans in His own image and that they are basically good. But it seems that you are so intent on automatically attacking everyone that you don't even have the common courtesy to read the posting of the person you are attacking. Do you really care about a search for the truth? That is what you claim after all. With regard to the dispute over Albert Barnes will, I actually think that each side has made interesting and heartfelt arguments. It's a very complicated issue. Regardless of which arguments you find most persuasive, it would have been nice to know that Carrie Rickey is married to Paul Levy and he runs an advocacy organization for improving the Center City District. Whether or not Carrie Rickey is influenced by her husband's advocacy position on the Barnes move, she should have disclosed the appearance of a conflict of interest. Your repeated postings ignore this simple reality and seem to arise from your own personal turmoil. Despite your hateful insults at me, I wish you well. I hope that you will obtain help for your personal issues.
Jennifer S@dante Dude-You seem tightly wound. Maybe that's why are having so much trouble understanding what is going on with the media coverage over Carrie Rickey being outed as the wife of Paul Levy. Here is a chronology for you. I made it simple so that you will be able to understand---that is if you don't let your personal bias get in the way.
1)gawker.com broke the story that Carrie Rickey had concealed her marriage to Paul Levy, who runs the Center City District. As responsible journalists, they allowed Carrie to put forth her defense, namely that her husband did not campaign for the Barnes move until the court case ended. She contended that she did not make a mistake in concealing her marriage to Levy. She did not address the fact that since the court case ended, her husband has been an active proponent for the Barnes move. After hearing Rickey's lame distinction, gawker.com concluded that Rickey erred by not disclosing her marriage to Levy since he is an advocate for the Barnes move. They did not retract the story.
2)philebrity.com cited the story which had previously run on gawker.com.
3)Rickey and Levy contacted philebrity.com and complained about the story. Just speculation on my part, but I'd be willing to bet that Rickey and Levy browbeat the poor folks at philebrity.com into a whimpering bloody pulp. Suddenly, philebrity.com became scared and ran this fawning apology to Rickey and Levy. To make Rickey and Levy happy, philebrity.com incorrectly stated that gawker.com had recognized that their story was inaccurate and had retracted it.
4)Instead of confronting Rickey about her bogus claim that Levy is not a proponent of the Barnes move, philebrity.com bizarrely gave her confidential informant status even though she is the subject of the story. Then, philebrity.com allowed Levy to use their blogsite to post a puff piece about his work as an advocate for the Center City District.
By the way, Dante, I realize that you won't believe this, but I am not a Devil-worshipping opponent of moving the Barnes Museum. I am just someone who hates when powerful people, be they journalists or otherwise, conceal their conflicts and abuse their positions to advance their own interests.Gosh, you Barniacs are so full of hate and rage that you can't even open your eyes to read actual words and understand their actual meaning without filtering them through bigot-inducing Barniac brain sucking device. Here is an excerpt of what was written in Philebrity after the Barniac leak was proven false. Please read it and digest it, before you begin your rage at me and anyone else who hasn't drank the Barniac Kool-Aid. This is my last attempt at reasoning with you Barniacs. I've got work to do. Since then, we've been in touch with both Levy and Rickey, who maintain that no conflict of interest whatsoever exists. (Gawker has since ran a retraction of sorts, and we've updated our original post, feeling heartily sorry for ever trusting Gawker's fact-checking skills.) But in an issue already laden with controversy, it's been interesting to see the ways in which Barnes controversy sparks out almost wherever the issue touches down. We were lucky enough in the process of all of this to talk with Levy (and Rickey, though she declined to go on the record) about the Center City District's place in the battle over the Barnes. He was frank with us in his assertion that the CCD never lobbied in any way to have the Barnes moved downtown. By his count, he says, the CCD never would have had any authority to do so anyway. But this isn't to say that what happens on the Parkway doesn't have some bearing on what the CCD does. "Part of the problem," said Levy, "is seeing this only through the frame of the Barnes issue. In my professional capacity, I have been an advocate for more development on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, long before the issue of the Barnes location ever came up. My organization has released two plans for improving the Parkway â one in 1999 and one in 2003 â both proposing filling in unfinished pieces of a cultural district created in the City Beautiful era 1907-1917." Levy went on to explain the CCD's overall role: "The CCD is a downtown management organization that seeks to improve and animate public spaces. On the Parkway we've installed new information panels, directional signs and pedestrian light fixtures; illuminated the facades of cultural institutions and sculptures, renovated two parks, built a café and are working on a new environmental education park for children. As advocates for filling in empty spaces on the Parkway so there is more pedestrian activity, we suggested new residential development (hasn't happened), a new Calder family museum (didn't happen) and were publicly supportive of the Barnes Foundation when it announced its move. But neither I nor anyone on my staff had any role at all (let alone any authority) to recommend, lobby or cause the Barnes Foundation, its board, or local foundations to decide to move to the Parkway." Ultimately, though, whether the Barnes was moved here or not has no real effect on Center City District's bottom line anyway. "The CCD is supported by assessments on taxable real estate," he said, "and the Barnes is tax-exempt."
You are one creepy windbag Dante. Blah Blah Blah Hate Hate Hate. Good bye and good riddance you pathetic loser.
To philebrity.com, Dante, and other apologists for Carrie Rickey's review, which attempted to whitewash the corruption by her husband's political cronies: philebrity.com and their pet stooge, Dante, falsely claim gawker.com retracted their report that exposed Carrie Rickey had concealed her marriage to Paul Levy, the politically powerful head of the Center City District. Here is what gawker.com actually concluded in response to Carrie Rickey's claim that she didn't have to publicly disclose her marriage to Paul Levy, even though she reviewing a documentary about the supposed abuse of power by her husband's political cronies: "So the question remains, should the Inquirer have disclosed the fact that its film critic who was reviewing (and taking issue with) a film deploring the Barnes' move to downtown Philly is married to a civic booster who's been quoted celebrating the move? I'd say a disclosure would have been wise. Carrie Rickey and the Inquirer disagree. There you are." http://gawker.com/5482838/conflict-of-interest-at-the-philly-inquirer-updated
More hate and rage, vile name calling and all around pettiness from the Barniac crowd. They have no proof, nothing to back their their wild, obsession. They refuse to read and understand words. Gawker is whitewashing their responsibility in this, since they "Broke" the story...I mean...Barniac leak. That's typical of a second-class publication. This claim like everything the Barniacs say and do amount to nothing, which is why no legitimate organization will take up its cause. Barniacs make me laugh. That is why the only people who are trying to stop the move are a handful of cranky, entitled, white, mainline elitists who are used to getting what they want without working for it and a handful of white, entitled tech-school grads from the suburbs who think their "art degree" and their part-time graphic design jobs make them "artists" and "art lovers." The above writer has no idea of what he/she is talking about regarding the role of the CCD. I mean, you can look on their Web site. But Barniacs are too lazy and too ignorant to gather facts; and too committed in pursuing their lies to care about the truth. Meanwhile, it's a beautiful day and work continues on the new Barnes Foundation site on the Parkway. And the Barniacs will do what they always do: whine, bitch and moan; cry, condemn and complain.
Dear Responders: it is very obvious that Dante is: A) Most likely connected or sees themselves profiting in some way. B) Giving the party line argument of those that wish to move the collection by dismissing facts with personal attacks. C) Connected but also a coward for not revealing his/her connection. Dismissing supporters of keeping the Barnes Foundation in Merion as "crazy" is an old and worn out argument almost as ridiculous as the arguments that Dr. Barnes was "eccentric" trying to imply that he was crazy but in fact, eccentricity is a sign of intellectual genius and creative gift. The irony of this whole situation is that to this day he STILL is far ahead of his time when compared to the money hungry foundations, politicians and art museum residents that care only about perceived financial benefits. And, the real point is: Carey Rickey was wrong and is still hiding behind her husband's jobs and connections rather that just saying that she was wrong and moving forward. what a silly and suspicious position to take.
on March 8th, 2010 at 9:04 am Dante promises: "This is my last attempt at reasoning with you Barniacs. I've got work to do." on March 9th, 2010 at 3:52 pm Dante resurfaces from his hiding place to recycle the same hate-filled, irrational tirade again telling us that he is much smarter than everyone else on the planet. Dante you are soooo pathetic. Despite your promise, you couldn't even make it 48 hours without indulging your pathological need to spew lies and defend Carrie Rickey's cover up of her marriage to Paul Levy.
Stupid Barniacs. Stooopid, stooopid Barniacs. Especially, peabrain, above. My post on March 8, at 9:04 a.m. was my last attempt at reasoning with you Barniacs. I placed my argument out there, and the Barniacs respond with petty insults while pushing their lies. There is no more reasoning with Barniacs. There never was any reasoning with Barniacs. Barniacs embrace their ignorance, lie without conscience and otherwise use tactics of persuasion that would make the most extreme right-wingers teary-eyed with pride. Meanwhile, construction continues on a beautiful building in a beautiful neighborhood in a wonderful, welcoming city that will house a collection of art in an environment that doesn't discriminate or place any qualifications on those who would like to see it. And the Barniacs stew in their hatred.......
Dante: What makes you say that only people concerned with the art in the Barnes Museum are white suburbanites? What makes you say that the only people concerned with Carrie Rickey's dishonest attempts to hide her marriage to Paul Levy are white suburbanites? Don't you realize how racist your assumptions are?
Dante's statements about the Barnes Museum were exposed as factually wrong. Then Dante's personal champion Carrie Rickey was exposed as secretly married to Paul Levy proponent of Barnes on the Parkway. Now Dante has grown so desperate he has resorted to playing the race card.
"secretly married"?! Holy Shit, Barniacs are crazier then I even imagined. White suburbanite Barniacs are now reduced to crying racism. This thread is a LOL riot. keep it coming, I love it.
@Dante It was already clear that you were an egotistical know-nothing. Your latest racist tirade marks a new low.
At peabrain. Just another whiny white suburbanite who knows nothing about conflict of interest, legal matters, art or just about anything else with even a shred of complexity. All you know how to do is toss cheap, petty, and hysterical insults. Keep it coming. I love it.
@ Dante. Not that it should matter at all but my father is African-American and my mother is from Japan. And I live in the non-gentrified part of South Philadelphia not the suburbs. I am sorry that I don't fit the convenient stereotypes that you are peddling.
It seems to matter to you, Token. But who cares? What now? The Barnes represents all the colors in the rainbow because of one dude from the 'burbs? You walk hand in hand with "Lenny" Lenfest and the GIANT WINDBAG Robert Zaller? For chrissakes, you sound like conservatives in praise of Clarence Thomas and Condolezza Rice. When you return to the white ghetto I'll send you a postcard. REally, you Barniacs are in the wrong business. You should be in comedy. For crissakes: "my father is African-American and my mother is from Japan" Did you really think this means something? LOL!
Dante: You are the asshole who is trying to turn this into a racial issue. Your appeal to racism is a typical ploy by right-wingers when they are losing the debate.
After weighing all of the the pros and cons, I think that on balance it would be best to move Albert Barnes' collection so more people could see the beautiful art. That being said, after seeing "The Art of the Steal" I am disgusted by the tactics used by politicians to achieve this objective. The politicians were motivated by money and power not by appreciation of the art or concern for the public. I am disgusted by the tactics used by Carrie Rickey who wrote a review of "The Art of the Steal" and never so much as mentioned that her husband is involved as a professional cheerleader for the Barnes move. I am disgusted by the name-calling tactics by Dante and am starting to wonder whether he works for the Center City District. I still think that it would be best for the Barnes Museum to move but all these disgusting tactics sicken me
Oh, you Barniacs are so self-righteous and full of shit. Now you are claiming to be every color under the sun and even claiming to be for the move. This is the Internet where anyone can be anything they want to be. It seems so laughably hypocritical to be deceitful and claim that others are being deceitful. I'm going to the next Barniac protest and count all the ethnics and people of color. I've been hanging outside the movie watching the sea of white walk through the theater's doors. Well maybe not a sea, more like trickling water facet, but the drops of water glow in the dark. ... Hahahahahaha!!!!!
Dante-In each of your postings, you proclaim that you far smarter than everyone else on the planet. According to you, anyone who dares to disagree with you is a, "peabrain." Despite your persistent proclamations of intellectual superiority, in your latest post, you struggled unsuccessfully to spell the word, "faucet." That is a word that might be included in the opening round of a fourth grade spelling bee, designed to bolster the self-esteem of the ten-year old participants. Now say after me Dante: "f-a-u-c-e-t."
My God, the Barniacs get weirder each day. First Leon Kowalski you write: "Dante-In each of your postings, you proclaim that you far smarter than everyone else on the planet." Please Leon Kowalski, find something that I wrote where I made that proclamation. Anything that says that I am "far smarter than everyone else on the planet." Then you chide me for a single misspelling on a message board. Judging from the comments aimed at me by the Barniacs, everyone on the planet is smarter than your average Barniac. An adult who barely knows how how to wipe his own ass is smarter than your average Barniac. Keep it come, keep it coming, keep it coming. I'm loving it.
Dear Dante: Despite your hatred of your fellow human beings and your shameless race-baiting, I do not hate you. I feel genuinely sorry for you. It seems that you are consumed with self-hatred and are trying to compensate for a deep sense of inferiority. I do not mean this as an insult. I strongly suspect that you were sexually abused as a child and have randomly chosen the Barnes issue to act out your trauma behind the safety of an assumed identity on the internet. I hope that you will obtain counseling for your psychological issues. Even if you have limited financial resources, there are many social service agencies in Philadelphia that can provide subsidized counseling for you. Please consider this as a sincere effort to steer you in the right direction.
Even among the average Barniac, that's just nasty. Congratulations Margie M., you sunk the Barniac sinking ship to new depths. This ship of fools is now so far under water it will need a miracle to bring it back to sea level. And Margie M. your hateful screed was done with an amazing lack of regard for yourself or your "cause." Your crudeness and nastiness would make Rush Limbaugh blush. In addition, you and the other Barniacs with your nasty insults and hate-filled rhetoric have shown your character more than I could have ever imagined. I hope that anyone who may have given the Barniacs' cheap rhetoric the benefit of a doubt will now see who the bad guys really are. You Barniacs have hurt yourselves more on this thread than I could have ever done. This may be the only thing you Barniacs will ever achieve. You should be proud. And please, don't stop now. You can go lower. I know you can.
Dante: I feel really sad for you. You are obviously in a lot of pain. I am definitely not part of the conspiracy agaist you that you apparently believe exists. I am definitely not what you keep on on calling a Barniac. I have never been to any of the group's meetings and as far as I know don't even know any of the people who are organizing the opposition to the Barnes move. I love documentaries and therefore went to see The Art of the Steal. Dante you may be surprised to learn this, but I agree with you that the film is slanted which hurts its credibility as a documentary. I was following the thread on City Paper's website and philebrity.com because of Carrie Rickey's review of the film and controversy over her undisclosed marriage to the head of Center City District. I was taken aback by the venom of your personal attacks on other posters. You attacked everyone else whether they posted anything about the film itself or the Carrie Rickey review. You insisted that each of them was part of a vast Barniac conspiracy. Your level of unprovoked rage convinced me that you are in an a lot of pain, possibly stemming from being sexually abused or otherwise traumatized as a child. Since you are anonymous and probably writing under an assumed identity, I didn't think that you would be embarrassed by my constructive advice that you seek professional help. However, your emotionally charged reaction to well-intentioned advice convinces me that my instincts were correct all along. So I repeat my encouragement that you seek professional help for whatever it is that is causing you so much pain.
Keep it coming, Margie. Your hate and rage. The disgraceful way you present yourself. Your asinine Internet psychology. Your faux caring. The way you try to present yourself to me. You're a lying Barniac who obviously has no sane, sound argument to make. Instead you attack me personally with vile and venom that is well beyond what often appears among the Barniac Nation. A disgrace who has done almost as much to discredit your "cause" then even Moneybags Lenfest and THE HUMAN WINDBAG Robert Zaller. I could care less what you think of me. It's as out-of-touch and moronic as your stupid-ass, uniformed opinion of the film or the issue. You obviously need my approval. You are the anchor to the rusty, leaky dingy that supports the Barniac argument. You drag yourself and the ship of fools down to the deepest depths of the ocean. I love it. Keep doing it. Show the world what you and the Barniac nation are made of.
Dante--You are a sad case. You remind me of a piñata doll with a flashing sign that keeps saying "I hate myself. Please beat me."
All I read is one sick, twisted, nasty comment after another by one Barniac after another. I'm beating an entire group of Barniacs without breaking a sweat. This is child's play. I've never seen a group of people so fixated on lies and character assassinations and I seen a group who are so poor at it. One after another the Barniacs try to hurt me and fail; try to hurt me and fail; try to hurt me and fail; claim victory; try to hurt me and fail. One by one they fall and another one appears. It's all the same--sick, twisted, petty insults by pseuds who make claims about themselves that can never be verified--like I give a shit about who you are. It's as if you are all taking turns on the same computer.
FUUUCK YOUUUU DANTEEE!
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| Photo | Josh Middleton |
The Doggfather was more than two hours late for his set at TLA last night. He didn't apologize and there were no excuses, but if I had my guess I'd go with something green, stinky and more than likely medicinal. In hindsight, though, his untimely beginning wasn't a setback; the hard-partying mayhem that followed Snoop Dizzle's arrival was worth the wait fo' shizzy.
The house was packed with a nicely varied crowd of all ages, colors and types — a good indication of how long Snoop's been doing his thing and how many different kinds of people his jams have reached. At one point I was lodged between a whiter-than-white frat dude, who seriously knew every lyric to every song, and a rigid desperate housewife-type standing next to her equally uptight husband. It may not sound like the ideal spot to be situated at a Snoop show but we were all in harmony, especially when hovering above our head was a fully formed Buddha cloud that rivaled the blast at Hiroshima. Puff.
Preceding Snoop's entrance onto the stage was a hilarious montage of film clips made up of some of his apprearances in videos, movies and commercials. It was mostly a lot of shots of him in gangster threads with smoke pilfering out of his mouth, frantic machine guns firing and even a few Godfather clips thrown in to help set the mood. I was expecting a more lavish entrance, but before I knew it Snoop was front and center with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth, dressed simply in a track jacket and an oversized yellow tee that read "We Da West."
He appropriately began the show with "Smoke Weed Everyday," an anthem that was taken literally from the get-go. He was surrounded at all times by three MC's who threw in their adlibs and occasionally filled in when regular Snoop contributors, like Dr. Dre, were needed on a track. Also planted prominently at stage left and right were two huge, identical-looking bodyguards and spilling in all directions in the background were a entourage of nicely dressed nieces and nephews drinking, dancing and just being present. It looked like one big Snoop family reunion.
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| Photo | Josh Middleton |
The D-O Double G was in lively spirits throughout the show. He was slinking around the stage, sparking up frequently and at times commenced to banter with the audience — especially a young lady in the front row who he announced was flashing her ample "chocolate milkshakes" at him all night long. Much of Snoop's music is undoubtedly for the bros, but he made sure to include the females by dedicating every other song to them and pulling out a few romantic, down tempo tracks like "I Wanna Fuck You" and "Sexual Seduction."
The better moments of the evening came when he cranked out better known hits like "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Nothin' But A 'G' Thang." He also did an awesome back-to-back tribute to TuPac and Biggie Smalls with "Ride or Die," and "Hypnotize." But the highlights were unquestionably "Gin & Juice," "Ain't No Fun," and the final track, "Who Am I? (What's My Name?)."
Snoop didn't perform an official encore, but before leaving the room he imparted three Snoop-isms that we should be sure to start every morning with: "1. Brush your mother fucking teeth, 2. Thank God that you lived to see another day (Amen) and 3. Smoke weed motherfuckers!"
I took a picture at the Snoop Dogg show 2/28 at TLA and the guy that took the picture said i could find it under Capitalrecords.com but i had know luck at all. Where can i find my "Snoop Dogg show picture"?
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In case you missed their Philly Fringe performance last summer, Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental obliged the audience with a video-projection recap of the happenings of Microworld(s) Part #1. When last we saw them, Milo, an expat Serbian played by actor/ director Thaddeus Phillips, and his rubber ducky Fumio, played by a watering can, escaped the collapse of the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo.
We join our heroes as they drift through the blue-tarp ocean, filled with bottles and rigged up by opaque wires. Composed of recycled and found objects, the set quickly becomes the most charismatic member of the cast. The blue tarp fills multiple roles as the ocean, a bank, and, most memorably, a gorgeous night sky lit by twinkling stars.
According to the program, all the show's lighting was powered off the grid by a Weza foot pump. The movable set along with the clever use of lighting created astounding and oftentimes surprising special effects that could be the envy of Blockbuster budget movies. Flashlights became a truck, the sunrise and sunset, and fuel for a shadow puppet play.
The plot, well, was simple enough but not always coherent. After arriving in Brazil, Milo wants to secure a micro-loan to makes his dreams of a bicycle-powered shadow puppet play come true. Despite his obvious comedic talents, Phillips' stream-of-conscious performance style, coupled with his thick Serbian accent, shrugs off a lot of the play's themes and depth. In addition, much of the dialogue is in Portuguese and Croatian and, though the action is still easily conveyed, adds an extra, unneeded layer of obscurity to an already difficult play.
In the end, Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental succeeds in creating comedic whimsy and eco-consciousness with ease. With their simple but multipurpose sets, they achieve a level of innovation that goes refreshingly beyond mere shock value.
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A concert a day keeps the doctor away.
Monday: Surfer Blood are one or two notches lighter than their name insists. They're spacier, too, which makes for some energetic garage-surf-rock-on-the-moon tunes. The opener, Turbo Bats also lend a hand tonight in the beautiful — but odd — resurgence of garage surf rock. With Turbo Fuits, $10, 7 p.m., The Barbary, 951 Frankford Ave., 215-423-8342.
Tuesday: Danish band Efterklang are in no rush to find the end of a song. They carefully allow their constructions to unfold gradually, providing breathing room for the sweeping instruments and subtle vocals. Even the quick ditties are sprawling and feel like some important soul-searching journey. With Balmorhea, $13, 8 p.m., First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 215-423-8342.
Wednesday: Calling out Asher Roth, sampling MGMT, giving a nod to Biggie and wrapping it all up in a Peter Pan-esque refusal to grow up? And all of this in one song? Hip hop locals Chiddy Bang pack a wallop with each song and bring their highly concentrated pop culture references to the Khyber tonight. With 2 AM Club and Outasight, $8, 8 p.m., Khyber, 56 S. 2nd St., 215-238-5888.
Thursday: Happy Hollows feature lady vocals that don't fuck around. Determined, focused and razor sharp, Sarah Negahdari's pipes are part Kathleen Hanna and part Karen O. With Shutters and Attia Taylor, $8, 8 p.m., North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., 215-684-0808.
Friday: Local legends and percussion gods Man Man will be at the Troc tonight and there isn't a single place in all of our fine city that you should be other than right there with them. Seriously. They'll be there in all their weird, zany splendor — possibly in white jump suits — and using drums to kick the shit out of every song they play. With Javelin and Skin Cells, $14, 8:30, The Troc, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-5483.
Saturday: Mike Silverman, aka That One Guy, has a Primus-esque spookiness about him, wth his home made instrument known as the magic pipe. No, not that kind of pipe. It's a harp-shaped pipe that Silverman crafted, therefore he knows exactly how his baby works and how to finagle it to make some wonderfully strange sounds. At 9 p.m., $15 - $17, World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400.
Sunday: I mentioned a resurgence of jangly, crunchy garage surf, right? Fishtown-ers The Spooks will bring plenty of that marvelous grit toonight. Screeching surf guitar? Check. Mellow bass lines? Check. The beating of cymbals to the point where they sound like they might fly off and decapitate a bitch? Um, check. A song about a deadly monster rising from the sea? Please. Of course. With The Runaway Suns and Junkers, $5, 8 p.m., M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 215-739-5577.
UPDATE: Will from the Spooks shot me an e-mail telling us the Sunday show was cancelled (Boo!) and that was rescheduled for Saturday, March 6 (Yeah!) with the Runaway Suns, Junker, Reading Rainbow and Far-Out Fangtooth at the Elbo Room (4940 Cedar Ave.). It all goes down at 9 p.m.
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| Tiffany Yoon |
| Grandchildren |
There she be. Saturday night West Philly's dapper gents Grandchildren took the stage at Kung Fu Necktie and played to virtually no one. At first the floor was generously filled with beer drinking showgoers for openers New Connection, and even more so for The National Rifle, a band that clearly loves what they're doing without ever acting like you need to love it, too. They aim for a care-free fun that excited the audience.
As fun as they were, it didn't make sense that more than half the crowd had filtered out by the time Grandchildren began their ultra rich and sharply layered harmoniousness. But like a cartoon pie cooling on a cartoon window sill, luring in the entrance, the dreamy sounds of guitars, cymbals, loops and trombones wafted out to Front Street until the crowd began to swell. If at any moment the songs became too dreamy, too smoke-filled, the boys would use their pounding percussion to shatter the sound and shake the floor. Remember in their interview with City Paper's John Vettese (go there to also listen to two Grandchildren tunes) they mentioned trading instruments and positions on stage? That alone was worth the price of admission. The six of them played musical chairs with, well, musical instruments, switching between two drum kits, guitars, trumpet, tambourine and loops. They even took turns with the airy cries of lead vocals. But it was the African influenced drums that were the driving force behind each song, making you wonder how the hell they didn't bring Kung Fu Necktie crashing down all around them, leaving nothing but a smoldering stage.
really wish i made it for THE NEW C!
I was at this show! I went to see The National Rifle, as I have seen them numerous times, that's how I found out about this show. It was the first time I heard The New Connection and they were awesome, I got their CD that night and plan on seeing them again. Grandchildren were good, but in all honesty, I'd prefer The New Connection and The National Rifle.
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