:: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 ::

I glanced at the Oscar nominees and realized the only films I've seen that were nominated are Capote, Munich, History of Violence, and Walk the Line (I still want to see The Constant Gardener and Crash). But at least we'll get to see Dolly perform "Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica" for the original song section. I fondly remember seeing Elliott Smith perform "Miss Misery" in 1997 with his white suit. R.I.P. E.S.

:: from Bullette at 6:23 AM

Week Four available on www.myspace.com/bullette

Hefty Fine in Urinal Attack

The 77-year-old man who took a hammer to one of eight copies of Marcel Duchamp's famous urinal was ordered yesterday in Paris to pay the equivalent of $262,000 to the Pompidou Center and given a suspended three-month prison term, Agence France-Presse reported. The man, Pierre Pinoncelli, who attacked the same work, "Fountain," a cornerstone of Conceptual Art, in 1993 at an exhibition in southern France, told the court he had acted in the name of art when he chipped the urinal and scrawled the word Dada on it this month at the Pompidou Center during the final days of the "Dada" exhibition. "I am not the cheap vandal that some would have me to be," he said. "A vandal does not sign his work. It was a wink to Dadaism." The judge said, "You are not unaware that life in society demands respect for laws and particularly respect for private property." Mr. Pinoncelli said, "But the Dada spirit is lack of respect." The judge also asked, "Do I understand that you are saying that your damaging a copy makes it an original?" Mr. Pinoncelli replied, "Absolutely." He said he planned to appeal. - (source)

:: from Bullette at 6:36 AM

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM HANGNAIL PHILLIPS:

Carlos Mysterioso
Written by Hangnail Phillips
Illustrated by Monika Bullette



Carlos Mysterioso is the story of a a blind beach magician in the peaceful little town of Montage, El Salvador. Trouble escalates when a hotel is built on the quiet boardwalk and the people of Montage are drawn into its corruption. Old Carlos, who has lived on the beach for as long as anyone can remember, is the person that everyone comes to for advice. But can Carlos put things right again?

The tale originally unfolded weekly in the form of mini-chapters on myspace.com/carlosmysterioso in 2005. Now it is presented as a digest of those days enhanced with watercolors by Monika Bullette.

:: from Bullette at 10:02 AM

Week Three available on www.myspace.com/bullette

:: from Bullette at 1:15 PM

Mighty Joe Castro asked me to give my Top 5 Fears for 2006 - so I did.

His Entire Post:
Friday, January 13, 2006

Some scientist recently discovered a way to breed glow-in-the-dark pigs, which, I imagine, will make nighttime driving through the mid-West a whole lot more exciting. Now, if they could only find a cure for cancer....

Anyway, Happy Birthday to Jason Voorhees . Or is it death day? I'm not too sure - they lost me after that Jason Takes Manhattan fiasco.

So, being Friday the 13th and all, I really wasn’t sure if I should post a Top 5 today. You know how it is - I don’t wanna take a risk on no bad juju or something. But then l thought, “What the hell - Live dangerously because you know what Joe Castro, that’s what rock stars do.” So, on that note, this week’s Top 5 comes from someone (a rockstar) who needs no introduction because, well, she’s pretty much a regular here on MJC.com - the very talented and always fabulous, Ms. Bullette. Take it away, Monika:

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." -­ FDR

Although I looked at the list of fears and was glad to see I have overcome most, here are:

Monika Bullette’s Top 5 Honest Personal Fears of 2006

Odontophobia - Fear of knocking out your front teeth (this held me back in my snowboarding days)

Bogyphobia - Fear of bogeys or the bogeyman (they do exist you know)

Homilophobia - Fear of sermons (although I do enjoy a good lecture -­ there is a difference)

Isopterophobia - Fear of termites (homeowners will agree)

Soteriophobia - Fear of dependence on others (duh - goes hand in hand with Politicophobia - Fear or abnormal dislike of politicians)

So go forth and conquer -­ the only thing that is really bad luck is to cut me off in traffic.
-Monika Bullette

Thanks Monika. And to all you bad drivers out there (AKA: New Jersey) - consider yourselves warned. And keep your eyes out for the new record by The Sky Drops which should be available sometime this Spring.

That’s it for me - have a great weekend everybody!

:: from Bullette at 1:39 PM

Week Two available on www.myspace.com/bullette

:: from Bullette at 1:14 PM

I too am/was a member of JT Leroy Anonymous - what a fantastic dupe (NYTIMES article)! I wonder if Marilyn Manson (Happy Birthday!) and Asia Argento were in on the joke - he was in the her film version of Heart is Deceitful.

:: from Bullette at 6:09 AM

ANNOUNCING - The Sky Drops' Next Performance:
9 p.m., February 18, 2006 - "Tric Town"
4W5 Cafe - 4 West 5th Street
between Market and Shipley, Wilmington, DE (302-661-0100)

In order of appearance:
Jake the Flying Rake's Nitrogen Band
The Sky Drops
National Eye
The Capitol Years

:: from Bullette at 6:48 AM

NEWS: The Rainbow Covers the Holidays album download has been taken down - perhaps to reappear next December. BULLETTE's Holiday songs "Finest Gifts" and "Christmas Blank" will be available for a bit more time.

New Press in the Press Area - "The Secrets" made it onto some Best of 2005 lists. Thanks for listening!

Started Bulfinch's Mythology.

:: from Bullette at 6:32 AM

Week One

Ok, How hard can it be to take Hangnail's lead and try to write a blog a week with some cross posting on the myspace blog?

Pretty hard - to admit that very little has happened this week as I have a sinus infection and feel queasy and poopy. I haven't even been listening to any music. Way to start 2006 off on a low note - but this makes it easier to have the graph go up up up in the next weeks.

I did see 3 good films in a row and would recommend them to adults.

You, Me, and Everyone We Know

Head-On (Gegen Die Wand)

All the Real Girls

I am also going to try and attempt Largehearted Boy's 52 Books in 52 weeks project. Though in the past years I have gravitated to the short attention span theatre of the magazines and the Internets (how I heart the Internets!), I have a backlog of books to peruse and all the 2005 best of lists to use as a template.

back and forth, forever,
Monika

ps - and to spread the joy - Mighty Joe Castro always kindly talks me up - so check out some of his paintings here.

:: from Bullette at 6:46 AM