Justin Timberlake Wrecked My Piano. And Other Dream Mysteries.

My subconscious is angry that I have only done one big NYFF write up. Last night I tossed and turned -- 3 hours of sleep tops -- and had one of those persistent dreams which recycles stuff you've just experienced. Each time you fall back asleep you return to it and in its relentless disturbance, it becomes a nightmare even though it's not scary.

It took place in a huge empty house in which I'm throwing a party. At some point I was doing an elaborate photoshoot with two actresses. Please don't stop to ponder why they were Franka Potente (!) and Meg Ryan (???) or why they were then Juliette Lewis* and Sandra Bullock. (Was this a 1990s period piece?) Everyone was angry when they discovered the shoot was in black and white. At one point someone wore a Princess Valhalla Hawkwind costume. My dad was suddenly there smiling with approval that I knew famous actresses (This was the "you're dreaming!" moment -- or like that bit in Inception where all the subconcious projections turn to look at you -- whoever the forger was, he wasn't as prepared as Tom Hardy. My dad would never do this.) I went out for coffee since the party was running low.

Then I'm in the atrium and I see Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg lowering my rented grand piano down through the building and all is chaos. The piano strikes a railing and begins to break into pieces. They claim they were trying to help but they've ruined my life as the cost of a grand piano will bankrupt me.

Then there is no party, and the dream is a mystery about some crime which keeps changing and to which I am not privvy and the detectives (Mills & Somerset, natch) keep asking me if David Fincher did it. How self referential! They also tell me they're investigating "Joe" and Abbas Kiarostrami** and I keep telling them I know nothing but everyone is sure that I do.

We know you've seen them! They were at your party

Nothing makes any sense from moment to moment in the dream's third act. It's all fractured clues, 2 second scenes, filmmaker name-checks. The last image is a shot of dusty footprints leading nowhere. I don't know who did it or what they were supposed to have done but I'm pretty sure that bastard Justin Timberlake who wrecked my piano is guilty.

My dream was edited with a chainsaw. The chainsaw had ADD. I hope your night was more restful and the celebrity cameos less willfully destructive and angry. Feel free to share.

*regularly makes cameos in Nathaniel's REM life.
** I assure you this is a first time appearance.

7 Word Review: The Social Network

Screwball sharp dialogue meets riveting bad behavior.
(A-?)

I'll get to a fuller review soon. Screened it at 9 AM this morning and I'm already desperate to see it again. The film has its big premiere tonight at the NYFF. Expect another torrent of crazed "buzz" to follow. That word is often used interchangeably with "hype" in Oscar punditry and online discourse -- I use it incorrectly myself I freely admit. But "buzz" is the real thing whereas "hype" is like buzz in vitro, carefully created. Buzz is uncontrollable and what results when something (pre-hyped or not) actually delivers. And The Social Network most definitely does.

 About the sordid topic of Oscar... Before seeing it, I had predicted The Social Network for five nominations: Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Justin Timberlake), Adapted Screenplay and Editing. I have probably underestimated it slightly since Cinematography and Sound could well be in the cards, too. The performances are quite strong across the board but I fear it's the type of work that the acting branch will be the most resistant too, since most of the characters are "unlikeable" without being showy, and showy is the key modifier in clearing the unlikeable hurdle for awards voters... generally speaking of course.

Ellen's Triple Crowning. And Other Emmy Tales

The first batch of Emmy winners in creative / technical awards and "guest" acting were announced. It's the stuff they can't fit on the air because they have more categories than you could possibly keep track of, but still not so many as the Grammys.

Curiously the cancelled Pushing Daisies, which couldn't ever manage a "best comedy series" nomination beat EMMY's "best drama series" Mad Men in three of their four shared categories (Art Direction, Costume Design, Make-Up) and lost to Mad Men only once (Hairstyling). The lack of technical trophies for Mad Men makes me worried for their chances in the big categories next Sunday night. Not that there's ever a point in "worrying" about who might win EMMYs. It always feels so random.

I was amused to see True Blood taking the "casting" award. Wasn't the process of selecting all the frequently unclothed eye-candy reward enough for those casting directors? The guest spot acting winners were Justin Timberlake and Tina Fey (Saturday Night Live) for comedy and Michael J Fox (Rescue Me) for drama.

After years without a new "Triple Crowner" we got two in 2009:
Geoffrey Rush joined their ranks in June and Ellen in September.

And then there's Ellen Burstyn who joined the esteemed company of the Triple Crowners (Oscar + TONY + Emmy) with a winged trophy for her guest starring work on Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit. Burstyn's girded steel mantleplace has more than paid for itself by now. Add one Emmy to her haul which also includes an Oscar, a TONY, a BAFTA, a Globe, an Indie Spirit, a Satellite, a Genie and numerous critics, film festival and theater honors. As someone who loves the cinema and is none to fond of watching our great actresses vanish or spend their sunset years in procedurals like Law & Order, I'd like to congratulate the wonderful Burstyn but also slap Martin Scorsese. Why can't he (or Darren Aronofsky or William Friedkin for that matter) find another plum role for her? I don't want to say that Scorsese "owes" her for what she did for him in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) but certainly he's been exceedingly generous with other stars [oh, you know who] who didn't give half as much as Ellen in their collaborations. Why didn't he ever work with her again? Attention all filmmakers: She's 76 years old. Time is a wasting. Hand her something incredible soon.

for the complete list of Emmy winners
*

May Flowers, Patricia Clarkson

May Flowers, weeknights @ 11:00

It's the last Mother's Day post of the year. Hope you had a great day or chat with your mom.

Patty Clarkson and Susan Sarandon were already personal heroes of mine. And now co-starring in this "Mother Lover" digital short opposite Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake? Priceless... especially given that Susan has always been viewed as a saucy minx, no matter what her age (I suspect it has a lot to do with those "Damnit Janet!" origins) and Patty is a saucy minx in real life (trust me, I've seen her in person twice)


I especially love Patty's frumpy skipping with a single daisy in this video. Patty as frumpy mom. Now that's ACTING because Patty is anything but frumpy.

sigh, I ♥ Patty so hard!

Do not watch this video if you are easily offended.

Madonna... Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock

I woke up at an ungodly hour this morning and sat blurry eyed in front of an infomercial. I don't know why. Before I knew it my credit card was in hand and I was punching in the numbers to buy Shaun T's Rockin' Body workout dvds (don't judge). Had I remembered that Madonna's new 4 Minutes (To Save the World) video was ready for me on iTunes I could have saved myself $60 and still be rocking with two heavenly bodies. I watched it nonstop for half an hour.

Tick tock tick tock tick tock


Her co-star in the video is Justin Timberlake who, come to think of it, had a hit single with Rock Your Body (see sidebar video of week). It's all about bodies and even a little influenced by Bodies (the traveling exhibit) since you see internal musculature at a few moments, as if we all could decompose at any moment. We're all going to run out of time.

Madonna's best pop records have always had robust energy and a great sense of urgency. This one literalizes that with its silly chorus. Many outlets will be celebrating her 50th birthday this August and even more will be suggesting she should hang it up --"too old" and whatnot. The clock is always ticking. Everyone gets older. Trust Madonna to always use what's out there for her own advantage.


This is Madonna at 49 literally running out of time. If I look this good at 49 I probably won't live to see 50. I'll die of happiness first.

The video opens with Timbaland who I like to think of as the narrator here, rather than the rapper, playing the alarmist white rabbit (not literally) "I'm out of time and all I got is four minutes" and why not, with Madonna you're always in Wonderland. A huge backdrop of a digital clock ticks down the song's 4 minutes throughout. Madonna and Justin race through bathrooms, bedrooms, and jump around on top of cars before launching into a short but pretty thrilling synchronized dance number on parallel moving walkways. Along the way they lose various layers of clothing. You know Madge is having herself a laugh when in the middle of the big dance number in front of the countdown Justin actually causes one of her last "wardrobe malfunctions". Unlike Ms. Jackson in the infamous Superbowl disaster, this diva returns the favor (pity JT's still wearing something else underneath). Then the pair strut off for the "breakdown" which is yet more mirrored dance moves.

I was so keyed up after watching the video on loop that I ended up dancing around naked in my apartment --a sight that would have frightened neighbors and animals-- as I made breakfast. Who needs workout DVDs when Madonna's always rocking her body?

Excellent song. Excellent video. Excellent choreography: A

This is Justin's pose when he sings the holy name of "MADONNA"


That's the exact pose I do when I name check her. How did he know? He forgets the follow up move though, which is when you drop to your knees and land in genuflecting position.

She's earned it.



She gives good soundtrack to life.
tick tock tick tock she rocks

Song & Dance: Oscar's Men

A couple of weeks ago on Friday's song & dance, I shared the best actress nominated ladies singing their hearts out. Now it's time for the men from the Supporting and Lead Actor categories. It's a special edition of Song & Dance w/ six clips.

We begin with Ryan Gosling on the Mickey Mouse Club. He's the fourth guy to sing in this pre-N'Sync quartet (Justin Timberlake and JC Chavez warble away before him). It's Ryan freaking Gosling !!! all baby like. I just. I have no words. I can't imagine him in N'Sync. Thank god he found out he was a brilliant actor and didn't go that route. But there you go... To his right is Peter O'Toole singing the classic "Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. Below them are Eddie Murphy doing his best Elvis & James Brown in his hit concert film Delirious. Mark Wahlberg then gets down with the Funky Bunch and shamelessly sells those pecs in MTV staple "Good Vibrations".





The last two bonus clips are kinda stretchin the point but whatevs, enjoy. First up is Djimon Hounsou doing that big smiley body waving dance he did in Janet Jackon's "Love Will Never Do Without You" (which was already featured here) only this time he's grinning wide for a Gap ad. And, finally, there's Alan Arkin playing musical chairs with the Little Miss Sunshine cast on Ellen Degeneres. Steve Carell cracks me up.