Tim Riley's Blog, page 13

ALAN BENNETT, LRB

From LRB: #

23 May. A party for HMQ at the Royal Academy where around six we join a straggling queue of notables, the actors the most obvious, though Vivienne Westwood is her usual unobtrusive self. Talk to various people in the queue, one of whom seems to know my plays well but then congratulates me on my paintings of trees – she’s the first of three people who confuse me with Hockney and though he too is at the party I doubt if he is ever confused with me. #

Inside the place is less crowded than one had expected and with the rooms so tall it’s almost airy. We’re directed into one of the emptier rooms where HMQ is due to pass through but are then pounced on by some young man who asks if he may introduce the (slightly bewildered) Duke of Kent. We have an awkward few minutes but the day is saved by Clive Swift, whose son Joe has just won a medal at Chelsea. HRH knows about Chelsea and so brightens considerably. Meanwhile lurking by the door HMQ is due to come through is Kate O’Mara and when I next look lining up to meet Her Majesty are Ms O’Mara along with Joan Collins and Shirley Bassey, the impression being that anyone can get to speak to the monarch provided you’re pushy enough. But it’s all very casual, so much so that R. doesn’t even see the queen, though she’s distinctive enough, dressed in white and glittering with jewels, determinedly animated and smiling, which, since she’s been at it for two hours already, is an achievement in itself. We go on through the rooms, talking to all sorts of people – Jim Naughtie, Nigel Slater and David Hare, who claims that the best conjunction he’s seen so far is George Steiner talking to Joan Collins. #

Come away at eight o’clock with HMQ still at it, and the policemen in the forecourt very jolly and eating ice cream… #

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Published on January 14, 2013 04:47

JUSTIFIED, SEASON 4

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Too much plot (in a good way) with twists aplenty, from Patton Oswald’s hapless knife-in-foot to the way the prison librarian drops the name Alan Furst just before Raylon’s dad slits his throat, you could mistake this stuff for Elmore Leonard himself. It’s as if Graham Yost not only internalizes the voice, mood, creep and suspense of the novelist’s finer traits, but the larger psychological backstory of his dialogue’s characters. #

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Published on January 11, 2013 09:53

2012 YEAR-END LIST

English: Chuck Prophet (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here We Go Magic (Secretly Canadian)
Leonard Cohen, OLD IDEAS (Columbia)
Loudon Wainwright, OLDER THAN MY OLD MAN NOW (2nd Story)
Kelly Hogan, I LIKE TO KEEP MYSELF IN PAIN (ANTI)
Mission of Burma, UNSOUND (Fire)
Tame Impala, LONERISM (Modular)
Raveonettes, OBSERVATOR (Vice)
Iris Dement, SING THE DELTA (Flariella Records/Redeye)
Norah Jones, LITTLE BROKEN HEARTS (Blue Note)
Billy Bragg and Wilco, MERMAID AVENUE COMPLETE SESSIONS (Nonesuch)
AC Newman, SHUT DOWN THE STREETS (Matador)
Neil Young and Crazy Horse, PSYCHEDELIC PILL (Reprise)
Nada Surf, THE STARS ARE INDIFFERENT TO ASTRONOMY (Barsuk)
Chuck Prophet, TEMPLE BEAUIFUL (Yep Roc)
Alabama Shakes, BOYS & GIRLS (Ato)
Bobby Womack, BRAVEST MAN IN THE UNIVERSE (XL)
David Byrne & St. Vincent, LOVE THIS GIANT (4AD / Todo Mundo)
Donald Fagen, SUNKEN CONDOS (Reprise)
Dwight Yoakam, 3 Pears (Warners)
Debo Band (Next Ambiance)

LISTS FROM ALL OVER: # #

largehearted boy’s list compilation, NPR MUSIC, 3AM AWARDS (books), Album of the Year.com, SPIN’s 50 Best, The Best Music Books of 2012 (Brain Pickings) #

Hundred Best Lists of All Time, Lists of Bests (Music), Ranker (Music), year-end lists, rocklist music, #

REMAINDERS: MORE ON SINEAD, FINALLY

O’Connor rips a picture of Pope John Paul II (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michael Agresta in the Atlantic: # #

In the weeks and months after Sinead O’Connor tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II on live television, commentators in the media sought to explain the motives of her protest. Very few, however, made use of the traditional tools of journalism: interviews, research, and textual analysis. Instead, most commentators seem to have consulted their own imaginations… #

The Redemption of Sinead O’Connor, The Atlantic #

WAIT FOR IT…

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rocK hOlidaY jinGles, yo (12/24)… Year-End Lists from All Over… see also: #bestof2012… blog riley coming soon… ancient Mayan curse falls on NRA… People’s 20/20 Katie Couric special, complete with mummy reel, first to market… Romney zombie spooks cliff talks… not enough hair gel in the known universe… gangnam style feints left, hooks right… too soon with predictions, too late with reflections… [Photo via zeegrooves...] #

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Published on December 24, 2012 05:30

ALL NEWSPAPERS CONTAIN MISTAKES

FEW AS GLORIOUS AS THIS PULLQUOTE… Joe Nocera reloads and heads for the copy desk… #

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Published on December 23, 2012 07:22

BOOM

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Rupert Murdoch – Caricature (Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)

News Corps Shutters Daily App # #

From blog riley, April 12, 20121: “Loathing Murdoch’s Daily“: #

Let’s count the ways: #

90-second load times for each new issue
landing on airhead newsbabe tutorial videos
turning the iPad sideways to get content
AP wire copy (I’m supposed to PAY for this?)
claustrophobic walled-garden frame
did Bill Keller design this? can I share articles with other iPad users in my social network? Huh?

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News Corp to close iPad newspaper The Daily
R.I.P. The Daily, The World’s First iPad-Only Newspaper
The Daily goes dodo: News Corp retires iPad app on December 15

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