In Case You Were Worried I'm Not Drinking Enough. Proof I'm Drinking Just Fine. Hurray For Blue-Eyed Aryan Types! Thanks to S. Carty's Sunset Junction Party for the booze and the drunken photos which resulted.

Read more! (in beta)
posted by Japhy at 8/23/2004 04:02:00 PM || #

British Fads! In my continuing internationally flavored Olympic coverage (Hurray for the rest of the world!) I bring you a brief list of fads from the other side of the pond (ie: Great Britain, Merry Olde England, The Mother Country, Gitville). Like snaggle teeth and royal bottom slapping, expect to see them here soon. Doing "the Lynndie" - You remember America's Little Torture Sweetheart, Lynndie England, right? Turns out actual people from England have turned her signature move- pointing out a tortured victims genatalia with "hey baby" hands, into something of a dance craze. Seriously. Look at this. It's funny. Cuddle Parties- The Gaurdian claims that this fad's origins began in New York, which strikes me as some kind of anti-American smear tactic at best. That New Yorkers would invent "an event for adults to come together to practise welcomed touch and affectionate play and not have it be sexualised" is well, ludicrous. In fact, if you were to even invite a New Yorker to such an event the best you could hope for is that they would throw up on you in disgust. They would then take you drinking and leave you three days later in an alleyway in the Bronx with blood-stained panties and a maxed out credit card. I mean, for chrissakes, New York is a city that is rolling out "alcohol misters" to get the booze into the bloodstream faster. God. Cuddle parties? Fuck you Britain. Ephemera- The Ephemera Society of London is dedicated to the preservation of "the minor transitory documents of everyday life". What this means is that they like collecting things like train tickets (handwritten) and Certificates of Appreciation. Why? I have no bloody idea, but apparantley it's popular. Perhaps this is what lost empires do in their twilight years- after cataloguing and classifying every mammal, kind of soil and indigenous population on Earth, all that national taxonomic fervor must go somewhere- like Barbara Davies First Class Brownie Certificate

Read more! (in beta)
posted by Japhy at 8/21/2004 01:47:00 PM || #

Let the Games Begin! There are few better arguments that Humanity continues to be a worthwhile endeavor than the International Olympiad. Watching the opening ceremonies tonight, seeing the endless shades of my fellow men and women marching together, not for the edification of their home countries, but in celebration of Mankind itself, I thought, "Yes, we are marvelous." This is what the atheletes who will compete in Athens truly represent. They are our greatest hope: A reflection of our world joined in admiration, skill and persevearance. The Opening Ceremony What a wonderful show Athens gave us. The story of Greece is the story of Western civilization and the Host Comittee created a beautiful pageant that felt like a History of the World directed by the love child of Stanley Kubrick and Julie Taymor. It was huge, sometimes esoteric, grandiose, but also incredibly human, or more rightly, humane. The sepctacle did not overwhelm its subject matter, ie: us. Did my mind drift to fears of terrorists? Yes, but watching the explosions of fireworks and the enduring flame of the olympic torch as it reached its way into Calatrava's sweeping stadium, I stood in awe of what we have, as a species, accomplished in spite of our own petty hatreds; I, and the world, was reminded what greatness our collective genius can accomplish. This is why the Olympics are so vital. They inspire us to live out its motto: Swifter, Higher, Stronger- not just on the field, but in our own lives as well. And while political leaders have tried to use the Olympic Games to push foward their own agenda, (most notably Hitler, most recently George W., whose latest ad implies that a vote for Bush is a vote for Michael Phelps) and athletes get caught up in scandal, the Olympics endure because, really folks, we need them. Japhyjunket's Olympic Coverage Because Japhyjunket can not compete with Bob Costas (who talked all the way through Bjork's Opening Ceremony performance) and NBC coverage ("Seventy Hours a Day!") , I will spare all of you from my attempts to become a sports journalist. Instead, I will do what I do do best- natter on about whatever weird esoteric subject interests me. In the spirit of the Olympics, over the next sixteen days, Japhyjunket will go global. I am lucky to have an international audience and would like to thank the people abroad who have chosen to read Japhyjunket. In tribute to them and the spirit of global unity that the games represent, I will offer up articles focusing on the top ten foriegn countries that read Japhyjunket. For the next two weeks, Japhyjunket belongs to you. The countries Japhyjunket will cover are: (links are to Olympic news for respective country) Great Britain Canada Japan Australia France Germany The Netherlands (whose native son, Tiesto becomes the first DJ to ever play at the Olympics) Belgium Spain Singapore

Read more! (in beta)
posted by Japhy at 8/13/2004 11:34:00 PM || #

Read more! (in beta)
posted by Japhy at 8/12/2004 07:27:00 PM || #

Hurray! America has its first openly gay governor! Boo! He's been cheating on his wife and he has children! Yahoo! News - N.J. Governor Resigns, Admits He Is Gay

Read more! (in beta)
posted by Japhy at 8/12/2004 02:39:00 PM || #

Give Peace a Shoe What do Yoko Ono, Mos Def, basketball star John Irving and Converse shoes have in common? Turns out, they're all peaceniks. Join them tomorrow (Thursday) at noon in Times Square for a public gathering for peace. The Youth with a Purpose Choir will sing "Imagine" and Yoko will unveil Converse's Peace Chuck Collection of shoes, featuring artwork by John Lennon. It warms japhyjunket's heart when corporations use their obscene power and influence for, you know, good.

Link: http://www.converse.com/peace

Read more! (in beta)
posted by Japhy at 8/11/2004 03:42:00 PM || #

Read more! (in beta)
posted by Japhy at 8/10/2004 09:13:00 PM || #

Silverbacks of the (Hollywood) Jungle Tom Cruise: America's alpha male dons a silver mane and growls a lot in 'Collateral'. Defamer strikes again, because there is no such thing as TOO MANY Tommy Cruise jokes. Fay Wray: The 96 year old former lover of King Kong is dead. More importantly, she refused to have a cameo in the upcoming Peter Jackson remake. She'll never work in this town again Koko: The talking gorilla (not the NYC drag queen) has a toothache.

Read more! (in beta)
posted by Japhy at 8/09/2004 02:38:00 PM || #

Hey, At Least It's not MY Poetry I've come up with an irrefutable proof on how any unselfish act is inherrently amoral, and I'll tell it to you, dear Japhyjunket reader, soon enough. The thing is, before I post it and thereby doom myself to being branded a heartless cynic for all eternity, I thought I'd share with you these song lyrics, because I found them by accident and I love them. Occasionally, I put a song on repeat for a good week or two. It's only been a day, but this one's a keeper. I'd reccomend checking out Jane Siberry if you haven't had a chance to previously. And for all you tea leaf readers out there, don't go looking for hidden meanings. It's just a damn good song and I like it, so pffft! Love is Everything Jane Siberry (additional lyrics by k.d. lang) (These are the correct lyrics to the k.d. lang version of the song. The lyric databases used the original lyrics and are incorrect) Maybe it was to learn how to love Maybe it was to learn how to leave Or maybe it was for the games that we played Maybe it was to learn how to choose Maybe it was learn how to lose Or maybe it was for love that we made Love was everything they said it would be love makes sweet and sad the same But love forgot to make me too blind to see- You're chickening out, aren't you? You're banging on the beach like an old tin drum I can't wait for you to make your whole kingdom come So, I'm leaving Maybe it was to learn how to fight Maybe it was to lessen our pride Or maybe it's just nature's way Maybe it was to learn how to laugh Maybe it was to learn to cry Or maybe it was for the love that we made Love was everything they said it would be love makes sweet and sad the same And love forgot to make me too blind to see- You're chickening out, aren't you? You're banging on the beach like an old tin drum I can't wait for you to make your whole kingdom come So, I'm leaving First I turned to you Then I turn away So you try real hard Lean back Oh, it breaks your body down So you try to run bigger, better, still but it is too late So take a lesson from a strangeness you feel And know you'll never be the same And find it in your heart to kneel down and say: "I gave my love, didn't I? And I gave it big sometimes And I gave it in my own sweet time. I'm just leaving." I'm just leaving.

Read more! (in beta)
posted by Japhy at 8/07/2004 11:49:00 PM || #

Two Shades of Hallelujah k.d. lang with special guest Rufus Wainwright Los Angeles patricians and their pearl necklaced wives mixed it up with lesbian mommies and gay dandies this weekend at the Hollywood Bowl’s Canadian themed, “An Evening with k.d. lang”. While Ms. Lang and her special guest, Rufus Wainwright both hail from the Great White North, their connection is deeper than location; both musicians are luminaries in the all-too-narrow field of openly out artists who sing and write about their experiences as a gay person. While much of the audience was unaware of this fact, for those in the know, the chance to see such outspoken artists perform backed by the L.A. Philharmonic and at such a large and prestigious venue as the Bowl, was a real treat. While Mr. Wainwright and Ms. Lang may not be mainstream singers, their voices and styles suit the Hollywood Bowl’s deco elegance. Mr. Wainwright offered a brief set that extends his style into orchestral territory, with mixed results. Too often, on songs like “Oh, What a World”, Rufus’s nasal and overly arty mumbling style of singing seemed to work against the orchestra, leaving the audience the impression that the orchestra either irritated or intimidated the shy Mr. Wainwright. When the orchestra and Mr. Wainwright managed to see eye to eye, however, especially on a sublime rendition of “Poses”, you can see that this kind of expansive and more developed music may very well be the natural path for Rufus to travel down in the future. His nervousness aside, Mr. Wainwright managed to win over the audience with his charm, both when singing and interacting with the audience, with whom he floated the idea that he may be the next Mendelson. Ending his set with Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, a “song so good it deserves to be played twice”, Wainwright showed that while he may not be ready to enter the canon of great songwriters just yet, he is well on his way. After a brief intermission, k.d. lang arrived onstage to a roar of cheers. Comparisons to Mr. Wainwright’s style are inevitable, so let’s just get them out of the way. While both artists conjure up images of smoky café’s on the Left Bank, Ms. Lang is by far the stronger singer. Her voice is crystal, husky and brilliant. She owns the stage with a self-assurance that Mr. Wainwright has yet to develop. Coming out on stage in a suit, but barefoot, Ms. Lang is so at ease that while singing, she allows herself to dance and twirl around on the giant Persian carpet laid out for her. Singing mainly songs from her new album, the Canadian songwriter tribute, “Songs from the 49th Parallel”, covered songs from Roy Orbison and Neil Young as well as her Tony Bennett duet, “Kiss to Build a Dream On” and a “medley of her hit”, “Constant Cravings”. After asking the audience to close their eyes, hold hands (“because you know you’ve been dying to all night”) and channel the spirit of Pasty Cline, Ms. Lang sang a rendition of the country idol’s “Three Cigarettes” that was, well- perfect. Ms. Lang may have asked that we channel Pasty Cline for help, but k.d. lang owns this song all on her own. Ending the set where it all began, k.d. sang her version of “Hallelujah”, but by that point in the evening, comparisons were meaningless.

Read more! (in beta)
posted by Japhy at 8/04/2004 02:48:00 PM || #