The Useless Critic 2.0

Song of the Day See also the Devotchka version. Also, it's a little creepy they are father and daughter, and singing this. But there's an ulterior motive for me posting this. Have a good Friday, kids.

In honor of Columbus Day, I'm celebrating Columbo Day. I rather give one of the best (fictional) detectives ever some praise instead of a man who led to imperialism in the New World. wah wah.  RIP PETER FALK

this was originally a French poem by Jacques Prevert. It was called LES FEUILLES MORTES (the Dead Leaves) and was written in 1945. However, it was translated into English by Johnny Mercer and now is immortalized into a jazz standard. and was given the title of "Autumn Leaves" AKA THE DEAD LEAVES. A lot of people who have sang this song are now dead. Fact! so for October I was thinking of highlighting a different DEAD person of interest every few days, and this is sort of a nice introduction to that. nice? I guess. Here are some versions of "Autumn Leaves" which I like, because this is actually one of my favorite songs: Nat King Cole (DEAD) Edith Piaf (DEAD) Yves Montand (DEAD) Frank Sinatra (DEAD) Eva Cassidy (DEAD) the story of her death is so sad. poor girl, RIP. AND ONE WHO WILL NEVER DIE....

watch SOME VELVET MORNING, which is pretty trippy . and as is the video. Before there was Zooey and Matt or Dean and Britta or any of those other cute male-female duos that occupy important spaces in mainstream music (I guess it's arguable about that last pair), there was Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood . I feel it's criminal I overlooked them until my 20 th year of existence, when I listened to one of their albums on a whim after getting a job at my local zoo. It was a rainy May; I was stuck in the basement; the album was totally streamable on last. fm . (not so anymore!) This is a pair that's as American as baseball or apple pies. Kids should listen to their catalog in elementary school, along with the music of Woody Guthrie, Ke $ha and the Gershwins . If my parents had been more into music, I wish they would have made me listen to them as a small child. I think I would have loved Nancy and Lee as a toddler, as a kid, as an adolescent. Their music conjures up thoughts ...

because I am the most amazing loser in the history of ever, I stayed home last night and spent some quality time with my parents (HAPPY 34TH ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD) watching the BEST channel ever, TCM. seriously, every time I remember I get TCM, I pee a little. anywayyyy, I totally called the film, 1953's From Here to Eternity , based on the novel by James Jones. the choice (you know, it's set in Hawaii pre-Pearl Harbor) felt very appropriate for the sudden god-awful heat we're experiencing (I don't know how I'm tying this all together, but follow). classic alert! see this film- it's pretty riveting. and I was impressed with how realistic it seemed, a lot of films from that era strike me as not carrying an air of believability to them, but this was an exception. Frank Sinatra was a skinny bastard. not a fan! I was happy to see Ernest Borgnine pound the life out of him....whom IS STILL ALIVE (hi Ernest!!!) I spent ten minutes debating who played Elma with my mom...