Blithe Spirit: The Condomine Identity

Okay, I'm not quite done waxing poetic about my favorite theatrical experience to date. What made Blithe Spirit such a special show for me (apart from, you know, everything else I've already mentioned) was the character work I was able to put in to the show.

I'm not really much of an actor. No, shut up, I'm really not. All of my legitimate theatrical training comes from the improv comedy shows I do weekly. That's been fun and helpful, but improvisation is NOT the same thing as acting. Seriously, ask my director. She made me wear my suitcoat during rehearsals to suppress my "improv crazy."

Most improvised characters have very little thought put into them beforehand. Sometimes, you'll get a stock character that you revisit over and over again, but that's about all the development a character gets in improv. The play's a completely different kind of creature. Most actors spend a great deal of time thinking about how their character thinks, where they come from, and what motivates them. While I've certainly PLAYED other characters before, I've never worked quite as hard on them as I did on Blithe Spirit's Charles Condomine.

That's Charles, by the way. Not me.

For the most part, I don't "play a role" when I'm onstage - I generally just act like myself. As Coach Van Buren in Damn Yankees, I got a bit gruffer than usual. As Mortimer Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace, I acted a little more manic. As Lucentio in Taming of the Shrew, I was... actually, I was just as awkward about romance as I am in real life.

Charles is different. I made some very conscious decisions about how Charles acts, how he carries himself, how he sits and walks and talks. I doubt I succeeded in establishing a completely different persona - I heard on more than one occasion that I act a lot like Charles - but I still felt better about my "performance" as Charles than any role I've played before.

Actually, being told that I act like Charles kinda upset me, because if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that Charles Condomine is kind of a #@$$er. I tried to portray him as a bit of a snarky, lazy, effete fop, whereas I myself am... um... not going to think about this subject anymore.

During one rehearsal leading up to Blithe's opening night, we sat around for about an hour to just talk through our characters. I remember saying that one of the primary motivations behind everything Charles does is comfort. He just wants someone else to take care of him so he can go off and write his little books. As a result, he's CONSTANTLY taking advantage of and mooching off the women in his life, from living with his mother until well into adulthood to shacking up with poor lonely widows. He's a total user.

Charles doesn't believe in love - or, if he does, he doesn't believe he's capable of it. He likes the company of a woman, but not her companionship. When it came time for him to settle down - and that's a commitment he makes solely to keep up the appearance of propriety - Charles chose his first wife purely based on his physical appetites. As a result, Elvira was much younger than him, although she probably wasn't as doting and devoted to him as he would have liked.

After Elvira died, Charles tried to make a go of the single life again. That lasted maybe two years. During that time, he continued to court and woo women who he thought could provide for him. Frustrated that no one seemed willing, he met Ruth, a woman who he considers less physically attractive than Elvira but more his intellectual peer.

(I think that last bit's a detail that only comes out in my head. I don't think anyone watching the production would have understood how Charles distinguishes his wives from each other, especially since both the woman who played Elvira and the one who played Ruth look VERY similar - and attractive - without makeup.)

I often said that if Blithe Spirit were told from Ruth's point of view rather than Charles's, it would be a tragedy, not a comedy. Ruth - at least, as Kristin played her - was actually in love with Charles. As a result, she doesn't realize until after she dies that she's married to a man who doesn't really care about her.

Still, Charles quite likes his marriage with Ruth. She's a bit more in-command than Elvira ever was, even downright bossy, but Charles considers that a small price to pay for the comfort, security, and implied respectability that comes with marriage.

I say "implied," because Charles makes it ABUNDANTLY clear that fidelity is a one-way street, and it, like all other roads, lead to him. He's a massive egoist and something of a hedonist. He expects everyone else to provide him with entertainment or pleasure, but he gets hurt and offended at any sign of infidelity in those he believes are committed to him. However, he makes no emotional commitment to anyone else, and so he often feels free to "whore it up" with whoever he wishes.

In fact, there was a rather hilarious line flub during one of our performances that gave me a bit more insight to the character. During Charles's final monolog, he confesses to Elvira that, during their marriage, he had an affair with a woman named Paula Westlake. However, a combination of the late hour, difficult accent, and glass of apple juice I almost definitely choked on (again), a friend in the audience told me that she thought she heard me say Paul Westlake instead. While I have no doubt Charles loves him some ladies, I get the feeling he may have been snacking from both sides of the buffet line.

When the curtain falls on Blithe Spirit, the audience is left with the impression that Charles, once again single, is off for South America. Our director said she thought Charles was likely to remain a bachelor the rest of his days. I give him two years, if that. I imagine Charles shacks up soon after with some Guatemalan sugar momma until he sucks her savings completely up. He then hops back across the pond and settles down with some lonely widow, because that's just the kind of guy he is.

I don't think I've ever come to understand a character I've played quite like I "got" Charles. He's limp and whiny, but he's got a certain level of charm to him, as well. I grew to like the guy, for all his failings. I even got a bit defensive when other people commented on his despicable nature. I'm certainly glad Blithe Spirit is over and done with, but I'll be kinda sad when I don't slip into his dirty womanizing shoes again.

Blithe Spirit Memories

Blithe Spirit closed on Saturday last week, and it's been a pretty bittersweet time. On the one hand, I finally have Saturday nights free again. On the other hand, I don't get to wear that awesome sweater/jacket combo that I wore during Act 2.

So swanky!

Well, when all's said and done, Blithe had a pretty successful run. Good audiences, good laughs, and, of course, some really good memories. Here's a list of those moments I'll always cherish from the Blithe Spirit run.

• "What are you doing in the bathroom?!"
• The vase which just would not break.
• "Think of a colorless color..."
• "Hey, Kristin, you should just slap me."
• Abominable/abdominal
• Wearing my suitcoat like a muzzle.
• Learning how to mix a dry martini.
• Watching hours of Fry and Laurie and calling it "research."
• That one time I got slapped so hard I had to ice my face.
• The vase which broke at totally the wrong time.
• Sitting down with the whole cast and talking characters for an hour and a half.
• Heather screaming so loud that the phone rang.
• It's not nerves, it's delirium tremens."
• An EXTREMELY late-night dinner with Kristin and Larissa after the show.
• The police standoff going on outside during Act 1 on closing night.
• "Once and for all, Elvi- I mean, Ruth."
• *thud* *thud* *thud* "Heather must have just had an entrance."
• Jordan laughing during the show and getting accused of being a plant.
• "I promise Violet will be good. I guarantee it!"

• Choking on my apple-juice whiskey every bloody night.
• Trying to figure out who just texted me while speaking with a British accent.
• "Did Stephen just TOUCH someone?"
• Getting punched out by Iverson every night
• Pouring a drink for myself and a drink for Ruth, and then drinking both of them myself offstage.
• Calvary/cavalry
• "Surely even an ectoplasmic manifestation has the right to expect a little of the milk of human kindness." I don't care if the line never got a laugh - I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY!
• Walk to the window, then the fireplace, then the gramophone, then BACK to the window...
• "I'll do my damndest!"
• Stopping abruptly right before Michaela and I were supposed to go onstage.
• The time I got slapped in the face and heard a very distinct "Ha ha!" from the audience.
• "That cuckoo is very angry. Listen." "CUCKOO!"
• Pouting.
• "Bless us so we don't fall down."
• Forgetting to tighten the cap on the cocktail shaker during the producers preview (and the subsequent geyser).
• "I'll stop in and look at your patient tomo-... oh, um, you talk too much."
• All the little Blithe Spirit sendups during the Jesters improv show: "Try to see things from my point of view." "What, you mean drunk?"
• The vase which EXPLODED on the mantlepiece.
• Having my grandmother come and see the show to support me, even though she HATES Blithe Spirit.
• Having friends I haven't seen in three years come to the show (love you, Matt and Carolyn!).
• Heck, having everyone who came to Blithe Spirit come to Blithe Spirit. Thank you all!

Why I'm Still Single 45

I'm not saying that Napoleon Dynamite ruins relationships. I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying that it's not worth the risk.

Because clearly it's the movie that's the problem in this scenario, right?

Deliverance

(banjo music not included)

I've been dabbling just a little bit in some more design-oriented pieces (as opposed to strict illustrations). It's a different experience.

The Kirby Conundrum, or, Why I've Been So Slow to See The Avengers

The Avengers is probably the biggest movie of the year. As most of you know, I'm a bit of a superhero nut, so it'd only be natural to assume that I've already seen the movie three or four times, right?

Well, that's not the case. Not only have I been super busy with plays and other things (only three performances left for Blithe Spirith, by the way!), but I've also had a bit of an emotional reluctance to go see the movie.

You think it'd be a no-brainer. Iron Man was the best superhero movie for about a month before The Dark Knight completely blew it out of the water. Captain America was the best Joe Johnson movie that wasn't The Rocketeer (which probably sounds like damning with faint praise, but I love both of those movies, so there). Heck, even Thor was pretty much okay. Put 'em all together under Joss Whedon's direction, and you've got a surefire hit for nerds of all creeds, right?

I'm still on the fence about seeing The Avengers, and it's not because I think Joss Whedon's overrated (I'm looking at you, Firefly). Rather, it has everything to do with this guy:

Those eyebrows have a name, and that name is Kirby. Jack Kirby worked for Marvel comics throughout the 1960s and 1970s, creating or co-creating most of the characters affiliated with The Avengers. Heck, Kirby's name is so synonymous with some of his creations that typing "Jack Kirby" into Google's image search brings up an issue of Captain America as the first result.

And what a good image that is.

Now, comic book companies are pretty notorious for their unfair treatment of their creators. Most comic book characters created as "work for hire," so the creators have little or no claim on the intellectual property of the characters they create. Finding out, then, that Jack Kirby was treated poorly by Marvel Comics was no great surprise, but the company seems to have gone above and beyond in his case.

You can find out more details here (where you will also notice that DC Comics, owners of Batman and Superman, don't treat their employees any better), but the basic gist is that Marvel forced Kirby to sign increasingly unfair contracts before they would return his original artwork to him, artwork they had no right to keep in the first place. They continue to make money off Kirby's name and creations but refuse to give his estate any sort of compensation.

It's an issue I'm legitimately torn on. On the one hand, Marvel has every legal right to keep the proceeds from Kirby's creations. The courts ruled in the industry's favor. They do nothing illegal. Additionally, I'm not 100% convinced that the Kirby estate is entitled to any sort of compensation, although that's an issue I know next to nothing about. On the other hand, though, just because the courts opted to uphold the contracts Kirby signed doesn't make those contracts any more ethical.

I enjoy reading about these corporate-owned characters, especially when great talent is brought in to further expand on a character's motivations and origins. Kirby may have had Captain America punch out Hitler, but it was writer Steve Englehart who pitted the Captain against a supervillain equivalent of Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. When a writer does his or her job with a character, they make the character relevant for a whole new generation of readers.

I would hate for there to never be another Captain America story, especially when there are almost infinite stories that could be told. However, at no time should the well-being of a fictional character be placed before that of a living person. The lack of respect Marvel showed to its #1 creator, and continues to show him, gives me pause.

I haven't yet decided whether I will see The Avengers or not. I'm actually considering a complete boycott of both major comics publishing houses. Whatever I decide, I can guarantee both Marvel and DC comics will be seeing a lot less of my money.

Not that there's all that much of it to see, but you get my point.

Cooking With Braddy: Pistachio and Cardamom Kulfi

One more from Mighty Spice and then I'll move on to something else. Promise.

This is actually my second attempt at the Pistachio and Cardamom Kulfi. I picked this dessert based solely on the picture, which looked delicious and a bit unusual for my rather narrow North American tastes.

My finished product... didn't look quite right:

Still, the most important thing about a dessert is the taste, right? Fortunately, this stuff's delicious. Cardamom is a peculiar spice, one I've never had the pleasure of experiencing before. It's strong and smells delicious, and it compliments the flavor of the pistachios quite well.

In the future, I think I'll try freezing this stuff in a mold with a popsicle stick. That'd make it a lot easier to eat. Also, I may need to invest in a pestle and mortar to REALLY get those cardamom seeds crushed up right.

Braddy Survived The Hunger Games

It's been a slow year for movies so far. Scheduling constraints have prevented me from getting out to theaters nearly as much as I'd like. For all the hubbub and to-do surrounding Netflix and hi-tech home entertainment devices, there's still not much that can diminish the thrill of catching a new movie on the big screen. So I was pretty excited when a friend of mine suggested we go catch The Hunger Games movie last night.

I've been mostly unfamiliar with the story to this point - I've never read the book. Now that I've experienced the movie, I find that I have a LOT of strong opinions about it that I'd like to share. But, before I do, I feel I should answer the question that's on everyone's mind.

No, I haven't seen The Avengers yet.

Now, let's talk The Hunger Games. Sometimes, when I get into the nitty-gritty details while talking about a movie, I tend to get so hung up on the technical or thematic points I want to make that my opinion of the movie gets buried under a landslide of nits which I picked out of the production, so let me make one thing perfectly clear from the beginning: I REALLY liked this movie.

Like, a lot.

Admittedly, there's not much unique to the plot. Like just about every notable YA fiction novel from about ten years ago, the story takes place in some kind of post-apocalyptic dystopia. The ruling class distracts the populace from the miserable conditions in which they live by putting on an extravagant beauty pageant in which the contestants literally kill each other to curry public favor. So it's a little like the Republican presidential nomination.

The civilization is divided into twelve districts. Our protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, comes from the outlying twelfth district, which is full of coal miners and orphans. The government is seated in a decadent capitol, far removed from the violence of the Hunger Games and inhabited entirely by clones of Johnny Depp.

Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Katniss, is pretty darn good at what she does. You get a real sense that she doesn't approve of the Hunger Games, but she doesn't know what she can do to fight against the system. Her role in the story is complicated - she's obviously very capable, but ultimately she is victimized by the totalitarian regime that organizes the Hunger Games, just like everyone else.

While there certainly is a lot of high-action hooplah, The Hunger Games gets a lot of points for subtlety. The film raises a lot of interesting questions - sometimes disturbing ones - and very little is explicitly spelled out for the audience. We KNOW that Haymitch is an incorrigible drunk, but we're not TOLD that he suffers from PTSD due to the horrors he experienced in the Hunger Games. We KNOW that Katniss is trying to act sympathetic to earn support from potential sponsors, but we're never TOLD whether she is faking her affection for Peeta or not. We KNOW Rue is awesome, but we're never TOLD exactly how awesome she is. It's remarkably restrained for a Hollywood flick.

So, yeah, I haven't seen The Avengers yet. Right now, I'm not sure I need to. I've got dozens of comics that involve Captain America punching aliens at home, but I've never encountered something quite like The Hunger Games before (obvious literary parallels aside). When all's said and done, I'm glad I took a risk on something new to me rather than going with the familiar standard.

Lincoln Log

Did you know that I share a birthdate with Abraham Lincoln?

It's true - except that I was born on the day he died, so it's not quite the same thing at all.

That weird little coincidence makes me feel a kinship with the man - he wasn't necessarily the World's Greatest President TM, but he was certainly a very great man. Anyway, a friend of mine recently posted a quote from the man, and, although I'm not usually one to re-post things, I felt this one particularly appropriate to my situation right now.

I do the very best I know how — the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything.
-As quoted in The Life and Public Service of Abraham Lincoln (1865) Henry J. Raymond

Whether or not Mr. Lincoln actually said that (the jury's apparently out on that), this is exactly the sort of thing I needed to hear today. Thanks, Justina!

Braddy Reads The Great Gatsby

As a student of literature, I'm a bit of a poser. Remember, English has always been my favorite subject. I was in the advanced placement English and literature programs all through junior high and high school. I MAJORED in English in college. And yet here I am, 28 years old, and I've just now finished The Great Gatsby for the first time.

Put away your pitchforks, though, and just listen a minute.

Even though F. Scott Fitzgerald's most well-known book is a staple of high school English programs and has been probably since it was written, I never had the opportunity to read The Great Gatsby. That said, I've long been familiar with the plot of the book. In college I took a course on literary theory that applied several different schools of analysis to the plot of Gatsby, the one book they assumed everyone had read. So I was very familiar already, not only with the plot of the book, but with what everything means.

Tangentially, I remember from the class that there's totally an argument to be made for every character in The Great Gatsby being gay, but I think it really just boils down to how manly Jordan dresses and the fact that Nick at one point says Gatsby's clothes are "gorgeous."

The opening chapters to The Great Gatsby are some of the most beautifully-written passages I've ever encountered. Fitzgerald knows how to turn a phrase - the guy's an excellent writer. I missed a lot of the well-crafted prose as the plot drove on, but maybe I was getting too wrapped up in the plot to pay attention to it. Fitzgerald's got a good ear for dialog, too. His attempts to mimic accents and dialects (à la Mark Twain) is a bit painful, but, otherwise, the dialog sounds real, believable.

Oh, and the final sentence of the book? "So we beat on, boats against the current, born back ceaselessly into the past." That's darn good stuff.

As a condemnation of its era, The Great Gatsby works brilliantly. Contemporary authors can find a lot to like in the writing style, which is fluid, clear, and effortless. I imagine a lot of the themes are difficult for high school kids to relate to - themes about trying (and failing) to recapture the past don't have a lot of resonance with people who don't have much of a past to capture.

Plus, now that I've read Gatsby, these comics make a lot more sense.

Cooking with Braddy: Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry

Ten years ago, there was no chance I'd EVER try a dish called "Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry."

Heck, FIVE years ago, I'd probably not have touched it.

Yet here we are. It's 2012, and not only did I TRY a dish called "Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry," not only did I MAKE a dish called "Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry," but I really LIKED it, too.

Who's come a long way now, Virginia?

I picked this recipe out of the Mighty Spice Cookbook because I already had a couple of the ingredients. Spices are fun to cook with, but they're EXPENSIVE. Luckily, I still had some leftover garam masala, so the only spices I needed to pick up were cumin and ginger.

I wound up leaving the cream out of the recipe - it's obviously healthier without it, and, well, I apparently don't quite have a pan big enought for everything.

That's BEFORE I even added the chicken and the spinach. So you can see that space was an issue.

Preparing the spinach for this recipe is probably one of the strangest things I've ever done. First I had to boil the spinach in water until it looked wilted. Then I blended it (with some of the leftover spinach water) until it looked like a... well, a nasty green spinach smoothie. Wish I'd taken a picture of it.

I'm going to have to call the recipe a complete success. The curry is a pretty mild one, but still delicious. This is probably my favorite recipe I've attempted thus far.

Well... I guess the aftermath left something to be desired.

Why I'm Still Single 44

Braddy's Theatrical History

Well, Friday night saw the opening of Blithe Spirit out at the Empress Theatre, and the show has been a TON of FUN. Recently I've gotten a bit nostalgic for all the theatrical work I've done over the years. After all, there's nothing like a show opening to get you to look back at shows past.

So, here it is: Braddy's complete theatrical history. Enjoy!

1992 - Second Grade Pageant

Our musical pageant followed the adventures of Bill and Ted through American history, because someone thought that the best source material for a children's show would be an 80's stoner flick. I played President Eisenhower. And that's how my seven-year-old self knew more about American History than I do as an adult.

1996 - Shakespeare and Greek Tragedy

I loved my sixth grade teacher, but there's a pretty high probability that she was insane. We actually did two different plays that year: Antigone a Greek tragedy about a woman who gives her brother a proper burial after he dishoners the tyrant king, and Hamlet, a play about Mel Gibson being sad. I actually played the evil monarch/unrighteous king in both productions. Braddy's first experience with typecasting.

1997 - Oklahoma!

I've mentioned this before, I think, but I have no idea why on earth I auditioned for the school muscial back in eighth grade. Whatever the reasoning, Oklahoma! is what got me into singing. But my musical history is a different matter entirely.

I nearly nabbed the part of Judd, but lost out to someone with actual muscle mass. I wound up playing the part of Matt, a character who had a name despite having no lines, no special blocking, and no actual mention in the script outside of the character list. Strange...

1998 - Kiss Me, Kate

I must have enjoyed Oklahoma!, because I auditioned for the show the next year. I played an extra, but this time, I didn't even have a character name. What a rip-off!

I tend to use "Another Op'nin', Another Show" and "Where is the Life that Late I Led?" as audition pieces for musicals nowadays.

2000 - Li'l Abner

I think Li'l Abner is criminally underperformed. It's a great show - definitely dated in its sensibilities, but entertaining. I spent most of my stage time standing behind a cardboard cutout of a body builder, because the best thing for my self-esteem at the tender age of 15 was another reminder that I was just too skinny to be a real man.

2001 - Once Upon a Mattress

I've never had a costume that embarassed me more - a tunic that was basically just a short dress (and was see-thru under stage lights) and tights. Thankfully, I had so many good friends in the production, like a dance partner who repeatedly called me a b@$%@^^@%. Good times.

2002 - Anne of Green Gables

This show is terrible. Seriously, just terrible. The main love ballad, "Wonderin'," contains the line "And we laughed like parrots/When I called her 'Carrots.'" Also, the Act 1 finale, arguably the big show-stopper, is a bouncy little number called "Ice Cream" as lackluster as it is bland.

Anne of Green Gables is also the only show I've ever received financial compensation for.

2008 - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

I thought I was done with theater. Then I was asked to audition for this show right after I graduated from college. I've been doing theater fairly irregularly ever since. Seven Brides had the most demanding choreography of any show I've ever participated in, and I loved it - except for the time I set my partner down on my big clumsy foot and sprained her ankle (sorry, Skye!).

Seven Brides nearly took the prize for worst costuming with the blanket they draped over me like a toga. The director took one look at my pale, knobby shoulder and said, "Actually, let's cover that up." So I wore a blanket dress.

2009 - Taming of the Shrew

Braddy's inability to emulate a convincing accent was on fine display during this Western adaptation of a Shakespearean classic. As, too, was his inability to play a romantic role.

2009 - One Act Play Festival

In years past, the Empress Theatre has participated in a program wherein high school students submit a self-written one-act play for consideration. Winners get to see their play performed on stage. I participated in a little show called "Thinking Out Loud," wherein a socially awkward young man goes on a date with a girl way out of his league. I played the boy's thoughts. It was pretty awesome.

2009 - Arsenic and Old Lace

2009 was a busy year for me. Three shows (and an ongoing stint with The Jesters Royale) just about ate up my whole life. I ended the year on a high note, though. Arsenic was one of the best theatrical experiences I had - manic and fun. I played Mortimer Brewster, a theater critic who over-analyzes everything. So, basically, I was myself on stage, except I parted my hair a little differently.

2010 - Damn Yankees

This play is terrible.

The production was actually a bit troubled - we weren't fully cast until about two weeks before we opened, and one of our most prominent dancers quit during the run of the show. Thank goodness I made a bunch of friends in the cast. Otherwise, this would have been a complete waste of time.

***

And that brings us to...

2012 - Blithe Spirit

I'm not going to lie - I've never been prouder of a show than I am of this one. I (and the rest of a very talented cast) put a lot of work into an incredibly wordy but HILARIOUS production. I've never played a role I've enjoyed more than Charles Condomine, a clever but lazy and abdominally selfish author.

Also, I get to drink a lot on stage.

Blithe Spirit runs every Monday, Friday, and Saturday from now until May 26 at the Empress Theatre. You should probably come see it.

Blog Comments Make Me a Better Man

The usual metrics for popularity don't seem to apply online. In real life, popularity is simply measured by the number of friends you have. Online, sheer volume of friends actually makes no difference, seeing as how most people who "friend" you on Facebook probably wouldn't recognize you if you ran into them in the mall while wearing a T-shirt with your high school yearbook photo on it. No, the REAL measure of online popularity is the number of comments or posts you're able to accrue.

I just got a little more popular on my blog last night. I picked up two new comments, and that makes me the queen of this particular Homecoming parade. I thought I'd share the comments with you.

The first comes from an anonymous commenter on my review of the book Bossypants. The comment came in response to my statement below:

As a young man, a single adult who comes from a family of all boys and has no experience with women outside of watching a few episodes of Jem, I got a kick out of reading that. It matches how I feel about thing - I'm not actually sexist, I'm just ignorant. While that's not exactly an ideal state of being, at least ignorance is treatable.

Here's what my sweet little Anonymous commenter had to say:

Actually...you are just sexist. But how adorable that you think you aren't because you are completely stupid about the opposite sex.

Well, yeah... Anonymous is probably right. I've got a long and well-documented history of being sexist, so I might as well just cop to it. Thanks, Anonymous! I appreciate your candor and honesty.

ADD: So my friend Heather, who's been posting some very insightful thoughts of feminism on her own, has commented on my post here (you can read her response below). I just want to say that I appreciate her opinion and am very glad she chose to express herself to me. If my comments have offended anyone, I do apologize.

The anonymous poster was a bit of a jerk, yeah, but that doesn't mean they were WRONG. I fully admit that I have some backwards attitudes and can say some pretty thoughtless things at times. I appreciate getting called out on stuff. Just, you know, be nice about it.

Okay, all passive-aggressive sarcasm aside, I did get a pretty nifty comment from someone who'd never commented on my blog before. This comment comes from my snarky little post on the Fantagraphics Mickey Mouse comic reprints:

Glad we're converting you to the real Mickey Mouse, S. R. Thanks to some more piecemeal late '70s reprints, Gottfredson's Mickey is the Mickey I cut my teeth on as a kid. It's a labor of love to keep him circulating. While I could never call him a scoundrel (I only count three cartoons where he pushes Minnie too far—and this never happens in the comics), he's quite the adventurous and defiant little squirt, isn't he? Collecting the supplementary material that goes in the books is an adventure itself! (Hope you're following our Facebook page... that's where we put the overflow.) Re: sad racial stuff: Disney Publishing allows us to run the strips unabridged because we're aiming the books at adults, and have extensive text putting that content in context. Luckily, most of what's left is timeless—and that's just how I like it. —David Gerstein (Series Editor)

I'm a little flattered that the guy putting these books together actually took the time to post such an enthusiastic response to what was mainly just a big sarcastic rant. This guy is totally classy.

One thing I forgot to mention in my original post on the Gottfredson comics (probably because I was more interested in posting a pic of Mickey Mouse in blackface than I was at giving a balanced review) is that the books are full of insightful commentary on the period in which the comics were written. I probably love the commentary about as much as the comics themselves - things always make more sense in context. So thanks to Mr. Gerstein for doing such an excellent job on this wonderful collection.

Ico - The Best Video Game Ever?

I haven't had much time to play video games for a long time now, what with one thing and another, so I don't really talk about them much. That, and talking about how many hours you logged last night doesn't seem to impress too many people. Except, surprisingly enough, if you're talking about Angry Birds, which... whatever.

But, seriously guys, Ico is one of the best darn games I've ever played, one of the first games I'd ever point out to Roger Ebert and say, "THIS is art!"

Ico is actually pretty old news - the game's over ten years old now. It got a new lease on life when it was re-issued as part of an HD upgrade collection for the PS3. I'd heard a lot of the hype surrounding the game, so I decided to give it a go.

As far as video game stories go, it doesn't get more basic that Ico. It's a pretty standard "rescue the princess" story - a young boy, Ico, must lead a girl through a crumbling castle full of shadowy monsters that threaten to capture the girl and drag her down into an inky black pit.

Part of what makes Ico such a surprisingly emotional experience is the character designs. Both Ico and the princess are crafted to appear a bit weak and insecure. Ico himself has horns growing out of his head (yeah, I thought it was a helmet, too). He moves about like a growing boy - that is to say, a bit clumsily. When he fights off the shadow monsters, he does so by flailing at them wildly with a stick.

The girl is a bit taller than Ico himself, which makes for a bit of a change from the usual princess-rescuer dynamic (depending on your power ups in Super Mario Brothers, I guess). She moves about a bit clumsily as well, often stumbling over her own feet and requiring assistance to make it over some obstacles. She definitely gives the impression of someone who needs rescuing.

Truth be told, she's a bit of a feminist's nightmare, but you still feel for her.

The story of Ico unfolds simply, with minimal cut-scene interruption. As a result, the bulk of the story is left pretty open-ended. Hints are dropped throughout the game as to the nature of the shadow monsters you fight off and who exactly this strange girl is, but nothing is really made explicit. The player is thus able to fill in the blanks with their own imagination, which is ultimately quite a bit more powerful.

The single strongest aspect of Ico is the emotional relationship that's forged between the characters and the player. There's a relatively simple game mechanic at work here - to grab the princess's hand, you have to push and hold the R2 button. Thus, Ico guides the girl through the many dangers of the castle, all while holding her hand. That one little tactile requirement of the gameplay somehow makes the connection feel more personal. Ico manages to take a pretty standard requirement of playing a video game - pushing a button - and turns it into an emotionally loaded event.

Pretty impressive stuff.

Best thing about Ico? It's short. About four hours of gameplay, total. Given the constraints on my time, a short video game is a better one.

The Hippopotamus and the Meaning of Life: An Improvised Poem

The morning sun rises on the Serengeti

And the tall grasses wave just like spaghetti.

The animals stir from their sleep in the marshes
And shake off the dew from their ears and their arshes.

First and foremost is the great hippopotamus...

...who dies at sundown.

Last weekend during the Jesters Royale show, we played a game called Poetry Slam, wherein the players all make up a poem based on an audience suggestion.  The audience suggested "hippopotamus."

Turns out no one knew how to rhyme with "hippopotamus."  Coulda used some help from Bret and Jemaine.