"Sizwe Bansi Is Dead"

2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix


"Sizwe Bansi Is Dead" was written in collaboration with two African actors, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, both of whom appeared in the original production. It made its debut on October 8, 1972, in Cape Town, South Africa. The play made its British debut a year or so later and won The London Theatre Critics award for the best play of 1974.

The genesis of Sizwe Bansi Is Dead can be traced to Fugard’s experiences as a law clerk at the Native Commissioner’s Court in Johannesburg. At that time it was required that every black and colored citizen over the age of sixteen carried an identity book that restricted employment and travel within in the country. In court, Fugard saw the repercussions of this law: blacks were sent to jail at an alarming rate. Although these restrictions are specifically South African, critics have noted that the play’s greater theme of identity is universal. Critics and scholars have also observed that Sizwe Bansi Is Dead contains elements of absurdism, especially its sparse setting and surreal subject matter. -- Enotes

Mr. Kani and Mr. Ntshona won Tony Awards for their performances in “Sizwe Banzi” ... This valedictory production of “Sizwe,” directed by Aubrey Sekhabi, will be the last time they perform the play. It’s a moving coda to a remarkable, even historic collaboration.

At the Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton Street, Fort Greene, Brooklyn; (718) 636-4100. Through April 19. -- New York Times

"All the Sad Young Literary Men"

2nd\NE The Approval Matrix

By Minnesota Daily\Kara Nesvig

"All the Sad Young Literary Men" is the story of Sam, Mark and Keith, three regular guys whose stories kind of intertwine and kind of don't. Sam is obsessed with Israel and writing the next big "Zionist epic" as his Google search results dwindle with every passing day, while Mark veers toward the heavy realm of Russian literature and Internet porn. Keith (not much of a stretch to imagine him as an alter-ego for the Russian-born author) has a sharp passion for politics and a failed engagement.

It's so steeped in our current culture that the stories could be taking place right now on any college-town street corner; only the faces and ambitions are shifted. These are men who spend hours in Starbucks, obsessively check their Google search engine results, and discover the ins and outs of Internet dating. Gessen could very well have been sitting in a curbside café observing the words and actions of real-life literary men. They're just like your griping grad student friends.

"I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair"

2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix

Peter Scanavino in “Rainbow Kiss”

2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix


By WILBORN HAMPTON\New York Times

Disbelief needs to be suspended early and often in Simon Farquhar’s “Rainbow Kiss,” a frantic yet tedious play about male sexual obsession in Aberdeen, Scotland, being presented by the Play Company at 59E59 Theaters.

At the outset Keith [Peter Scanavino] and Shazza, who have just met at a pub, are locked in such a passionate kiss it’s doubtful they will make it inside Keith’s apartment before they tear each other’s clothes off. Once inside, however, each seems overtaken by a burning desire to chat. They eat a bite and have a drink and a smoke while Shazza warms her feet at a space heater. They exchange life stories. Perhaps young people in the Scottish Highlands keep a tighter rein on their libidos than those in sunnier climes, although the rest of the play would argue against that.

Keith and Shazza eventually have sex, a frenzied coupling that proves to be Keith’s undoing. The rest of the play is mostly a chronicle of his rapid descent into a pathological obsession over Shazza, a good-time girl who is living with another man, possibly a drug dealer, whom she has no intention of leaving. But at two-plus hours, one man’s obsession becomes boring, even embarrassing, to the disinterested observer.

Peter Scanavino’s performance as Keith ranges from a mild-mannered parson’s son to a nearly hysterical maniac.

Note: “Rainbow Kiss” ended on April 13.

French Intellectuals Save Semicolon?

2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix


A humble punctuation mark is the latest cause in the fight to preserve the elegance of French in the face of lazy habits from the English-speaking world.

Writers and linguistic patriots have thrown their weight behind a push to save le point-virgule -- the semi-colon. It is threatened with extinction because the media, authors and the people at large no longer understand its use. They prefer chopping their prose into short sentences with full stops (periods).

The point-virgule, which allows a breathing space in a train of thought, is said to be falling victim to the brevity preferred by English speakers. "To make long sentences, you need a nice fountain pen and a good piece of paper," Claude Duneton, a writer and French teacher, told us today. "Short sentences come from the more direct, 'Anglo-Saxon' style. That reflects the modern age and the need for speed."

The campaign has amplified a long-standing complaint from purists who are devoted to the clarity that a semi-colon brings to multi-clause sentences. -- Times Online

Philip Glass' Satyagraha Ads

1st\NW Quadrant The Approval Matrix

Three Christopher Guest Regulars for DirecTV

1st\NW Quadrant The Approval Matrix

Mark Penn

1st\NW Quadrant The Approval Matrix


Mark Penn, Sen. Hillary Clinton's chief strategist and longtime confidant stepped down from the presidential campaign late Sunday night.

His resignation came after a politically embarrassing week during which it was reported that he met with Colombia's ambassador to the U.S. to discuss passage of a bilateral free-trade agreement -- a pact Clinton opposes.

Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for the campaign who will now coordinate Clinton's "strategic message" told the Huffington Post that Penn offered up his resignation to the Senator on Sunday and that she accepted. Penn's firm, however, will continue to be involved in the campaign's polling. -- Huffington Post

Mark J. Penn (born September 10, 1954), is the worldwide CEO of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller and president of the polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates. In September 2007, he released a book titled Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes, which examines small trends sweeping the world. -- Wikipedia

Parisian Rollerblade Brigade

NW Quadrant\The Approval Matrix

In Paris, Policemen chase you on rollerblades!

No, it's not David Hasselhoff and no, this is not Baywatch! It's a street of Paris (rue Croix des Petits Champs, in the 2nd arrondissement) and it's one of our few policemen that browse the Capital on rollerblades. Don't go thinking they are cooler because they use this unusual "vehicule"... They give as many tickets (see the picture!) as the ones who walk, drive or ride!
-- Paris Daily Photo

"Flight of the Red Balloon"

1st\NW Quadrant The Approval Matrix

Plot Summary: Suzanne is charming but she is a mother snowed under by obligations. With her puppet shows, the classes she teaches and the two children, Simon and Louise, that she has been raising alone since their father left, she hasn't got a minute to herself. To help her, she takes in a young Taiwanese babysitter, Song Fang, who is a student at Paris University. On his way home from school, Simon, who is 7 years old, leads her through the streets and cafés of his neighborhood. Soon, Song Fang and Simon share an imaginary world: a strange red balloon follows them, even in the exhibition space of the Musée d'Orsay. While Suzanne is caught up in a court case involving her tenant downstairs, who refuses to leave, every day, Son Fang becomes more important in her life. In the end, it is Song Fang's Asian perspective that helps Suzanne get to grips with her life. -- IMdb\ Jason Grimshaw

The film is a New York Times Critic's Pick, and the full review can be read here.


Trailer in French

The "New" Approval Matrix

This is the "new" Approval Matrix. Apparently, it was posted to NYMag's website on Friday (Who knew?), but it's usually posted on Sunday night or Monday morning, and it usually has a "Week of..." attached to the name. Weird, but updates will follow soon.

No Approval Matrix! : (

This week's New York Magazine doesn't contain an Approval Matrix!

So, feel free to do the following, but make sure you return next Monday:

1. Peruse the blog's archives - listed on the left
   
2. Visit our new "blog" Stuff White People Like T-Shirts, and/or
   
3. Visit our "old" blog I Got UGGs!

No Approval Matrix?

I've checked New York Magazine's website several times since last night, and the new Approval Matrix hasn't been posted. Last week's magazine wasn't a double-issue, so I don't know what the issue (intentional pun) is. I'll keep you posted (another intentional pun)!

"Jericho" Cancelled Again

4th\SW Quadrant The Approval Matrix: Week of April 7, 2008


Well, at least they had a dream, and it came true for a season: CBS (NYSE: CBS) has canceled the post-apocalyptic drama "Jericho", the second time this has happened in two years. The first time it got canceled due to low TV ratings, the passionate fans led a protest online and forced CBS to bring it back. It has been a popular show on CBS.com and iTunes.

But on TV, the second season's Nielsen ratings were even lower than the first...the March 25th will be the last show. According to CBS: "Without question, there are passionate viewers watching this program; we simply wish there were more...We have no regrets bringing the show back for a second try."

According to THR, this does not mean the show couldn't come back on cable, but the high cost of the production, however, will likely prevent a continuation of the show.
-- Washington Post

Mariah on "The Hills"

4th\SW Quadrant The Approval Matrix: Week of April 7, 2008

The scene inside Manhattan's Gotham Hall recalled a sweet 16 party. Bubbly young girls by the dozens — decked out in high heels and skirts so short, you'd have thought they were swatches — lolled across cozy chaise lounges, quietly ogling the night's guests of honor: Lauren Conrad, Audrina Patridge and Whitney Port, the stars of MTV's "The Hills."

The gang was on hand for a special party, celebrating the return of the hit reality series, which picks up right where it left off: with Lauren on her way to Paris. (Lauren, Audrina and Whitney discuss fame, privacy and life after "The Hills" here.)

But the highlight of the party — at least for the "Hills" starlets — was the arrival of Mariah Carey, who performed a small set that included "I'm That Chick" and "Touch My Body," new songs from her forthcoming album, E=MC2, which is due April 15.

Wearing a black skirt with a gold top, Carey also performed "We Belong Together," which the audience sang back to her. She was whisked offstage after the performance to resounding cheers. -- MTV