Art Machine
Just another former infatuation junkie

Remember those concept sketches for the mystery project that I showed a while back?

Here’s a crude rendering in 3-D of one of them.

Click for larger pictuer

Isn’t technology fun?

Coldstone Game Engine: Just like d20 – an amazing tool that can be a deadly weapon in the wrong hands.

Heaven help us all.

I’m working on a couple of ideas now using the Coldstone Game Engine from Beenox and Ambrosia software. That means, of course, that I have to learn how to use it. And you get to reap the dubious rewards of my early efforts.

Okay – so, basically, it’s the regular Coldstone tutorial game. It doesn’t even have a decent title screen. But there are a few interesting little mods – among them, the music.

So, check out Dragon Blues – an incredibly simple and little game that’ll take you all of 10 minutes to beat. But I could use the confirmation that it actually works. So, here’s the files. Offered just in fun and just for a quick little test of the software. The software should run fine on Windows, Mac OS 9, or OS X.

If you run Mac OS X, you’ll want to open “DragonBlues(X)”. If you run OS 9 (or Classic), you’ll want to open “DragonBlues(9)”. And, if you’re running Windows, try out “DragonBlues.exe”.

Here’s the file in .sit format and in .zip format. Productions Kallixti, Beenox, and Ambrosia will not be held responsible for any boredom, lack of excitement, or spontaneous combustion caused by installation of Dragon Blues.

It’s been a good long time since my last updates. How could I possibly take off for so long? What could possibly be so important?

My alma mater, Virginia Tech, has produced two very worthwhile shows.

First was the absolutely fun and funny Steel Magnolias, directed by the ever-lovely Kim Hellem. It’s great to see a cast have that much fun onstage with a comedy. As a matter of fact, actors having that much fun should be a crime. Actually, I believe it is, in 49 states.

Unfortunately, if you missed it this week – you missed it. The sad thing about Tech’s workshops is that they’re only around for three days at a time.

Second was a much more serious project, Human Rites.

Directed by Mostar Youth Group alum Emsa Lakovic and developed by Emsa and the Virginia Tech Theatre Ensemble, Human Rites is an hour long with virtually no dialog.

The movement-intensive piece follows the cycle of life and death, of birth and destruction. It follows humanity through all of the rituals that mark its path. At times funny, at times brutal and disturbing, it is an experience not to be missed.

If you are in the area, Human Rites runs through April 26 – call ahead for tickets, they’re going fast. The Squires ticket office can be reached Monday through Friday, 9-5, at 1.800.843.0032. Tickets are $8 General Admission.

And support the creation of new and innovative works at Virginia Tech – The Graduate Arts Council is now selling Human Rites T-Shirts as a fundraiser.

Walking Shadows – the Coming-of-Age/Slasher Epic by Jack Bennett – is now in post-production.

Four years in production, Walking Shadows features a sweeping storyline, a talented cast, and a script that alternates between poignant reflection on college life and a creeping terror that leaves death and mayhem in its wake.

As with everything about this mini-series, the preview clocks in at an epic three minutes and forty-five seconds.

Click Jack’s glamorous face for the (16.8 mb) MOV file

It was a while ago, but some of you may remember my entry on Jack Bennett’s Walking Shadows (I was young and foolish then – I feel old and foolish now – February 17, 2003). If you don’t remember it, check it out. Then come back here for updates on the stories.

Jack finally got around to checking out the entry, himself (February was a busy time for him – and so was March. And the beginning of April) and sent me an e-mail with a couple of updates and corrections.

First of all, I made several references to Walking Shadows as a “film” or “movie”. Jack informs me that he has made the decision to split Walking Shadows into two parts, effectively making it a “mini-series.”

Second, I made a reference to it being a “4-hour film.” See the above about its being a “film”. As for four hours, Jack tells me that part one only runs 1 hour and 40 minutes. Of course, as he points out, episode two has yet to be completed. So while I won’t retract “4-hour” completely, I will admit that it may turn out to be shorter.

Third, I said that Walking Shadows was “five years in the making.”

Of course, Walking Shadows was only four years in production. It is currently in post-production. My bad. And the script was written in 1998.

Fourth, Jack really likes the fact that I called his movi—I mean, mini-series—“Short Cuts meets Scream. Glad I could be of service, Jack. Feel free to use the quote in your promotional materials.

Fifth – I am happy to report that I have not been replaced in editing by a brown penny loafer, as originally reported. Yet.

Thanks to Jack for providing us with these corrections. And buy his mini-series when it comes out on DVD. You know you want it.

From dictionary.com

Voluptuous, adj.

• Giving, characterized by, or suggesting ample, unrestrained pleasure to the senses: voluptuous sculptural forms; a voluptuous ripe fruit; a full, voluptuous figure.
• Devoted to or indulging in sensual pleasures.
• Directed toward or anticipating sensual pleasure: voluptuous thoughts.
• Arising from or contributing to the satisfaction of sensuous or sensual desires.

Voluptuous has always been one of my favorite words. Not just for what it means, but for how it sounds. If you say it correctly, it sounds like what it means. None of its synonyms from the thesaurus can match it:

Voluptuous

• Having strong sexual appeal; “juicy barmaids”; “a red-hot mama”; “a voluptuous woman”
  • juicy
  • luscious
  • red-hot
• (Of a woman’s body) Having pleasing curves; “Hollywood seems full of curvaceous blondes”; “a curvy young woman in a tight dress”
  • bosomy
  • buxom
  • curvaceous
  • curvy
  • full-bosomed
  • sonsie
  • sonsy
• Furnishing gratification of the senses; “an epicurean banquet”; “enjoyed a luxurious suite with a crystal chandelier and thick oriental rugs”; “Lucullus spent the remainder of his days in voluptuous magnificence”; “a chinchilla robe of sybaritic lavishness”
  • epicurean
  • luxurious
  • sybaritic
  • voluptuary

Saying words is all about tasting words. It’s about finding the beauty in the word.

Try it. Say the word out loud. “Voluptuous.”

Does it feel good?

It’s the way the word is built. That roundness, fullness, and sexiness are all packed into the same word. The sound is caressed by the tongue in all its fullness and sensuality. Break it down into its parts and try to say it.

You hit it first with that “Vuh” sound that you make when your upper teeth buzz against your lower lip. That Vuh-vuh-vuh. The verve, the vibrance, the vivacity. A certain Va-va-va-voom represented by that one, simple, beautifully formed consonant “vee” – the vuh.

Then you move on to the “Oh” without skipping a beat. That firm, full, round, ripe “O”, a sound of unrestrained sensual pleasure, that “Ohhh”. The sudden, astonished Oh! The exclamation personified, Oh. Then that sound of realization, the oh. And that long, drawn-out moan, ohhhh….

Then feel how the tongue caresses the roof of the mouth for that “Luh” sound. That lovely, languid, liquid “Eh-luh.” Lyrical, luscious. The way it just slips out, so fluid and graceful. Elllll.

Then “Uh.” Uhh. The very meat and gristle of the human experience, earthy and primal, Unnnh. That unrestrained sound of unadulterated pleasure. That “Uhhhh,” that Unnnnnnhh…. Followed immediately by that popping percussive “Puh”. Powerful, unrepentant ‘P’.

And, oh, that ‘T.’ That unbelievable ‘T’ that doesn’t sound like itself. It’s a T, but not a Tee. It’s a “Chuh.” It’s that unvoiced, powerful Chuh that drives the mouth forward from your face. Chuh. Leading right into that next sound, forming the Chew – Chuh-Oooo. That long, long ‘U’ that draws itself out and refuses to be glossed over. That oo, the OooOOOoooo that glides right back into that earthy, throat, primal, driving Unh! Oooooo-Unhhhh…. Vohh-lunhp-chOooOOoo-Unhhh….

And finally finishing up with that Sssssmooth, ssslithing, sssslippery Esssss. The ‘S’, the ssssnake in the garden. Ssssssensuous and ssssstrong esssss. Hear it hiss between the tongue and the teeth with that esssssssssss. Ssssay it long and slow and lovely, esssss.

Vvoooooh-LUnnnnhp-chOoooOOooUUUUnnnnnhhhsssssss.

See the beauty?

Yeah, you can look at me like I’m crazy. But there’s a reason I have so much fun speaking.

Trace over at Snarkalicious has posted “A Sincere Query, Devoid of Political Spin.” The query goes something like this:

Over the last few days, the news has presented ample evidence of human-rights violations, Geneva Convention violations and now, a potential smoking gun in the form of chemical weapons in the war with Iraq.

So my question is this: at what point (if ever) is this war justified in your eyes? Is there one particular event or finding that would make you get behind this military action?

Okay, so I lied. The query actually goes exactly like that.

Let me start by defining myself, politically – just as Trace did. Those of you who know me know that I am a dyed-in-the-wool, workers’/consumers’/citizens’ rights (capital ‘L’) Liberal – so liberal that I am, in fact, not ashamed of the label – unlike many prominent liberals of the past twenty or so years. I’m all for the ending of Saddam’s regime, I support the troops, but I don’t support the military action and I have serious problems with Dubya.

That out of the way, let’s address the issue of when I will “get behind this military action.”

Frankly, it would take an absolute miracle.

I say this because—as I have already pointed out—I’m all for the ending of Saddam’s regime. The “ample evidence of human-rights violations” existed long before our military action, just like the evidence of human-rights violations in Afghanistan was perfectly apparent before Osama Bin Laden drew our fire. Geneva Convention violations are inexcusable, yes. And the “potential smoking gun” has yet to be quite as ssssmokin’ as we were promised. But even considering the existence of chemical weapons as a given, U.N. inspections were actually doing a good job of sniffing out and destroying banned weapons.

My objection to the war, then, is not – emphatically not connected to a desire to see Hussein remain in power. Nor is it connected to a rose-colored-glasses view of Iraq that did not include violations of human rights.

Now the query asked for answers, not political rhetoric. So the answer to the query is – Nothing. I will continue to support our troops, and I will be glad when Saddam Hussein is well and truly removed from power. But I will still not call this action justified.

Without lapsing into too much rhetoric, let me offer this as an explanation. My problem with the current military action stems from Bush’s policies, his attitude, his timing, his dubious motivations, his frank dismissal of the international community, his jingoistic grandstanding, and the manner in which he made the decision to enter into this war. In other words, I have no objection to Saddam being removed from power. I have no objection to the destruction of illegal weapons. And I have no illusions that Iraq pre-Operation-Iraqi-Freedom was not a land of human rights violations and oppression of the individuals. However, now was not the time – this was not the place – Bush was not the man – and this was not the way. Therefore, there is little that can be done to justify this military act in my eyes.

I hope that this response in some way answers the original query without lapsing into too much political rhetoric.

Artist: Original Cast
Label: DRG Records
Genre: Soundtrack
Rating: (0 out of 4)
Availability: Widely Available / eMusic Download

Steve Margoshes – the orchestrator for such stage shows as The Who’s Tommy, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and Dance of the Vampire – probably has a lot to atone for in his life. But probably nothing makes him more in need of redemption than his role in composing the soundtrack for this musical adaptation of Fame.

Steve Margoshes’ Fame is not a recent addition to my collection. This little jewel found its way in from my eMusic account a long time ago. I vaguely remember making it halfway through the opening medley of “Pray I Make P.A. / Hard Work” before I turned it off in disgust and deleted it from my hard drive. It probably had something to do with “Pray I Make P.A.” actually ending with a happy student proclaiming, “I made it! I made it!” Or it might have had something to do with the absolutely horrid “roll call” sequence. Whatever it was, it resulted in a snap judgement of “putrid”.

But recently I’ve been thinking that maybe I was a little bit too harsh in my original judgement. After all, I didn’t actually listen to the whole thing before I decided it wasn’t worth listening to. Maybe only the opening was shoddy, cliched, hackneyed, and annoying. Practically every musical has at least one number you wish wasn’t there to ruin the whole thing. So I decided to revisit Fame with an open mind and listen to the whole thing before passing judgement.

Let’s start with some background information.

If you remember Fame fondly, chances are pretty good that you’re remembering the 1980 Alan Parker film with Irene Cara, Albert Hague, and Steve Inwood. Christopher Gore’s script told the story of a small group of students from the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. With its emphasis on the hard work required by the students, its tales of the difficulties awaiting budding artists, and its fun, pseudo-musical energy, Fame quickly became a staple film of arts students everywhere. And it helped cement New York’s P.A. as a model of the “magnet school” in the American consciousness.

Of course, you might also be thinking of the television series spawned by the movie – the show which ran for five years (1 1/2 years on NBC, 3 1/2 years of new episodes in syndication), which featured such talents as a young Fran Drescher and produced a live tour of the actors performing song and dance numbers from the series.

Or even the not-as-successful 90’s spin-off, Fame L.A. (a series which, despite all common sense, appears to be on the air, still).

Fame: The Musical’s Official Homepage tells the story of the musical’s birth. The show – based on both the 1980 film and the 1982-87 TV series (but not on Fame L.A.) – was originally developed in not-for-profit theatres in Miami and Philadelphia. It got its “big break” when Music Theatre International picked up and published the show. Since then, it’s been performed internationally and is still conducting an American tour. It was De Silva’s hope that the show would help to promote the Magnet School model, as well as “making a social statement about literacy, hard work, perseverance, and the importance of staying drug free.” Lofty goals, indeed.

Too bad Margoshes couldn’t come through with a less generic score.

I’m willing to grant that the true power of a musical comes in live performance, and doesn’t translate well to cast albums. That said, most of the good shows out there have cast albums that are at least listenable.

And you can listen to Fame, but the question is why you would want to. The singing is strong and competent, the musicians aren’t all that bad (if a bit too soulless at times) – but the content?

The truly sad element of Margoshes’ soundtrack is that it’s completely bland and generic. It’s a by-the-book, paint-by-numbers musical in the style of many other “Hey, isn’t Grease a great musical about teen life?” pretenders. The music is without era, sounding for all the world like it could have been written at any time within the past 60, 70, or 80 years of musical theatre. Even attempts to give the music a flavor (adding a Latin tinge to the borrowed song “Fame”) fall flat with passionless translations.

Frankly, my suspicions were correct – I was too harsh on the soundtrack when I first listened to it. But only in the sense that I worried the entire album might be as painful as “Pray I Make P.A. / Hard Work”. The fact is that the rest of the album is nowhere near as painful. Nor is it particularly pleasurable.

It exists. And, frankly, in musical theatre that’s unforgiveable.

Fame: Original Cast Recording

Not on my refrigerator, but close enough.

Click to enlarge

With nefarious Kafkaesque goddesses
We chant in organic meat language
On shadowy roads, always whispering
Of obscure beauty, and drunks who worship
A crass amalgam of Herculean power & obtuse language.