The very first 45 rpm record I purchased, at age 10, was The Theme from Exodus (the movie). Not from the original sound track, but the version for 2 pianos, arranged and performed by Ferrante & Teicher, the American piano playing duo. Lately, I have rediscovered their unique magic. Here is a clip of them performing (on a single piano).
Author Archives: daveb1950
Earth vs The Flying Saucers
Of course, I am a huge fan of Ray Harryhausen*, and I vividly remember seeing 7th Voyage of Sinbad in the theater when I was but a wee kid (scared the shit out of me). And, most would cite 7th Voyage or Jason and the Argonauts as his finest work. But my favorite Harryhausen film is Earth vs The Flying Saucers. I just love the corny and hilarious charm of this film, the creative use of stock footage and the clunky acting (especially the distorted “alien” voice of Paul Frees).
*Every person who was raised in the 1950s and grew up to become a Visual Effects artist is a fan of Ray Harryhausen, of course!
King Kong lobby cards
Behold! Yuja Wang performing Stravinsky’s Petrushka (excerpt)
Stravinsky composed the music for Petrushka as a Ballet in 1910-1911. The story of a puppet, Petrushka, made of straw and sawdust, who comes to life and develops emotions. And I am sure it is a real exciting experience. But I am more interested in this version, the piano version, which was created in 1921 for pianist Arthur Rubinstein (Stravinsky himself could not play it, in fact, I don’t know how anyone can play it, seems insanely difficult, exhausting). It is a joyful, colorful, modern work of art, a real show stopper, a treat to see performed (especially by the beautiful Yuja Wang!).
tyrannosaurus rex skull in glass case
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From the American Museum of Natural History, NYC. What is this doing here? Hey, I’m learning, it’s my first post, and I wanted to start with a cool picture.
Lapsed Time Images 