The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
I would classify things in this category that were related to arts, literature, cinema, performance. Things that make us and the world better.
As we move towards the new year, and after the rush of Christmas, here’s a few minutes to settle back and contemplate what has gone before, and what is yet to come. This is Christopher Parkening playing Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring.
Read moreIt’s been called Miracle on 22nd Street. A gay couple started getting hundreds of letters addressed to Santa Claus at their address on 22nd Street in New York City. They’ve been unable to figure how it was their address that got circulated as Santa’s address, but the miracle of it grew. While many so-called Christian organizations spent millions of dollars to defeat gay marriage initiatives and support themselves…FRC, AFA, Christian Family Coalition of Florida, Catholic Diocese of Minnesota, Bill Donahue of Catholic League who pays himself $400k per year, just to name a few…these two guys enlisted the help of friends and co-workers and went to work answering letters and helping children.
Read moreEach day brings even more astonishment at how low some people can go to make a buck or get their 15 minutes of fame. Certain Christianists seem hell-bent on creating a contrived “war on Christmas” where none exists all for the sake of either raising money, or making a name for themselves. And in the end, I fear it may destroy a wonderful and important time of the year.
Read moreThis is selected especially for this Christmas Day and is something to make pause in reverence. Kathleen Battle and Frederica von Stade sing a medley of carols concluding with “Angels We Have Heard On High.” timpani, Brass, strings and two amazing singers. That’s Christmas.
Read moreKathleen Battle and Christopher Parkening Performing Bach / Gounod’s Ave Maria Live at the 1987 Grammy Awards. I have the CD of these two, and it is remarkable. What a beautiful performance of a wonderful piece of music. In case you never knew this Gounod wrote the melody superimposed? over the Prelude in C Major, so it’s the Prelude that Parkening is playing.
Read moreMany years ago, when I lived here in Tampa the first time, I attended the Gay Men’s Chorus Christmas Concert at the Tampa Theater. The ceiling there is painted blue and has tiny lights in it simulating a night sky. I hadn’t noticed that until the Chorus sang this song and my eyes were drawn upward as I enjoyed the music and saw this amazing sight overhead. I think this has been my favorite carol ever since.
Read moreNo one does it quite like Bing Crosby, and while there’s not much of hope of snow here in Tampa, I can always hope for some while I’m home in Kings Mountain.
Read moreAs a covert officer in the CIA’s Counter-Proliferation Division, Valerie Plame leads an investigation into the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Valerie’s husband, diplomat Joe Wilson, is drawn into the investigation to substantiate an alleged sale of enriched uranium from Niger. But when the administration ignores his findings and uses the issue to support the call to war, Joe writes a New York Times editorial outlining his conclusions and ignites a firestorm of controversy. This is well acted, tightly written and directed with straight-forward finesse making it one of the finest films of the year.
Read moreThe famous Christmas Time Is Here from A Charlie Brown Christmas. I still, to this day, want to see this show every year. I remember the excitement of watching it as a kid because I knew it meant that Christmas had to be close. Laying in the floor in front of the fire and watching…you just can’t go wrong, no matter how old you are.
Read moreOn a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history, but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications. A movie well worth seeing.
Read moreAaron Green gets things done. The ambitious 24-year-old has been given a career-making assignment. His mission: Fly to London and escort a rock god to L.A.’s world famous Greek Theatre for the first-stop on a huge comeback tour. His record mogul boss, Sergio Roma, gives him one warning: “The artist is the worst person on Earth. Turn your back on him at your own peril.” British rocker Aldous Snow is a brilliant musician, but due to a bad break up and nose-diving career, has fallen off the wagon and is now a drunken disaster. This was better than expected.
Read more