yourish.com: West Wing on Saudi Arabia

Last night's West Wing: C.J. Cregg is asked for her opinion on the Saudi religious police who forced teenaged girls back into a burning school because they weren't dressed correctly to come out in public, causing the loss of 17 lives:

Outraged? I'm barely surprised. This is a country where women aren't allowed to drive a car. They're not allowed to be in the company of any man other than a close relative. They're required to adhere to a dress code that would make a Maryknoll nun look like Malibu Barbie. They beheaded 121 people last year for robbery, rape, and drug trafficking. They have no free press, no elected government, no political parties, and the royal family allows the religious police to travel in groups of six, carrying nightsticks, and they freely and publicly beat women. But Brutus is an honorable man.

Seventeen schoolgirls were forced to burn alive because they weren't wearing the proper clothing. Am I outraged? No, Steve, no Chris, no Mark. That is Saudi Arabia, our partners in peace.

And the reason Allison Janney won the Emmy is evident in her scathing delivery. Whoo. Nearly burned out my television set.

Allison Janney once played my wife in a college play. I had the lead, but she -- of course -- stole the show.   

10:54:11 PM  comment []    

Costello packed lyrical brilliance with high energy

The punk and new wave icon kicked off his two-hour-plus show with "45," a bittersweet rocker from "When I Was Cruel," his first new album in seven years. It's also his highest-charting album, reaching No. 20 last week on The Billboard 200 album chart.

I had a great time at the show. Elvis did nearly all of the songs on the new record, which now seems all the more brilliant. It was a loud show, and essentially unrelenting. I always bring ear protection to concerts; I needed it for this one. His Seattle concert for the All This Useless Beauty record had much more nuance and a broader dynamic range. I like nuance and dynamism in music.

But if Elvis wants to rock, why not? Let Elvis be Elvis. Leave entertaining geniuses to wander, then see what comes out.   

8:04:15 PM  comment []