Where's Billy Bragg?

Somehow, we can't imagine that folk/rock singer Billy Bragg, also a left-wing activist, is one of Newt Gingrich's favorite singers. And, we certainly can't imagine Bragg would be in the former arch conservative house speaker's I-POD. But, several years, a right-wing prime minister of Australia said he was a big fan of Midnight Oil, a band known for their progressive politics as much as their awesome songs like "Beds Are Burning."

Tonight, Bragg is performing at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, a city that is still recovering from a bombing incident at the end of the Boston Marathon. We personally can't imagine a better way to get away from it all than listening to Bragg, who in our views gives awesome concerts.

From Boston, he heads to the Southgate House Revival in Newport, Kentucky, on Tuesday.

Bragg then headlines at the  Ark in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Wed.,which is also home to WBCN, the student run radio station that was recently featured in a "Jeopardy" category because apparently the late Gilda Radner, an original cast member of "Saturday Night Live" got her start there.

Then Bragg, a British singer who was recognized earlier in his career for his outspokenness about the recently deceased Margaret Thatcher,  heads north to Canada for gigs in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.


This entry is a slight take-off on "Where's Waldo?"

http://www.billybragg.co.uk/

http://www.wbcn.org

http://www.theark.org

http://www.southgatehouse.com

http://www.whereswaldo.com

Quote of the Day/Week-Matt Damon

Yes, we had quite a hard time finding a useable image of Matt Damon, hence we had to find one of him in a still photograph from "The Talented Mister Ripley" (1999). Just last year, Damon rejoined 'Ripley' cast-mates Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law for the provocative science thriller "Contagion."

Other films that Damon is known for include "Good Will Hunting" (1997) for which he and pal Ben Affleck won Best Original Screenplay Oscars (neither has won an Oscar for acting or directing_ which Affleck has also done), "Syriana" (2005) and "The Departed" (2006).

Damon turns 42 on October 8th; this month we are quoting famous people born in 1970, the year I was born.

Here is his quote:

"I'd heard people say: 'You'll enjoy being famous for a week and you'll never enjoy it again.' But, I don't think I had that week. I may have been working and missed that moment."

SIDEBAR: We want to wish our fellow Turkish-American progressive Cenk Uygur a happy 42nd birthday. I am a mere 17 days older than Uygur who hosts an excellent political talk show on Current-TV at 7:00 p.m. (eastern and Pacific times); I was surprised that Uygur did not mention the milestone on this show tonight.

And, on the other side of the spectrum, Kirk Cameron, who was born on Oct. 12, 1970, making him just four days younger of the politically liberal Matt Damon, has recently been trying to defuse controversial comments he made regarding gays and lesbians. Cameron said that a homosexual lifestyle was detrimental and destructive, but he said that he never meant to hurt anyone's feelings. Cameron, who came to fame from the 1980s sitcom "Growing Pains," is an out-spoken evangelical who has turned his attention to religious-themed films in recent years.

Bonus Road Trip-NOLA to Branson

Last year, at some juncture on one of our two blogs, we said that essentially the differences between political liberals and right-wingers here in the USA was a rather simple one. Liberal Democrats are more likely to listen to Gogol Bordello, a Russian-emigre punk band (well, at least those who are younger than 45), and conservative Republicans were more likely to find humor in the dated Cold War humor of Russian-emigre comedian Yakov Smirnoff.

As many folks may already know (well, we mentioned this before), Smirnoff regularly performs shows in Branson, Missouri, which has become a mecca for country music fans, perhaps even ones from as far away as Kiev, Ukraine.

As it turns out, Smirnoff will actually be performing on the road as well in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Oct. 15th.

On that same night, the historic Preservation Hall Jazz Band will be performing at Aurora University in Aurora, Illinois. But, normally the band plays in their hometown of New Orleans, La., otherwise known as NOLA.

We also checked to see where Gogol Bordello was performing on that night, but their next concert date is not until Nov. 3rd when they will hit the proverbial stage in Burlington, Vt.

Alas, Branson, Missouri, is also where the late country-singing legend Conway Twitty gave his very last performance. But, a tribute band called Twitty Fever Band will be performing at the Oley Fire Company Apple Festival in Oley, Pa., on Oct. 8 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

So, we are looking at the distances between New Orleans, which is a haven for jazz fans, and Branson, Missouri, and the answer is:

A) 9 hours even

B) 10 hours even

C) 11 hours even

D) 12 hours even

We've got a Neil Diamond's Greatest Hits eight-track tape for the winner (that's a joke, folks!).

Top 10 Most Controversial Films of All Time?

If there is one thing that the two Top Ten Controversial Film Lists I've posted here and on my other blog have in common, it is that religion--more than anything else, seems to make films controversial.

There are some notable controversial films that were not on either list, including two highly political and left-of-center films "Salt of the Earth" (1954) and "Punishment Park" (1974), both of which are excellent films even if one disagrees with their politics.

Horror films like the infamous Italian "Cannibal Holocaust" (1977) which features an actual slaughter of a Galapagos turtle on film were not mentioned that often. The more recent Japanese shock horror film "Audition" (2000) which features very graphic images was also not mentioned as were the "Saw" films, which have been labeled as torture porn films by some.

And, neither list cited Sam Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs" or Elia Kazan's "Baby Doll."

This list was published on film.com on July 21, 2009:

10. "Midnight Cowboy" (John Schlesinger, 1969)

9. "A Clockwork Orange" (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)

8. "Last House on the Left" (Wes Craven, 1972)*

7. "Last Tango in Paris" (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1973)

6. "Salo" (P. Paolo Pasolini, 1975)

5. "I Spit On Your Grave" (Meir Zarchi, 1978)

4. "Life of Brian" (Terry Gilliam, 1979)

3. "Blue Velvet" (David Lynch, 1986)

2. "Kids" (Larry Clark, 1995)

1. "Anti-Christ" (Lars von Trier, 2009)

*- The film has since been remade

Quote of the Week- Burt Lancaster

All month long, we are quoting Oscar-winners.

Today's entry is from Burt Lancaster (1913-1994).

On our other blog "The Daily Vampire," we quoted his "Atlantic City" (1981) co-star Susan Sarandon.

Lancaster was active in politics at a time when such activities were considered subversive, especially for those who held liberal views like the actor who Oscared for "Elmer Gantry" in 1960:

"Can anything be more Un-American than the Un-American committee?"