New Wild Flag Album Review Coming Soon!

With my newfound interest in the blogosphere I re-discovered Carrie Brownstein's now defunct Monitor Mix for the first time (I was peripherally aware of it, but had never read it). In one of her greatest hits/posts, Carrie moderated a panel discussion with a group of independent label heads. In this conversation it was revealed that many labels/artists were including vouchers for a free mp3 download within the packaging of new LPs (vinyl); this struck me as I had recently introduced my oldest son Oscar to Cutler's New Haven's record shop.

Wild Flag's self-titled debut album is the second record I have purchased in as many months (recently replaced the needle on my turntable). At first listen the album rocks! And WF lives up to the label of "supergroup;" however, I believe I will have to listen to it a few more times before I am able to write the review a great piece of art such as this deserves.

Public Art in Private Spaces

Pop artist Claes Oldenburg once remarked, "I am for an art that is political-erotical-mystical that does something other than sit on its ass in a museum" (Hughes 356).

How's that working out for ya? This seminal monumental sculpture was spotted under lock and key in the Morse College courtyard (Yale University). I say make public art public again and drive that thing down to the New Haven Green.

What are your thoughts?

Feature Profile: X-Man AKA Xavier Ycaza

X-Man, Xavier Jesus Ycaza, was given his particularly fitting moniker by a middle school teacher. This handle suits him well because anyone versed in the Marvel universe knows that the X-Men are a group of highly-gifted individuals and that they are led by Professor X, who just so happens to posess the special powers that Xavier finds most desirable: telekinesis and mind control.

Xavier may not be a superhero, but he is looked up to by his younger siblings and has survived a plane crash. Yes, you heard correctly. Some seven years  after leaving his native Ecuador for the Nutmeg State (Connecticut; he currently resides in West Haven), Xavier survived a crash landing in Lima, Peru. Even though seven years have passed since this traumatic event, Xavier recalls his experience like it was yesterday,

"I remember the sound of panic. Everyone was screaming, 'We're gonna die,' as the oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling."

Fortunately for Metropolitan Business Academy and the scientific community, Xavier emerged from the crash unscathed. Although the end of his path is uncertain, Xavier is ever inquisitive and identifies chemistry as his favorite subject, "because it shows you how things work."

 Xavier plans on attending a four year college after he graduates from MBA next spring (hopefully his Red Sox will be performing better then).

HBUs

Creating Community and Voicing Student Opinions: The State of Journalism at MBA

Do Now (9:14-9:30):

In going through your responses as to why blogging might be a worthwhile independent project in journalism class many of you responded that blogs would give your voices a platform from which to be heard and that blogs would be a means for creating an informed school community. Although I was generally pleased with these responses (and others), it seems to me that I have given you a stifling amount of freedom in terms of content (what it is you are writing about) on your blogs. 

Today’s assignment asks that you do three things: first, post a comment here (to my blog post) describing your experiences with blogger thus far (you may discuss frustrations, as well as your successes); next before posting your comment think about the second part of my opening statement, “creating an informed school community.” What is meant by this? In your response I would like you to introduce one of the following questions:

Why are class elections and a strong student council important?

How have uniforms affected morale and shaped school climate here at Metropolitan Business Academy in 2011-2012?

Why I am a part of, and why you should be a part of MBA’s community of learning?

In your comment embed a link to your own post that addresses one of these topics.

Class Work:

A. Draft and publish post that centers around question raised in Do Now (9:30-9:50).
B. Go back to bigblockflix.blogspot.com and read peer comments (9:50-10:00).
C. Follow link from at least one peer comment to blog post. Read post and leave a comment (I am   looking for something that adds to the conversation and builds community (not a simple, "Hey, what's up?"). (10:00-10:15)
D. Either respond to peer comment on your post directly or revise your post to reflect comments (10:15-10:39).

Personal Narrative: My Twentieth Century Cycle Bucket List

Five down and five to go; and no I am not talking about pounds or inches around the waist, I am talking theater. Yes, in my initial post I stated I would be blogging primarily about film, but here I digress and focus my attention on another performing art, live theater, and the drama of August Wilson specifically.

I was first introduced to the work of Wilson as a newbie teacher of English in Harlem circa 2005.

Yes, I am aware there are only four Play Bills in my photo, but if I am not mistaken my wife has pitched the one from the first production I took in, King Hedley II at NYC's Signature Theatre (I believe that was in the spring of '07).

In 2008,  I participated in the Yale New Haven Teachers' Institute for the first time. My resulting curriculum unit explores several works by Wilson. Read Toward a Democratic Literature here.

To see a scene from the production of Fences featuring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis click here.

Performances I've attended to date:

King Hedley II, Signature Theatre Company, NYC '07; featuring Lou Myers as Stool Pigeon,  Stephen McKinley Henderson as Elmore and Russell Hornsby as King.

Joe Turners Come and Gone, Lincoln Ctr @ the Belasco Theatre, '09; featuring Chad Coleman as Harold Loomis and Ernie Hudson as Seth Holly.

Fences, Cort Theare, '10; Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.

The Piano Lesson, Yale Rep, '11.

Gem of the Ocean, Hartford Stage, '11.

Statement of Introduction and Purpose: The Current Cinema

I am a self-proclaimed cineaste. Now that that is out there, the last two films I actually viewed on the big screen (not including The Incredibles recently projected on the side of a house at a block party) were Rise of the Planet of the Apes ('11) and the Coen brothers' Oscar-nominated remake of True Grit circa 2010.

But why Big Block Flix you might ask? Although I will be blogging about other interests included in my profile, I will write mostly about film, and I am gaga for car movies (esp. those that include examples of American Muscle).  I will say as a parent of two boys under the age of four, I don't get around like I used to, and as a result must select my moviegoing excursions with care. The next film on my personal radar was A Dangerous Method, the new David Cronenberg film slated for November release, that was at least until a friend of mine brought the new Ryan Gosling picture Drive to my attention.

Without reading too much in the way of SPOILERS!!! and synopses, this film appears to have a lot to offer. As previously mentioned it stars Ryan Gosling, who first came to my attention in Half Nelson (my hands down favorite film that deals with the issue of urban education; note: this is not your garden-variety movie-of-the-week Freedom Writers re-tread) and delivered an extremely strong performance as a Jewish neo-Nazi in The Believer. Although I felt Gosling slumped with Lars and the Real Girl (read my review here) he is an Oscar-nominated actor who delivers. The film also includes an impressive supporting cast: Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Bryan Cranston (Malcom in the Middle and Breaking Bad).