Mar. 17th, 2007

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This one is for [profile] moira_ramsay in response to her comment that the 14th century is cool.
I'm almost halfway through "Who Murdered Chaucer?" by Terry Jones, Terry Dolan, Juliette Dor, Alan Fletcher and Robert Yeager. Chaucer, the most English famous poet of his age, disappears from the public record some time around 1400. You would think someone would have noticed. In the authors' words, not so much a whodunit as a wazzitdunatall, Jones (formerly of Monty Python) and his colleagues examine the  events surrounding the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV and ask some fascinating questions.   Despite the rather alarming blurb on the back cover that insists on identifying Messrs. Dolan and Fletcher as professors of literature at University Collage, Dublin, this is a scholarly, readable (why yes, it is possible to be both!) examination of late 14th century England. Link to Amazon.com

Spent Friday evening and most of Saturday with [profile] mamapduck for some girl fun. I hopped a BART out to meet her, we stood in front of the Umptyplex as the electronic boards flashed titles and times. She'd already seen "300," wasn't up for "Zodiac" - we bought tickets for "Amazing Grace" and then grabbed dinner nearby.

William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd), a student of slaveship-captain-turned-evangelical-pastor John Newton (who penned the hymn named in the title), campaigns relentlessly in Parliament to end England's participation in the slave trade.  (I found myself playing "Name that BBC face" a bit - the cast includes Albert Finney as Newton, Rufus Sewell, Ciaran Hinds, Michael Gambon, Toby Jones, as well as Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour.) Good storytelling, good acting, smart casting, costuming looked pretty good to my eye.  (The MPs are in a dim, candelit club playing cards. Some of the men have relaxed and doffed their wigs. You know they were wearing wigs in the first place because you can see traces of powder along where the false hairline of the wig lay on a forehead or two. I thought this was brilliant!)

Today we hit the St. Patrick's Day festival in Dublin - [profile] mamapduck said it was like an art and wine festival without the wine. I never actually walked up to someone in a tacky T-shirt and said, "I'm Irish and I find that highly offensive!" just to mess with their heads - but the temptations were rife. In Ireland you know how they observe St. Patricks' Day? They go to Mass! And they don't serve the Guinness cold either.
We were there mostly to catch Celtic rockers Tempest at the main stage. They are always fun and high energy - I discovered them back East with a slightly different line-up when they toured my old stomping grounds. Woulda done more dancing if the area hadn't been paved. It took me too many years to get my knee healed, I am no longer a High Impact kinda girl. Besides, there were  a bunch of lovely young things in Shirley Temple wigs, strappy black dresses and Hardshoes Of DOOM from a local Irish Dance school who would break into routines at the slightest provocation. Link to MP3 of "The Karfluki Set."

Did not get the laundry done - somebody else had the machine going when I got home. Caught "Take The Lead" on HBO. Antonio Banderas teaches high school kids ballroom dance, manners and self esteem. Predictable, but the dancing was good and Banderas is Banderas.

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