A Less Dangerous Liaison

Drat! I'll be packing for a trip to the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico tonight. Otherwise I'd be at The Aero watching Colin Firth play the seductive title character in Valmont. This adaptation of the 18th century novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses has a tad more sugar than the Glenn Close/John Malkovich film. But don't worry, it's still sinful. (via Defamer)

The Observer profiles Rufus Wainwright:

...Wainwright sees himself in some senses as the true heir to Verdi, clinging on to his every operatic note as if for dear life, violins swirling as he unpacks his heart, mixing American songbook verve with raw self-revelation.

(The Observer)

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Home Alone

Obstacle #1 to a good night's sleep would have to be The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan. A slim 153 pages, it can easily be slipped in between an episode of The Gilmore Girls and a glass of warm milk (if you're into either of those things). But it won't let you off that easily. Consider the darkest aspects of the characters in McEwan's award-winning novel Atonement and multiply them by 10 for a glimpse at what you can expect from this gloomy tale of four children who live alone together after their parents die. I can't say that I enjoyed reading The Cement Garden, but I did find myself compelled to finish it. After dreaming that I'd been buried alive in cement, I'm reluctant to watch the screen adaptation starring Charlotte Gainsbourg.

I am curious to see how Hirokazu Koreeda's latest film Nobody Knows treats the true story of four children who live alone after they are abandoned by their mother. Hear the review of Nobody Knows from Fresh Air.

The Sleeping Princess

And Aurora--she had no library to reveal, but her dreams, like finely crafted antiques, would have more than filled the rooms of a tall mansion. Long past midnight she whispered to him--as she had never whispered to anyone--of knights and sorcerers, boisterous but cunning dragons, obsidian roads like frozen black rivers. Slowly George came to understand that her desire was not just to think or read such things, but that she honestly desired to experience a fairy tale.

from Fool on the Hill by Matt Ruff

More than Mystery Meat

Naked Chef Jamie Oliver tries to help England's schoolchildren get more for their lunch money. (The Guardian via The Morning News)

While I try to decide whether or not I can spend the $20, you should head over to the Skirball Center at 7:30 pm to see Confessions of Max Tivoli author Andrew Sean Greer in conversation with Daniel Handler (Lemony Snickett). (via LAist)

The Quest

I was watching Carnivale last night and when Sofie asked Ben to run away with her, he told her that he had no choice but to continue on a path toward Damascus. And you know that he meant he had to keep going whether or not he survived the journey or even completed his ultimate quest. The visions he's had make it clear that this will be no easy task and that death is likely. Who doesn't love an old-fashioned good vs. evil Quest? There is something so purposeful about it. Hello. I'm waiting for a vision.

Bleak is Beautiful

David Fincher's gritty and gripping thriller Se7en received only one Oscar Nom (for editing) the year it was released, 1995. That year Braveheart won best picture and that movie about the pig received seven nominations and one win.

Napoleon Dynamite

The Getty is holding an interesting panel tomorrow night with Arianna Huffington, "Politics of Portraits." Here's Flavorpill's description of the event:

Lest you think political art and visual propaganda are the exclusive province of the modern era, the Getty Center presents a panel discussion to set you straight. Featuring the unlikely trio of local artist/activist/hero Robbie Conal, British royal court painter Richard Stone, and loose cannon/visionary pundit Arianna Huffington, the panel is an offshoot of the newly opened Jacques-Louis David: Empire to Exile — a comprehensive survey of the 19th century French painter's pro-Napoleon output. With much sparring about such ideas as fame, ambition, empire, hubris, and the enduring narcissism of the political arena, this promises to be an illuminating, hilarious, and ultimately important evening.

The exhibit is on display through April 24.

An L.A. Weekend: Amy and I spotted Nikki Hilton at La Scala while on our way to Edelweiss Chocolates which was once owned by Partridge Family mom Shirley Wilson. Saturday I stopped by Susina's Bakery for a steaming cup of hot cocoa before catching Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint in On the Waterfront at the New Beverly Cinema. It's much more fun watching Brando stand up to union mobsters with an appreciative crowd.

Photo Credit: Joel Warwick
My best friend Nicki and her husband Joel were recently in Salzburg, where Joel took this lovely picture of Mirabell Palace and Gardens.