The French, The Goat, The Jazz, The Cracker

This unusual site shows off a French production company that looks like a fun place to work. As if that weren't enough, they did a terrifically French site for Veuve Clicquot -- it's both beautiful and hard to navigate. Far be it from me to chide design genii for valuing form over function. As long as I'm not working with them. N.B.: Both sites require Flash. Sorry, mom.

Just enjoyed two nights of entertainment, thanks to the glories of season tickets. Saw Albee's "The Goat or Who Is Sylvia" tonight at the Taper. The wife was amazing; she'd make a great Medea. Midway through the intermission-free play, two couples got up and left, which is apparently common, given that the drama revolves around "goat-fucking" and what it does to a marriage. The term "goat-fucking" is trotted out repeatedly, along with "goat-fucker" and "You fucked a goat!" during the early, funny scenes. Like Albee's earlier "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," the play begins with comedy, turns bitter, and then escalates to raging tragedrama. Much like Woody Allen's career. (Damn! A gratuitous celeb mention. Sorry.)

Hey. My reviewing days are well behind me. Expect nothing here. Even as a critic I hated having to label and categorize others' work. All I'm doing in this venue is ... is ... is ... wake me up when it's over.

And the previous night, I witnessed Sonny Rollins in concert at the semi-sanded Disney Hall. Despite the crowd-pleasingly uptempo tunes that dominated the latter half of the set, it was among the most absorbing jazz performances I've experienced in a while. Truly amazing playing. It even silenced the couple next to us, who were so preposterously vocal during the Charlie Haden-Ornette Coleman show a few months ago. That night, especially during Haden's mellow opening set, our hefty neighbor brandished his water bottle menacingly, muttered at the stage (from the balcony!), and generally carried on from the moment he sat down to the moment he left early. How did Mr. Finicky here cope? By pretending I was in a divey jazz club and trying to bank all the witticisms and eructations.

Speaking of eructations, here's something that made me laugh out loud and blink in disbelief. It's the best ad I've seen yet for a product with such limited appeal. And yes, that includes the sad and pointless Vertu phone.

Ahem. Please stand by while we install Picasa 2 and Hello so that we may bring you, our loyal reading public, this most compelling image. Go ahead -- walk around. Get a PepsiOne. Phone home. We'll be right with you ....

Et ... voila!


Streits Cred: Creating a black market for matzos. 

OK. So who's the target? Does Streits really think anybody but Passover-obliged Jews will buy Matzos? Why would anyone but Passover-obliged Jews buy Matzos? It's the freaking Bread of Affliction, for Chrissake! It ain't s'posed to be tasty. I guess you could liken it to soul food, which is also a response to privation. But they aren't even pitching the marginally edible onion or egg varieties. Is this ad an attempt to reach out to the same "hip" Hebrew 20-somethings who wear "Yo Semite" t-shirts and read Heeb magazine? It's so naked and yet tricky; ergo, so brilliant. Is it in poor taste? Jeez, how would I know? As if I have any sense of what constitutes poor taste. Jigga, please.