§ Remember when Alan Moore was going to collaborate with Damon Albarn for an opera about occultist John Dee? It sounded too good to be true and it was — the project fell apart over creative differences. However, Albarn has pressed on with the project, and the opera, now done with director Rufus Norris, just premiered:
“Dr Dee” is by no means a pure period piece. Mr. Albarn himself, in a leather jacket, sings as a smoky-voiced commentator and as Dee’s alter ego; the cast’s vocal styles are from opera and early music. Christopher Robson, who plays the deeply repellent scryer Kelley, is a countertenor. Every so often the music turns to a modern fusion, with chromatic dissonances or lush soundtrack strings; Mr. Albarn also draws some subtle connections between theorbo and West African kora, and between antiphonal Renaissance singing and Congolese pygmy polyphony. There’s one section in the second act that falls back, unfortunately, on the motoric arpeggios of Philip Glass.
§ Tim is still talking! This time with one-man studio Jimmy Palmiotti:
O’Shea: Given the variety of stories you are creating in a given month, how stressful is it to try to keep the creative output of a standard that pleases you, while still keeping your sanity?
Palmiotti: The stressful part comes when the actual script leaves my hands. There are scores of people out there … artists, colorists and even editors that think I worry too much about the product…but my argument is that although a ton of comics come out each month … anything I work on has to have a certain level of professional quality to it. I feel for the people spending their hard earned money on these books and thing we have to give them the best work we can each and every time out of the gate. It drives me crazy when creators are dismissive about the work and even worse when the people in charge forget that these are projects of passion. Justin and Amanda [Conner] will tell you that I can lose my mind from time to time, but I take it out on myself, not others. I treat every job like its my last and there is a price to pay for that … and my sanity can be that price…lol.
§ Everywhere you look, there are previews and advice on attending this year’s Comic-Con, and here’s one man’s Tips For Vloggers — a Vlog is a video blog, duh — and this advice is as basic as it gets.
1) Make sure you bring a camcorder! You can’t be a vlogger without a camcorder. If you’ve left your camcorder at home or in the hotel, you’re plans have been destroyed, and in away far worse than Darth Vader could do. So make sure you’ve packed your camcorder.
The piece gets more technical from there, so buckle up.
§ Tyrese Gibson has joined Isaiah Mustafa and Idris Elba as actors who are begging to play Luke Cage in a Luke Cage movie! Actually, Gibson has been talking about this for years! So many strong men so desperate! When is this going to happen? Comic on Mardisneyvel! Sweet Christmas! It’s about time.
But if they ever do make that movie, which Luke Cage should it be? it be the modern, normal-looking Luke Cage?
Or the guy with a tiara who doesn’t know how to button his shirt!
And who would be the best Luke? Tyrese? Idris? Isaiah?
Pretty much whenever the question is, “Who should play this part, Idris Elba or someone else?” the answer should be, “Idris Elba.”
Make it modern Luke Cage, and put the man in a fitted black T-shirt. I assume it’ll get shredded Doc Savage-style anyway. Tyrese might not be a bad casting choice, but I’ve only seen him in TRANSFORMERS. He certainly has broad appeal.
I guess Gibson’s request to be Cage means that he has dropped his pursuit of a Mayhem movie. Let the mourning begin.
Terry Crews is the only answer to playing Luke Cage. Remember those Old Spice commercials a few years ago, and he’s already been in the Expendables, so he knows how to do an action movie.
The only answer can be WWE midcarder-for-life Shelton Benjamin.