Tiger Beat (vox version)

MLA public sessions in San Francisco

nobody@vox.com(Steve) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:02:46 -0800

The Modern Language Association conference is in San Francisco at the Hilton through Tuesday, Dec 30th
and a number of sessions are free and open to the public.

The website requires free registration to look at the conference program and isn't easy to
navigate, so I'll list a few of the open sessions here.

Sunday, Dec 28th

Public Shakespeares Noon to 1:15, Continental 1-2, Hilton

Grace Paley Writing the World: Literature and Legacy, 1:45 - 3:30 pm, Continental 1-2, Hilton
with Dorothy Allison, Thulani Davis, Gish Jen, & Galway Kinnell

Biocultures: Closing the Science-Humanities Gap, 1:45 - 3:30 pm, Continental 5, Hilton

Politics and the Classroom: A Roundtable 3:30 - 4:45 pm, Continental 5, Hilton

A Screening of the silent film When Lincoln Paid, 5:15 - 6:30 pm, Golden Gate 8, Hilton

Storytelling from Native California, 5:15 - 6:30 pm, Golden Gate 5, Hilton

A Reading by Three Black South African Women Writers, 5:15 - 6:30 pm, Golden Gate 3, Hilton
with Gabeba Baderoon, Yvette T. Chritanse, & Nadia Davids

The Impropriety of Faust: Marking the Two Hundredth Anniversary of Goethe's Play, 7:15 - 8:30 pm, Club Room, Marriott

The Presidential Address, 8:40 pm, Continental 5, Hilton

Monday, Dec 29tth

Return to Prince Edward Island: Anne of Green Gables at One Hundred, 8:30 - 9:45 am, Sutter, Hilton

The Story Hearer: Grace Paley's Poetry & Prose, 10:15 - 11:30 am, Golden Gate 3, Hilton

Literature of Immigrants, noon to 1:15 pm, Franciscan B, Hilton

Our Affection for Books, noon to 1:15 pm, Yosemite B, Hilton

The Responsibility of the Poet: Grace Paley Writing Social Change with Susan Griffin, 3:30 - 4:45 pm, Golden Gate 3, Hilton

Editing Manuscripts in Digital & Print Forms, 3:30 - 4:45 pm, Yosemite B, Hilton

Crossing Borders: Four Scottish Poets in Conversations, 5:15 - 6:30 pm
with Gerry Cambridge, David Kinloch, Alan Riach, & Fiona J Wilson

The Bay Area as a Site of Resistance in Native American Literature, 9 - 10:15 pm, Lombard, Hilton

Tuesday, Dec 30th

The Godfather at Forty: Retrospectives on Puzo's Italian America and Its Meanings for American Culture, 8:30 - 9:45 am, Union Square 24, Hilton

There was a panel on microblogging Sunday morning.

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Oscar documentary short list

nobody@vox.com(Steve) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:17:01 -0800

Jon Else & Errol Morris

The 15 feature films being considered for an Oscar Nomination (which

will be announced Jan 22 - also see AJ Schank's overview with trailers) are:

At the Death House Door, more

The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) it opens in NYC on Nov 21, Jan 23 in LA, Feb

27 in Bay area (check site for more cities) & will be on POV on PBS next season

Ellen Kuras was interviewed by IndieWire and profiled in the New York Times.

Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh (will be on DVD in spring)

Encounters at the End of the World (just out on DVD)

Fuel (playing Portland now, see site for more cities)

The Garden (screening Nov 21 & 22 at Denver Film Fest)

Scott Hicks taking questions about Glass

Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (I think it will be on American Masters on PBS)

I.O.U.S.A. (they have a 30 minute version online, you can also watch a related film In Debt We Trust online)

In a Dream

Made in America by Stacy Peralta

Man on Wire will be out on DVD Dec 9th

Pray the Devil Back to Hell (at Cinema Village in NYC, at Red Vic in SF Dec 12-18, check site for more)

Standard Operating Procedure by Errol Morris is on DVD (photos from SFIFF)

They Killed Sister Dorothy

Trouble the Water

Also, Mary and Max, the first feature length claymation film from Oscar winner Adam Elliot

will be the opening film at the Sundance Film Festival. The competition lineup should be announced soon

(subscribe to the Indiewire newsletter to be among the fist to find out).

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Featured Question: Easier Said Than Done

nobody@vox.com(Steve) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:58:42 -0700

What’s a simple thing you could do to save money, but are unwilling (or unable) to put to practice?
Sponsored by Microsoft Small Business.
To never again buy anything from Microsoft. Many people are currently unable to do this because the place where they work uses Windows, Office, and Outlook. But it is becoming easier as better, cheaper (often free), and easier to use software (which doesn't crash as often) moves to the web (which I guess is one reason why Microsoft Small Business is sponsoring this question and Microsoft is spending lots of money on really stupid ads with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld who didn't need to sell his Mac soul - he has enough money).

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IMG00013.jpg

nobody@vox.com(Steve) — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:05:46 -0700

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Alive in Bagdhad reporter killed

nobody@vox.com(Steve) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:48:13 -0800

Last night, Brian Conley, of Alive in Bagdhad, began posting on twitter (which will soon be down til
about 10 pm tonight) the news that one of his reporters had been killed. Below are some of his updates (He has also written a post about what he knows so far):

First Alive in Baghdad staff member killed. There was a US raid, we don't know how he was killed.

He was working on a secret project, I don't know if I can release his name yet.

It was a project about the Badr Corps, his mom told us he was killed in a multinational raid, but we dont know if it was US or ING. [this was his 1,000th update on twitter]

that brings AIB deaths for 2007 to 5, Isams cousin, omars dad, nabeels brother, and hayders sister, and now our correspondent Ali

Ali was the last survivor of three sons, he is survived by his sister and mother. He was 24.

@annierocks at least they are in Syria, but his dad and brothers are all dead, so who knows how they're paying the bills. (paypal?!)

Alive in Baghdad correspondent Ali Shafeya was killed on December 14th, details are still coming in. He was 24, survived by mom and sister

you can make a donation to suport his family to smallworldnews@gmail.com via paypal, please note that it is for Ali's family

they say that security is improving, but 2 relatives of Iraqi staffers have died in the last month.

Omar is at the funeral now, with his mom and sister, we hope to have the full story in the next three hours, thx for your donations so far

e news last night, Ali Shafeya, an AIB correspondent, was killed yesterday in Habibya, we are still waiting for the details. Stay tuned.

@acarvin advice on dealing with dead colleagues, especially on supporting my bureau chief omar who is taking it hardest. i am a wreck too

@newmediajim thanks. means a lot. you know i was out for a pre-christmas gift from my fiancen. death always happens when u least expect it

At 11:30PM 12/14 Iraqi National Guard arrived at Ali's street. 15 minutes later gunfire was heard by neighbors. Ali did not answer his phone

After 3:00am Baghdad time the INGs left. Neighbors called his cousin Amar, who went to the house where Ali had been alone

He was found shot dead in the living room. Amar called the Iraqi Police and gave the story he heard from Ali's neighbors. More info soon.

Ali Shafeya was shot 31 times in the head and chest. According to the morgue he was killed instantly. He would have been 24 on Sunday.

correction, 23. He was born December 16th, 1984

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Documentary Oscar shortlist

nobody@vox.com(Steve) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:35:28 -0800

I'll update this with more info tonight.

Five of these will be nominated on Jan. 22nd:

"Autism: The Musical"

"Body of War"

"For the Bible Tells Me So" http://www.forthebibletellsmeso.org

"Lake of Fire" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_of_Fire_%28film%29

"Nanking" also see ted.aol.com/category.php?catID=359

"No End in Sight" (on DVD)

"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience"

"Please Vote for Me"

"The Price of Sugar"

"A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman"

"The Rape of Europa"

"Sicko"

"Taxi to the Dark Side"

"War/Dance"

"White Light/Black Rain" (on DVD)

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QotD: This One Goes To 11

nobody@vox.com(Steve) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:00:55 -0700

What's the best music documentary or concert film you've seen?

There are many excellent films, but the best is still Stop Making Sense. I saw it when I was in high
school when it was first released, showed it several times in college, and own the DVD.

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Three film festivals on Thursday

nobody@vox.com(Steve) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:40:29 -0700

The CounterCorp Anti-Corporate Film Festival opens at the Victoria tonight and continues through the 20th.

The Arab Film Festival opens at the Clay and continues in several venues (including the Roxie) in the bay area through the 28th and then in LA October 31st to November 4th.

The United Nations Association Film Festival is at the Roxie in San Francisco tonight, then East Palo Alto on the 19th, and San Jose on the 21st. I'll write more about some of the films which will be playing at Stanford from the 24th to the 28th.

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Cheney's Law & Worldplay

nobody@vox.com(Steve) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:03:41 -0700

San Francisco Mime Troupe July 4th opening

Frontline begins the fall season tonight with Cheney's Law. It expands on last year's The Dark Side (which is online), with a focus on Cheney's push to expand executive power and many would consider the disastrous consequences. It will be online Wednesday. Also see the Washington Post's series on Cheney.

On many PBS stations, it will be followed the Wordplay on Independent Lens (check local listings). Until it airs (or you watch it on DVD), you can work on this crossword puzzle. And you can listen to Will Shortz every Sunday morning on NPR.

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Welcome to Nollywood & the Orchestra of Piazza Vittorio

nobody@vox.com(Steve) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:43:20 -0700

Welcome to Nollywood

There are a couple of special film events in San Francisco on Tuesday, October 9th (tonight). The Mill Valley Film Festival comes to the San Francisco Art Institute with a screening at 7:30 pm of Welcome to Nollywood. The documentary looks at the film industry in Nigeria which only started in the early 90s, but is already the third largest behind Hollywood and Bollywood. Director Jaimie Meltzer (Off the Charts) and producer Henry Rosenthal (The Devil and Daniel Johnson) both live in San Francisco. Michael Fox interviewed Meltzer for SF360.

L'orchestra di Piazza Vittorio

The Orchestra of Piazza Vittorio screens at the Clay Theater at 7:30 followed by a performance by the group and Q&A with filmmaker Agostino Ferrente. The documentary tells story of an effort to save a historic theater by creating an orchestra made up of musicians from all over the world. The tour is being presented by Netflix's Red Envelope Entertainment.

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