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contours provocations
journal - 2001-0614 - thu 2100 Richard Burton, Dune, An Uneventful Day I've heard a song several times of Virgin.UK which has a lyric which sez, "he drinks like Richard Burton." Whenever I hear it, I wonder how many listeners even know who Richard Burton was. It's a great phrase and very telling for Burton was a world-class drinker. Several months ago, I watched a documentary on the making of "Cleopatra" on AMC. It mentioned that when he first arrived for filming, he was so intoxicated he could barely function. Liz Taylor immediately began "mothering" him, and they soon fell in love and became one of the world's most tempestuous couples. While on the subject of Virgin.UK, I do wish they'd get some new commercials. The same ones over and over are a tad tiring. And they're not very funny or clever or exciting. The Sci-Fi Channel has been rerunning their made-for-tv version of "Dune" the last three nights. As a novel, it has a fanatical following. But if you read the comments at IMDB, many fans were disappointed in the Sci-Fi version. The story is predictable. Exotic culture waiting for a messiah. Intrigue, deception, tribulations. It is a sumptuous production with some very elaborate costumes. The costumes look like something from a Puccini opera, or a convocation of time lords on Doctor Who's Gallifrey, or a troop of the Vatican City's Swiss Guards. The lead and one of the nephews are pleasing to watch. The nephew even has a brief rear nude scene. Of course, if they really wanted to "spice" it up, they should have the two of them frolicking in the desert. (I'm sure you noticed the clever pun.) Today was like yesterday. Or at least I think it was. Nothing in particular struck me. A new copy of "Freshmen" arrived, but it didn't excite me. So did the newest "OUT," which did have an article on gays and depression. The daily newspaper was vapid. I flipped through "Wired" but don't remember anything noteworthy. Enough silliness. PAX!
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