Category Archives: Hedonism

click to enlarge

Courtesy Photo / Steve Acevedo

When filming the documentary Parrot Heads, Steve Acevedo got the chance to interview Jimmy Buffett.

It had been two years since filmmaker, cinematographer and San Antonio native Steve Acevedo (Love and Baseball) started shooting the documentary Parrot Heads about the loyal fan base of singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett when he got a call to pack his bags for Key West.

The film's director and co-writer, Bryce Wagoner, had landed an interview with the "Margaritaville" singer-songwriter, and he and Acevedo, who served as director of photography, had to be in Florida the following day.

"So, I got on a plane," Acevedo told the Current during a recent interview. "We didn't have a lot of details, but the next morning we got on a boat to this private island. It turned out filming wasn't allowed on the island."

Unable to take his normal gear with him (not even a tripod), Acevedo had to get by with a small digital camera and a mic.

"I had to figure out how to shoot without gear," he said. "I had some nice, soft light coming from the windows. I used a chair to rest my elbows while holding the camera. And I put the mic on a paper towel holder. As a cinematographer, you always want the tools to make things look as good as possible, but sometimes you have to make do with what you have."

During our talk, Acevedo reminisced about shooting the interview with Buffett and what he learned about Parrot Heads during the making of the movie.

Buffett died earlier this year after a four-year battle with skin cancer. He was 76.

Parrot Heads, which was released in 2017, is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

How did you initially get involved in the project?

I had worked with the production company on a couple of other things. Originally, we were only going to shoot for about a month, but I ended up shooting over 70 days during a two-year period. So, it ended up being a pretty big project.

Did you know anything about Parrot Heads before you started shooting?

I knew nothing about the fan base at all. I just knew various musicians have their specific fan bases, like the Grateful Dead has their Deadheads. The director and one of the producers gave me the lowdown. They were both big Jimmy Buffett fans. I learned that all these very famous songwriters like Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney [and] Gordon Lightfoot were big fans of Jimmy Buffett. When I saw the fan base, it was at another level. At his concerts, people tailgate like it's a college football game. I had never seen that done at a music show before.

So, is it safe to say that Parrot Heads are a lot different than, say, Swifties?

I mean, do people tailgate before a Taylor Swift concert? When I say tailgate, I'm talking about lots of alcohol. Lots of, probably, sex in RVs. It's pure hedonism. It's just people having fun. Most of them are white, middle-aged professionals. This was their opportunity to just let loose and enjoy life.

What was Jimmy Buffett like?

He was so nice and cool. He walked in and he was barefoot. He was basically wearing what he wears on stage a concert T-shirt and swimming trunks. He was very sincere and funny and gracious. He was appreciative of us for making the movie. I can't express to you how big of a fan our director was. He was basically interviewing his hero. I was a little bit more removed because I didn't know a lot of his music. I had only heard "Margaritaville" and "Come Monday."

Did he offer you any margaritas while you were there?

No margaritas there, but in the process of production, we definitely drank a lot of margaritas. So, I will say it was one of the most fun jobs I've ever had.

What did you think when you found out he had died?

When I heard the news, in my mind, I was just thinking about our director and how he was going to take it. The next morning, I talked to him, and he was pretty shaken up. The guy meant a lot to a lot of people. He basically created a lifestyle for people to live out.

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed

Read this article:

San Antonio filmmaker recalls time he recorded Jimmy Buffett ... - San Antonio Current

At times, I cant believe what the most famous female artists of the 1960s accomplished, both in their first flushes of fame and beyond. I think especially of three whose practices boldly confronted gender identity and sexuality: Yayoi Kusama, Marisol and Niki de Saint Phalle. Their work, with its often overtly carnal nature, its carnivalesque pageantry and play, is nothing short of revolutionary. Portraying womens pleasure, they charted a path for erotic liberation and, in some ways, anticipated, yet remained a generational prior to, the collectivist project of second-wave feminism.

Then, at other times, I get pissy that each of these women grew up exceedingly rich and was also a fashion model (De Saint Phalle) or a photogenic media darling (Marisol). These factors no doubt played a large role in their early career success. This trio, in particular, was formed of ingnues one of art historys most critically tarnished roles.

To avoid becoming resentful, envious or depressed, I think of other contemporaneous women who also took on female power and sexuality in frank, disturbing and trailblazing ways: artists like Ida Applebroog, Lee Bontecou, Lee Lozano, Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar, Zilia Snchez Domnguez, Nancy Spero and other (mostly) figurative artists born c.1930. These slightly less famous female artists lacked prodigious financial resources and did not hit it big by the age of 35 at least not on the global scale of Kusama, Marisol or De Saint Phalle.

The thing is, the work of both the rich and the poor women artists of this generation, who came of age in the 1940s and 50s, inspires me. The traumatizing sexism, violence and, in the cases of women of colour, racism they experienced, metabolized and eventually bravely rebelled against is extraordinary.

But niggling ole me cant wholly separate the biography from the work, because I know how fucking hard and exhausting it is to be creative without resources and how this always affects the work. You have to do things you dont want to do A LOT of the time: a lack of independence euphemistically termed creative compromise. You dont have the money to be free, bereft of a trust fund, an inheritance or a financially advantageous marriage to coast on. Poverty, routine economic oppression, is always nipping at your heels.

In Marisols case, her wealth insulated her from all manner of demands and accountability.

There has been much talk, post #MeToo, of separating the man from the work, in the cases of Pablo Picasso and other cradle-robbers and women-abusers. But we must also consider other forms of privilege that facilitate a career becoming publicly visible. In Marisols case, her wealth insulated her from all manner of demands and accountability. Even before she became famous, she declared in her journal in 1956: I am the Venezuelan, born in France, living in Italy that has an English car with North American plates and Swiss insurance and they want to ask me what nationality I am.

Buffalo AKG Art Museum curator Cathleen Chaffee responded to this statement in the museum catalogue for Marisol: A Retrospective which opens this month at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts writing: One recognizes in these self-assessments of her different personae the privilege of a white-passing Latin American immigrant with the resources to adopt expensive hobbies. Such is the guilelessness of extreme privilege that can float the rich above the depressing realities of class inequality, that day-to-day enervation the struggle, the grind, the hustle that forecloses creative possibilities for so many.

When I first considered Marisols survey, I immediately thought of a work of hers that always annoyed me: her portrait of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, commissioned by and published on the cover of TIME magazine on 3 March 1967. I then recalled her famous Self-Portrait (196162), which was a standout work in last years New York: 19621964 at the Jewish Museum, where it was first exhibited in 1966. The Hefner work is not in Marisol: A Retrospective, or the accompanying catalogue, nor was it in Warhol and Marisol Take New York at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh in 2021. (This particular self-portrait, however, is in both.)

Dont get me wrong, Marisol is awesome. The recent catalogue is a trove of delights and the show travelling to Toledo Art Museum next, before arriving at Buffalo AKG Art Museum and then Dallas Museum of Art will be a must-see. Even though Marisol was young, very rich and model-like, she was also eventually not those things. She lived too large travelling the world at the peak of her fame and, given her predisposition to not give a shit about money, coming as she did from extravagant Venezuelan oil wealth, she essentially walked away from her career to scuba dive for half a decade in remote locations at immense expense. And, even when she had it all, she was still a woman, which, in 1965, presented powerful men and women (and not so powerful men) yet another opportunity to be condescending, churlish and misogynistic about a female artists success.

She was also a woman who existed in a stew of pernicious, exoticizing stereotypes about her Latinidad. Marisol bequeathed her estate to Buffalo AKG Art Museum, which has meticulously explored key elements of her career, emphasizing the ecological polemics of her post-diving, aquatic-inspired works; her frequent collaborations with choreographers Louis Falco, Martha Graham and Elisa Monte; the graphic renderings of sexuality and sexual violence in her drawings, as well as the ambiguous co-existence of desire and repulsion in them; and the oddities of her public commissions. In 1966, Eva Hesse left a studio visit with Marisol with very critical thoughts, complaining in her diary that the elder artist left too much on the surface design, decoration. Mystery is lost. She cannot any longer just attach dime-store paraphernalia all over [...] When her pieces hide something from the viewer, we look at [them] differently.

***

Back to Mr. Playboy. In line with Hesses critique, Marisols sculpture of Hefner hides nothing; instead, it employs excess and duplications to great and sometimes jarring effect. Given Marisols strength as a caricaturist, it is overall an exceedingly flattering portrait. Donated by TIME to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the work, which is just under two metres tall, is slightly larger than the real Hef, who apparently topped out at 1.75 metres. The body is painted on a vertically oriented narrow rectangular box; its leftmost area retains the exposed plywood, while the central portion depicts its red-cardiganed subject with arms crossed and left hand grasping his signature pipe. The right section of the box around Hefs body is painted in royal blue. An actual black leather loafer protrudes from the bottom of his right trouser leg, jutting out of the plinth. Atop this rectangle sits a wonky fish/torpedo-like form, also made of wood, set perpendicular to the big box. Projecting about twelve inches in front of the body, this long cylindrical object is flattened to contain the face of its subject, drawn in pencil. The plane of the face has a prominent wooden nose attached and a second, carved-wood pipe extending from its mouth. The rear of the sculpture well call it that because its also Hefs rear paints afacsimile of his backside, its tight black pants a little less rumpled and baggy than on the frontside, with his left hand visible again. (Although it holds the pipe in front, the hand on the rear appears without it.) The fish-like skull tapers in the back, ending about one metre behind the body. Pictured on the cover of TIME, with the magazines signature red border, the sculpture is angled away from the viewer against a black background. Though the plinth is receding, the column-like head swells forward to cover part of the M in TIME, while a yellow sash of text proclaiming The Pursuit of Hedonism slices over the T and the I. Asked about the cover, Hefner remarked: Ithought it was very classy. His response echoes one of the justifications we used to hear about the magazines objectification and sexualization of women: Playboy is classy; subscribe for the articles.

***

Id never actually read Gloria Steinems 1963 expos about her time working as a Bunny at the 59th Street Manhattan Playboy Club. So, I did.

Its just as nasty a world as I had anticipated: very young women falsely promised generous salaries, who instead toil long hours as near-naked waitresses and coat girls, pawed as chattel by drunk men who feel themselves entitled to making rapey passes at them and subjected to a humiliating system of demerits and body-shaming by the Playboy corporation. I asked a former Playmate I know about her experiences of working at Hefners LosAngeles mansion and relaunched New York club before he died in 2017. (Playmates have been centrefolds in the magazine; Bunnies have not.) She confirmed that it was just as bad in the 2010s and that while men propositioned her for dinner dates, wanting her as arm candy and for potential sexual favours she was always broke: dinners dont pay the rent. The whole enterprise had calcified into a time capsule of the sexism and female dependency on mens money of its founding moment in 1953.

So, theres this weirdness to Marisol producing aslightly satirical but largely heroizing portrait of one of the most retrograde figures of the 20th century: aman who fancied himself a figure of sexual liberation, yet whose fetishistic portrayal of women rendered them servants to male desire. White, upper-class women have often been criticized for their tolerance of if not active support for other forms of inequality, embedded as they are within racist, patriarchal, settler-colonialist power. And here we find Marisol.

When asked why Hef has two pipes in her portrait, Marisol craftily responded: He has too much of everything. In some ways, the same could be said of her. Yet, this excess, pushed to the point of derangement, is what makes her works, most of which utilized casts of her face and body, incredibly powerful. In Self-Portrait, the large rectangular block that forms the figures enormous torso rests on the floor on its long side, from which protrude seven heads, six limbs and one set of breasts. There was often too much Marisol in her works, which became polymorphous ciphers for female excess: profligate desire, will and intensity.

The TIME issue featuring Marisols cover mentioned that she had also been asked to produce work for another project, on the topic of Playboy Playmates: Marisol thought about it for a while, then declined because she couldnt think of anything interesting to do. They look like caricatures already. Marisol. Exercising a powerful and very privileged No.

This article first appeared infriezeissue 238 with the headline Decorative, Classy and Other Pejoratives

'Marisol: A Retrospective' will be on view at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Canada from 7 October until 21 January 2024

Main image: Marisol,Self-Portrait, 196162. Courtesy: Estate of Marisol/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, and MCAChicago

Read this article:

The Will and Intensity of Marisol - frieze.com

When I was a teenager, one of my favorite albums was my fathers copy of the soundtrack from the 1983 movie The Big Chill. Booming from my fathers cassette player came Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and the Temptations, the Rascals, the Steve Miller Band, the Spencer Davis Group, Aretha Franklin, and Creedence Clearwater Revivala veritable battery of the best of rock, Motown, and R&B from the 60s and 70s. I so adored Percy Sledges rendition of When a Man Loves a Woman that my wife and I danced to it at our wedding.

Growing up in the 1990s, the photo on the soundtrack intrigued me: I recognized Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, William Hurt, Tom Berenger, and, of course, Jeff Goldblum of Jurassic Park fame. Some of the other actors, such as Mary Kay Place and JoBeth Williams, saw their stars dim in the years after the film. Kevin Costner was supposed to have a small role, but his scenes were deleted. I remember asking my father what the movie was about. He shrugged. A bunch of former hippies get together for a weekend after one of their old college friends kills himself. Its a midlife crisis movie.

That seemed to me, even as an adolescent, a bit out of sync: Some of the best music of a generation, and the storyline is just a bunch of people of my fathers age hanging out? When I watched the movie many years later, I saw that my fathers description was not far off. Fifteen years removed from their graduation from the University of Michigan, four men and three women plus the deceaseds young ballerina girlfriend spend a weekend in South Carolina, drinking, doing drugs, watching college football, and struggling to reconcile their bourgeoisand in the case of Berrengers Hollywood actor character, celebritylifestyles with their now distant youthful idealism.

Its about as vapid and exculpatory as it sounds. In its narcissism, hedonism, and skepticism towards the American culture and economy its characters hypocritically enjoy, The Big Chill is the last word on the course of a generation and its incoherent mores. Its too bad Lawrence Kasdan, the writer and director, didnt realize that he was making a condemnation.

Christianity, unsurprisingly, is viewed as dull, irrelevant, and erroneous. Perhaps to emphasize this opinionthough it makes little narrative sensethe friends funeral is held at a rural Baptist church. The pastors eulogy is so stultifyingly formulaic that one of the female characters silently (and obviously skeptically) mouths the predictable words as he preaches them. In a not-so-subtle rejection of the doctrine of sin, Klines character ascends to the podium and declares the deceased, Alex, was too good for this world. Jo Beth Williams character concludes the ceremony by playing not a traditional hymn, but Alexs favorite song: the Rolling Stones You Cant Always Get What You Want. Foreshadowing trends Tara Isabella Burton explores in her book Strange Rites, in the absence of objective religious convictions, the characters mimic transcendent experiences through self-exploration.

And what better way for boomers to explore spirituality and meaning than via the Kerouacian consumption of various narcotics, which begins, at least in one case, on the car ride from the funeral to the cemetery. After the burial, the troupe makes their way to the married Kline and Closes characters charming Southern home for a weekend together. An atmosphere of nostalgia and a reimagined youth reign supremenot so different from the Villagesas the characters play pickup football in the yard, dance to the Oldies, and, of course, smoke copious amounts of weed.

Yet, a mood of melancholy hangs over the attendees, not only because of the loss of their friend, but what his tempestuous, supposedly ideologically pure life (and death) say about them. During a walk in the woods Kline and Goldblums character's recall their college days as two revolutionaries, when they believed property was a crime. But Kline is now a successful businessman and property owner, while Goldblum is a writer of trivial fluff pieces for People magazine. Was it all just fashion? asks Goldblum, channeling the self-doubts of a generation.

Exemplifying a clinical lack of self-awareness, the friends complain about how the real world is a cynical place full of manipulative and opportunistic people. William Hurts character was made impotent by a wound suffered during the Vietnam War; he is now a drug addict and pusher. Berengers character is divorced, with a daughter he rarely seeshe tired of marriage with its monotonous obligations. Williams character gave up a promising career as a writer to have a family and is now beholden to her thoroughly square husbands superficial life, as she calls it. Places character is a successful real estate attorney who jettisoned her idealistic, Huey P. Newtoninspired desire to be a public defender because a lot of her clients were (surprise!) contemptible criminals. But at least these friends have each other.

That theme is most fully realized in the most controversial storyline in The Big Chill. Places character has had trouble finding a man, frustrating her ticking biological clock. Over the weekend, she propositions Berengers and Hurts characters to father her childthey have good genesbut is rebuffed by both men. Thats where Closes character comes to the rescue. She persuades her husband, Klines character (the quintessential Southern gentleman), to sleep with her best friend. It is, were exhorted to believe, a supreme act of love and sacrifice that exemplifies what true friendship is all about: sex.

Nor is that the only redemptive sexual encounter that final evening in the house. Berenger and Williams characters, frustrated by their lives but feeling mutually understood, rekindle (albeit briefly) an old flame. The aggrieved and adrift Vietnam vet and the young ballerina do something physicalits not entirely clear what given hes supposed to impotentbut the result is that both feel a new sense of companionship and hope.

As far as the Boomer worldview goes, its a fitting denouement to the weekend. Free love, the hippie generation told themselves, can solve everything. Yet all the awkward questions stemming from fleeting sexual encounters remain unanswered. Williams character will have to go back to her now cuckolded husbanddoes she feel remorse? Will she leave him and the kids? Places character, even if she does get pregnant by her friends husband, will raise a child on her own. Will she tell the child that he or she is the result of a brief fling with an old friend who was gracious enough to impregnate her? Will that friend send birthday gifts? Will there be regular visits? In a style representative of the sexual revolution, the unsatisfying and disturbing effects of free lovewhich is never truly freeare quietly avoided.

Of course, modern science has made such scenarios less personal, if no less ethically fraught. If youre having trouble conceiving, you can have your spouse, a friend, or even a complete stranger provide the necessary biological goods via in vitro fertilizationearlier this year a Dutch sperm donor who sired more than 500 children was ordered by a court to stop his generosity. What in the 1980s era of The Big Chill required an act of misconceived sacrifice is now thoroughly commodified, as is much else about sex. Indeed, even the movies talk of good genes intimates that an instrumentalist, utilitarian view of sex was already implicitly present in the Boomer imagination. To the degree that sex involves the creation of children, it regards them as bespoke, quasi-technological eugenic products; otherwise, far from serving to renew the bond of marriage (how dull and constricting, especially when your spouse is such a square!), its simply there to make us feel good.

But do we? I havent met many happy people in my life. How do they act? asks the ballerina, in perhaps the most honest moment of the film. For all the Boomers altruistic aspirations and youthful vigor, they rebelled against their own rich cultural inheritanceHurts character at one point declares, No one had a cushier birth than us! That rebellion, in turn, precluded the now deracinated Boomers from possessing the spiritual and intellectual resources required to secure true happiness. Indeed, The Big Chill shows how many hippies ended up becoming the very thing they despised: self-aggrandizing, materialistic bourgeois professionals. Hence the deep dissatisfactionat least their parents believed in the American dream.

The great mystery of The Big Chill is why Alex killed himself. Its never resolved. As far as the viewer can tell, Alexs death, like his hedonistic life, was more or less meaningless: the last of a series of emotive, pseudo-intellectual choices that emulate, and eventually realize self-immolation. Perhaps thats a fitting description of the counterculture generation and the cultural inheritance bequeathed to their descendants, who are even more skeptical of America and its traditions.

But hey, at least the music was good.

View post:

All Is (Boomer) Vanity - The American Conservative

From the opening kick drum of I Love Hollywood!, the LA-based artist has you gripped firmly by the shoulders. Dripping in synths, overlaid in transportive techno beats, the record is a guided tour through Slayyyters state of mind, from the depths of a bag to the highs of a good time there are even fleeting visits to her more vulnerable moments.

Opener I Love Hollywood! picks apart the toxic underpinnings of the west coast party scene: drugs, skipped meals, and inflated social currency. Its also a banger straight out the gate, chased down just as quickly by Miss Belladonna. The chorus is so thick its like syrup, oozing hedonism as Slayyyter laments that he lives for love and I live for drama. Elsewhere, Rhinestone Heart and Girl Like Me deliver two more slices of full-bodied girl pop. Memories Of You keeps pace, but veers from the carefree escapism that has so far dominated the albums focus. Slayyyter misses her ex, and shes not afraid to admit it.

Later, Tear Me Open winds the energy down for a similar tonal departure. Confessing that she wants to be with the object of her love forever, regardless of the pain that could bring, its quite the change from the flippant disregard of Dramatic, where she claims to be faithful to whoevers asking.

Slayyyters sense of humour becomes more pronounced towards the latter half of the record: Purrr turns an erratic, maximalist din into an undeniable hipshaker, while Plastic pays an astonishingly frank tribute to the beauty supplied by a doctors needle. Shes just as unabashed on closing track Out Of Time the big finish where she concludes that she hates herself / but if they all love her then she dont mind. The second part, certainly, is true.

Posting a very respectable 35 minutes in length, Slayyyters not here to waste time or mess around: STARFUCKER is an express delivery of utterly skipless dance belters. Plant your feet and let your mind melt.

Visit link:

Slayyyter: STARFUCKER review - takes you on one hell of a night ... - The Line of Best Fit

The 1990s, now firmly in the rearview mirror, have evolved into a rich wellspring of nostalgia, influencing various facets of contemporary culture. The era's music, characterized by iconic bands like Nirvana, Spice Girls, and Boyz II Men, has seen a resurgence in popularity, with '90s-themed playlists and parties transporting audiences back in time. In the world of film, references to the '90s abound, with movies like Captain Marvel and Mid90s tapping into the decade's distinctive style and sensibilities.

Like the world of music, we've recently witnessed a slew of popular 90s movies and franchises being rebooted or remade, from the latest Scream installments hitting theaters after a decade-long hiatus or the recent Jumanji reboots that became surprise mega hits. This nostalgia has had further fuel added to the fire thanks to the rise of internet memes and social media, which has allowed the '90s to be constantly revisited and repurposed. (Per The Drum).

Here, we take a look at 10 of the greatest movies made in the modern day, but are set in the 90s, that perfectly encapsulate the bygone era and are dripping in nostalgia.

Super Dark Times is a gripping and atmospheric coming of age thriller that delves into the dark recesses of suburban adolescence. It follows a group of high school friends whose lives take a chilling turn when a tragic accident shatters their innocence. Set in the 1990s, the movie presents a perfect reflection of the era, from the abundance of flannel and plaid shirts to the grungy soundtrack, but in essence, its a timeless tale that could be set in any time period.

Showcasing the corrosive effects of guilt and secrecy on the bonds of friendship, it masterfully blends psychological suspense with the challenges of growing up, in a hauntingly atmospheric and visually arresting manner. It's a harrowing and thought-provoking cinematic experience that lingers long after the credits roll.

Captain Marvel, one of Marvel's more humorous entries, offers a delightful nostalgic feast for viewers of a certain age, thanks to its multitude of 1990s references that vividly remind us of the decade it's set in. From the moment Carol Danvers crashes through the roof of a Blockbuster Video store, were immediately transported back to the '90s, a world where the use of a pager was a crucial communication device and dial-up internet connection was a thing.

In addition to these nods to technology of a bygone era theres also a rocking '90s soundtrack featuring some of the biggest hits of the time from the likes of Nirvana, TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and No Doubt.

Skateboarding, as a sport, reached its commercial peak in the mid-1990s, igniting a cultural phenomenon that extended far beyond the sport itself. During this era, skateboarding became more than just a pastime; it evolved into a vibrant subculture with its own unique fashion and music scene to accompany it.

Jonah Hill's film Mid90s expertly captures the essence of this subculture. Through its authentic portrayal of characters and their experiences, the movie delves deep into the subculture's distinctive atmosphere. It pays meticulous attention to the fashion, showcasing the baggy clothes, oversized T-shirts, and distinct skate shoe brands that were emblematic of the time as well as a time appropriate soundtrack consisting of '90s alternative rock and hip-hop tracks.

I, Tonya recounts the tumultuous life and career of figure skater Tonya Harding, whose involvement in a vicious attack on her rival, Nancy Kerrigan, shook the world in the 90s. With a blend of dark comedy and raw drama, the movie delves into the complexities of Tonya's life, from her challenging upbringing to her rise in the competitive world of figure skating.

Margot Robbie's portrayal of Tonya is among her greatest performances to date as she captures Tonyas sheer resilience and defiance amidst a whirlwind of controversy. The film doesn't merely recount the scandal but also sheds light on the media frenzy and societal judgments that surrounded it, offering a thought-provoking commentary on fame, class, and the pursuit of success.

Related: The Best Action Movie of Every Year in the 90s

Released in 2008, The Wackness might not be such a modern movie anymore, but still does a fine job of capturing the essence of what made the 90s such a unique decade. It captures the essence of youth, rebellion, and self-discovery in the bustling backdrop of New York City. Set in the summer of 1994, the film follows Luke Shapiro, a high school graduate and marijuana dealer played by Josh Peck, as he forms an unlikely friendship with his therapist, Dr. Squires, portrayed by Ben Kingsley.

The movie masterfully intertwines humor, drama, and nostalgia as it explores the turbulence of adolescence, family dynamics, and the pursuit of happiness during a pivotal moment in the characters' lives. With a soundtrack filled with '90s hip-hop hits and a keen eye for the era's fashion and culture.

The Wolf of Wall Street offers a no-holds-barred portrayal of the culture of Wall Street from the late-80s into the 90s, providing a scathing and often outrageous critique of the excesses and decadence that defined the financial industry during that era.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film is based on the real-life story of Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who rises to power as a stockbroker and revels in a life of hedonism, greed, and corruption. It vividly illustrates the cutthroat environment of the financial world in the 1990s, where unscrupulous practices, obscene wealth, and a disregard for legal and ethical boundaries were rampant.

Climax is a provocative, unnerving, and often disturbing cinematic experience, directed by Gaspar No. The film immerses viewers in the heart-pounding world of a dance troupe that descends into chaos after unknowingly consuming a drug-laced sangria during a post-rehearsal party in the mid-'90s. In true No fashion, the movie takes a daring and unconventional approach to storytelling and cinematography.

The movie unfolds in a series of long, unbroken takes, creating an immersive and disorienting experience that mirrors the characters' psychological descent. This combined with a pulsating electronic soundtrack, delves deep into the raw and primal aspects of human behavior, capturing both the allure and horrors of a nightmarish trip, that is certainly not for the faint of heart.

Related: The 10 Most Controversial Horror Movies of the 1990s

Based on the works of acclaimed horror writer R.L. Stine, Netflix's Fear Street trilogy is presented across three movies each set in a different time period. The first installment, set in 1994, revolves around a group of teenagers who must confront their town's dark history and a malevolent force that has plagued it for centuries.

Instantly bringing to mind classic 90s horror movies like Scream and I know What You Did Last Summer, it successfully taps into the spirit of '90s teen horror while also adding its unique spin to the genre, setting the stage for an intriguing trilogy that spans different time periods and styles of horror.

Directed by Danny Boyle, Steve Jobs is a compelling portrayal of a man who had an immense impact on the way the 1990s unfolded and the trajectory of technology as a whole (per Business News Daily). Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc., was not only a visionary entrepreneur, but also a cultural icon. His relentless pursuit of innovation, as depicted in the film, not only revolutionized the tech industry, but also shaped the way people communicate, work, and interact with technology in the 1990s and beyond.

With a focus on his role in the creation of iconic products like the Macintosh, the film captures the essence of the digital age's formative years, showcasing Jobs' complex personality, his challenges, and his enduring legacy as a driving force behind the technological advancements that defined the 1990s and continue to influence our lives today.

Tick, Tick... Boom! is a musical film directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, set in the 90s. It's an adaptation of the semi-autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the creator of Rent. The story follows an aspiring composer named Jon, played by Andrew Garfield, as he navigates the challenges of pursuing his artistic dreams in New York City. Against the backdrop of the early-90s, the film explores themes of creativity, friendship, and the pressures of turning 30 while trying to make it in the competitive world of theater. T

ick, Tick... Boom! captures the spirit of the era, with its soundtrack featuring a blend of rock and pop tunes reminiscent of the '90s music scene. It offers a poignant and nostalgic look at the pursuit of passion and the struggles that come with it during a transformative decade.

Read more:

10 Best Modern Movies Set in the 1990s - MovieWeb

26 Sep 2023 --- Sauces, dressings and condiments have long been a staple for foodservice and in the home. Every culture on the continent has its own unique sauce and condiment traditions, and now consumers are looking for new and innovative condiments with stand-out colors and diverse applications that inspire them.

Sense Colour, Givaudans natural color business unit, is exploring the use of natural colors in sauces, seasonings, mayos and dressings that can enhance their visual appeal and support the new flavor and food experiences that customers crave.

Global & social drivers Speaking to Food Ingredients Firstahead of its webinar entitled Captivating Culinary: Natural colours for sauces, mayos & more, Catalina Ospina, technical marketing specialist at the company, says culinary ingredients are subject to many of the same drivers that are moving other food categories.

Consumers look for cooking and eating experiences that involve guiltless indulgence, endorse ethical and environmental commitments, offer value beyond price and engage all the senses. Natural colors check all of these boxes by providing the enjoyment of new and exciting or comforting feelings when consuming sauces and condiments and providing ingredients with simple, recognizable labels manufactured with sustainability and responsible practices in mind.

Natural ingredients and colors in sauces, condiments and dressings are fast becoming the norm for many product developers.With the aftereffects of the pandemic, growing inflation rates and socioeconomic uncertainties, cooking and eating at home represent a way to regain control over life aspects that greatly need attention: mindful socialization, health and wellness and revindication of affordable hedonism.

Consumers are looking for sauces, seasonings and cooking preparations that uplift the at-home eating experience with gourmet-level flavors, a fusion of tradition and exploration of the exotic, Ospina continues. Complex and contrasting flavors and colors remain, while consumers adopt a reductionist approach to factors like sodium, fats and added sugars, explains Ospina.

Meanwhile, Katie Rountree, senior applications scientist at the company, adds that the use of natural colors has grown significantly in the past ten to fifteen years and will continue going forward.

Even with the current inflation, finding products with simple, recognizable ingredients is highly important to consumers, so formulating with more natural ingredients is the new norm for many product developers.

On-trend flavors & colors Regardless of future flavors or regional trends, colors are important for setting taste and texture expectations, she flags. They help create food experiences ranging from familiar and comforting to bold and exciting or unexpected.

Rountree believes that now is a great time for culinary inspiration to be explored because consumers are more engaged with cooking at home due to inflation and an interest in mindful consumption.

This, coupled with current trends in multi-level fusion flavors and spicy flavors offer a great opportunity to introduce colors that can match up with these powerful flavors for memorable mealtimes with the family, she underscores.

Addressing technical gaps Ospina highlights the latest innovations Givaudan Sense Colour has in the pipeline.

We are working on the existing technical gaps in the natural colors palette by exploring improved agricultural and biotechnological sources and processes to obtain higher pigment concentrations, which impacts our products cost-in-use and carbon footprint, she notes.

We are also fine-tuning formulation technologies tailored for improved performance when subjected to challenging conditions.

Also discussing her predictions for how the category will expand in 2024, Ospina reveals that current explorations of sensorial stimulation will flourish, balancing unexpected and exotic influences with traditional and nostalgic recipes.Products with recognizable ingredients are more appealing to consumers.

Meanwhile, the premiumization of brands and products will be seen as a personal status-boosting element, with Millennials and Gen Zs proclivity to share their meals and habits on social media, she adds.

And as social media is all about visual input, the appearance and attractiveness of colors in sauces and condiments will be paramount for the virality of brands.

In the webinar, which will be broadcast on October 10, viewers will be able to see how many colorful solutions are out there for the culinary segment while also learning various tips and tricks on how to best apply and test natural colors when developing new culinary applications.

Well also share ideas and inspiration where natural colors can be used to elevate the sensory experience in consonance with the current and incoming consumer trends, summarizes Rountree.

You can sign up for the webinar here.

By Elizabeth Green

To contact our editorial team please email us at editorial@cnsmedia.com

If you found this article valuable, you may wish to receive our newsletters. Subscribe now to receive the latest news directly into your inbox.

Original post:

Condiments & sauces category propelled by natural colors and ... - Food Ingredients First

Daisy Phillipson

Published: 2023-09-26T16:45:44

Updated : 2023-09-26T16:45:57

Though Dumb Money has been compared to classic stock market movies such as The Big Short and The Wolf of Wall Street, director Craig Gillespie has highlighted a fundamental difference between them.

Dumb Money dropped in cinemas last week, telling the modern-day David and Goliath tale of the 2021 GameStop saga. At the center of the story is Keith Gill, whose social media posts accidentally spurred a grassroots movement in which retail investors took on the Wall Street titans.

Article continues after ad

The compelling story coupled with a star-studded cast including the likes of Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, and Seth Rogen has led to Dumb Money earning favorable reviews and an 85% score with critics and audiences alike on Rotten Tomatoes.

Article continues after ad

Amid the reaction to Dumb Money, viewers have made numerous comparisons to other movies that deal with the stock market, including The Wolf of Wall Street. But theres one major difference between these two cinematic spectacles, as explained by Gillespie.

Article continues after ad

Dexerto sat down with Dumb Money director Craig Gillespie, who spoke about the parallels and differences between his movie and films like The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short.

Its kind of an obvious comparison, you know, when youre dealing with the stock market, the filmmaker told us while highlighting that theres a humor and an energy and a pace to Dumb Money that could be perceived as similar to the others.

Fewer Ads|Dark Mode|Deals in Gaming, TV and Movies, and Tech

Article continues after ad

Article continues after ad

But really the fundamental difference is, both The Big Short and The Wolf of Wall Street, its kind of insider trading in the sense of its about these bankers in the world that they live in, Gillespie explained.

Dumb Money is very much from the outside looking in. This is about our Reddit users; about the everyday person who tried to get into the stock market and really wanted to make a statement with it and go after the one-percenters.

Article continues after ad

While some believe The Wolf of Wall Street glamorized and celebrated the excess and hedonism of Jordan Belfort and his cronies although this is still up for debate the key message of Dumb Money is clear.

Article continues after ad

Its really about this disparity of wealth particularly in America but its happening across the world and wanting to be heard, Gillespie added. And when you have eight million people who come together as a united voice, its very different from these singular traders that you have in these other films.

Article continues after ad

Dumb Money is in cinemas now, and you can check out more of our coverage below:

More here:

Dumb Money director reveals fundamental difference with Wolf of ... - Dexerto

Musical Moodboardis a recurring EW feature in which musicians share the inspirations behind their new album.

Connected. That's how Troye Sivan hopes you'll feel when you reach the final track of his upcoming third LP, Something to Give Each Other. The 28-year-old Australian singer, songwriter, and actor has checked the sober tone of his previous albums at the door now he just wants to party. "There's a couple of lyrics on this album that actually make me laugh," Sivan tells EW. "I think we were just having such a good time when we made it that you can really feel that."

Sivan started out making videos of himself on YouTube a decade ago before releasing 2015's moody Blue Neighbourhood and 2018's bittersweet Bloom, and eventually starring alongside Nicole Kidman in the film Boy Erased and Lily-Rose Depp in this year's divisive Max series The Idol.

Alex Sandoval - Source: Stuart Winecoff / Virgin Records / Adobe Stock / Focus Features Troye Sivan unpacks the inspirations behind his album 'Something to Give Each Other'

Through his music, he has documented his experiences with heartbreak in painstaking detail, but his new record is about fresh starts. He describes the motivation behind it like flicking a switch; it captures when being single goes from somber to sexy. "When you're going through a breakup or a tough time there's this moment where you realize that in this sorrow, there's also possibility and hope," Sivan says. "There's all this possibility of, 'Where are you going to go? What are you going to do? Who are you going to meet?' I love sharing that with people, having just been through it."

His quest of self-discovery included a journey to Bangkok, for the video for "Got Me Started," his latest song. "It's awesome. I think it's maybe the most proud I've ever been of a music video," Sivan says. Hedonism, too, was part of the ride, as evidenced by the sticky, sultry, choreography-filled bacchanalia in the video "Rush," Something to Give Each Other's pulsing lead single. "'Rush' is sort of this turbo party, and then 'Got Me Started' was always a bit more like when you're feeling yourself and moving solo through the world and encountering all of these people along the way."

Story continues

Sivan chatted with EW about the various inspirations behind Something to Give Each Other, from Janet to Lost in Translation to his dive into nightlife.

'Damita Jo' by Janet Jackson and 'Sugar World' by Jonatan Leandoer96

"Janet Jackson's Damita Jo that album for me just hit such a sweet spot, with this warmth that I love in pop music. It's almost super sweet there's something borderline bubblegum about the melodies but then the taste level is so high. It's also totally infused with sex and R&B."

"Then there's that album Sugar World by Jonatan Leandoer96 Yung Lean's side project. It has these interesting moments with that same kind of warmth, but it sounds completely different from Janet. It was more the feeling of it than specific sonics. I knew my album had to at least have moments of that sort of sweet joy."

"The movie Lost in Translation was visually inspiring to me, and thematically, Before Sunrise was. The idea of two people coming together for a very brief moment and having this deep connection that is going to expire, and the fact that that's sort of okay that was really inspiring to me."

"I'm obsessed with the idea of global pop, and I wanted this album to feel very global. I was so inspired by traveling, and I had a really amazing summer this year bopping around Europe, and I spent so much time in Asia in 2019. We went to Berlin to make the "Rush" video. We went to Bangkok to make the "Got Me Started" video. I wanted to reflect the idea that pop music really, really can bring people together."

"I was really inspired by partying on this album, more so than ever. Definitely nights out on Smith Street in Melbourne. A lot of the album took place there, inspirationally, and then also while I was traveling. The thing I'm really looking for when I go out is that tipping point where all of a sudden your self-awareness totally disappears and your body becomes loose and you sink into the music and you sink into the night and you're just with your friends. It's not intoxication-related. I've had that moment sober, where it's just something about the euphoria of the moment."

The cover of the Craig Hundley Trio album 'Craig Hundley Plays With the Big Boys'; the cover for Troye Sivan's 'Something to Give Each Other'

"I was in a record store and I picked up this album called Craig Hundley Plays With the Big Boys, where the guy is smiling super, super big on the cover. There was something so sweet and genuine about his smile that I felt very connected to him just looking at it. In the end, my album cover doesn't look anything like that, but it put the idea in my head. I was like, ''Damn, it would be kind of badass to smile really big on the album.'"

youtube Troye Sivan enjoys a quick chug with his costars in the 'Rush' video

"When I'm in Australia, I drink a lot of beer. The album was so warm to me temperature-wise, and that's my go-to drink when it's hot and sweaty. All I want is an ice-cold beer."

Something to Give Each Other is out Oct. 13.

Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free dailynewsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

Read the original:

How Janet Jackson, Lost in Translation, and Melbourne nights inspired Troye Sivan's new album - Yahoo Eurosport UK

I began by submitting this question for ChatGPTs consideration:

Russell Brand has had several different moments of fame in his career, as an entertainer, a comedian and more recently a political pundit and activist. He has always cultivated a style of being outrageous in his language and demeanor. Though it has drifted from narcissism to social punditry, the glibly outrageous style behind it works and he exploits it for profit. While polite society frowns upon the kind of excess Brand has always displayed in his public behavior, it also celebrates it when it leads to financial success. Even more so, when it turns someone into a celebrity.

Celebrities as diverse as Donald Trump, Elon Musk or Russell Brand play on their ability to provoke strong and opposed reactions: adulation on one side, hatred and condemnation on the other. They inhabit a cultural zone that we call hyperreality because it is an environment in which they are exempted from the rules and expectations we apply to ordinary people who understand their duty to comply with social norms.

Russell Brand is now being shamed, cancelled and demonetized for his behavior in the past as a celebrated outrageous personality. The motives behind his public shaming are ambiguous. His defenders claim they are political. This makes sense, given the fact that Brand has publicly confessed to being guilty of the hyperreal behavior everyone now condemns. He formally abjures this behavior as aberrant.

The British establishment, including the BBC, happy to profit from Brands outrageous behavior at the time, is now, according to The Guardian, actively seeking to prevent Brand from being able to profit personally from his content on the platform he uses to reach his public. The platform is Rumble. He has already been demonetized by YouTube, which is notorious for demonetizing without explanation voices deemed undesirable by anonymous parties, including governments. Rumble expressed its indignation at the government pressure for censorship, noting the absence of any connection between the allegations and his content on Rumble.

The real question in the background which nobody seems to be asking is this: Does it make sense to materially punish individuals for behavior that was tolerated and even encouraged in the past when social expectations seemed to be very different? The secondary question is just as important: Is the appetite to cripple Brand economically related to concern for the alleged victims or is it the hypocritical exploitation of a pretext for punishing someone who is now focused on opposing the political and economic establishment?

ChatGPTs breakdown of this question turned out to be balanced and helpful. AI does a good job of summarizing questions that others have already publicly debated. Here it is in full:

The situation you describe involving Russell Brand and his recent experiences with being shamed, canceled, and demonetized raises several complex questions about the evolving standards of public behavior, accountability, and the motivations behind such actions. Lets unpack some of the key points and questions raised:

Changing Social Norms: One of the central issues is the evolving nature of social norms and expectations. Its true that in the past, certain behaviors that are now deemed unacceptable or controversial might have been tolerated or even celebrated. Societal norms do shift over time, and what was once acceptable may no longer be so. The question arises as to whether individuals should be held accountable for their past actions based on current standards.

Hyperreality and Public Figures: Public figures like Russell Brand often occupy a unique cultural space where they can push boundaries and provoke strong reactions. Their ability to do so can lead to both fame and criticism. This phenomenon is not limited to Brand but has been observed with other figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The concept of hyperreality suggests that they operate in a realm where conventional rules may not apply in the same way.

Motivations for Shaming and Cancellation: Determining the motivations behind shaming and canceling individuals can be complex. Some may argue that it is driven by genuine concern for addressing past wrongs or harm caused. Others may believe that it is driven by political or economic motives, especially if the individual in question has shifted their focus to opposing the establishment. Distinguishing between genuine accountability and politically motivated actions can be challenging.

Reformation and Accountability: The case of Russell Brands reformation and condemnation of his past behavior raises questions about whether individuals should be given an opportunity to reflect, change, and make amends for their past actions. Is it reasonable to hold someone accountable for actions they have disavowed and actively worked to change?

Platform Policies and Censorship: The role of online platforms like YouTube and Rumble in demonetizing or restricting content creators is another contentious issue. These platforms face pressure from various stakeholders, including governments, to moderate content. Decisions about demonetization are often opaque and can raise concerns about free speech and censorship.

It concluded by reflecting on the importance of examining the motivations behind actions taken against public figureswhere it is crucial to determine whether they are genuinely driven by concerns for justice and accountability or are influenced by other factors.

Encouraged by this I followed up with another question.

One of the factors concerns a trend that came to prominence in the rock culture of the sixties: the groupie phenomenon. Although Brand was not a rocker, he cultivated the reputation of an impertinent long-haired, drug-addled promiscuous sex symbol. Consequently, like any famous rocker, he was constantly approached by young women wanting to share a moment of intimacy with a hyperreal sex symbol. The permanent danger is that this could easily lead to misinterpreting intentions or supposing intentions that didnt exist. Although Brand says every relationship he had was consensual and he probably believes it he may well have been misreading the situation with some of the women he met.

Addressing the very real damage done from such incidents is traditionally carried out through the legal system, not the media. It typically leads either to acquittal for lack of material evidence or settlement. In Brands case, more than a decade after the events, the British government and media have put pressure on social media not to defend the interests of the victims or bring Brand to justice, but to deprive the man of his livelihood. Does this well-organized campaign demonstrate that the motives are essentially political? Unlike Harvey Weinstein, Brand stopped claims to have given up his evil ways years ago, when he discovered spirituality and denounced his own hedonism. Can the best explanation be that the establishment sees a critique of its values from a spiritual position as even more suspect than a purely political opposition?

At this point, in a much longer response that contained reflection on general principles, ChatGPT made this significant observation:

Its possible that Russell Brands transformation from a hedonistic lifestyle to one focused on spirituality and critique of establishment values has made him a target for political or ideological opposition. Critics may see his critique as a challenge to the status quo and respond by attempting to undermine his influence.

I then asked another question to clarify the social and political meaning of the Russell Brand affair.

Would it be fair to see in this affair a discernible trend that demonstrates a growing impatience in our society with the very notion of due process? Governments are increasingly using the media, including social media, not only to censure but even to punish non-conforming individuals who acquire a power of influence.

In ChatGPTs typically verbose and waffling response, it offered this predictable but fundamentally anodyne advice:

Balancing the need for accountability with the principles of due process and fairness is a complex challenge in the digital age. Its essential for individuals and society as a whole to engage in thoughtful discussions about how to strike this balance and ensure that judgments and consequences are fair, transparent, and based on a full understanding of the facts. Additionally, the role of governments and media in influencing public discourse and the treatment of individuals is an important topic for scrutiny and debate.

I then threw out this question:

My point is that when the authorities in a democracy demonstrate their own impatience with due process, shouldnt we take that as a sign that democratic values themselves have been compromised?

Chat GPT expressed what I can only call its sympathy in the form of a reflection on the proper uses of democracy.

Democracies thrive when there is a commitment to these values, and any deviation from them should be a matter of concern and scrutiny by the public and institutions responsible for maintaining the democratic framework.

*[Artificial Intelligence is rapidly becoming a feature of everyones daily life. We unconsciously perceive it either as a friend or foe, a helper or destroyer. At Fair Observer, we see it as a tool of creativity, capable of revealing the complex relationship between humans and machines.]

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observers editorial policy.

See the original post:

Outside the Box: Is Russell Brand a Victim of Groupie Culture? - Fair Observer

While Russia claims to have escaped the grip of Western sanctions, everyday Russians are struggling. The Kremlins mouthpieces responded with admiration for penniless North Koreans.

The week-long visit of Kim Jong Un to Russia couldnt have come at a more perfect time, allowing Putins mouthpieces togush over Russias newfound affinity for North Korea,to express admirationfor the hermit kingdom, and conclude that viewers should reject savage capitalism.

During last weeks broadcast ofThe Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, political scientist Sergey Mikheyev praised Kim Jong Un as a dude with a square head, who is keeping the West on tenterhooks. He marveled at the way the people of North Korea were able to withstand Western pressure because they arent sensitive to the absence of modern luxuries and are therefore inured to sanctions.

What can you forbid to North Koreans? Mikheyev said. To drink Coca-Cola? They dont have it anyway! To watch Hollywood movies? They dont have them anyway! Youll turn off their Internet? They dont have it anyway! You wont import iPhones? They dont have them anyway! You will forbid them to travel to Europe and America? They arent traveling anyway! There is no way to get to them.

The irony of this celebration of hopeless poverty seemed lost upon the host, Vladimir Solovyov, who uses the latest version of the iPhone, had his $9m Italian properties on Lake Como seized by the authoritiesand complainedabout the sanctions-related inability to service foreign-made cars.

Presenters on Solovyovs own channel, Solovyov Live, took the austere line of reasoning even further. The host of Day Z, Yulia Vityazeva, played video clips of a Russian military choir giving a concert in Pyongyang, claiming that the appearance of clean and smiling people in the audience disproved Western narratives about the scarcity of food. She said that on closer inspection, all the stereotypes are shattered into a million pieces, while admitting that Russians have habitually ignored North Korea, and acknowledged shes never visited.

On Karnaukhovs Labyrinth, host Sergey Karnaukhov called upon Russia to reject savage capitalism and usher in a North Korean-style asceticism, for the sake of the state. He scolded wealthy Russians for becoming accustomed to living in the lap of luxury and added: Turns out, there are different values and a different lifestyle. North Korea preserved them and even increased them. It means we can rely on them! We can go there, look at their life, and see that what weve considered to be valuable in our country isnt valuable at all.

Karnaukhov added: North Korea is offering its system of values! Weve been chuckling at Juche [North Koreas state ideology], but turns out it isnt funny. Turns out we should laugh at ourselves! Weve dissolved our identity in hedonism and leisure. Russia no longer exists! Thats what we have achieved. But now is our chance and all will be well.

Get the Latest

Sign up to receive regular emails and stay informed about CEPAs work.

Even as Russias tightly controlled state media has been perpetuating the myth of an unscathed, booming economy, the cracks are showing. Prominent propagandists now regularly acknowledge that things are difficult and prices are on the rise. Videos of everyday Russians periodically posted on social media recognize that price increases and high-interest rates leave them unable to afford much more than the bare necessities.

In one of the street interviews posted on Telegram by a popular user @slvn_pomet, an unidentified womanadvised all poor Russiansto simply eat less and then everything will be alright.

However, at least one leading propagandist saw the problem with this thinking. On September 18, Sergey Mardan, the host of Mardan on the Solovyov Live channel, attempted to raise the alarm over a potential repeat of what happened in the Soviet Union.

The host asserted that Russia can be destroyed by its internal problems: What can fuel this discontent? Economic problems, poverty, hunger, currency depreciation, inflation. Mardan recalled the 1980s when the Soviet people suffered chronic food shortages. He added: The problems with food existed all the way until the dissolution of the Soviet Union. They varied from region to region, but always existed.

He concluded that this failure to meet even the most basic needs created a widespread feeling of discomfort and said: I think this contributed to the end of the Soviet Union more than the CIA, Mossad, BND, MI6, and the rest of the global intelligence services put together.

And yet the Kremlin is unable to contain the worsening situation and is tightening its grip, determined to contain the blowback.

The medias celebration of North Korea paints a grotesque portrait of the future that might lie ahead for the average citizen. Of course, this dreary vision would certainly exclude Putin and his clique of oligarchs and cronies, including the propagandists. For the common people, the future looks rather less cheery.

Julia Davis is a columnist for The Daily Beast and the creator of the Russian Media Monitor. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Screen Actors Guild, and Women In Film.

Europes Edgeis CEPAs online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position or viewsof the institutions they representor the Center for European Policy Analysis.

Continue reading here:

Russia Lauds North Korea's 'Square-Headed Dude' and His Pauper ... - Center for European Policy Analysis