Ed Darrell shared this video of Alfre Woodard channeling Sojourner Truth:
Terrific presentation of an amazing speech.
Happy to hear that Woodard will be playing Ouiser in an upcoming production of Steel Magnolias, where she’ll be joined in the cast by Queen Latifah, Phylicia Rashad, Condola Rashad, Jill Scott and Adepero Oduye. Cool.
Speaking of great performances, if you haven’t yet seen it, be sure not to miss 8, Dustin Lance Black’s play about the U.S. District Court case on California’s anti-marriage equality Proposition 8, which you can watch for free on YouTube.
The impressive cast lives up to its billing — including George Clooney, Martin Sheen, Brad Pitt, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christine Lahti, Jane Lynch, John C. Reilly, Chris Colfer, Matthew Morrison and Matt Bomer (or, as he’s known in this house, “the ridiculously good-looking guy from White Collar“). It’s a moving, forceful and unexpectedly funny bit of storytelling. I watched it a couple of weeks ago, and looking again just now was startled to realize I’d forgotten it’s a script-in-hand production.
Martin Sheen, who has been arrested dozens times in political protests, was apparently a bad influence on George Clooney (or, actually, a good influence).
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Pop Matters interviews Mike Doughty:
Aside from working in the traditional write-an-album-and-tour-obsessively sense, Doughty has come to embrace Internet piracy and file-sharing as a means to spread the word on his solo endeavor.
“File-sharing is great for me. I will tell people that it makes sense for me as an artist that wants people to hear stuff and is trying to make a living. Please, if you don’t buy it steal it. If you buy it, give it to someone who can steal it,” he said.
You can hear his newer stuff at MikeDoughty.com.
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Four years ago, after Super Tuesday made it clear that the Democrats were in for a long, two-candidate race for the nomination, I wrote that I was happy with the choices:
Magic Johnson is supporting Hillary Clinton. Kareem Abdul Jabaar, meanwhile, is supporting Barack Obama.
That’s the choice: Magic or Kareem.
It’s an understandably tough call, but I’m not complaining about the options.
Two good candidates and two exciting options. Either way, we were going to make history.
I’ve seen a great deal about the current long Republican primary contest, which features not just two, but four options for voters. I haven’t seen many people expressing the enthusiasm I felt four years ago. We had Magic and Kareem — they’ve got the Washington Generals.
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New Hampshire’s massive 400-member House of Representatives is still way too big to fill with qualified people.
Homeowners associations are useful mainly for identifying the sort of people who can’t be trusted with power.
Diana Butler Bass says “awakening.”
John Shore says “reformation.”
Jo Hilder has published an e-book: God, You Can Take My Mental Illness — Just Not the Part Where You Speak to Me.
Tony Jones has published an ebook: A Better Atonement: Beyond the Depraved Doctrine of Original Sin.
The Snatchel Project is as whimsical and pointed as its name suggests.
The nefarious global conspiracy promoting the climate-change hoax continues to spread: The oceans are in on it. So are the maple trees of New England. And both Dakotas.
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