REVIEW: CLASSICS - "A Long Day's Journey Into Night" by Eugene O'Neill, the first American Playwright and Nobel Prize Winner

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Long Day’s Journey into Night

Eugene O’Neill, “the first major American playwright” (Baym 2065), was apparently the first to explore serious themes in his work. His brilliance enabled him to address issues which were just beginning to evolve within homes around America. In addition to winning the Pulitzer Prize—one for A Long Day’s Journey into Night--and the Nobel Prize in 1936, he would also be “the first and so far only American dramatist to do so” (2068). The play was made into a screenplay, directed by Sidney Lumet, and would receive several award nominations and wins. Katherine Hepburn’s portrayal of Mary Tyrone was a masterpiece, as well as the performances by Dean Stockwell, Jason Robards, and Ralph Richardson (Lumet).

The 1962 film is 174 minutes long and follows O’Neill’s impeccable stage direction down to the last detail. Hepburn becomes addict Mary, displaying all of the characteristics that a classic addict displays. A viewer may not realize just how deeply he or she is drawn in to experience the tragic realism conveyed by Katherine in this remarkable film. During the scene where Katherine/Mary is talking with their Irish housekeeper, which is also after Mary has been to town to renew her morphine prescription, Hepburn immerses herself in the almost childlike behavior of a morphine addict. Watching her as she talks about the time she first fell in love with James, the viewer notices her slipping deeper into euphoria. Seeing Katherine Hepburn crawl and writhe on the floor masterfully exhibited the lack of awareness that a morphine addict would have-especially a female during those times (Lumet).

Perhaps the plot was personal for O’Neill, as his own mother, Ella Quinlan, was his inspiration for Mary’s character. Quinlan was the daughter “of a successful Irish immigrant businessman in Cincinnati, hated backstage life and became addicted to morphine” (2065-66). His father, actor James O’Neill, “made a fortune playing the lead role in Alexander Dumas’s…Count of Monte Cristo, which he performed more than five thousand times” (2065). O’Neill had a brother by the name of James, Jr., who resembled the character of Jamie in his play. In addition, O’Neill had found out that his own birth may have precipitated his mother’s addiction to morphine.

If the character of Eugene Tyrone bears any resemblance to Eugene O’Neill, then the viewer may be receiving a glimpse of the type of gentle, poetic, brilliant, sensitive soul he possessed. His art was a gift to the world, and A Long Day’s Journey into Night was truly a work of art.


Works Cited

Baym, Nina, ed. “Eugene O’Neill: 1888-1953.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 2008. 2065-2068.

A Long Day’s Journey into Night. Dir. Sidney Lumet. Perf. Katherine Hepburn, Dean Stockwell, Jason Robards, and Ralph Richardson. Turner Classic Movies.

Armour

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Surging beyond shadows
gripping my attention
running rampant as the wind blows

calling

Silohuettes imagined
discovery of the flesh

aching

perchance to touch

Uncharted moments
Never in repose


The search goes on
Quiet decadence in the making
Sweet indulgence in this state of haste

Luxuriating responses
which seem to resound from nowhere

somewhere deep inside

We cannot hide

Instinct controls every movement
We see what our hearts see

Eyes take in, bodies respond

Perpetuating chemistry
through momentary lapses in reason


Oh how thankful I am
for this slight deviance

How alone would alone feel
if we solely followed logic

never risking
never knowing
never seeing

never feeling
never experiencing

always playing it safe
always protecting what may die
through risk of pain

and recede further away
then disappear

with our hearts

protected


*****

~Dana

~Dana

January 10, 2009 - The Perigean Full Moon

The full moon Saturday night will be the biggest one of the year as Earth's natural satellite reaches its closest point to our planet.

Earth, the moon and the sun are all bound together by gravity, which keeps us going around the sun and keeps the moon going around us as it goes through phases. The moon makes a trip around Earth every 29.5 days. But the orbit is not a perfect circle.

The moon's average distance from us is about 238,855 miles (384,400 km). Friday night it will be just 221,560 miles (356,567 km) away. It will be 14 percent bigger in our sky and 30 percent brighter than some other full moons during the year, according to NASA.

Tides will be higher Saturday night, too. Earth's oceans are pulled by the gravity of the moon and the sun. So when the moon is closer, tides are pulled higher. Scientists call these perigean tides, because the moon's closest point to Earth is called perigee. The farthest point on the lunar orbit is called apogee.

Some other strange lunar facts:
The moon is moving away as you read this, by about 1.6 inches (4 centimeters) a year. Eventually it'll be torn apart as an expanding sun pushes the moon back toward Earth for a wrenching close encounter.

There is no proof the full moon makes people crazy.

Beaches are more polluted during full moon, owing to the higher tides.

The moon will rise Saturday evening right around sunset, no matter where you are. That's because of the celestial mechanics that produce a full moon: The moon and the sun are on opposite sides of the Earth, so that sunlight hits the full face of the moon and bounces back to our eyes.

At moonrise, the moon will appear even larger than it will later in the night when it's higher in the sky. This is an illusion that scientists can't fully explain. Some think it has to do with our perception of things on the horizon vs. stuff overhead.

Try this trick, though: Using a pencil eraser or similar object held at arm's length, gauge the size of the moon when it's near the horizon and again later when it's higher up and seems smaller. You'll see that when compared to a fixed object, the moon will be the same size in both cases.
You can see all this on each night surrounding the full moon, too, because the moon will be nearly full, rising earlier Friday night and later Sunday night.

Interestingly, because of the mechanics of all this, the moon is never truly 100 percent full. For that to happen, all three objects have to be in a perfect line, and when that rare circumstance occurs, there is a total eclipse of the moon.

***********

This Saturday night, Jan. 10th, another perigee Moon is coming. It's the biggest full Moon of 2009, almost identical to the one that impressed onlookers in Dec. 2008.

Johannes Kepler explained the phenomenon 400 years ago. The Moon's orbit around Earth is not a circle; it is an ellipse, with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other. Astronomers call the point of closest approach "perigee," and that is where the Moon will be this weekend.
Perigee full Moons come along once or twice a year. 2008 ended with one and now 2009 is beginning with another. It's the best kind of déjà vu for people who love the magic of a moonlit landscape.

January is a snowy month in the northern hemisphere, and the combination of snow + perigee moonlight is simply amazing. When the Moon soars overhead at midnight, the white terrain springs to life with a reflected glow that banishes night, yet is not the same as day. You can read a newspaper, ride a bike, write a letter, and at the same time count the stars overhead. It is an otherworldly experience that really must be sampled first hand.

Another magic moment happens when the perigee Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. This weekend, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you catch yourself reaching out to touch it.

You won't be the only one. Even at perigee, the Moon is 360,000 km away, yet the distant beauty beckons to poets, stargazers and NASA with equal force: "Come back," it seems to say, "I'm really not so far away."

Edit: Dana's Muse

Abbe Foreman: Artist, Photographer, Model (2008)

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If you are a connosieur of art, then you realize that fashion and photography go together. This is also true for the model and photographer, and Abbe Foreman Photography is becoming a household name among the artistic circuit. Abbe Foreman uses a combination of her brilliant eye, her gift of vision, her techincal know-how, and her charming personality to make any high fashion model feel at ease while portraying her most unique assets through the lens. An 'unmentioned online magazine' had the honor of working with such a remarkable gifted artist as she shot a series of high-fashion photos, whimsically named "The Candy Shoot." The models in the shoot actually wore candy as part of their make-up, blending the vibrant colors of the candies into the beautiful face of model, Michelle Corbitarte! The ensemble also consisted of designer Nicole Raestyer and Jillian Anderson, who sculpted the hair. The stylist for the Candy Shoot is Takiya. If you would like to know more about Nicole, please her web address is:

http://www.nicoleraestyer.com/

and if you would like to visit Jillian, her website is: http://www.hairbyjillian.com/default2.asp?WebsiteID=5358&theIF=%2Fhome%2Easp%3FWebsiteID%3D5358

Abbe Foreman's use of color and her high-quality skill brings out the most in any product, be it cosmetics or apparel. If art is what you are looking for then you will have to look no further as you feast your eyes on some of the most delicious, contemporary, and artistic photographs. When you are looking for eye candy, visit Abbe Foreman's website, at:

ABBEFOREMANPHOTO@aol.com

You will be astounded at the quality and gift of vision that went into Abbe Foreman photographs!

Magic Lost and We Will Know (2008)

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Hollow is the night as breezes sigh

and a cold, intently laid void fills the air.

The magic that is lost is deafeningly sad.

Reaching into darkness toward a light,

I see a faint resemblance-deja vu;

Unknown mysteries lie waiting until

I work a depth of love anew.

A love subdued in present day's unrest

may never grow to soothe the savage breast.

As all else seems to fall beneath the sword,

a word in kind, never mentioned,

could offer solace to one who needs it most.

Frigid silence, a desolate wilderness,

is vastly heavy through a struggling breath.

A beating heart strains to nurture

what becomes a dying thought.

What was once a gift becomes a curse

when the loved refuse to heal at times of doubt.

Sleeping, who are fortunate to see,

may finally awaken within their dream.

***

Dramatic is the sound
that moves me in deep
and quiet thought; peaceful
is the music within the
music of the spirit, in the
quiet of the mind. Inspiration
never runs dry as it is
as abundant as a river
flooding my thoughts
cleansing my heart when I
quietly feel my thoughts
of loving. Imaginary love,
warmth carresses me
as I see you laid out in
front of me; your love is an
ocean of currents pulling me,
allowing me to flow with the
rhythms of the phases of your
heart. Your eyes are the hope
of dreams I have yet to
dream; your lips are the
only nourishment that I lack
in my hours which are endless
without you. And now, how hope
is rejuvenated through the promise
of the beauty of
the colors of your soul.
And when you are made known
I will recognize you
as you will light my heart,
setting my soul on fire.
Loves gone by will
not measure to the
love I do feel for
the promise of you.
We will know, as
time grows near; we
will recognize the
familiarity of each other
as one comforts the other;
we will know...

Venice Film Festival 2007

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Venice Film Festival

VENICE, Italy - The Venice Film Festival opened its 75th anniversary edition Wednesday with an all-world premiere competition for the coveted Golden Lion and a cascade of stars including George Clooney, Keira Knightley and Woody Allen. In their constant search for new talent and cinematic trends, the organizers of the world's oldest running film festival reached out to young directors this year. Opening the 11-day festival was "Atonement," the screen adaptation of Ian McEwan's best-selling novel starring Knightley and James McAvoy and directed by 35-year-old Joe Wright. Venice closes Sept. 8 with the Hong Kong-Taiwanese gangster-thriller "Blood Brothers" by first-time director Alexi Tan.

In all, seven first-time directors and six second-time directors are appearing at the festival. But some Venice veterans will be making a return, including Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee, who, two years after previewing "Brokeback Mountain" at the Lido returns with "Lust, Caution," a Chinese-language spy thriller set in World War II. Venice always courts controversy, and this year it centered on the organizers' notation of Lee's film as originating from "Taiwan, China." Taiwan complained that the label suggests the self-ruled island is part of mainland China. China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949, but Beijing still considers self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has threatened to retake it by force. Taiwanese officials blamed China for the notation.

Festival director Marco Mueller told a news conference that they list countries as presented by the producers — and that the festival would change the listing if it received a request from all of the various production houses involved in the film. "Unfortunately, being a film festival, our relation is of course with the national representatives, very specifically, with the producers," Mueller said. "So, in the case of Ang Lee ... a very precise communication was received by our office that the country of origin of the film had to be listed in a different way." This year's lineup boasts some of the most eagerly anticipated new films of the fall film season — many making their world premieres. More than 90 percent of the 57 featured films and all the 23 films competing for the Golden Lion are premieres.

Besides the 22 films already announced, Mueller said a surprise entry into the competition would be announced later in the festival. As it has been the last three years, it will be an Asian film. In fact, last year's surprise entry, which does not appear in the official catalog, won the Golden Lion: the Chinese movie "Still Life." "Actually, the producer is still mixing the film right now," Mueller said. "It won't be from Japan, China or Korea," referring to the countries that contributed the previous surprise entries. Under Mueller, who took over four years ago, the festival also has earned a reputation for spawning major award contenders: Films launched at Venice over the last three years have garnered 51 Oscar nominations. "We went for the gut feeling, we went for the heart and gut emotion — and only on second thought did we think about how to harmonize the program," Mueller said.

This year's selection are heavily weighted toward Anglo-American productions with an unprecedented seven English-language films. Mueller has been criticized for being under Hollywood's sway, but he has said that some of the strongest films were emerging from the English-language world, often grappling with the issue of politics and war. The theme is expressed in Brian De Palma's "Redacted," a series of stories about U.S. soldiers in Iraq, and Paul Haggis' "In the Valley of Elah," which tells the tale of an Iraq war veteran gone missing after his return from a tour of duty. Also vying for the top prize at Venice: "Michael Clayton," starring George Clooney in a legal drama about a corporate firm battling a class-action lawsuit, and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," starring Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck and Sam Shepherd.

Woody Allen premieres his "Cassandra's Dream," which is showing out of competition. Starring Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell, it tells the story of two brothers — one a chronic gambler and another in love with a beautiful actress — who try to improve their lives and become entangled in a sinister situation. Kenneth Branagh is presenting a remake of the 1972 film "Sleuth," with Michael Caine appearing this time as a wealthy writer engaged in a battle of wits with a young actor having an affair with his wife. Jude Law reprises Caine's 1972 role as the younger man.
American director Tim Burton will be presented with a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement by Johnny Depp, who started in such Burton creations as "Edward Scissorhands." While the Venice festival celebrates its 75th anniversary, it is the 64th edition of the festival, which was periodically canceled due to war and other reasons. The Golden Lion will be presented in a gala ceremony on Sept. 8.

The Extra Mile (written 09/21/06)

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Motivated by a compulsion, I take him in so I can breathe. The MoonLight, through the rings aglow, fills me with fire in this late hour. Rampant thoughts pour into me as they drip through my fingers, pushing that extra mile, contemplating style through smiles, gradually fading into Night.
**********
She watches, she listens
gathering life through strength
Pushing limits beyond reason
Dreaming of images
Solitary, though shared

*********
"Oh, fill me with your love," she whispers
Her internal conversation
taking her hand, lifting her above
the physical, excruciating absence
of his warmth
*********
She softly speaks his name
Loving for the sake of love, she writes
through cascading moonlight smiles
Her heart lit afire from the reflecting glow
She must indulge this one last time
or else she will not be able to feel
the joy of being alive within her thoughts
Cascading down, raining Light in the Night
Noble, gentle face, you summon her awake--
more awake than ever before
***********
Grasping at everything
she holds on
with resolve
As she thinks of him
she knows
that everything she needs is here
succumbing to the faithful glow
in the moon and Starlight
meshed with Night
*********
Smiling through the murky glow
of Moonlight through the rings
The hazy sky through Starlight knows
The Night, to her, he sings

"WARREN BEATTY IS BLESSED WITH A SPECIAL SNEEZE!" - Another Article From My Online Journalism Days of 2007

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Warren Beatty is Blessed With A Special Sneeze

Warren Beatty calls his orgasms "sexual sneezes." The notorious Hollywood lothario - whose conquests include Madonna, Julie Christie, Joan Collins, Faye Dunaway, Britt Ekland, Jane Fonda, Melanie Griffith, Daryl Hannah, Goldie Hawn, Bianca Jagger, Diane Keaton, Linda McCartney, Elle Macpherson, Diana Ross, Carly Simon and Barbra Streisand - used the term to explain a sexual climax to his youngest daughter, seven-year-old Ella. A child of seven should be able to live with that explanation - for maybe a couple of years.

Beatty's wife, Annette Benning, revealed her husband's unusual terminology to Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett Smith, Debra Messing, Kathy Griffin and Christy Scott Cashman on set of their new movie 'The Women', which they are currently filming in Boston. A source told the New York Post newspaper: "Annette mentioned during rehearsal that her daughter Ella had asked what an orgasm is and Warren explained, 'It's a sexual sneeze.' "Before he married Annette he must have been suffering from chronic hayfever!" Beatty, 70, and Benning, 49, have three other children - Kathlyn, 15, Benjamin, 13, and Isabel, 11.

Dana Springer
September 2007

Craving the Wild

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Her head is high above the clouds
Carefully walking upon the ground
Maybe paying too much attention
Mindful of every step
Overwhelming her with responsibility
When all she wants to do is sing
and keep her garden green
*
She disrobes from day to day
while cloaking herself in the Night
Emotions swell
attempting to cause her fright
When she is comforted by her love-
Expression's artful Light
*
Releasing the call of the wild
Consuming her with smiles
above all reproach
Silently suffering certain days untold
Lonely for those who feel her, most
*
Day is done
The only thing left are her tears
which have rolled over
through the years
Begging for a vessel, to be exposed
and aid in her repose
*
Cloaking herself with evening
Finding solace in those who needs her, most
The woman behind the veil
of broken years of tears
Allowing them to pour forth
*
She disrobes from the trying day
Facing emotions, undeserving
In an attempt to cast away
Ones that bring her down
Wearing her evening's gown

MY ARTICLE FROM MY 'MUSE ME' MAGAZINE DAYS IN 2007

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Rihanna's Mentor: Jay-Z

Rihanna's Mentor - Jay-Z

Rihanna says mentor Jay-Z is teaching her how to cope with fame. The singer, who has been catapulted to superstardom after the phenomenal success of her worldwide hit 'Umbrella', has no intention of becoming a diva, and is being schooled on the pitfalls of celebrity by the hip-hop mogul. Speaking at the MOBO Awards nominations party at London club Movida Thursday night, August 22nd, she said: "He's just told me to keep good people around me, stay humble, keep grounded and don't get carried away by everything around me."
Rihanna - who was nominated for two awards, Best Video, for 'Umbrella', and Best International Act - also quashed speculation she and Jay-Z's lover Beyoncé Knowles are feuding. The 19-year-old singer insists the pair get on fine, despite constant reports claiming Beyoncé is jealous of Rihanna's success and the amount of time she spent working on her latest album, 'Good Girl Gone Bad', with the rapper. Rihanna - who was signed by Jay-Z to Def Jam Records - said: "Beyoncé is not the enemy. She is the competition but we get on fine. We're great." The 12th MOBO Awards - which celebrate music of black origin - take place on September 19 at London's O2 Arena. They will be hosted by Shaggy and Jamelia.

Dana Springer
Muse Me Magazine

MEDIA REVIEW: A Midsummer Night's Dream

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It's a Pucked-Up World

The 1999 film-adaptation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream succeeded in its portrayal of how silly young love can be. The all-star cast included Kevin Kline ( Nick Bottom), Michelle Pfeiffer (Titiana), Stanley Tucci (Puck), Sophie Marceau (Hippolyta), Christian Bale (Demetrius), and Calista Flockhart (Helena). Shakespeare’s themes of dreams and magic take the viewer on an entertaining journey of how silly love can be. The audience enjoys the ensemble of actors who masterfully portray the characters while adding a little twist of 'contemporary', such as the use of bicycles, setting the film in Italy with reference to the original Athens setting, and a mud-wrestling scene!

Dreams are one of the main themes used to rationalize otherwise unbelievable events within the forest. Hippolyta mentions dreams in the first scene which sets a tone for the rest of the play: “Four days will quickly steep themselves in night, / Four nights will quickly dream away the time” (I. i. 7-8). Another mention of a dream came from Bottom, as his own logic attempts to explain away the events of the previous night: “I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what / dream it was” (IV. i. 90-92).

As magic is another central theme in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare uses a love potion to symbolize the magical properties of love. Puck sprinkles the liquid from the flower onto various mortals’ eyelids while they sleep with the intention of helping the mortals realize their true loves. Oberon convinces Puck to spread the magic to Titiana when the behavior of faries in love become equally silly. One of Titiana’s notorious quotes is “My Oberon! What visions have I seen! / Methoughts I was enamoured of an ass” (IV. i. 59-60).

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s themes of dreams and magic exemplify how the various states of love might be. The intensity of love can motivate the actions of lovers and sometimes does nothing but discombobulate a person’s perception of reality. Once the initial phases run their course, the real reality takes over! Enjoy the film clip of Michelle Pfeiffer "enamoured with an ass", and a mud-wrestling scene!

Shakespeare's remarkable talent and vision, as well as his understanding of human nature (both male AND female), are timeless and will survive through the ages!

Works Cited

A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Dir. Michael Hoffman. Perf. Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Calista Flockhart,

Sophie Marceau, and Christian Bale. Fox Searchlight Pictures. 1999.

Shakespeare, William. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. 3rd

ed. Ed. Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. 311-333.

All Doubts Fade

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I gaze into mirrored places
sometimes, not recognizing
the many faces of me
Awed by simple relevance
apposite within the moment
*
Gentle golden heart, mended
Infinite capacity of emotion
looking back at me
Holding myself in protective layers
while they slowly peel away,
along with the tougher times,
every day
*
Influenced by many loves
from years of seeking
the one
who understands me
who embraces me
Overlooking the flaws
of beauty fading on the outside
looking in

and
At the same time
I notice how self-love
brilliantly shines
in beauty present,
envisioning the truth
through the sands of time
all of those years which do not fade

*
The lines dissolve
...and I'm amazed

Smiling, knowing
time is only relevant
to those with no warmth
or intelligence
Reminded every single day
of the gift of knowledge

of life
as I embrace
so many different faces
Coming together as one
under the sun.