AN INCOVENIENT TRUTH. Last night, Susan and I went to see An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore's amazing documentary about global warming. It was one of the most mind-blowing, affecting and powerful films I've seen, not only for the message presented, but the way it was presented. Gore gives us the facts on the issue which, if accurate are alarming and downright frightening. He also explain his own personal connections to the issue and why it is so important for him to get his message across. But the most important aspect of the film is how it serves as a motivational tool for much needed social change. Sure, some of the facts presented in the film could be called into question, but there is one basic truth: we are killing our planet. Some may call this film nothing more than liberal propaganda. I see it as a call to action. If everyone who sees this film does something, like wrtie about it in a blog, send emails urging friends to see it, walk to work, reduce energy usage, or whatever, social and political change can be achieved. Gore is one of the few people to realize and demonstrate the power of film as a social tool in recent years, and judged on the applause from the packed movie house last night, he is getting his message across. Please see this film, and act on it. We can save the world.

In looking over the website for the film, I stumbled across a link to Participate.net, a website devoted to using films as tools to inspire social change. Some of the films featured are Good Night and Good Luck, North Country, Fast Food Nation, and Murderball. Check it out and get motivated!

Summer Music Update. The Albuquerque Bio Park concerts are in full swing. It is a blessing to have such a great venue a block away from our house. It seems the weather gods have seen fit to give us unusual weather each Thursday evening, cooling the blazing heat with wind, clouds or even a smattering of rain. This just makes it all the more enjoyable in my book, and cuts down the crowds a bit. Here's a run-down of what we have seen so far.

Sweet Sunny South. This young bluegrass band from Paonia, CO. dresses in 1930s outfits and plays moslty original songs in a very traditional style. They even do old style commercial radio jingles. A great sense of humor a d phenominal musicanship add to their appeal. The sound was set up to give their vocals an echo effect, which made their music sound like you were hearing an old radio broadcast. We bought two of their CDs. Weather was cloudy and cool.

Eliza Gilkyson. Some technical difficulties got this show off to a late start, then halfway through the first song, a fuse blew. It took another ten minutes to replace the fuse. Once all that was out of the way, Gilkyson settled into a powerful evening of hardcore socially relevant folk music. Backed by only a bass player and her son on a single drum, Eliza played with emotions and politics bared to the crowd. Her voice reminded me of Lucinda Williams and her style harked back to the days of Joan Baez. We bought her CD Land of Milk and Honey. I can't stop playing her anti-Iraq War song "Highway 9" over and over in my head. Awesome! It rained twice during the show, but we were equiped with our trusty rain panchos.

Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem. This is at first glance, just another bluegrass band, but in reality, they are so much more. A four piece band fronted by a fiddle playing female lead singer, they played a mix of original folk, bluegrass, rock, jazz, blues and old standards. Their music has a delightfully raw edge, and Rani's vocal's often reminded me of Ricki Lee Jones. They are at their best on the more swinging tunes and the darker more downbeat stuff. We downloaded both their albums off of eMusic, and you should too. It was very windy that evening, and this show had the smallest crowd so far. I would also pick this group as my favorite so far. They reminded me a bit of my favorite group from last year's concerts, The Clumsy Lovers.

Tonight we are going to see the New Age Flamenco/World Fusion group Incendio. The weather is predicted to be stormy again! Tomorrow night we make our first stop of the year at the Zoo Music series for the Latin funk/hip-hop/dance band Yerba Buena! The zoo is alway more crowded and the audience drunker, but this could be a good show. More later.

Movies Update. We have really been catching up on the flicks at the theatre, on DVD and on cable lately. Here's a very brief rundown of what we've seen, and it ain't the Summer blockbusters either kids. W

District B-13. The latest action film written by Luc Besson (Unleashed, The Professional, Transporter 2) utilizes the French martial art of Parkour. This basically means the action has its stars gymnastically utilizing their environment by jumping over, under, and around everything in their path. Violent, but not overly so, stylish, funny and very creative, despite cartoonish characters and a very simple plot. Best action movie in ages. B+.

Prarie Home Companion. The public radio show comes to the screen via Robert Altman's world of ensemble chaos. A great cast Mery Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline, Virginia Madsen, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, and host Garrison Keillor bring the show to life. The film is laid back, cozy, nostalgic, very funny, and even surreal. Altman at 80 still delivers a great movie. A.

The Notorious Bettie Page. A superficial but fun biopic of the infamous 1950s pinup queen. Gretchen Mol is fantastic as Bettie, but the film never delves very deep into her psyche. It does provide a very vivid recreation of the era and its morality. A lot of what was sexy or taboo back then seems silly or even innocent now. B.

The Beauty Academy of Kabul. Very touching documentary about a group of American women who open a beauty school in Afghanistan to help the local women regain some of their social freedoms lost during the Taliban rule. Eye-opening and even shocking in it's depiction of what daily life in Kabul is like. B+.

Mrs. Henderson Presents. Delighful comedy-drama based on the true story of a rich woman in World II who creates the first theatre in London to feature a nude revue. Judy Dench has the time of her life as Mrs. Henderson, and Bob Hoskins chews the scenery as her frustrated manager. Funny, sexy and touching. A real unnoticed gem. A.

King Kong. The biggest waste of money in the history of movies. Over-long by two hours. Why remake a perfect film in the first place? Horrible casting, disappointing visual effects considering the budget and three and a half hours of my life I'll never get back. Fall of the damn building already! Yech! D-.

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. Another surreal British comedy from actor Steve Coogan and director Mmichael WInterbottom, the creators of the brilliant 24 Hour Party People. This one is a film about the filming of a movie based on the unfilmable novel Tristram Shandy. The movie switches back and forth between scenes from the movie being made and the daily life of those making it. Coogan plays himself and slowly loses his grip on reality. Very unusual and often very funny. A-.

Another Book Signing. Had another book signing over the weekend. This one wasn't quite as successful as the others. In fact, it bordered on disaster. Had we not managed to sell five books, I would have been extremely displeased. This was a book signing last Sunday for Tiffany Blue by Patricia McCraw. It is an excellent book about John Patrick McNulty, Patricia's great-grandfather, who was the forman of the Tiffany turquoise mine in Cerrillos, NM in the early 1900s. Anyway, I sent notices to the Alibi, Journal, and Tribune, and only the Tribune bothered to list us. I sent emails to the 200 people on my mailing list. Then, on Sunday, I put up big signs in the store window, and waited for the asuthor to show up. And waited, and waited. Pat was scheduled to talk at 1:00 pm. At 1:30, no sign of Pat. I had to turn four customers away who wanted to hear her. I didn't have her phone number at the store, so I had to go home and call her while Dad minded the shop. He called back and said she was stuck in traffic. She finally showed up at 1:45. We sold five bboks from 1:45 to 3:00 pm. The signing was scheduled to stop at 3:00, but Pat agreed to stay to 4:00. I changed the times on the signs. During that last hour, only two people showed interest. A lady let Pat lecture her about the book for a half hour, then said, "Well, maybe I'll think about buying a book later." Then right after that, one of my fellow Old Town merchants, who shall remain nameless (allow I'd like to call him a bunch of names) came in, heard Pat's entire speech about the book, then tried to get her to sell him a bunch of books wholesale for his store. The nerve of the bastard! He didn't even have the tact to do it behind my back! He said it right in front of me. The least he could have done was buy a book from me, then call her later, and buy some more books directly from her without my knowing.I became very angry, and I really wanted to chew him out. I didn't beecause he is a friend of my father. But I was so angry about this, the lack of people, and the late author, I told Dad I had to leave to cool down. Dad spoke to Pat about it, and she agreed the guy was a jerk, and refused to sell to him.

I get very frustrated about business sometimes. It seems I do everything humanly possible to make these events suceed, and then events I can't control, like late authors, idiots, nonresponsive email recipients, and sparse crowds
intervene. I know there's nothing I can do about these things, and I'm sure I'll keep trying, but sometimes I feel like I'm just banging my head against a wall.