What's The Deal With Luck?

This is Daniel Pink's article on the work of Professor Richard Wiseman from a few years back.
Later,
Paul Parducci

Oh and the picture? 53 million year old rabbit's foot bones.

Is The BigFoot Body For Real?

I had to post this.
Later,
Paul Parducci

Tracy Arm

Just got back from Alaska and the Yukon.

Here is my mandatory iceberg picture from the amazing Tracy Arm Fjord.

(See the bird?)

Later,

Paul Parducci

My Ultimate Quote Regarding Directing.

Ivan Triesault as director Von Ellstein in Vincent Minnelli's "Bad and the Beautiful"

"To direct a picture, a man needs humility. Do you have humility, Mr. Shields?"

Regarding this particular job in film-truer words were never spoken.

Later,

Paul Parducci

 

You can Subscribe to my Youtube Channel Here. 

Magic Squares

A Magic Square is a "square" of numbers that add up the same vertically, horizontally and diagonally.
This is from Gaudi's Church of the Sacred Family in Barcelona, Spain. (It adds up to 33)
(I've been to this church and if you're every in this neck of the European woods it's a must see.)
This is a terrific Magic Square site.
Later,

Paul Parducci

The Internet as Queen Bee: Or How I Learned to Stop Thinking and Love the Web

The thought has occurred to me that the Internet is altering not only how we process information but also how we retain it.

In the past I would be inclined to get to the bottom of a topic so that I could file it properly in my long term memory. But now I frequently just tell myself that if I want more factoids when a need arises, I'll just "Google" it.

As an Actor and Filmmaker more and more of the projects offered to me are "Snack-Sized" for fast consumption and limited or compressed thought.

Are we humans becoming slaves to the web and how it works?

Is this amazing information/communication/entertainment hub modifying us to serve "it" in the way "it" works best?

With every passing day we seem to be more Hive-minded with the Internet as our passive but demanding queen.

Buzz.

Later,

Paul Parducci

PS: Here is a fantastic article by Nicholas Carr from the Atlantic

The Disappearance of Sub Culture: Is Privacy the New Fame?

Everyone knows artist Andy Warhol's quote regarding 15 minutes. And of course this has been proven to be absolutely correct. In the past world-wide fame was linked either to great achievement or great notoriety. Today with a will anyone can present themselves for global observation.
Special knowledge and the feeling of being "in the know" are also fast evaporating.
Where once fame was the elusive commodity it is this writer's humble opinion that privacy is now the most valuable. And in the google culture we live in it will prove to be more desirable with every passing day.
In the future only the most powerful will be able to afford a private life.
In short Privacy is the new Fame.
Later,
Paul Parducci

Great article on our new "everything is everywhere" world.

Van Gogh's "Starry Night"

Later,
Paul Parducci

Harvey Korman (1927-2008)

Some of the greatest in front-of-the-box moments of my life were spent watching this great comic actor work.
Here he is with Tim Conway doing what he did better than anyone else.

Rest in Peace Mr. Korman.
Later,
Paul Parducci

Memorial Day 2008: Alexander Kelly USCT Medal of Honor

Today we honor soldiers like Alexander Kelly.

Thank you sir.

Paul Parducci

My Buddy David's New Blog

Put this one on your "Must Read" list:
NEXT SET-UP
Later,
Paul Parducci

Nightmare Boss: A Very Grateful Bladder Problem

I want to thank all the folks who are watching "Nightmare Boss" on Vodaphone in the UK and beyond. Also,I really appreciate all of you who have taken the time to let me know how much you enjoy the series.
Here is Nightmare Boss #14 "Bladder Problem."
Later,
Paul Parducci

Edinburgh, Scotland: If You Can: Go And See The Ghosts

Edinburgh is a great town filled with interesting , friendly people.

It still bothers me that they can't fly St. Andrews Cross above the UK flag. (I guess I'm just an obstreperous American so in order to avoid an international incident I'll stop right there.)

Anyway if I were there this coming week I would head over to their annual Ghost Fest.

Later,

Paul Parducci

Ps: The great photo is frome here.

Otto Preminger's Bunny Lake Is Missing

A fantastic Noirish Psychological thriller- well worth a look.
Here is Chris Fujiwara's piece from Senses of Cinema on Mr. Preminger.
Later,
Paul Parducci

The Voynich Manuscript

Among the many strange objects floating around our planet, this is one of the strangest.

The Voynich Manuscript.

John Baez's Overview

If this is a Hoax, it is an astounding one.

Later,

Paul Parducci

My Scriptapalooza Script "Ghosties"

Just before the strike a script I had submitted to the excellent Screenplay Competition:
Scriptapalooza ended up as a Semi-Finalist. Consequently I have had a lot of interest in this project and I want to commend this competition for doing an excellent job.

Here is a promo for it:


Later,
Paul Parducci

Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels

Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels is both a film that works and an excellent commentary on the value of entertainment in general and comedy in particular in a world that frequently has little of either. Oh and there's Veronica Lake as well.
Later,
Paul Parducci

CERN's "GRID" and The Death Of The Internet

A couple of Slide-Rule types in Switzerland are getting close to realizing the Web's next iteration: The Grid.

Later,

Paul Parducci

Attention Los Angeles Readers! My Pal Drew Friedman's "More Old Jewish Comedians."

I'm in the production bubble of my latest project so I will regrettably be unable to attend.(The second part of that sentence sounded very Oxford didn't it?) But everyone else should head on down to Skylight Books today between 5 and 7 PM. This book is if possible even more amazing than his last one, every page is literally soaked with Drew's unique brand of stunningly brilliant and table-poundingly funny personality disection.

Congrats Drew! I'll catch you at the next one.

Later,

Paul Parducci

Charles Bukowski's "this"

self-congratulatory nonsense as the famous gather to applaud their seeming
greatness


you
wonder where
the real ones are


what
giant cave
hides them


as
the deathly talentless
how to
accolades


as
the fools are
fooled
again


you
wonder where
the real ones are
if there are
real ones.


this
self-congratulatory nonsense
has lasted
decades
and
with some exceptions

centuries

this
is so dreary
is so absolutely pitiless

it
churns the gut to
powder
shackles hope

it
makes little things
like
pulling up a shade
or
putting on your shoes
or
walking out on the street

more difficult
near
damnable

as
the famous gather to applaud their
seeming
greatness

as
the fools are
fooled
again

humanity
you sick
motherfucker.


This poem can be found in the excellent collection of Bukowski's works; "run with the hunted" a charles bukowski reader edited by John Martin.
Later,
Paul Parducci