Monday, March 07, 2005
Why Roger Ebert Kicks Ass
I found this today, on some website somewhere, attributed to the ever-underappreciated fat (formerly, at least) film critic extraordinaire, Mr. Ebert:
"Now to end on a sad note. For 18 years I have used a little hand-held leather object known as the Levenger Pocket Briefcase. It holds 3x5 cards on a pocket in the back. You place a card beneath the tabs on the front, write on it, and then store it in another pocket. Perfect. It has been with me to dozens of festivals and thousands of films, and today, somewhere between the Holiday Village Cinemas and the press screening at the Yarrow, I lost it. The Sundance ushers were tireless in helping me search with a flashlight, but it is gone.
"I would sooner have lost my wallet, or my car. The Pocket Briefcase was part of me, deeply engrained in my work habits. Some years ago I bought a backup, only to discover that Levenger had make the tragic mistake of inexplicably changing its flawless dimensions by making it a half-inch wider -- just enough so that it no longer fit perfectly into the palm, and the 3x5 cards in the storage area could not provide a solid backing for my writing. Damn, damn, damn. I bought a spiral notebook at the 7-Eleven, and am right now regarding it with hatred."
Roger Ebert lost a part of himself in the movie theater that night. I feel for the man, I really do.
"Now to end on a sad note. For 18 years I have used a little hand-held leather object known as the Levenger Pocket Briefcase. It holds 3x5 cards on a pocket in the back. You place a card beneath the tabs on the front, write on it, and then store it in another pocket. Perfect. It has been with me to dozens of festivals and thousands of films, and today, somewhere between the Holiday Village Cinemas and the press screening at the Yarrow, I lost it. The Sundance ushers were tireless in helping me search with a flashlight, but it is gone.
"I would sooner have lost my wallet, or my car. The Pocket Briefcase was part of me, deeply engrained in my work habits. Some years ago I bought a backup, only to discover that Levenger had make the tragic mistake of inexplicably changing its flawless dimensions by making it a half-inch wider -- just enough so that it no longer fit perfectly into the palm, and the 3x5 cards in the storage area could not provide a solid backing for my writing. Damn, damn, damn. I bought a spiral notebook at the 7-Eleven, and am right now regarding it with hatred."
Roger Ebert lost a part of himself in the movie theater that night. I feel for the man, I really do.
posted by Bill Purdy, 4:16 PM
2 Buffaloes were bitter enough to post comments:
Yeah, Ebert rocks! Did you see him open up for Aerosmith? It was SWEET! And he KILLS every time he's on Letterman. Who else would you call when David Brenner can't make it?
On a similar note... have you read Chuck Klosterman's article in the latest issue of SPIN, about a Carnival Cruise he took with thousands of crazed fans who were there to see Styx, REO Speedwagon, and Journey, perform on the boat? When he points out to one crazed, middle-aged Styx fan that only two original members were performing (Tommy Shaw and James Young), she corrects him. In fact, she affirms, Tommy Shaw joined the band in 1975, making James Young the ONLY original member of the band there, frolicking on the waves with the likes of Kevin Cronin and Neal Schon. And their original drummer died, so you can't exactly fault them for that.
I have no comment, however, about David Brenner. Really, Patrick, I don't think anyone does.
I have no comment, however, about David Brenner. Really, Patrick, I don't think anyone does.