Jezebel: legends

In Our Defense, They're Way Cheaper Online. Okay, A Little.

Sadie — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:40:00 EDT

The Onion takes on the legendary notebook of Hemingway, Matisse and Chatwin. [TheOnion]

R.I.P. Blossom Dearie

Sadie — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:20:00 EST

Blossom Dearie, the cult cabaret singer famous for her girlish voice and gamine appearance, has died at 82. Hear her after the jump!

Video via Youtube
Blossom Dearie, Cult Chanteuse, Dies at 82 [New York Times]

The Great Kate

Sadie — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:40:00 EST

"Shoot 'em. Shoot 'em. It's a better way to live!" Check out Katharine Hepburn in rare crank form in this 1979 60 Minutes interview, waxing on aging, humanity, movies, and bores. [Oh No They Didn't]

Happy Birthday, Ann Nixon Cooper!

Dodai — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:20:00 EST

Today, Ann Nixon Cooper, whom we mentioned before Barack Obama spoke of her in his victory speech, turned 107 years old.

Cooper, who voted early, and remembers a time not long ago when she was barred from voting because of her race, famously said: "I ain’t got time to die, because I’ve got to see a black president." According to the New York Times, she will not be going to the inauguration, however:

“I’m not interested in getting into anything that big,” she said Thursday in a telephone interview from her home in Atlanta. “I won’t be trying to get into that crowd.”
Instead, she plans to watch the ceremonies on her television, which most days is tuned to her favorite show, “The Price Is Right.”

Ms. Cooper, who who has had several heart attacks and a broken hip but can get around her house okay, plans to have roast turkey today for her birthday, which she will celebrate with about 20 relatives and friends.

For One Special Voter, Two Special Days [NY Times]

Earlier: Ann Nixon Cooper

Forgotten Man

Sadie — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:45:00 EST

"The legend of the modern roller derby has claimed its place in the Generation X canon: ... some tattooed, disaffected young women from Texas reimagined the sport as a symbol of postfeminist sisterhood."

"Tough, brash and calculatedly sexy, with a rockabilly swagger, the roller girls declared themselves She.E.O.’s, started a coast-to-coast cultural juggernaut and inspired books, reality TV shows and a forthcoming Drew Barrymore movie." But legend has ignored the presence of a shadowy figure known only as "Devil Dan," who essentially invented the sport's current incarnation. Although his vision of “a crazy circus with these clowns unfortunately stabbing each other, these bears on fire on these unicycles," never came to pass, he is regarded as insiders as "the progenitor of the modern roller derby," an odd footnote in a story otherwise for and by women. [New York Times]

This essay about Katharine Hepburn really...

Sadie — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:30:00 EDT

This essay about Katharine Hepburn really makes you want a) to be her b)have known her and c) watch all her movies, immediately. The author, Sarah Standing, had the luxury of living with Hepburn for several months, in all her whiskey-drinking, trouser-wearing, wood-chopping, frigid-ocean-swimming glory. And while Kate's home truths — "You can't sail a leaky boat. You either keep rowing or you sink. Swim to safety before it's too late," — are sage indeed, it seems a little unfair to compare Hepburn's "real star" quality to what passes for celebrity today, as Standing does. After all, it's not like there was really anyone as awesome in her own day either. The upside? At least high-waisted trousers are readily available now - "because it's impossible to explore properly in a dress," as Hepburn herself said. [Telegraph]

Is It Wrong To Critique A Legend?

Dodai — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Ann Powers, music columnist for the LA Times, went to the Staples Center to see Tina Turner in concert last week. She wrote a review, in which she admitted that the show wasn't perfect: "Turner frequently missed notes, sometimes going utterly off key. Whenever her dance moves got tricky, it seemed, Turner's vocals suffered." Today, Powers writes that she "received a mini-flood of negative letters" after the review was published, from fans who said things like, "This woman is an inspiration to us all… For you to criticize her in any way is a lack of respect for her talent and professionalism. Wait until you turn 68 and see if you can get out and do half of what she does. Shame on you." But Powers thinks that overlooking Turner's less-than-perfect voice would not be the right thing to do. She writes:

In the end, I decided that ignoring Turner's flaws would have been disrespectful, a qualifying act not unlike that old male chauvinist saw: "You play pretty good for a girl." She's a real artist, and a musical innovator; she would want me to be honest, I think.

Powers notes that the letters she got "stressed Turner's veteran status" and suggested it was wrong to find fault with her singing because of her age or place in pop history. Powers asks, sincerely: Is there a point when an artist becomes off-limits to criticism?

In addition, Powers points out that concert reviews become historical record: "In 100 years, a Tina Turner biographer needs to know how her later performances compared to earlier ones." But, she counters: "On the other hand, holding to a rigid standard of musical perfection is inappropriate for some artists."

Last year, I posted a picture of Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross with the headline, "True Or False: A Legend May Wear Whatever She Damn Wants." Because on the one hand, Aretha is the Queen of Soul! Diana is a living legend! How dare one critique their dresses? On the other hand, if the dress is unflattering, the dress is unflattering. When it comes to Tina Turner, there's no doubt that she survived abuse and redefined pop music. Does that mean a reviewer should give her or any other legend special treatment?

Are Tina Turner And Other Legends Off-Limits To Negative Criticism? [LA Times]
Related: Live: Tina Turner at Staples Center [LA Times]
Earlier: True Or False: A Legend May Wear Whatever She Damn Wants