Word: blandings
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Wynton Marsalis is leading a revolution of tradition. While many of his contemporaries play bland but best-selling smooth jazz and jazz-fusion, Marsalis champions core values: master the instrument, study the greats such as Monk and Ellington and dress and comport yourself with the dignity the music deserves. Though the battle for the music's soul goes on, the success of other young jazz stars in the '90s, from saxophonist Joshua Redman to pianist Eric Reed, is proof of Marsalis' influence. "I've played 150 concerts a year for 15 years," he says. "It helped to rebuild the jazz...
...worried about going after them too hard," yet jumped in as soon as the televangelists started quoting Scripture: "Is it going to be possible to get through an interview with both of you without you wrapping yourselves in the Bible?" To Michael Dukakis, who persisted in giving bland responses during an interview meant to resurrect his failing presidential campaign, Koppel blurted: "With all due respect, let me suggest to you, I still don't think you get it." ("I was inviting the candidate to slap me down," he recalls. "And I couldn't imagine why he didn't.") And this...
...from enjoying equity in our society, but not to the extent that a paradigm shift is sought. While this pursuit definitely requires the study of immigrant cultures, literature, etc., it does so as a means to an end. That end is a uniquely American culture which is not a bland homogenization but rather a synergistic whole that is greater than the sum of its ethnic components. In other words, the contemporary experiences of non-white minorities should be looked at as an extension of the immigrant experiences of white ethnic groups in the earlier history of America...
Upon all these folks, writer-director David O. Russell turns a bland, almost anthropological eye. Nothing surprises him and nothing outrages him, except for bed-and-breakfast lodgings, about which, at last, his movie tells the terrible truth. Usually when a Quentin Tarantino or an Oliver Stone sets out to penetrate the heart of American darkness, we sooner or later end up in hysteria and bloodshed. Russell, a much less antsy operative, practices a kind of Post-it Modernism, jotting quick notes on our secret lives and moving on. But make no mistake, he is a dangerous subversive, capable...
...back on the good life to concentrate on Edmonton, training and nursing a slightly injured ankle. The field he faces is closely competitive. Canada's Elvis Stojko just landed a quadruple jump in a Paris competition. Russia's Alexei Urmanov raises competency to genius level with his reliable if bland programs. America's Todd Eldredge is a deeply experienced skater with a high jump. What Galindo brings to the party is artistry. As Shelley says, "What Rudy has in his favor is a better line and more interesting programs, plus a fantastic sense of revolution, which is great in combination...