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Morning, folks!
A few weeks ago Esquire ran a piece about how Clint Eastwood’s eminent manhood has transcended generations, if only because no Man had come along to displace him. May I submit Aron Ralston, the inspiration for 127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle’s newest joint? James Franco, no stranger to playing real-life dudes from across the spectrum of culturally prescribed manhood, takes a turn as the goofball-seclusionist-turned-survivalist-self-surgeon Ralston, who—and I don’t think this counts as a spoiler—saws off his own forearm with a dull multitool in order to survive a freak accident in the Canyonlands. Franco’s Ralston lacks Eastwood’s theatrical stoicism; but then, striking a convincing pose for a camera seems a little dainty when compared to hacking through one’s own muscle, bone, and nerves with the equivalent of a can opener in order to survive and procreate.
Anyway, it’s not in D.C. yet, but it will be soon. In the meantime, Here’s a primer on how to watch it without passing out.
Weezy’s free(zy)! WaPo’s Chris Richards explains why Wayne might want to avoid future stays at Riker’s. Other articles do a fine job helping with the push to brand the hip-hop megastar’s incarceration as a creative flashpoint, breathlessly reporting that Wayne is actually writing stuff down—stuff that he simply had to record on the plane ride home, it was just that good.
Speaking of hip-hop lyrics, ever wonder where the suffix “-izzle” came from? These nerds from Yale can tell you! (Answer: California rapper Earl Stevens, a.k.a. E-40.) Reviewing Yale University Press’s new Anthology of Rap, Sam Anderson points out “one of the great paradoxes of rap: The toughest, coolest, most dangerous-seeming MCs are, at heart, basically just enormous language dorks.”
You can still be a Man and a language dork, I think hope.
Bye!