Ah, I heard a good song, and why have I never heard it before? I don't know. It's how old?

This is a comment about Queen, one of the few music bands with connections to Zoroastrianism. They sing, "Leave it in the lap of the Gods," a statement both funny and emotionally resonant. Kenny Davidsen said, the great Queen album is called Sheer Heart Attack. The song I always listened to, coming in at under three minutes, is Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy. They wrote performed and recorded so well that one's imagination can't help but go wild from listening to them. They are a testiment to excellence. The good song, the companion piece to GOFLB, is called, "Killer Queen."

Rainer Werner Fassbinder's films return to the film forum. He's another dead overproducer. One of my favorite films is the Marriage of Maria Braun. Many of his films have great titles like, "The Year of Thirteen Moons" and "Ali, Fear Eats the Soul."

Amy Philips' writing about the antifolk compilations is at http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0305/phillips.php. The Dufus song she mentions is noticably exceptional. She draws worthwhile attention to Schwervon. Hooray for innovative songwriting!

I heard the Jazz Band, Mr. Kite, cover Lennon & MaCartney's Mother Nature's Son at DUMBO's Redhouse. Cheryl Crow also covered it for a film called I Am Sam. It's a pretty song.

I don't resent Catch Me If You Can.

I resent About Schmidt and I'm beginning to question the futility in Election. The director is also responsible for Citizen Ruth.

Mr. Nicholson is playing a former Treblinka Commandant masquerading as a Nebraskan husband/father and retired insurance actuary, hence the title. -- oh, did we cut that scene?

The memorable musical moment is by Satie.

In generating an audience for this noble effort, which is a matter of perfect timing, congratulations to the marketing people.

By the way, those plastic green water bucket tree stands? -- collapsable, and nothing says Bunuellian Christmas better than an evergreen toppling on santa's elves as they're giftwrapping. Tim-bur. Resurrect it, redecorate it and tie it to a picture hook on the wall. It is beautiful again, even more so away from the radiator.

This wake a week pattern has got to break. Richard Pretzer, Deceased as of December 18th, 2002.

Christmas trees that are identified as Frazier Firs are very traditional looking. In fact, they have that artificial tree look, but they are real. Put 7-Up in the stand. They'll drink it up. Oh to have a clipped tree, seperated from its undergrowth, vicegripped into a plastic green platform. It smells great and gives the apartment that home feeling. It's right next to the iron curlicued morrocan daybed. Now all we need is the HO train set circling the little town at the base, and a glowing embered fireplace.

Rosebud.