Best On-Screen Resignations / ShortLists / ShortList Magazine “Bosses”, muses Bill Hicks in his 1989 stand-up show, Sane Man, “aren't they something?” He mimes slapping an insect away from his face and continues, “They're like gnats on a camping trip… Get the f*ck off me. It's just a job; it doesn't mean a thing”. Hicks is not alone in this opinion. However, in this period of economic of uncertainty, holding onto gainful employment is extremely important. (*In case our boss is reading this, that sweeping generalization excludes us. Main image: YouTube.com Tags: film, films, movies Jerry Maguire METHOD: The 'Take the fish with you' When you leave a company you've been with a long time, it's important not to burn any bridges. The Office METHOD: The 'Vent your spleen' Not only does Tim Canterbury have to put up with spending eight hours a day flogging paper, he also has to deal with David Brent as a boss and Gareth Keenan as a desk-neighbour. The Apartment METHOD: The 'Head held high' By far the classiest, cleverest method on this list. Scarface Office Space
Billie Holiday With One Of Her Most Powerful And Emotional Performances Ever Captured On Film Though it was originally written by someone else as a protest song of sorts, this is one of those gems that a singer just totally owns from the start. “Strange Fruit” was shocking to many people when it came out in 1939. Even Ms. Holiday herself was initially reluctant to sing it, fearing retribution. Though many people knew that lynchings of African-Americans in the South were common, there was much resistance to ending it, since it was an effective means of social control and political intimidation by Southern whites. She said she always thought of her father when she sang this song; he died at age 39 after being denied medical treatment at a Texas “whites only” hospital. Her voice is strong and impressive in this clip, but just look at the incredible expressiveness in her eyes as she sings the haunting lyrics. Trigger warning: lyrics about racial violence. Next bit of Upworthiness:
s / ShortList Magazine Cinema's Oldest High Schoolers Whether it's to get around child labour laws or simply to make actual teenagers feel horribly inadequate,… More Best on-screen resignations “Bosses”, muses Bill Hicks in his 1989 stand-up show, Sane Man, “aren't they something?” More Most powerful animals on Twitter After we blew the lid off the shocking revelation that animals had been earning a secret wage behind our backs, it… More 20 Must Try Beers Ten years ago, if you strolled into any British pub you were faced with a choice of two big-name lagers on tap More Unusual Celebrity Merchandise While it's more commonplace, and a hell of a lot easier, for a star to attach their name to a pre-existing… More 10 surprisingly clever celebrities Now we don't want to generalise or anything but we assumed that with the amount of time spent falling out of… More Unlikeable film heroes Hero. More Unconvincing on-screen friendships Cinema history is littered with unlikely friendships. More The 10 best face-removing moments on film More
Beatlemania Begins: The Beatles First U.S. Visit to Play Ed Sullivan It seems impossible to recall a time when the Beatles weren’t part of Americans’ collective consciousness. Yet exactly 50 years ago, on Feb. 7, 1964, as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr boarded Pan Am Flight 101 in London for their first U.S. visit, they had little idea what lay in store for them. John calculated the Beatles’ odds as the plane began its descent. He stared dolefully at the seat back in front of him, clutching the hand of his wife Cynthia. There were so many variables that would determine their success: whether “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” released in late December, would sustain its initial impact in the States; how tickets there were selling for their upcoming concerts; whether their appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show would capture the imagination of American teenagers. (MORE: Rare Photos of Beatles Fans, 1964) Minutes before landing, news filtered from the cockpit through the plane that helped to put their minds at ease. What now? “No!
Workers Satisficing Careers By Cobbling Jobs Together : The Two-Way It can be tough finding a regular job in the tough economy that many Americans are enduring. To earn a living, some folks are working multiple part-time jobs — as many as six or eight of them. The New York Times profiled some of those workers Sunday. For instance, there was Louise Gassman, 28, who earns from $1,800 to $4,000 a month by working, "as an actress; as an assistant to dance instructors at the Circle in the Square and Juilliard schools; as a baby-sitter; and in a variety of administrative roles and as a spinning instructor at SoulCycle, an indoor cycling studio in New York." And today, the freelance job site Elance released a survey of its workers that describes very similar circumstances. According to the site, the average freelancer is a female Gen Xer with a college degree, making between $25K and $50K — around what Gassman reported. The June 2011 survey was based on 1,500 responses from freelancers, according to Elance. Other datapoints from the survey:
Bob Dylan's 'Lay Lady Lay' In 10 Different Disguises Recorded on Valentine’s Day 1969, and released that summer, ‘Lay Lady Lay’ became one of Bob Dylan‘s biggest hits, checking in at No. 7 on the Billboard charts, and hitting No. 5 in the U.K. Aside from the warm and inviting melody, and somewhat racy lyric, the record was also notable for a change in Dylan’s singing style. It would help push the ‘Nashville Skyline’ album into the Top 10. Over the years, the song has become a standard of sorts, and one of Dylan’s most recognizable songs. It has also become a favorite for other artists to take a stab at. We have rounded up a handful of some of the more entertaining takes on this Dylan classic. Neil Diamond From: 'Stages: Performances 1970 - 2002' The 'Jewish Elvis' himself, Neil Diamond, belts out a typically dramatic reading of 'Lay Lady Lay' on this live recording from 1978. Steve Howe From: 'Portraits Of Bob Dylan' (1999) There is no denying the amazing guitar playing of Steve Howe. Cher From: '3614 Jackson Highway' (1969) Ministry Kevin Ayers
Nina Simone plays Bob Dylan Eunice Kathleen Waymon aka. Nina Simone was the sixth of eight children, she grew up in poverty in Tryon, North Carolina. Her family wished for her was that she should be the world’s finest classical pianist. She did not get into the schools she wanted and always blamed racism. Born the sixth child of a preacher’s family in North Carolina, Simone aspired to be a concert pianist. Her musical path changed direction after she was denied a scholarship to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, despite a well-received audition. Simone has dug deep into the american song tradition and it comes as no surprise that she has done several of Bob Dylan’s songs. The first song is a contender for best Bob Dylan cover ever done (yes, I am aware of Hendrix’ Watchtower). The Ballad of Hollis Brown(live,Mickery Theatre, The Netherlands in 1965, see coments…): Just Like a Woman(April 13, 2000, São Paulo, Brazil): Just like Tom Thumb’s Blues (audio): I Shall Be Released (live, Paris, 1968):
Édith Piaf’s Moving Performance of ‘La Vie en Rose’ on French TV, 1954 Édith Piaf’s life was anything but rosy. Born in a Parisian slum, she was abandoned by her mother and lived for awhile in a brothel run by her grandmother. As a teenager she sang on the streets for money. She was addicted to alcohol and drugs for much of her life, and her later years were marred by chronic pain. Through it all, Piaf managed to hold onto a basically optimistic view of life. On April 3, 1954 Piaf was the guest of honor on the French TV show La Joie de Vivre. Nine years after this performance, when Piaf died, her friend Jean Cocteau said of her: “Like all those who live on courage, she didn’t think about death–she defied it.