The late Eva Cassidy singing “Autumn Leaves” is a perfect way to start the new season.
Fall begins here in the Northern Hemisphere when the autumnal equinox occurs. The word “equinox” comes from the Latin word for “equal night,” because the night and day today are equal in length as we go toward winter and the days shorten. One sad reminder of summer’s end is that here in the Northeast U.S., I have probably eaten my last good peach, sweet corn on the cob, and flavorful red tomato for the year.
But, as we move on, we can look forward to fresh flavorful crisp apples and everything pumpkin. And of course, there are those beautiful autumn leaves and some beautiful music of autumn. Speaking of which, below is Eva Cassidy’s recording of the classic “Autumn Leaves,” which was originally a French song with music by Joseph Kosma. English lyrics were added by Johnny Mercer.
Eva Cassidy grew up in Maryland and was well known in the Washington, D.C. area for her outstanding interpretations of music ranging from folk to blues to jazz. She died at the young age of 33 from melanoma, but her fame has continued to grow since her death. Awhile ago, there even were rumors that a movie would be made about her life.
Cassidy suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and once stated that she had difficulty enjoying autumn knowing that winter was around the corner. One may only speculate how she used that feeling to bring more emotion and compassion to singing “Autumn Leaves.”
One should check out the entirety of her Live at Blues Alley CD, which includes “Autumn Leaves.” The band, including Lenny Williams playing a piano solo, knows how to complement Cassidy’s voice while staying mostly in the background.
So, as the nights get cooler and the leaves begin to fall, watch the video below of Cassidy singing “Autumn Leaves” at the Blues Alley jazz club in Georgetown, DC, on January 3, 1996. And think of the end of the summer and the loss of a great artist.
Georgia executed Troy Davis tonight, as his supporters claimed he was innocent of the murder for which he was executed. Davis was convicted of shooting and killing a young police officer who intervened in an altercation involving a homeless man and one of Davis’s friends. In the years since the 1989 crime, several witnesses who testified at trial have recanted their identification of Davis, and other witnesses have come forward to claim that someone else did the shooting. People from around the world fought to prevent the execution because of the questions about Davis’s guilt. Yesterday, the Georgia pardons board denied clemency, but through today, Davis’s attorneys were requesting the opportunity to have Davis take a lie detector test.
With the discovery of a number of innocent people on death row in recent years, there have also been questions about the guilt of some people who were executed. A number of media sources, including The New Yorker, raised questions about whether Texas executed an innocent man when it executed Cameron Todd Willingham. That case was based on questionable scientific evidence and has been prominent in the news because the governor who oversaw the execution, Rick Perry, is now running for president. At one point there was a commission that was reviewing the case, but the governor’s office instituted changes that limited the inquiry into the case.
A number of movies focus on the death penalty and executions, perhaps because the time leading up to an execution permits a large amount of drama on the screen. One movie that focused on questions about the innocence of a death row inmate is True Crime (1999). That movie, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, focused on a journalist covering an upcoming execution who eventually comes to believe the condemned is innocent. The movie did not do well commercially or critically, but it has some good moments.
{Contains spoilers, so stop reading here if you do not want to know about the ending of True Crime!}
Most of the movie is fairly traditional, so I understand why most critics and viewers did not get too excited about the movie. But if True Crime happens to be on television and it is near the end, I will watch it every time. The coda to the film, like the coda of the Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford(2007) and unlike the coda of Wyatt Earp (1994) (discussed previously), is quite beautiful and exceeds everything else in the film.
The movie follows its somewhat predictable route of having newspaper writer Clint Eastwood racing to try to stop the execution with the newly discovered evidence of innocence. The camera flashes between Eastwood and the execution as it begins. We see the lethal injection begin, and then the phone rings. The warden rushes to stop the execution but the injection has already started. The condemned is unconscious when they pull out the needle. But is he dead or alive?
Most movies would let us know right then what happened, with a tragic ending or a feel-good rescue. Instead, the beautiful coda to the film then begins. It is Christmas, and we see the grumpy Eastwood doing some Christmas shopping, exchanging some conversation with the sales person, where we learn that good things have happened to the character’s career. As Eastwood leaves the store, he looks across the way and sees the formerly condemned man, alive with his family. The two acknowledge each other across the way without words, showing respect for each other, and then go on with their lives. Diana Krall sings the haunting “Why Should I Care” and the movie ends. Below is the song’s video, which includes scenes from True Crime.
Unlike most films, and even the rest of True Crime, the coda is so subtle and unusual that it grabs your attention. Like the jazz song that plays, it conveys something complex, revealing more than words. I wish more movies had at least a few minutes of such intelligence.
A clip of the ending used to be on YouTube but it is no longer available, so below is the trailer for the film. Overall, although the movie is not great, it is a decent movie and worth renting at least just to watch the full ending.
But sometimes life does not come out like in the movies, as Tim Robbins’s character discovered while trying to make a death penalty movie in The Player (1992). Tonight, for Troy Davis, there was no Clint Eastwood rescue.
What do you think about Eastwood’s True Crime? Leave your two cents in the comments.
R.E.M. announced today on their website that they are breaking up the band:
“To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.” R.E.M.
The website also has short messages from each of the surviving band members Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills. Peter Buck notes, “Mike, Michael, Bill, Bertis, and I walk away as great friends. I know I will be seeing them in the future.”
I’m going to be obvious and post one of the band’s biggest hits rather than be cool and go for something more obscure. But one is hard to find a better song than “Losing My Religion,” a perfect pop song about obsession and being on the verge of losing control of oneself, all wrapped up in a memorable mandolin riff. The official video is close to perfect too, but here is a live performance from MTV. Au revoir R.E.M.
“Losing My Religion” is from their album Out of Time (1991). Was the song really released twenty years ago? Check out Past Magazine’s ranking of the top twenty R.E.M. songs.
What is your favorite R.E.M. song or memory? Leave a comment.
On today’s date in 1973, Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in a celebrated “battle of the sexes” tennis match. Riggs, who was 55, claimed that men were superior to women and that even at his age he could beat the 29-year-old King. Although he had won a match against top-ranked Margaret Court earlier in the year, he was wrong about King, as she beat him in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. At the time, King’s win was seen as a victory for women’s tennis, women’s sports, and women’s rights in general.
King had an outstanding tennis career, but I suspect that many like me know her primarily from her match against the showman Riggs. Both Riggs and King had a sense of humor, which made the promotions and the match fun to watch. And King’s professionalism and skill made it it easy for us to root for her as a great champion.
After King’s match with Riggs, she started a professional tennis league and became coach of the Philadelphia Freedoms team. Not long after that, her friend Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin worked to write a song about King, called “Philadelphia Freedom.” Taupin realized that a song about tennis probably would not work, so the song’s lyrics have little to do with tennis: “Shine a light won’t you shine a light / Philadelphia freedom I love you, yes I do.”
After the song was released in 1975 as a single, it became a big hit. I remember hearing the song on the radio constantly. At the time, I did not know it was about King, and like most people I associated the tune with the upcoming bicentennial. During that year leading up the bicentennial, anything red, white & blue was big, along with things like Bicentennial Minutes. So it was not much of a surprise that a catchy song that sounded patriotic would be a hit. Little did many people know, though, that the song was inspired by the great American Billie Jean King.
If you enjoyed the television show Everybody Loves Raymond or even if you did not watch the show and are just interested how cultures differ, check out the documentary Exporting Raymond now on DVD and Blu-ray. The movie follows Phil Rosenthal, the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, as he works with TV producers in Russia to make a Russian version of the hit American television show that starred Ray Ramano.
Most everyone is familiar with television shows that have been remade for other countries, such as the American version of the British hit, The Office. While shows like The Office may morph into something a little different than the excellent original, it is interesting how different cultural concepts can change a television series when it travels across borders.
In Exporting Raymond, we see Rosenthal’s frustration as he tries to convince his new colleagues to stay true to his original vision of the television show while also watching them incorporate changes to make the show successful in their own country. For example, Rosenthal must debate why the characters should not be dressed in the latest fashions when they are lounging around the house, as the Russian costume designer argues to make the show more attractive to viewers.
There is not a lot of drama in the movie, as it is just about a TV show, but it is interesting to see the process of creating a new version of a successful television show in another country. One of the cool extras is that the DVD includes a couple American shows of Everybody Loves Raymond along with the Russian Everybody Loves Kostya version of the same stories. Like the half-hour television shows, we are happy to report that Exporting Raymond also has a happy ending and the two countries did not have to go to war to resolve their differences about the television show.
(1999). That movie, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, focused on a journalist covering an upcoming execution who eventually comes to believe the condemned is innocent. The movie did not do well commercially or critically, but it has some good moments.
(1991). Was the song really released twenty years ago? Check out Past Magazine’s ranking of the 
. The movie follows Phil Rosenthal, the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, as he works with TV producers in Russia to make a Russian version of the hit American television show that starred Ray Ramano.
