I am really intrigued by the new NBC series Kings, “a contemporary re-telling of the timeless tale of David and Goliath. This series is an epic story of greed and power, war and romance, forbidden loves and secret alliances — and a young hero who rises to power in a modern-day kingdom.”
I was lucky enough to get an early peek at the opening episode and found it fascinating to see the classic themes and characters in a modern-day setting. It explores issues and conflicts that resonate with today’s headlines — war, energy, health care — and eternal themes of faith, conflict, loyalty, and family.
David Shepherd (Chris Egan) is a soldier who rescues a wounded hostage, not knowing the man he rescued is the son of the king, Ian McShane (“Deadwood,” “Kung Fu Panda”). In gratitude, the king offers David access and power, but there is treachery that makes the battles of war seem easy. The superb actor Dylan Baker co-stars.
It premieres on March 15. Give it a look. (Note to parents: Mature material including violence and sexual references)
Morgan Taylor is the illustrator, animator, and musician who created Gustafer Yellowgold, the pointy-headed little yellow guy from the sun featured in DVDs and live concert performances.
Gustafer is a friendly creature who came to Earth from the sun and has an unusual magnetism for making friends with some of Earth’s odder creatures. His best friend is Forrest Applecrumbie the flightless Pterodactyl. Gustafer and Forrest built a small cottage-style home on the edge of an uncharted wooded area in Minnesota. He has a pet Eel named Slim (short for Slimothy) and a pet Dragon named Asparagus who lives in his fireplace and loves corn on the cob. Gustafer’s pals, the Mustard Slugs practice their math under the shrubbery.
Where did the name Gustafer Yellowgold come from?
I started drawing picture books illustrating the lyrics of some of my more humorous songs and I got to the point where I had to draw the cover for the book. I had this yellow pointy headed guy I had been drawing. I wanted his name to be unusual, slightly tongue-twistery, and warm-sounding. I love worldplay. Gustafer Yellowgold was fun to say and sounded friendly, and projected a confident image. I chose the name and googled it just to make sure it wasn’t taken!
When was this?
It was in the winter 2004, going into 2005. It began with the songs “Tiny Purple Moon” and “Pterodactyl Tuxedo.” I had already written them but they fit in with what I was doing with Gustafer. I looked over the songs I had and asked, “Which songs would fit with this project?” I had been subconsciously creating this whole fictitious world. I had a number of humorous pop songs sung in first person. I knew it wasn’t me, though. They were created in these moments of creative freedom. I had this character but no story around him, but there was something that I always doodled, and then I said “Okay so I’ll use that guy.” I had this “I’m From the Sun” song. Wait a second, the guy is from the sun!
Now I have used up all of my old songs. Four on Mellow Fever are the last of those. The songs for the fourth DVD are all new and almost totally written already.
You have a new baby. Is he your test audience?
He is just turning 11 months and he really perks up when we have the music on. He was there during the mixing and editing, sometimes on my lap. He is just now starting to realize that it’s something; he picks up the doll and looks at it.
Where does Gustafer’s mellow, laid-back sensibility come from?
It comes from my taste in music and song-writing. It is therapy in a way to think about that question and about the genesis of the creative process. When I am creating something, especially music, my creative nucleus exists in about 1976-78. My mom always had the radio on in the kitchen, a soft rock AM station. I think about how I felt at the time getting ready for school, interested in comics and music and filled with creative inspiration. I gravitate toward those feelings, chasing that feeling of safety, oblivious to everything except the immediate surrounding, when I am creating something.
You have some unusual collaborators including some of the people from Wilco and Lisa Loeb helping you with the music. How did that come about?
When I moved in NY in 1999 from Dayton, I met every musician, singer-songwriter in NY and made a bunch of new friends. One of the guys from Wilco was getting ready to tour and asked me to recommend a bass player. I said, “Well dude, I play bass!” “Oh really?” So I toured with them and I guested on their last record. I asked them to come in and mash harmonies for Gustafer. I also played bass on a band that was opening for Lisa Loeb. She became aware of Gustafer and came to our off-Broadway shows and we worked on a couple of songs together. I said, “Hey you want to sing on the new Gustafer record?” There was a song with a counter-melody that I thought would be good for her.
What do kids learn from Gustafer Yellowgold?
They learn the power of imagination, some abstract thoughts, they learn to read because all the text is on the screen, they learn to stop and appreciate some small things, the details in nature, they learn about relationships with people of all different backgrounds and colors. His world is kind of a little melting pot of weird personalities.
Entertainment Weekly has a list of 12 memorable cinematic portrayals of Jesus. After centuries of telling the story of Jesus in paintings, sculpture, and theater, the 20th century provided an opportunity to show him on screen and this list includes some of the most inspiring and some of the most provocative. The actors include Christian Bale in the made-for TV Mary, Mother of Jesus, Jim Caviezel in The Passion of the Christ, Victor Garber in Godspell, Jeffrey Hunter in the respectful King of Kings, and even Will Ferrell in the awful “Superstar.” The Entertainment Weekly list does not include my favorites, the Italian The Gospel According to St. Matthew and The Gospel of John, both starring little-known actors, which may be an advantage because familiarity with other roles is not a distraction. Though they are different in tone and approach, both films are sincere and inspiring and both are worth seeing.
The Baby Grands make music for children and their families. The songs are singable and lots of fun.
Now they are giving families a chance to make their kids and dogs part of a montage in a new video for their song “Wet Nose Friend,” featured on their myspace page and on their recently released self-titled debut on Backspace Records. Send them video clips of children and dogs by going to You Send It and enter submit@backspacerecords.com in the “To” box and your own email address in the “From” box. Enter the “Subject” as Backspace Records Wet Nose Friend Submission and send in video files no larger than 100MB each. In the “Select A File” box, click the “Browse” button to upload media from your computer. Then click “Send It” to deliver the file. You do not need to check any method of delivery box. Good luck, and if your clip is selected, let me know!
Do you have a Jonas Brothers fan in your family? Or maybe a fanatic?
Some parents have found their children’s devotion to the latest pop stars a little disconcerting. One father suggested that his daughter’s enthusiasm might merit a discussion of idolatry.
There’s a reason that they are called “idols.” Going back to Frank Sinatra and the bobby soxers before that to fan favorites like Oscar Wilde (whose fans were parodied by Gilbert and Sullivan in “Patience”), the individuals holding the position have been highly transitory but the idea of the teen idol has been enduring.
Certain themes are consistent. They may be a little edgy — sometimes a mildly transgressive element of their appearance like the Beatles’ long hair or a pierced Backstreet Boy. But overall, they tend to be reassuringly safe, slender, non-threatening, often almost pre-pubescent. Names like “Bobby,” “Ricky,” “Donny” suggest that they are almost children. Groups like the Jonas Brothers, ‘N Synch, and New Kids on the Block are popular because they give fans a chance to join in affection for the group but keep a sense of individual connection to “the cute one” or “the smart one” or “the funny one.”
It is very important for parents to recognize that these idols are a “transition object” for tweens and young teens that is an essential step in their emotional development. In between the time when their primary focus is the home and family and the time when they will leave to begin their lives as adults, teen idols give them a chance for a dress rehearsal of some of the emotions they will feel. That does not mean that these feelings are not love or that they are not completely real. It does mean that there is an element of fantasy. Think of it as love with training wheels.
No matter how obsessively they may study the lives of these young men, they do not really know them. What they know is the carefully manufactured creation of corporate marketers. But that is just right for this stage of development because it enables them to project their own feelings onto them. It is exactly this fantasy that helps kids begin the journey to emotional maturity, the same way that playing dress-up was a way for them to begin to make sense of the adult world just a short time ago. Indeed, the love of teen idols is a form of dress-up, experimenting with some of the feelings of adulthood without the messiness of actual relationships.
Just as important, these feelings provide a bond with friends at this crucial moment when those connections are just assuming a much more significant role. Fanship gives tweens something to talk about, a private language, training wheels for what will become in their adult years the ability to talk to each other about the things that matter in a way that will strengthen their trust and respect.
Parents should respect these feelings and use them as a starting point for some important conversations. Ask them which brother they like best and why. This may be a chance to share some of your own experiences (you know that Bay City Rollers poster is still tucked away somewhere) but the focus of the conversation should be on the fan. They should reassure the child that these feelings of love are very real and an essential step toward building their ability for love and appreciation of family, romance, and even the divine.
, Jim Caviezel in 
, Victor Garber in 
, Jeffrey Hunter in the respectful 
, and even Will Ferrell in the awful “Superstar.”
and 
, both starring little-known actors, which may be an advantage because familiarity with other roles is not a distraction. Though they are different in tone and approach, both films are sincere and inspiring and both are worth seeing.