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Today’s Morning Edition featured a piece on jazz pianist and composer Fred Hersch, whose latest major work is a setting of poems from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Last spring I went to see him and his ensemble premiere it in D.C. It’s good stuff. Have a listen to the interview. (Other resources are also included on the linked page.) Hersch on “When I Heard at the Close of the Day“:

It’s really one of the great love poems. And when you think, too, just of the guts that it took to write that in 1860 about somebody of the same sex, that’s rather remarkable. As an… 18-year-old gay man, to read that was like “wow.”

His next D.C. appearance is at the Kennedy Center (Apr. 22-23). He’ll be performing Leaves of Grass occasionally throughout his tour, including Carnegie Hall next year. Good for him.

How did I not hear about this earlier? Okay, so maybe I did, but it slipped my mind: a version of the Dangerous Liaisons tale, created for French TV and starring Catherine Deneuve and Rupert Everett, airs as a two-part miniseries on WE (Women’s Entertainment) tonight. Stellar casting, I know, but the reviews I’ve read have been mixed to negative, mostly due to a mediocre script. That’s too bad, but I’ll probably check it out anyway.

This adaptation sets the story in the 1960s, instead of the 18th century of the original. There will always be comparisons to the 1988 film directed by Stephen Frears and starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, et al., which is, yes, glorious. One review, in noting how this story has been adapted numerous times to different eras and cultures, mentions a Korean film titled Untold Scandal. Interesting. I might have to check that out as well.

Last weekend Thom and I were reading “Tokyo on One Cliché a Day,” a Slate travel journal by Seth Stevenson. It’s a fun read. (Which reminds me that I still haven’t gotten around to reading Wanderlust, Salon.com’s anthology of travel essays, which I bought a long while ago. Anyway.) That evening we happened to delve back into the American-in-Tokyo genre with Lost in Translation. I liked it a lot. Lost in Translation is quiet, confident, well-acted.

A bit from the key scene in which Bill Murray’s character, an action-movie star, reluctantly participates in a Suntory commercial:

Director (very brusquely, and in much more colloquial Japanese): Either way is fine. That kind of thing doesn’t matter. We don’t have time, Bob-san, O.K.? You need to hurry. Raise the tension. Look at the camera. Slowly, with passion. It’s passion that we want. Do you understand?
Interpreter (in English, to Bob): Right side. And, uh, with intensity.
Bob: Is that everything? It seemed like he said quite a bit more than that.

Heh. By the way, the behind-the-scenes video on the DVD rambles a bit I think, but has Bill Murray explaining one Japanese phrase he taught himself, which I think is useful in any language, really: “Who do you think you’re talking to!” (Marginally more useful than “I can eat glass…“)

[Related link (15 Mar): article in today’s Times books section about promoting translated Japanese fiction in the U.S.]

I just came across The Rufus Files, a fan collection of Rufus Wainwright multimedia from talk show and other appearances, the most recent addition being his quick bit on VH1’s Totally Gayer. Cool. Speaking of the man, throughout April, Rufus’ concert tour works its way west to east across Canada, from Victoria to Quebec City, and then in late May the whole gang is off to the UK.

No, I am not looking at airfares. Not looking.

A fashion feature in this week’s Metro Weekly includes a shirt from Moschino Uomo, based on the Pantone spectrum. Each color chip has the corresponding Pantone number printed in the corner. Very cool. It’s nicely paired with a jacket here; I think wearing it alone might be a bit much on the eyes. What’s not so cool: the price. $375.

Speaking of fashion, I’m starting to compile a spring wardrobe wish list. For now:

• polo shirts and khakis: yes, a bit twee, but it’s good to have some basics.
• a lightweight brown jacket: actually, anything but black; I have too many black jackets.
• shoes: maybe a couple different styles (loafers, say) or colors to diversify my collection.
• a subtly patterned bag or briefcase: perhaps something Jack Spade-ish, but hopefully not quite as expensive. Again, anything but black; I already have a small flock of black bags of various sizes lining one bedroom wall.
• new eyeglasses: I’ve had the same pair for the past few years, and while I’ve been meaning to get a new one for a long while now, I think Jeff has inspired me to finally do something about it. At the very least I should get my eyes checked.

Non sequitur: I tried Diet Coke with Lime for the first time today. Not bad. I guess I shouldn’t hold my breath for Double-Diet No-Vanilla Neapolitan Okay-Some-Vanilla Cherry Coke.

Yesterday was Dining Out for Life, in which participating restaurants give a portion of the bill to Food and Friends, so I had lunch and dinner out. Eating for a good cause: I’m down with that.

My co-workers and I had lunch at Raku, an “Asian fusion”–but mostly Japanese–restaurant in Bethesda, on Woodmont Ave., near Barnes & Noble. Great place. Our party of six arrived in the midst of the lunch rush, but we were seated rather quickly. The staff is friendly, and the atmosphere lively. I had the shrimp tempura bento, a hearty collection of items which included miso soup, salad, crab shumai (dumplings), portobello mushrooms and green beans, a California roll, and of course, tempura (not just shrimp; there are veggies, too). Everything was fresh and tasty.

That night Thom and I met Cornelia and Kat for the first time. What an adorable pair! We had dinner at good ol’ Annie’s, which was also participating in the day’s charity event. All four of us ended up ordering the six-ounce filet mignon. (Tre attended in spirit; Cornelia had propped up a picture of her at the end of the table. We gamely fed Tre some lettuce, but she seemed unresponsive. Heh.) I spent a long while deliberating over my menu, but when I saw that the filet mignon is wrapped with a bacon strip, that sealed the deal. Everything’s better with bacon! (Mostly.) It was mm, mm, good. I also had a very strong Manhattan.

Thom and Cornelia took lots of pictures. Aren’t we all so cute? Yay for new friends. Hopefully we’ll meet up with them again soon.

Check out MoCoLoco, a “web magazine dedicated to everything related to modern contemporary design and architecture.” It covers some really cool stuff. The site is run by a fellow named Harry Wakefield, who is indeed loco for moco. [news feed] (Link via serendipity.)

Argh. Usually I’ve had no trouble at all with Dreamhost, but since this morning, I haven’t been able to access my web e-mail or account settings. (My e-mail was available briefly, but it’s down again.) However, my website seems to be okay, so I can at least vent to my heart’s content. I’m assuming (yes, I know, never assume) that my accumulated e-mail will be in my inbox waiting for me when it’s back up and running, but in the meantime you may wish to address any e-mail to an alternate address.

Patience, grasshopper.

[Update (16:30): My e-mail seems to be back up… for now.]