The Blog by Numbers (An Occasional Series): Special Pre-Holidays Odds and Sods Edition

[In which we catch up with a bunch of brief stuff that we've been meaning to post about for a while, but hadn't gotten around to for whatever reasons.]

1. Your Monday Moment of Words Fail Me

That's right -- there's a blogger (a very good writer, as it turns out) who has been putting up tributes to the Magazine Formerly Known as Stereo Review, and critiquing my stuff along with stuff by the rest of the SR gang from back in the day.

I really am having trouble processing this, but in the meantime, you can check the blog out over HERE.

2. My New Favorite Christmas Song

I don't know how I missed that previously, but a coveted PowerPop No-Prize© is hereby awarded to reader Anonymous for turning us on to it.

3. Today's Moment of Cahiers du Cinema

My younger brother recommends a new video version of an unjustly obscure Marlene Dietrich vehicle.

Jean Gabin plays the title character in the produced-in-France period drama, Martin Roumagnac (1946, 108 mins.). Roumagnac, a hard-working building contractor in a rural area of 1930s France, meets by chance Blanche Ferrand (Dietrich), at a local boxing match. Their ensuing relationship is the bulk of this beautifully acted and crafted movie. The film originally played in the U.S. as The Room Upstairs, some two years after its debut in France, and now, thanks to Icarus Films, it's no longer a forgotten movie.

Recommended to movie lovers at Power Pop. You can stream it from Amazon over HERE. -- Drew Simels

Sounds like fun -- thanks, Drew.

4. Slowly I Turned...

Okay, it's not as funny as the Credibility Gap's "Who's on First" routine...

...but it's pretty good.

5. Today in Cheap Shots at Prog Rock and Our Neighbors to the North

Just because.

Regular posting resumes on the morrow, lord willing.