Merv Griffin’s Crosswords: Poison Cup for the Grandiose

November 27, 2007 at 8:36 pm · Comments

I.

In 2004, I lived with a crossword addict and caught the bug. I looked forward each Thursday for the (now gone) LA Weekly crossword. I rarely finished, but still found it relaxing to try. The person I lived with always finished.

Since then I’ve attempted to do the "easy" "coffee-break" crossword books compiled by Will Shortz. I take much much longer than the target 15 minutes. It’s a foolish goal, but I want to eventually breeze through these. They taunt the newcomer:

Often the subtle pleasures in life are the most rewarding. And as any solver can tell you, a brisk morning, a hot cup of coffee, and a New York Times crossword puzzle can be one of those quietly perfect moments.From the pages of The New York Times comes this brand-new collection of light and easy puzzles… These solver-friendly puzzles allow you to sit back, relax, and lose yourself in a puzzle, all in the span of a coffee break.

Two weeks ago, I receive a phone call to audition for Merv Griffin’s Crosswords.  I don’t know how they got my phone number, but I decide to give it a go. I arrive at Tribune Studios in Hollywood on a sweltering Wednesday afternoon and wait in line with ten people. The production assistants shoot polariods of each of us.

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Posted by Christine Palma | Permalink |  Print This Post |
Filed under: Crosswords, Intellectual Materialism, Into the Dark Wood, Personal Essays

Multicultural Colors: A Perfect Shade of Flesh

November 18, 2007 at 8:24 pm · Comments

Crayola has "multicultural" fleshtone sets of their crayons, markers, paints, and clays. The crayon colors are: black, sepia, peach, apricot, white, tan, mahogany, and burnt sienna. How inspired!

And how funny. The burnt ochre-ish crayon (second from the right in the photo above) must be for asian. Or perhaps "apricot," fourth from the right.

Apparently muticulturalism in art education is a topic long flogged by critics, graduate courses and publications. Like the proverbial dead horse, it’s here to stay.

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Posted by Christine Palma | Permalink |  Print This Post |
Filed under: Cultural Criticism, Design, Political Correctness

Laughter Depicted

November 5, 2007 at 4:36 pm · Comments

I came across this on Wikipedia:

As expected for a common occurrence, laughter is frequently depicted in books and cartoons.

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Posted by Christine Palma | Permalink |  Print This Post |
Filed under: Comics, Cultural Criticism, Linguistics