September 10, 2024

STEVE HAYWARD: The Unoriginal and Superficial Nihilism of the Right.

I once heard James Q. Wilson offer an extemporaneous synoptic account of the 20th century that I don’t think he ever published, but which I think is correct. It ran something as follows: We are mistaken in thinking the bad turn in our modern culture and political character was anchored in the 1960s.  To the contrary, all of the intellectual roots of the direct assault on Western civilization were alive, in place, and advancing as early as the 1920s. Modern art—the visual expression of nihilism—was advancing as fast as the “existentialist” philosophy of Heidegger and others (like the Frankfurt School, widely noted in recent years for its delayed influence in America), who were taking the European intellectual scene by storm by the late 1920s. Marxism was also advancing. It is not an accident that the baleful effects of these intellectual currents landed first and hardest in Germany.

Wilson’s conclusion is that our modern rot was on the way early on, but were postponed in America by both the Great Depression and World War II. My slight adaption of this point is that when serious things are motion, no one has time for nonsense about what correct pronouns to use. Wilson thought that in the absence of the Depression and World War II, the derangements of the 1960s might have started happening perhaps in the 1930s or 1940s, because all the antecedent radical doctrines were already long in place and advancing.

This counterfactual is at least as plausible as the current speculations that if only Churchill had struck a deal with Hitler and preserved the British Empire, Western civilization would have fared much better since 1940.

Footnote: [a predecessor to Tucker’s recent guest, the late libertarian historian Ralph Raico’s] Churchill article opens thus:

“When, in a few years, the pundits start to pontificate on the great question: ‘Who was the Man of the Century’ there is little doubt that they will reach virtually instant consensus. Inevitably, the answer will be: Winston Churchill. Indeed, Professor Harry Jaffa has already informed us that Churchill was not only the Man of the Twentieth Century, but the Man of Many Centuries.”

Works for me.

Indeed. Whatever Churchill’s flaws and past misdeeds, history has proven him to be the right man, and the indispensable man, at the right time.

Posted at 5:45 pm by Ed Driscoll

STILL TRUST YOUR LOCAL NEWS? If you are following Maryland Matters, NC Newsline, Michigan Advance or another of the multiple local “news” outlets associated with States Newsroom, you need to watch this brief video from Capital Research Center (CRC). The cash funding these folks all comes from the Left.

Posted at 5:23 pm by Mark Tapscott

HOW JAMES EARL JONES BECAME THE VOICE OF DARTH VADER – FOREVER:

James Earl Jones approached Darth Vader as simply another gig – if even that. He requested that his name be omitted from the Star Wars credits because he was “just a special effect”. Little could he have guessed that Vader would follow him throughout his career. It would do see even after he had retired. Jones last voiced Vader in a cameo in The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. But while he was done with Darth Vader, Star Wars was not finished with him, and in 2022, he agreed to allow his voice to be “cloned” by a Ukrainian AI company so that it could be used in the Disney prequel series Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The process of breathing digital life into Jones’s voice proved unexpectedly fraught – not least because Russia invaded Ukraine late in production, and the developers found themselves fine-tuning Darth Vader as missiles thundered overhead.

Fortunately, they got the project over the line with Jones helping as a consultant – a sort of “benevolent godfather,” according to supervising sound editor Matthew Wood. He wasn’t the first Star Wars actor to be digitally recreated by Disney. The same Ukrainian developer had used AI to recreate the voice of a young Luke Skywalker for The Mandalorian.

But while “AI” Darth Vader had the actor’s blessing, the issue of digital recreation of actors’ voices is still a fraught one – especially when the original performer has passed. There were misgivings over the “cameo” by the late Ian Holm in the new Alien: Romulus sequel (Ridley Scott, who directed Holm in the original Alien, said the actor would have been delighted to return to the franchise). Most notorious was the appearance in the 2016 Star Wars spin-off Rogue One, a digital likeness of Moff Tarkin actor Peter Cushing, who died in 1994 when computers were still coming out of the Stone Age.

Cushing’s estate consented to his appearance in Rogue One. But the use of his image is now the subject of legal action. Disney is being sued by Tyburn Film Productions, a London-based film company that says it signed a contract with the actor, giving it a veto over the creation of his image using special effects. Disney contends it has the right to use Cushing’s image from the original 1977 movie.

The case is to go to court, and the judgement will have implications for the use of the CGI likeness of dead actors. However, this will not have much impact on the future appearance of Darth Vader. Jones was happy to have his voice conjured by AI and was always appreciative of Star Wars and its fanbase – and more than willing to recite such iconic Vader-isms as “No, I am your father”. He has now left us, but Darth Vader will remain a beloved villain for decades to come.

As I wrote in 2019: All-Digital Hollywood Actors? Arthur C. Clarke Called It Over 30 Years Ago.

Related: James Earl Jones: 10 Iconic Performances.

Posted at 5:14 pm by Ed Driscoll

HOW THE SWAMP TAKES CARE OF ITS OWN: Daily Caller News Foundation’s Robert Schmad has the goods on a controversial ethics waiver granted to the benefit of a nephew of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

The waiver concerns the Restore Utah Project which benefits significantly from the Section 8 program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Turns out one of the key HUD officials involved in the project just happens to be Alexis Pelosi, the wife of Laurence Pelosi.

 

Posted at 4:57 pm by Mark Tapscott

THE NEW SPACE RACE: China plans to build moon base at the lunar south pole by 2035. “The first phase will be completed around 2035 near the lunar south pole, and an extended model will be built by about 2050, according to Wu Yanhua, chief designer of the Chinese deep space exploration project, speaking to media at the event.”

Posted at 4:51 pm by Stephen Green

THE REAL STORY HERE IS THE VITAL LESSON LEARNED BY TRUMP:

Maybe Milei can lend him a chainsaw.

Posted at 3:34 pm by Stephen Green

THE FIX IS IN: ABC Debate Moderator David Muir Hosts Most Pro-Harris, Left-Wing Newscast. “MRC analysts reviewed all 100 campaign stories that aired on ABC’s World News Tonight from the day Harris entered the race (July 21) through September 6, including weekends. Our analysts found 25 clearly positive statements about Harris from reporters, anchors, voters or other non-partisan sources, with zero negative statements — none. That computes to a gravity-defying 100% positive spin score for the Vice President.”

Posted at 2:47 pm by Stephen Green

AND NOW YOU KNOW… THE REST OF THE STORY:

Even soft leftism ends with hard consequences.

Posted at 2:29 pm by Stephen Green

GOODER AND HARDER, CA: Powerless In California.

The only things “renewable” about energy generation in California are the supply of lies and the suffering being imposed on Californians.

Problems with the power grid in the state have been getting worse for years as Gavin Newsom and the Democrats keep pushing to electrify everything while simultaneously replacing reliable nuclear and fossil fuel electricity generation with so-called “renewable” energy.

The results have been horrific. Costs for consumers have skyrocketed, and the current grid is creaking under the weight of multiple and conflicting requirements and consumers can no longer count on electricity being delivered to their homes and businesses.

How bad has it gotten? This bad: Hotel California: Legendary Hollywood Bowl Goes Dark Due to Power Outage.

Here’s a truth: it’s been hot in Southern California this month. Very hot.

Here’s another truth: it’s always hot in Southern California in September. This heat wave may be bigger than some, but it’s not unexpected or a stunning surprise.

But if you went to catch a show featuring “Vance Joy, Grouplove and Tiny Habit” Sunday night (admittedly I have no idea who those acts are), you were disappointed—because the legendary Hollywood Bowl went dark due to a power outage. The Bowl has hosted numerous iconic musical acts over the decades, including most famously, the Beatles in 1964.

But not on Sunday:

Despite what the Eagles sang in “Hotel California,”you can check out anytime you like (I did, eight years ago), but these days, you may need extra protection to escape:

Posted at 2:22 pm by Ed Driscoll