The popÂuÂlar interÂnet video, The SevÂen Minute SopraÂnos, has now been updatÂed to include the last seaÂson of the hit HBO series. This means that you can get all six seaÂsons (or 86 episodes) sumÂmaÂrized in a speedy nine minÂutes. Watch below.
(P.S. HBO has just pubÂlished The SopraÂnos: The ComÂplete Book. Fans will want to take a look.)
It’s hard to imagÂine The GodÂfaÂther, the iconÂic 1972 film, withÂout MarÂlon BranÂdo. But that’s almost how it turned out.
DurÂing castÂing, ParaÂmount execÂuÂtives origÂiÂnalÂly pushed for LauÂrence OliviÂer. But when he couldÂn’t take the film, and when the direcÂtor, FranÂcis Ford CopÂpoÂla, asked them to conÂsidÂer BranÂdo, they iniÂtialÂly respondÂed: “MarÂlon BranÂdo will nevÂer appear in this motion picÂture.” Below, CopÂpoÂla and co-star James Caan explain how the execs were evenÂtuÂalÂly cajoled into changÂing their minds, and how film hisÂtoÂry fell into place. As you watch this, also keep in mind that ParaÂmount origÂiÂnalÂly asked two othÂer direcÂtors to make The GodÂfaÂther before approachÂing CopÂpoÂla, and they latÂer wantÂed Robert RedÂford or Ryan O’Neal to play Michael CorÂleone. But CopÂpoÂla, who threatÂened to quit proÂducÂtion, evenÂtuÂalÂly got his way and put the relÂaÂtiveÂly unknown Al PaciÂno into the film.
FYI: Best Week Ever has a good post on the Top 10 Actor / DirecÂtor Tandems In Movie HisÂtoÂry.
Head over to Wired and you’ll find a “How-To Wiki” that lists web sites where you can stream or downÂload music online for free. As you’ll see, Wired is not shy about admitÂting what it’s tryÂing to accomÂplish here. The wiki page is called “Cheat the Music IndusÂtry: NevÂer Pay for Music.”
To access more online music, visÂit LifeÂhackÂer’s guide to findÂing free music on the web, and peruse our colÂlecÂtion of free music podÂcasts.
The creÂativÂiÂty assoÂciÂatÂed with Wikipedia nevÂer ends. If you click here, a proÂgram called WikipediÂaVÂiÂsion will show you a Google map that disÂplays in real time who is writing/editing what Wikipedia entry across the globe. Cool mashup. (Source: The New Scientist.com)
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
ChiÂna is on the upswing politÂiÂcalÂly and ecoÂnomÂiÂcalÂly. AccordÂing to GoldÂman Sachs, ChiÂna’s econÂoÂmy may outÂsize every othÂer econÂoÂmy (except that of the U.S.) by 2016, and it could even surÂpass the AmerÂiÂcan econÂoÂmy by 2039. GivÂen this, the hottest lanÂguage being studÂied right now by busiÂness travÂelÂers is ManÂdarin (see this New York Times piece). And, in my work at StanÂford, we’re seeÂing a very sharp increase in young and old stuÂdents enrolling in ManÂdarin coursÂes (and othÂer ChiÂna-focused coursÂes), for both perÂsonÂal and proÂfesÂsionÂal reaÂsons.
LearnÂing ManÂdarin can be costÂly — some orgaÂniÂzaÂtions charge $2500 for a week-long course — but it doesÂn’t have to be. More reaÂsonÂably, you can purÂchase CD-Roms that will sysÂtemÂatÂiÂcalÂly teach you ManÂdarin at home, when your schedÂule perÂmits, for a much more reaÂsonÂable price (about $200). RosetÂta Stone offers one good examÂple. Or you can do it even more cheapÂly, if not for free, with the help of podÂcasts.
As you’ll see, there’s no shortÂage of ManÂdarin lanÂguage lessons, and we invite you to peruse the list below. Of all of them, two tend to get parÂticÂuÂlarÂly high marks from users. The first is called ChiÂnese Lessons with Serge MelÂnyk (iTunes — Feed — Web Site). Put togethÂer by an EngÂlish speakÂer who studÂied ManÂdarin ChiÂnese for almost 20 years (and who has lived in BeiÂjing and ShangÂhai for 12 years), the free podÂcast curÂrentÂly offers 90 lessons that last between 20 and 30 minÂutes. A secÂond option, which users also give posÂiÂtive feedÂback, is Chinesepod.com (iTunes — Feed — Web Site). ProÂduced by native speakÂers, these daiÂly audio podÂcasts, each runÂning 10–20 minÂutes in length, will immerse you in colÂloÂquiÂal (read: useÂful) ManÂdarin. ImpresÂsiveÂly, you can now find 100 pieces of audio in ChiÂneÂseÂpod’s large archive. While both of these podÂcasts are free, each offers addiÂtionÂal learnÂing resources for a reaÂsonÂable fee (though it appears that you can get by withÂout them).
For more ChiÂnese lessons, please visÂit our colÂlecÂtion: Learn LanÂguages for Free: SpanÂish, EngÂlish, ChiÂnese & Beyond
In earÂly OctoÂber, The New YorkÂer magÂaÂzine held its eighth annuÂal fesÂtiÂval in NYC. (Yikes! As I am typÂing I’m feelÂing my first earthÂquake here in CalÂiÂforÂnia. ApparÂentÂly 5.7 on Richter scale. Details here.) AnyÂway, the fesÂtiÂval brings to the stage an impresÂsive list of writÂers & artists (see the full schedÂule here). And while the averÂage New YorkÂer had to pay someÂwhere between $16 and $100 to attend the varÂiÂous events, you can now watch a select numÂber of them for free. The free videos feaÂture New YorkÂer ediÂtor David RemÂnick speakÂing with SeyÂmour Hersh about his invesÂtigaÂtive jourÂnalÂism and AmerÂiÂca’s involveÂment in Iraq and Iran; Nobel Prize winÂner Orhan Pamuk and Salman Rushdie disÂcussing how they approach writÂing about their respecÂtive homeÂlands, Turkey and India; and MarÂtin Amis and Ian BuruÂma makÂing sense of hisÂtorÂiÂcal “monÂsters” and the psyÂcholÂoÂgy that driÂves evil. Also Philip GoureÂvitch leads a quite thought-proÂvokÂing conÂverÂsaÂtion with Errol MorÂris about Abu Ghraib and what did and did not hapÂpen there. (Abu Ghraib is the subÂject of Morris’s next film.) Then, on the lighter side, comeÂdiÂan Steve MarÂtin amusÂes the crowd by showÂing clips of his stand-up perÂforÂmances, and filmÂmakÂer Judd ApaÂtow talks with film critÂic David DenÂby about his new comÂeÂdy “Knocked Up.”
You can access these video talks in one of three ways. Watch them online right on The New YorkÂer web site; head over to Itunes where you can downÂload them as video podÂcasts; or work with the video rss feed.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
If you’re lookÂing to build your jazz colÂlecÂtion, this site offers some sound guidÂance. It feaÂtures 100 top jazz CDs. Although inherÂentÂly subÂjecÂtive, the list includes many indisÂputable clasÂsics that belong in any respectable jazz colÂlecÂtion. (Note: if you click on the link for each album, you’ll find some backÂground inforÂmaÂtion that’s often worth readÂing.)
For more jazz, check out our colÂlecÂtion of Music PodÂcasts which includes a decent selecÂtion of, yes, jazz podÂcasts.
EarÂliÂer this month, The New York Times Book Review launched an online ReadÂing Room that lets readÂers tackÂle great books with the help of “an all-star cast of panÂelists from varÂiÂous backgrounds—authors, reviewÂers, scholÂars and jourÂnalÂists.” The first readÂing starts with Leo TolÂstoy’s 1200+ page epic, War and Peace (1865–69), and it’s led by book review ediÂtor Sam TanenÂhaus and a supÂportÂing crew conÂsistÂing of Bill Keller (execÂuÂtive ediÂtor of The Times), Stephen Kotkin (a RussÂian hisÂtoÂry proÂfesÂsor at PrinceÂton), Francine Prose (author of ReadÂing Like a Writer), and Liesl Schillinger (a regÂuÂlar reviewÂer for the Book Review).
At the outÂset, Sam TanenÂhaus’ introÂducÂtion leaves the impresÂsion that the “ReadÂing Room” will offer a fairÂly strucÂtured readÂing of TolÂstoy’s text. But that’s not exactÂly how things turn out. Often quite fragÂmenÂtary, the conÂverÂsaÂtion mostÂly operÂates outÂside the text itself and veers in many difÂferÂent, though often intriguÂing, direcÂtions. At one moment, Francine Prose tells us that TolÂstoy’s account of the NapoleonÂic wars reminds her of today’s war in Iraq. For Bill Keller, it evokes the wanÂing days of the SoviÂet Union. And, for Liesl Schillinger, it’s her youth in 1970s AmerÂiÂca. (You can get a feel for the flow and focus of the disÂcusÂsion here.) UltiÂmateÂly, what you think of this new project depends on what you want to get out of the expeÂriÂence. If it’s a more strucÂtured readÂing (as we were hopÂing), then you may not be comÂpleteÂly engaged. But if it’s a more free-flowÂing conÂverÂsaÂtion that moves in and around great works, then you’ll want to join the conÂverÂsaÂtion. And, yes, there’s a role there for the everyÂday readÂer too. Take a look at the ReadÂing Room and let us know what you think.
RelatÂed Posts:
Open Culture scours the web for the best educational media. We find the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & educational videos you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between.
©2006-2026 Open Culture, LLC.
All rights reserved.
