James
@moderntuba.bsky.social
Human who licenses music for film/TV, plays the tuba (capably) and the ukulele (less capably), enjoys soundtracks & speculative fiction, and votes. (he/they is a-okay)
Can we stop pretending music biopics are any good?
Sure, it’s great that some actor can implacably mimic someone, & the music sounds awesome on theater speakers, but the stories are always incredibly inaccurate fantasies approved by artists/estates to build mythology at the expense of truth.
Sure, it’s great that some actor can implacably mimic someone, & the music sounds awesome on theater speakers, but the stories are always incredibly inaccurate fantasies approved by artists/estates to build mythology at the expense of truth.
February 2, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Can we stop pretending music biopics are any good?
Sure, it’s great that some actor can implacably mimic someone, & the music sounds awesome on theater speakers, but the stories are always incredibly inaccurate fantasies approved by artists/estates to build mythology at the expense of truth.
Sure, it’s great that some actor can implacably mimic someone, & the music sounds awesome on theater speakers, but the stories are always incredibly inaccurate fantasies approved by artists/estates to build mythology at the expense of truth.
BUGONIA is nominated for Best Picture, but really it’s just a well-made bad film that is mired in torture p**n w/ a Twilight Zone twist ending I saw from a mile away. Great performances and an interesting premise w/great social commentary that gets squandered. I think I’m done w/Lanthimos films.
January 31, 2026 at 9:01 PM
BUGONIA is nominated for Best Picture, but really it’s just a well-made bad film that is mired in torture p**n w/ a Twilight Zone twist ending I saw from a mile away. Great performances and an interesting premise w/great social commentary that gets squandered. I think I’m done w/Lanthimos films.
Very early on in the Pandemic, John Krasinski self-produced 8 eps of a heartwarming & uplifting YouTube series called SOME GOOD NEWS for no other reason than to try bringing some measure of joy & hope to our fraught lives. It was a lifeline that I’ll never forget. I think about that a lot. #GoodNews
January 31, 2026 at 2:13 AM
Very early on in the Pandemic, John Krasinski self-produced 8 eps of a heartwarming & uplifting YouTube series called SOME GOOD NEWS for no other reason than to try bringing some measure of joy & hope to our fraught lives. It was a lifeline that I’ll never forget. I think about that a lot. #GoodNews
Very sad news about Catharine O’Hara. Got to work with her on a couple of projects, and she was really warm and friendly. What a loss.
January 30, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Very sad news about Catharine O’Hara. Got to work with her on a couple of projects, and she was really warm and friendly. What a loss.
Okay, so we’ve gotten to our first bad episode of STARFLEET ACADEMY. A total snoozer of a filler episode. 🤷 🖖
January 23, 2026 at 6:41 AM
Okay, so we’ve gotten to our first bad episode of STARFLEET ACADEMY. A total snoozer of a filler episode. 🤷 🖖
Couldn’t be more thrilled at the SINNERS nominations. That film has thrill, vibe, and heart backed up by excellence in every class. I want it to win in most categories.
January 23, 2026 at 1:22 AM
Couldn’t be more thrilled at the SINNERS nominations. That film has thrill, vibe, and heart backed up by excellence in every class. I want it to win in most categories.
There are a lot of things I’m sick of in the world, but right now one of them is that we live in a world in which delivery drivers (looking at you FedEx) can just decide they don’t want to deliver at the appointed time & correct address, delaying the delivery significantly.
January 21, 2026 at 9:39 PM
There are a lot of things I’m sick of in the world, but right now one of them is that we live in a world in which delivery drivers (looking at you FedEx) can just decide they don’t want to deliver at the appointed time & correct address, delaying the delivery significantly.
Does #Booksky remember the discussion about whether or not it's okay to cut books in half (ostensibly to make them more portable)? It showed up in my memories & reminded me of a story. 1/
January 21, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Does #Booksky remember the discussion about whether or not it's okay to cut books in half (ostensibly to make them more portable)? It showed up in my memories & reminded me of a story. 1/
Truly, Shakespeare was the Toni Morrison of his day.
Every time I read Morrison’s work, I’m just blown away by her use of language to stir images and emotions, like a poet who is so exacting w/words that each line can only exist within that specific combination or be rendered meaningless. #booksky
Every time I read Morrison’s work, I’m just blown away by her use of language to stir images and emotions, like a poet who is so exacting w/words that each line can only exist within that specific combination or be rendered meaningless. #booksky
January 20, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Truly, Shakespeare was the Toni Morrison of his day.
Every time I read Morrison’s work, I’m just blown away by her use of language to stir images and emotions, like a poet who is so exacting w/words that each line can only exist within that specific combination or be rendered meaningless. #booksky
Every time I read Morrison’s work, I’m just blown away by her use of language to stir images and emotions, like a poet who is so exacting w/words that each line can only exist within that specific combination or be rendered meaningless. #booksky
I only met Roger a few times, and he was always incredibly friendly and full of life.
We had so many friends in common, though, including his daughter Leah, so it’s been really moving reading all their comments and tributes over the weekend. RIP, Roger Allers.
We had so many friends in common, though, including his daughter Leah, so it’s been really moving reading all their comments and tributes over the weekend. RIP, Roger Allers.
Roger Allers, the Oscar- and Tony-nominated animated film director best known for helming 1994’s The Lion King, died Saturday. He was 76.
Roger Allers, ‘The Lion King’ Co-Director, Dies at 76
Roger Allers, the Oscar- and Tony-nominated animated film director best known for helming 1994’s The Lion King, died Saturday. He was 76.
bit.ly
January 19, 2026 at 8:25 PM
I only met Roger a few times, and he was always incredibly friendly and full of life.
We had so many friends in common, though, including his daughter Leah, so it’s been really moving reading all their comments and tributes over the weekend. RIP, Roger Allers.
We had so many friends in common, though, including his daughter Leah, so it’s been really moving reading all their comments and tributes over the weekend. RIP, Roger Allers.
Ruin a band by changing one letter:
Men Without Cats
😞
Men Without Cats
😞
January 17, 2026 at 1:34 AM
Ruin a band by changing one letter:
Men Without Cats
😞
Men Without Cats
😞
STARFLEET ACADEMY has me jumping for joy. It’s fresh, exciting, action-packed, and fun. The ensemble’s chemistry is hot right off the bat, and Holly Hunter RULES as the Captain. Even the music is great. This is a fantastic next step for STAR TREK, and I hope it continues to build on this momentum.
January 16, 2026 at 5:58 AM
STARFLEET ACADEMY has me jumping for joy. It’s fresh, exciting, action-packed, and fun. The ensemble’s chemistry is hot right off the bat, and Holly Hunter RULES as the Captain. Even the music is great. This is a fantastic next step for STAR TREK, and I hope it continues to build on this momentum.
I have feelings about Dave Filoni being appointed head of LucasFilm.
a man in a dark room with the words your journey towards the dark side will be complete below him
Alt: The Emperor from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in a dark room with the words, “Your journey towards the dark side will be complete.”
So essentially, they’ve completed the transition from sketchy creative leadership to worse.
media.tenor.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:46 PM
I have feelings about Dave Filoni being appointed head of LucasFilm.
Another fun celebrity sighting last night, when John Legend walked past us at Disneyland.
January 12, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Another fun celebrity sighting last night, when John Legend walked past us at Disneyland.
Had to listen to the John Williams score to LINCOLN to lower my BP today, and now I just want to cry.
January 9, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Had to listen to the John Williams score to LINCOLN to lower my BP today, and now I just want to cry.
We don’t talk much about the use of “ascension guns” in STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE (Episode I) …
January 5, 2026 at 11:18 PM
We don’t talk much about the use of “ascension guns” in STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE (Episode I) …
It’s been 15 years since GRRM released A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, and now the book series is almost entirely irrelevant to me. I will forever think of it as a bungled TV show first and a brilliant work of fantasy fiction second. At this point, I just hope it’s never released.
January 5, 2026 at 11:02 PM
It’s been 15 years since GRRM released A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, and now the book series is almost entirely irrelevant to me. I will forever think of it as a bungled TV show first and a brilliant work of fantasy fiction second. At this point, I just hope it’s never released.
A thing I love about living in L.A. is sometimes getting to have lunch nearby a celebrity.
Nice to see Ron Perlman today!
Nice to see Ron Perlman today!
January 3, 2026 at 1:57 AM
A thing I love about living in L.A. is sometimes getting to have lunch nearby a celebrity.
Nice to see Ron Perlman today!
Nice to see Ron Perlman today!
The fact that both THE HANDMAID’S TALE and STRANGER THINGS both used “Landslide” in their series finales in the same dang year is just confounding & cringeworthy to me.
Although the HT use was the more atrocious, both were poor choices in shows that otherwise consistently nailed their song choices.
Although the HT use was the more atrocious, both were poor choices in shows that otherwise consistently nailed their song choices.
January 2, 2026 at 4:48 AM
The fact that both THE HANDMAID’S TALE and STRANGER THINGS both used “Landslide” in their series finales in the same dang year is just confounding & cringeworthy to me.
Although the HT use was the more atrocious, both were poor choices in shows that otherwise consistently nailed their song choices.
Although the HT use was the more atrocious, both were poor choices in shows that otherwise consistently nailed their song choices.
Reposted by James
Today someone asked me what I was looking forward to most in 2026, and I replied, “The funeral.”
“What funeral?” they asked.
Said I, dead-pan: “We’ll both find out when it’s on the front page.”
“What funeral?” they asked.
Said I, dead-pan: “We’ll both find out when it’s on the front page.”
December 23, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Today someone asked me what I was looking forward to most in 2026, and I replied, “The funeral.”
“What funeral?” they asked.
Said I, dead-pan: “We’ll both find out when it’s on the front page.”
“What funeral?” they asked.
Said I, dead-pan: “We’ll both find out when it’s on the front page.”
This right here is the biggest problem I have with tv. Either do a miniseries with an ending, or commit to a reasonable schedule. Have a plan before you begin producing S1.
Or admit you don’t care about your audience, Vince Gilligan and all the rest of your ilk.
Or admit you don’t care about your audience, Vince Gilligan and all the rest of your ilk.
December 31, 2025 at 9:56 PM
This right here is the biggest problem I have with tv. Either do a miniseries with an ending, or commit to a reasonable schedule. Have a plan before you begin producing S1.
Or admit you don’t care about your audience, Vince Gilligan and all the rest of your ilk.
Or admit you don’t care about your audience, Vince Gilligan and all the rest of your ilk.
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, or Alice in Chains.
December 28, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, or Alice in Chains.
Reposted by James
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
December 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
The shower in this hotel room has two full doors instead of some half door flood-producing catastrophe. Nature is healing!
December 27, 2025 at 12:57 AM
The shower in this hotel room has two full doors instead of some half door flood-producing catastrophe. Nature is healing!