The big news in Sundance today: legendary singer songwriter Paul Simon is due to arrive in Park City to help promote Joe Berlinger’s documentary “Under African Skies.” This is the film Berlinger made in Africa about the reunion of the “Graceland” musicians. Simon is not set officially to perform anywhere, but something tells me there may be an impromptu occasion for live music between now and Tuesday. Berlinger is riding on a wave of success from his “Paradise Lost” documentaries about the West Memphis Three– his were the original, and for which no participants’ rights were bought for participation. Berlinger, unlike the players in the late to the game “new film” about the WTT, remains a filmmaker and not a subject in his stories. “Under African Skies” could be the hottest ticket of the Sundance weekend, and Simon a most coveted participant in the festival. I’m wishing them well from snowy New York–perhaps snowier than Park City. (Goes to show ya…) Simon, meantime, was screwed by the Grammys on his “So Beautiful or So What” album. Buy it, download it, listen to it. For him to be overlooked shows a dreadful reversal of artistic appreciation in favor of the crass. Imagine if in 1976 “Still Crazy After All These Years” had been snubbed for the Bay City Rollers. This is what we’ve come to.
Paul Simon song of the day-“Duncan” –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngH4zZ-oiuY
