Washington – As the 112th Congress dawns this week, North Carolina’s trio of conservative Democrats find themselves not only a minority within the U.S. House of Representatives, but within their own party as well. U.S. Reps. Heath Shuler, Larry Kissell and Mike McIntyre represent a breed of Democrat that got hurt badly in the November election. Conservative Southerners fell in droves, with the Blue Dog Caucus losing half its members. read more

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Can Blue Dog Democrats Survive the 112th Congress?

US soul singer Bernard Wilson, a member of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, dies at the age of 64.

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US soul star Bernard Wilson dies

The Sound of Philadelphia is without the sweet soul notes of Bernie Wilson, following the death of the Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes baritone on Sunday.

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Blue Note baritone Bernie Wilson dead

Mysticism and blue in a sweeping Yves Klein retrospective At age 19 Yves Klein stood in the backyard of his parents’ home in Nice and pointed a camera up at the open sky. This photograph of endless blue was his first monochrome work, setting the stage for hundreds more created during the artist’s short yet profound career. Exploring this approach in both his groundless, brilliant blue canvases, along with films, sculptures, and architecture, I recently had the chance to preview the final leg of the ballyhooed Klein retrospective ” With The Void, Full Powers ” at Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center. The show makes the case that Klein’s single-hued work defined his aesthetic not just because he “owned blue” (as some like to quip), but because of his clever pursuit of suspending everyday perceptions to create a heightened reality, or what he called immaterial sensibility . To imagine these hyper-realities, risk was essential to Klein’s process. His proposal for a new architecture arose out of his propensity to rethink the world in spiritual and aesthetic terms. Renderings and blueprints shown in a 1961 L.A. exhibit “Air Architecture” depict a future built environment created only using the elements of fire, water and air. That same year also saw Klein return to his search for pure color, painting “Blue Monochrome.” Working with a chemist to create his own hue of blue, he created the renowned pigment “International Klein Blue,” which he used to indicate his ethereal view of world. Furthering this concept, in his notorious “Anthropometries of the Blue Epoch,” Klein used blue-painted women as his brushes, moving them across the canvas to create abstract disembodied images. “Into the Void, Full Powers” is co-organized by the Walker Art Center and the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden , and is on view from 23 October 2010 to 13 February 2011.

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With The Void, Full Power

GAINESVILLE, MO. – The 34-year-old former Army Green Beret ran across the street and bounded up the packed bleachers at the Hootin’ and Hollarin’ parade. Spots of sweat dotted his blue dress shirt.

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In House race, a combat veteran battles indifference about war

IN CHICAGO On Thursday afternoon, Rob Halpin came to the door of the blue-shingled house he rents from Rahm Emanuel in the leafy North Side of Chicago and politely explained that he couldn’t say anything about the outgoing White House chief of staff and incoming mayoral candidate. Rahm Emanuel – Chicago – United States – Government – US House of Representatives

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For candidate Emanuel, some see steep learning curve

Darren Aronofsky’s chilling film on a ballerina’s crumbling psyche Having already made a strong debut at the Venice Film Festival and ran as a sneak preview at Telluride this past weekend (where I saw it), Darren Aronofsky’s new picture Black Swan virtuosically mixes ballet, dark psychological drama and a standout performance by Natalie Portman to great cinematic effect. Shot by Matthew Libatique , viewers will recognize the harsh blue light and overall eerie look to the film from his previous work with Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain). The camerawork recalls the director-cinematographer team’s previous collaborations too, as it follows the careening choreography or zeroes in on characters’ anxiety with short jerky movements. Jarring photography and other bold moves like these generally divide filmgoers into fans or foe of Aronofsky’s ambitious projects, and this work similarly polarizes audiences. Unlike his last film, 2008′s lauded Wrestler (which saw the director playing it relatively safe with the blue-collar story of a past-his-prime wrestler), Black Swan’s similar story of intense physical struggle is instead couched in the world of the New York Ballet. The setting’s stunning visuals and the high stakes of the professional dance world lend themselves well to Aronofsky’s over-the-top style—the costumes by Rodarte alone perfectly and gorgeously express the rapidly-unraveling mental state of Portman’s character. Similarly, many are already whispering “Oscar” regarding the actress, who so far has only been nominated (for her 2004 role in Closer). To focus solely on Portman however is to miss some other excellent casting, namely Winona Ryder as the scorned ballerina and Barbara Hershey as an overbearing mother. Coupled with Aronofsky’s masterful direction (Oscar-winning or not), Black Swan makes for the kind of ultimately satisfying cinematic experience that can only be achieved by a scope as grand as the director’s. It’s best seen in theaters when it comes out 1 December 2010. In the meantime, check out the trailer on iTunes .

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Black Swan