Elsewhere, 12/6

I’ve finally heard Joanna Newsom’s Ys — one of the year’s more divisive releases — and I think Andy Whitman sums up my thoughts quite nicely: “I vacillate between grudging admiration of her sheer audacity, and hoots of laughter over her ridiculously overwrought persona and songwriting. Fly away, my dearest darling, with your alliteration and your elusive, effusive allusions, on moonbeams and butterfly wings. Call me when you’ve found a voice and you’ve put away the damned thesaurus.”

Mr. Elastic Heart lists his favorite album artwork of 2007.

Sure, trailer re-edits and mash-ups have become something of an Internet cliche these days, but this reimagining of Mary Poppins — aka “Scary Mary” — is still worth a view or two. Who knew Julie Andrews could be so… well… freaky?!?

Pixelsurgeon likes Pan’s Labyrinth: “This film is designed to be allegorical and different meanings can be stripped from it, such as the perils of fascism and dogma and the loss of innocence for both Ofelia and Spain. The film deals with the difficult choices we all have to make and just as the faun is an ambiguous creature, capable of tenderness and violence, the reality of Ofelia’s world is for the audience to decide.”

Conjectural Transcript of the Upcoming Negotiations Between Apple and Universal Music — Oh, Mr. Gruber, you are indeed a pistol!