Commentary 12 Feb 2009 08:55 am
Premio Dardos
- My Sunday comments section was met with this from Brian Sibley: “Thought you’d like to know I’ve awarded you a Premio Dardos Award. Congratulations! And don’t forget to pass it on…”
So I went on to Brian’s brilliant blog to find what this was all about.
“The Dardos Award is given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.”
As it turns out, Brian received commendation for the prize and was requested to select five other nominees. Whatta ya know, he chose my site. Well, shucks, I’m honored.
I have, as part of my duties, the obligation to select five more nominees. This I’ve done, and I would have probably chosen Brian Sibley’s site above all others had he not drawn attention to me. So, excepting his blog, I sought out the blogs I most enjoy, though I sought to choose sights that were not exclusively about animation, I can’t say I succeeded. I decided the most important part of it was that it was a site that I enjoyed. That being said, here are my five choices:
Blather From Brooklyn is a photo blog by Annulla. Despite the title, it’s not really about Brooklyn but about New York. There are an endless number of quirky images of events covered, objects found, and passions felt. It’s a wonderful site that I check in on daily hoping to find something new.
Tom Sito‘s unique blog is a source of constant entertainment and education. Daily, he posts events in history that have happened on that particular day. An animation producer/director who once headed the LA union, Tom’s focus might be slightly skewed toward animation but not by much. There’s a daily quiz which is amusing and sometimes challenging, and a list of others sharing their birthday on the particular date. This blog changes almost 365 days a year and is always jam-packed with good reading. I like checking in on my own birthday to see if I’m listed – I have been once or twice!
Lines and Colors is a website about drawing, painting, cartooning, and many of the other visual arts. Hosted by Charley Parker, a cartoonist/artist/animator, the site hails out of the Philadelphia area and treats the visual arts with such joy that it often becomes infectiously inspiring. Regular posts discuss everything from the treat photographing art in museums and Eustace Tilly to Dutch cityscape paintings.
asterisk animation is a blog for a NY animation company called, oddly enough, Asterisk Animation. Hosted by one of the principals, Richard O’Connor, the site takes on his personality – literate, intelligent, thoughtful and artistically interesting. Richard writes with entertaining strokes, as one would expect from a studio site, about their animation and past projects. However, these tales are usually informing and entertaining enough that it makes it a delight to visit the regularly developing blog. I do have to admit, though, it’s tough at times to face the bold yellow of this site in the mornings.
Finally, since I pretty much live for animation, I have to add my favorite animation site, and this is it. Mike Barrier has been dedicated to ACCURATE animation reporting of history, and his site offers that history as well as reviews that are exact and usually dependable. There’s so much information on this site and so much worth looking for that I have to place it in the uppermost category of my favorites. Actually, it’s probably the stop I come to most often on the internet, so how could I resist lauding it.
Even today’s post about the faces of Marceline, MO. (Disney’s home town) is so unusal, enlightening and eccentric, that it’s a joy to check out this site.
on 12 Feb 2009 at 11:02 am 1.Stephen Macquignon said …
Congratulation on being recognized for all you’re informative posting
on 12 Feb 2009 at 2:42 pm 2.Jenny said …
We’re in total agreement about Michael Barrier’s site-in fact I just came from there and was tempted to do yet another post pointing people to him yet again, as I often do with your page. Both of you are richly deserving of as many eyes as are interested in animation, criticism–and plain old real life. You both elevate “blogging” to something rewarding and engaging. Congratulations!
on 12 Feb 2009 at 2:57 pm 3.Michael said …
In some ways, I think we’ve gotten involved in some sort of chain mail so that you keep recommending other blogs so that it grows exponentially until all blogs are included. I tried to pick sites that are a bit more wide-eyed than just looking at animation, but how could I skip Mike Barrier’s site. It means too much to me.
on 12 Feb 2009 at 8:14 pm 4.Jenny said …
If it’s chain mail then it’s a sort I can finally see a use for! But the allusion is apt.
I think Mike’s site is interesting on multiple levels–his writing and POV make it so. The same goes for yours(and of course, you very frequently do address other topics/things that alone would be a good reason to visit-usually observations about the city, which I love).
The funny thing is that he so clearly thinks many of his posts would be of no or little interest to any but the most “hard core” animation buffs or pros–well, maybe he’s right, but I wonder. Anyone with a healthy curiosity and interest in history who enjoys clear and intelligent writing would get a kick out of so much there. I’m so glad he does it…I really missed his “voice” when Funnyworld ceased publication.
Thanks for your other mentions, too; a good friend once told me about “lines and colors” in a phone cnvesation-I meant to go, bookmark it a–and promptly forgot to do it. My loss. I mean to go there regularly now.
on 12 Feb 2009 at 10:53 pm 5.Bill Perkins said …
Congratulations Michael. I’ll chime in with Jenny and say both you and Mike Barrier have elevated “blogging” to something rewarding, informative and as well engaging, Both you’re sites are exemplary examples of the best use of the internet .