Let Claire Blow Ya Mind

Today, my mind was blown. An anonymous commenter right here on "I Totally Hear That" has sworn that the female voice on Positive K's "I Got a Man" is... wait for it... actually Positive K. For real! Read it for yourselves! This makes a certain amount of sense, considering that several different women rap the female part in the video and no woman is credited on the single (which I still have on cassette in Chattanooga).

But just because it makes sense doesn't mean I can wrap my mind around it. It also makes sense that Bjork is a human being and not an alien elf spirit sent here to amaze and delight us. But still... sheesh. You know?

And you want another conundrum? I don't hate this Gap commercial:




On the face of it, I really should hate it, if for no other reason than I think these so-called "boyfriend trousers" make the women wearing them look dumpy. It's the way they hang off the hips, I think. The fabric bunches up just below the hipbone, and it doesn't look as casual and saucy and "oh, look, I'm wearing the pants of the man I screw" as it's supposed to. Instead, it just makes the woman look ill-proportioned.

Laura tells me that the Gap recently sold a pant of similar style called "The City Cut" or something. Based on her experience of those trousers, she concurs with my dumpiness assessment.

And yet the commercial is so charming. First, who doesn't love that song, even if you don't know "Annie Get Your Gun?" And the line about "anything you can wear, I can wear better" really is a clever tie-in to the product, even if it pains me to acknowledge a whiff of artistry in advertising.

Then you've got the Patrick Wilson factor. The man is constantly taking off his clothes--it's not for nothing that he starred in the original Broadway cast of "The Fully Monty"--but why shouldn't he? Work what you've got, brother! This ad teases us with Wilson leg, which both furthers his reputation as Hollywood's favorite stripper and gives us a reason to keep watching.

But then there's the kicker, as it were. Claire Danes! Am I right that this is her best performance since "My So-Called Life?" She's so natural and charming, and she gets great extension on those kicks! Never mind that she was part of the evil plot to leave Mary Louise Parker abandoned and pregnant. She's delightful!

(Speaking of mind blowing: Patrick Wilson. Mary Louise Parker. Both in the cast of the "Angels in America" TV movie... playing husband and wife. And once, I sat right next to MLP at a cabaret being performed by her personal assistant. Was Positive K there? Maybe! It's all connected, people!)