DivaLea: Nina Paley LOVE for "Sita Sings the Blues"

I got a long way back with Nina, off and on. Years ago, I met her in San Diego, and bought stuff from her. Later, she turned up on Alex Bennet's show on Live 105 San Francisco, so I called and did one of Alex's least favorite things: talk to someone in the studio via the live phone. That was the last time I talked to Nina. It was November of 1992.

I was websurfing and went past friend and GirlAMatic.com cartoonist Spike's website, at which I found out what Nina Paley is doing: oh my god, she's writing, designing, directing, animating this feature, "Sita Sings the Blues", a retelling of the Indian epic the Ramayana from the point of view of Sita.
Nina uses the music of 1920's blues singer Annette Hanshaw and Flash animation and makes a candy-colored India with the vibe of classic Fleischer Brother cartoons and Abbot and Costello Road movies, not to mention Lotte Reiniger's Adventures of Prince Achmed.

You know that feeling, that amazing thrill when someone you think totally rocks exceeds your wildest expectations? That's Nina's "Sita": thrilling.