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Showing posts from July, 2007

The Simpsons Movie

In honor of the Simpsons movie which opens this weekend (I will absolutely be seeing it), a pair of fairly amazing videos, featuring performances of the theme song, courtesy of YouTube. For starters, as performed on twin electric guitars, by Zack Kim ! Links to more Zack Kim music videos And an old fav, as enthusiastically performed by Sean Gordon on a solo acoustic guitar. Bonus: Sean Gordon plays Star Wars ! Enjoy!

ATTENTION:WINNER

FROM: THE DESK OF THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER INTERNATIONAL GRANTS/PRIZE AWARD DEPT REF:YAHOO6/315116127/27 BATCH:15/623/UK. Registered Lottery No 220949 Dear Esteemed Winner, We are pleased to inform you of the result of the YAHOO! International Promotions Program held on the 5th of July 2007. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number 883734657492-5319 with serial number 7263-267, batch number 8254297137 drew the lucky numbers 14-22-28-37-40-44 which consequently won in the 1st category, you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of £500,000.00 (i.e Five Hundred Thousand United Kingdom Pounds)in cash credited to file REF:YAHOO6/315116127/27. This is from total prize money of US$20,400,000.00 shared among the seventeen international winners in this category. To file for your claims you are to contact: SIR.FREEMAN WALLACE REMMITANCE DIRECTOR YAHOO PROMOTIONS 44 Moorfields London EC2Y 9AL UNITED KINGDOM Tel: (+44) 70319247787 (+44) 7031921200 Email: sir_freemanwallace007@yaho

Harry Potter is finished (no spoilers)

...Or more accurately I should say I'm finished with Harry Potter -- Book 7, that is. Shortly before dinner this evening, I lay across the living room couch and read the closing pages in the fading light of the day. Overall, a good, enjoyable read. Most fans will probably say it ends in a satisfying way. As with all the books, they could have done with some tightening up. Some of the writing is a little on the clumsy side as well. But overall, they deliver the goods. If you've not read the books, start with the first and persevere through the first 4 or 5 chapters, which are slow going. Once Harry leaves for school though, the chase is on. Now if only I could get myself to start reading Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle novels again. I'm stuck at about 150 pages on the first book.

Harry Potter Madness

It's about 12:45 and I just got back from my local Barnes & Noble, where I (and countless other Harry Potter addicts) waited for the clock to tick down to midnight so we could purchase the final(!) book in the saga -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . The atmosphere at the University Park B&N was carnival-like, to say the least: more like "Harry Potter and the Agoraphobe's Nightmare." But resourceful D had gotten a reservation ticket this morning and we were in group Gold B. We managed to get out at 12:30 A.M. Woe unto those that had not planned ahead. Costumes abounded (lots of zigzaggy marks on foreheads and wands), and there was even a roving band of middle-schoolers toting a boombox with the John Williams' score. Obnoxious but fully keeping with the spirit of the evening. We got our two copies (eliminating arguments over who gets to read it first) and headed home. I will now get my flashlight, bury my head under the covers and start reading. There

Summer Movies!

I've managed to see three movies thus far this summer. Knocked Up -- chick flick dressed up like guy film. Despite all the raunchy stupid stuff, it is a sweetly romantic film at its heart, which is okay--I like a good romantic comedy. Thumbs up! Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- very dark, and the most overtly political film yet, which is not surprising since it is based on the first post-9/11 Potter book. One of the major themes it addresses head-on is the danger of allowing fear to justify the establishment of a police state. Sound familiar? Warning--barely a kid's movie. Thumbs up! Paprika -- adult anime (subtitled). An astonishingly beautiful and surreal film by Satoshi Kon , the director of Tokyo Godfathers. Like a cartoon of some incredibly weird lost Phillip K. Dick novel. You may have a hard time seeing it in theaters, so look for it when it hits DVD. Thumbs up! Things I'm totally NOT interested in seeing: the new Fantastic Four film, any of the current

It's a small world after all

Predictably, as the Bush spinmeisters get to work attempting to repair the sinkhole of George's popularity following the Scooter Libby pardon...er, commutation, they of course turned to one of their perennial whipping boys, former president Bill Clinton. One of their chief talking points as they struggle to deflect the glare of bad press is to draw comparisons to Clinton's 11th hour pardon of Marc Rich . Couple of differences however: Rich didn't break the law as part of Clinton's inner circle, unlike Libby, whom it appears was doing the Vice President's dirty work, and he actually served time for his misdeeds, also unlike Libby, who got jerked out of the consequences of his actions before trading up to an orange jumpsuit. A fascinating little piece of serendipity: Rich's lawyer , working to secure his client's early release, was none other that convicted felon Scooter Libby. It truly is a small world, eh?

Bush and the Libby commutation: disgust, not rage

Funny thing, when I saw that George W Bush (decider in chief) had commuted convicted felon Scooter Libby's sentence on Monday, my reaction was one of calm disgust rather than a flood of rage at this latest finger in the eye of America. Sort of like how I'd feel watching someone I didn't particularly care for at a party drinking to excess. You know they'll reach a point where they are no longer cognizant of what other people think and will eventually be found doubled up somewhere, blowing chunks on the host's carpet. When that happens most people's reaction will be disgust, not rage. Certainly not surprise. You saw it coming, right? And so it is with the Libby commutation. Disgusting but not surprising. I saw a clip of Bush the other day saying he wasn't concerned with his place in history since historians were still arguing about George Washington's presidency. What the hell??? The interesting thing will now be if Congress has the gumption to exercise th

Olbermann: Bush, Cheney should resign

I listen to Keith Olbermann on MSNBC occasionally when I'm in the mood for righteous indignation. Here's a link to his commentary on July 3rd where he says Bush and Cheney should resign . Not that this is going to happen (not in this plane of existance anyway), but it's comforting to consider the possibility.