Solipsistic

Here is a great photo, found via Atrios, that catches Dennis Hastert in a compromising position.

It's a good example of all the posturing that is going on concerning gas prices.

The Brothers Chaps offer up "Thy Dungeonman III".

It's a fully interactive tribute to text adventuring that's pretty fun and funny. Enjoy the sounds of the Apple IIe/Commodore 64 disk drive thumping as it labors to advance from one screen to the next.

For old school gamers, this site is a must.

This goofball is now being broadcast on AM 1190 in St. Louis. I listened to him this morning as I was taking a shower.

He was laughing at the fact that Malaysia is going to "put a Muslim" in space aboard a Russian spacecraft. HA HA!! He then spent awhile talking about how a special program was being built so that "the Muslim"--not man of faith, mind you--was able to face Mecca when it was time to pray. He did mention that Malaysia was buying $900 million in Russian fighter crafts, but apparently this didn't make up for the lengths the Russians would go to accomodate "the Muslim."

Why is any of this offensive? Just replace the words "the Muslim" with "the Jew." Then imagine a scenario in which a space program would develop kosher foods to accomodate a Jewish astronaut. Not ridiculous at all.

There is an overwhelming, highly irrational fear by many on the right of all Muslims. They are laughed at, constantly derided, treated as subhuman, and often presented as potential terrorists. It is these attitudes which perpetuate the idea of "getting them before they get us" and lead us into dubious wars.

No, I haven't "forgotten."

Boortz also made a boneheaded remark about Louis Farrakhan in relation to this story. The Nation of Islam and the Muslim faith are not the same, Neal.

Want to read about why I think you shouldn't waste your time and money on this movie?

Find out here. The link is to a pretty bad website I put together for a recent class project.

While gettting my copy of "Why Not Me?" signed by Al Franken two days ago, I asked him about his likely run for the US Senate and whether he would make ATM fees a major part of his platform. (In "Why Not Me?" Al plays a simple-minded presidential candidate who makes lowering ATM fees the only issue on his platform.)

He laughed and told me that after writing the book, he got requests to speak to many organizations about the issue. He told them "I don't care!" about ATM fees. Apparently some readers failed to grasp that the book was a satire.

Yech! This was on Fox Movie Channel last night. Pretty horrible and lots of gross out effects. There are some grueling scenes in the movie of watching creepy, oozy puppets crawl torturously across the screen. Like something out of "Meet the Feebles."

It's interesting to see Eric Stoltz in the movie back in full-on prosthetic mode. He made this movie four years after receiving raves for his role in "Mask." (Not the Jim Carrey movie.)

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to catch Al Franken hosting his radio show live here in St. Louis. His show was recently picked up by a new AM talk station here in St. Louis. (His lead-in is Neal Boortz.)

The show ran three hours and was generally entertaining. I love Franken, if not always his radio show. (He can be repetitive and is too much of a Democratic party supporter to run an objective show.) "When a Man Loves a Woman" is a fave of mine and "Why Not Me?," the story of his run for president in 2000, is one my favorite comedic books. I got him to sign my second hand copy and was very gracious and good-natured.

The show was interesting and very low-tech. Franken spoke to several politicos including candidate for the Senate Claire McCaskill and Bill O'Reilly foe/St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Sylvester Brown. He also spoke to three young protestors at the show who thought Air America and talk radio in general were harmful to political discourse.

Franken was obviously tired, but he carried on admirably with his usual mix of dry wit and biting sarcasm.

Ms. Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel Palladino are leaving Stars Hollow. The show will continue under the guidance of another on the newly formed CW.

The show will no doubt suffer greatly. Its wit and heart were the result of Sherman-Palladino and spouse. At least it will still have the great cast and goodwill of the audience for awhile. This may be enough to steer it through another year.

Offered up without commentary:

Gas prices skyrocket. Large subsidies to oil companies increased.

California experiences rolling energy blackouts. Blamed on envrionmentalists. Really the fault of Enron.

Home heating costs obscenely high this last winter. My wife and I learn the value of wool.

According to a Fox News poll, Bush's approval rating is at an all time low.

Don't worry. It's just a lie of the liberal media.

Yesterday, I listened to conservative radio host Glenn Beck interviwed on "The Dave Glover Show," a local talk radio show here in St. Louis.

He talked about how the movie brought him to tears and how it was an emotional wringer. Then he went off into nutso territory. He said he reminded him that "We need to get them before they get us." And we can safely assume, given the content of Glenn's show, that by "them" he means the insurgency in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and other nations in the Mideast.

Let's get "them." It's this kind of irrational lashing out that lead us into the Iraq war and will lead us over a cliff.

Let's wake up, folks, and define this "them." Are we talking about all the brown folks whom the president currently has in his sights? Do we need to go into the whole issue of the nationalities of those who bombed us again?

Anyone who has been paying attention, knows that "them" can't easily be pegged on any particular nation(s). "Them" is a destructive term that has paved the way for centuries upon centuries of destruction and oppression.

Once again, this is an example of the level of discourse on much of conservative talk radio.

President Bush informs us how the recently discovered Gospel of Judas is now informing his ethics in his weekly radio address.

Here's a show--on Comedy Central--that's an exercise in laziness and racism. Sample joke--I've only got it half right, but the spirit of the joke is intact--from the supposed provocatuer Mencia:

Upon meeting a half Chinese, half African-American man,
"So your father owns a Chinese restaurant that you're too lazy to work at?"

Oh that Mencia.

Without any irony, Mencia just delivers this weak racist humor week after week. He's no Chappelle.

Josh Marshall on the possibility of Tony Snow becoming press secretary:

Isn't that more like an interdepartmental transfer than a job change?

This guy is the most racist man on mainstream radio. (I'm sure there are some really nutso HAM radio operators out there.) That's not an inflammatory statement. It's really just attaching a fitting a label to him given the general thrust of his rants.

Media Matters chronicles two of his most offensive recent statements.

Savage is not a crazy guy in a shack out in the Montana woods. He is a major voice on conservative talk radio. His thoughts and audience aren't marginal. Let's not pretend for one second that racism is no longer a problem in this country. Savage is my exhibit B--Neal Boortz is exhibit A--that racism in this country is alive and well.

According to the least popular Secretary of Defense ever.

See the SNL skit about a post-apocalyptic world where cats shoot lasers.

Enjoy!

Normally I don't give a lick about the draft--my heart belongs to the college game--but there are some interesting stories in the first round of this year's draft.

Which QB will go first? Vince Young or Matt Leinart. Before the Natl. Championship game everyone was sure it would be the latter.

I'm also fascinated that Jay Cutler, QB of Vanderbilt, may be a top ten pick.

I am looking forward to seeing how each of these folks will perform in the NFL. Looking forward to seeing Reggie Bush, as well.

and Donald Rumsfeld is still Secretary of Defense.

Many people love to hate Bush, but Rumsfled is the biggest target of my White House enmity. His arrogance and contempt for anyone who would question his authority is astounding. And I'm just talking about his press conferences.

Can you imagine what he's like when the cameras aren't on?

Some great moments on the episode. My favorite was probably Seth Meyers "Tornado-cane" skit, mostly because he made a reference to the super-shark film "Deep Blue Sea." ("Deepest, bluest, my hat is like a shark's fin" LL Cool J.)

Loved "Laser Cats," but it would have been better--more bizarre--if they hadn't framed the skit with the visit to Lorne's office.

"Disney Vault" was really good. Loved the kids discovering the real Disney and asking Mickey "you're supposed to be funny?"

Will Forte's restaurant skit was "ehhhh" until the punchline. Reminded me of "The Kids in the Hall."

Liberace and Ann Margaret was hilarious. It never gets old making fun of the bizarre Libearce.

A very solid episode.

Did anyone else think that Antonio Banderas was amazingly funny last week? He saved some mediocre sketches by throwing himself fully into every role. (That "Deal or No Deal" sketch was horrible on paper, but Banderas made it hilarious.) He seemed to be having a great time. He was the best part of "Shrek 2" as well.

My night of watching bad television--my night class was cancelled--was interrupted by a series of gunshots. I looked out my window and saw a car speeding away. A young shirtless black male ran after the vehicle, pulled a silver handgun--very shiny, looked brand new--out of his pants and fired back a few shots. No one was hurt apparently, but it reminded me why our apartment has low rent.

Our neighborhood is in a weird situation. New and rehabbed houses are springing up around us and are listed for over $250. The neighborhood is relatively nice, but the house on the corner and across the street from us is a center of chaos. It's one of those buildings that you find all over the city that is filled with who knows how many young men and women. The place always seems in state of resident flux. You rarely see any adults around, but occasionally you hear them yelling at each other really late at night.

We like moving in to gentrifying neighborhoods because you can pay low rent and find nice accomodations for a fraction of the price you would pay elsewhere. Yet you also are exposed to crime that you won't find in the higher rent sections of the city.

I called the police after the shooting, but my perception of the offenders was obscured by a poor view from my second story window and my less than stellar eyesight. I don't think my "tip" did much except bring the police to the neighborhood.

I wasn't too rattled. I've lived in the city for awhile, but I was upset that it happened in our neighborhood, which, up until this point, seemed very safe if not a little chaotic at times. I will be escorting the wife when we go outside, at least into the near future.

Just finished watching the first season of this show. The program was greeted with nothing but raves and was hailed by many as the second coming of "Buffy."

It falls far short of "Buffy," but it is still pretty entertaining. There were few great stand alone episodes. The season long arc concerning the murder of Lily Kane-- super rich nymphet and best friend to Veronica Mars--is far more compelling than any individual episode.

Some of the cast is very good. Enrico Colantoni ("Just Shoot Me") is great as always. One of the most consistent television character actors of the past decade. Jason Lohring as the troubled rich kid Logan Echolls is very good, and, other than lead Kristen Bell, is the most likely to have success beyond the show. Harry Hamlin and Kyle Secor as the town patriarchs are excellent and give the show immediate legitimacy. Hamlin appears to be having a great time as the troubled, egotistical Hollywood leading man.

The best show on the soon to die UPN.

Conservative radio host Neal Boortz says congress person McKinney looks like a "ghetto slut" with her big hair.

If anyone is still keeping track of the Bush deceptions and all the false information leading us into the war, add to it the existence and discovery of mobile weapons labs.

...throws out first pitch at Washington Nationals game and is greeted by resounding boos.

See the enthralling video here.

Wow, this thing has gotten out of hand fast.

November 2008 can't get here fast enough.

I know I promised a hiatus, but we are contemplating sending troops to attack Iran.

Because attacking Iraq has worked out so well and all.

Where's Ed McMahon and Dick Clark when you need them?

Why is the President's approval rating so low?

Look no further.

And we trust this man to lead an attack against Iran. He doesn't even understand fundamental questions about Iraq and is beholden to Rumsfeld.

If you have never seen a heist movie before, you may be entertained by this slight exercise. Everyone else will see the twists and turns coming from a mile away. The movie also has an unfortunate, at least fifteen minutes long scene, where it explains everything that has gone before. These kind of scenes are almost always tedious and insulting to those of us who have been paying attention.

Don't get fooled like me into thinking this movie is a comedy. There are a few laugh out loud moments, but most of these are in the trailer.

Pretty good episode.

The show smacked down the "it's all a dream" idea--sort of.

Is Libby evil? Still crazy?

What the heck is going on here?

Saw a video from his new album yesterday. The critics are right. It plays like a parody of R. Kelly and recalls similar parodies from "Chapelle's Show."

Tried watching this thing while on vacation because it's one of the most popular shows on television. I know I can be a music snob, but this thing is horrible. The show is all about selecting a new delivery vehicle for shitty pop music. The winners usually have pipes, but the eventual album output is safe, saccharine, and meant to be embraced by everyone. And before they finally select a competent singer, you have to sit through countless hours of bad karaoke.

Sure, its not cool and hardly novel to criticize "American Idol" at this point--maybe we're at the point where its cool for hipsters to embrace it--but I'm constantly amazed at its staying power.

From The Onion piece on popular religious fiction.

Finally read this Brad Meltzer penned story that helped bring about the ongoing "Infinite Crisis." Very good. I then read the JLA follow-up "Crisis of Conscience" by Geoff Johns. Pretty big contrast. "Identity Crisis" is a solid, compelling story that owes much to Moore's "Watchmen." The JLA follow-up, though, is goofy and features a whole host of lame DC villains, including Despero and the Wizard. (Other than a few great Batman baddies, aren't the DC villains lamer than the Marvel rogues gallery?)

Saw this movie last night at the awesome Moolah Theater and Lounge. Sat on an overstuffed couch, stretched out my legs, had a Pabst, and watched the movie on one of the larger non-Imax screens in the country.

"V" solves some of the problems of the novel. Its plotting is swifter and more compelling. The book's garish and tedious three-color scheme is replaced by a full Technicolor pallet. It gets rid of the ridiculous acid as deus ex plotline.

Like the overpraised novel, though, its still half-baked.

It flirts with controversy by making the male lead a terrorist. It also has the state orchestrating terrorist plots against its own people in order to seize power via fear manipulation. And in a brave move, it criticizes the church as oversexed, hypocritical, and full of power-hungry perverts. (There's a new one.)

The movie and book also ask us to accept anarchy as a cleansing and compelling solution to fascism. Anarchy is really just throwing off one form of oppression for a more sinister and volatile form. Anarchy is just so friggin ridiculous. We are supposed to accept the mad, manipulative terrorist "V" as a hero.

The movie works on a fantastic level--terrorist as savior overthrows fascist overlords--but you can tell it wants to work on a more profound level, serving as a mirror to the current US executive horror show. (I'm all for criticizing Bush, and if the movie gets more people to do so, it will have a positive effect.) The ideas it offers up as salvation are untenable and ridiculous, though, so its hard to take it seriously.

So demolishing a beautiful landmark and symbol of democracy--Parliament in the movie--will rally the nation and bring salvation. Fascists do the same thing through the destruction of the old "subversive" texts and landmarks in order to make way for the new and acceptable. (In fact, the fascists in the movie are criticized for just that. Keeping an ancient copy of the Koran, an example of "great poetry" and beautiful penmanship according to one character in the film, will merit punishment by the fascist overlords. Parliament, though, is unacceptable and must be destroyed. Does anyone else see the ridiculousness here?)

The action in the movie is also too sparse and comes off as stiff. Tarantino does the over-the-top sword play and blood-splattering much better in "Kill Bill Vol. 1." "V" in the movie is so superior to his attackers, that the film's combat is not compelling.

Yawn. Good looking movie, though.

While reading a book on bad television, I came across the much-hated Steven Boccho show "Cop Rock." This was the post-"Hill Street Blues" failure, that was part gritty cop drama, part musical. Critics and audiences hated it.

My curiosity got the best of me and I tracked down some info on the web. At the Trio site, you can even view some musical clips from the show. The show's very first musical number "He's Guilty"--written by Randy Newman--is actually pretty good. The NWA-influenced "Life in the Hood" is also pretty catchy. Unfortunately, these clips don't provide the musical numbers in the context of the larger show so its hard to tell if these scenes came off as jarrring and ridiculous.

In the age of irony, its hard for audiences to accept traditional musicals outside of the proscenium arch. The more popular filmed musicals of the last few years, "Chicago" and "Once More with Feeling," placed their musical sequences in the realm of the fantastic in order to be more easily swallowed by audiences. Rob Marshall placed his musical numbers in fantasy sequences and Joss Whedon created a singing/dancing demon named Sweet who compelled helpless souls into musical theater through dark magic.

In the ironic age, its hard for audiences to suspend disbelief in order to accept the conceit of individuals being compelled into song and dance. Hollywood's last two attempts at musicals were pretty big flops--"The Producers" and "Rent." Is the traditional Hollywood musical dead?

I watched this indie sci-fi flick shortly before my long break/hiatus.

The film is admirable for its polished look and attempt to create an interesting sci-fi film without worrying about special effects. It realizes that the heart of great sci-fi lies in captivating ideas, not effects. (In Hollywood, sci-fi usually means explosions, outer space battles, and Keanu Reeves.) The movie's clean, spare approach makes it play more like a docudrama. It also develops and maintains a mounting sense of dread. On a filmmaking level, the movie is a marvel

The story is about some post-college age engineers who accidentally develop a time machine in their garage. The movie is riveting, but ultimately frustrating because it is really is hard to tell what the heck is going on. Like many other time travel stories, this movie has fun with paradoxes, but it forgets to let us join in on the fun. I went to Wikipedia and found an explanation, but it was so dang complicated that I gave up.

Still, the movie is a very accomplished misfire and sci-fi fans and those interested in filmmaking should check it out. The film was reportedly made for only $7,000 dollars. It is a far more accomplished film than say the bloated "sci-fi" monstrosity that is "Armageddon." Watching these two films side-by-side would make for a great and instructive filmmaking seminar--"Sci-Fi Excess vs. Sci-Fi Economy: Two Exercises in Incomprehensibility."

Best sci-fi movie of the past twenty years: Hard to argue against "Gattaca."

So the political hiatus endeth for a brief observation on which we can all agree:

While DeLay's resignation and likely indictment reveal a culture of corruption in some corners of the GOP, this is more indicative of the corrupting nature of power. DeLay is going down because he was power-hungry and played dirty to retain and get more power. If the Democrats gain control of the house, senate, and presidency for a sizable period, similar indictments will occur amongst their leadership.

Can't we all agree now, though, that the GOP is not "God's party"?

Man, that was a gross movie! Not gory so much as just gross. The plot is too ridiculous--in a good, fun way--to get very scared, although, it did give me a few jolts.

The movie was written and directed by James Gunn, a hometown native and the scribe of the excellent "Dawn of the Dead" remake. Fans of "Fangoria" will be thrilled, especially by the effects work on Michael Rooker's big baddie. It's a slick and entertaining b-movie. I was a little disturbed at the many appearances of aggressive tentacles and slugs, however, especially when I made the connection that sometimes a cigar is not just a cigar. Taken in that light the movie is chock full of misogyny, including some thinly veiled rape fantasies. If you can look past the subtext and enjoy a good gross-out, you'll love "Slither."

Nathan Fillion of "Firefly" and "Buffy" is great and has proven his ability to play a leading man in other comedy or action roles. Would love to see him in a Vince Vaughn or Judd Apatow comedy.

The great Neil Gaiman children's novel is being translated for the screen by "James and the Giant Peach" director Henry Selick.

Looking forward to this one. Not sure if I would like Selick to mimic McKean's illustrations for the movie or create his own look. Will Selick make the whole enterprise a stop motion adventure, will it have completely live action sections like "James," or a mix of live action and stop-motion like his "Monkeybone"?

"Monkeybone" is a very interesting story. The movie is a mess, but Selick never got his desired movie onto the screen due to a muddling studio. Who knows if Selick's unadulterated movie would have been better--likely--but it couldn't have been much worse.

Missed this one. My cable went out, so I had to read the episode recap.

Sorry I missed it, because we got our biggest reveal yet. The preznit is the mastermind. Good stuff. I see this as a not so thinly veiled swipe at our current administration, but I tend to see everything through blue-colored glasses.

Is the president actually at the top of totem pole? Who else is involved? Is Jack gonna assasinate the president? Is he getting shipped off to China or killed at the end of the season?

As goofy as 24 is at times, I think its as involving and as interesting as most James Bond films. If you don't expect realism and just settle in for a "ripping good yarn"/solid b-movie, then it ends up being a great deal of fun.

Just let go and enjoy. This ain't "Masterpiece Theater" or even "Lost."

There's a great piece in The Onion AV Club about some of the best exchanges between Knotts and Griffith on "The Andy Griffith Show." Here's a choice few:

After reading an article about how crime in small towns can be attributed to "a-path-y," Knotts makes the case against Mayberry's lax security.

Knott: A) Earl Johnson left his key in the car all night.

Griffith: That key broke off in there last spring.

Knotts: B) No nightlight in the office of the Mayberry Ice House.

Griffith: The light keeps the watchman awake.

Knotts: That's C!

Griffith waves Knotts off, complaining that Knotts is just worked up because he saw Glen Ford in G-Men: "Now you're going to Glen Ford it all over town."

And:

Knotts notes his and Griffith's lifelong friendship ("I ran second to your first in the county penmanship contest"), by way of warning him that it's probably not going to work out with his wealthy girlfriend. "The rich are different. You ever see a rich kid's bicycle? Solid chromium, with at least six or seven red reflectors."

Some wordplay from last week's "Lost" episode:

Locke got his legs crushed in the Dharma station lockdown. He was injured. He was down.

Lockdown=Locke down

Good stuff!

They've been talking about this since the beginning of the show's run seventeen years ago.

We're finally getting one in 2007.

I'm a bit tired of writing about how bad the White House is at the moment. It's like telling people that the Earth revolves around the sun, and not vice versa. Those who would say the White House is run by a stand up bunch of guys are just not paying attention and/or are being willfully ignorant. Get your heads out of your rears.

That being said...lets get moving.

Spent this last week in the lone star state. Visited Garland, Texas--a quiet suburb outside of Dallas.

My wife and I also visited Austin. What a great city. Clean, bustling, great food, music, and movies. (Low point of the trip--finding a crack pipe hid behind the toilet in our hotel room. Apparently, my wife's back on the rock.) Went to the Drafthouse. Awesome theater. The food is okay.

Will Solipsistic be leaving this arch city for warmer climes? Not anytime soon, but stay tuned.