ho-lee crap

Somebody give this guy a medal.

"How's your boy?" Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.

"I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President," Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.

"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"

"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House.

In Following His Own Script, Webb May Test Senate's Limits - washingtonpost.com

Thanks to the Stranger Slog for the link.

One Director to Rule Them All

Peter Jackson is still in the director's chair for the Hobbit, according to the New York Times:

Peter Jackson - The Hobbit - Movies - New York Times

ouchie!

Reading this actually made me feel sort of sorry for Bill Gates....for a second.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Andy Ihnatko :: Avoid the loony Zune

wild horses

I wore silver gloves and a dragonfly in my hair. The music pounded at my feet as we pushed our way across the dance floor. The punch was sweet and cold.

We left early and went to the beach instead. I held on to every moment, the salt smell of the air, the gardenias twined around my wrist. The way you draped your jacket around my bare shoulders.

Our kisses tasted of popsicles and seashells and longing. We looked into the water, cold and silvery. After you drove away, I pressed myself against my bedroom door, breathless, and already lonely.

'wild horses' (c) riain grey 2006 - do not reproduce without written permission

R.I.P.

Thank you, for these and many, many others...

The Player
Gosford Park
Short Cuts
M.A.S.H.
Nashville
A Prairie Home Companion

You will be missed.

Robert Altman, 1925-2006

there is a god

FOX EXECS NOT GOING STRAIGHT TO HELL, SAYS MURDOCH

"NEW YORK (AP) -- After a firestorm of criticism, News. Corp. said Monday that it has canceled the O.J. Simpson book and television special "If I Did It."

"I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project," said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. "We are sorry for any pain that his has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson."

last one

...maybe.


50 Science Fiction books meme
The most significant SF/F novels from 1953-2006 according to the SF Book Club. Bold the ones you have read, italicize those you started but never finished, put a minus next to the ones you hated, and put a star next to the ones you love.

* The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
-The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
* Dune, Frank Herbert
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
* A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
* Neuromancer, William Gibson
Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
* The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
* Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
Cities in Flight, James Blish
The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
*The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
*Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
* Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
-The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
Gateway, Frederik Pohl
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
*I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
Little, Big, John Crowley
* Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
On the Beach, Nevil Shute
Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
Ringworld, Larry Niven
Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
*Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
-Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
-The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
Timescape, Gregory Benford
*To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

why i love post secret

http://postsecret.blogspot.com

the man they call jayne

tonight's tv date: Day Break, starring Taye Diggs and (DUN!) Adam Baldwin! Hooray! The plot is a timely (get it? GET IT?) mash-up of '24' and 'Groundhog Day,' with Taye Diggs as a cop who keeps reliving the same day.

Early critics are skeptical if anyone will actually watch this show, as it bears the unfortunate burden of replacing Lost, which is on hiatus until January. Some reviews are promising, others...not so much.

Tom Shales of the Washington Post says it's "...TV tinged with surrealism, mysticism and an aura of murky, existential mystery" and notes Adam Baldwin's finest moment:

Baldwin gets the best line of tough-guy, noirish dialogue when he menaces Hopper with "You are itching for a toe tag, aren't you?"

USA Today pounds the timeslot, premise, and the two-hour pilot:

"...Unfortunately, spend two hours tonight with this murky, muddled serial, and you may already feel as if you've been trapped in this day for an eternity." D'oh!

On the other hand, SciFi.com gives the show an A-,not too shabby for a pilot episode, and calls the casting "impressive":

"Taye Diggs...is an ideal fit for Hopper, an imperfect but determined man who'll do what he has to to save those he cares about. The rest of the players are equally well cast, especially Victoria Pratt as Hopper's edgy partner, Adam Baldwin as his ex-partner and main foil and Moon Bloodgood as his grounded and beautiful girlfriend."

So, who knows...but I'll definately be watching. Set your DVRs!

Fox knows no shame

Via EW, this incredibly grotesque press release for an even grotesquer "show". I would expect this from OJ Simpson, but Fox's involvement comes as a genuine shock. And now if you would please excuse me, I need to go soak my eyeballs in bleach.

Things That Make Me Die Inside (Vol. 5) | Popwatch | Blog: Entertainment Weekly#more

skiffy fun

ix sez: You've seen the Guardian's top 20 geek novels, right?

I hadn't, but it's a good list -

The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams : enh. i'm the only geek in the universe who didn't think this book was totally brilliant. i actually liked the movie better. i do want these, though..
*1984 -- George Orwell: obviously one of the most brilliant books ever written. I really like a lot of Orwell's work, actually, especially Down and Out in Paris and London and Keep the Aspidistra Flying.
*Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley : I don't really have anything to say here that hasn't been said many times before. Great book though.
*Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- Philip K Dick: Do they? I love you, Ridley Scott. Philip K Dick, he's an okay fellow too.
*Neuromancer -- William Gibson: A friend of mine who claims to know William Gibson said that while he was writing this book, he (William, that is) holed himself up in his apartment for months without reading or watching movies, to keep his book from being influenced by outside stories. One day, sick to death of himself and the universe he had been immersed in for a year, he decided to go see the new movie from his favorite director. That director was Ridley Scott (I still love you, Ridley Scott!) and that movie was Blade Runner and William Gibson actually had to leave the theater because the movie was too close to what he was trying to write. I have no idea if this story is true, but it is a great story nonetheless.
*Dune -- Frank Herbert: Mind-stoppingly brilliant, I have read this book more times than I can count. Every time I have found something new. Scathingly fantastic.
I, Robot -- Isaac Asimov: I haven't read this...I know, I know. I can hear you, ix!!
Foundation -- Isaac Asimov: Ditto...
*The Colour of Magic -- Terry Pratchett: Funny.
Microserfs -- Douglas Coupland
-Snow Crash -- Neal Stephenson: As noted, I really didn't like this book. I love cyberpunk and all, but this just didn't do it for me.
Watchmen -- Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons: Ick. I don't know, I just have problems with Alan Moore. I can't get into his stuff, I've tried. Maybe I should try again...
Cryptonomicon -- Neal Stephenson: Haven't gotten around to this one yet.
Consider Phlebas -- Iain M Banks: I've always wanted to read this, but haven't yet. I like I(a)in Bank's writing a lot.
*Stranger in a Strange Land -- Robert Heinlein: Grok.
The Man in the High Castle -- Philip K Dick
*American Gods -- Neil Gaiman: One of Gaiman's best, excepting his comic book work, which I just find so amazing. I quite liked 'Neverwhere' also.
*The Diamond Age -- Neal Stephenson: Love this book!
The Illuminatus! Trilogy -- Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson: enh. Just never got the point of this one. I think I read some of it, it was too faux-trippy for me.
Trouble with Lichen - John Wyndham: What, now? The only book of this list that I have completely never heard of.

I liked this list a lot, but there are a few other books that totally should be on here:

*Perdido St. Station-- China Mieville : Oh. My. God. Maybe the best science fiction novel ever written.
*The Demolished Man -- Alfred Bester: In which crime is unheard of, advertising helps a man commit murder and a telepathic detective is determined to catch him. When I first saw the previews for 'Minority Report,' I thought it was an adaptation of this book. The book is much, much, better, and does not star Tom Cruise.
*In the Garden of Iden -- Kage Baker: my new science fiction obsession. The Company hires operatives throughout history to help change the future. Almost impossible to describe. A completely lovely book.

I know there are more...thoughts?

Amazon's Best Books of 2006: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Best Books of 2006: Science Fiction & Fantasy

I've only read *one* on this list, but these are all brand new, so I don't feel so bad.

I read 'Widdershins' and it was the best DeLint novel I had read in several years.

lit meme

In 2005, Time magazine picked the 100 best English-language novels (1923-present). Mark the selections you have read in bold. If you liked it, add a star (*) in front of the title, if you didn't, give it a minus (-). Then, put the total number of books you've read.

The Adventures of Augie March - Saul Bellow
All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren
American Pastoral - Philip Roth
An American Tragedy - Theodore Dreiser
*Animal Farm - George Orwell poor Snowball!
Appointment in Samarra - John O'Hara
*Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - Judy Blume God bless Judy Blume - so many of us wouldn't have survived puberty without her.
The Assistant - Bernard Malamud
At Swim-Two-Birds - Flann O'Brien
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Beloved - Toni Morrison
The Berlin Stories - Christopher Isherwood
*The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler
The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood
*Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy an amazing, brutal read - highly recommended!
Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder
Call It Sleep - Henry Roth
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger Franny and Zooey was better.
*A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess Care for a little of the old in and out?
The Confessions of Nat Turner - William Styron
The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen
The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon I read 'V', which was really long and complex and not that enjoyable...sorry, Thomas Pynchon.
A Dance to the Music of Time - Anthony Powell
The Day of the Locust - Nathanael West
Death Comes for the Archbishop - Willa Cather Why haven't I read this?
A Death in the Family - James Agee
The Death of the Heart - Elizabeth Bowen
Deliverance - James Dickey
Dog Soldiers - Robert Stone
Falconer - John Cheever
The French Lieutenant's Woman - John Fowles Saw the movie...it was pretty good.
The Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing
Go Tell it on the Mountain - James Baldwin
*Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
*The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck Brilliant.
Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon See The Crying of Lot 49, above.
*The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Handful of Dust - Evelyn Waugh
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers
The Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene
Herzog - Saul Bellow
Housekeeping - Marilynne Robinson
A House for Mr. Biswas - V.S. Naipaul
I, Claudius - Robert Graves
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace I tried, I really did.
Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
Light in August - William Faulkner
*The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
*Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov Might be the most beautifully constructed novel of all time. Love it! Read it!
*Lord of the Flies - William Golding Those pesky kids...
*The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
Loving - Henry Green
Lucky Jim - Kingsley Amis
The Man Who Loved Children - Christina Stead
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Money - Martin Amis
The Moviegoer - Walker Percy
*Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf A beautifully written novel. I can never decide which one to recommend to new V. Woolf readers - this or the equally sublime To the Lighthouse.
Naked Lunch - William Burroughs Two words: giant cockroaches. Gross.
Native Son - Richard Wright
*Neuromancer - William Gibson
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
*1984 - George Orwell
On the Road - Jack Kerouac Not as good as 'Visions of Cody'.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
-The Painted Bird - Jerzy Kosinski I liked this book okay until I found out that he made it all up.
Pale Fire - Vladimir Nabokov
A Passage to India - E.M. Forster
Play It As It Lays - Joan Didion
Portnoy's Complaint - Philip Roth
Possession - A.S. Byatt
The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
Rabbit, Run - John Updike
Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow enh.
The Recognitions - William Gaddis
Red Harvest - Dashiell Hammett
Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates
The Sheltering Sky - Paul Bowles
*Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut BRILLIANT. I like 'Welcome to the Monkey House the best, though.
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson I am the only sci-fi reader in the universe who didn't like this book. I loved 'The Diamond Age' and 'Zodiac'...
The Sot-Weed Factor - John Barth
*The Sound and the Fury – William Faulkner Profoundly beautiful. I just love Faulker. But I wish 'As I Lay Dying' was on this list as well. What a heartbreaking, amazing book.
The Sportswriter – Richard Ford
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold – John le Carre
*The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway
Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
*To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee Scout, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley...
*To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf I love this book.
Tropic of Cancer - Henry Miller
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
Under the Net - Iris Murdoch
Under the Volcano - Malcolm Lowry
Watchmen - Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons Why isn't Maus on this list? It's much better that the Watchmen. Or even V for Vendetta...
White Noise - Don DeLillo A wonderful, wonderful book.
White Teeth - Zadie Smith
Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys

I read 36 of these bad boys...not too bad...

Crying Child Not Included - Wonkette

for those of us who haven't mocked rick santorum enough this week.

look, ma! new blog!

new blog look. love? hate? discuss.

This would have made for an even more interesting election

bwaahahahahahahahha!

GREEN ARROW – TOTAL FUCKING COMMUNIST
Green Arrow is a loose cannon, politically speaking. He’s somewhere to the left of Alec Baldwin on the political spectrum and he’s armed to the teeth with those crazy-ass arrows of his. Green Arrow is an unapologetic leftist. He's always bitching about how the Justice League are a bunch of fascists and railing against “The Man.” He’s soft on drugs – his sidekick Speedy was a frickin’ junkie! An advocate of redistribution of wealth and his own pinko version of justice, this modern day Robin Hood wants to take your hard-earned money and give it to some soup kitchen or something. Go smoke another joint, hippy!

excerpted from Dave's Long Box: ELECTION DAY 2006 - WHOSE SIDE IS YOUR FAVORITE SUPERHERO ON?

a frothy mix

and here we have my favorite election result.

The Stranger | Seattle | Slog: The Stranger's Blog | Rick Santorum

saving miss mars

I know have been neglecting this little blog. Below, read my impassioned plea to save Veronica Mars, and then go write your own!

i am a 27 year old woman, right in the middle of your target demo, and I like the CW. I think with some tweaking, the CW could become a great network for TV watchers like me and my friends. Here are my suggestions:

1.) Renew Veronica Mars, and give it a new season next year. A lot of people I know won't watch VM, because they think it's going to be cancelled, and don't want to invest emotionally in it.

2.) Promote VM and Supernatural. Supernatural is a great show - just like Buffy and Angel were. It is also perfect for your demo. My husband and I both love it - I think it has wide crossover appeal. Promote promote promote!

3.) Drop the godawful green "free to be" ad campaign. That green is really offputting, and the ads don't really mean anything. I would try for something darker, more edgy - the tweeners these days are more savvy than that. They are very aware of media and advertising - don't insult their (or our) intelligence.

4.) I don't mind the Aerie girls, but I do think they're offputting to most GG fans, who are older than you think they are. Especially with GG struggling so much creatively. Please consider adding some crossover appeal for older, savvier fans.

5.) Get rid of 7th Heaven. It doesn't fit your demo anymore, and it's had it's run. Move on to younger, hipper shows.

6.) If you're going to do reality, get something else that will go with ANTM. That's a guilty pleasure for me. The other reality shows that work for me: Project Runway (SO GOOD), Dog the Bounty Hunter or whatever it's called, 'Made' on MTV - create something like that that is edgy and different.

7.) Syndicate the shows that appeal to your viewers - Buffy, Angel, Felicity, Dawson's Creek. How about Wonderfalls, Freaks & Geeks, and My So Called Life, too? Show Supernatural and VM marathons, and cross promote your own shows.

8.) If you're gonna do news, do it MTV style - edgy, hip. We like Jon Stewart better than real news.

9.) Work on creating hip advertising. USA and TNT have both done a great job taking syndicated shows and promoting them brilliantly.

I like the CW. Listen to your fans and I guarantee they will watch.