Posted on December 19, 2002 at 4:05 pm | No Comments
My dilemma: I have so much junk I wanna blog about, but very little time or motivation to do so. A better dilemma than having nothing to say and plenty of time, but still… I’m sorta stuck.
Let’s try some quick hits…
Cinemadness…
Saw some movies over the past couple of weeks:
The Two Towers expectedly and thoroughly kizzled me in the nizzles. Best movie of the year. Complete and total Nerdvana.
Equilibrium did not suck, nor was it all that good. It was just kind of there. Good idea (although cribbed from several other sources), but flawed execution. And I can’t believe a puppy was what woke him up. Yeesh.
Star Trek: Nemesis was essentially a better-than-average Next Generation episode. To those who absolutely hated it (I mean, “heartbreaking”? Come on, man.), I ask you this: Where were your expectations? It’s freakin’ Star Trek. Bring ’em down, will ya? Just bring ’em waaay on down.
Abandon Ship…
It figures… I finally get excited about Firefly (the last two episodes rocked me), and it gets cancelled. Here’s what series creator and Buffy-boy Joss Whedon had to say about it, along with comments from co-creator Tim Minear. Damn shame. Given the ultra-lameness of Fox’s Friday night scheduling (if I didn’t have TiVo, I may never have even seen it), it’s not surprising, though. Joss is going to be shopping it around to other nets, but I’m not holding out any hope.
Universal Appeal
One thing Fox did do right was bringing back Andy Richter Controls the Universe. This show is pure brilliance, with an ensemble cast that just clicked from the get-go. Here’s an Andy article. Go read it.
What’s Next? Poogle?
I thrilled at the arrival of Google. I marvelled at the wonder of Google Images. I cheered at the invention of Google News. And now, ladies and gents, they bring us Froogle. Online shopping, Google-style. Mad geniuses keep the good ideas flowing.
Certifiably Insane…
For the next two weeks, this is my life. Holiday? What holiday?
Bring In Da Funk, but Kindly Leave Da Noise at Home…
This gentlemen speaks the truth. I knew I wasn’t imagining it. There’s just too much talkin’ going on at shows lately, and he noticed the trend in Washington, DC. I look forward to his follow-up article. EDIT TO ADD: The follow-up article exists. Word.
Yngwie Unleashed…
There are probably about two shut-ins out there who haven’t heard about this yet, but I still have to mention it. Yngwie Malmsteen proves himself to be a complete freak and utter egomaniac in this hilarious mp3 recording, where he goes off on a female plane passenger who dumped water on him for being a blatant homophobe. ‘Cause and Effect’ in action. Ah, bless the Internet, and the luck of running tape recorders.
A Tolkien Appearance…
So I’m watching a Bravo Channel documentary on the adapatation of the Lord of the Rings for the silver screen, and I hear a familiar voice. I can’t place it, until a face appears on my livingroom TV, with the caption “Tolkien Expert” underneath it. Whoa. It’s my college professor, Michael N. Stanton, talking facts on fiction, offering up soundbites and bits on Middle Earth’s magic. After a bit of web-fu, I find he published a book called Exploring the Wonders and Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” last year, just before the first film was released. I dropped him an email of hello and congratulations, and with his response learned that he had retired a few years back, finished the book, and given the fortuitous timing of it’s release, experienced a small amount of fame and fortune. Check out this January interview with him on Vermont Public Radio’s Switchboard program. Can’t wait to pick up his book.
Well, that post was far longer than I expected it to be. Guess I had the time after all.
Posted on December 16, 2002 at 9:24 am | No Comments
I’ve been hearing the saying “Lynn, Lynn, city of Sin” since I moved to the Boston area, but I’d never heard the second part of it until just now… “You never come out the way you went in.” I’d also never heard the origin of the rhyme, which a co-worker just explained:
Supposedly, during World War II, base commanders would label certain places ‘off limits’ to visiting soldiers on leave … local bars, pool halls, and neighborhoods that were deemed ‘unsafe’. Apparantly Lynn was so overrun with sketchy areas and disease-infested whorehouses that the brass from the Charlestown Navy Yard designated the entire city a ‘no go zone’. A little web searching hasn’t corroborated this, so I’m taking her word for it.
Looks like a few image-conscious Lynn-based organizations have since tried to change the rhyme to ‘City of Win‘, or even the jeebus-friendly ‘City of Him‘. Good luck, folks. ‘City of Sin’ has a lot more zing to it. Wear it with pride.