Good time at the BBQ- had lots of good eats, and Lily got to play some with some kids and another dog, and she is passed out on her doggy bed in the bedroom. His royal highness, however, apparently needs attention, and is stationed behind me bitching. Loudly. Continuously:
I love him anyway.
Betsy
I’m taking my sweetie on a day trip to Mass MoCA in North Adams, MA. Anyone have any recs for lunch or dinner in the area?
kommrade reproductive vigor
You’d better. Or else.
Roza
I love him too!
anonevent
Anyone else watch Torchwood? God that was intense.
demkat620
@anonevent: Yeah. I watched it too. Russell Davies likes the tough choices.
Good but tough stuff to take.
MikeJ
I missed the beginning of Torchwood. Either they’ll rerun it or I’ll find a place to d/l it. I saw part of the behind the scenes thing, until I turned it off for spoilerishness.
Being Human Starts Sunday, Someone here said it was good, but went downhill. In true BBC fashion there are only 6 eps in the first series, so I figure I can sit through the bad ones. COmedy about vampires and werewolves.
kwAwk
I don’t know about you but I’m spending my Friday night reading my new wonderful guide to meeting Thai women.
Okay. I admit I got screwed. $37 for a one sentence ‘book’ that says ‘Buy a plane ticket to Bangkok dumbass?’
You should be ashamed of yourself Cole. Luring us in here with your playful homespun stories about a man and his dog and cat only to trick us into buying such stuff.
:)
JK
This is the correction that the NY Times ran for an article written by Alessandra Stanley http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/arts/television/18appraisal.html?_r=2 about Walter Cronkite.
Correction: July 22, 2009
An appraisal on Saturday about Walter Cronkite’s career included a number of errors. In some copies, it misstated the date that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed and referred incorrectly to Mr. Cronkite’s coverage of D-Day. Dr. King was killed on April 4, 1968, not April 30. Mr. Cronkite covered the D-Day landing from a warplane; he did not storm the beaches. In addition, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, not July 26. “The CBS Evening News” overtook “The Huntley-Brinkley Report” on NBC in the ratings during the 1967-68 television season, not after Chet Huntley retired in 1970. A communications satellite used to relay correspondents’ reports from around the world was Telstar, not Telestar. Howard K. Smith was not one of the CBS correspondents Mr. Cronkite would turn to for reports from the field after he became anchor of “The CBS Evening News” in 1962; he left CBS before Mr. Cronkite was the anchor. Because of an editing error, the appraisal also misstated the name of the news agency for which Mr. Cronkite was Moscow bureau chief after World War II. At that time it was United Press, not United Press International.
The Columbia Journalism Review has an article on Alessandra Stanley’s reign of error
“Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong”
http://www.cjr.org/regret_the_error/wrong_wrong_wrong_wrong_wrong.php
Betsy
Tunch looks particularly cute tonight. Also.
General Winfield Stuck
They make me nervous when they lick their chops like that.
anonevent
@MikeJ: It comes on again at 12am eastern.
Xenos
@Betsy: There is a nice lunch buffet at the Indian restaurant on Spring Street in Williamstown.
MikeJ
@anonevent: Day 5 comes on later. I missed Day 1, so skipped the rest on purpose. I feel pretty sure I can find a 5 ep run up for d/l all in one place.
JK
The assholes running MSNBC are currently airing Martin Bashir’s documentary about Michael Jackson for the umpteenth time instead of rebroadcasting Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Fuck MSNBC. When the hell are they going to drop this goddamn Michael Jackson memorial tribute?
General Winfield Stuck
Getting ready to watch another movie about Rwanda. this one is called Sometime in April and has 4.5 stars and Debra winger in it. I didn’t think she made movies anymore/ Oh well, Nothing like a good genocide flick to ice your day.
edit- Damn, pulled it out of the Netflix envelop and the DVD is cracked almost in two. Never had that happen before.
Warren Terra
The latest Cheney/Addington/Yoo outrage – they apparently wanted to prove they knew better than to follow the Fourth Amendment or Posse Commitatus – is pretty darn noteworthy.
robertdsc
It has been a shitty week. Seeing Tunch makes it a little better. Thank you.
Demo Woman
Does Tunch seem okay with Lily now or is he just non committal?
The Grand Panjandrum
The Tunchatolla looks like he’s digesting Lily.
kommrade reproductive vigor
@JK: Jesus Christ playing the trombone. Someone call the Guinness Book of World Records.
Wow. Seriously, I’m speechless.
Just Some Fuckhead
We made a giant banana pudding a few hours ago and put it in the refrigerator and now we’re trying to decide whether or not we should eat it right now while it’s still warm or wait until tomorrow and eat it when it’s deliciously cold.
We’re prolly gonna do both. I feel weak.
RandomChick
I’d just like to bitch in a complementary way about how BJ has ruined for me the last few summer weeks left for mindless beach novels.
Based directly and indirectly on suggestions in the comments here, I am now reading “The Nine” and “Renegade” and Amazon delivered “Nixonland” today.
On a more trashy fiction line, I am breaking them up with stories from “Poe’s Children” a short-story horror anthology collected by Peter Straub.
I do like having multiple books in play at one time – I have choices and just pick up whatever type story I’m in the mood for at any particular moment. Downside, it usually takes re-reading a chapter back or so to get back into whichever one I pick up. That’s where the anthology is useful, of course.
Can anybody suggest something short and light and COMPLETELY trashy to wind up the summer? (It has to have a teeny-tiny, little bit of literary value, though – no Danielle Steele plz).
RandomChick
In exchange for suggestions, I’ll offer a few of my own:
We Need to Talk about Kevin – Lionel Shriver
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (if you haven’t already).
Both stayed with me for literally months after I finished them.
Straddling the line between suspense and literature, the two of them IMO.
Mary G
Thanks for turning me on to the Furminator, John, my cat Sophie would never stand for being brushed but she tolerated almost 15 minutes yesterday.
In a year or two she will be as silky smooth as Tunch is, and I can knit myself a nice sweater if I save all the hair and rent a spinning wheel.
Do you get money from Amazon only if people buy things or just for clicking and looking? I bought it through your site but usually I go through Discovercard because I get 5% back from them for stuff I buy on Amazon.
iluvsummr
Anyone see Bruno? What’d you think of Ron Paul’s appearance?
RedKitten
Have you seen Shake Hands With the Devil? Damn powerful film. Poor LGen Dallaire is still seriously messed up from his experience in Rwanda. One of the nicest people I’ve ever met, though — one of those guys who is just really, genuinely interested in other people.
I don’t know if I’d call it trashy, but it’s short, light, and a lot of fun to read: “Agnes and the Hitman” by Jennifer Cruisie and Bob Mayer. Actually, anything by Jennifer Cruisie is always a really fun read.
RandomChick
@Mary G: As a matter of fact, I closed the Amazon window I already had open and returned to Amazon via BJ to purchase Nixonland, in the hopes that click-through plus actual purchase aids in funding the good work done here.
I do not know if it actually does or not.
The Grand Panjandrum
Michael Steele just can’t stop talking:
I can here Rahm laughing all the way up here in northern New England.
The Grand Panjandrum
Oh, great … I forget to change the spelling of soc1alism in my quoted text and now I have a comment in moderation.
Yutsano
I just saw this last night and I can’t rave about it enough: y’all, if you haven’t seen Persepolis, WATCH IT!!! I was psyched for seeing it even before the June elections, watching it for the first time after just made it seem more poignant and thoughtful. Oh and I promise you’ll bust a gut, seriously, it’s that good.
The Grand Panjandrum
@RandomChick: Cole uses the money to feed that poor starving kitty pictured above.
RandomChick
@RedKitten: Thanks! The descriptions sounds good – especially:
Why is it so hard to find novels that are smart and funny? Actually, I think the latter is impossible w/o the former.
PeakVT
That Alessandra Stanley is angling for a job in the White House pool, I’d say. Or as a Fox anchor.
AhabTRuler
I haven’t been able to finish reading the book (yet), primarily because of the circumstances surrounding his assistants suicide, and his own attempted suicide. I found it depressing, not because I felt pain more than those who died in the genocide, but because it felt that even after the horror of the killings was over, it was still claiming victims.
Bad Horse's Filly
@RedKitten: I was just going to suggest that book. Almost any Jennifer Crusie fits the bill. Though I have a soft spot for Agnes. Also ‘Baby Be Mine’ Susan Anderson – set in pre-katrina New Orleans. And now is as good as time as any to start Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. Start with One, work your way up.
AhabTRuler
@The Grand Panjandrum: He has a DNC deep-cover mole, it’s the only explanation.
SGEW
btw
Goin’ away fer a week, to a land w/out teh internets. To the mountains, huzzah! [Interesting urban/wilderness kismet – living in a fifth floor walkup and carrying law books and a laptop all the time is excellent preparation for long distance hiking uphill.]
So, anyway, if Sarah Palin starts talking about birth certificates this week, remember that I called it first.
That is all.
General Winfield Stuck
@RedKitten:
Yes I have, and Daillaire is a soldiers soldier. The Belgians and French sure screwed him over as well as all those slaughtered. Especially the Belgians who set it all in motion years earlier. It shouldn’t have happened, but did/
Bad Horse's Filly
So I’m about ready to punt Netflix. I’m not liking movies right now. Anyone got any really good movies to suggest before I suspend my account? I don’t do ultra-violent or gross comedy (though I did like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, don’t like any Apatow, however).
RedKitten
@RandomChick: I love Cruisie’s books. They are really smart, and funny, and the dialogue is very realistic. “Fast Women” is one of my favourites by her. Plus she knows how to write a sex scenes that aren’t really graphic, per se, but are quite hot, thankyouverymuch.
slag
When’s the next TunchCam installment?
SGEW
@Yutsano: I hate being that person who always says “if you liked the movie, you should really read the book because it’s much better,” but . . .
If you liked Persepolis, you should read the book! Really, it’s simply fantastic, and (for me, anyway) had much more emotional impact (and a more organic pacing – the film felt too piled together). One of the best graphic novels in years and years.
Zuzu's Petals
@The Grand Panjandrum:
That’s a kitty?
I thought it was a manatee in a fur coat.
/ducks and runs
Bad Horse's Filly
@slag: Still waiting for the money shot of Tunch and Lily curled up together on the futon like Yin and Yang.
Mnemosyne
@RedKitten:
I second the Jennifer Crusie recommendation — she’s one of the funniest writers out there. I still think she wrote the best dinner-party-gone-wrong scene ever (in one of her romance novels, Strange Bedpersons).
If you’re at all interested in sci fi and/or fantasy, Lois McMaster Bujold is always good and gets under your skin in surprising ways.
ETA: Typed too slowly — I guess I fourth the recommendation.
RedKitten
I have the book, but haven’t read it, as there is a lot of military lingo in there, so it’s a bit of a strenuous read. But the movie was beautifully done. And yes — it’s something that is going to haunt him forever, which is tragic. He did the best he could, but berates himself for not saving them all, and the way the Belgians treated him afterwards was not helpful. Poor man is actually recovering from a broken back right now — he was shoveling snow off his roof this winter and fell. The last thing he needs, with his PTSD, is to be laid up with nothing to do but stew, but last I heard, he was doing better.
Bad Horse's Filly
A friend loves MaryJanice Davidson UnDead series – Undead and UnWed is the first one, I think. They’re funny and quick reads.
beabea
John, can you tell what gets searched for on this site? Because I did a search for “Tunch” earlier this evening, and now there’s a cute pic of him.
Of course, it is only in the anonymity of blogistan that I would ever admit to sitting at my computer on a Friday night, searching for a picture of a cat that I only know from somebody’s website.
I live in a place where being a non-teabagger and non-birther is considered “fringe”; that and having CNN on all day as background noise I think is starting to mess with my head.
General Winfield Stuck
@Bad Horse’s Filly:
I get that way about netflix and movies, and just have to cancel my account for awhile. But I do like to hawk movies, so here goes.
The Snow Walker — very sweet “stranded” type movie with a klutzy pilot who crashes in the Alaskan wilderness with a young Inuit, or Canadian Hawkey girl who saves his ass by living off the land. that’s all I will say. But a good warm flick.
Then there’s Zelary, a Czech film set during ww2. One of the best films I’v eever seen.
RandomChick
@Bad Horse’s Filly: Can’t find this one on Amazon or elsewhere:
Is it a misspell or something? Or very obscure?
Thoughtcrime
I’d just like to say to all you healthcare chicken littles out there (especially you Mr. Cole after your “Game Over” post), that the sky isn’t falling because of a delay in the Senate vote. I went to Howard Dean’s book signing last night at Book Passage in San Francisco. Governor Dean spelled it all out for us: First of all, when asked what he thought the odds were of getting a health care bill passed with a true Public Option, he said 85% – if we do our part. He said to ignore the Republicans – they have decided to not be part of a serious debate. He has complete confidence that Pelosi will take care of the House. Concentrate on the 10 or so undecided (or obstructionist) Democrats in the Senate. Don’t bother mailing or phoning the Senators that are not in your state. They will ignore you since you are not a constituent. Contact friends, relatives, acquaintences, fellow group members (e.g. Sierra Club), etc. that reside in those Senators’ states and have them contact their Senators. Ask them, “Whose side are you on, the American people, or the insurance companies?”. You can also email any of these Senators since they cannot tell where you reside. Govenor Dean’s bottom line was, if the health care reform with a true Public Option does not get passed, it will be our own fault. The American people are ready for this reform. They are clamoring for it. However, if we let the insurance industry control the debate while just sitting about whining about the hopelessness of it all on a blog, guess who wins. So get to it.
kwAwk
@RedKitten:
You’ve convinced me to buy “Agnes and the Hitman”. I was just about to say that I really needed to find a good humerous fun book to read.
Zuzu's Petals
@The Grand Panjandrum:
Oh criminey. Somebody ought to run this bit (~9:50) nonstop until these folks shut the heck up.
Yep, he was “speaking out” against Medicare.
Bad Horse's Filly
@RandomChick: Sorry, flipped the words. It’s part of her Baby series, all good: Be My Baby is in New Orleans, then there is Baby I’m Yours, and Baby Don’t Go. I love all things Crusie. I’m hit or miss on Andersen. But there’s enough variety in her work to fit any romance or romance mystery craving you might have.
http://www.susanandersen.com/books/bookstack.htm
RedKitten
@kwAwk: Well, YMMV, but I certainly enjoyed it. In fact, I think I may re-read it next week, now that I no longer have to go back to my place of employment for an entire year.
Can you tell I’m really enjoying this?
The Grand Panjandrum
@Bad Horse’s Filly: Bubba Hotep: Ossie Davis AND Bruce Campbell.
Wilde: If you are an Oscar Wilde fan this is a particularly clever movie if you watch and listen closely.
Bad Horse's Filly
@kwAwk: This is the book. By the time you get to the flamingo, you’ll probably be laughing so hard you’ll piddle yourself. ;-)
RandomChick
Thanks for all the suggestions – books and movies. I’ve got a listy on my iGoogle page just for such suggestions, but I’ve also added them to my Amazon wish list.
From bitter experience, I find it better to not make the actual purchasing decisions when I’m +2 or more.
Although . . . I have been pleasantly surprised by gifts I don’t remember treating myself to when the UPS guy shows up a few days later. It’s like Xmas, but with added unpleasant credit card charges.
Bad Horse's Filly
@General Winfield Stuck: That first one sounds right up my alley. And I’ll take a look at the second. Thanks.
@The Grand Panjandrum: Ossie Davis and Bruce Campbell? I’m there. Edit: I just read the plot, OMG sounds hysterical.
You guys are my people!
Thoughtcrime
Oh, and when you email the obstructionist Senators about the health care bill make sure you send them these links from democraticunderground and youtube: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389×6142670
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlJM-8nuC8w
beabea
@Thoughtcrime
Thanks for that firsthand report on what Gov. Dean said. Today my local paper had a story about competing health care “rallies”; sadly the handful of people that turned out in support where swamped by a mob of teabaggers with signs asking Sen. Landrieu (D-Corporate) to oppose “government health care”, as if she needs any encouragement in that direction.
So yes, I’ll be calling Corporate Mary’s office on Monday. I’ll ignore Vitter (R-Hookers/Exxon) as Gov. Dean suggests it’s okay to do.
JK
Obama’s next step towards reconciliation is to take Henry Louis Gates and James Crowley to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.
Go Red Sox. Fuck the NY Yankees.
The Grand Panjandrum
@Zuzu’s Petals: I’m not sure I want them to shut up. Calling Sotomayor a racist, Texas seceding, “hiking the Appalachian”, Tea Bagging, and Rush Limbaugh the titular head of the GOP just warms my heart. I can envision the mashups next Fall. They can run then as a weekly series: World’s Dumbest Politicians. The only thing the Democrats will need is the narrator from the World’s Dumbest Criminals show to do the voiceovers.
The Grand Panjandrum
@JK:
Now. Now. I’m pretty sure Madonna’s got that covered.
Yutsano
If you liked Persepolis, you should read the book! Really, it’s simply fantastic, and (for me, anyway) had much more emotional impact (and a more organic pacing – the film felt too piled together). One of the best graphic novels in years and years.
I not only plan on owning it myself, I’m going to buy it as a holiday present for the good friend who watched it with me (and was so engrossed in parts she just sat there thoughtful while I was busting a gut) and compare the two. As for the organic pacing, it’s an unfortunate circumstance that you can make time do whatever the hell you want in a graphic novel but the sweet spot for movies (unless you’re Michael Bay) is two hours, so I’m certain there were subtleties left out. It’s really the Watchmen effect.
Even with the flaws it’s still a great watch however.
WereBear
I suspect His Tunchness has been sadly neglected of late. At least, as he sees it.
You and Lily come home smelling of meat, and what does he get?
Ahem.
Yutsano
Now. Now. I’m pretty sure Madonna’s got that covered.
Oh snap!
EDIT: *sigh* I’m gonna play with blockquotes when I’m home from work and have a semi-decent browser. I WANT MY CHEATIE THINGIES BACK!
The Grand Panjandrum
@Bad Horse’s Filly: Bubba Hotep is very, very funny. Casting those two together was a stroke of creative genius. Davis was one funny guy.
freelancer
@JK
Shorter Columbia Journalism Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3y3QoFnqZc
Damn, does the New York Times have, at the very least, fucking Internet Access?
Bad Horse's Filly
Okay, I added all those movies to my queue. Thrilled to see Wilde stars Stephen Fry. Love him. Plus added My Name is Bruce – can’t have too much campy Bruce Campbell.
arguingwithsignposts
Update: still hanging in there. going to see my cutie next friday. W00t! been eating and sleeping a little more regularly, although not as regularly as I’d like.
Chris Johnson
I’m very curious about a detail regarding our depressive friend- I’ve had a rather startling experience.
I’m trying to avoid gaining weight as there’s diabetes in my family, and though I’m not on any crazy diet, I’ve been accumulating crap with sucralose in it. Notably, this one drink mix, 4C diet green tea, which I love the flavor of. There’s also those little energy shot things though there’s way less in them- and Quaker diet oatmeal- various add-to-water stuff- diet french vanilla coffee-mate (as I’d blamed a lot of weight gain on my sweet creamy coffee addiction), actual packets of splenda, and so on.
I’d recently looked up effects of sucralose because a friend had blanched and refused to have any, a little while ago- she was like ‘got sugar?’ and totally rejected the sucralose, explaining that she’d eaten some once and then had a brutal panic attack which she attributed to it. I’d never had panic attacks but it got me curious.
Today I had my usual pile of stuff, two cups of very blonde coffee, but then I topped it off with not one but two mugs of the diet green tea- which I make quite strong. And GUH. I’m grinding away researching mp3 players and handling typical day job bullshit like a guy from Miami probably burning me for $60- and I’m just like KILL ME NOW GOD.
And then I realize I’d pounded two mugs of the green tea stuff and who knows what else- and I’d been experimenting with half-splenda, half turbinado sugar in my coffee, and today I’d gone back to entirely splenda.
I’m seriously wondering if I too am vulnerable to that stuff, and proceeding to experiment with cutting it out entirely even if it means consuming sugar and dairy in place of the coffee-mate (which is a horrible thing to do to french press Eight-O-Clock coffee anyway…)
And since I’m wondering that, I’m also wondering if by any strange coincidence our friend is eating diet foods… a big HMMM here, to the effect of ‘gee, our police can arrest us for sport, our economy is fucked, what if the FDA blithely passed on a substance that is insanely fucking soul-destroying and being flogged on everyone by big food corporations for a quick buck?’
I’ll see how it goes- may or may not see a noticable change in cutting out artifical sweeteners specifically sucralose- I do know that it was weird and spooky HOW BAD I and the world sucked for no very significant reason other than I’d very definitely consumed a LOT of sucralose in a rather short period of time.
Even when you read people casting all sorts of aspersions on it, when it’s your own mood doing strange and violent things, it never seems like anything external, it seems like there’s surely some good rational explanation that has to do with how much you suck, clearly not any external influence.
Just tossing that out into the open thread as I begin to experiment, in the next couple days, with a life that is significantly less splendid ;)
Anne Laurie
Netflix says the 2-disc ‘Children of Earth’ series will be released next Tuesday, July 28, which means that they may be mailing copies out as soon as Monday. It’s at the top of my (full) queue right now, and I’ve got a couple of returns in the mail so as to get them as soon as possible. Yeah, I’ll probably buy my own copies, but automatic-shipment is one of my favorite things. I’ve been curious about ‘Being Human’ since reading its wikipedia page from a Torchwood link, but Netflix doesn’t have a release date for it yet.
The Spousal Unit has religious objections to cable/satellite tv — namely, he’s a devout cheapskate — so Netflix gives me access to the premium shows that aren’t on Hulu. Since they’ve got a pretty good selection of anime, which both of us love, along with a fair selection of BBC stuff, he’s willing to “indulge” my top-of-the-line subscription. (Incidentally, I’ve gotten cracked or broken discs on a fairly regular basis, averaging every 6-8 weeks over the past 3 years or so, but they’re always good about sending a replacement as soon as I click thru the problem portal.)
Latest “real” movie for me was FROZEN RIVER, which was just as good as the reviews — I even watched the commentary track all the way thru, which is practically a first — but not a safe choice if you’re feeling depressed already. This is the right time of year to watch it, though, because the atmosphere of an upstate New York winter is conveyed so effectively you’ll have to turn the a/c down.
And I’ve been meaning to put in a good word for a BBC series I hadn’t heard about until I searched Netflix for ‘Judy Dench’, the long-running comedy AS TIME GOES BY. Dench and Geoffrey Palmer play a widow & a divorcee who meet by chance almost 40 years after a miscommunication ends their youthful romance — and the spark is still there, but so is her successful business, his doubts about making a new life in England, and a burgeoning cast of relatives, employees & acquaintances with their own agendas. The charm and wit of the series may be incomprehensible to the young, but Dench & Palmer are simply hilarious as two strong, intelligent individuals of a certain age who’ve had enough experience that even the wildest transports of romance acquire a certain tart undercurrent. Can’t recommend it highly enough for “date nights” for the, shall we say, seasoned couple… we’re only on the fourth season (of nine) but we’re deliberately rationing ourselves to prolong the experience.
freelancer
@arguing
Glad to hear it. You sound like you’re in a halfway decent mood. Awesome!
Also, your cutie? Who’s that?
arguingwithsignposts
@freelancer:
can’t name her here, but she’s awesome. but she’s far away from where i live right now, so that complicates things. she lives in the southwest, near (AFAIK) JC. I live in the midwest. we see each other when we can.
jenniebee
@Bad Horse’s Filly:
I don’t know what you might like that you haven’t seen, so I’m stuck just recommending some of my favorites that it seems like a lot of people missed in the theaters. In order of my stream of consciousness:
Marie Antoinette – the Sophia Coppola biopic, 18th century France with a punk soundtrack. Visually beautiful. I want those clothes.
Speaking of a visually stunning movie, if you haven’t seen it recently, consider revisiting The Mission. Jeremy Irons, Robert deNiro and a very young Liam Neeson in a small role. Gorgeous, spiritually stimulating and a remarkable score by Ennio Moricone.
Recommended in an earlier thread, Muriel’s Wedding. This is a first-rate pick-me-up movie. It’s a funny loser story.
The Big Night is food porn. Do not watch it before throwing a dinner party unless you want to give yourself an inferiority complex. Do watch it at other times.
Branagh’s Love’s Labours Lost was a tremendous amount of fun. He turned it into a musical, using Cole Porter songs for the score.
If you haven’t seen Empire of the Sun, it’s a really beautiful movie. John Malkovitch stars with a pre-pubescent Christian Bale.
Mrs. Miniver is one of those movie best-kept secrets. It’s kind of hard to find, but worth the search.
As is Stealing Heaven, a lovely movie about Abelard and Heloise. Very sensual – do not watch this on a first date, or on any occasion you don’t want to turn into a first date.
If you have HBO, on demand right now is A Very Long Engagement. Lovely, lovely French film about a young woman who refuses to believe that her fiance was killed in WWI.
Also on HBO right now is Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, a charming screwball comedy that moved through theaters really quickly last year.
Speaking of lovely French films, The Horseman on the Roof is another beautiful, romantic movie.
Back to English language movies, if you didn’t see Waitress in theaters last year or on cable this spring, it’s a fun, little quirky comedy.
If you can stand a little grossness, I’m sure you’ve heard about Shaun of the Dead. It really is the thinking man’s zombie movie. Hot Fuzz was, in my opinion, an even better offering from the same group.
A bizarre comedy, Splitting Heirs, starring Eric Idle, John Cleese, Rick Moranis and Barbara Hershey, is another fun flick.
And that should get you through a couple of weeks at least…
srv
To be on the cover of AARP magazine, you have to be 50.
This is the end of us all:
http://blog.mdwoptions.com/.a/6a00e55367a35388340115705fd91f970c-800wi
JK
@Anne Laurie:
I second your thoughts on As Time Goes By. The supporting cast is also great. I love the character Alaistar.
I’ve never visited Cambridge, Mass. so I found your comments on an earlier thread eye opening. I wasn’t aware of the class division you decribed. In my mind, I had imagined Cambridge to have a vibe similar to Berkeley and Greenwich Village.
Are you a Red Sox fan? I’m getting very concerned about their playoff prospects. Those fucking Yankees are playing their best baseball of the season right now.
Gravenstone
Sweet jeebus, apparently the Bushites considered deploying fucking troops to apprehend the horrible threats to humanity known now as the “Lackawanna Six”. Posse Comitatus, we don’t need no stinking Posse Comitatus!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090725/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_terror_domestic_raid
(apologies for the full link, but you know the drill)
asiangrrlMN
@arguingwithsignposts: Good for you, arguing! Hang in there. Keep posting. Do what you gotta do. I was just thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were doing.
Can I say, I’m watching Countdown, and drooling over Richard Wolffe who is hosting? Yum! Very distracting.
TUUUUUUUUNCH! God, I love that little furball. It always brings a smile to my face to see the Tunchinator. Ahhhh, life is good.
Anne Laurie
Thanks for reminding me, Thoughtcrime, that I need to look for Dr. Dean’s book this weekend. (I’ll Amazon it if I have to, but I figure in this instance it’s worth making a modest effort to agitate for it locally.)
P.S. Not to derail the thread, but if anyone’s looking for a brisk funny novel about Teh Media, Terry Pratchett’s THE TRUTH is a stand-alone tale concerning the founding of Discworld’s very first (and shortly thereafter, second, third, and fourth) newspaper. Part of the sorrow of Heath Ledger’s death is that I had a personal fantasy of him as William deVere, the “hero” (or at least main character), playing against Michael Caine as his estranged father. Pratchett started his own writing career as a reporter, and his personal experience gives real bite to the various naifs, waifs, artisans, bidnizmin, professional criminals (other than bidnizmin), street people, guardians of public safety, and the occasional talking dog who conspire to bring “all the news that fits” to Ankh-Morpork.
asiangrrlMN
Oh god, Rahm Emanuel is on Countdown. I’m in hebbin! If Melissa Harris-Lacewell shows up on this show or Rachel’s show?
Then, I just might spontaneously combust.
Bad Horse's Filly
@jenniebee: Popped back before heading off to bed after an awfully long week. These are all good suggestions – some I’ve seen and loved (just watched Miss Pettigrew a few weeks ago, funny little film). I’ll copy this list and pop some into my queue. Thanks for taking the time to recommend all of those.
Earlier in the week I watched Benny and Joon and was left to wonder how I’d missed such a great movie all these years – what with both Aidan Quinn AND Johnny Depp in it. Wow. I just asked HULU to see if they could secure the rights to Book of Daniel, an excellent, if short lived series on NBC with Aidan Quinn.
Bad Horse's Filly
@arguingwithsignposts: I’m glad to hear an update. I was interested to read this and thought I’d pass the link along. May or may not be of interest. I work with a naturopath, who adjusted my thyroid levels a long time ago, after my MD said all my levels were fine. It made a huge difference for me. Like someone flipped on a light switch. So I was very interested to read this MD’s insights on Thyroid issues:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/hypothyroidism-how-your-t_b_243006.html
(I miss my cheat buttons.)
JK
@Bad Horse’s Filly:
Some movie recommendations
The Spanish Prisoner – Campbell Scott, Rebecca Pidgeon. It’s an elaborate confidence game written and directed by David Mamet
The Daytrippers – Stanley Tucci, Hope Davis, Parker Posey, Campbell Scott, Liev Schrieber. Great comedy about a wife who suspects her husband of having an extramarital affair.
Safe – Julianne Moore plays a woman with a bad case of multiple chemical sensitivity
Next Stop, Greenwich Village – Paul Mazursky film from 1976. Aspiring actor moves from Brooklyn to Greenwich Village
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter – 1968 film adaptation of Carson McCullers novel
Husbands – John Cassavetes, Peter Falk, and Ben Gazzara play New Yorkers who go to London for a wild weekend.
Days of Heaven – Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepherd. Transient workers go to Texas to harvest crops in the early 1900’s. The cinematography is breathtaking
Visions of Light – Fantastic documentary on the history of cinematography
A Decade Under the Influence- Great documentary on the golden age of film making in the 1970’s
@jenniebee:
Your list sounds very interesting.
asiangrrlMN
And, to continue my late-night drooling, Larry O’Donnell, bitchez!
Sigh.
Ok. I can’t suggest much light reading because I am a big fan of dark novels. Um. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is really good, and it’s pretty light. It’s a novel, a graphic novel, and a TV series (I believe). I haven’t read the graphic novel yet, but the other two are very well done.
Charlaine Harris’s Sookie series (vampires) is pretty light as well. Very enjoyable.
Oooh, ooh, ooh, Henning Mankell is a fabulous author. His stuff isn’t light, but it’s not exactly dark.
Speaking of Persepolis, the graphic novel is excellent as well, and not too dark.
Of course, my idea of dark is different than most people’s, so consider yourself forewarned.
P.S. I have thyroid issues, and yes, they do contribute to depression. That should be one of the first thing a doctor checks.
Roger Moore
@Chris Johnson:
If you’re worried about Splenda, you might want to try Stevia as an alternative. I’m not big on non-caloric sweeteners, but I’ve had good experience with it. It doesn’t seem to have a really vile aftertaste, which is my big hangup with them. And it’s incredibly economical. Trader Joe’s sells the undiluted stuff at something like $9 for a 1 ounce container. That sounds like a lot until you realize that they recommend substituting 25mg for one teaspoon of sugar, so that 1 ounce bottle is over 1000 servings.
JK
@asiangrrlMN:
Did you read Bob Somerby on the Daily Howler http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh072409.shtml trashing Lawrence O’Donnell? He calls him Lord O’Donnell. Somerby has become a totally whacked out jackass.
Ash
It really does continue to amaze me just how much Tunch looks like an old fat white guy.
Bill H
@JK:
You didn’t miss anything. It was guest hosted by Richard Wolffe and was totally forgettable. I thought David Shuster was a weenie. Good God. Hopefully Olbermann will be back next week.
srv
@Bad Horse’s Filly: 2nd vote on the Spanish Prisoner, just became available.
Other movies people don’t see, and all on instant watch:
The Sand Pebbles
Zero Effect
Lone Star
Kontroll
Cashback
Exiled (Hong Kong, yes “violent”, but in an artsy way with real characters)
Noise
The Perfect Crime
The House of Cards Trilogy (BBC)
asiangrrlMN
@JK: I do not think I could read that without making my blood pressure shoot through the roof, not especially after the Lord O’Donnell quote. Heresy!
@Bill H: Obviously, you do not see the delicious sweetness that is a British accent wrapped in a nerdy package. Pity, that.
JK
@Bill H:
I’d rather see a horrible edition of Countdown than another goddamned minute of Michael Jackson coverage. How long ago did he die? I lost track. The MSM, especially the 3 cable news channels, need to move past this fucking Michael Jackson story. I don’t give a flying fuck how he died and I don’t care about all the bullshit story angles surrounding his death. The MSM has lost its fucking mind with Michael Jackson. The world is going to hell and all the asshole tv news execs care about is the next breaking story on Jackson’s death investigation.
@srv:
I’m a big fan of The Sand Pebbles and Lone Star. One other film I should have listed in my previous post is Sammy and Rosie Get Laid.
Anne Laurie
Not a sports fan, sadly. But since I grew up in the Bronx, I know in my bones that the Yankees SUCK, forever & ever, amen, end of story. (Native NYCers are Mets fans; Yankees are for move-ins and greedy wannabees like Donald Trump.)
Yutsano
Obviously, you do not see the delicious sweetness that is a British accent wrapped in a nerdy package. Pity, that.
Could explain my brother’s heterosexual mancrush on Alan Rickman.
JK
@Anne Laurie:
I’ll second that comment about Yankee fans and greedy wannabees. At the start of this season, the top price for the best seats at Yankee Stadium were $2,650 for one single game. The Yankees responded to the economic collapse by lowering this ticket price to something around $1,800. Yankee Stadium is just a temple for Mammon.
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: Oh.my.god. You had to mention his name, didn’t you?
Sigh. Alan Rickman is my personal mecca of British goodness.
@JK: Yeah, the Yankees can kiss my flat ass.
In the expensive seats, you get unlimited food. One guy was tossing food up into the decks above him. An employee told him he couldn’t do that. He said, “I paid two thousand dollars for this seat. I can do whatever I want.”
I thought that was pretty cool of him, but still, to pay that much for one game? Feh.
Go Twins!
freelancer
@arguing
No, I know you can’t disclose her name, sosh, and home address bud. I was just curious as to what her role was in your life. I live in the Midwest too. Smackdab, if you ask. I blog anonymously, but I don’t mind mentioning the city I’m in, Omaha, NE. The last time Nebraska voted for a democrat was LBJ, but last fall, my hometown, my district, cast a vote for Obama. Even though I’m only 27, it felt like the first time in the last 46 years that my vote, or sombody likeminded as myself has been real. has felt real.
If you’re anywhere close, give me a holler at my email. My contact info is on my page.
@everyone else:
I can’t believe that I’m the only one that has repeatedly mentioned the “prettiest girl in school” fight between Bush and Cheney sycophants, and the NYT article that Cheney advocated deploying the US Army to Upstate NY to arrest alleged terror suspects, not based in the legal sense of cause, but in order to “Test the Constitution”. DougJ, in my mind should be all over this. Just the phrase of those three words represents a level of treason speculated by the Bush Administration deep enough to keep dear old dick in bracelets until he succumbs to his 7th or 8th heart attack.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/us/25detain.html?_r=1&hp
In any self-aware, or fresh democracy, there would be riots on the streets tonight over these revelations. At the very least, there would be a repressed outrage comparable to the nightly Iranian Green Revolution grassroots rooftop cries of “Allahu Ackbar!”
Right now, I don’t know who to be more angry at, Cheney or Eric Holder.
Linkmeister
“Agnes and the Hitman” is actually a collaboration between Crusie and Bob Mayer, the second such. It’s far better than the first, “Don’t Look Down,” which in itself wasn’t bad. It’s just that they got the co-authoring thing together better the second time around.
If you’re up for antiquarian bookseller mysteries, try Marianne Macdonald’s “Dido Hoare” books. There are eight in the series.
From the days of the pulps, forget that John D. MacDonald wrote the Travis McGee books and try to find some of his others. There are about fifty. You probably know “Cape Fear.”
I’m about to seriously start Book One of Charlie Stross’s “The Merchant Princes.” I browsed through the first three chapters and concluded it was intriguing.
Zuzu's Petals
@The Grand Panjandrum:
You’re right. We oughta slip the Reagan thing into the stream along the way … they’ll never notice and it’ll be great for a laugh.
freelancer
Thanks Zuzu,
@Grand Panjandrum:
https://balloon-juice.com/?p=24531#comment-1309756
This, in my humble opinion, is in contention for comment of the year. Bravo, good sir.
OGB
But really, is there anything more worthwhile than King Kong vs 3 T-Rexes at 1 am on Friday Night TNT (3 Makers Marks down, 1 to go)?
P.S.: FU Brick Oven Bill (for no particular reason).
P.P.S.: West Coast = the Best Coast. Bitchesssss.
Blue Raven
@Chris Johnson: I have never had a panic attack issue due to sucralose myself, and the gods know I’ve sucked down more than my share of it in a given day and have some nearly every day. But people react differently to various substances. I flummoxed a pharmacy technician by pointing out that an antidepressant I was on gave me panic attacks (Ce1_exa, to be specific and dodge a spam filter). She was so astonished she was sure it was something in the generic that did it to me. My shrink was prone to disagree, as was I. So if the sucralose is messing you up, by all means stop, please.
Blue Raven
Not that I avoided the spamtrap thanks to something I said in 103. Oy.
freelancer
SATSQ
Even Cole, in his self-adjusted monkish Onanism, would scream “YES!”
For one mediocre comparison that far outweighs the tension of 110 minutes of unending CGI narrative action culminating in nameless characters being eaten by preternaturally giant flesh-eating maggots, if you were to watch the average thriller Phone Booth with Colin Farrell and Katie Holmes, you would be much more entertained in less than half the time.
And if your excuse is to just swoon over Kyle Chandler, fuck it.
Rent Friday Night Lights the Series on DVD. Even a straight guy will have a mancrush on that gentleman by the end of Season 1.
freelancer +5, g’night
ominira
@freelancer: I think the steady drip of info is intended to get people outraged enough that something will be done. Not sure if that will happen though.
The Raven
BTW, I really wish the ad for “The Ultimate Guide to Meeting Thai Women” would just go away.
lotus
John! Income opportunities for Ginny, Guesly, Lil, and — who knows — maybe even Himself!
WereBear
Seconding the Hot Fuzz recc, because it’s not only one of the funniest movies of the decade, it’s also one of the best action movies of the decade.
Don’t diss John D. MacDonald’s pulp classics! I adore his Travis McGee’s, of course, but his ’50’s stuff, when you can get it, are also marvelous.
Clemmie: she was a sex kitten with the claws of a tigress!
springs to mind. Also, The Brass Cupcake and Slam the Big Door had plenty of the great social commentary McGee is known for.
I think anyone not feeling up to par should take a good long look at what they are eating, since junk carbs and artificial sweeteners have a long history of messing up moods. I get along okay with sucralose, but everyone’s mileage may vary; and I remain convinced Nutrasweet is a brain toxin… I will be glad to see that one off the shelves.
I was going to say my own choices for cracking good reads are the Richard Stark (aka Donald E. Westlake) series of crime novels. Now sadly quite available due to his recent demise.
Short, very punchy, and a stylistic joy.
(edited for verb tense)
A Mom Anon
Have you all seen that You Tube vid of a recent wedding? It’s called JK Wedding Dance Entrance. It’s obvious these kids didn’t spend alot on their wedding,but it’s adorable. Take a minute to find it if you can,it’s sweet and silly. (ymmv of course)
HRA
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/us/25detain.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
You bet I am outraged. One of the Lackawanna 7 lived not too far from my home. I am situated where the boundaries of other municipalities are within walking distance. It’s a chiefly quiet suburban area.
RedKitten
Love that flick. Love it. I cannot think of one flaw in it, other than that it eventually ends.
@A Mom Anon: I saw it, and thought it was an absolute hoot. I read some commentary where people were grumbling about it not respecting the “seriousness” of the ceremony. Seriousness, my arse — I thought it was joyous and exuberant and fun,and everything that a celebration SHOULD be.
A Mom Anon
@RedKitten:
Exactly. What a sweet way to start a life together.
lotus
A Mom Anon, I been wondering how many rehearsal dinners that called for. ;~}
A Mom Anon
According to the bride and groom,they practiced for 90 mins and the rest was just improv. They were on the Today Show talking about it.
AhabTRuler
@A Mom Anon: That was a very sweet and funny video.
asiangrrlMN
@A Mom Anon: That is just fantastic! What a joyful, exuberant start to a life together. Of course, I was wondering which church it was since it’s local. Thanks for giving me such a big smile.
P.S. I have to qualify by saying that I decided a long time ago that if I ever got married, it would be on Halloween. I would wear black, and the bridesmaids would wear red (any dress they wanted). The party favors would be little pumpkins filled with…candy corn! Or something like that. So I am not the best judge as to what makes a good wedding.
grumpy realist
Silly books to read:
Anything by Alice Tilton/Phoebe Taylor. Wrote in the 1930s-1940s. Either her Asey Mayo series or the Leonidas Witherall series are excellent. They both fall in the regional-local-screwball-murder-mystery class, with the Leonidas series being probably the pinnacle of that genre.
Another good rousing crime book to read is The Blind Barber by John Dickson Carr. Carr occasionally had comic episodes in his stories, particularly the ones involving Sir Henry, but only once did he set out to write a comic murder mystery from beginning to finish. Very good.
Another series which I’ve enjoyed immensely are the Phryne Fisher books set in 1920s Australia.
Happy reading!
ominira
@A Mom Anon: Thanks for pointing out that JK wedding video. Put a smile on my face this morning. That must have been a fun wedding to attend.
[dances away]
shelley matheis
jacksmith
LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY. (Thomas Paine)
We have the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed world. Conservative estimates are that over 120,000 of you dies each year in America from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don’t die from. Rich, middle class, and poor a like. Insured and uninsured. Men, women, children, and babies. This is what being 37th in quality of healthcare means.
I know that many of you are angry and frustrated that REPUBLICANS! In congress are dragging their feet and trying to block TRUE healthcare reform. What republicans want is just a taxpayer bailout of the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance industry, and the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare industry. An insurance bailout is all you really get without a robust government-run public option available on day one.
These industries have been slaughtering you and your loved ones like cattle for decades for profit. Including members of congress and their families. These REPUBLICANS are FOOLS!
Republicans and their traitorous allies have been trying to make it look like it’s President Obama’s fault for the delays, and foot dragging. But I think you all know better than that. President Obama inherited one of the worst government catastrophes in American history from these REPUBLICANS! And President Obama has done a brilliant job of turning things around, and working his heart out for all of us.
But Republicans think you are just a bunch of stupid, idiot, cash cows with short memories. Just like they did under the Bush administration when they helped Bush and Cheney rape America and the rest of the World.
But you don’t have to put up with that. And this is what you can do. The Republicans below will be up for reelection on November 2, 2010. Just a little over 13 months from now. And many of you will be able to vote early. So pick some names and tell their voters that their representatives (by name) are obstructing TRUE healthcare reform. And are sellouts to the insurance and medical lobbyist.
Ask them to contact their representatives and tell them that they are going to work to throw them out of office on November 2, 2010, if not before by impeachment, or recall elections. Doing this will give you something more to do to make things better in America. And it will help you feel better too.
There are many resources on the internet that can help you find people to call and contact. For example, many social networking sites can be searched by state, city, or University. Be inventive and creative. I can think of many ways to do this. But be nice. These are your neighbors. And most will want to help.
I know there are a few democrats that have been trying to obstruct TRUE healthcare reform too. But the main problem is the Bush Republicans. Removing them is the best thing tactically to do. On the other hand. If you can easily replace a democrat obstructionist with a supportive democrat, DO IT!
You have been AMAZING!!! my people. Don’t loose heart. You knew it wasn’t going to be easy saving the World. :-)
God Bless You
jacksmith — Working Class
Republican Senators up for re-election in 2010.
* Richard Shelby of Alabama
* Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
* John McCain of Arizona
* Mel Martinez of Florida
* Johnny Isakson of Georgia
* Mike Crapo of Idaho
* Chuck Grassley of Iowa
* Sam Brownback of Kansas
* Jim Bunning of Kentucky
* David Vitter of Louisiana
* Kit Bond of Missouri
* Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
* Richard Burr of North Carolina
* George Voinovich of Ohio
* Tom Coburn of Oklahoma
* Jim DeMint of South Carolina
* John Thune of South Dakota
* Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas
* Bob Bennett of Utah
Zuzu's Petals
@shelley matheis:
I’m not usually one for American remakes of foreign films, but “Tortilla Soup” was quite nice in the “Eat Drink Man Woman” food porn tradition.
I love food movies. More, in no particular order:
“Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands” – bonus points for the Sonia Braga factor
“Babette’s Feast”
“Tampopo”
“Like Water for Chocolate”
“Chocolat”
Looking forward to the new “Julie and Julia” for the fun of seeing Meryl Streep as Julia Child, if nothing else.
Steeplejack
@Zuzu’s Petals:
Second on Tampopo. Great movie. I keep looking for it on DVD, but it remains out of print.
I didn’t like Tortilla Soup as much, but I’m unreasonably prejudiced against Hollywooden remakes of perfectly good foreign movies.
Just Some Fuckhead
Steep, you need to pump those little legs a little harder, yer running about 24 hours behind. :)
Steeplejack
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Har-de-har-har. At least I’m loyally trying to maintain continuity, instead of (what I should do) just shit-canning the old threads and coming in all uninformed to the new ones.
And, hey, Zuzu’s comment was only an hour before mine. So that’s current.
Zuzu's Petals
@Steeplejack:
Well I should qualify it to say the plot paled in comparison, but the food part … yum. And Raquel Welch chewing up the scenery…!