The NYT sums it up

“We can only hope that this time, unlike 2004, American voters will have the wisdom to grant the awesome powers of the presidency to someone who has the integrity, principle and decency to use them honorably. Then when we look in the mirror as a nation, we will see, once again, the reflection of the United States of America.” Link

Serving Suggestion

The serving suggestion for Marks and Spencer’s Chorizo and Butterbean soup appears to involve somehow making the ingredients travel back in time.

A secret history of cinema

Shadowplay is a fabulous site and you should add it to your bookmarks immediately. David Cairns, talented film-maker and a commenter I always read with interest when he drops by these parts, is uploading his brain onto the internet and the result is just fascinating. His is one of those sites that doesn’t just regurgitate what’s going on elsewhere on the web (like some I could mention), but instead adds to it with fascinating, unique discoveries of his own. Where else would you find something like…oh, Quincy Jones talking about Ingmar Bergman? “I know Ingmar Bergman is supposed to knock out his pictures in two or three weeks, but I’m sure that underneath he chews up twenty tons of rug. He won’t even leave his own city, so don’t tell me what a real secure cat he is.”.
Elsewhere, he’s either digging up some unknown gem and lovingly holding it up to the light or he’s revealing new aspects to films we all feel we know backwards. Today, I’ve found out that Richard Widmark is still alive, seen Audrey Hepburn’s screentest and found out who Henri Alekan is. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Everyone now a criminal

The RIAA finally goes crazy: “In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer.” Link

Comment comment comment comment comment chameleon….

You come and go…you come and goooooo…(sorry)

German IT Crowd

Oh, dear God, what have I done?

I love the way the first gag doesn’t work because the angle is wrong. DAS IST NOT A GOOD SIGN.

(Thanks to everyone for pointing this out, but especially to Anne for this link.)

Help, Anthea! I’m infested!

I missed this when it went out…

To give him his due, Mr.Lyons goes on to say “These may well be the type of programs BBC will not be making in the future.”

(Thanks to Ray for this one)

The power of scorn!

The Flying Spaghetti Monster claims a scalp! Polk County School Board, feel the terrible touch of his noodly appendage!

Never go to sleep on an argument.

I’m not a huge jazz fan (unless you count Tortoise, and I doubt many jazz fans would, which is possibly why I don’t like jazz) but I love Bill Crow’s Jazz Anecdotes. It’s a really juicy collection of stories, many of them hilarious. I bring it up because I happened upon this little nugget today and I laughed so much I nearly fell off the toilet. It concerns Bessie Smith, ‘The Empress of The Blues’ (trumpeter Herman Autrey is our narrator).

“Bessie was married to a detective, Jack Gee. He was a tough man, you know. Jack told me this story, that Bessie used to lie there with a butcher knife telling him “When you go to sleep, I’m going to kill you!” And Jack would be lying there with his .45 in his hand, and say “You start over here, I’m going to blow your brains out.” She says “You go to sleep and start snoring, I’m going to kill you. I’m going to stick you with the knife, man.”
I said “Well, Jack, how can you sleep?”
He says “Ah, she ain’t going to do it.”

Why is hearing someone laugh at something funnier than actually hearing something funny?

Gahhh! For some reason I can’t embed the video so here’s the link.

If it’s fake, the guy is a hell of an actor. I like to think it’s real. I’m going to go to bed believing it’s real. Hope y’all had a swell Christmas.