Monday, July 31, 2006
James Bond Mini-Update
A fire has claimed the Albert Broccoli 007 Soundstage, the stage at Pinewood Studios where many of James Bond's greatest moments were filmed. BBC News reports on the blaze here.
As sad as the loss of such a historic (as far as film goes, anyway) place may be, I find myself more disturbed by this little comment:
Watch this space for some thoughts on Fleming's original Bond Novel, the 1954 made for TV version and the 1967 spoof. Learn all you need to know to be a total Bond-snob when the new film comes out in November!
As sad as the loss of such a historic (as far as film goes, anyway) place may be, I find myself more disturbed by this little comment:
The stage had been transformed into a replica Venice where the film, with a reported budget of £39m ($72m), is partly based.Sigh. The action of Casino Royale, in any of it's three incarnations, goes nowhere near Venice. Why, oh why must they mess with Bond? Just tell the damn story, people.
Watch this space for some thoughts on Fleming's original Bond Novel, the 1954 made for TV version and the 1967 spoof. Learn all you need to know to be a total Bond-snob when the new film comes out in November!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
George Bush "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
Wow. Amazing editing job. I suppose there's supposed to be some kind of irony associated with G.W. singing this tune, but I'm not sure it's all that pointed...
Still. Really well done.
Still. Really well done.
| Thanks to http://onegoodmove.org and Rx @ http://thepartyparty.com/ Greets to arstechnica! | |
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Another One Bites The Dust
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
New Friendly Blogs
Well, not new exactly. Some of them have been around for a while, but I kept forgetting to link them.
So here they are:
Gord's Rants And Raves.
Run by Gord of "A Little Bite Of Magic Cheese" fame, a seperate blog for non-magic related raving and ranting.
Take Off, Eh?
The political side of Rob from "AnotherStinkingBlog". Focus on Canada, and our politics. No really, it's interesting.
The Brambleshot Papers
A novel in blog form, by Tom of "Cabbages & Kings". Funny, funny stuff. He should write faster.
Also, "The Grumpy Snail" is up and running again, and I removed the link to "Things You Should Care About", as it's sort of been abandoned.
Check 'em out, folks!
So here they are:
Gord's Rants And Raves.
Run by Gord of "A Little Bite Of Magic Cheese" fame, a seperate blog for non-magic related raving and ranting.
Take Off, Eh?
The political side of Rob from "AnotherStinkingBlog". Focus on Canada, and our politics. No really, it's interesting.
The Brambleshot Papers
A novel in blog form, by Tom of "Cabbages & Kings". Funny, funny stuff. He should write faster.
Also, "The Grumpy Snail" is up and running again, and I removed the link to "Things You Should Care About", as it's sort of been abandoned.
Check 'em out, folks!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Hey! It's Ricky Jay!
What I want to know is why Gord hasn't done a post about either:
a) how excited he is about Chris Nolan's upcoming film "The Prestige"
or
b) how badly Chris Nolan's upcoming film "The Prestige" is going to suck.
Aside from Christian Bale, Scarrlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman, the trailer also affords us brief glimpses of Ricky Jay, one of the best card-slingers in the biz, and David Bowie who has the amazing magican-like power of scoring with Iman.
What's up Gord? We're waiting...
a) how excited he is about Chris Nolan's upcoming film "The Prestige"
or
b) how badly Chris Nolan's upcoming film "The Prestige" is going to suck.
Aside from Christian Bale, Scarrlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman, the trailer also affords us brief glimpses of Ricky Jay, one of the best card-slingers in the biz, and David Bowie who has the amazing magican-like power of scoring with Iman.
What's up Gord? We're waiting...
Friday, July 14, 2006
They Might Be Giants
Man, I love TMBG. Great band.
And I've always has fond memories of the Tiny Tunes videos made for a couple of their songs.
Now, thanks to YouTube, so can you...
And also...
What is up with Triangle Man? That guy's got attitude.
And I've always has fond memories of the Tiny Tunes videos made for a couple of their songs.
Now, thanks to YouTube, so can you...
And also...
What is up with Triangle Man? That guy's got attitude.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Careful There, Mike Mandell
I just read this article, describing some unusually specific language in the laws found in the Canadian Criminal Code. One section reminded me of this piece from James Randi's commentary, about laws prohibiting mediums from deceiving people in New Zealand.
The article quotes in part from this section of the Canadian Criminal Code:
Wow. Can't say as I've ever seen that enforced anywhere around here. I guess the trick is in deciding who is performing these acts 'fraudulently' and who is doing so... umm... honestly? No, that can't be right...
The article quotes in part from this section of the Canadian Criminal Code:
365. Every one who fraudulently
( a) pretends to exercise or to use any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration,
( b) undertakes, for a consideration, to tell fortunes, or
(c) pretends from his skill in or knowledge of an occult or crafty science to discover where or in what manner anything that is supposed to have been stolen or lost may be found,
is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
Wow. Can't say as I've ever seen that enforced anywhere around here. I guess the trick is in deciding who is performing these acts 'fraudulently' and who is doing so... umm... honestly? No, that can't be right...
Miss Jaime Pressly
In my post about the Emmys, I included a link to a picture of Jaime Pressly. The link died. So I put in a new one. It died. I'd like to think it's because of the incredible amount of traffic generated by my blog, but I think we all know (all both of us) that that's not true.
So I've fixed the link again, and I think this time it won't die.
And just as an attempt to make things up to people...
Try.
Clicking.
Here.
And.
Here.
There. Hope that's good for you.
So I've fixed the link again, and I think this time it won't die.
And just as an attempt to make things up to people...
Try.
Clicking.
Here.
And.
Here.
There. Hope that's good for you.
Monday, July 10, 2006
I'm On The Interweb!
Check out Kingpin's Blog. Watch the movie trailer. At least one of those people should look familiar to you. No? Try looking at the picture in the top left corner of your screen... now watch the trailer again...
And if not that, check out this guy, and then watch the trailer again...
And if not that, check out this guy, and then watch the trailer again...
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Hardware Wars
No, not the Star Wars parody...
The 58th list of Emmy nominations came out today and it's really, really familiar looking. to someone like me, who watches a lot of television, the Emmy's should be a big deal, but the same-old-same-old nature of the nods (and the general lameness of the actual show) makes the whole thing dull.
Let's start by saying this: I am always happy that Shatner is getting nominated. I'll be sure and congratulate him when I meet him this summer.
But as this article points out, the same names crop up a lot. This is Shatner's third nod in a row (the first was as a guest star on The Practise, the second and third as a regular on Boston Legal, all for the same character.) In its first couple of years, The West Wing absorbed the best actor and best supporting categories like a sponge, and was only challenged at all by Sopranos. The casts of Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, Frasier and Will & Grace all got nominated over and over again while their shows were on. Back in the day, Michael J. Fox was nominated five times each for Spin City and Family ties (he won four).
So this year the idea was to add a couple of steps to the nominating process in the hopes of widening the focus a little. My friend Vee informs me that the new system was informally called the Lauren Graham system. Sorry, Ms. Graham, no dice. You didn't make the cut (again!) and neither did your new-network cohorts from Veronica Mars, or from the recently cancelled Everwood. It's Big Four and HBO all the way, with Showtime poking it's head in a bit.
My picks, below, are based entirely on who I think SHOULD win, not who I think WILL win. I would not attempt to predict the Academy.
Outstanding Comedy Series
Nominees:
"Arrested Development"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"The Office"
"Scrubs"
"Two and a Half Men"
It's a crime that Fox cancelled this, but they held onto it much longer than they have for other ratings-challenged shows. The four episodes that made up the two-hour finale may be the funniest television so far this century.
Outstanding Drama Series
Nominees:
"Grey's Anatomy"
"House, M.D."
"The Sopranos"
"24"
"The West Wing"
As much as I'm a fan of other shows in this category, they have had much better seasons than they had this year (relative new-comer Grey's Anatomy aside). But "House" was just hitting its stride in its second year, and showcased some really excellent performances by a strong regular cast, talented guests and impeccable lead Hugh Laurie.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominees:
Steve Carell for "The Office"
Larry David for "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Kevin James for "The King of Queens"
Tony Shalhoub for "Monk"
Charlie Sheen for "Two and a Half Men"
I'm only familiar with two of these shows, so... Is what "Tony Shalhoub" does in Monk better than what Steve Carell does in "The Office"? Apples and oranges. I'll say this: while both are doing excellent work, Steve Carell is doing pure comedy, while what Shalhoub does is a mixed bag. Because of the category, I'll go with Carell.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Nominees:
Peter Krause for "Six Feet Under"
Denis Leary for "Rescue Me"
Christopher Meloni for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Martin Sheen for "The West Wing"
Kiefer Sutherland for "24"
I'd like to Chris Meloni pick up the hardware here, just because I'm tired of the focus on Mariska Hargitay for that show. Sheen, Krause and Sutherland both did mch better work in earlier seasons. Leary is good on Rescue Me, but it's such an ensemble piece that it's hard to single out his performance (which may not be the best that Show has to offer). Hugh Laurie's absence from this category is a crime.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Nominees:
Frances Conroy for "Six Feet Under"
Geena Davis for "Commander in Chief"
Mariska Hargitay for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Allison Janney for "The West Wing"
Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer"
Wow. This is a tough one. As with the Actor category, a lot of these folks were better earlier. Hargitay has been consistantly excellent, but as I said before I'm sort of tired of her character. That said, she probably did the most interesting work out of this group of nominees. She may well take the award that by rights belongs to Kristen Bell for Veronica Mars.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominees:
Will Arnett for "Arrested Development"
Bryan Cranston for "Malcolm in the Middle"
Jon Cryer for "Two and a Half Men"
Sean Hayes for "Will & Grace"
Jeremy Piven for "Entourage"
Again, my exposure to these shows is limited. I only watch Entourage and Arrested Development. However, it doesn't matter. I will state here that it is impossible for anything being done on network television to be better than what Jeremy Piven is doing on Entourage. He own this award.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nominees:
Alan Alda for "The West Wing"
Michael Imperioli for "The Sopranos"
Gregory Itzin for "24"
Oliver Platt for "Huff"
William Shatner for "Boston Legal"
Tough, tough category. I'm not sure why Shatner is slated as a supporting character on Boston Legal. A lot of plot revolves around him. He's got some steep competition from all these guys, though. Oliver Platt may be doing better work, but his character is so unpleasant that it may work against him. Alan Alda was so good on West Wing, it actually made me believe the shows writers might let a Republican win. But really, this award should have gone to Andy Comeau.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Nominees:
Cheryl Hines for "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Megan Mullally for "Will & Grace"
Elizabeth Perkins for "Weeds"
Jaime Pressly for "My Name Is Earl"
Alfre Woodard for "Desperate Housewives"
Seriously, Jamie Pressly is hilarious. She's so funny, I sometimes forget to think about how incredibly hot she is. Here, look at this picture. Now imagine laughing at her. No, really. She can make you do it. That's talent.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Nominees:
Candice Bergen for "Boston Legal"
Blythe Danner for "Huff"
Sandra Oh for "Grey's Anatomy"
Jean Smart for "24"
Chandra Wilson for "Grey's Anatomy"
Another tough category. Candice Bergen made me like her, after years of hating Murphy Brown. Jean Smart gave the best performance on 24 this season, all in spite of a ridiculous plot line. And Blythe Danner played an alcoholic, self involved, racist, elitist, manipulative bitch... with a heart. I think she wins.
Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series
Nominees:
"The Colbert Report"
"The Daily Show"
"Late Night with Conan O'Brien"
"Late Show with David Letterman"
"Real Time with Bill Maher"
The network late-nights are so formula, it's sad. And Real Time had its weakest season to date. Colbert is hilarious, but Stewart has a broader appeal and the Daily show benefits from the regular appearances by their Senior Correspondants. I'm especially partial to resident expert John Hodgeman.
Outstanding Reality Program
Nominees:
"Antiques Roadshow"
"The Dog Whisperer"
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
"Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List"
"Penn & Teller: Bullshit!"
I'll come clean, I don't watch any of the others. But Bullshit is so good, the rest of the shows can just go hang. P&T have been nominated before but kept losing to Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. With that show missing this season, my boys have a shot.
Outstanding Animated Program (Less Than One Hour)
Nominees:
"Camp Lazlo"
"Family Guy"
"Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"
"The Simpsons"
"South Park"
Why don't they just call this the South Park award? Their topicality, unrelenting satire and out-and-out joke telling leave everything else in the dust.
Absent from the list almost entirely (they got a nod for costumes) was Battlestar Galactica. Seriously, this is one of the best shows on television. Tight, tense writing, really interesting camera work, and amazing, amazing performances. But, the Emmy nominating board (or whatever their called) just don't get Science Fiction. Never mind that the AFI called it - and Veronica Mars - one of the best things on TV this season.
Ah, well. As long Shatner wins, I'm happy.
The 58th list of Emmy nominations came out today and it's really, really familiar looking. to someone like me, who watches a lot of television, the Emmy's should be a big deal, but the same-old-same-old nature of the nods (and the general lameness of the actual show) makes the whole thing dull.
Let's start by saying this: I am always happy that Shatner is getting nominated. I'll be sure and congratulate him when I meet him this summer.
But as this article points out, the same names crop up a lot. This is Shatner's third nod in a row (the first was as a guest star on The Practise, the second and third as a regular on Boston Legal, all for the same character.) In its first couple of years, The West Wing absorbed the best actor and best supporting categories like a sponge, and was only challenged at all by Sopranos. The casts of Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, Frasier and Will & Grace all got nominated over and over again while their shows were on. Back in the day, Michael J. Fox was nominated five times each for Spin City and Family ties (he won four).
So this year the idea was to add a couple of steps to the nominating process in the hopes of widening the focus a little. My friend Vee informs me that the new system was informally called the Lauren Graham system. Sorry, Ms. Graham, no dice. You didn't make the cut (again!) and neither did your new-network cohorts from Veronica Mars, or from the recently cancelled Everwood. It's Big Four and HBO all the way, with Showtime poking it's head in a bit.
My picks, below, are based entirely on who I think SHOULD win, not who I think WILL win. I would not attempt to predict the Academy.
Outstanding Comedy Series
Nominees:
"Arrested Development"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"The Office"
"Scrubs"
"Two and a Half Men"
It's a crime that Fox cancelled this, but they held onto it much longer than they have for other ratings-challenged shows. The four episodes that made up the two-hour finale may be the funniest television so far this century.
Outstanding Drama Series
Nominees:
"Grey's Anatomy"
"House, M.D."
"The Sopranos"
"24"
"The West Wing"
As much as I'm a fan of other shows in this category, they have had much better seasons than they had this year (relative new-comer Grey's Anatomy aside). But "House" was just hitting its stride in its second year, and showcased some really excellent performances by a strong regular cast, talented guests and impeccable lead Hugh Laurie.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominees:
Steve Carell for "The Office"
Larry David for "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Kevin James for "The King of Queens"
Tony Shalhoub for "Monk"
Charlie Sheen for "Two and a Half Men"
I'm only familiar with two of these shows, so... Is what "Tony Shalhoub" does in Monk better than what Steve Carell does in "The Office"? Apples and oranges. I'll say this: while both are doing excellent work, Steve Carell is doing pure comedy, while what Shalhoub does is a mixed bag. Because of the category, I'll go with Carell.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Nominees:
Peter Krause for "Six Feet Under"
Denis Leary for "Rescue Me"
Christopher Meloni for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Martin Sheen for "The West Wing"
Kiefer Sutherland for "24"
I'd like to Chris Meloni pick up the hardware here, just because I'm tired of the focus on Mariska Hargitay for that show. Sheen, Krause and Sutherland both did mch better work in earlier seasons. Leary is good on Rescue Me, but it's such an ensemble piece that it's hard to single out his performance (which may not be the best that Show has to offer). Hugh Laurie's absence from this category is a crime.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Nominees:
Frances Conroy for "Six Feet Under"
Geena Davis for "Commander in Chief"
Mariska Hargitay for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Allison Janney for "The West Wing"
Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer"
Wow. This is a tough one. As with the Actor category, a lot of these folks were better earlier. Hargitay has been consistantly excellent, but as I said before I'm sort of tired of her character. That said, she probably did the most interesting work out of this group of nominees. She may well take the award that by rights belongs to Kristen Bell for Veronica Mars.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominees:
Will Arnett for "Arrested Development"
Bryan Cranston for "Malcolm in the Middle"
Jon Cryer for "Two and a Half Men"
Sean Hayes for "Will & Grace"
Jeremy Piven for "Entourage"
Again, my exposure to these shows is limited. I only watch Entourage and Arrested Development. However, it doesn't matter. I will state here that it is impossible for anything being done on network television to be better than what Jeremy Piven is doing on Entourage. He own this award.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nominees:
Alan Alda for "The West Wing"
Michael Imperioli for "The Sopranos"
Gregory Itzin for "24"
Oliver Platt for "Huff"
William Shatner for "Boston Legal"
Tough, tough category. I'm not sure why Shatner is slated as a supporting character on Boston Legal. A lot of plot revolves around him. He's got some steep competition from all these guys, though. Oliver Platt may be doing better work, but his character is so unpleasant that it may work against him. Alan Alda was so good on West Wing, it actually made me believe the shows writers might let a Republican win. But really, this award should have gone to Andy Comeau.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Nominees:
Cheryl Hines for "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Megan Mullally for "Will & Grace"
Elizabeth Perkins for "Weeds"
Jaime Pressly for "My Name Is Earl"
Alfre Woodard for "Desperate Housewives"
Seriously, Jamie Pressly is hilarious. She's so funny, I sometimes forget to think about how incredibly hot she is. Here, look at this picture. Now imagine laughing at her. No, really. She can make you do it. That's talent.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Nominees:
Candice Bergen for "Boston Legal"
Blythe Danner for "Huff"
Sandra Oh for "Grey's Anatomy"
Jean Smart for "24"
Chandra Wilson for "Grey's Anatomy"
Another tough category. Candice Bergen made me like her, after years of hating Murphy Brown. Jean Smart gave the best performance on 24 this season, all in spite of a ridiculous plot line. And Blythe Danner played an alcoholic, self involved, racist, elitist, manipulative bitch... with a heart. I think she wins.
Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series
Nominees:
"The Colbert Report"
"The Daily Show"
"Late Night with Conan O'Brien"
"Late Show with David Letterman"
"Real Time with Bill Maher"
The network late-nights are so formula, it's sad. And Real Time had its weakest season to date. Colbert is hilarious, but Stewart has a broader appeal and the Daily show benefits from the regular appearances by their Senior Correspondants. I'm especially partial to resident expert John Hodgeman.
Outstanding Reality Program
Nominees:
"Antiques Roadshow"
"The Dog Whisperer"
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
"Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List"
"Penn & Teller: Bullshit!"
I'll come clean, I don't watch any of the others. But Bullshit is so good, the rest of the shows can just go hang. P&T have been nominated before but kept losing to Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. With that show missing this season, my boys have a shot.
Outstanding Animated Program (Less Than One Hour)
Nominees:
"Camp Lazlo"
"Family Guy"
"Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"
"The Simpsons"
"South Park"
Why don't they just call this the South Park award? Their topicality, unrelenting satire and out-and-out joke telling leave everything else in the dust.
Absent from the list almost entirely (they got a nod for costumes) was Battlestar Galactica. Seriously, this is one of the best shows on television. Tight, tense writing, really interesting camera work, and amazing, amazing performances. But, the Emmy nominating board (or whatever their called) just don't get Science Fiction. Never mind that the AFI called it - and Veronica Mars - one of the best things on TV this season.
Ah, well. As long Shatner wins, I'm happy.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Well, That's Good To Know
