Kindred Spirits

Best opening shot ever. 

The New York Times talks popcorn movies and by popcorn I mean wine, bourbon, scotch and whisky.

ENERGY RATS

Photo from The Green Head.

That lunar-powered self-cleaning litter box you just bought for your cat, Mr. HAL 9000-Lives, may not necessarily be as ENERGY STAR compliant as its label suggests.

David, Son of God

This splendid article (written with affection and insight to spare by Wyatt Mason) previewing David Simon's upcoming Treme, a show many critics destine to be television's next great thing, seriously calls into question my long-running allegiance to the Sopranos as being the single greatest period of contemporary popular culture since people started calling popular culture popular culture. The Wire just might be better.

Plastic Little

Photo from the New York Times.

The licensing of Barbie to Mad Men is pure nirvana for popular culture junkies, but surely poison for the character of Roger Sterling as he will no longer be able to call women 'doll faces' on the show without breaking the all important fourth wall.

Haim on You

Corey Haim as Les Anderson, photo licensed from here.

The 80s have officially ended, Corey Haim is dead.

His was a life not unlike those of other teen heartthrobs who reached prominence before maturity. Building a fanbase through formulaic angst bothered comedies, insipid stories of young people falling in love, and of course good looks, they inspired a nation of pubescent boppers to litter our bedroom walls with images from the magazines that idolized them, collectively forming a mosaic of worship hollower than a chocolate Easter Bunny. When we graduated into the 90s, we left behind an epic wasteland of mousse, faded blue jeans and the teen idols that wore them so well.

Zero Effect

The 2000s. The decade of the douchebag. Winner.

To the last ten years of public figures who transgress, in the open for all to see, especially Tiger Woods, columnist Frank Rich's Person of the Year and my favorite for Douchebag of the Decade, we say Happy 2010! May the next decade of dreadful, shocking falls from celebrity grace be as prosperous to gossip spreaders and the entertainment-starving public as the previous so gloriously was.

Music to My Rears

Photo from Technabob.

Soon, compact discs will only be used for sitting on, because Apple just bought this.

Luck Beach a Lady

Nia Peeples turns 38 this week and the best surfers in the world will celebrate by riding the big one.

Guest Who's Coming to Dinner

Photo from DISGRASIAN.

On Tuesday, guests of honor Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India and his wife experienced how most American families celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday as President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle hosted their first state dinner, a simulated Thanksgiving dinner where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton played the aunt that never gets invited over except during the holidays and funerals because she is crazy, and Vice President Joe Biden, her husband, the uncle that drinks too much then starts saying really messed up things.

Ballot Box

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has declared a state of emergency in the southern region of the Philippines where 46 bodies, believed knocked out by Manny Pacquiao, have been discovered since Tuesday.

Up Where We Don't Belong

Photo from flightaware.com.

Two pilots got super pissed off about airline policy, talked about it, lost situational awareness that they were commandeering a commercial jetliner with 140 some odd passengers aboard, realized they had missed Minneapolis by 150 miles, then circled back and landed the plane safely. That's what happened.

The Sound of Silence

Photo from WLW Radio & Television.

Hybrid vehicles don't make enough noise, so now Hollywood is getting involved.

Kill Bill

Why now? I'll tell you why now. Because some atrocities are unforgivable, that's why now. I'm speaking, of course, about Roman Polanski and his now infamous crime of passion.

As statistics will prove, the most damaging kind of transgressions are those fueled by blinding personal desires. Stuff like having sex with minors or casting Adrien Brody in movies are common offenses, both of which have ultimately derailed Mr. Polanski's brilliant career, at least in America.