Shakespeare's Sister
Question of the Day
What were the best and worst films you saw in 2008?
(Let's take that to mean films that were released in 2008, as opposed to films released in the '90s you're only now getting around to viewing.)
It seems like practically every movie I saw this year was a piece of crap, so it would be really hard to choose the worst, if I hadn't seen 20 minutes of 27 Dresses on cable. Holy Maude.
(And yet Bride Wars looks as though it has the capacity to make 27 Dresses look like a film adaptation of the S.C.U.M. manifesto.)
Best is probably The Dark Knight. Unless I can count Mongol, which only went into wide release in '08.
(Let's take that to mean films that were released in 2008, as opposed to films released in the '90s you're only now getting around to viewing.)
It seems like practically every movie I saw this year was a piece of crap, so it would be really hard to choose the worst, if I hadn't seen 20 minutes of 27 Dresses on cable. Holy Maude.
(And yet Bride Wars looks as though it has the capacity to make 27 Dresses look like a film adaptation of the S.C.U.M. manifesto.)
Best is probably The Dark Knight. Unless I can count Mongol, which only went into wide release in '08.
Categories: Indiana Blogs
Offered With Barely Any Comment
Easy Does It, Ladies!
For my (barely any) comment,
I've been spending so much energy "keeping beautiful" lately, that all I can muster as commentary is this (apologies for any commercials):
From Crackle: Mr. Deity and the Help Meet - Season 2, Ep 9
For my (barely any) comment,
I've been spending so much energy "keeping beautiful" lately, that all I can muster as commentary is this (apologies for any commercials):
From Crackle: Mr. Deity and the Help Meet - Season 2, Ep 9
Categories: Indiana Blogs
We're Not Feeling Her Pain
As you may have heard, John Travolta's and Kelly Preston's 16-year-old son, Jett, died over the weekend as a result of what appears to be a blow to the head received in the throes of a seizure.
This post isn't about the family, the circumstances of the death, Kawasaki disease vs. autism, Scientology, or conspiracy theories (and the comments thread shouldn't be, either)—so let's just leave all that mess aside.
What this post is about is something I've noticed about the coverage of the tragic event:
TMZ: John Travolta's Son Dies—"Rand Memorial Hospital in the Bahamas tells TMZ the son of John Travolta died today. We're told 16-year-old Jett was vacationing with Travolta and wife Kelly Preston."
AFP: John Travolta's teenage son dies in Bahamas—"The family of Oscar-nominated Hollywood superstar John Travolta took a devastating emotional blow when his teenage son died after a seizure while on a family vacation in the Bahamas, US media reported."
AP: John Travolta's 16-year-old son dies in Bahamas—"John Travolta's teenage son, Jett, died in the Bahamas after apparently suffering a seizure and hitting his head at his family's vacation home, authorities said Friday."
Reuters: Travolta "heartbroken" over son's death—"Actor John Travolta broke a two-day silence over the death of his 16-year-old son Jett on Sunday, saying he and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, were 'heartbroken' by their sudden loss."
ABC: Autopsy Today for John Travolta's Son—"On Sunday, John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, issued their first public statement since Jett died Friday."
This one, care of Star magazine, really sums it up:
Headline: John Travolta's Son Dies
Image: Entire family.
Lede: "The son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston has died."
What?—there wasn't enough room for Kelly Preston's name in the headline, too? Oh, wait; there is:
Huh.
And this one, from the Daily Mail is great: 'My agony at losing my beloved boy': 'Heartbroken' John Travolta breaks silence over death of teenage son (original story headline since changed: "Tragedy for movie star John Travolta as 16-year-old son Jett dies on family holiday")—"John Travolta tonight revealed his agony at the sudden death of his teenage son Jett. In a statement on his website the Hollywood actor said he and his wife Kelly Preston, were 'heartbroken' by their sudden loss."
Wait—his wife is heartbroken, too? Amazing. Especially considering she's not just John Travolta's wife, but is Jett Travolta's mother, not that you'd know it from the news coverage of her son's death, in which she is repeatedly referred to (if at all) as "John Travolta's wife." I saw that in headlines and ledes so frequently over the past few days, I actually started to second-guess my thought that she was Jett's mom. (She is.)
And Kelly Preston is also pretty famous in her own right. (I know I'm kind of a walking IMDb, but I could name at least half a dozen of her films off the top of my head.) It's not like John Travolta is married to an investment banker; he's married to an actress whose name plenty of people would recognize, so the calculation seems to be she's just not famous enough to warrant her name in the headline, to warrant her grief being its own, beyond some collateral heartbreak of her husband's after losing "his" son.
It's rare I actually compliment CNN on sensitive coverage, but they got this one right: Actors' son Jett Travolta dies at 16—"The 16-year-old son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston died Friday morning after suffering a seizure while vacationing with his family in the Bahamas, Travolta's attorney told CNN."
Just moving that apostrophe from here—actor's—to here—actors'—makes all the difference. That's all it took, so simple, to avoid disappearing a mother and delivering a snide commentary on her career in the midst of a horrific personal crisis.
I'm sure some people would argue it doesn't matter—but I can think of few things more cruel than erasing the role of motherhood from a woman who's just lost her child, and I'm not sure it does any of us much good that we're so profoundly inured to such casual cruelty.
So…a little teaspoon of awareness never hurt anyone.
This post isn't about the family, the circumstances of the death, Kawasaki disease vs. autism, Scientology, or conspiracy theories (and the comments thread shouldn't be, either)—so let's just leave all that mess aside.
What this post is about is something I've noticed about the coverage of the tragic event:
TMZ: John Travolta's Son Dies—"Rand Memorial Hospital in the Bahamas tells TMZ the son of John Travolta died today. We're told 16-year-old Jett was vacationing with Travolta and wife Kelly Preston."
AFP: John Travolta's teenage son dies in Bahamas—"The family of Oscar-nominated Hollywood superstar John Travolta took a devastating emotional blow when his teenage son died after a seizure while on a family vacation in the Bahamas, US media reported."
AP: John Travolta's 16-year-old son dies in Bahamas—"John Travolta's teenage son, Jett, died in the Bahamas after apparently suffering a seizure and hitting his head at his family's vacation home, authorities said Friday."
Reuters: Travolta "heartbroken" over son's death—"Actor John Travolta broke a two-day silence over the death of his 16-year-old son Jett on Sunday, saying he and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, were 'heartbroken' by their sudden loss."
ABC: Autopsy Today for John Travolta's Son—"On Sunday, John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, issued their first public statement since Jett died Friday."
This one, care of Star magazine, really sums it up:
Headline: John Travolta's Son Dies
Image: Entire family.
Lede: "The son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston has died."
What?—there wasn't enough room for Kelly Preston's name in the headline, too? Oh, wait; there is:
Huh.
And this one, from the Daily Mail is great: 'My agony at losing my beloved boy': 'Heartbroken' John Travolta breaks silence over death of teenage son (original story headline since changed: "Tragedy for movie star John Travolta as 16-year-old son Jett dies on family holiday")—"John Travolta tonight revealed his agony at the sudden death of his teenage son Jett. In a statement on his website the Hollywood actor said he and his wife Kelly Preston, were 'heartbroken' by their sudden loss."
Wait—his wife is heartbroken, too? Amazing. Especially considering she's not just John Travolta's wife, but is Jett Travolta's mother, not that you'd know it from the news coverage of her son's death, in which she is repeatedly referred to (if at all) as "John Travolta's wife." I saw that in headlines and ledes so frequently over the past few days, I actually started to second-guess my thought that she was Jett's mom. (She is.)
And Kelly Preston is also pretty famous in her own right. (I know I'm kind of a walking IMDb, but I could name at least half a dozen of her films off the top of my head.) It's not like John Travolta is married to an investment banker; he's married to an actress whose name plenty of people would recognize, so the calculation seems to be she's just not famous enough to warrant her name in the headline, to warrant her grief being its own, beyond some collateral heartbreak of her husband's after losing "his" son.
It's rare I actually compliment CNN on sensitive coverage, but they got this one right: Actors' son Jett Travolta dies at 16—"The 16-year-old son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston died Friday morning after suffering a seizure while vacationing with his family in the Bahamas, Travolta's attorney told CNN."
Just moving that apostrophe from here—actor's—to here—actors'—makes all the difference. That's all it took, so simple, to avoid disappearing a mother and delivering a snide commentary on her career in the midst of a horrific personal crisis.
I'm sure some people would argue it doesn't matter—but I can think of few things more cruel than erasing the role of motherhood from a woman who's just lost her child, and I'm not sure it does any of us much good that we're so profoundly inured to such casual cruelty.
So…a little teaspoon of awareness never hurt anyone.
Categories: Indiana Blogs
What Do You, the Viewers at Home Think?
A co-worker just brought this cartoon by my desk. (Note: the image above is only the final panel of the cartoon. Click through to see the whole thing.) My first reaction was "huh?" I couldn't see the joke. Then my next reaction was "Oh, so gay people are monsters; I get it. Gee, thanks" I might be reacting a little ultra-sensitively; my co-worker thinks it's an empowering thing that Frankenstein and his, ahem, "lover" are in the comic. Mainstream portrayal of gay couples and all that. Then I thought that maybe the joke is that the little green guy was upset because Frankenstein doesn't act like a monster; he's in a relationship and seems like a nice guy. Of course, they're stereotypical sissies and not monstrous, so maybe that's what's upsetting him, which isn't exactly the most empowering message, either. (For the record, the Frankensteins didn't return the next day, so they appear to be a one-off gag. This is the first time I've ever seen this particular comic strip, so I could be wrong.)
Anyway, I don't get it, my co-worker thinks I'm reading too much into it, and I'm beginning to feel like I'm running the Comics I Don't Understand page. It still looks like a joke at my expense, but what do I know; it looks like Fail to me. What do you think?
Update: I just found a few more comics with the Frankensteins, here, here, and here, so apparently they're not one-off characters. It looks more like the joke in the first one I saw comes from personality conflicts; the evil henchman monster is just put off by their "niceness," but I'm also seeing a lot of stereotyping.
Rar! Me humorless liberal!
Categories: Indiana Blogs
I Write Letters
Dear Netflix,
I know about you. You can give it a rest with the pop-ups and pop-unders.
If I run into anyone who's just awoken from a decades-long coma or relocated from their last residence under a rock in uninhabited Siberia, I promise to tell them about you.
Love,
Liss
I know about you. You can give it a rest with the pop-ups and pop-unders.
If I run into anyone who's just awoken from a decades-long coma or relocated from their last residence under a rock in uninhabited Siberia, I promise to tell them about you.
Love,
Liss
Categories: Indiana Blogs
Quote of the Day
"He's a good man, Chris. He's a very good, strong man. I'd like to see him run, I'd like to see him be president someday, or maybe senator, whatever. I mean, right now is probably a bad time. We've had enough Bushes in there."—Papa George H.W. Bush, in an interview with Fox Fucknut Chris Wallace, on his desire to see son Jeb continue his political career.
He also noted, btw, that he understands if Jeb doesn't want to continue in politics because he "needs to make a living, support his wife and family." And who can do that on the paltry salary of a US Senator ($169,300) or US President ($400,000)?
He also noted, btw, that he understands if Jeb doesn't want to continue in politics because he "needs to make a living, support his wife and family." And who can do that on the paltry salary of a US Senator ($169,300) or US President ($400,000)?
Categories: Indiana Blogs
Obamarama Transitionalicious-a-Go-Go Continues...
Harvard Law School dean Elena Kagan will serve as Solicitor General for the Obama administration. Think Progress notes:
Kagan will be the first woman to serve permanently in this important post, which is tasked with conducting "all litigation on behalf of the United States in the Supreme Court, and to supervise the handling of litigation in the federal appellate courts."Other key nominations to the Department of Justice include: David Ogden, Deputy Attorney General; Elena Kagan, Solicitor General; Tom Perrelli, Associate Attorney General; and Dawn Johnsen, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel.
Johnsen served as the legal director of NARAL from 1988 to 1993.
Kagan will be the first woman to serve permanently in this important post, which is tasked with conducting "all litigation on behalf of the United States in the Supreme Court, and to supervise the handling of litigation in the federal appellate courts."Other key nominations to the Department of Justice include: David Ogden, Deputy Attorney General; Elena Kagan, Solicitor General; Tom Perrelli, Associate Attorney General; and Dawn Johnsen, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel.
Johnsen served as the legal director of NARAL from 1988 to 1993.
Categories: Indiana Blogs
Ready for a Big Laugh?
Warning: Put down your coffee, or other beverage, before reading:
John Bolton and John Yoo have written an Op-Ed stating that we have to limit executive authority.
America needs to maintain its sovereignty and autonomy, not to subordinate its policies, foreign or domestic, to international control. On a broad variety of issues — many of which sound more like domestic rather than foreign policy — the re-emergence of the benignly labeled “global governance” movement is well under way in the Obama transition.
Candidate Obama promised to “re-engage” and “work constructively within” the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Will the new president pass a new Kyoto climate accord through Congress by sidestepping the constitutional requirement to persuade two-thirds of the Senate?
Draconian restrictions on energy use would follow. A majority of the Congress would be much easier for Mr. Obama to get than a supermajority of the Senate. A scholar at the Brookings Institution has already proposed that a new president overcome objections to this environmentalists’ holy grail by evading the Treaty Clause. My sides!!! They actually used the word draconian!
(Energy dome tip to John Cole.)
John Bolton and John Yoo have written an Op-Ed stating that we have to limit executive authority.
America needs to maintain its sovereignty and autonomy, not to subordinate its policies, foreign or domestic, to international control. On a broad variety of issues — many of which sound more like domestic rather than foreign policy — the re-emergence of the benignly labeled “global governance” movement is well under way in the Obama transition.
Candidate Obama promised to “re-engage” and “work constructively within” the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Will the new president pass a new Kyoto climate accord through Congress by sidestepping the constitutional requirement to persuade two-thirds of the Senate?
Draconian restrictions on energy use would follow. A majority of the Congress would be much easier for Mr. Obama to get than a supermajority of the Senate. A scholar at the Brookings Institution has already proposed that a new president overcome objections to this environmentalists’ holy grail by evading the Treaty Clause. My sides!!! They actually used the word draconian!
(Energy dome tip to John Cole.)
Categories: Indiana Blogs
Monday Blogaround
Sock it to me, Shakers!
Recommended Reading:
Bil: A1 Steak Sauce: Sexism Is That Important
Jehanzeb Dar: "Yes Man" Says Yes to Stereotypes
Steve: Rush and Burris and Reid—Oh My!
Kathy G: Unions: Good for Democrats (and democrats)
Kevin: There's This Literary Genre Called Fiction. Ever Hear of It?
Renee: I Am Sean Bell: A Mothers Lament
Leave your links in comments...
Recommended Reading:
Bil: A1 Steak Sauce: Sexism Is That Important
Jehanzeb Dar: "Yes Man" Says Yes to Stereotypes
Steve: Rush and Burris and Reid—Oh My!
Kathy G: Unions: Good for Democrats (and democrats)
Kevin: There's This Literary Genre Called Fiction. Ever Hear of It?
Renee: I Am Sean Bell: A Mothers Lament
Leave your links in comments...
Categories: Indiana Blogs
Sad, Really
During the election, I remember there were those that idly wondered what had happened to Ann Coulter. As the media just lurves to trot her out for "outrageous" and "hilarious" quotes when something's going on politically, it seemed a little odd that Coulter was conspicuously absent. Some people felt that the Right was keeping her under wraps so she wouldn't embarrass them during the buildup to election day, but let's face it, when has that ever stopped her before?
Well apparently, Coulter has been busy slopping out a new book. Oh, joy. Now we can now look forward to her making the rounds on the shows, hawking her latest, which will no doubt be written with as much attention to accuracy as her other, ahem, creations. (Update: As oddjob points out in comments, the fact-checking has already begun.)
Of course, we'll have the usual outrage when she inevitably says something incredibly offensive, lefty bloggers will protest (and their commenters will tell them to "just ignore her"), righty bloggers will cheer (and their commenters will take Coulter's statements to higher extremes), and then the book will be remaindered. And then we'll all have a few months of peace until the next "book."
As I looked over the excerpts of the "hilarity" in the Media Matters article, I wasn't too surprised by anything that I saw. Actually, they were all pretty easy to predict. I expected vicious misogyny (Coulter just loves to hate women), and I got it. "Who's the biggest pussy?" Obama or Clinton? That's hysterical! She swipes at "Republican turncoats;" oooh, how edgy! She calls Scott McClellan "retarded." Stop, my sides! Obama, Halle Berry and Alicia Kyes (way to keep your thumb on those current events, Ann... Berry won her Oscar in, what, 2002?) would never have gotten to where they are without playing "the race card." Hey, don't get offended, she's just being funny! Really, it's just the usual Coulter Cry For Attention(tm) that we've all come to expect.
Except for one bit. I've got to admit, this surprised me; I really didn't think Coulter's barrel had any bottom left.
Coulter calls children whose parents divorce "future strippers" in a chapter titled "Victim of a Crime? Thank a Single Mother":"In any event, divorced mothers should be called "divorced mothers," not "single mothers." We also have a term for the youngsters involved: "the children of divorce," or as I call them, "future strippers." It is a mark of how attractive it is to be a phony victim that divorcées will often claim to belong to the more disreputable category of "single mothers." [Page 36]Later in the chapter, Coulter writes: "Single motherhood is like a farm team for future criminals and social outcasts." [Page 38]I don't think Coulter has made such a desperate attempt to deliberately offend such a large group of people since she gave 9/11 widows the finger. Apparently, she doesn't think any of her readers (or potential readers) have ever been through a divorce. Or, more likely, she simply doesn't give a fuck.
At this point, I don't know who's the more desperate, pathetic book shill: Coulter or Jonah Goldberg.
(I'd like to respectfully request that we refrain from "tranny" ahem, "jokes," and "jokes" of a similar tone at Coulter's expense in comments. We have a zero tolerance policy for that here. Energy dome tip to Digby.)
Well apparently, Coulter has been busy slopping out a new book. Oh, joy. Now we can now look forward to her making the rounds on the shows, hawking her latest, which will no doubt be written with as much attention to accuracy as her other, ahem, creations. (Update: As oddjob points out in comments, the fact-checking has already begun.)
Of course, we'll have the usual outrage when she inevitably says something incredibly offensive, lefty bloggers will protest (and their commenters will tell them to "just ignore her"), righty bloggers will cheer (and their commenters will take Coulter's statements to higher extremes), and then the book will be remaindered. And then we'll all have a few months of peace until the next "book."
As I looked over the excerpts of the "hilarity" in the Media Matters article, I wasn't too surprised by anything that I saw. Actually, they were all pretty easy to predict. I expected vicious misogyny (Coulter just loves to hate women), and I got it. "Who's the biggest pussy?" Obama or Clinton? That's hysterical! She swipes at "Republican turncoats;" oooh, how edgy! She calls Scott McClellan "retarded." Stop, my sides! Obama, Halle Berry and Alicia Kyes (way to keep your thumb on those current events, Ann... Berry won her Oscar in, what, 2002?) would never have gotten to where they are without playing "the race card." Hey, don't get offended, she's just being funny! Really, it's just the usual Coulter Cry For Attention(tm) that we've all come to expect.
Except for one bit. I've got to admit, this surprised me; I really didn't think Coulter's barrel had any bottom left.
Coulter calls children whose parents divorce "future strippers" in a chapter titled "Victim of a Crime? Thank a Single Mother":"In any event, divorced mothers should be called "divorced mothers," not "single mothers." We also have a term for the youngsters involved: "the children of divorce," or as I call them, "future strippers." It is a mark of how attractive it is to be a phony victim that divorcées will often claim to belong to the more disreputable category of "single mothers." [Page 36]Later in the chapter, Coulter writes: "Single motherhood is like a farm team for future criminals and social outcasts." [Page 38]I don't think Coulter has made such a desperate attempt to deliberately offend such a large group of people since she gave 9/11 widows the finger. Apparently, she doesn't think any of her readers (or potential readers) have ever been through a divorce. Or, more likely, she simply doesn't give a fuck.
At this point, I don't know who's the more desperate, pathetic book shill: Coulter or Jonah Goldberg.
(I'd like to respectfully request that we refrain from "tranny" ahem, "jokes," and "jokes" of a similar tone at Coulter's expense in comments. We have a zero tolerance policy for that here. Energy dome tip to Digby.)
Categories: Indiana Blogs
In Case You Haven't Heard Already...
...Richardson's out and Franken's in.
Which means that there are serious questions about the Obama team's vetting process (James is right when he notes that stonewalling about the investigation should have left the nomination dead in the water), and that "Senator from Minnesota" is potentially the greatest SNL spin-off of all time.
Which means that there are serious questions about the Obama team's vetting process (James is right when he notes that stonewalling about the investigation should have left the nomination dead in the water), and that "Senator from Minnesota" is potentially the greatest SNL spin-off of all time.
Categories: Indiana Blogs
Dark Lord Logic
If you didn't get impeached for it, it must have been legal!
Tune in next week for Part Two of Cheney's interview with Bob Schieffer, in which the outgoing veep explains how closing his eyes makes him invisible.
Tune in next week for Part Two of Cheney's interview with Bob Schieffer, in which the outgoing veep explains how closing his eyes makes him invisible.
Categories: Indiana Blogs
Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Bonus: Ozzie explains women to Rick
Ahh, the "good old days."
Bonus: Ozzie explains women to Rick
Ahh, the "good old days."
Categories: Indiana Blogs
Sunday YouTubery
The Four Yorkshiremen
As done by: Harry Enfield, Alan Rickman, Eddie Izzard, & Vic Reeves
I love this. I love Alan Rickman to bitty bits and this (slightly redone) classic skit is so funny. The best part is how they crack each other up during it.
For a "making of" this skit with bits and info of the original:
As done by: Harry Enfield, Alan Rickman, Eddie Izzard, & Vic Reeves
I love this. I love Alan Rickman to bitty bits and this (slightly redone) classic skit is so funny. The best part is how they crack each other up during it.
For a "making of" this skit with bits and info of the original:
Categories: Indiana Blogs
The Doctor
Matt Smith is the eleventh Doctor
Smith will first appear on TV screens as the 11th Doctor in 2010.
He was cast over Christmas and will begin filming for the fifth series of Doctor Who in the summer. Tennant is filming four specials in 2009.
Smith was named as Tennant's replacement in Saturday's edition of Doctor Who Confidential on BBC One.
He said: "I feel proud and honoured to have been given this opportunity to join a team of people that has worked so tirelessly to make the show so thrilling.
"David Tennant has made the role his own, brilliantly, with grace, talent and persistent dedication. I hope to learn from the standards set by him.
"The challenge for me is to do justice to the show's illustrious past, my predecessors, and most importantly, to those who watch it. I really cannot wait." Article & interview here
Smith will first appear on TV screens as the 11th Doctor in 2010.
He was cast over Christmas and will begin filming for the fifth series of Doctor Who in the summer. Tennant is filming four specials in 2009.
Smith was named as Tennant's replacement in Saturday's edition of Doctor Who Confidential on BBC One.
He said: "I feel proud and honoured to have been given this opportunity to join a team of people that has worked so tirelessly to make the show so thrilling.
"David Tennant has made the role his own, brilliantly, with grace, talent and persistent dedication. I hope to learn from the standards set by him.
"The challenge for me is to do justice to the show's illustrious past, my predecessors, and most importantly, to those who watch it. I really cannot wait." Article & interview here
Categories: Indiana Blogs
Friday YouTubery
More Neil Patrick Harris! My favorite song from Dr. Horrible. I belt this out while I'm driving. People stare but, hey, what's new? LOL
My Eyes
My Eyes
Categories: Indiana Blogs
The Virtual Pub Is Open
TFIF, Shakers!
Belly up to the bar,
and name your poison!
Categories: Indiana Blogs