Have Movie Rights, Will Produce

Yet another Heinlein adaptation the way to the silver screen, one of the 'juveniles' this time: Have Spacesuit, Will Travel. Possibly as a Pixar animation?

My first choice, off the top of my head, for one of the juvies would've been Tunnel in the Sky. Have Spacesuit I don't remember too well. Even reading some reviews didn't do much to help bring it back.

Toto

This guy I work with, his stepmom - after divorcing his father - moved in with the lead singer of Toto. I told him to ask her if the guy sings "Africa" when he's in the shower. I bet he does. I bet being in the shower makes him think of the rains, you know, down there. Otherwise he'd probably sing "Rosanna," right? I'll let you know what I find out.

Tom Baker Interview

BBC - Cult - Doctor Who Features - Tom Baker It's not so much that the interview's funny -- which it is, esp. the bit about being mistaken for Jon Pertwee at a train station -- it's more the astonishing fact that the Fourth Doctor is now a dead ringer for my dad.

You Don't Like That One, We Got Another!

Lots of articles showing up online now discussing the Administration's war motive shell game. The headlines usually refer to "recasting" motives. I guess "lying about" was too blunt. The humanitarian excuse doesn't fly: first, it's not the original reason we were given -- if it was the reason, it should have been discussed up front; second, Iraq didn't meet the criteria for humanitarian intervention. HRW explains.

The Irony Curtain

Hey, Yank, do you get irony? Your mate in the UK may not think so. (Title of this post nicked from the follow up comments to the article.)

KSR Interview

Kim Stanley Robinson answers questions about his upcoming Forty Signs of Rain. He's been showing up more often in my periodic google news searches, mostly due to the pictures coming back from Mars and a rekindling of discussion about his Mars trilogy. Stan was recently interviewed on NPR. Still no details on the miniseries rumored to be in production.

Only Because ...

He's going have a chimp on his show do I bother to mention anything about Dennis Miller's GOP Knobshine Hour coming soon to one of those right wing cable networks. Only because of the chimp do I pull this quote:

"So I've hired a monkey," Miller says with some measure of pride, "and he's going to wear color-coded T-shirts to sync up with the terror-alert level."

The shocking thing about their research is that Garroway's original chimpanzee, J. Fred Muggs, was still around. "He lives out here in the Valley," Miller says.

But since he's in some kind of chimp retirement, they're using another one, Miller says. "We can't use the name J. Fred Muggs. But we've got our own chimp.

"He's young; he's a comer," Miller boasts, adding that the animal is "still not too jaded to throw his fecal matter at you, like the original."

I've acknowledged the chimp; now I can wash my hands of this messy business. [Hartford Courant, reg. req'd.]

There Is Power In A Union

The move is on to unionize individuals who appear in 'reality tv' shows. [NY Times (req. req'd. abcabc/abcabc works)]

Why Does CBS Hate American Values?

That tame little Moveon.org spot that won the contest ... CBS says it's too controversial and won't let the citizen's group pay to have it shown during the Super Bowl. I'm stunned. The message that maybe it's not such a good idea to spend recklessly and run up a huge debt is controversial? Too controversial to expose the Super Bowl audience to? [Petition CBS not to censor MoveOn.org's ad.]

Rotten TV

I Used to Be A Sex Pistol ... Get Me Out of Here! Among the "C-List" celebs roughing it for reality TV you'll find, get ready for it, John Lydon. Rotten may have been among the group of celebs who threatened to boycott after learning he was getting paid less than topless model Jordan.

Gung Hay Fat Choy, 4702!

Don't normally make a fuss over Chinese New Year but this year is special.

Year of the Monkey!

The last Year of the Monkey marked the end of a dark cycle in American politics and the beginning an eight year period of relative peace and prosperity. Here's hoping for more of the same.

The Gold Coast?

Speculation has begun on what James Cameron's next big sci-fi movie will be. [AICN]

TANSTAAFL

Looks like Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (IMO, one of his best) may be the next to hit the big screen. [Sci Fi Wire] I wouldn't exactly call Verhoeven's Startship Troopers or that Donald Sutherland Puppet Masters (which, tangentially, also starred Richard Belzer who, I just discovered, was born in Bridgeport, CT -- as were Brian Dennehy, Robert Mitchum, ex-SNLer Kevin Nealon, and John "Cliff from Cheers" Ratzenberger according to IMDB) not a strong track record of Heinlein adaptions but still, one can hope for the best.

Tasmanian Park?

Audubon: Raising the Dead. Via the excellent Danger Blog!

136 years after its death and 66 years after its species was declared extinct, the preserved baby sits at the junction of molecular biology, conservation ethics, and endangered-species politics--and also at the locus of humanity's guilt and hopes in dealing with the natural world.

Rollbacks

After all the controversy, the winner is a pretty tame deficit call out: Bush in 30 Seconds Winning Entry. I'd like to think it's also a subtle reminder that the GOP's agenda is roll back all the progress made in 20th century, bankrupt the federal government of the ability to protect the people from rapacious corporate greed, and destroy the public school system so the kids whose parents can't afford the difference between their voucher and the cost of private school have to send them to work in the convenient absence of those namby-pamby child labor laws.

How You Livin'?

Church and state too distinct and separate for you where you're livin'? Check out Florida, brother. Not separate enough? Don't worry, I mean, what possible harm could Jeb Bush and the Florida Churchstate do to the rest of the country? (The comments in the linked post are a nice read as well. Particularly the one that points out: "Article VI of the Constitution, ' ... no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.'")

Wingnuts to Arms!

Those dangerous leftists at the Army War College have joined radical fringe group The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in issuing a report that challenges the infallibility of our Dear Leader and his Glorious War on Terror!

Vijay the Bonobo

Baby bonobo, named Vijay, born in Cincinnati. If he lives a full bonobo lifespan, he'll probably be alive when his species disappears completely from the wild. It won't mean much to him, nor will the fact the chimpanzees will also be gone.

HOF

If Jim Ed had made it, I would be planning a trip to Cooperstown for the end of July. Eckersley and Molitor are the only two to make it in this year. Molitor was a gimme. Frankly, I'm a little surprised Eck made it on the first ballot.

Funnier With the Guitar Riff

Reuters | Davies Shot in New Orleans: He is quoted as having yelled to the shooter, "Oh yeah, you really got me now!" Or not.

Unsettling Experience

Right now, I've got the hiccups and a cough, so each time I cough, I hiccup simultaneously. It's really got my organs in a twist. And, I feel like I might sneeze at any moment. Arrrrrgh!

2004

First, Happy New Year!

Second, a few quick lists:

C-Dog's Fave 2003 Movies

1. Love, Actually. I can't think of a movie I saw last year that wasn't flawed in at least one significant way. Of them all, this is the one I'd most like to see again, despite those flaws.

2. Return of the King. Great movie, grand spectacle, lots of fun. Some pretty significant flaws. Not number one because what I'm actually looking forward to is not seeing this movie again but it's Extended Edition when it comes out on DVD.

3. Finding Nemo. Given the choice between seeing this or Mystic River again, I'd choose this one.

Letdowns: The Hulk, X2, Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions.

Still want to see: Lost in Translation, Die Another Day, Bend it Like Beckham, LXG, Identity.


Fave Bands in 2003

1. Yo La Tengo. Only saw a few bands live last year and they were the best. Summer Sun is one of my favorite albums of last year.

2. The Postal Service / Death Cab for Cutie. Yeah, they're all the rage.

3. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Hearts of Oak spent as much time as any in the car player, where I do most of my listening.

4. Dropkick Murphys. One of my favorite moments of the year, among the many that took place that night, was when the Murphys' "Forever" closed the dance floor at my wedding. Good times.

5. Rancid. It's the kind of music I'm hard-wired for.


Letdowns: The Slackers, Looper.

Still want to pick up: Joe Strummer, The Midnight Evils.


Third, I put on the swami hat and make some predictions for 2004.

1. Dean.
2. Red Sox in 6.
3. 3 UConn players drafted in the first round.
4. The world events equivalent of "US v. Iraq" in 2003 will be "China v. somebody" in 2004.

Fourth, I assert, after a New Year's morning viewing, that "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" is one of the top five all time Doctor Who stories. The success of the new Doctor Who series will be directly correlated to how well it recaptures the groove of the 1974-1977 Hinchcliffe era.