Logopolis

links for 2010-03-22

• New nu-Who new USA trailer.
  "That's more like it. Loads of dialogue, moments of charm ("They're scared of me..."), more a sense of what the performances are going to be like and a confirmation that this is a very different programme from the one which ended on New Year's Day." Totally agree.
  (tags: DoctorWho trailer BehindTheSofa)

Palin's Latest Health Care Lie

While I agree with your points, I have to take issue with your use of the term 'dingbat' to describe Palin. That's an insult to the intelligence level of Edith Bunker as well as anyone else who's ever been described using that term. Her communication level doesn't even rise to that level.

links for 2010-03-12

• The New Yorker asks" Does this mean that Mexico, long considered a bastion of machismo, is in fact less sexist than, say, California?"
  As gay marriage comes to Mexico City, Alma Guillermoprieto takes an interesting look at an evolving culture. "The Catholic Church tacitly adopted “Don’t ask, don’t tell” a good millennium before the Pentagon did. And now Mexico City—where movies, television, birth control, foreign tourism, the Internet, and sex education at public schools have combined to change the culture at breathtaking speed—appears to have decided that the policy no longer serves."
  (tags: newyorker mexico gaymarriage)
• We Bought A Toxic Asset; You Can Watch It Die : NPR
  As much as I love Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me or This American Life or even Sound Opinions, the part of NPR I enjoy most is financial reporting. Seriously, I love Marketplace and Kai Risdell is my man. It's probably because they talk about things I don't really understand but feel like I should, and they do it in a way that simplifies it without making me feel dumg. This latest bit by Planet Money is a clever gimmick -- but it's also good fucking reporting. I'm becoming a WBEZ member today, and if you can afford it, you should too. "Remember those complicated bonds full of home mortgages? The ones that almost brought down the economy? A team of NPR reporters used $1,000 of their own money to buy a tiny piece of one — and plan to track it until it dies."
  (tags: NPR KaiRisdell Marketplace PlanetMoney Toxic)

links for 2010-03-10

• All The Most Ridiculous Parts Of The Eric Massa/Glenn Beck Interview In Under One Minute (VIDEO)
  Holy snakes is this ridiculous. Wow. This was too late for the Daily Show last night, right? Because I haven't been watching it lately, but I think I'll have to see if they mention this. (most unnecessary us of an "if" ever, I think)
  (tags: (Let'sPlay)MassaAndServant GlennBeck EricMassa GayRepublicansAndTheAssholesWhoDefendThem)
• Biking directions added to Google Maps
  This is pretty awesome. Now all I need to do is get a new bike.
  (tags: bike maps google googlemaps)

*gasp*

Walking to the train
Standing at a crosswalk
I finally check my email this morning.
And let out a very audible...

 
Date: March 10, 2010 8:01:17 AM CST
To: [email protected]
Subject: A celebrity death!

A celebrity death?

ACTOR COREY HAIM DIES AT 38

http://deathbeeper.com/8229301.html

Thank all 23,296 of you for using http://CelebrityDeathBeeper.com/

So sad. Haven't read the article yet so don't know how but guessing it's time for the latest round of "celebrity will kill your kids" stories.

Sent from your iPhone

That's What Friends Are For

What, Dionne, Stevie, Elton, and Gladys? What ARE friends for?

Oh, yes, the good times, the bad times, etc. That 's great.

 

 

But it's also great to have friends who you know are also, maybe, excited that both 90210 AND Lost are on tonight. Because, you know, without friends you might feel like you're a freak or something.

You Know You Love Me...

OMG, as they'd say in the vernacular, I almost totally forgot that Gossip Girl was coming back tonight.

When last we left the Upper East Side -- three whole months ago... Chuck might have seen his thought dead mother at her grave --

and it was the one from Mullholland Drive who wasn't Naomi Watts.  Bam!

And it turns out Little Jenny Humphrey has been funding her reign as the new Queen of Constance by...

Dealing drugs!  Bam! Bam! Double bam!

 

Also some other stuff with Serena & Nate and Dan & Vanessa and... *yawn*  Sorry I fell asleep.

 

Oh yeah, and Lily was apparently running around last season or last summer or some other time with Serena's dad.  Or she got a letter from him.  Oh, I don't remember.  

 

Who cares?  The CW's long winter hibernation is over.  And as always, the show has its pulse on what's hot -- the show, which always bases its title on movie's name -- comes back tonight with an episode titled "The Hurt Locket."  (Yes, I know The Hurt Locker came out long ago, but how many of the show's most valued demographic had even heard of it until recently or cared about it until last night?)

 

On a related note, during the hiatus, I read The Age of Innocence, which is basically the same story a century earlier.  I was going to write a whole big blog post about it.  But then I read that Cecily von Ziegesar has being saying the same thing since she wrote the original book.  

 

But reading the book, I realized that the show is actually better when it's about the obeying the rules and less about the idea of their being a "queen" of society.  And though Blair and Jenny are the most interesting bits of the show usually, I hope they focus more about the ridiculous social stratosphere back stabbing.  (For example, I think it's hilarious that all the kids can use drugs, but only a commoner would sell them, and I'm sure the real problem once Jenny's

 

So here's hoping the show hits the ground running tonight.

 

XOXO

links for 2010-03-08

• www.neillcameron.com : comics | illustration | cartoons
  Illustrator Neil Cameron's A to Z of awesomeness is exactly that. "D is for... Doctor Who Defeating Doctor Doom in a Deadly Disco Dance-Off!" which is my favorite for obvious reasons. But I'm pretty fond of X and Z as well.
  (tags: awesome doctorwho funny)
• Why George Clooney Was Mean at the Oscars, and Other Mysteries [Gossip Roundup]
  He was either drunk or not drunk enough... Gawker has a round up of all the Oscar gossip, re-read my twitter feed if you want my thoughts (I'm super busy today), but I wanted to draw special attention to what they said about Sandra Bullock because I agree with it 100%: "Sandra Bullock, stop trying to make us like you! First you gave the Platonic ideal of a great Oscar speech, then we found out that you showed up on Saturday night to the Golden Raspberries to accept your award for Worst Actress for All About Steve. Way to keep it real, sister." I think winning the Golden Raspberry and an Oscar in the same weekend is just about 229% cooler than just winning an Oscar, but I suppose I might feel differently if it was me being judged. That said, Bullock seems so perfect that I can understand why people would hate her, but they shouldn't. And also her husband is super hot. (Which is also not a reason to hate her. Jealousy is the only deadly sin I won't make some exception for)
  (tags: Oscar georgeclooney sandrabullock gossip gawker)
• Television Graphics Around the World
  What it says on the tin. "A small selection of Test Cards and graphics from around the world, featuring Australia, Singapore, Ireland, Sweden and North America."
  (tags: tv media retro broadcasting fun images art design video)
• Exclusive: The Bird and the Bee belt out 'Private Eyes'
  "On March 23 Los Angeles duo The Bird and the Bee will release its anticipated tribute to the musical legends with Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates." Yeah this
  (tags: music HallAndOats BirdAndtheBee FuckinHipsters FuckinHipstersAreAwesome)

Steal This Pitch

You know what NBC should have done for cheap programming rather than The Marriage Ref if they already had A-list celebrities and Carnival Cruises to give away ? 

5 words:

Match

Game

Two

Thousand

Ten.

NBC programming executives are so dumb...

How dumb are they?

They're so dumb they put The Marriage Ref on the air because they thought America needed more of [blank]

Match Game Think Music sound bite  Match Game sound bites

NBC programming executives are so dumb they put The Marriage Ref on the air because they thought America needed more -- what?

 

(post inspired by last week's Slate's Culture Gabfest)

Logopolis Oscar Coverage 2010: In Which A Picture's Worth 1000 of My Tweets