Come on baby

That big twist 24's promising in the next episode? I think Mr. Brown has the best theory: Habib Marwan will reveal his true identity... The Mummy. (Dun dun dun!)

It's what she would've wanted

Dignity, yo. [Click to make bigger.] 

Splat!

Whatever your leanings, this is a ridiculously awesome action shot of William Kristol being absolutely creamed with a pie. (Compare to paintings of Barnaby Furnas, which this totally reminds me of.)

Hobbyhorse

1) UGA restores Phi Kappa Hall nicely. Why link? Mini-gavels, yo. They didn't publicize that enough.

2) Attorneys already filing motions against appointment of Giese due to beholden-ness.

Davison disputed the attorneys' contentions. "There's no expectation on the part of the commission that the court would not continue to be independent and impartial in its role, but there are ways the court can work with those individuals (on the enforcement team) to come up with creative and innovative solutions in bringing about compliance," she said.

I hear the stocks work pretty well as far as that's concerned. ABH editorial says, basically, if the commission was going to do something incredibly stupid in appointing a new judge instead of Simpson, at least they did it in the way that least meets the standards of incredibly stupid. Wha? Suggests

At some point, whether contemporaneously with the search for a new judge or after making the appointment, commissioners should make another wise move and look at whether the ordinances might benefit from some retooling.

Good luck with that one, buck-o's. Ponsoldt writes letter criticizing the decision.

3) Hodgson's vandals still undiscovered. I'd say "college-aged" is a good guess.

4) Those who like the tree ordinance like it; those who don't, don't.

5) State ethics bill has big-ass loophole designed to allow candidates to pour unlimited donations into their own campaigns. "Democratic Party Chairman Bobby Kahn said the provision was tantamount to legalizing money laundering for political campaigns." Shocking.

6) Early adjournment of General Assembly largely symbolic. Of? Half-assed rushing to get shit done? Also, you'll be able to catch catfish with spears in the Savannah River.

7) Hot damn! This dude really doesn't like Felton.

8) Duuude. Israel is awesome.

9) OMG! Honors students are just that much smarter than everyone else! Because grading's not relative or anything.

10) Embrace free speech, except for hate speech?

[bugmenot ABH]

Someone finally had the balls to say it

Terri Schiavo's no doubt eventual method of death is incredibly ironic.

Tromboner

That is what I believe I have for "Hollaback Girl," having finally managed to snag a copy (Gwen Stefani, kids). I have in general been sort of underwhelmed with the singles from Love Angel Music Baby, thinking, eh, they're not bad and I don't mind the pop, but they're not as exciting as they should be, but this is, well, bananas, as the song itself admits. Sure, the handclaps are great (and step-reminiscent), but if that Air-esque guitar didn't come in behind them, you'd never go "what the?" And then the big drum in the background really starts bending, marching band style, and then the synthy other stuff makes an appearance, and finally, the trombone. Yay! Think, um, "We Will Rock You" meets "We Like the Cars That Go Boom" with a pinch of Decemberists. Hey, Mezzy boys, could you just give me a heads up the next time you really hate something? That'll be my new guide to finding pop I like.

Movie Diary

1) Going Greek: Here is a lesson I will share with all of you. Just because Laura Harris is in a movie, that does not mean it will be good. It might, in fact, be awful. She might have lost a bet or something of the sort. This was terrible. Not the worst movie I've ever seen, but not worth anyone's time. The box says "Animal House meets American Pie," but the bit they cut from that is "if they both sucked really hard." Plot is often random (in a bad way), acting is vomitous, lighting is incredibly unflattering, gratuitous boobies are not even attractive (one pair was met with a loud "ew"; her nipples were about on her sides this boob job was so bad). It's also rather gay, which I'm not sure is their intention. And Chris Owen plays a douche again, which has got to be getting old for him.

2) The Grudge (American version): I wish I'd seen Ju-on a little more recently, so I'd have a better grasp than I do of exactly what elements are in the original and what's been added for the remake. I mean, I have somewhat of a grasp; I just wish it were better. But, long story short, I think this is a really successful remake and is probably at least equal to if not better than the original in some ways, though some of that feeling may be due to knowing what's going on a little better this time (i.e., I might also like the original better if I saw it a second time, since much of the time in between creepiness was spent going "who's that guy again? And how is this related to the rest of the plot?"). One reason is that it's easier to tell who the major characters are. Buffy is clearly going to be the star. Whereas, with the original, you don't figure it out until a while into the movie. Exposition is also clearer in this version, and the movie as a whole is a little tighter, which is definitely a good thing. And the scariness is retained pretty darn well; it might go a little more for jumps and a little less for atmosphere, but, hey, I like jumps. Maybe it's a good thing when you get to make the same movie twice. And also, yay! Ted Raimi! Also also, as discovered the first time around, it is fun to walk around the house making that creepy noise.

Don't make it so easy

Before anyone called them blogs, and before it became routine for anyone with an Internet connection to offer commentary on whatever topic they wished, Harry Knowles was making like Roger Ebert and Gene Shalit wrapped into one.

(from here) The old, more robust Ebert, of course. Not the new, svelte version.

TCB

She stopped cold. The food was gone--the blackened bananas and maculated pears, the tins of fish and moldy crackers and all the rest--and the table was a mess, and there was someone, a form, a shape, yes, huddled on the couch. A surge of pleasure shot through her--Someone's been tasting my porridge, she thought, Someone's been sleeping in my bed--and she eased through the door in silence, standing there with her back to the wall--just standing there--until the form on the couch became Hiro Tanaka. But he was different somehow. It took a moment before it came to her: he was clean. Free of Band-Aid flesh-colored strips, free of scratches and blotches and insect bites. And the soles of his feet, one set atop the other, were clean too--and unmarked. He was still wearing Irving Thalamus's Bermudas, his haunches glowing in the half-light with all the inchoate colors of the tropical spectrum, but he was wearing a new shirt, a generic gray shirt with what looked like a coat of arms emblazoned across the chest. She tilted her head to make out the legend: GEORGIA BULLDOGS.

[this was unexpected and delightful this a.m. on the bus; one of the things I really like about this book--East is East--is the way the Georgia setting feels real and inhabited, in a way it often doesn't even in movies]

Dang it. Wrong one.

Really, what's more important: preserving the concept of the international rule of law? Or making sure no one ever has to hear "How Am I Supposed to Live without You" again?

Hobbyhorse

1) Simpson indeed replaced. Knife in back cropped out of first photo? City Dope in the Flagpole covers this quite well (also the complications of even having a sign ordinance). The word is, I think, morass.

2) Is it me, or is this the axe-murderer-perspective in this photo?

3) Norwood ready to run against Barrow. Says Athens is no different from anywhere else except for the university. You mean, except for that incredibly massive and influential part of town? That's like saying Atlanta's no different from anywhere else except for the population. Also, Denny Hastert was in town, but the media were barred.

4) SB 270 awesome (according to Morris). Remember this, though? Can't tell how much it's been tweaked, if at all.

5) Don't enroll in too high a percentage, kids. Adams will put out a contract on Nancy McDuff like that [snap].

6) Brian Nichols already a verb?

7) Fency McFencerton!

"There are greater good things about the budget than bad things," said state Sen. Brian Kemp, R-Athens, alluding to the major budget cuts the state underwent in recent years due to sluggish economic conditions.

But that's not the best part of this article about the budget passing:

"You can't put all this pork into the budget and expect the public to believe this is a tight, well-crafted budget. The public can see through it," said state Rep. Tom Bordeaux, D-Savannah. "They want everybody else to tighten their belts, while at the same time they are loosening their belts and letting their pants down."

Boy howdy.

8) Photo ID to vote requirement passes. I don't favor it, but Vincent Fort's exaggerating a little when he says, "This is the most regressive civil rights legislation in more than 100 years in Georgia." Really, dude? Are you sure you want to say that?

9) Should those who don't pass the graduation test be paddled publicly?

10) Shipp looks at who benefited from the bills passed this session.

11) More mud-wrestling! Less Yarbrough! (I think the latter has the right to be as much of a dick as he wants, but I am in favor of the former.)

12) Hunter-Gault approves of the mural changes, but seems disconnected from what happened:

"I am pleased that the issue of the Center Myers exhibit has reached a conclusion, satisfactory to all -- another milestone in the growth and development of a unique institution and the magnificent students it serves," Hunter-Gault wrote in an e-mail to The Red & Black.

Satisfactory to all?

13) Are Honors classes an easy A? R&B does a poor job investigating. The answer, I can confirm from personal experience, is Yes with a capital Y.

[bugmenot ABH]

Police Blotter (a bag of strawberries edition)

Inefficent, we think:

Damage: On March 22, three residents of Flatrock Road reported someone damaged their mailboxes by hitting them with a large green trash can. Deputy David Burdett checked the trash can and found items that belonged to a resident of Porter Creek who was contacted and said he was unaware it had been stolen. It was valued at $250.

Teet!

Dispute: On March 23, Deputy Laura Teet was dispatched to a house on Overlook Drive near Bogart where a man said a woman was outside his home wouldn't leave. When Teet arrived, she saw a white Mercedes in the driveway and located the woman on the back deck. The woman was on her telephone talking to the man inside who wouldn't open the door. When she saw Teet, she told the man, "Did you call the police? I can't believe you called the police." Teet told her to hang up the phone and asked her why she was there. The woman, 52, said she was at home in Atlanta when the man, 45, called her. She said she got her dog, a suitcase and a bag of strawberries and drove to his home. A test for alcohol on the woman came out negative, so Teet advised the woman to leave. When Teet talked to the man, he explained he and the woman had dated for about five months when he found out she drank a lot, had a temper and control issues. Sometimes she would throw a "fit." He called her about 9:30 p.m. to break off the relationship at which point she got mad and hung up the phone. When she tried to call back, he wouldn't answer the phone, so he thought it was over. Around midnight she showed up at his front door, so he called the law. He said he's afraid she will continue to harass him.

This crime is definitely strange, but it's the name that required clipping:

Break-in: On March 26, a man said someone entered his car parked on Elder Heights Drive and apparently left behind a cellular phone. Several numbers were found on the phone which was turned over to investigator Gary Cool.

TAR-love!

OMG! OMG! Best episode ever? Quite possibly. I have this to say: there were total man tears on my part at the end, beginning with the footrace and really welling when Team Smith themselves kind of lost it on the mat. Again, as per baseball and Friday Night Lights and life itself, every time you are disappointed and beat down just makes the victory that does come, rarely, that much sweeter.

Ramber? What does it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world but lose his own soul? You dig? I understand it's a race. I am apt to yell "race!" at the TV screen as much as any one of you. But that was a bad thing. Would it have added too much time to your total to crack the window and yell a few insincere words of concern? Apparently so. I feel thoroughly free to hate you again.

Pop Quiz

What is weird about the tag line to this article?

Stop rewinding your "Buffy" tapes. "Veronica Mars" gives us an unflappable girl heroine, complex characters and a darkly realistic vision of high school -- and no wooden stakes.

I call bullshit

On places that are closed for Easter Monday. I might get pissed about not being able to buy shit on Easter itself, but at least that's a) a Sunday and b) a bigger holiday. Unless you're a church or retailer of religious goods, you better serve my ass on Easter Monday.

Hobbyhorse

1) Mural dispute resolved. AJC and R&B say two slightly different things. AJC seems to think the quote's just going to be placed in context and be smaller, while R&B thinks it's an entirely new quote. Latter is not as reliable as former but is located here and has pursued story with zeal, so that's who I'm favoring. This section is a mess, though:

Brandee Lattimore, president of the Black Affairs Council, said she was not offended by the quote in its original form, but supports the compromise reached through the changes.

She said she was worried, however, that the impact of the quote would be diminished by the modifications.

"I think it's a good compromise because it continues the discussion of racial issues," said Lattimore, a senior from Austell.

"We are hoping that (the display) does not seem diluted," she added. "(The phrase) was meant to be forceful when it was said to Hunter-Gault."

They seem to be putting words in her mouth. Correct words, I think, but not what she's expressing. Editorial opposes the change.

2) R&B discusses the increase in minority admissions. Lattimore gets quoted for the second time in a page.

3) 316 toll proposal dead. Not dead. Resting. Evil zombie that will take toll in brains.

4) Giese probably to be appointed to Simpson's spot today. Mayor and commission register a strong vote for "beholden." ABH smacks 'em for it.

5) Continual coverage of secrecy bills may be beating a dead horse, but the horse deserves it.

6) Four-lane part of Hawthorne will probably stay four lanes, at least if policy is taken into account.

7) Look, everyone loves pork. Just pass the dang budget already. And will the smoking ban pass in any form before the deadline? Lots of issues, including whether the weaker version would pre-empt stronger local versions.

8) More Tate letters.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Where are you tuning?

LD takes on those who accuse The Simpsons of shark jumping. What I want to know is: who are you people who don't watch the show? And what are you watching instead? Your fancy premium cable with cursing and boobies? I have had a standing date with the show every since I've had a TV (and before that, in high school, I had friends who would tape it and bring it in at Monday lunch for communal watching and giggling and sandwich eating). There are other shows I've given my loyalty to for a time, but none that's lasted as long as this one. Where am I Sunday nights at 8 o'clock? With my ass on my couch, that's where. What am I gonna do if the phone rings? You can leave a message, bitch. You should know what I'm doing.

Adding to the reviews (U.K.)

1) Michael Bublé, "Home" -- Vom. You have got to be something real special to get me interested in a ballad like this. My tastes have grown, and I can like a good amount of MOR stuff, but not this. 1. (playing on his site)

2) Lemar, "Time to Grow" -- I'd like to say this is an improvement on the previous, because there's no question Lemar has better hair than Bublé, but there's really nothing interesting about this ballad either. Very Disney over-the-credits. Can we go 1.5, because of the hair? (video at Lemar Online)

3) Studio B, "I See Girls" -- Could be sort of a "Baby Got Back"-type novelty hit. Not as catchy as that, but not totally awful. Really, it's just an excuse for a video packed with booty and cleavage, Monty-Python-inspired but tamer than that. A 3, because "Bust a Move" is way better if you want this kind of thing. (if you register, you can watch the bosominess here)

4) Nas feat. Quan, "Just a Moment" -- He can do better than this, though it's perfectly listenable. It's a little singy and a little sentimental. 5. (video here)

5) Mariah Carey, "It's Like That" -- It's really not bad, kind of like "Get Right" but a hair below in quality. On the other hand, the chorus keeps popping into my head, so that's a point in its favor. It's not the best Mariah Carey song I've ever heard, but it's up there. The beat is hot, but more could be done with it, and the video's lame. 6. (watchable on her site if you tell Mariah your birthday)

6) Do Me Bad Things, "What's Hideous" -- Nouveau soul meets nouveau hair metal, ends up sounding like Nikka Costa with guitars. Video is super-cute, especially the opening. Was that a guy carving meat? Song is no "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," but is entertaining enough. Another 6. (video on their site)

7) The Arcade Fire, "Laika" -- Like the rest of their stuff, it's inoffensive. I see why people like it (kind of). It's just not my thing. It's too romantic or something, and the swirliness just sounds like a million other things. If I were in high school, I might think it was awesome. The way the instruments are articulated is pretty good. 4. (listen here)

8) Estelle, "Go Gone" -- I should like this more than I do. Video is better than song, and not that song is bad, but I'm not getting very excited about it. Sort of Aretha if Aretha were less interesting. I guess it's retro that doesn't entirely work. Sure, sure, I'm all about the love, but the love's gotta do something to get my attention. 5. (video and audio at Estelle's site)

9) Kylie, "Giving You Up" -- Oh it's just so Kylie, all shiny and head-noddy. Not as good as "Can't Get You Out of My Head," but it'll be around for a while. Video defines "glamazon" in visual form. 6. (video is on Ultimate Kylie)

10) Rachel Stevens, "Negotiate with Love" -- How do you resist this? Love the James Bond guitars and the way the song shades into vague robot-voice-ness nearer the end. She is also an adorable piece of cheesecake. When the aliens come and ask us "what is this thing you call pop?" this might be a good choice to explain it. 8, but only because I'm leaving room for things that might be better. (video here)

Bored. Therefore, meme.

From Yelladog.

1) You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be? Something short and possibly in verse (enabling easier memorization). The old stand-by that will appear farther down, I think: Paradise Lost.

2) Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? What book nerd hasn't? I like Binx Bolling in The Moviegoer, though a lot of people don't.

3) The last book you bought is: I bought several a couple of weekends ago at yard sales in Atlanta: Atonement by Ian McEwen, the novel of Battle Royale (which I didn't know existed but has a fabulous cover, all red and black), and a battered copy of the AP style manual (I kind of have a style manual fetish).

4) Last Book You Read: Just finished the E.B. White (The Points of My Compass) that I had been posting on here. Also, My Antonia.

5) What are you currently reading? T.C. Boyle's East Is East, also previously mentioned.

6) Five books you would take to a deserted island: These have to be complicated and worth lots of rereading, but I won't cheat with a complete works of Shakespeare. Paradise Lost. Infinite Jest. Maybe some sort of Latin textbook to have something to do. The Faerie Queene. Um, suggestions for #5?

Hobbyhorse

1) AJC reviews what the new entirely Republican state government has accomplished or tried to. More disclosure for those in the General Assembly, less for everyone else? Driver's ed bill that would both require and fund it moving through GA. Electrobelts for defendants? Wrt redistricting, Barrow says he doesn't have a problem with his new district, just with those of others, which seems like a good example of the careful language the article focuses on. Some interesting stuff in this article on the Voter ID bill:

Burmeister argued that many minorities are smokers and wouldn't be able to buy cigarettes unless they already had some form of photo ID.

"I will make the contention that minorities, especially the poor community, smoke more and the elderly smoke more than your other classes," she said.

And this:

"The governor believes that voting is at least as important as seeing a rated-R movie, for which you also have to have an ID," Hedrick said.

Democrats note that seeing a movie, buying cigarettes or driving a car are privileges, unlike voting which is a guaranteed constitutional right.

ABH is annoyed with persistence of secrecy legislation.

2) People like to put signs in their yards.

3) Looks like we're going the slow but cheap route on 316.

4) Cold Case leads to racial justice?

5) Commission still working on that sign ordinance. Judge Simpson seems to have had a good reason for not showing up.

6) There is something about the sex offender registry that creeps me out to no end, on behalf of the sex offenders. And articles like the one in the ABH have this air hovering over them like "sex offenders shouldn't be allowed to live anywhere."

7) Braswell has a history of paying late reimbursements for cheerleading camps. This does seem to suggest that it didn't necessarily have anything to do with her firing this time around.

8) Hiring expectations are good for the next quarter. Too bad actual hiring hasn't kept pace.

9) Shipp thinks the Republican Party isn't thrilled it's stuck with Perdue in '06.

10) Oh, snap! Dr. Kraft disses Barrow. Paul Boeker wonders where he is allowed to be in ACC.

11) All kinds of letters in R&B. How far does free speech go? SGA kids hypocrites! What's more important, a diverse student body or a snazzy student center? Irony of anti-crosswalk letter on day student hit by car.

12) Anti-apathy column. Looky here, this project was going to happen whether students wanted it to or not. That's why most of them didn't vote. I didn't. I forgot. I don't call that inexcusable.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Adding to the reviews (U.S.)

1) Fat Joe "So Much More" -- Eh, "So Much More" seems pretty typical of a lot of NYC-based hip hop these days. Fat Joe doesn't have much style vocally, just sort of chugging forward in that very un-crunk way. The beat is kind of interesting but the song's all over the place, and not in a good way. It's here; it's there; now it's a different song; and none of it really has a hook. I don't hate listening to it, but a 6.2 is pretty high. I'd go for a 3 or 4. (Here on Launch; here on MTV; his official site may have it but wasn't loading

J Lo feat. Fat Joe, "Hold You Down" -- Um, "Jenny from the Block" but without the catchy tune. Sans Affleck, plus Fat Joe, and I hate to say anything positive about the former, but his presence was more appreciated. I call bullshit on J Lo still doing songs about her roots. We don't care. Are they really pals? Or just for the video? Fascinating shoes, occasional hotness, but the tune isn't worth anything. I'll be generous with a 3. [Jenny's site directs you to MTV to watch the video; you can hear the song at her place]

2) Hot Hot Heat, "Goodnight, Goodnight" -- Agreed that it's not as good as "Bandages" or some of the other songs off the last album, but I like those to begin with. Chorus is a winner. We know I'm a sucker for catchy. I'd give it a solid 6. [clipped on their site]

3) Destiny's Child, "Girl" -- This is okay, but I like the up-tempo stuff much better. The backing track is kind of cool with its evocation of Leone, but, much as I do my best not to listen to lyrics, all this sisterhood stuff is kind of yucky. If you're gonna do it, at least wrap it in an "Independent Women"-type beat. There really is over-singing here. In a few months, I'll probably find myself humming it and feel sort of dumb. I think the two 4's are accurate. [weirdly not on their official site, but on Launch]

4) Chevelle, "The Clincher" -- Ugh. Boring. Yelly, cliched vocals, bass from five years ago, video just needs a bee girl to complete 1990s throwback effect. What hook? Maybe a 2, if I'm in a good mood. (their site will direct you to MTV to watch the video and will play you a clip of the song itself, which may be all you need)

5) Jojo, "Not That Kind of Girl" -- Damn it, Jojo. I should not be liking your songs. Especially ones about saving it. I mean, ew. But whoever put that high "boop-boop" in and the fast little drums under the slower tempo of the song did a nice job, and she can sing, even if she's inclined to do runs like crazy. It's no "Baby, It's You," but I am starting to think I'd risk the embarrassment of having this CD in my collection. Somewhere in the range of 5 or 6, but with more positive feelings than the Stylus staff. (launches on her site when you choose "with sound")

6) Natalie, "Goin' Crazy" -- The dudes who say it's boring are right. I like plenty of corny R&B, and I say so. I hate to go for a 1 because it's listenable, but it's just so Movie Tunes. Yeah, a 1. (listen in Real or Windows Media, if you dare)

TCB

No, not taking care of business. T. Coraghessan Boyle He of the massive vocabulary and interests that span the globe. Have embarked upon East is East, which is set in Georgia, on a barrier island. Plot summary at the link. Anyway, it's the new choice for excerpts, since he's such a marvelous writer. Here we go:

For a long moment he watched it, afraid to move, his hand tensed at his side. The crab hunched there, unaware, water burbling through its lips--were those its lips?--and combing the stalks of its eyes with a single outsize claw. Hiro thought of the crab rolls his grandmother used to make, white flaking meat and rice and cucumber, and before he knew it he had the thing, a frenzy of snapping claws and kicking legs, and it was in his mouth. The shell was hard and unpleasant--it was like chewing plastic or the brittle skin of fluorescent tubes--but there was moisture inside and there was the thin salty pulp of the flesh, and it invigorated him. He sucked the bits of shell, ground them between his teeth and swallowed them. Then he looked for another crab.

Note: He hasn't eaten in a couple of days. Note also: Boyle doesn't use the serial comma, which is weird. I wonder if it's because this is a Penguin edition. And, elsewhere, he gets the use of "y'all" wrong, having a Southern character address a single person with it. Other than that, it has all been a dream so far.

Movie Diary

1) Mr. 3000: You could say, "My gosh, Hillary is easily charmed," and you would pretty much be right, but dang it, I was. Not that this movie doesn't have flaws, but it gets some little things very right, especially about baseball. Small example: when T-Rex comes to the plate, there is a shot of the electronic scoreboard/video screen, and his picture is extremely out of date in that he has no facial hair in it but he does in the present. This should be familiar to anyone who is anything of a baseball fan at all. And they do not skimp on sausage race stuff; the Brewer himself also appears briefly, celebrating after a homerun, but not actually shown going down the slide. Also, it was really about time Bernie Mac got a role suited to his talents. I'm a fan, but he's been sub-par in most appearances in movies (very much like he's delivering his lines, not inhabiting the character). He's damn good in this. And so is Angela Bassett (although her face is stretched tight enough to present a somewhat Asian appearance). It's kind of grown-up is maybe the best way to describe it.

2) Jack's Back: Had been really wanting to see this for a while and was pleased to find out it was stashed in the "action" section of Hollywood Video. Howevs, though it's a passable thriller, they really wuss out on the whole Jack the Ripper plot. Mr. Brown pointed out that he thought they'd at least take a while to figure out what was going on, but the movie opens with an explanation of the fact that these killings parallel the original murders 100 years earlier. Lame! Includes gratuitously revealing shot of James Spader in briefs (Did I just see that? I know I did) and new info on the sneaker brand that's the choice of evil--it's Saucony, so's you know. End completely sucks in that logic is disregarded completely.

3) Tell Me Something: Korean detective thriller with tons of blood. It's the sort of movie I might get a bit better the second time around but am too lazy to bother with repeating. There are lots of moments where you think, "How did they figure that out? Did I miss something? Or did they just not show me?" Because sometimes it's one, and sometimes it's the other. It can be a bit annoying. But such is life when one is into the Asian film scene. End is confusing. The bloody stuff is great, both humorous and stylish (the bit where a bag of body parts in a packed elevator is burst open by a couple of kids playing with a shopping cart is definitely a highlight). Also, Tower Records in Korea look just the same as they do here.

So much more fun

Than the name would lead you to believe. Why isn't Georgia hopping on the bandwagon?

Big in 05: Women hitting women. Dudes kissing dudes. I see a pattern emerging. [found at]

Hobbyhorse

1) HB 340 (donor secrecy) & 347 (personal info secrecy of state employees, anti-union) pass the senate. Our boy Kemp votes confirmedly in favor of the former (of course) and presumably the latter. Back to the house, then to get signed. AJC explains why the modifications aren't that helpful. Kemp and Kidd should read that piece, judging from their optimistic quotes in the R&B. ABH screws up the difference between discreetly and discretely in its piece (though you could read it with either meaning).

2) MNS covers slog of budget negotiation and has this Onion-worthy line: "The House is on their second day of 'siesta' time," said Johnson, using the Spanish word for "nap."

3) Mauldin hoo-ha over with?

4) Commission is still holding closed-door meetings about reappointment (or, more likely, not) of Judge Simpson and others, delaying response to open-records requests.

5) If I were the Habitat Thrift Store, I'd be egging some legislators' cars. If I could afford to buy eggs, that is. It's understandable that Athens-Clarke County needs all the tax revenue it can get, but this just makes them look like assholes.

6) ABH editorial says Perdue should sure as shit not be using HOPE funds for what is basically a campaign commercial. Good call. This is a pretty tightly focused piece, and it's hard to see how many people could disagree with the point made.

7) Letter complains ABH scolded all ACC representatives to GA for not getting bills through when it really is a result of the unanimity rule editorialized on yesterday.

8) Adams thinks the university will be much better off in '06, provided the current version of the budget passes.

After the meeting, Adams said if the governor's budget passes as it currently stands, the budget would allow the University to hire 60 new faculty and 100 new graduate assistants as well as provide health insurance for graduate teaching assistants and addressing stagnation in faculty raises.

The health insurance possibility will be an interesting one to watch, as the graduate student association has been trying to get this done for years. Surely it can't be that easy. Oh...

Adams added the projected hiring would be conditional on the budget passing in its current form and a "reasonable tuition increase."

Loophole located.

9) Regents have to approve the $25 fee increase. Could very well not do so or modify the amount. Some letters from students.

10) As far as deadpan coverage of street preachers goes, this is not bad at all. Enlarge the photo to see who all's going to Hell.

11) Student hit by truck. Screamed, apparently.

12) Don't like dead babies? T. effin' S., kids. Also, apathy is legal, last checked. And, in the Opinion Meter, Prezzie gets wished Happy B-Day--mee-yow.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

E.B.W.

I'm a firm believer in the system of having private enterprise support public utterance; advertising is the safest and best foundation for free speech. It is also diverting and instructive in itself, being the showcase for our national dream, and people like to study advertising, provided they do so of their own free will. Advertising becomes objectionable and irritating only when it gets the upper hand, and that is exactly what it has got in television. The basic design of the medium is somehow defective. [from "The Shape of Television"; White's suggestion is that there be two screens, one running only shows, one running only ads, and you could have them both going at the same time, so that your attention could be focused on whatever you preferred and so that no program would have a particular sponsor; in short, he wants to make it more like magazines or TV, in which the whole of the advertising supports the whole of the content]

WWJDNN?

I mean, seriously. I know it's Holy Week and all that, but CNN should hurry up on filing on those forms to change its name to the "I Love Jesus Network" before someone else jumps on it. The piece they aired earlier today on how the MTV is all about God now had me yelling at the TV. It's not new that popular musicians can be religious and occasionally mention their spiritual leanings in songs. It's not new that it mixes weirdly with commercialism. It is strange to suggest that the commercial motive was the really important for R. Kelly with U Saved Me. The whole piece was just incredibly off-base, in that mix of pandering and out-of-touch-ness and just desperately trying to pad something into a story that is really very CNN.

Opineneers

Re The Office (Americano): It is okay. The original took a while to get the hang of too. Carell is excellent. The Gareth is not bad. The Tim is much too good-looking and makes me think 1) of the American pilot remaking Red Dwarf mentioned earlier and 2) of the Simpsons episode where Moe gets plastic surgery (caught recently in syndication), with the line in his soap-opera auditioning flashback about "I meant TV ugly, Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island ugly, not ugly ugly." It's just harder for attractive dudes to convey insecurity. The Dawn is hard to tell on. Anyway, the real test will come in an episode where we do not know the jokes and the plot, but they didn't wuss and opt for a laugh track.

Hello, hello

I do apologize for the lack of advance notice wrt my brief absence, children. I have been trying (and trying and trying) to get the USPS to deliver me these two god damn parcels that my aunt insured before mailing to me, since they contain some sort of heirlooms from grandparents. And I have taken two Friday mornings off in succession after requesting on the little "sorry we missed you" card they put in the mailbox that they deliver these on those particular dates. The first time, the notice was short, and so I was only mildly annoyed. This time? When I went out to the box at 10:45 or so only to discover the mail was there and included was another "sorry we missed you" card, conniption ensued. Motherfuckers! The only reason you missed me is that you were too lazy to get out of your truck and ring the doorbell (the mailbox is on the other side of the street from the house). I was here, damn it. Do I have to camp out with a snare? I am not normally that apt to bitch about the inefficiencies of government--the post office generally works pretty well--but if they don't deliver these on Saturday, I think steam may very well come out my ears.

Things you would not think are awesome, but kind of are

Much like the "hey white people" incident of a few months back, it is pretty awesome to go to a marisqueria and be told, not in a mean way, more with a kind of pleasant surprise, "you people usually don't order this stuff. You usually order the tacos and the quesadillas [etc.]" Yes, we usually do.

Is it strange to get a sort of pleasure out of being racially stereotyped?

Hobbyhorse

1) For ever-mother-loving-fuck's sake. Commission to vote on the change April 5. Here's how it'll go: David Lynn will vote against it. McCarter will complain about unenforceability. Some commissioners will express concern about consistency of laws, e.g., they should apply to everyone. Ridiculous hypotheticals will be brought up. It will end up being tabled pending the results of a study. If we're lucky.

2) Looky, here's an example of a possibly inappropriate relationship that would be shielded by the donor secrecy bill. This whole passage is mind blowing:

The Georgia Tech Foundation did not comply with the newspaper's request for the names of corporations or foundation board members who donated money. Instead, it furnished stacks of annual reports that do not identify corporate donors.

The requested records were released Friday by the Georgia Tech president's office.

President Wayne Clough decided to release the records because "it was the right thing to do," spokesman Bob Harty said. "We have nothing to hide."

John Carter, the foundation's president and chief operating officer, would not comment on the newspaper's request or whether the foundation believes it is subject to the Georgia Open Records Act.

"We're taking the advice of our attorneys not to say anything about this at this time," he said.

Carter did not respond to repeated telephone calls and e-mails after an interview Monday.

Except for that stuff they're, um, hiding.

3) It would make sense for Bike Athens to be on the MACORTS board, if only because paying 20 percent of the cost of the Milledge project is better than paying all of it.

4) Democrats launch web ad attacking Perdue for using HOPE funds for website. Caught it on the AJC website the other day. Article could describe the ad more. I could too, if I'd been taking notes. AJC also covers in more depth.

5) Tate thing goes through. About 55 percent vote yes. R&B article seems happy about it(?) and has very grown-up-looking photo of Willie Banks. Apparently, the fact only 10 percent of the student body voted means we're all apathetic losers. Or something... I wasn't paying that much attention.

6) ABH editorial focuses on weird legislation requiring delegates to GA General Assembly to be united behind any piece of legislation presented. Opposes it.

7) People noticed Barrow's Schiavo vote. Someone else doesn't understand the concept of an editorial.

8) UGA to allow cameras in meetings. How magnanimous of them. It's not like they have to or anything. What does Hazinski think?

In his e-mail response to Shewmaker's e-mail, Hazinski wrote that referring to opening the meeting as a "courtesy" is further evidence the administration doesn't believe all business should be conducted openly, but he also wrote he is "heartened" that they agree to abide by the law and allow video cameras in future open meetings.

9) One student equates the anti-abortion display to propaganda and suggests that such is not free speech (Oy), another says "use your turn signals," and the last complains that crosswalk signs are a waste of money. Good to us getting back to the important issues.

10) SGA sucks. Things haven't changed.

11) R&B discovers the latest thing in dining. It's called brunch. You say it's a combination of what two words? Fascinating.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Climbing

Dude. It rocks when my blog subtitle turns out to be accurate. "Ghetto Superstarz" presumably to be next single, rule TRL for weeks.

Singles writers unsteady

Is it suppressed aggression or just a typo that PF refers to Jesse McCartney as "She" in the first word of their review of "Beautiful Soul"? Also, the comparison to diet soda is completely off:

If anything, it's like diet soda--relatively harmless, only one calorie if that, might give you gas if you chug it too hard, but will otherwise do no more than momentarily tickle your throat on the way down and make you pee in about two hours.

Diet soda is the fuel for the American economy, the invention that allows one to combine caffeine and bubbles without paying the price sugar normally exacts. It allows for excess. Jesse McCartney only wishes he were as great as diet soda.

They also, of course, dig the Ted Leo "Since U Been Gone"*:

Some might say Leo's surrendering his ethics here by covering Kelly Clarkson; I'd say he's putting himself ahead of the pack.

If by "ahead of the pack," you mean "months and months behind the pack." It is cute, though, to end with "it's just the melody that matters." See, kids? It might be working.

*Sidebar: The current best part of this song is the "I even fell for this stupid love song" bit, which is delivered perfectly and which I keep wondering about the self-referentiality of.

Word of the Day

TarshiBar. You think you know, but you have no idea.

E.B.W.

One of the most time-consuming things is to have an enemy. The fox is mine. He wants to destroy my form of society--a society of free geese, of Bantams unconfined. So I react in the natural way, building up my defenses, improving my weapons and my aim, spending more and more time on the problem of supremacy. This morning the wolf and the fox compete for my attention; I am a hunter divided against himself. Either animal could slip easily through my guard while I am thinking about the other. When I realize what a vast amount of time the world would have for useful and sensible tasks if each country could take its mind off "the enemy," I am appalled. I shot a fox last fall--a long, lucky shot with a .22 as he drank at the pond. It was cold murder. All he wanted at that moment was a drink of water, but the list of his crimes against me was a long one, and so I shot him dead, and he fell backward and sank slowly into the mud. [from "A Report in Winter"; this makes it sound a bit like White is a pacifist, but there are many essays reflecting on the UN and disarmament in this book, and he's not particularly in favor of either]

Excerpting

It is a shame that Margaret Talbot's New Yorker profile of Scalia isn't up on their site (there is a Q&A with the author), as it does make even a pinko like myself respect the guy's intellectual ferocity, but here's the bit that made me snort on the bus this a.m.:

[Christine] Jolls, who was Scalia's liberal clerk in teh 1996-97 term, fondly recalls Scalia as "a prince to work for." She said, "He would always report back to us about the conferences the Justices have after oral arguments. Most of the Justices don't share that information with their clerks. But Justice Scalia would always block out time to give us a blow-by-blow. He thought we deserved to know. And he'd, in a genial way, do impersonations of the other Justices that were very funny."

Who doesn't want to see that?

Two in two days

That is, pieces of music news that make me excited. Two questions:

1) When in fuck is Glastonbury?

2) Is it a strange feeling to be enthusiastic about the content of something and highly amused at the form at the same time? ("their classic fourth album"?)

E.B.W.

For twenty-five years car makers have foolishly purused two false and seductive ideas: first, that the stature of man is decreasing; second, that the way to create beauty is to turn the matter over to a style department after consulting a few motivational-research monkeys and a covey of social psychologists. Everyone should know that the stature of man is not decreasing . . . , and anyone who has eyes in his head should know that beauty is the child of truth, not to be had by last-minute scheming and conniving. I do not recall ever deeing a properly designed boat that was not also a beautiful boat. Purity of line, loveliness, symmetry--these arrive mysteriously whenever someone who knows and cares creates something that is perfectly fitted to do its work, whether the object is a grain scoop, a suspension bridge, or a guillotine. Nobody styled the orb web of a spider, nobody styled the sixteen-foot canoe. Both are beautiful, and for a common reason: each was designed to perform a special task under special conditions. I think it would be impossible to build a thoroughly honest and capable motorcar, correctly designed to meet the conditions a car must meet, and have it turn out to be anything but good-looking. But the method used in Detroit is to turn some engineers loose in one room and some stylists in another room, while the motivational pixies scamper back and forth whispering secrets in everybody's ear, and after months of such fooling and plotting and compromising and adjusting, then out comes the new automobile, and no wonder it carries the telltale marks of monstrosity on its poor tortured body. In many cases it looks as though the final licks had been given it by a group of emotionally disturbed children. [from "The Motorcar"]

Hobbyhorse

1) AJC's Gwinnett Insider ripping Perdue for not funding shit he ostensibly supports.

2) Braswell: getting the fuck out of Dodge. ABH also covers.

3) Dear lord. Hopefully the judge in the case will hand down a ruling of a kick in the ass. (ABH thinks so too.)

4) Athens-area counties growing like mad. Most people seem willing to commute 45 minutes to work.

5) Looks like another amendment tacked on to the smoking ban bill that passed the house: "The House also amended the bill to exempt private rooms in restaurants and bars, provided that such rooms are enclosed and have separate ventilation systems." Kidd quoted:

"The Libertarian in me wants to stay out of this altogether, but I do believe the risk of second-hand smoke is important and we should do something about it," said Rep. Jane Kidd, D-Athens, who voted for the bill.

Secondhand smoke from sparklers, howevs, as you'll see farther down the page, is totally cool.

6) Shipp dishes on Reed. Plagiarism, you say? Enron? Gambling? Etc.? Tell me more.

7) Letters page suffering from massive sarcasm.

8) Tate: sort-of overview. R&B talks to students about it. Points out that the university could make quite a bit of money off the deck and retail spaces. More opinions on the matter, pro, con, and in favor of voting, either way.

9) More fussing about the abortion display at Tate.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Brain working slowly

Really, we should so be able to think of a Spiderman joke to go along with this story. [bugmenot]

Renaming

Project Greenlight, I hereby christen thee: Everyone in Hollywood is an Asshole. Yes, Gulager is socially inept--painfully shy, bad and unspecific at communication, can't gauge a situation to save his life, doesn't understand there are better ways to get what he wants than just being stubborn--but there are routes around this. Is there a rule that says the executive producer and the writers are only allowed to communicate with one another through the director? Or one that says the director and only the director is responsible for the tone of the film (i.e., he can't film the tone that's in the script)? Why do producing folk have to be such douchebags when it comes to direct and simple communication, e.g., "This is what I need from you. Can you do that for me?" Why is it necessary to play games with money when Dimension no doubt spends more than $5 mill on pretty much every movie it makes, none of which are guaranteed to do well at the box office either?

TAR-working my nerves

Look, Ramber, I'll give you credit for admitting you're the luckiest team ever, but could you cut it out? If it's luck, why the gloating? Of the three teams fighting for last, I really would've been happier if either of the other two had been eliminated, as I kind of liked Susan & Patrick, despite their whining and the latter's defeatist attitude. On the other hand, the amusement from Ray saying things like he refuses to be beaten by a 70-year-old man at anything, even checkers, may balance out his horribleness. And next week, blood! (To quote a bit of Willa Cather, "I looked forward to any new crisis with delight.") The lesson learned, on the whole, is that one probably should not eat the meat.

Police Blotter (the triumphant return)

Some weeks, not much funny happens. But other weeks, nothing funny happens. It makes us appreciate even the slow times when we undergo a drought. Anyway...

Theft: On March 17, a resident of Price Mill Road reported someone stole an elk decoy and damaged his mailbox. The decoy is gray and brown, with a broken nose, no feet and one antler missing. It is valued at $650.

Really?

Arrest: On March 20, Deputy Scott Underwood was running radar on U.S. Highway 441 near Lavista Drive when he clocked a car going 65 mph. Underwood took the suspect to jail for drunken driving tests after smelling alcohol on the man, but a series of problems caused him to set up the intoximeter three times. Then an emergency call came in for a fight at Arbor Glen Mobile Home Park. When Underwood returned to the jail, he decided not to pursue the tests because so much time had elapsed. John Presley Cown, 39, of River Run, Bishop, was charged with speeding and given a verbal warning about drinking and driving.

Included largely for comedy value of "intoximeter."

Note to sidebar

All. Do notice the presence of Incredibly Strange over there. Brand, spanking new and already jam-packed with crazy-ass movie reviews. What greeted me upon my first visit? This entry, on one of my favorite movies (so favorite Team Brown owns both the DVD and the CD soundtrack). Much happiness.

Don't forget "son of a"

While I think it's kind of neat that Heffernan's digging into the changing meaning of the word "bitch," it's a) a little late and b) a little limited (cf. Dawg Speak, where you can run a search on it). I also wouldn't attribute it to TV. TV is mostly the disseminator of changes in the language rather than the originator. Is it really just an excuse to write about The O.C. again? [bugmenot]

Hobbyhorse

1) Cyclists decide they'd like the cheapest of three options as far as adding bike lanes to Milledge, but I still don't think it'll pass the commission because of the increased local cost due to its no longer being designated a state road if the change goes through. Letter writer Huffy (heh).

2) Is Jennifer Moore trying to make the Tate expansion vote seem absurd? If so, she is doing a fab job of it. Short version: students who do have an opinion but don't usually vote in student government elections think they probably won't vote; students who do usually vote but don't have an opinion probably will vote. Confusion continues on budgeting matters. R&B encourages "no" votes. Guest editorial from current Union pres has opposite take.

3) Redistricting passes senate. Barrow doesn't think he'll face Norwood. This means he's abandoning Athens? Or do I read it incorrectly.

4) Some form of smoking ban sure to pass in Georgia, even if it's one that doesn't ban smoking anywhere.

5) Voter ID bill modified slightly, to allow provisional ballots if voters return within 48 hours with a picture ID. Better than nothing, but still largely horseshit. Also this:

Also against the photo ID requirement is the state's top elections official, Democratic Secretary of State Cathy Cox, who told lawmakers Monday there isn't a problem with people impersonating others at the polls. Voting fraud, she said, is typically done through absentee ballots, and photo IDs still would not be required there.

You mean it's either useless grandstanding or a way of blocking minority voters at the polls? Naw...

6) You know what else would help? Opening up the medians.

7) ABH editorial notes that the Schiavo bill is merely Republican flexing, informs us that our own Mr. Barrow voted in favor of it.

8) Citizen Neal A. Priest tells us the many ways Charlie Norwood is an asshole.

9) Weekly sweet-natured ramblings.

10) Augh. We want a full story to go with this picture, which merely tantalizes.

11) R&B covers how transit fare hike would affect student fees.

12) The creepy abortion = genocide folks were all over the Tate Plaza yesterday with their posters. It is pointed out that it might not have been in the best taste, an argument that unfortunately doesn't usually work. Letters on the subject.

[bugmenot ABH]

Chlunderful

That is how it feels to have Mary Lynn Rajskub back, however brief her stay may be. Sure, Edgar is doing his best to provide that heady mix of technical competence and social awkwardness, but the champ just put her gloves back on. The best moment of the entire episode was Chloe's face after the call from Michelle, which involved mucho bitchiness on both sides. She looked pouty and puffy as usual, and then this hint of a smile flickered in the depths. Yay! Chloe wants to come back and kick some ass.

Rock! (Rock)

You know how I don't go to arena shows? I would consider going to this one if it materialized in Atlanta. [via]

OSIS 2.0 (the ATL)

Oh shit I saw:

Brody Dalle

Current girlfriend of Queens front man Josh Homme. Elliott invited me up to 99x to sit in on the Queens interview Saturday and unbeknownst to anyone…Brody showed up too. She was really fucking cool and down to earth AND very easy to talk to. Not to mention about 4000% hotter in person than she was in any picture/music video I saw of her.

E.B.W.

My mom is in the process of looking for a new house and, as such, pondering how to get rid of all the stuff that has accumulated over the years. This passage is appropriate.

It is not possible to keep abreast of the normal tides of acquisition. A home is like a reservoir equipped with a gate valve: the valve permits influx but prevents outflow. Acquisition goes on night and day--smoothly, subtly, imperceptibly. I have no sharp taste for acquiring things, but it is not necessary to desire things in order to acquire them. Goods and chattels seek a man out; they find him even though his guard is up. Books and oddities arrive in the mail. Gifts arrive on anniversaries and fete days. Veterans send ball-point pens. Banks send memo books. If you happen to be a writer, readers send whatever may be cluttering up their own lives; I had a man once send me a chip of wood that showed the marks of a beaver's teeth. Someone dies, and a little trickle of indestructible keepsakes appears, to swell the flood. This steady influx is not counterbalanced by any comparable outgo. Under ordinary circumstances, the only stuff that leaves a home is paper trash and garbage; everything else stays on and digs in. [from "Goodbye to 48th Street"]

Movie Diary

Jeez, sorry to be grouchy again, but The Forgotten was lame. Opted for the extended edition with alternate ending, then checked the theatrical ending to see if lameness was reduced. It was not. If I wanted some meditation on the power of the mother-child bond, I would have watched Nanny 911. Oh wait. I did. So it's pretty good-looking and mostly classy and Julianne Moore does one of her better jobs for the most part (I like the bit when she's attempting to wake up Dominic West, and she swats him on the ass like he's a kid because, well, she's just such a mom). But it's not scary, it's not suspenseful, it's not all that dramatic, and by a certain point, you do just sort of want it to be over, much like the later X-Files episodes focusing on Scully that it reminds me of.

Jeopardy

A. "Have you seen that [pointing to box of Chronicles of Riddick]?

Q. What is by far the best and cutest question my mom, connoisseur of Middle-Eastern movies of all types and general film fanatic (but also Vin Diesel lover), asked me this weekend. No, adorable mother. Not yet.

OSIS 2.0

1) This will be the second entry of the day.

2) NYC- and elsewhere-based sightings now totally acceptable, though Athenian ones may be met with excessive excitement.

Friday night 8:30 pm Broadway and 80th St., Kevin Nealon with his wife and another couple trying to get into an already closed Zabar's (an upscale supermarket). Kevin was giving this couple a tour of NYC and explained that in Zabar's it's the whole atmosphere, the smells, the presentation, etc. that make it so awesome. He's really tall.

Oh Shit I Saw (NYC/Myrtle Beach edition)

Since none of you Athenians are keeping your eyes peeled enough, we have another entry from an out-of-towner (or ex-towner?). Two, in fact.

Friday afternoon, 3:00 pm, Moonstruck Diner, SW corner of 9th and 23rd - Ms. Lorrane Bracco. Talking on a cell phone, having the soup.
THE GREATEST SIGHTING YET (for me):
Thursday, 10:00 a.m. Myrtle Beach International Airport, near Gate 5. I saw an African-American gentlemen approaching indeterminate age. He was wearing a large clock on a string around his neck. I thought "That dude thinks he's Flavor Flav." No, it was Flavor Flav!!!!! This was confirmed by a hot black chick who went up to him, got an autograph, and kissed him. I was intimidated, but went by and gave him a "Yeahhh, Boyyeee!" and slapped him five. I have no idea what he was doing in the Myrtle Beach airport. No Bridgette.

Hobbyhorse

1) Gwinnett State College will not be as cool as UGA, says AJC columnist. i.e., Those students who had been enrolled at the UGA at Gwinnett program will be losing the name recognition of UGA. But it seems to me that the Gwinnett program really hadn't earned the right to tag graduates with the UGA label. It's about not diluting the brand name or something.

2) Study of open records laws nationwide finds Georgia about average, which bodes awesomely for the future.

3) Mandatory minimums have yet another drawback.

4) All of you who didn't already hate cyclists in Athens now have a new reason to.

5) Study shows land zoned residential in ACC is mooching? Concludes with this:

Commissioners realize the importance of mixing prices and types of development, local affordable housing experts said.

"We don't want to go after only the high-end market, but we also don't want Athens to be seen as low-income housing," said Rob Trevena, program manager at the Athens-Clarke Housing and Economic Development department.

Most starter homes in Athens sell for about $150,000 - far less than the break-even point that the study likely will find.

Housing classified as affordable by HED is about $80,000, Trevena said. Heather Benham of Athens Land Trust put the figure at $50,000 to $75,000.

6) Summation and grading of what legislature has done so far on education this session.

7) Is this just an attempt to get more letters? Or is the ABH that concerned about high gas prices? Oy, and Jim's own personal column questioning the logic of Ashley Smith's good samaritan-ness will draw even more.

8) On the other hand, the phrase "stratospheric levels of goofiness," as appearing in their column mocking Mauldin, is fab.

9) Shipp sounds like he hasn't been to downtown Atlanta in a long time, but his assessment of the need for reform in Atlanta's public safety system is probably not entirely wrong.

10) Walter Jones, of MNS, seems to think all the hoopla about the voter fraud bill was just grandstanding. I'd say a little of this and a little of that.

11) R&B is back post-Spring break and harping on the donor secrecy bill again. Cheers.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Seethe

That was the reaction to Jeffrey Goldberg's a-holish piece in The New Yorker on how the Democrats can make themselves look tougher. The answer, apparently, is "agree with violations of international law," and the article is clearly one place where all the hoo-ha over "is Bush's plan for exporting democracy working?" must have been coming from. I think it's extremely poorly written and simplistic, as in this bit with Biden, who is the focus of the whole:

Biden says that a “small faction” of the Party is mistrustful of even the occasional use of force. “There are some really bright guys and women in my party who underestimate the transformative capability of military power, when coupled with a rational policy that is both preventative and nation-building in nature,” he said. He told me about a recent visit to Los Angeles, where he met with a group of wealthy liberals and laid out the following scenario: “Assume you’re the President, and I’m your Secretary of Defense or State or C.I.A. director, and I come to you and tell you we know where bin Laden is, he and four hundred of his people, and they’re in this portion of Pakistan the Pakistanis won’t go into, and they told us not to go in. This is going to cost us five hundred to five thousand lives, of our soldiers, but we can get him. What do you do?” Biden said they had no answer. “The truth is, they put their heads down,” he said.

Dude. Dude! Not everyone thinks capturing a fella who's 1) a figurehead, 2) a venture capitalist of sorts more than a CEO, and 3) considerably reduced in whatever amount of power he had is worth 5,000 lives. I am an admitted pacifist, but one doesn't have to be so to disagree with the cost-benefit ratio Biden presents as acceptable.

Lesson of the day

Never bet against laziness.

Adding to the reviews (UK edition)

1) Concur on the suckiness of "Candy Shop," less because lyrics are stupid (which they are), and more because it is draggy to the point of being boring. Macpherson is right to get annoyed with people who review the persona, but wrong about the song being good. If you like slow, unsexy, un-danceable hip hop, then it might be the song for you. Stress: might.

2) The Subways, "Oh Yeah" (video here)-- Meh. It is unobjectionable, but unexceptional.

3) Natalie Imbruglia, "Shiver" (clip here) -- Sort of catchy in the way "Torn" was or "This Kiss" is. You will feel guilty if you find yourself humming it because it's not actually that good, but neither is it totally terrible.

4) Tom Vek, "I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes" (video here) -- This is just sort of an example of what's big right now: high, slightly distorted vocals over cymbal-heavy drums in post-punk fashion. Have not generally been big on the "dance punk" stuff because it's not so much my kind of dancing it provokes. The average of 4.8 is higher than I would rate it.

5) Mario, "Let Me Love You" (launches clip here; full under "media") -- O'Reilly rightly gives props to the "bendy sound," but even though I'm a fan of the slow jamz in general, Mario hasn't really done it for me in general. His voice is a bit, erm, Daft Punk in many ways (that is, too computerized by the studio, unless he is also part robot). And the beat is uncreative. Too subtle. Not crazy. This also averages higher than I'd rank it.

6) British Sea Power, "It Ended on an Oily Stage" (video and audio here, if you register) -- Britty and uninteresting, but competent. Seems like the sort of thing that some people get extremely into, and it is incomprehensible where their passion for it comes from. A 5 might be about fair.

7) Million Dead, "Living the Dream" -- Haven't been able to locate it.

8) Erasure, "Don't Say You Love Me" (here) -- Dude. This is mighty cute, including the video. Not their best, but by far the best song mentioned so far. You know how Tom Vek = not my kind of dance? This is much closer to it. Pleasant enough indeed. That seems like it should be an insult, but not from my perspective.

9) Dizzee Rascal, "Off to Work" -- Already covered.

10) The Faders, "No Sleep Tonight" (here) -- British Donnas? No. Because The Donnas pull off rocking. I can see a similar harmony in the vocals, but this is a much thinner sound, with weak-ass guitars. I think I like my girl pop-punk overproduced in a different way. I wouldn't go as low as 3, but then again, maybe I would.

11) Fischerspooner, "Just Let Go" (here) -- God. Snooze. And I like disco. 6.5? Not a chance. 2 or 3, more likely.

12) Roots Manuva, "Too Cold" (see video here) -- The repetitive rhymes end up being boring, and I don't think his style is incredible, but at the same time, it's very listenable indeed. The instrumental has enough interest to it to keep one's ear hooked. Not, on the whole, as good as the Dizzee Rascal, which is probably the best of these twelve tunes.

Movie Diary

1) Baadasssss!: Unimpressive. It's just sort of all over the place and without all that much energy. I find it kind of hard to believe how much some people liked this. Not because it's terrible but because it's not that exciting and doesn't add up to particularly much. It seems more interesting with all the added detail of circumstances, what with Mario playing his dad and all, but considered on its own is weirdly unrealistic-seeming for something based on a true story, not to mention low-rent, which may be an homage to the original but comes off as unprofessional.

2) 13 Going on 30: Even after reading lots of relatively positive reviews, I was still pleasingly surprised by how charming this was. The end is pat and there are plenty of unrealistic scenes, but the difference between this and the former is that, in a cute comedy that doesn't purport to reflect reality, it's not that important to have all your moments feel true to life. Garner is adorable, with perfect body language throughout maybe 90 percent of the movie; I may make fun of her limited range of facial expressions wrt Alias, but she is winning. There is something about her openness that eventually leads to one liking her quite a lot. And, of course, Ruffalo is his own wonderful self; i.e., if there's anything hotter than Ruffalo pure, it's Ruffalo playing a character who used to be a fat kid who listened to Talking Heads.

3) Saw: Arg. Great idea. As far as execution, it's good about half the time and really awful some of the time, especially toward the end, though the very very end is pretty cool before you start asking a million questions (like, "isn't so and so going to come back?" and "why did he do that thing that gave him his nickname?" and "huh?"). There's a neat little puzzle set up, but then it degenerates into running and shooting and grunting and people behaving like total idiots, which is annoying and makes one actively wish for their deaths. There are also a few relatively creepy bits, but they're interspersed with some hammy acting by Elwes, who goes back and forth in quality about as much as the film as a whole does (there are some bits where his American accent slips really badly). It is, on the whole, definitely more interesting than your average Fincher rip-off.

Crew, please. I'm at work, you know.

I may have to start fanning myself agitatedly if this discussion of pants and their relative tightness continues...

Hobbyhorse

1) Possible merging of Board of Regents health plan with State health plan despite "no benefit to combining the two health plans." Don't know details yet.

2) Have not been reporting on the Ken Mauldin office situation because it manages to be both unimportant and exactly the right amount of ridiculousness not to be all that interesting. If they end up cuffing him and there are pictures, rest assured: it will appear here.

3) Less money to go around from grants means the Commission has to make decisions. Also, McCarter is the one pointing out, wrt transit fare increase, that the actual riders of the bus approved of the fees when polled.

4) ABH explains why the hotel-motel tax bill should've been introduced, but is a bit harsh in conclusion:

Simply put, by failing to comply with the commissioners' repeated requests for the hotel-motel tax legislation, the legislative delegation is failing to address an issue of importance to the community they were elected to serve. That failure ought to be remembered when those legislators - particularly Reps. Keith Heard, Jane Kidd and Bob Smith, who serve in the House of Representatives where revenue bills must originate - start asking next year for the votes they need to return to the General Assembly.

5) Public health folks favor reporting of students' height and weight in an ABH forum. Am not really sure how informing people that they're fatties will help the problem, which would be better served by advocating for increased phys-ed time and dollars.

[bugmenot ABH]

No, no. Five by five, not 5.5.

Stylus U.S. singles crew disses R. Kelly with a mere 5.5 for "Sex in the Kitchen" this week. There are two separate mentions of "parody," but neither seems to think Robert knows what the hell he's doing. I'll grant that he may not, considering the McDonald's incident, but I'm always inclined to give him credit for self-awareness, erring more toward savant than idiot.

I christen thee Andruw "Pineapples" Jones for the season.

 

Do you want to see something cool?

Do I ever. That could be the tag line for War of the Worlds, which has a new and rather bad-ass trailer up, complete with a tractor trailer being punched through a house vertically. And that's in the background. The two things Cruise is best at are running and looking confused; this promises much of both.

Viewing Diary

Yeah, so, it's a late start today. Was at home waiting for a package that ended up not being delivered. Insured mail? You suck. Anyway, have been plowing through Red Dwarf seasons 5 and 6, which arrived in the smiley box along with The Incredibles. They've been putting these out at the rate of two seasons a year, which ain't fast enough when your seasons are only six episodes long, but they are doing a nice job, with cute animated menus and nice features, including, this time, a featurette on the failed American version of the show, for which a pilot was filmed but nothing else, and in which they cast the very tall, muscular, TV-handsome Craig Bierko as Dave Lister. Much snark contained in this segment. On the whole, it is as enjoyable as ever. Highly recommended if you're not familiar.

Reconsideration

So when I was writing about Trading Spouses as political propaganda, I'd hardly seen the show. I was more just spouting off, the way I'm apt to do. Salon now has the same thoughts in a four-page article that also covers Wife Swap, which I haven't seen, and I don't know. I think the case is more subtle than I thought it was initially. For one thing she presents the Janet/Marybeth episode of the former as though it's a blue state vs. red state thing, but while Janet's from New York, she's the one who's much more culturally conservative. So it doesn't really break down so easily. If this kind of show favors anything, it favors 1) good TV (a.k.a. conflict) and 2) moms who are involved without being obsessive. It favors blue-collar over white-collar, no question, and maybe that's where the feeling that it favors Republican families comes in, since that's just how it breaks down these days most of the time (rightness of wrongness of such aside).

I hope you didn't burst it?

Salon's Audiofile points the way to Richard Thompson's site, where you can download his new ditty to Janet's titty.

E.B.W.

Many of the commonest assumptions, it seems to me, are arbitrary ones: that the new is better than the old, the untried superior to the tried, the complex more advantageous than the simple, the fast quicker than the slow, the big greater than the small, and the world as remodeled by Man the Architect functionally sounder and more agreeable than the world as it was before he changed everything to suit his vogues and his conniptions. [from "Coon Tree"]

Hobbyhorse

1) State senate Rules Committee Chair Balfour won't let the donor secrecy bill go forward unless someone can find him a Democrat who supports it. Not that I want to clue him in exactly, but didn't a bunch of them, like, vote for it earlier? Admittedly, that was in the House, but I'd be surprised (and proud) if the Senate Dems held together.

2) So, UGA will be funded, but Clarke County schools won't?

"I think the assumption was that you would take last year's budget and add in growth and the pay raises," Simms said. "But if you're going to hold us to last year's budget, you're going to have to apply the same austerity reduction. And the governor and the legislature have not agreed, at this point, to add that money back in."

I might work for the former, but this is wrong.

3) Commission discussing transit fare increase tonight, but not wrt expanding routes and times. Also, will it prevent teens from being embarrassed by their parents? Sometimes.

4) Overview of progress on master plan to increase pedestrian traffic, decrease that in cars on UGA campus. Does seem to assume people are rational and is a little rosy on the whole.

5) General Assembly distracted by the new and seemingly pressing, as is often the case. Again, not that courthouse security couldn't stand to be looked at, but the question is whether it's a problem statistically. Who's involved? Our own personal favorite senator, of course.

6) ABH editorial approves of voter ID bill, proving yet again how out of touch they are with minority viewpoints on such. It's not a Republican-line view so much as it is a naive one: e.g., why would anything designed to prevent voter fraud be bad? Again, is there a problem with this in Georgia? Or is it designed to provide an excuse to deny people the right to vote?

But those issues are addressed in SB 84. That bill's voter ID provisions include a mechanism by which a state ID card can be issued without charge to anyone who swears to being indigent. The person must also swear they want the card for purposes of voting, and they have no other form of photo ID acceptable for presentation at a polling place. The person must also present evidence they are registered to vote in Georgia.

This does address the problem somewhat, but where can one obtain the state ID? Do you have to go in person? During working hours? What is considered indigent? Etc. etc.

7) This column by Nancy Denson, Clarke County's tax commissioner, about how Democrats and Republicans can work together is kind of nice but also limited. Is the bill as a whole good? Or is just the part that she approves of good?

8) Letter suggests Heard deliberately timed hotel-motel tax bill to fail. Quite possible.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Panty-watch

12) And then there is the naked man being a woman, a Madonna turned in contrapposto, flanked by parted curtains, with his penis hidden between his legs. The curtains are stained, the marks from his brassiere and panties, which he has clearly just taken off, still show; a Schaefer beer can is on the floor and his bed is heaped with junk. [from "The Profound Vision of Diane Arbus: Flaws in Beauty, Beauty in Flaws," by Michael Kimmelman, 03/11/05]

13) MAPUTSOE, Lesotho - Buy a T-shirt at Wal-Mart, fleece sweats at J. C. Penney or Hanes panties anywhere in the United States, and there's a halfway decent chance that they were stitched together here, in an acre-size garment factory crammed with thousands of frantically clacking sewing machines. [from "Dollar's Fall Silences Africa's Garment Factories," by Michael Wines, 03/12/05; serious article with gratuitous first-paragraph panties]

14) At issue was Gwen Stefani's Alice in Wonderland costume in her "What You Waiting For" video. Alice, with her prim white collar, poofy sleeves and bell-shaped skirts, is an informal muse for many G.L.'s, as they call themselves, and the sense was that Ms. Stefani had bastardized the look by exposing blue ruffled panties and laced-up high heels, making the look more dominatrix than demure. [from "Gothic Lolitas: Demure vs. Dominatrix," by Laura M. Holson, 03/13/05]

15) His first big graphics -- for the clothing label X-Girl and the bands Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys -- were 60's clip-art cool. But once he was able to persuade bands to let him direct their videos in the late 90's, he slipped some ennui beneath the goofy-rad surface: in a Les Rythmes Digitales clip, a teddy bear commits suicide because he is afraid to sing onstage, his suicide note reading, ''Had to leave my mind''; the word ''suffer'' flashes on-screen while Jarvis Cocker of Pulp dances surrounded by fantasy cheerleaders in puppy T-shirts and pink panties. [from "The Talk: Basic Instinct," by Christine Muhlke, 03/13/05; on graphic designer and director of the soon-to-be-released adaption of Walter Kirn's Thumbsucker Mike Mills]

[previously]

Douchitude gone wild

Update. Gothamist's take on the NYT jerkass story and the comments thread that followed it, complete with those who advocate politeness being accused of being self-righteous, kind of a bizarre take. Isn't the point of politeness that it takes the feelings of others into consideration, and isn't it therefore less characteristic of self-aggrandizement? Anyway, there's a follow-up coming, apparently.

Like a river flows

A river full of shiny things and hot beats, that is. You can stream Brooke Valentine's full album at AOL Music, which, sadly, will not work for all of you. Those of you it does work for, howevs, should have a good day, based on these tunes alone. Kicks off with "Girlfight," which you already know is the cutest crunk anthem about bitches yet. Note in particular the fab "Blah Blah Blah" at 11:45 in, with guest Dirt McGirt from beyond the grave. This will certainly be big, but it is also good. (Discovered here.)

Movie Diary

Since the smiley box from Amazon was on the porch upon arrival home, rewatched The Incredibles (first meditated on here). It's superior on the big screen, where you can see and feel the full scope of the action sequences, but it holds up well, even after you know the jokes and the plot, because of the superior character animation. There is, for example, the way Syndrome, upon heading to his transit to the big city, confident of success in evil plan, reaches out his hand to his right and makes this little motion like he's dribbling a basketball. It is utterly natural in a way that only weird can be. There are loads of examples of such. So, yes, it's a better superhero movie than anything of late, conveying the challenges of such a life with the right balance of gravity and humor and not really resorting to corniness at all. Could I theorize now about how it's about steroids in baseball? I might be able to, if I wanted, but I am newly content to leave it as it is, as a movie.

Sidebar: Team Brown discussion. All the Pixar guys are a little bit creepy in some way. What does it result from? I think it has something to do with excessive wholesomeness, but am not positive.

Incongruity (#2)

Same issue as previously. After a number of fashion articles, all devoted to craft, there is a really nice juxtaposition with a review of Bukowski's poetry. Smart article and explains well to me why I don't like him (he presents an attitude of not caring about craft). Five bucks there's a letter from at least one angry fan a few issues from now.

Hobbyhorse

1) Gwinnett University Center officially to become Georgia's 35th public university. If they can find a way to pay for it, that is. Gov. Perdue endorsed the idea, as long as it didn't actually have to be funded:

Now that the resolution has passed, the governor says the regents will have to figure out how to pay for the start-up costs, perhaps from funds set aside for enrollment growth throughout the system, Perdue spokeswoman Heather Hedrick said Tuesday.

Maybe they could pay for their instructors out of the 2 percent pay raise pool, too?

2) Kemp contributes teeny-tiny little change to HB 340, exempting "Individuals or corporations who make donations to a university and do $10,000 in business with the same school within three years of the gift." As he admits, it doesn't cover non-$$$-related favors.

"I really didn't think about that, but I'm willing to continue working through the process," Kemp said. He and three other Republicans voted to move the bill toward a full Senate debate that could come next week.

Sometimes one's forehead starts to hurt from the constant smacking. ABH editorial suggests that "Sunshine Week" might be a good time to kill this bill completely.

3) Drankin'! You can do it in restaurants in Pendergrass, Commerce, and Madison now.

4) Proposed random drug testing of Commerce students necessitated by lack of drug problem there? Parents apathetic or approving?

5) Redistricting postponed because of typo, state smoking ban passes committee but with new exemptions ("The new exemptions would allow smoking at outdoor workplaces such as construction sites and farms, in international airport lounges, and in bars and restaurants that prohibit children under age 18 from entering." Quick, Elton! Spring into action!) and an enforcement change ("Another change that did make it into the bill would make violations health matters rather than criminal ones. That means county health departments would be in charge of enforcing the ban, and a judge would determine the fine from $100-$500."), Kemp's sensible bill on electronic reports passes, and Dooley stadium renaming finally dies in committee.

6) Shipp uses the Nichols thing the same way everyone else does: to promote being tougher on crime. Letter writer uses it to argue for no female deputies.

7) Headline promises more excitement than article delivers.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Original headline was:

No Need to Stew: A Few Tips to Help You Be a Self-Righteous Jerkass to Others.

NYT unfortunately has a policy against printing the word "jerkass."

Note to all: sometimes life is annoying. Dealing with the world is an important part of being an adult. Most of these people are simply making life more difficult or annoying for others. This example in particular raises hackles:

Mitch Altman, a 48-year old inventor living in San Francisco, said that in the last three months he has sold about 30,000 of his key-chain-size zappers called TV-B-Gone, which can be used discreetly to switch off televisions in public places. "When you go to a restaurant to talk with friends, why should you have to deal with the distraction of a ceiling-mounted television?" Mr. Altman said.

Who died and made you ruler of the universe, jerkass? [bugmenot, which, although mentioned in the article, doesn't seem to hurt anyone except invasive newspaper advertising departments and them only a little]

Conflict, awkwardness, monsters

Project Greenlight's newest edition, which begun airing last night on Bravo, will probably not end up making a great movie. But great TV will be an adequate substitution. As previously (I've seen season 1, but not 2), Affleck and Damon come off as the good guys and the studio as the bad guys who a) do not like weirdos and b) are much more apt to be convinced by salesmanship than talent. The debate over director in particular was a great example of the latter, neither side focusing on compromise ("Hey, maybe we should think about picking the guy who combines talent and salesmanship, the one who clearly knows how to direct, but isn't a social retard* and who we actually said had ideas that would make the movie better" was not heard). And, of course, they are casting just as much if not more for good TV as for a decent movie.

*Note: I was pretty much rooting for the social retard anyway.

TAR-love?

This is the evil of Ramber. Ramber will:

1. Steal your taxi pretty much just to be an asshole.
2. Continue to act as though it did not lie in the last episode.
3. Find a way to "plot and scheme" that involves wussing out on a task.
4. End up pitting two teams I like against one another for last place, leading to the elimination of badass chickies Debbie & Bianca.
5. Clearly make Phil like them in some way. What is this power they have over the hosts of CBS reality competition shows?

Crank

1) Horrible rain, wind, cold this a.m. Umbrella not standing up to the challenges of fulfilling its function.

2) Blogger all bloggered again.

3) Grub Notes piece hacked to bits. Can't even grab online version because file is screwing up. Here is first piece, with deleted bits in bold:

FAYXICAN. Grub Notes [modified to "I" wherever it appears] hasn’t determined what the real spelling of this word is yet, but point is, it refers to what most people think of as “Mexican” restaurants, the El Aztecas of the world, places where you go with the intention of consuming cheese dip and a pitcher of margaritas. These should be distinguished from real Mexican joints, a la Agua Linda or Taqueria La Parrilla, which are more likely to serve goat tacos. Both have their place in this world, but it’s often hard to tell which you’re in for just from the interior. Presumably, there is some sort of supply catalogue from which one can buy sombreros and piñatas and the general stuff that hangs on the walls, a sort of make-your-own-Mexican-restaurant kit. Los Pepes Mexican Restaurant (1074 Baxter St., 353-1613) has certainly tricked out the former Chef Wolfgang’s, in fashion bright and particolored enough to make one think a paint factory exploded. That is to say, it is cute and cheery and has the requisite sombreros et al. The exterior says something about an “authentic” Mexican resto, but, in fact, Los Pepes is an authentic Fayxican place and one that is both well-located and well-done. The menu is huge, the specials numerous and numbered, the clientele already clad in carefully bedraggled off-white baseball caps. Just like Waffle House, it seems one should always be within a mile or so of a Fayxican restaurant, and Los Pepes has filled the Baxter Street niche nicely. It also has a much larger than usual selection of vegetarian items, something that can be hard to come by in the genre. These even incorporate actual vegetables, not just beans and cheese, as in the massive quesadilla vestubos, filled with onion, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, peppers and more, which was really yum and felt both good and bad for you at the same time in a happy way. Another distinction that can be made is that Los Pepes has some smaller combo dinners, for those who only want a couple of items and a price to match, rather than a plateful for $6 or $7. Cheese dip was unfortunately watery and service stressed out, but the first week is never a fair time to judge the latter. Parking is ample, location looking better every week and staff committed to local emphasis.

Epic battle

Everything Idol rages on. Who will win? Those waving the flag of literacy? Or those who only think they are? This one's gonna be close, and I'm going to be annoyed again.

Shiny!

Matty-boy put this lovely pop Robyn song up yesterday. Synthy strings! Beat! I cannot resist the power of Robyn.

Hobbyhorse

1) Obviation aside, when it comes to passing laws that can have pretty deleterious effects, it's usually a good idea to have evidence of why the changes are necessary. AJC points out that there is none for either HB 340 or HB 218. Perdue's designation of this week as devoted to open government is a joke, right?

2) I held off on posting anything about the previous illegal gambling bust in Athens, but with a fella with a name like "Mexican Billy" involved, this one has got to get a mention.

3) The potential gas rate increase would only amount to an average +$1.39 a month on bills? That ain't so bad.

4) '06 budget passes senate.

5) Loran Smith defends media's freedom to get things wrong sometimes.

6) Bulldog returned to his location at Athens First, following repairs.

7) ABH thinks designation of green tree frog as Georgia's official state amphibian is worthy of the government's time, says:

Again, it's hard to imagine what might be more important than showing the state's young people their concerns are taken seriously in the halls of government.

I could point you to a few things...

8) Friend of the Braswells defends them, requests more Bible thumpers at the ABH. Another letter complains that words have been twisted, casts stones while saying not to.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

From the mountaintop

In this life, there are people who make things far more difficult and complicated than they need to be, and then there are people who do not. Nanny 911 seems a good illustration of the former type. You know, maybe if you didn't have 17 kids, a turtle, and three dogs, your life might be a tetch less stressful. Vocab word of the day? Obviation.

You want ugly? I'll give you ugly.

Have been unfortunately baited into filling out first ever bracket. Strategy? Impulse. Looks like my brain thought it would be a good idea to have Illinois, Gonzaga (?!), Kansas, and Duke going to the final four, with Illinois beating Kansas 74 to 67 in the final game. We shall see how well stabbing at the mouse relatively randomly on not enough caffeine works. Prediction: not all that well, but slightly better than expected.

Incongruity

It's not necessarily a bad thing, but this past week's issue of The New Yorker moves right from Calvin Trillin's story about Brian Slavenas (here's a link to an interview with Trillin about the story, since the actual text isn't online), killed in Iraq, into this piece about creating a new scent for Hermès. The issue on the whole is sort of a mini-style one (it says "Style Special" on the spine), but the Trillin article seems thrown in in an "oh, hell, we forgot about the anniversary of the war" way. Both are good pieces, but the juxtaposition is. Also, I seem to remember another perfumier article some years ago, but Lexis-Nexis doesn't turn anything up.

E.B.W.

From "Bedfellows" (written, note, in 1956):

The matter of "faith" has been in the papers again lately. President Eisenhower . . . has come out for prayer and has emphasized that most Americans are motivated (as they surely are) by religious faith. The Herald Tribune headed the story, "PRESIDENT SAYS PRAYER IS PART OF DEMOCRACY." The implication in such a pronouncement, emanating from the seat of government, is that religious faith is a condition, or even a precondition, of the democratic life. This is just wrong. A President should pray whenever and wherever he feels like it (most Presidents have prayed hard and long, and some of them in desperation and in agony), but I don't think a President should advertise prayer. That is a different thing. Democracy, if I understand it at all, is a society in which the unbeliever feels undisturbed and at home. If there were only half a dozen unbelievers in America, their well-being would be a test of our democracy, their tranquillity would be its proof. The repeated suggestion by the present administration that religious faith is a precondition of the American way of life is disturbing to me and, I am willing to bet, to a good many other citizens. President Eisenhower spoke of the tremendous favorable mail he received in response to his inaugural prayer in 1953. What he perhaps did not realize is that the persons who felt fidgety or disquieted about the matter were not likely to write in about it, lest they appear irreverent, irreligious, unfaithful, or even un-American. I remember the prayer very well. I didn't mind it, although I have never been able to pray electronically and doubt that I ever will be. Still, I was able to perceive that the President was sincere and was doing what came naturally, and anybody who is acting in a natural way is all right by me. I believe that our political leaders should live by faith and should, by deeds and sometimes by prayer, demonstrate faith, but I doubt that they should advocate faith, if only because such advocacy renders a few people uncomfortable. The concern of a democracy is that no honest man shall feel uncomfortable, I don't care who he is, or how nutty he is.

Defending the Indefensible

The defendant: Horrible ads that pop up on the bottom of your TV screen, often making noise and flashing and generally being annoying.

The case: When one is flipping by Mission: Impossible on USA and catches the scene where Tommy boy is descending into the high-security room head-down, being incredibly serious, it is pretty damn funny to see Ving Rhames pop up in the lower lefthand corner in an ad for Kojak, especially because they seem to be looking at each other, and Tom's brow is furrowed in anxiety, which one could take as meaning, "Ving, aren't you back in the van or whatever?"

Jury?

Embarkation

Have begun E.B. White's The Points of My Compass and am so mad about it that I may have to post an excerpt every now and then. Like this one, from the foreword:

The letters that make up this book, when I dug them out and began rereading them, detained me in much the way I have described, and I have been in some pain. The world that I'm in love with has not resisted my advances with anything like the firmness it is capable of, and I love it as passionately as thought I were young, and so it's no wonder I have been heavily involved, no wonder an occasional passage in the letters makes me wince.

There is something in general in his stuff that is full of this quiet but almost bursting happiness, the contentment that keeps coming up as an ideal in the Cather I've been reading for class. It tends to go along with nature for the two of them, but not exclusively, and more than that, with clean, beautiful prose, which both of them write unbelievably well.

Hobbyhorse

1) AJC covers legal challenges to and overrulings of similar bills to HB 340, the donor anonymity deal, and also an example of how suchlike was abused, in Arkansas. Kathryn Allen, ex-asst att. gen., is pretty much a bad-ass where things like this are concerned. More fuss, examples of suckiness resulting from secrecy.

2) Foundation a little slow with doing everything the Regents could possibly want. ABH calls it nonconfrontational, which is generally the case when one party completely dominates.

3) Editorial in the ABH about what's wrong with the new SAT. Some good points, but it does seem a bit fairer to assess on critical thinking ability this way than through multiple choice.

4) Thought I would be far more annoyed than I am by this article about Christian professors at the university. Dr. Evans is a good person to speak to, as he's quite reasonable. Also, obvs, those who aren't in the sciences don't seem to present any sort of problem. (And am not saying that those who are necessarily do, just that it's more likely.)

5) Kemp puts money where mouth is! Okay, so it's probably because his vote didn't make any difference, but still. Landmark.

6) Athens still has people against the war (wear black, silent) and people who like ribbons (yellow).

"I do support our troops and our president, and this is just my way to that," said Athens resident Ty Fulghum, who displays one of the ribbons on the back of his Dodge 4x4 pickup truck, as well as a sticker with an American flag and "God Bless America" on it. "I know it's running on, and people are starting to question, but I think if we question our leaders, we begin to question ourselves."

I mean, you don't want to make fun entirely, but then... you do.

7) Ain't nothin' like a good ol' deer bone joke.

8) In the general assembly, an anti-voter fraud bill provoked a walk-out (hells yes), DMVs disbanded (unnecessarily?), some protesters showed up to say the 2 percent raise isn't high enough and a bunch of outdated and unenforced laws were taken off the books with much symbolism, and pretty much everything Athens Dem lawmakers wanted to get through didn't, including the hotel-motel tax and the transit authority thingies. Heidi and Bob Smith feuding?

9) ABH supports commission funding of public transit to increase hours on some routes. Also has a very rational take on paper trails for electronic voting.

10) Again, I know people delight in exposing hypocrisy more than anything else, but the amount of attention it attracts seems to me excessive at times. I'm not sure if Thompson expected the Braswells merely to pray to cover their legal fees or what, but, again, I think the deal being made out of this is a bit too big. Apparently, most everyone's hot under the collar about it except me and Xon. And this presumed supporter of Marilou, who unwisely uses the word "lynching." Oh, right, and this wacko, who thinks she's just allowed to keep the cash.

11) Oh, har de har. Saddam should request a trial in Athens. Because our jurors are so liberal that they ask the prosecution to prove things beyond a reasonable doubt.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

John Stossel makes me cursy

Through complete coincidence, found the link to this obnoxious 20/20 story of Stossel's, which I caught at least half of this weekend, on stereogum. Oy but I was yelling at the TV.

On ABCNews.com, we showed four reproductions of art works that are considered masterpieces of modern art along with six pieces that will never make it into any museum. We asked viewers to decide which work was art and which was not.

I assumed the famous art would get the most votes if only because art lovers would recognize them, but they didn't. Most got far fewer votes than the winner.

The one that received the most votes as a "real" artwork was a piece of framed fabric "20/20" bought at a thrift store for $5.

Hey, dildo! That's because it is art. Pieces like this are insulting, designed to reinforce the barrier between those snooty East coasters with their lattes and their "art" and us common folk, who can't see the use of anything nonrepresentational. On the other hand, the art folk he talked to didn't help themselves out:

So it's just all in the eye of the beholder?

"I wouldn't say it's all in the eye of the beholder," Hoover said. "I think you need to know the story behind the work to understand its full impact and meaning."

Ugh. The correct answer, of course, should've been "yes."

Seen on the shelf, buttons poked

I'm not even into Star Wars (evidence of this: I spent almost the entire time of the 60 Minutes report on the new one mocking Lucas, esp his expanding chin fat, which is leading to Jabba-type look), but damn if this isn't one of the coolest toys ever. The moment of joy that resulted upon discovering you put it on your head almost induced purchase, but not quite.

Excuses

So, fellow Athenians, Team Brown was obviously not at the spelling bee, but with somewhat legitimate excuse. The patriarchal half is currently afflicted with these things otherwise known as "suicide headaches," and one of the major things one is not supposed to do is imbibe. I thought he might not have a great time, being not allowed even to have a beer. But I hear Athens can't spell for shit, so maybe it wouldn't have been fair to bring in a ringer anyway.

Movie Diary

1) Airport: So people really took Dean Martin seriously in a mostly dramatic role like this? Isn't it strange casting to have a notorious drunken lothario be a pilot? Anyway, Airport is indeed pretty terrible and also sort of well done at the same time. George Kennedy is great, chomping on his cee-gar and pushing the plane to its limits. Unlike what I guess to be the case in later editions, much of the action does take place at the airport, rather than on a plane. Best thing about the movie and amazingly uncapitalized on in parodies is its truly excessive use of split-screens and insets, sometimes both at the same time. Air traffic controllers usually pop up in a nice little oval in the middle of the screen, and there is a cool montage of unhappy marriage, featuring split-screens galore and split-screen wipes. Clearly a product of its time, this movie, with not one but two men leaving their wives for another woman.

2) Wisconsin Death Trip: Sold as a documentary, this is really more akin to those Qatsi dealies, not having much of a narrative, which is frustrating. I like narrative. It is rather gorgeous, even in the reenactments it relies heavily on. Note to self: use of black-and-white film and no sound is a good way to make even bad actors look good. Howevs, its aim is a bit dated or simply not necessary. That is, it tries to show that under the idyllic is the grotesque and disturbed. David Lynch just called. He wants his obsession back. Most especially annoying is the fact that loads of these events take place in Wisconsin, but not actually in the town that's the concern, so it doesn't even seem unusually full of strangeness and death.

3) Red Dragon: Sucked into it on TV. Manhunter is definitely preferred, though the Blake stuff that's in this version is one of the best things about it. Eh, it's just kind of lame and not scary on the whole, and there was incidental making fun of Ed Norton's hair. And the climax? Pshaw. And y'all wanna give that man an Oscar?

4) Friday Night Lights: Uneven. People are exaggerating when they think it's the best football movie ever made, but the football itself is quite good. Also, the lessons about losing and the way people blame coaches in particular. I like the scenes with Billy Bob driving and listening to people call in and trash him on the radio particularly. Tim McGraw is pretty good, but many of his character's scenes are unbearably overdramatic. Derek Luke is something, no question. The scene at the party might be the best bit of all.

Capitalism is harsh, dudes

Farhad Manjoo, oh he of the ever-present love for Apple, now writes about how some people want Apple to buy TiVo, to save it. Are DVRs on the verge of not existing any more? Um, no. They're dropping in price and becoming much more widespread. It's just that particular company Manjoo wants to save, so he can live in a magical dreamworld of cool. Or something.

Easier to pick out what's not a mess

From the opening sentence ("In today's society, the roles of women are clearer than in previous decades"), this article about Jennifer Pozner, "media pundit," slamming the portrayal of women on reality TV pretty much could not be worse.

Pozner believes women are not always portrayed in the best light in the media. She said women on shows such as "The Bachelor," "Joe Millionaire" and "America's Next Top Model" are portrayed as beauty queens, being manipulative, catty, emotional and gold diggers.

"These shows cast for types," Pozner said. "They know what they are looking for."

Augh. And then:

Pozner thinks women sign up to do these shows because they often don't know what they are getting into.

"Most sing [sic] up because they don't know what the show is about. They may be told one thing before the show starts, and have it end up being something different instead," Pozner said. Some women have been fed messages all their lives that if they don't find anyone they will be losers. So they see shows like 'The Bachelor' as an easy way to meet someone. They never stop to think about how they could possibly be portrayed in a bad way."

Women can't help it. It's not their fault they're stupid. Best part?

Shows like "Joe Millionaire" and [obviously there's supposed to be something here, but there's not] are not real, Pozner said.

You mean, I'm not going to end up a princess? TV tries to construct a story? Joe Millionaire's last name isn't even really Joe or Millionaire? Waa!

So teh hottness

God damn it, boys. How am I supposed to maintain my hate in the face of this evidence? Peyton had already pretty much converted me to his side with that tsunami announcement, but at least I could still despise Eli. Who will feel my wrath now? 

Hobbyhorse

1) Our university president is not the only one who's an asshole.

2) Athens is apparently as jumpin' as Kingston, Ontario and Bozeman, Montana. Whoop-a-dee-doo.

3) Bus riders okay with fare hikes, as long as they mean something.

4) College Avenue to get fucked the fuck up this summer. Yay! Non-students don't mean crap!

5) Headline is so best. Story might be even better. Click for special Friday police blotter story.

6) Looks like Athens gets to be in the 9th district.

Lawmakers from both parties said they worried the map could hurt several state military bases by placing the installations in new districts with congressmen who are unfamiliar with local issues and don't carry significant clout in Washington.

However, House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons Island, called such concerns "ridiculous" and noted that all seven of Georgia's Republican congressmen back the new map.

Well nuh duh...

7) Um, grand champion of what?

8) Is ABH editorial on salary issue saying that we all need it explained to us why she makes so much money in small words?

In the final analysis, it is that understanding - or, more accurately, that misunderstanding - of where the money that pays some of the higher salaries on campus actually comes from, that could have an adverse effect on the university.

One area in which those effects could be seen is faculty and staff morale. It's certainly understandable if the university's rank-and-files feel underappreciated and unmotivated as they hope each year for legislators to confer meager percentages of increase in their state-funded salaries, while there seems to be plenty of money for those earning six-figure incomes.

See, I thought it was bullshit and merely a technical way to be able to pay people such high salaries, sort of the way different parts of the budget have invisible walls between them.

9) A good look at anti-illegal-immigrant bill in General Assembly.

10) You can pass whatever you want. If it's not going to be enforced, it's irrelevant. Also, apparently the grown-ups are the big jerks. The students, on the other hand, can hold their liquor.

11) Also, not just in the airport, not just at the convenience store, not just if you have a dollar on you, but now anywhere you have access to the internets.

12) R&B editorial thinks Tate 2 is a good idea but badly planned.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Earworm gonna change your brain

So, following the Ted Leo cover of "Since U Been Gone," Eppy's all "Ted Leo must die!" And I kind of get his point of view (i.e., he thinks it sucks), but, from a Machiavellian perspective wrt pop music, whatever works, works. I mean, lookit. Already, it is infecting Jason Kottke. You might say, yes but "Since U Been Gone" would've done that anyway, by itself, and it might've, but the Ted Leo cover will lend some temporary credence to the song (even if ironic credence), giving the virus more time to work its magic and begin to take over brain cells. Ted Leo's cover is a catalyst in the area of speed. And if people start to feel less guilty about liking a Kelly Clarkson song (which they have to, eventually), who knows what can happen from there? It is obvs this year's "Toxic" and then some, because Brit-Brit was already cooler in the mind of the hipster by being so darn uncool. That is, Britney is seen as trashy, while Kelly wasn't even registering on anyone's radar, being very fresh-faced and not particularly slutty. Radar, consider yourself raspberry jammed. The earworms are on the march.

Hey kids, rock and roll

Children, if you did not clamber aboard the Lil' Flip Scoldjah bandwagon back in December at the XXXXmas, you must know that God is benevolent and is providing you with another chance to do so, in the form of the Mez Ecl Ext's posting three tracks. Rock on.

Viddy

So, am not crazy about Devendra Banhart in general (not a hatred of the genre, because I like some people who fit into the nu-folk category, like Joanna Newsom; more just that I think he's okay but not spectacular), but this Gondry video for "A Ribbon" has been playing in my head for a few days now, meriting linkage. The song is fine; the video is a greater work of art and a haunting one. Concept (ribbon moves around, does things, changes things, lots of embroidery and fabric art) is kind of twee; execution is much better. (Real only; apologies.)

Hobbyhorse

1) Chitty also received a $92,534 relocation package for agreeing to move from Duluth to Atlanta. This is insane.

UGA President Michael Adams, who is on the real estate foundation board, said he saw a breakdown of the package for the first time last week and learned of the $36,250 payment, which the foundation listed as a "commission." Adams previously criticized the board's March 2004 pay raise for Chitty, which increased her total compensation by 40 percent to more than $304,000.

"The UGA Real Estate Foundation has been of great benefit to the University, but I believe that the salary increase and this particular payment (the real estate commission) about which I just learned, were both mistakes," Adams said in a statement e-mailed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Don't you love how he's on the board and he just found out? If it was all such a mistake, why didn't you vote against it, Mikey?

2) You're all dicks! (Except David Lynn. As usual.)

3) There's no such thing as free parking in downtown Athens? You wanna bet?

4) Vote on 316 postponed again, indefinitely, at request of Parkway Group. Has something to do with the bill on public/private road stuff being voted on today.

5) Adams speaks on how research $$ generate more $$$. Also, opposition to SB 250 and:

Also Wednesday, Adams told the foundation board that UGA is "in better shape budget-wise than we have been for three years."

Not all funding cuts have been restored, and Adams said "we're not going to get well in one year," but the university will likely be able to add back 50 or more faculty members to its payroll.

Big picture, he's right, and I don't expect him to talk about staff, but faculty weren't the ones actively losing their jobs. This perspective, from Tommie Williams, co-sponsor of the bill, is reasonable and explains the purpose behind the bill: "to bring more supervision to the massive amounts of borrowing being used for public-private partnerships, not to eliminate the prospect of those deals."

6) R&B further covers no-alcohol penalty stiffening at Sanford. Key sentence? "Matt Brachowski, Georgia's assistant athletics director for event management, said he could not recall any specific incidents or problems recalling alcohol at football games last season."

7) Candy Sherman, my lord, this was a really weird thing to say: "'I feel very uncomfortable with untrained professionals imparting diversity to young minds,' Sherman told the committee."

8) Another Tate forum today. Five bucks says fewer people show up to this one. Editorial compares the speed at which this project is moving versus the amount of time it's taking to solve the mural hoo-ha. Eh, whatever.

9) R&B covers increase of university's extramural funding by $100M, but not really what that means.

10) Health Center explains: most faculty who want a note to excuse an absence are being jackasses. Fair enough.

11) This trashing of the Braswells' money conflict with the university as stealing is really simplifying the issue too much. It's not an entirely honest plan, but they don't intend to keep the entire amount. That would be stealing. What they're doing is taking advantage of a situation to benefit themselves financially, but if UGA wants the money right away, why can't they ask for it? Why does it have to be an installment plan for payback? Is the ABH going to criticize the government for making money off taxes withheld from people's paychecks next?

12) Letter to R&B explains that Union does not, contrary to appearances, control universe.

13) Swain's out. Won't be disciplined.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Love cows

Lightning Brains unfortunately canceled following episode 2, but you can watch it here. Don't know what's up with Spider Monkey official site, as has been down for a while.

Ambition

It blew my mind enough, on attending the UGA-Auburn basketball game, to see the team led out by Uga his-very-own-self, who disappeared into a tunnel quickly and didn't return for the rest of the game (presumably because with all the running and sneaker squeaking, it is far too stimulating an environment for a mildly hyper doggie), but now I find out he shows up at baseball games too? It is indeed one of the many small goals of my life to meet an Uga (see, look how not picky I'm being; it doesn't have to be a particular one, just the holder of the title at the time) and have a photo made of the experience. Maybe I should go to more baseball games.

Fu Manchu

All the submerged poetry in his complex character expressed itself in that first ecstatic kiss. It was a passionate sacrament. As he released Moya he knew, deep in his buried self, that had found his mate. [from Chap. 37, "The Great Physician," in President Fu Manchu]

Movie Diary (on further thought)

Bringing Up Baby: The fourth of the recently purchased movies. Had not seen the whole thing in years and years, actually, and now need to revisit this discussion over at LD's place re: Hepburn and comedic skills. I was making the point that in most of her comic roles, she's not doing funny herself, but after having rewatched this, it's an exception, and she's marvelous. Admittedly, I don't find her annoying--I think she's generally awesome--but she is so darn cute in this. Not that there aren't elements of the usual Hepburn (which, obvs, is very related to her actual, real-life character and personality) in it, but this is a more free and easy version of such. So, anyway, this might be my favorite of the four we've watched recently (Dinner at Eight being the only one to go, and that might be a while, or might not, because it was watched more recently to begin with). It goes like gangbusters the entire time, with lots of running (to the extent that there's even a joke about such) and shouting and misunderstanding and slapstick. And Hepburn is a gorgeous creature in it, too. I think she gets to show more life in this than practically anything else (except maybe Holiday). There is something right about the combination of her and Grant that is different and maybe better than her pairings with Tracy, possibly because she doesn't have to stroke his ego, and she does capitulate a bit less on the whole.* They both have a sort of life in those three in a row (this, Holiday, and The Philadelphia Story; have not seen Sylvia Scarlett) that's better and more natural and fun than in most of their other, separate films. Here's a long, comprehensive look at it for a more nuanced perspective.

*This not to imply that such capitulations are bad or sexist or whatnot, because they do fit in the films they occur in.

Bleh

Does it count as a circle jerk if there are only two participants? I mean, they couldn't find someone else to interview Eggers? Maybe someone who wouldn't constantly express his love? I'm trying to think it's not utterly terrible, but maybe it is. [Salon = clickthrough bla bla bla]

Hobbyhorse

1) Oh for God's sake. Now you're going to get seriously busted for sneaking alcohol into football games. On the bright side, if you're a security guard, you may get to fondle sorority girl boobage. UGA Police Chief Williamson quite reasonable:

"My question is, 'What's the magic number of people you want me to lock up?'" he said.

Also, no cheering, winning, skirts above the knee. R&B is, of course, opposed, but doesn't think it's weird that, yet again, the question "why now?" arises in some of our minds. That whole "drinking town with a football problem" T-shirt has become less applicable in recent years, not more.

2) R&B has an editorial from a pharmacy student in favor of the HOPE cut, citing the salaries of these students once they graduate. So we can not pay for business school either? It shouldn't be a question of which programs are covered by HOPE. It should be which students, by which I mean, yet again, that some sort of financial cap on who gets it would seem to provide a lot more flexibility than providing less education.

3) University Union should've broken out the mind-reading machine (letter #2).

4) Kemp bill to study early-learning programs (to find out which work and which don't) moves forward. Seems good-hearted, but isn't there educational research available already? Also, R&B covers 2006 budget proposal, and we learn:

Kemp said his goal for this budget is to restore funding to the University's public service institutes, which lost some money in the budget bill.

So, presumably he just wants to restore it to the previous round of crippling cuts.

5) Good run-down of what the real estate foundation is, why it exists, etc. ABH editorial opposes GA's attempt to stop it.

6) How about we put some lottery kiosks in classrooms, too? Let some of those students pull their own weight. (Am not opposed to this in general. Just think it's sort of tacky and am suspicious that people have actually written letters requesting such.)

7) I'm not sure what the huge deal is about Darrius Swain's arrest. His license is admittedly suspended, and he was speeding, but it's not like he was going 100 mph or drunk. Do you really need to throw someone in jail for that?

8) Apparently, a pellet gun is equivalent to an Uzi. If these students should have been charged with anything, it's being jerks, but this definition is ridiculous:

The "weapons in school safety zone" law states the safety zone is "... within 1,000 feet of the campus of any public or private ... college, university," and defines "weapon" as any instrument designed or intended to propel a missile of any kind to stun guns and knives.

Doesn't that make my arms weapons?

9) Shipp notes that the reason we haven't seen Cathy Cox lately is that she's been reeling out the rope for Perdue.

10) And then there's this pro-ten-commandments-display letter, taken to pieces elsewhere already.

[bugmenot ABH]

Viddy

Shouldn't "PM Dizzee Rascal" be all you need to hear? Pitchfork kind of trashes it as boring even while giving it three stars, but they're a little right. It's incredibly simple and repetitive as a song. The video adds a bit more and, I think, improves it. Plus, there is major booty. And was that a parody of the office supply dude? I have to think not, and yet it seems like it. The right thing to cite here is SFJ's New Yorker piece on ringtones. Fact is, it's a new kind of stripped-down aesthetic, without any of the purism one associates with earlier ones. It's also kind of boring, but then it's also kind of awesome. Short version: I will be walking to this beat as I make my way to the bus in the mornings for a while now. [Real Video only, unfortunately.]

It's love

As per end of heated discussion here in comments, that new Akon song? It's fucking good, yo. His site (where you can listen to it in Real or WinMedia at the bottom of the main page) calls it "a modern day lullaby with a rich twist," which is, um, hilarious at very least, but it is the best chipmunk song in a while and it totally reinforces his relatively nonthreatening cuteness. If I were Usher, and I weren't too busy orgying, I might be watching my back a little. Twinkle twinkle, baby. Twinkle twinkle.

Police Blotter (making the unfunny funny again)

As with drunk driving:

Arrest: On March 4, Deputy Scott Underwood stopped near the Golden Pantry in Bishop to wait for someone, when he observed an older model Oldsmobile leaving the store. When it got to the highway, the driver hit the gas causing the car to lay about 90 feet of drag, then it sped down U.S. Highway 441 through Bishop. Underwood pursued the vehicle as the speed got up to 100 mph and it appeared the driver had no intentions of stopping. About 1 mile south of Bishop, the car pulled over and the driver, Jesse James Scott, asked why Underwood was stopping him. "I didn't run from you," he protested. Underwood explained his behavior and noted he never even applied his brakes. Scott replied, "I don't have brake lights." He then explained his gas pedal became stuck. Underwood smelled alcohol on Scott, but a test showed it was not enough for charges. Scott said he was not a trouble maker and he understood why he was stopped. Scott, 31, of Kelly Lane, Watkinsville, was charged with laying drag, reckless driving and having no brake lights.

And also spousal abuse:

Assault: On March 1, deputies interviewed a woman about an assault at her home after the woman's father reported it to the law. She explained she and her husband had gotten home from Country Rock Café and they had an argument over an incident that occurred there. She said she threw milk on him and he threw a waffle griddle at her. It hit her arm, leaving it bruised, and at first she thought it was broken. Todd Houston, 40, of Nona Drive was charged with battery.

We feel guilty, but that doesn't mean it ain't funny. [The rest is here.]

Ah-moh(n)

That's the spelling I can come up with for now for the really relaxed way of saying "I'm going to." I think of it because I've only just realized how much Toyota's going for comedy in their new Tundra ads. The first one, the one that's been running for a while (in which people are saying what they're going to do now that they have this truck with all its power and our protagonist says he's going to get his tools back from his neighbor and we see his thought acted out as he attaches a chain to his neighbor's garage door and pulls it off, demolishing it) could have passed for regular hyper-macho, as with most truck ads. But the new one (same premise, different things they're going to do, finishing up with same fella jumping his truck and attached boat over a line of cars, Evel Knievel-style, and his musing, "Ah-moh(n) buy me a boat") I think makes it clear that the whole series is a joke. And one I think is funny. Protagonist-guy is not cool-macho; he is psycho-macho, a man of big, absurd plans. He really does want to jump his truck-and-boat as if it were a motorcycle. This makes people of my demographic think Toyota is cool for making fun of such; it also, if you're not watching closely, makes people of the normal truck-buying demographic think it's cool. Good strategy. Would link to video, but can't find it.

TAR--whew

Dude! Do not come so close to eliminating my cute brothers, who, at least, were not chivalrous enough to think about hanging back to let Team Blondie beat them to the mat, even though there were sparks between them.

And also, so maybe Debbie & Bianca aren't the best people to be accusing Ramber of lying, but denying the lie? Either there's some screwy editing going on or someone thinks this is the same game as Survivor. I mean, honestly. What is the point of making tons of enemies at this point, especially when it didn't end up benefiting them?

Funny, I don't remember the groping at Disney World

Houston Chronicle piece trashes Amazing Race, says it turns the real world into Disney World, but can't actually tell the difference between the show doing something and the contestants doing something. Plus seems not to have seen it. Must prefer Rick Steves, as it is a bit silly to complain about there not being enough time devoted to local history in a race. Race! [bugmenot] [via]

What do we do with innuendo?

Matthew had Infinite Livez's "Adventures of the Lactating Man" man up some time ago, and I've continued to listen to it but not really pursued the interest. Cut to: today. And the visit to the website. And the viewing of the video, which, hmm, SFW? NSFW? There's nothing actually exposed, but there is jiggling and spewing of milk and so on. Also, an excellent cover of "...Baby One More Time." Am just generally impressed and amused and think, hey, betcha The Residents would like his stuff very much.

Hobbyhorse

1) Private sector good. No, bad. No, huh? University System, hobbled by state budget, has financed construction projects with bonds. Legislature, which seems to be just finding out about this, is peeved. The question that is not really answered is: is the level of debt that exists acceptable? Or is it really not being repaid?

2) Relatively gross picture of injured chicken in cockfighting bust article.

3) The very insensitive part of me has been following this story wanting to make jokes about how it's a tradition in Braselton to bury people on the golf course, but let's just let this be it.

4) No one cares about the Tate expansion, and by no one, I mean a lot more people than care about high textbook prices. UGA officials bothered to make pins.

5) And why do we park in a driveway and drive in a parkway? You so crazy, Loran Smith.

6) Ooh, Marilou. You're letting the ABH sharpen its pens big-time.

7) Letter contends not smoking worse than smoking?

8) DJ has promised full report on Jon Heder, but for now, this brief summary will have to tantalize you. [Edit: DJ's summary up and much better, as it describes how loud the sound of steak hitting face was.

9) There's some kind of hoopla about the health center not wanting to provide written excuses for students with a sniffle who don't want to go to class.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Pop!

When I wake up early enough on Saturday mornings, there's this song that makes me happy. Hit Nick Jr. radio; click the orange arrows until you see the guy with goggles on his head; click him; then click the righthand yellow arrow. "Bing Bang" will result.

Fu Manchu

Mark shook his head slowly, looking into the beautiful eyes upraised to his, so like, yet so wonderfully different from, the eyes of the boy. He became aware of the fact that he was utterly happy; a kind of happiness he had never known before. And down upon this unlawful joy (for why should he be happy in the midst of stress, conflict, murder, black hypocrisy) he clapped the icy hand of a Puritan conscience. [Chap. 22, subsection 5, President Fu Manchu]

Good with the bad

So, Toobin's New Yorker article on the "nuclear option" brewing in the Senate to stop filibusters on judicial nominees is all serious and worth reading (and fair, I think), but what will make you snort your beverage of choice through your nose is this bit tucked away in the bottom righthand corner of a page, in the middle of a paragraph:

Democrats assert that, by confirming more than two hundred of Bush’s nominees, they have produced for this President a better per-term average of confirmations than those for Presidents Clinton, Reagan, or George H. W. Bush. Hatch called Democratic complaints “total bullcorn,” and went on, “Ronald Reagan was the all-time confirmation champion, with three hundred and eighty-two federal judges. He had six years of a Republican Senate to help him. Guess how many Bill Clinton had with only two years of a Democratic Senate? Three hundred and seventy-seven. Not bad at all. I always gave their nominees a fair shake.”

Awww. Is Orrin Hatch kind of creepy? Sho nuff, but "total bullcorn" is just adorable.

Movie Diary (more on the classic side)

To Be or Not to Be (1942): Another new-to-DVD classic comedy, this one does seem to hold up better than the previous two, which were both terrifically enjoyable, just not as much as they were the first time. Maybe it's been longer since Team Brown watched this in the first place, or maybe it's because it has a bit more plot, or maybe Lubitsch is just that good (and that makes me think of how Ninotchka's not on DVD yet and should be). I know I saw the Mel Brooks remake forever and a day ago and would be curious to see it again, but doubt it holds a candle to this version. Anyway, it was brought up how weird it is in a way and how obvious it is what a huge deal the ol' WWII was, since not only are there tons of movies with Nazis in them, but many made while the thing was still going on, as this was. That doesn't happen so much these days, but most likely because conflicts tend to be smaller and shorter. Sure, it's easy to make Hitler jokes now, but much harder at the time. Charles Taylor gets this across pretty nicely (much as I hate to admit it) in a Salon review of the movie.

Hobbyhorse

1) Shipp's got this long column about the Regents and the Foundation still fighting, but he boils it down to Adams v. Dooley, as lots of people tend to do. This is irritating because many of us have long since gotten over the Dooley thing and have hatred for Adams (and Leebern) resulting from many other sources. It is not just about who runs the jock department. Can it not be about crappy wielding of power in inappropriate ways? Or the fact that an organization that is supposed to serve as a check on such power in fact does nothing but pat it on the head and give it raises?

2) House Bill 340 sucks. We know! Kemp fence-sits, again. That article also provides this gem:

As a final explanation for his legislation, Hembree referred a reporter to the sixth chapter of the Book of Matthew, which reads in part:

"When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

ABH editorial on the matter snipes parenthetically, "(It's interesting to note here that local Democrats have, at least for this bill, joined the Republican march toward closing doors on the public they are supposed to serve.)" Damn straight.

3) Midyear budget and more to Perdue. Redistricting will do wacko stuff to Regents, other boards. Kemp pledges to look closely at the HOPE cap.

4) Hey, what now? Miss Braswell not perfect? This whole thing is a mess. There is also a hoo-ha about fired (or retired or resigned) employees of the athletic department getting free season tickets for life. See, if you're just going to take it away from the ones who got fired, that doesn't seem entirely fair to the victims of housecleaning, and they do have to put in 10 years. I dunno.

5) You know that cruising ordinance that's in effect now? It isn't. Also, quote of the week goes to Commish Hoard:

"Anything can happen," Commissioner Kathy Hoard said. "Martians might land in College Square and give out free tickets to UGA games."

6) Random people say yes or no to state smoking ban. Also, not many people get cited for violating it in Athens.

7) ABH gets around to covering the Tate Center expansion.

8) ABH is on Moore's Ford committee's side wrt reopening investigation.

9) Why is the R&B mentioning a bbq vendor in an article on hot dogs?

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

What are we even gonna do about this?

Pretend it doesn't exist, maybe? Love the very first entry, though.

Mediation

This interview* with Thomas De Zengotita about his new book, Mediated: The Hidden Effects of Media on People, Places, and Things, is definitely interesting, in that the title would suggest media = bad, but then it doesn't really sound like it from the interview. Opening paragraph sets it up okay:

Let's say you like cats. When you visit a friend's house and he happens to have a cat, you make a big deal about stroking it, picking it up, talking to it. And you do the same thing with every cat you encounter. It demonstrates to the people around you that you're a sensitive, sympathetic, tactile person. All these things are true of you, including your innate adoration of cats. But that doesn't mean to say you haven't cultivated your cat-fancying into a self-conscious, gushing performance that somehow represents you. This doesn't make you a phony; it makes you something else: mediated.

Essentially, the dude seems to feel that this performancy modern style of life is okay (or possibly great), and I love that he feels that way because it's necessary to have people who do, but then, I'm not so big on the thing itself. There is something right about his descriptions, but it is also something unsettling, something that I'm sure most self-aware people of my generation can relate to. A hatred of the herd and then also a hatred of that hatred. A need to build in quirks and then a disgust with excessive need to express one's individuality. So is the solution to say, "it's all cool"? Also, how conscious are people of this performance? Because I know that I, for example, walk around both trying not to perform and also, often, with practically an inability to. May have to read book.

*Salon, so clickthrough if you care.

Master Debaters

I call on you. Good ol' Lord Douchebag has come up with his list of the top 20 actresses born between 1960 and 1980, and although I have thought of a couple that were missed, the noggin could be moving at faster speeds this a.m. Have fun with the fighting and such. [Here are previous entries on actors and supporting actors.]

Movie Diary

Both revisits, since stuff I'm all excited about being finally put on dvd arrived last week and, Alias being finished, was begun.

1) The Palm Beach Story: It's not absolute top-tier Sturges, but saying so is like complaining that your gold is only 23.5 karat. Not a ton happens, but it all happens awfully fast and with everyone talking at the same time, that trademark pleasant chaos. Colbert is adorable as always, Rudy Vallee is charmingly dorky and chivalrous, and Joel McCrea does jealous lug so darn well. The beginning still doesn't make much sense, and, therefore, neither does the end, but it's more about the ride than the destination, and the relationship between Colbert and McCrea is a joy to watch. Yay!

2) Twentieth Century: I do get the feeling that this is precisely the sort of movie that people who don't like older flicks would have in mind as disliking, because the acting's not naturalistic and the plot's contrived. But ain't that the point? There are "jokes" per se, but the funny results more from the characters, two extreme drama queens, though only one (Lombard) is technically in the profession. Barrymore is fantastic in this, not afraid to shoot for self-parody, and, as J noticed (which I can't believe I hadn't really previously), it seems clear that most of Gene Wilder's performances are based on this one. Does it lose a little bitty something the second time? Yeah, probably, but it's still a great example of the genre and I'm happy to have it in my possession.

Beep. Beep. Augh. Does not compute.

Actually, does. Team-Brown-bot has finished (yes, you heard that right) season 3 of Alias. And it's not like we didn't expect it to end with a cliffhanger. We just thought maybe we'd get to find out a little more before it did. Like, where's Mom? And, oh dear, just when I was convinced of the best daddy-daughter-ness ever. Plus, no love for Agent Weiss. Jeez. You know, he could lose an arm and Vaughn could have a teeny scratch on his finger, and who's gonna get all the attention from Syd? It is definitely a strong opinion that Dixon isn't as good as Kendall was in that position. And that that might've been the best marriage proposal ever, even if we didn't get to see it in action. And that the bit when Marshall's talking about weird stuff going on by the docks and then looks at Agent Weiss and Agent Weiss looks back like "what're you looking at me for?" was very much making with the funny, but maybe not quite as much as the line of the season, "Jeck... I findt yoo sayx-ee."

Anyway, J now thinks it has surpassed 24 in greatness because it's more about human drama and less about plot, but still with like tons of plot. But he did say that it's getting a little ridiculous how every family has every single member involved in covert activities in some way. Which is true. But we want more. More more more!

Added: Also, Mr. Brown thinks that "hot" is not the correct way to describe Agent Weiss, but I do, even when he gets fatter again. He could totally be added to that hypothetical list of sexy fat guys if he were just a little fatter.

Panty-watch

11) The girls were wary at first, Mr. Chalos said, but ultimately didn't believe the camera would be recording them, so they continued changing their clothes. Later, one girl mentioned the camera to her coach, who confronted Livingston's principal. The coach was told that the camera was not positioned to observe dressing and undressing, the court papers contend. But after parents pressed the point, a school district official reviewed the video and reported that it showed the girls in ''bras and panties.'' [from "On the Net, Unseen Eyes," by Patrick Di Justo, 02/24/05; about people being able to hack into security camera feeds]

[previously]

Hobbyhorse

1) Cautious optimism from ABH editorial wrt increase in UGA applications from black students. Head of Black Affairs Council says it's because people visit and then return to their hometowns and say "Hey, it's not that bad." UGA--It's Not That Bad. Can I copyright that for a T-shirt?

2) Secrecy for donors? Overwhelmingly approved. Jesus H. Kidd voted for it. There are groups forming to speak out against this kind of thing. New budget contains money to reduce health insurance premiums for state employees? ABH runs down specific benefits to NE GA from the 2006 budget.

3) Athens loves boobies.

4) Weirdo stupid bill that would've standardized start times for schools across the state roundly defeated.

5) SEC approves limited replay.

6) Wrt statewide smoking ban, headline on this piece is about supporters being fired up. Are the opposers just too lazy? I know I generally am.

7) Tate is ugly, therefore you should pay for renovation and expansion. Wha? Isn't the real question where the money should come from, not that the Tate Center needs fixing up?

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

If you give me megabytes, I'm gonna need some serious concealer

Have managed to get laughter under control enough to type. Barely. Stereogum links to AOL Music's preview of Usher's "Dot Com" (and that last word ain't pronounced like it usually is). And you thought it couldn't get more ridiculous than "Sex in the Kitchen"...

(Parenthetical: I kind of like the random guy repeating "AOL Music. First Listen" throughout the song to prevent piracy. Someone needs to write a song that incorporates his smooth smooth tones.)

Oh, Agent Weiss. You're too good for her anyway.

You know what's a way better present than some lame-ass antique picture frame all gift-bagged up? A replacement of something your mom gave you when you were little that you loved and that was destroyed in a fire, that's what. Yes, it will only end up in pain for both of them and awkwardness and so on (or maybe not even get that far), but funny, self-aware, non-pencil-necked Weiss is a hell of a catch, and a damn sight better than some mopey, creatively stubbled Vaughn fella. This realization will doubtless not occur on the show.

Also: Which is more likely to make you want to call your daddy, 24 (all previous seasons; not this one) or Alias? Discuss.

Also also: upon looking up Greg Grunberg, I now want to see this movie very much.

Also x 3: Melissa George is a good addition to the show. Her gleeful recklessness about driving that car in Mexico City was pretty awesome. And she is a worthy rival.

Here is your marvelous excerpt for the day

Am working on one of this series of 1930s detective novels by Sax Rohmer that my adorable sister gave me for Xmas, all about the fiendish Dr. Fu Manchu and the upstanding Sir Denis Nayland Smith, this one being President Fu Manchu. It is very exclamation-pointy, and if not that, then ellipsy. People are always being startled at the end of very short chapters and the like. There is more smoking in it than in any other book I've ever read. Anyway, here's the passage I read this morning on the bus that had me giggling:

"She is a broken reed." The sibilant voice was clearly audible, although the thin-lipped mouth appeared scarcely to move. "She was recommended in high quarters, but her sex vibrations render her dangerous. She is amorous, and she has compassion. It is the negroid strain. Her amours do not concern me. If men are her toys, she may play; but the fiber and reality of her womanhood must belong to me. If she betrays me, she shall taste the lingering kiss of death . . . ."

I need more woodblock

Sean is right-the-hell-on about this Amerie track, listenable to in a variety of formats on her site. What it reminds me of more than anything is "Milkshake," and not so much in tone as in the fact that it is a new thing (and also kind of an old thing, but definitely a different thing from previous things) with a really strong beat behind it, and chances are you'll love it or hate it. I mean, whoa! Drums! It is, howevs, a lot clearer in sound than "Milkshake" was and might attract more listeners because of that.

Hobbyhorse

1) Applications from black students to the freshman class at UGA increase 25 percent. Holy hell. Does this mean whatever they're doing is working? Because that seems too large an increase (225 over last year) to be a statistical anomaly. Note also, from the AJC's chart at the bottom, that it's not that applications as a whole have risen either. They're down by almost a thousand, a point that the ABH article on same makes early.

2) So that's a yes on the new pharmacy building after all. Supplemental spending bill passed. Also in the GA, the bill to separate out the previously consolidated DMVS is moving along and the Dems are sort of trying to keep state records open. Donor secrecy bill being voted on today.

3) Yarborough's column is devoted to complaints about the Leebern reappointment, mostly bringing up the ten commandments.

4) Commission votes to triple new tap fees. I presume this has something to do with wanting to hold down development, but it seems like they could build exceptions into it for new construction versus existing construction that wants to tie in to the system. Jordan and Maxwell make a good point.

5) Ugh. Why didn't they just cap it "compassion"?

6) Another response to Jim's columns on Oconee and its valuing of education.

7) Partially visually impaired people have mixed feelings on sidewalk signs.

8) Must've been all those airing of Jaws 3-D. (AP fails to proofread.)

9) Photo editor of R&B writes editorial in favor of statewide smoking ban, but seems to think it would allow smoking on patios. It doesn't.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Universe, are you trying to tell me something?

So, I return from lunch, consisting of fried chicken tacos at The Taco Stand, and what do I find in my e-mailbox? An email from a pay-to-click service with the subject line "Do you like fried chicken or tacos?" Hello. I no longer have to choose. The answer to what was posited as an either-or is now just a "yes."

Contrarianism wins again!

Y'all know you've also seen that thing on the TV Guide channel about what a fine, upstanding human being Charlie Sheen is these days about a million times, right? Well, either God is mean or Katie Wagner is a lying whore.

Calendar marked

From the latest Defamer Privacy Watch:

· Late afternoon on Oscar Sunday, I saw Robert Forster on one of the streets leading up to Runyon Canyon. Despite showing blatant disregard for the approaching Oscars, Robert was eagerly describing his next project where he plays a wizard to two guys. Rising to the occasion, he began waving his imaginary staff around (unclear if any actual spells were cast). The two guys looked on nonplussed.

This could very well be a lie, as it's unclear from Mr. Forster's IMDB page if he's donning a pointy star-bedecked hat any time soon (unless it's in this Dragon Wars/D-War movie, which does have mystical elements, but in which his name is Jack, which doesn't sound too wizardy), but as soon as it's confirmed, the subject-line of this post will be true. Dude is already a draw in and of himself, let alone in the role of a lifetime like this one.

I Love Bush

Kate, that is. And I love (or at least like a good bit) The Futureheads' cover of "Hounds of Love," which seems to be blowing up across the pond. This is more a testament to the greatness of her song than to their talent, but they deserve credit for not fucking it up. It's still howly and cute and catchy. Video and audio available on their official site. Note that the video features 1) hounds and 2) running while playing an instrument, which looks cool. A couple other discussions on them here and here.

Mmm... buttered rolls

Let's pretend for a minute you're me. You start hearing all this stuff about one Robert Kelly's new single, "Sex in the Kitchen," which is about just that and contains lines about wanting to "toss your salad," etc. And you can't find it anywhere. Anyway. Al has put it up, in both studio and live (shorter and maybe weirder) versions. Is it primo, top-of-the-line R. Kelly? Lyrically, yes; musically, no. But it's still good, and the bit about "Cutting up tomatoes, fruits and vegetables and potatoes" is totally my favorite rhythmically. Enjoy.

I lost my keys. Where are they?

So, they just like to mix things up completely on this show, don't they? To get more viewers? Or what now? It's impressive. Anyway, am having a hard time deciding whether almost best girlfight ever (better than those in Kill Bill? I dunno. No one's eyeball gets stepped on.) or Jack/Marshall interactions (when Jack is all unexpectedly nice for no reason, esp) is the best bit of what was watched most recently. Both good. All still addictive.

Fuzzbox

So, I'm pretty sure, after checking out Akon's "Locked Up" (on his site) that the shitty fuzz overlay is a function of bad sound quality online, not an intentional part of the song, but that's disappointing. Both "Locked Up" and "Ghetto" are based off such simple backing tracks, not much more complex than you could create at home (and note that "Locked Up" has that awesomely terrible-sounding clanging door mixed into it; I mean, this is not the door from "Thriller"; it sounds like a standard option on your 99-key Casio), but of course they weren't done that way. They were probably done in a fancy-ish studio, and if they'd intentionally gone with the horrible fuzz, I'd love it (a la Tweet's new thing with Missy, which mimics the sound flaws of LPs). Can anyone confirm? Also, both songs are ridiculously repetitive but in a way that makes you bob your head for a long time without realizing it rather than in an annoying way (what makes this distinction? Whether or not you like what it is that's being repeated, I think).

Hobbyhorse

1) ABH eats R&B's dust wrt the kicking out of the TV camera, adds this:

University officials are presently contending the task force, appointed by UGA Provost Arnett Mace to evaluate the university's general education requirements and approaches to student learning, is neither a policymaking body nor a committee of a policymaking body, and, as such, ought not be subject to the open meetings statute.

2) So, in theory it doesn't sound like such a bad idea to require the state to provide free liability insurance to teachers and student teachers, so they're not pressured to join the state educators' union (which provides it). But why now? What's so bad about this union? "PAGE and GAE have joined with Democrats in opposing Gov. Sonny Perdue's Faith and Family Services Amendment in the Georgia Senate." Author of the column, Jim Wooten, is in favor of the change. I think it's an attempt to crush any rival power in the state; it's just a clever attempt that lots of people will support.

3) Certainteed's wanting more pollution ability not enough, now wants more more pollution ability. The jobs would be great, but the air quality in town is already pretty awful.

4) Sidewalk sign ban tabled. So the current ordinance is too restrictive, but it's not being enforced, so they're going to write a less restrictive ordinance that will theoretically be enforced, meaning we're going to have more restrictions with a less-restrictive ordinance. Wow.

5) Shipp weirdly decides to trash Dean, suggests that Jews distrust him. What the?

6) More on the new cruising signs, details about enforcement.

"There will be no question that (the ordinance) is being enforced," said Alan Reddish, manager of the Athens-Clarke County government. "It is illegal to cruise all the time, but there is no need to enforce it unless the traffic is heavy."

"There was never any intention to use this ordinance every weekend, only when traffic becomes unsafe, like on busy weekends and during special events like game days and concerts at the Classic Center," he added.

You rowdy Elvis Costello fans betta watch you-selves.

7) New Tate could include more businesses, some private; comparison to LSU's ongoing changes.

8) See, I'm not the only cranky one about the weather.

9) If HOPE doesn't cover pharmacists' hours, your skin will slough off. Now that's an argument.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Police Blotter (it's about class edition)

See, this is sort of your classier incident:

Assault: On Feb. 25, deputies responded to a domestic problem on Woodbrook Avenue, where a woman said her boyfriend slapped her and then broke a wine glass. The boyfriend said she threw wine on him. Both appeared to have been drinking too much.

And this is not:

Arrest: On Feb. 26, Deputy Chad Parr was working security at Kroger about 12:30 p.m. when a man came in asking for the bathroom. He smelled of alcohol and Parr asked him how much he'd had to drink and the man replied, "It is good." When Parr used the Spanish word for beer, the man replied, "Not many." Parr watched as the man left the store, with his pants unzipped, and go to a car and drive off without turning on his headlights. Parr got into his patrol unit and stopped the car, at which time the man said his name was Charlie. Further investigation, revealed that was a false name. Fernando R. Hernandez, 22, of Epps Bridge Road was charged with DUI, being unlicensed, having no insurance, giving a false name and not using his headlights.

This might be worse than the above in terms of evoking Cops:

Theft: On Feb. 25, a resident of Bernce Drive reported he looked outside his window about 9 a.m. and saw his neighbor walking through his yard holding a sump pump he knew was his. The man walked outside and told the neighbor to drop the pump or he was going to get a gun. The neighbor dropped the pump and took off running. Deputy Jay Parker arrived and went to the neighbor's home and smelled alcohol on the man. Parker asked him if he'd been on his neighbor's property, and the man, who could barely get his words out, replied he didn't know where he'd been.

And then?

Damage: On Feb. 26, a resident of River Run near Bishop reported he heard the doorbell ringing about 2 a.m. and when he responded, he saw a paper bag on fire on his front steps. He went back in and got some water to extinguish the fire. Upon checking the burned bag, he found it contained feces.

[The rest in all their glory here.]

Q. What were the best two words so far in season 2 of Alias?

A. "Phase Two."

Yessss. Let's not be spoilery (except in the comments if we want to) and just say there was pleased yelping in episode 2.13. Because we did not see that coming. Or that. Also, undies! Agent Sean saying "asses"! Certain people who I like escaping death (and, in later episodes, finding a new place in this world, a place where they are worshiped appropriately). [Am through 2.15, for reference's sake.]

TAR-love

Oh, my show. I am sorry that I doubted you and even considered not watching this season, following so closely as it did on the last one. Point is, I'm sure there are many teams I will come to hate in the course of things, but right now there are so very many I actively like, even if one of them did get eliminated already (dang!). So there are the boringnesses of the couple so not meant to be together featuring an intense guy, the well-scrubbed Americanness featuring a former beauty queen (but wait! he's a UGA student?), the old people who think their cunning will outweigh the ability of the other teams to do stuff, and the blonds, but I am loving Lynn & Alex (who get to call people "bitches" next week), the somewhat evil but very capable Debbie & Bianca, the cutie-pie surfer boys Brian & Greg (did I catch someone doing the shocker?), and impressively competitive mom/son team Susan & Patrick. Uchenna & Joyce are, I think, most likely to melt down. And as for Ramber? They're running a very good race, in a way that makes it hard for me to hate them, but I must stay strong and remember that it is, you know, jerky for them to be acting like they need another mill to add to their $1.5.

For singular, read plural

I'm sure I disagree in general with the FlickSkinny review of Cursed that ran this week. I'm a lot more forgiving of bad movies in general (and I know often those fellas are, too, but they need something to write). But come on. "The Seth Green episode of Buffy?" The dude was a credited cast member for two years.

Oh yay!

Sean is back and curating his site again. Not that the subs weren't wonderful. They were. But it is nice to have his voice to read again.

What does it say when one's reaction to an interrobang is itself an interrobang?

Dave-o has a new, long (23 pp.) piece on talk radio in the upcoming Atlantic Monthly. Why do we love him? Because, in his heart of hearts, he loves all of us back, even John Ziegler.

Hobbyhorse

1) Ex-head of UGA Real Estate Foundation apologizes. Not for the raise itself, but for the timing of the raise.

"I apologize for our insensitivity in the timing of the action in recognizing the contributions of our president," Jack Rooker said in an open letter to the UGA community.

Douchebag! ABH prints the letter in full, including this: "I, the previous chair, and the trustees are dedicated to the university and would never intentionally do anything to offend its students, faculty or staff." You know, no offense meant, except in that way that suggests those who already make more should make a hell of a lot more. (SMN says it's the secrecy that was wrong.)

2) With new NCAA regs, Georgia could lose scholarships. But not in football, checkit. Just men's basketball (because the team could get worse?) and men's track. Check out the list of programs at Arkansas that'd be in trouble.

3) Public forum on five-year plan for Athens transit determines there should actually be some other than between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

4) Perdue is committed to revitalizing Georgia's film and TV industry? Apparently.

5) Okay, so I'm not in favor of most of the ordinances on the books or the way they're being enforced and whatnot, but there's no call for bringing Marx up.

6) Donquavious Kilgore! He can light up a room with a hug!

7) Prof Hazinski files complaint about violation of open records law, "after a News Source 15 camera operator was asked to leave a meeting of the Task Force on General Education and Student Learning last Thursday, which she did." Why? "Tom Jackson, University spokesman, said the decision was made to prevent the cameras from disturbing the meeting." With their whirring? R&B is on Hazinski's side because, like, what the fuck?

8) Some suggestions for future construction on campus (I like the top right). Also, R&B columnist comes out against the Tate Expansion, but in a stupid way. I get the point, but there is slightly more to college than just academics.

9) Response to the DePalma's review mentioned previously. You should have given them far more than a B-minus for sub-par food!

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC; bugmenot SMN]

This better be it for the lions

So not only was work not canceled today on account of it just being too fucking cold (my proposal), but now it's fucking snowing. There are narcissi blooming in my god damn back yard. It is March. Will the university close in the middle of the day, after I managed to drag myself out of bed and bundle up and drink the necessary amount of coffee (all of which is the hard part)? Where is my global warming, Al Nino, you bitch?

Viddy (the shortness)

Tears for Fears's "Closest Thing to Heaven": OMG! I Love the 90s, too! And is that? No, it couldn't be. Because would even a fish want to get into her clothing these days?

Movie Diary (logic v. illogic)

1) Doppelganger (a.k.a., Dopperugengâ, which is more fun to say): Is it a comedy? Is it a failed horror movie? Is it really about how people who need people are the luckiest people in the world? I think the answer to that last question is probably yes, but the other two I have no idea about. The premise should lead to something scary (if you come face to face with your doppelganger, you die), but then it doesn't. And then the execution should lead to something more consistently funny (your doppelganger is kind of a cool guy but also a bit unhinged and definitely annoying in his intrusions into your life), but it's uneven. There are tons and tons of split screens, either in two or three parts, and that's an interesting decision, one that also seems to make sense technically because if you have the same actor playing two characters, and they're each on a technically separate screen, then you don't have to do any matting. Also, lots of people get hit in the head with a hammer or other blunt instrument. Pipe versus gun? Pipe, unbelievably. But it's rarely bloody at all. Let's just say that, on the whole, it is very Japanese. Logic is not the force driving the movie, and there's no need for everything to hang together perfectly. It could be better, but it's not uninteresting.

2) I, Robot: So is it largely a betrayal of Asimov? Yeah, but them robots are pretty cool-looking. As with the previous, logic isn't all that important, both in that there are bits in the plot you shouldn't think about too much and in that, as is frequently the case in weaker sci-fi films, heart is praised far above brain. What I find most interesting about it, though, is the racial allegory* underlying much of the action. The robots, made to be slaves, are looked on as less than human (which, you know, they actually are). Will Smith's character in particular is suspicious of them to the point of out-and-out prejudice, essentially the dirty cop who's racial profiling. But there's a change coming, one prefigured by a dream (as in "I have [one]"), when it seems robots and humans will be made equal. The question is how this'll happen and whether it will involve violence. Note the reversal, also, in that Will Smith is obvs black and the robots are literally white. I don't think it's necessarily a big thing, but it is possible subtext. Otherwise, some good action pieces (as in well-directed generally; you can see what's going on), great look, nicely integrated FX; some very stupid lines of dialogue, but for a big-budget summer sci-fi-actioner, not bad at all.

*Too strong a word? Probably. It's more just undertones than a thought-out parallel.