Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Peter Bagge is back with another Reason.com cartoon, in which he sinks his fangs into the Fine Arts community. He speaks a lot of truth, even though he aims at some easy targets, and manages to be pretty damn funny in the process. Dare I say that many of us in the comics commentary blogging "business" could perhaps get some insight as well? Anyway, why don't y'all go check it out now, ya'heah?

Much obliged to Ian to pointing it out, so I could point it out to you. That is, if you haven't already seen it over there and checked it out already.

Another thing I've noticed lately is that Blogger has installed a nifty toolbar-type search thingy at the top of all its blog pages, which explains why I've been getting some unfamiliar referrals lately, due to its random-blog-visit link. Problem is, all the other sites I check have a tidy single bar across the top, with all the elements arranged nicely in the roughly one-half inch space, but my page shows a jumble of blocks all stacked up on top of each other and no bar in sight. Whassup wit dat?

Ramble coming on...danger Will Robinson...

I forgot to mention that one day last weekend we happened upon a big tent sale that someone had set up and was selling DVDs for 6 dollars and VHS tapes for $3. All good, but by the time we got there it had pretty much been picked through and there wasn't very much that I consider interesting left, especialy on DVD. Still, I did score a couple of cool vids: on VHS, I found a copy of Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy, a silly film which never fails to make me laugh...oddly enough, I never was able to work up a lot of interest in their TV show, even though I've liked many of the individual cast members in occasional films and TV appearances (especially Scott Thompson), but this movie cracks me up. Of course, each of the five members play a multitude of characters, both male and female, and effectively create distinctive personalities for each; and the storyline, about the creation of a miracle drug that cures depression a little too well and the complications that ensue not only with the public but the creators is sharp and clever. Wish I had found it on DVD, but I'll settle for this until I run across it in that format someday, assuming it's even available in that format. I also got a single tape from The Avengers TV show box set series, featuring two color episodes from 1967 featuring Patrick MacNee as John Steed and the divine Diana Rigg as Mrs. Peel. Oddly enough, both have an avian theme, one is about a plot involving spying via carrier pigeons and the other is the classic "Winged Avenger" comic-book themed episode as the pair tangle with someone who is killing people dressed as a comic book character. The color is vivid, the performances dry and droll, and the scripts, while often (to be kind) whimsical, are still engrossing and very much of their time. I hope that someday before I go to meet my maker that I can get all the MacNee/Rigg Avengers episodes on DVD and watch them all again...I love that show. Finally, I did pick up one DVD: Frida, the kinda-sorta biopic starring Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina and directed by Julie Taymor, whose prior Shakespeare film Titus impressed me a lot. She does a lot of interesting stuff with this one, too, which is why I decided to plunk down my 6 bucks. Her visuals almost offset the soap-opera excesses of the script. I wrote about this film back in February, in case you're interested.

Since I am, after all, ramblin', here's a sports note. two of my fantasy baseball team pitchers: Oakland's Tim Hudson and my Sox's Freddy Garcia. Hudson's been on the DL for a month, finally has come off and I wasted no time activating him. he rewarded me tonight with a very impressive 5 hit shutout. But, and here's my season in a microcosm, Garcia got absolutely hammered tonight, giving up NINE EARNED RUNS in 4 innings, effectively ruining whatever benefits Hudson's gem provides for my team's earned run average. And he's been one of my most reliable pitchers in this nightmare season. As Pepe Le Pew used to say, "Le sigh." I know, I know, waah waah waah.

Good God, look at the time. I gots ta cut the ramblin short and go to bed now. Oyasumi nasai.

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