Most excellent linkspam

[cleolinda]

Golden Globes tonight, also known as the Drinky Oscars. Meryl Streep is hilarious when she's sloshed, I might add, so tune in for that--NBC at 7:00 pm (CST), I think. I usually blog the Globes--I actually had a bad dream about missing the Globes, if that tells you anything--but as always, I have a very bad seating arrangement (TV to my right and slightly behind me; a lot of craning involved), so I can't vouch for the quality of that blogging. Actually, I have little to no interest in the TV awards, so that ought to afford me a little catch-up time to write. Of course, the Globes are a frickin' picnic compared to the Oscars, which are generally four hours of furious neck-crane typing, after which I am completely useless for about 36 hours.

Speaking of which: Globes Do Away with Goody Bags. "This latest move comes in light of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' announcement in August that it, too, had settled up with the IRS for past swag until 2005 and would no longer be doling out the usual 'freebies' to Oscar presenters. It was reported last year that the IRS was looking at a $1.2 million haul from the Academy Awards alone."


Deaths: Robert Anton Wilson (no, really); jazz musician Alice Coltrane dead at 69; man known as Secret Santa dies in Mo.

Mourners quietly reflect at Kings' graves.

Camper rescued after weeks in the wild.

Tests may help end 'bubble boy' disease.

Several boys die copying Saddam hanging.

'Red Crystal' debuts to protect medics.

Government: Boy Scouts set 2002 Utah wildfire.

particle_person: "Remember 1/11: Stupidest terrorist attack ever. Terrorists Blow Up Toilet in Athens Embassy with Rocket. Nobody was hurt."

Newsweek spills contents of O.J. Simpson book. My emphasis:

Miller, in this week's Newsweek, said, "What is striking about the chapter I read ... is how closely it tracks with the evidence in the case -- and how clearly Simpson invokes the classic language of a wife abuser. "In his crude, expletive-laced account, Simpson suggests Nicole all but drove him to kill her," he said. Miller said that Simpson tells how he drove to his ex-wife's home with a friend called Charlie and encountered her and Goldman. But Simpson stops short of describing their stabbings. Miller said Simpson wrote that his ex-wife came at him like a "banshee." He added, "She loses her balance and falls hard, her head cracking against the ground. Goldman assumes a karate stance, further angering Simpson. He dares the younger man to fight. Then, in the book, Simpson pulls back. He writes, 'Then something went horribly wrong, and I know what happened, but I can't tell you exactly how."

Interesting wording for a "hypothetical account."

C-SPAN: "THERE ARE KLINGONS IN THE WHITE HOUSE!"

Bilingualism delays onset of dementia.

Missing tubby tabby returned to owner.

Nazi Racoons on the March in Europe. I can only assume they are in league with the armadillos marching on--where was it, New Jersey?

Top Bollywood stars get engaged.

Illness forces Minogue to cancel shows.

Scorsese wins major critic group's awards.

The Broadcast Film Critics Association awards, with Best Ensemble for Little Miss Sunshine and Best Composer for Philip Glass, for The Illusionist (it's so nice that the latter hasn't been totally forgotten. I had my mother sit down and watch it, and she loved it--she said she even liked it better than The Prestige, but she fully admits that this was because of the respective endings of both movies).

Depp to produce Alexander Litvinenko movie.

Hobbit Hostilities Escalate.

Trailers: Black Snake Moan, Blades of Glory.

Meryl Streep to do Mamma Mia?

New stils: The Number 23.

'Lost' producers discuss series' end. "Makers of the tropical island drama "Lost" say they're talking with ABC executives about setting an end date for the series."

Singer Paula Abdul cancels interviews after video of "the television star slurring and gesticulating."

Independent Booksellers Face Major Retailer Pricing for Potter Book Seven: "Despite a lack of a definitive release date, let alone a set price, several independent booksellers have said they will not be stocking Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows because they will be unable to make a profit. However the paper goes on to note that a majority of the independent stores would stock the book 'in order to retain customer loyalty.'"

Woman dies of water intoxication after partcipating in water contest for a Nintendo Wii. Ah, catching up to the Playstation death toll, I see.

Tuscan Whole Milk at Amazon: read the reviews and look at the pictures. Trust me.

entropy_and_me: "Have you heard about the massively multi-player Pirates of the Caribbean game that Disney plans to launch this spring? One article describing it and their other future plans (including a social networking function) a little more in depth is here. Another article saying that the game will be free is here."

What's Noka Worth?, from almostnever: dallasfood.org's blistering exposé on the most overpriced expensive chocolate in the world, making the startlingly well-researched accusation that Noka simply buys Bonnat couverture, melts it into plain tablets or simplistic truffles, and resells it at a markup of 1,300%, all while hedging or even outright lying that they "make" chocolate. The most surprising thing I learned from the ten-part article was that most if not all chocolatiers buy couverture in bulk from chocolate-makers--and any reputable chocolatier will be more than happy to tell you which one(s) they use, because they are, after all, doing more with the chocolate than just MELTING IT DOWN. For comparison, Dallas Food asked twenty different chocolatiers, and they all promptly replied, in person, by phone, or by email, as to which couvertures they use (Vosges, which my sister likes to get for Christmas: "everything from Valrhona (French) to Felchlin (Swiss) to Belcolade (Belgium) and much in between"). Dallas Food, on the other hand, was only able to figure out that Noka uses Bonnat--having been point-blank refused the information by the founder--by process of elimination, in which only Bonnat could have supplied the single-origin, non-vanilla, non-soy lecithin, extra-cocoa-butter chocolate as described on each Noka ingredient label, which was then confirmed by a blind taste test. And, as Dallas Food is quick to point out, Bonnat is a fine chocolate--which you can buy much more cheaply from Bonnat itself, rather than pay, at best, $309 per pound for remolded, otherwise-untouched chocolate. And then the undercover Noka PR guy shows up.

Comments

[marumae.livejournal.com]

Jim Carrey looks SERIOUSLY disturbed in this movie, I may have to see it on freak out principal alone, I mean LOOK at this photo (http://outnow.ch/Media/Img/2007/Number23/movie.p/01?w=933&h=1400). Also Depp making movie on that spy movie sounds great, also glad to see the Illusionist hasn't been forgotten. Those were some of the best movies of last year I think personally.

[marumae.livejournal.com]

ACk posted to soon also meant to say that Peter Jackson being banned from making the hobbit makes Mar one sad Bale Panda. What the hell New Line making this crap personal, I hardly think Jackson is a genius but lets at least get some consistancy with the frakking series.
I didn't read the article but the news that they might be able to prevent that bubble boy disease sounds great.

[r-a-black.livejournal.com]

I remember seeing the poster of Number 23 briefly and being all "That guy looks like Jim Carrey... naaah, can't be him." and then watching the trailer and being all "Whoa, it is Jim Carrey, and he is freaking creepy like a mofo." But that picture just topped my idea of his creepiness.

[disturbed-kiwi.livejournal.com]

I worked in a book store for the release of Order of the Phoenix and we had to beg the boss to sell it because of the huge loss he'd make.

The big chain stores can afford to go way way lower than cost price on things like that, whereas we missed out on something to do it.

Annoying.

[pescivendolo.livejournal.com]

Ah-haha. If I move to Portland (which is on the short list) in '08, that big beautiful Trekkie could be my congressman! Hahaha. Faux-Klingons. Priceless.

[greyduck.livejournal.com]

Well, like the bumper stickers say around here: Keep Portland Weird.

Interesting...

[mollyblack.livejournal.com]

I wonder who started that. I know Austin is famed for it (in fact people mentioned it to us when we told them we were moving here over three years ago) as something the remembered from over ten years ago. I know SF should have started it over ten years ago, but sadly it got eaten up too fast for anybody to even think it (plus we were all worried about who would get evicted for false reasons next to care about bumper stickers).

Anyway, I wonder how many cities have picked that up as a bumper sticker motto.

Re: Interesting...

[puchuupoet.livejournal.com]

Santa Cruz, California is another one.

[alpheratz.livejournal.com]

...Daaaymn. I knew there was going to be a movie about Litvinenko sooner or later - it's not often real life writes a perfect spy thriller plot like that - but I expected it'd take longer than two months. Let the family grieve before trying to make money from it, dude.

tuscan whole milk

[laerwen.livejournal.com]

LOLOLOL. My favorite: "in production!" And the Tusken Raiders. Faaabulous.

[greyduck.livejournal.com]

The Wii water-poisoning thing... it just figures that it'd be a radio station of the company I used to work for, wouldn't it? *sigh* I can only imagine the intense, high-RPM spin soon to come out of Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

The milk thing is priceless!

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

I wonder how long those pictures and reviews have been accumulating?

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

We Utahns breed some of the dumbest Boy Scouts in the country. Remember that one kid who got lost in the mountains and hid from rescuers for a week because he was worried they'd kidnap him? *sigh*

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

LOL! I blogged the Oscars last year - not sure I said anything interesting, but I enjoyed looking at what everyone wore! Michelle Williams' yellow gown was my favorite last year! :-)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to remember what it looked like, but I think the awesome absurdity of "It's Hard Out Here for Pimp" being performed at the Oscars blocked much of the ceremony from my mind.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, that was great. Are you blogging the globes? I was kind of confused by what you wrote up top. If you're not, we're in chat right now...

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

Here's one pic of it:
http://pub.tv2.no/multimedia/slideshow/68161/0.jpg

But yeah - the pimp song at the Oscars was something!

[sternbunny.livejournal.com]

Perhaps something for your next linkspam:
http://missedmanners.wordpress.com/2007/01/12/what-i-did-over-christmas-vacation/
The Battle of Helms Deep...in scale...in candy.

Beth

[alpheratz.livejournal.com]

Holy freaking shit.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Meh. Not enough chocolate. Maybe Minas Tirith will have some chocolate layers?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

White chocolate!

[edda.livejournal.com]

I just sprained several major geek muscle groups looking at that. OMGWIN.

[serizawa3000.livejournal.com]

I hope Pan's Labyrinth picks up Best Foreign Film...

if nothing else, just to hear Guillermo del Toro's acceptance speech (if he's even there to accept)...

[r-a-black.livejournal.com]

I think I just landed a job at Borders, and I always get my books there or at Barnes and Noble, so not only will I be buying Deathly Hallows there, but I'll probably be working at the moment. It sucks ass, but it makes sense for the smaller bookstores to back out, knowing they'll lose a lot in expenses.

[fortuna-juvat.livejournal.com]

Curse you and your amazing, delectable, not-on-my-budget seven dollar chocolate bars!

Great find on the whole chocolate story, though. I especially like the bit where the PR guy tries the "it is not just chocolate - it is an EXPERIENCE!" angle.

[georgie21.livejournal.com]

Hey, how did you find that milk thing?

Because, really, that's almost too amazing to exist.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Either from a message board or someone left the link in a comment, I can't remember.

[nohara-megami.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that I ashamed that the woman dying over the Wii happened in my area. I live less than an hour outside Sacramento and the radio station that put this contest on is a really old station which has done a lot of dumb contests over the years.
I heard about the contest, while at work listening to the involved radio station, and a day or so later it was all over the news that the woman had died. I do have to say that I am shocked that it has become international news so quickly....it seems such a wasteful way to die.
And I know this sounds a bit cold... but the thing that made me even sadder is that she did not even win the Wii, she was in the Top 5 I believe. It just seems pointless....

Not to digress in reverse...

[topsykretts.livejournal.com]

but first of all, the Battle of Helms Deep in candy is about the coolest thing anyone dared to do - and then post. chutzpah, the hebrews call it. my hat's off and my waist bent in admiration and pure giddiness.
secondly, the number 23 stills rock. if that movie doesn't kick ass, nothing will.

[zrath.livejournal.com]

Nazi raccoons!?!?
Und here I vas sayink to Amerikans, "nein, nein, zhere are no raccoons in Europe".
Boy ist mein face ret.

[daemonnoire.livejournal.com]

That chocolate things is just mind boggling. I'm honestly waiting for the follow up story in which the Bonnat (sp?) people sue NOKA for claiming the basic product as their own. That HAS to be illegal. Somewhere.