Wednesday night, blah

[cleolinda]

Hmm. Nothing much going on today, except swimming and an attempt to read over recent output. As much as I'm clinging to the last couple of weeks of summer, maybe fall coming in will help me get back into Black Ribbon. Hell, maybe I should get back into my yearly reading of old-fashioned gothic fiction.

Also, shenanigans: our neighbors are having some work done on their house, and there's a retaining wall on our property that faces them. Because the street is on a downward slope, you really can't see the wall from our house or yard at all, so we said they could paint it whatever color they wanted. But it's still fundamentally our property, right? Well, a couple of their workmen decided to chisel out a couple of bricks--without anyone's permission, mind you, not even our neighbor's--and declare that they would need to rebuild the wall ($1000). So Our Neighbor hurries over to tell my mother. (Those of you who know my mother from this journal can probably already see where this is going.) My mother says that the wall is fine, and that we are not going to do anything to it, unless Our Neighbor wants to pay for it, and P.S., PUT THOSE BRICKS BACK. The next day, the workmen come back to talk to my mother and tell her that she's really going to need to rebuild the wall, and they can do it very conveniently while they're already at Our Neighbor's ($2500). My mother replied that she wanted the bricks back in that wall now, and added that if the bricks did not "conveniently" get back in that wall, she would be calling an attorney. The rest of us are kind of hoping that they come back a third time, because we want to see the fun.

Linkspam!

Photos of bare-chested Putin create stir. Hey, better their president than ours. (Which reminds me: I once had a conversation with my sister and her best friend in which they both admitted to finding Dubya attractive--perhaps, dare I say it, hot. I have still not recovered from the psychological wounds inflicted that day.)

Holy shit: An IM Infatuation Turned to Romance. Then the Truth Came Out, via Jezebel. It's not the deception. It's not even the crime that was committed. It's the double-cross that makes this one so shocking.

Tearful 'Barbie Bandit' pleads guilty.

Feline Memories Found to be Fleeting.

xkcd: This explains so much.

'America's Got Talent' names 'best new act.' Have you seen this guy? He can 1) sing as 2) different celebrities 3) as a ventriloquist. The night I saw him, he was singing "What a Wonderful World" (if I remember correctly) as Ray Charles, and the puppet was singing as Kermit the Frog. Damn.

Rupert Grint Talks "Half-Blood Prince" Script and More. Filming, by the way, will begin next month.

Trailer: Reservation Road.

The Nines trailer, HD. Note: this is the really cool-looking John August project, not the musical Nine. Speaking of which: Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem for 'Nine.'

The Love Guru Brings Sexy Back.

Steve McQueen biopic in the works; widow wants Daniel Craig to star. Ah, a woman of taste.

Jesse Eisenberg To Star In ‘Superbad’ Director’s Follow-Up, ‘Adventureland.’

Jason Isaacs and Melissa George Have Stopping Power.

‘I Have To Play Adelaide’: Mandy Moore Says ‘Guys And Dolls’ Is Her Dream Project.

Mendes Joins Frank Miller's Spirit.

James Mangold Still Ready To Play Some ‘Murderball.’

Crudup on 'Dedication,' panic and pronunciation.

Could a 'Ferris Bueller' Sequel Be On the Way? I don't know, is Our God an Angry God this week?

Featurette: The Slithery Star Of ‘Darjeeling Limited.’

Who's Still Waiting for That 'Underworld' Prequel? I keep meaning to see the second one, if only for Scott Speedman, you know?

'Killer Sheep' Scribe Accuses 'Black Sheep' of Plagiarism.

‘Return Of The Jedi,’ Directed By…David Lynch? I feel like I've reported this bit of trivia before, but it's pretty much worth reposting every day of the week, as far as I'm concerned.

Comments

[lauramcvey.livejournal.com]

Eh, I'm not interested in a prequel. They still have plotlines to finish (hello? What happened to Erika?) and I think they were going to do a pregnancy storyline, but Beckinsale nixed that. And I really hope it doesn't follow that "Blood Enemy" book, because that was the crappiest book I have ever read. Ever.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Wow! I have to take a moment to flail and say 'OMG, icon!' I made that icon! Like, it was one of the first I ever made. I didn't know people actually used those. I see you are also a Dresden Files fan. Rock on, you!. :D Apologies for the randomness. :D

[theonlykow.livejournal.com]

This is soooo OT, but I don't have anyone else to discuss it with:

Kingdom of Loathing. New NS13 content. Have you played it yet? I got my Silver Order of the Wossname a few days ago and couldn't be happier. Just curious - the only other person I know who's into KoL just started the Island War quests.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I played some of it a few weeks ago--the Island War just ground me down, though. I'm kind of disappointed that it's now going to be a lot harder to speed-ascend, if only because I didn't ascend my original account (she was up to level 23!) until recently, and now I want to build up her skills. It used to take me a week and a half or so; God knows how long it's going to take now.

I've just gotten out of the Island War, though; I haven't gotten to the Sorceress herself yet.

[theonlykow.livejournal.com]

I sent my multi through the fun of ascending, thinking I could finish an HCO run before NS13 happened. I couldn't. I got trapped in HCO with ZERO Hardcore Perm skills. While running through the new content.

Turns Played (this run): 3,311
Days Played (this run): 91

Fuck. And I just got to the Lair a few days ago.

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

I haven't played since they rolled out NS13. From everything I've heard, it's just not the game I'd known and loved for so long anymore.

[theonlykow.livejournal.com]

I still love it, and I know plenty of people who still love it - the in-game population is still just as high as it always was. So I'm curious who said the game has changed radically.

The game is still the same, although I haven't fought the NS yet. I can't think of many things that have changed - the pirates are gone? The island is bigger? Louvre It or Leave It isn't broken anymore? The changes are minute and the additions are excellent. I've thoroughly enjoyed the two new levels worth of quests and totally support slower speed ascensions.

But to each his/her own. I hope you come back sometime and find the game to be just as entertaining, but if you don't... I'm sorry. That sucks. I went through the same thing with Ragnarok Online, haha.

[riverchild.livejournal.com]

I would die from glee if they did a proper Underworld prequel with Victor and Marcus and Amelia and the whole werewolves-as-slaves thing and the Lucian/Sonya backstory. Die, I tell you.

I'm not worried about making a will, though, because the chances of that happening are about zilch.

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

I love when your mom gets her righteous anger on! She's so entertaining.

BUSH IS NOT ATTRACTIVE. *barf*

I love Daniel Craig, but he is NOT Steve McQueen! (not that I know who is)

[trash-addict.livejournal.com]

Could a 'Ferris Bueller' Sequel Be On the Way? I don't know, is Our God an Angry God this week?
Oh, indeed.

Your Mum's a legend.

[marginaliana]

Whoa, holy SHIT on that IM romance story. I totally didn't see that coming.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I know! I was shocked enough when murder got involved, but then--AHHHH.

[cosmicwaffles.livejournal.com]

Same here.

At first I was like, fake IM, yeah, yeah, normal. Murder. Huh. then OMGWTFBBQ.

(Hi. You don't know me. ^^)

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

The murder suprised me, but I kinda knew what the "double-cross" would be from the beginning.

[ninepointfivemm.livejournal.com]

Me neither. It's like... a screenwriter couldn't have planned that irony in a way like that. (Well, okay, maybe they could, but still. I wasn't expecting that!)

Also, I have to say that the journalist who wrote that really kept me on my feet, building everything up just so, and I am like, "Wow, you really did build it up"

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

Whereas I was just waiting for the inevitable revelation that the other party was lying too. I mean, this is the Internet.

[megalion.livejournal.com]

I don't see how Scott Speedman has any role to play in an Underworld prequel?

He was clearly an unknown in the beginning of the first movie... there's no window that I see for him to be in a prequel that wouldn't fuck up the storyline set in UW1.

I'd be down for a UW3 but if I can recall... UW2 closed up most of the questions from UW1. What's left to do?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, I was saying I wanted to get around to Underworld: Evolution for Scott Speedman, not that he'd be in any prequel.

[newsong.livejournal.com]

IM thing is totally wack.

Bueller sequel, eh? It sounds disappointing.

[pinstripe-bindi.livejournal.com]

Oh, for fuck's sake. Both Underworld movies were cinematic mushroom clouds, why do they insist on making more of the damn things? And it pains me to say that, because I went to high school with Len Wiseman, and he was a really super-nice guy. But seriously.

The guy that played Craven or Draven or whatever the hell his name was, in the first movie, was the absolute worst actor I have ever seen in my life. It was like he learned to act by watching the exaggerated facial expressions of old silent movie actors. And he sneered and leered so much I was afraid he was going to wind up chewing his own face off.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

'The guy that played Craven or Draven or whatever the hell his name was, in the first movie, was the absolute worst actor I have ever seen in my life.'

OMG word.

It was amusing, on the other hand, to see Michael Sheen as Tony Blair in The Queen and not even realize he was Lucian in the Underworld flicks.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, as far as I recall, he always planned to do a trilogy. But yeah, whoever that guy was, he was terrible.

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

I still go by my first impression: "Vampire: the Matrix."

Seriously, I think of all the unintentionally silly bad sci-fi flicks that came out after Star Wars. And now, twenty years later, we have another hot new visual style that everyone in the genre tries to imitate (even after the last movie of the trilogy descended into silliness... ah, but which trilogy?)

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

Underworld remains the only movie I have ever walked out of.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

'‘Return Of The Jedi,’ Directed By…David Lynch?'

I remember reading about that quite a ways back, like when Blue Velvet came out. Lynch said something like, 'I didn't want to be George Lucas' whipping boy.'

[finding-her.livejournal.com]

I hope no one touches Guys and Dolls. I don't really see Mandy Moore in the role of Adelaide, and seriously, who could take Frank Sinatra's place as Nathan, or Marlon Brando's role as Sky? Those are CLASSIC performances, that I don't need to see redone by anyone alive today.

[ninepointfivemm.livejournal.com]

Mandy Moore is too sticky-sweet for Adelaide. Also, way too young.

I saw it in London when they revived it two years ago. Ewan McGregor was Sky, who, while he had the personality down, was definitely better-suited to Nathan Detroit vocally. Nathan Detroit was some guy from Vanity Fair, totally excellent, and Jane Krakowski was Adelaide. And man, she was a POWERHOUSE in that show. Lemme just say that she would wipe the floor with Mandy Moore's Adelaide.

I love Guys and Dolls, but I'm not a purist. It's one of the few musicals from the 50s/60s I actually like.

[finding-her.livejournal.com]

OH now that I'd love to see. I loved Jane Krakowski in Ally McBeal, and I think I'd like her as Adelaide. And you're right, Mandy Moore wouldn't work because of her innocence- Adelaide is a little too conflicted.

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

Ewan as Sky? How have I not heard of this? *squees*

[metonymy.livejournal.com]

Anybody could take Marlon Brando's role as Sky, because he could not sing, and they hacked up the show in order to shoehorn in a terrible singer as the male lead. I would love to see a properly redone film version.

That said, Mandy Moore is too young, too pretty and too sweet to be Adelaide, but she could probably pull off Sarah quite well.

[artemis-lizzie.livejournal.com]

"Mandy Moore is too young, too pretty and too sweet to be Adelaide, but she could probably pull off Sarah quite well."

Seconded. She's way more "Salvation Army girl" than "been-around-the-block stripper."

[rhodynne.livejournal.com]

*popping popcorn, icing the Diet Coke, and piling pillows, waiting with anticipation for the builders to come back*

:-)

[aki.livejournal.com]

James Mangold? Is that his real name or his porn star name?

[azuresquirrel.livejournal.com]

As someone who regularly crushes on men 30 years older then myself, I probably shouldn't say anything about other people's tastes. BUT BUSH??? ATTRACTIVE??? HOW?!?!?!?

Also: am I a horrible person for reading the IM-fake-romance story and then thinking "Damn! That'd make a great movie!" *facepalms her own callousness*

[ali-jayne.livejournal.com]

reading the IM-fake-romance story and then thinking "Damn! That'd make a great movie!"


Right there with you! I'm not sure about being horrible or not, but empirically, it would make a good thriller. No one would see that twist coming. YIKES.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

"Damn! That'd make a great movie!"

I have to plead guilty to this thought as well.

[ali-jayne.livejournal.com]

That IM-Infatuation story? HO-LEE SHIT. I'm just flabbergasted here. And it's so, so sad, too. I feel bad for the guy who was fooled, I feel bad for the boy who was killed, and I feel bad for the girl whose identity was used to fool these people. I even feel bad for Mary, who doesn't even realize how sick she is. Wow. D:

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

I'll admit, when I saw Farhenheit 911 I thought that Bush was attractive when he was younger. If you were just shown a picture of him and knew nothing about his personality, you might feel the same way, I really think it's the sense that he's arrogant and not all that bright that makes him unattractive.