Thursday night--where did the week go?

[cleolinda]

So I finally went and got myself a (mild) sunburn, after two weeks of being so careful, since I am, after all, a whiter shade of pale. No news on the wall shenanigans front, but I was outside with the dogs this morning, and suddenly Shelby starts growling and barking at a large flowerpot. See, we have this fenced-off area under the deck where my mother's prized Nantahala ferns are (no, I don't know either), and two or three large (perhaps two-foot-tall) flowerpots stand in front of it, each holding a mix of plants. So Shelby's going nuts, and not in that "I see a small child down the street" way--in an actual "DEATH TO THE INTERLOPER" kind of way. So I go over there, and between two of the flowerpots, she's cornered... the cat. Our cat. Our indoor cat. The cat is crouched there with this total "Oh shit " look on his/her face, but goes (relatively) quiet back to the house.

Now, I don't know why, given my stepfather's (completely understandable) mania for having entrances locked at all times, but we've been keeping the downstairs back door open this summer. The wooden door, I mean; the glass door on top of it does stay closed. And the cat's been hanging out a lot downstairs, mostly because we'd rather have him on the other side of the only door he can't open, because--have I mentioned this?--Bad Cat likes to open the den door and just watch the dogs run wild and free up the stairs. It used to be that the cat would only open the door when he wanted to go to a different room, but now he just does it for shits and giggles. Most of the doors in the house have lever handles, you see, rather than round doorknobs, and if he stands on his hind legs and paws at a lever handle two or three times, he can open the door.

Guess what kind of handle the glass back door has. Guess.

We're keeping both doors shut from now on.

Oh! Oh! I also have an update on Smashup 2007: Safeco is still trying to worm out of paying for my sister's car. This time they're trying to find the owner of the dog that ran out into the road that caused the first driver to stop which caused my sister to stop which caused the asshat behind her who was following too closely to total her car, but it doesn't matter anyway because they don't have a leash law up there so they can't legally blame the dog or his owners. I suggested that the owner of the dog lives in the house that Jack built, but they didn't take too kindly to that. Anyway, we figure that when my mother calls an attorney to make the workers next door put her bricks back, she can get a twofer.


Acclaimed writer Grace Paley dies at 84.

Remains of Czar Nicholas II's heir may have been found.

Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith.

Jamba Juice warns of Hep. A risk.

Scandal and Suicide in China: A Dark Side of Toys.

Condolences: Reasons You Don't Want Jerry Lewis Delivering Your Eulogy.

Newsflash! Chicks Use Computers!

The infamous Colbert and Branson Waterfight.

No Human Rights In "Kid Nation."

Too much, too fast for overreaching 'Heroes.'

Hollywood Out Of Ideas: NBC Resurrecting American Gladiators.

UFOs Over Haiti. The clearest, most amazing footage of UFOs you'll ever see. Sadly, that's because it's fake.

Bill Murray Arrested for Drunk Driving in a Golf Cart. Oh... oh dear.

Night Scenes for "Half-Blood Prince" to be Filmed in October; John Williams to Score "Deathly Hallows" Film? You know, something really annoys me about all the big names wanting to get back to (or horn in for the first time) on the big Potter finale, while the rest of us fell in love with the crew who actually carried the series up that mountain. (Remember the "Spielberg wants to do the seventh movie" news/rumor?) This may be less true of Williams, who did compose the iconic series theme; I'm just saying.

Pretty, pretty Golden Age pics at Costumer's Guide.

Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the Cate spectrum: two "I'm Not There" pics.

Sommers Directing G.I. Joe, i.e., a rumor confirmed.

[Name redacted] in The Dark Knight ? "It's a big surprise and I want to reveal it to everybody right now," says Christian Bale. Wait, what?

Movie Review: 3:10 to Yuma.

Spoilers: Video Of Daniel Craig Attending 'Bond 22' Filming. I have no idea what manner of spoilers they be, however.

James McAvoy not in Star Trek movie. Yeah... it was a rehash of the old rumor.

Terrence Howard Hints At Emergence Of Iron Monger In ‘Iron Man.’

Carla Gugino is 'Righteous' with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

Exclusive MTV Clip: ‘The Nanny Diaries.’ Mostly because I don't have any other segue into a discussion of Scarlett Johansson, I would like to take this opportunity to note that Sister Girl and I were channel surfing the other day and stumbled across a rerun of an SNL she did, and even though Sister Girl loathes Scar Jo, we still went around braying "You gotta get a chandeleeeeeeah!" half the afternoon. (I can't find a clip of it, so here: have Scarlett singing about her weave instead.)

Rob Zombie’s ‘Filthy Adult Movie’ Is Ready To Go.

Justice League to be Creepy CGI? (Christian Bale Hasn’t Been Approached For ‘Justice League.’ RUN ANYWAY, CHRISTIAN!)

Awww, 1-18-08.com went away. : (

trailer_spot: Assassination of Jesse James, Run Fat Boy Run, Secret, I'm Not There, Reservation Road, Shine a Light.

Spiderwick Mixes Scares, Laughs.

Are 'Evan' and 'Stardust' the Bombs of the Summer? Noooooo! Stardust was actually good! The majority of people who saw it on my recommendation really enjoyed it! Charlie Cox is really cute and Robert De Niro crossdresses! What more do you people want? *sob*

Comments

[megalion.livejournal.com]

I completely agree about Stardust... it deserves much better box office than it's getting.

C'mon people... you bitch about lack of originality in the endless sequels and remakes lately. Don't ignore it when something fresh comes to the screen!

With the casting they got too.... I really really hope that Stardust breaks even at least so that dvd can be all profit. Or we can have a My Big Fat Greek Wedding style word of mouth popularity thing going on.

[adoresixtyfour.livejournal.com]

Stardust may well make its money once it hits DVD, but it's disheartening that a movie like this is struggling in theaters while patrons flock to Rush Hour 3.

Oh...love your icon!

[cupcakery.livejournal.com]

*flails at Romanov corpse-finding* !!!

[elendiari22.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but what kind of idiot comes up with a TV show that lets kids go all Lord of the Flies on each other while the rest of the nation watches? Especially in that age group! This is insane; are they actually going through with the program?!

[live-in-morocco.livejournal.com]

LOL at your cut. not a day goes by where i don't say, "LOOK AT DIS ONE!" sadly, no one understands.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

"OR DIS ONE! OR DAT ONE! OR DIS ONE!" Yeah, that was half our afternoon, right there.

[wakuchan.livejournal.com]

*boggles at that "Kid Nation" thing.* What. the fuck. And that's not a joke?! Any parent who signs a waiver like that should just. Not be allowed to have their kid back. I've worked with eight-year-olds in groups. They should NEVER be allowed to be alone. Hell, they injured each other when there were people watching them! I. *speechless* How does something like that get past...any kind of advisory board?

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

I suggested that the owner of the dog lives in the house that Jack built, but they didn't take too kindly to that.

Did you really say that? HEEEE.

(Also, see horseshoe nails (http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1541.htm), in case it's not Jack.)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, I said it to my mother, who then said, "What is this, the house that Jack built?" into the phone, and... there you are.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Heeee. Your mom rocks.

[lauramcvey.livejournal.com]

I saw Stardust twice, if it helps. Of course, if it makes them abandon that proposed sequel . . .

That "alien" footage was recent? I ran into it surfing (it's funny to look up ghosts or aliens on YouTube. You get everything from, "OMG, I LEFT MY WEBCAM ON, AND LOOK WHAT IT FILMED!" to "This video is a fake because this, this, and this.") and figured it was just another crank. It looked like a flying amusement park ride to me.

[lauramcvey.livejournal.com]

Oh, and after spending two weeks with kids in a six to ten age group at camp, I can tell you that children tha age in large groups are a disaster if they're supervised. If they're left to wreak haoc on another . . . *shudder*

That whole camp expierence really solidified how much I hate bratty kids.

[free-reverie.livejournal.com]

I just saw Stardust tonight and I made my roommate and a guy across the hall go and we LOVED IT.

In fact, I think I've convinced half of my hall that they need to see it *right now*. It was so so good!

[theatre-angel.livejournal.com]

HOW do people not like Stardust. HOW. Also, you were right, it's slightly disturbing (in the best possible way) how Blanchett is the one who looks the most like the real Dylan.

re: Stardust

[hulamoth.livejournal.com]

My mother went with me to Stardust wanting to hate it because it was a fantasy, and she was tired.

She loved it. She thinks Michelle Pfieffer should get an academy award. This was serious. Whatever, general public, we're buying Stardust on DVD anyway.

[linz-lou.livejournal.com]

Concerning the 'Kid Nation' thing: WHAT? Just, what? I seem to remember hearing something about that show a while back, but I didn't know that it intended to put children into a situation where they could possibly contract STDs or DIE! *is shocked* Any parent who signs that contract should have their children taken away from them. The kids only got $5000, too! I mean, the parents must have really been pressed for cash...or they're just totally mental.

[elbales]

WORD.

There need to be firings and sending of parents to parenting classes and possibly losses of custody and also a major smackdown on CBS by the FCC. Because, I'm just saying, NO.

[dives.livejournal.com]

I read the article and I thought "Holy freaking crap, a kid is totally going to die on this show."

Who the hell at CBS thought this was a good idea?!

[elendiari22.livejournal.com]

Seriously! I know our nation is kind of crazy, but who on earth would actually allow this?! It's got to be against the law. Any parent who puts their kid on this show should have that child taken away. And they should be forced to take parenting classes and never gain custody of their child again. What idiot came up with this idea?!

[zrath.livejournal.com]

I read that and thought to myself, "what is this cyberpunk crap!?!?".
I mean, it's a totally cyberpunk corporate scenario!
Not to mention that it's completely insane.
Seriously, WTF?

Stardust

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

I hate the word "bomb". The movie got good reviews and I know lots of people who have seen it. I didn't realize it was doing so poorly overall. It's a shame.

[ter369.livejournal.com]

You know, something really annoys me about all the big names wanting to get back to (or horn in for the first time) on the big Potter finale, while the rest of us fell in love with the crew who actually carried the series up that mountain. (Remember the "Spielberg wants to do the seventh movie" news/rumor?) This may be less true of Williams, who did compose the iconic series theme; I'm just saying.

Back in 2000 (which is like the Jurassic Era for the Internet) there were rumors and talk of Spielberg directing the first Potter flick. Whether or not he was offered the job, I recall an interview where he said he would be busy filming that AI flick with Haley Joel Whosit, and yes, he'd enjoyed reading the books. It's amusing now to hear his name as a possibility for Potter Seven, since there are definitely Indiana Jones-like action sequences in it.

Still, I would enjoy seeing what Alfonso Cuarón would do with the final film.

[dives.livejournal.com]

I feel like one can't really classify Stardust a "bomb" because there weren't that many expectations for it anyway, plus the marketing sucked ass. actually dissuaded at least one person I know from seeing the film*.
"Bomb" to me implies "We expected this to make us CRAPLOADS AND CRAPLOADS of money! What the heck?!" Whereas with Stardust, it seemed to be more like "Hey, here's a cool idea. Let's see if we can make some money with a Princess Bride-y type thing."

I agree when people say it'll be like Princess Bride-- loved by generations on DVD.

*I got her to see it anyway. She liked it.

[edda.livejournal.com]

Jerry Lewis creeps me the hell out. In general, not even for Merv. That is all.

[this-quiet.livejournal.com]

ITA with the Heroes article.

Thanks for linking the Mother Teresa article. I really have no words when I was reading it, and all I can say is it's more affirming for me than anything else.

[agatha-mandrake.livejournal.com]

NBC Resurrecting American Gladiators

Damn, our god is an angry god this week.

OMG Stardust

[cosette-esk.livejournal.com]

I just got back from Stardust and I LOVED it, I mean I'm relatively picky about the movies I go see and I figured I'd give it a shot since you recommended it and because Gamen worked with Terry Pratchett (whom I adore) on Good Omens. I haven't enjoyed a movie that much since LotR and this time I'm not depressed that there's nothing more to fan over, thanks for the tip!

[malenky-devil.livejournal.com]

Jamba Juice warns of Hep. A risk.

Oh NOES! My friend Joe works in San Jose and he gets Jamba all the time! And the article doesn't say which Jamba Juice it is D:

He said he's going to investigate the one he usually goes to. I don't want Joe to get Hepatitis A *sadfats*

[wumbawoman.livejournal.com]

Briefly scanned your comments and I didn't see this....

01.18.08.com (http://www.1-18-08.com/) is back up.

[lily-handmaiden.livejournal.com]

I, for one, am seeing Stardust tomorrow.

[prncssaurora.livejournal.com]

Gah, the "failure" of Stardust makes me so sad! Although I guess I can sort of see how it happened… I think the trailer was sort of misleading, and people figured it was Another Fantasy Movie rather than being really creative and funny and charming. I remember seeing it and thinking, "Yeah, that looks all right." Decided to see it on your recommendation and absolutely LOVED it (saw it twice, even). Ever since, I’ve been telling all my friends to see it, and they all have the same reaction: "That was WAY better than I expected it to be!" The mind boggles that a movie starring De Niro, Pfeiffer, Danes, Miller, etc. could fail to capture everyone’s attention, but there you have it.

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

"Bad Cat" is hilarious, I just have to say. Also reminds me of my cat Gorky, who can also open doors (including round knobs, weirdly enough) and REALLY freaked out my fiance's parents when he moved to their house for his retirement. Having your bedroom door open mysteriously in the middle of the night and hearing a croaky, inhuman "nrrrrrrrrraaaaeeeeeeooooooowww?" can do that to you.

PS, yeah, what the hell, Stardust? Don't go around being all good and fresh and renewing my faith in literary-based movies and giving me a giant Charlie Cox crush and then BOMBING. Now I have to go back to hating humanity instead of just Hollywood.

[chocolat-violet.livejournal.com]

Stardust deserves better.

But don't worry, Cleolinda, at least we all know that Stardust pwns Evan Almighty any day. And I just know that Stardust is going to be nominated for an Oscar (Robert De Niro is probably going to be this year's Meryl Streep).

[gracefulfool.livejournal.com]

That's a shame they're calling Stardust a bomb! My local googolplex only gave it one theater, which I thought was selling it a bit short - the showing I went to was fairly full!

And also, I'm probably the last one to the party on this, but how did I not know that Neil Gaiman had written the Beowulf screenplay?! Crazy.