Maiden with Di'anno

Found this while poking around at YouTube this morning.

Fantastic.

Why The World Needs A Superman Returns

by Tommie Lee

(Daily) Planet Radio

It's Thursday evening, and I've just woken up from a nice long nap in preparation of staying up way past my “morning guy bedtime”. I'm poking around on my Livejournal, commenting about how I'm going to a late-night pre-release showing of Superman Returns that's due to start in 80 minutes or so. I step out on the deck and grab a cigar.

While I'm out there, I'm cringing at how many ways this movie could flat-out suck. You're messing with an icon when you do anything with the Boy In Blue. You're tacking additional history onto something America has clung to very tightly since 1938 when he picked up that car in Action Comics.

And as Superman IV: The Quest For Peace taught us...things can go very, very wrong.

I'm remembering watching cartoons on Saturday Mornings, wearing my Superman PJs. I'm remembering comic books, read at 7, and 27. I'm remembering meeting Alex Ross, a fantastic painter who specializes in Comic Art, in Chicago...and being afraid to shake his hand for fear I might screw it up somehow. Because he makes Superman look so damn good every time he paints him. Because he respects the history.

"Relax," Ragz says as we're getting settled in our seats, "the franchise is in good hands."

Ragz is my Program Director, my boss, my friend. He did and didn't want me to see this movie tonight, given that I have to be on the air at 0530 (which is roughly 4 hours from now). But we went anyway, and settled in to see how Brian Singer did with it.

First of all: the preview for Spider Man 3 was outstanding. Looks like we have a couple villains, but most importantly, the black costume is in the house. Venom time. Gonna be sweet, comes out early next May.

Now…Superman. This Brandon Routh kid has got the goods. He gives a tasteful homage to Chris Reeve in his performance and mannerisms, but finds a way to make the character his own. I was very impressed with him. Equally so with Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. They found a great story for him, Kevin nailed it shut, and they left his character in a perfect spot at the end.

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. Hmm. Not so much. Something about her didn’t click. Too young, too pretty maybe…I don’t know. I couldn’t buy into her, and neither could the people I was sitting with. However, given that one of the other alternatives was Keira Knightley, I think they had little to choose from that would have stood up to Margot Kidder. Not that she was the be all/end all…but she hoisted a hard flag to pull down with that character. Even in her goofiest moments.

I’ve heard bitching that the flick is too long, that only the first hour is good, that everything but the first hour is good…blah blah blah frickin’ blah. It ain’t rocket science: it’s a movie. And Brian Singer did an excellent job with it.

I was never bored. I was never shaking my head in disgust. I was glad I stayed up late.

This movie, whether you end up loving or hating it, is just what it should have been: a throwback to the films we used to feel good about before the internet and cell phones were on the map, and entertainment had to be immediate or it sucked.

It has the feel of the first film, with the best toys of present day thrown in for good measure.

Now go call the boss and declare a “Blue Flu”…

Hamas II

The Israeli army says it has begun a ground offensive in Gaza, following the capture of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian militants.

For more details: http://www.bbcnews.com

Jesus. Just can't keep good news flowing, can we?

Hamas

Palestinian militant group Hamas accepts a document that implicitly recognises Israel, officials say.

For more details: http://www.bbcnews.com

GAH!

I always wondered what the extra stomachs were for...

Au Contreras

CONTRERAS SETS A WHITE SOX RECORD

Jose Contreras broke a franchise record by recording his 16th regular-season victory in a row on Friday night, leading the White Sox to a 7-4 win over the Houston Astros. Contreras pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed four earned runs on eight hits while striking out four.



Sox are 48-25 right now, have won 9 straight, 10 of the last 11.

Nice...

The Brilliance Of Internet Jesus

An example of why Warren Ellis is one of my favorite writers...

An old favourite that may not have been seen by a lot of you:
-------------------------------------
It occurs to me that an awful lot of trouble in Gotham City could have been averted a long time ago if Batman had just ripped the Jokers nipples off.

I mean, treatment doesnt work, does it? They stick the Joker in the nuthatch, he comes out again and does the same things.

A man with the nipples ripped off him does not make the same mistakes twice.

Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot, and need the nipples ripped off them.

I mean, whos going to argue?

"Batman, Ive heard disturbing reports that you ripped the Jokers nipples off."

"Choke on my fuck, Commissioner Gordon."

okay.

I mean, crime in Gotham City doesnt exactly seem to be affected by a man dressed as a bat flapping around the place. But no-one disobeys a man wearing a necklace of human nipples.

"I'm Batman" isnt cutting it in the striking-fear-into-their-hearts stakes. But "I'm Batman and I'm here for your nipples" is an entirely different proposition.

Criminals would see the error of their ways after a man in a black leather pervert suit had their nipples off with the edge of a Batarang, you mark my words. Or a Bat-Denipplizer.

Im off to ring DC Comics.
-----------------------------------
(Written 2002)

Nats Battle Evil, Win

Washington Nationals Postgame Alert

June 17, 2006
N.Y. Yankees 9, Washington 11 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
N.Y. Yankees Record: (38-28)
Washington Record: (31-39)

Winning pitcher - Jon Rauch (2-1)
Losing pitcher - Mariano Rivera (4-4)
SV - Chad Cordero (13)

N.Y. Yankees
1 1 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 9 15 1
Washington
0 0 1 1 4 0 2 3 X 11 13 1

NYY HR - J. Damon (10) J. Posada (9) A. Rodriguez (15)
WAS HR - D. Ward (5)

Next Washington Game: June 18, 2006 01:05 PM ET vs. New York Yankees

And the Oilers just forced a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals. They were down 3-1 going into Game 5 just a heartbeat ago! Holy Crap!

Bye, Asshole

Iraq al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been killed in Baghdad, the country's Prime Minister, Nouri Maliki, announces on TV.

For more details: http://www.bbcnews.com

Bad Goaltending

This had Skylar and I laughing pretty hard tonight, as we watch Game 2 of the Cup. Plus I'm not much of a Leafs fan...

Nats & Sox both win

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Texas	0	0	2	0	3	0	0	1	0		6	13	0
Chi. White Sox	1	0	0	7	0	0	0	0	X		8	9	1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Washington	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	2		4	8	2
Milwaukee	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0		3	6	2

My kinda day. And some kid named Bray got a win in his first start for WSH.

I'm...hurting...

It's so very, very wrong. Do not click this...