Why do they do this to me?

Why do they do this to me?
Originally uploaded by gina64.

Poor Marty on Halloween. The excitement was more than he could bear.

Glued to toilet, man sues Home Depot.

And that's all that really needs to be said, isn't it?

'Can I quit now?' FEMA chief wrote as Katrina raged: "A Louisiana congressman says e-mails written by the government's emergency response chief as Hurricane Katrina raged show a lack of concern for the unfolding tragedy and a failure in leadership."

What a weasel. Isn't he still on FEMA's payroll, as some kind of consultant? Inexcusable.

Don't take away my sky.

I'm 5 episodes into the 14-episodes season (the one and only season) of Firefly that I rented on DVD, and I'm hooked. I'm sort of glad that I missed the boat on this show the first time around. I would have hated to have FOX rip the rug out from under such a good show while I was watching it. Now I'm really looking forward to seeing "Serenity".

Special Prosecutor Indicts Scooter: "The indictment of the 43-year-old muppet — long the right-hand man to Muppet Show host Kermit T. Frog — sent shockwaves through both Washington and the Muppet Theater, as the investigation moved closer to implicating other muppets, including Dr. Teeth, Sam the Eagle, and George W. Bush."

Cast off.

Cast off.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

Boo!

Boo!
Originally uploaded by gina64.

Oh, my eyes!!

Oh no, he didn't do it. Certainly not.

Sweet Jesus.

Guilty!

I've got Firefly on deck right now.

He's gay, Jim.

Not a big surprise, really. I LOVE the photo they used with the story, though.

Bad Week for Bush.

Who will be indicted today?

Looks like Scooter is the only one likely to take a bullet for the administration at this point, but I'm glad to hear that Rove is still under investigation.

These paragraphs in particular caught my attention, since they could have been written while reporting on any time of trouble during Bush's administration:

"Officials said that Mr. Bush, who traveled to Florida on Thursday to view the damage from Hurricane Wilma, would keep to his planned schedule today, including a speech on terrorism in Norfolk, Va., if indictments were announced.

Administration officials said that the White House would seek to keep as low a profile as possible if indictments were issued; Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, did not schedule a briefing today, and Mr. Bush plans to leave in the afternoon for a weekend at Camp David."

When things start getting a little dicey politically, Bush loves to whip out that terrorism card and wave that flag. And go on vacation.

It's that gruesome time of year again: "The apparent suicide of a woman found hanging from a tree went unreported for hours because passers-by thought the body was a Halloween decoration, authorities said."

Don't Go In the Light!!

This is just under the wire, but I wanted to comment on last week's Alias before tonight's new episode.

I liked it. Actually, I think it was my favorite so far this season. Good writing, good acting, good action.

I really enjoyed the Sloane parts. It was great to hear someone say that they weren’t going to believe his lies this time. I am so happy he is out of jail and especially that he had to sell his soul to the Devil to do it. Come to think of it, he must have had to buy it back from the Devil a few times since he’s done this more than once.

Both of the new guys were good and I didn’t find myself wishing that they would just go away, which is progress. And I like Sydney in the take charge role. I think it’d be really interesting to see her develop some of her mother’s characteristics (in terms of strength), and maybe not succumb to tears as she has so often in the past. That said, I had a huge smile on my face when she was stuck up in the car and Dean told her she had a half hour to produce Mockingbird and she said, “I have to call my dad!”

I was pleased that Dixon had a larger role and Marshall a smaller one. A little bit of Marshal goes a long way and that dice scene was hysterical.

For the first time this season, I'm looking forward to a new episode.

Embattled Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers has withdrawn her nomination.

Her nomination was tearing apart the Republican party, or so it seems. I wonder which old friend and crony Bush will nominate next? He is in a pickle, though, isn't he: If he chooses someone who is outwardly anti-abortion, such a candidate would satisfy his largest consituency but incur the wrath of the entire Democratic party and some moderate Republicans; if not, his pro-life, right-wing support will be ripped away, leaving a gash in the fabric of the Republican party.

Drive-Thru Reviews - Halloween's a Comin'

Carnival of Souls - 1962 cult horror that I bought at Target for $1 last year. You know the movie's not going to be so great when the editor and sound guy have roles. It's really quite bad, but the director does a pretty decent job of conveying a spooky atmosphere and delivers a couple of pretty good frights.

Arsenic and Old Lace - An old (1944) favorite that I highly recommend. A screwball comedy about serial killers and family insanity.

Friday the 13th - Watch Halloween instead.

Lost Rhapsody.

Freakin' hysterical.

A politician to the end. I'm surprised he's not kissing a baby in that picture.

LOST "...And Found."

I really enjoyed last night’s episode, again. The actress who plays Sun is just amazing. Her reaction to finding the wedding ring almost had me in tears.

Random things:

• I liked how they intertwined the “lost and found” theme throughout the show. Locke said something about how he didn’t feel lost anymore, and that you find what you’re looking for when you stop looking – Sun and Jin found each other (what a sweet scene that was) after they both failed in their respective searches; Sun found her ring (and hope) after saying that she knew that Jin and the others were not alright; and this doesn’t exactly fit, but Jin and Echo found Michael after...stopping to get a drink of water?
• I liked how they had Sun interacting with everyone separately. Nice character interplay, especially between her and Hurley. He said something that made me laugh out loud, and now I can’t remember it. Something about the "good Korea or the bad Korea", I think.
• The scene where Jin and Echo (oops, it's Eko) hide and watch the Others walk by was very well done. So was that Walt walking with them carrying the teddy bear?
• I thought the actress who plays Sun (Yunjin Kim, perhaps?) did a great job of playing her younger self. Even the way she walked, in the first flashback, across her bedroom when she was getting ready for the matchmaker date, was very much like a young girl. I’ve always loved the Jin and Sun flashbacks.
• Why is not saying goodbye to Sawyer a reason for Kate to be rifling through everyone’s personal bottle messages? I've read speculation that that was just a lie Kate told Sun to cover her real reason for going through the messages - that she was looking to retrieve hers because it had damning information in it. Remember, though, that Sawyer was reading through everyone's messages while on the raft, so if she is trying to hide something, he knows what it is. Or maybe she was hoping that Sawyer had left a message in the bottle and wanted it as a memento? But why would he do that? He was on the raft and could deliver his message himself. Hmm.

There's the usual great discussion going on over at TMFT, in the comments thread. Check it out.

Season 4 premieres tonight! Nine PM on SpikeTV.

Heeehee.

I don't watch The Amazing Race, but I still thought this was funny.

Pretty.

Oh My GOD, Y'all, Now I'm a Mom!: "I mean, didn't you sort of suspect that I might just totally start showing up places wearing like a muu-muu and one of those old lady rain hats made out of old plastic bags and chain-smoking or something? Like I would just decide that I was totally going to just give up on all that exercising they used to make me do and start living on, you know, fiery Cheetos and Jolt?"

Fantasiaslies.com.

They do kind of have a point. They also have way too much time on their hands.

I'm thinking I might need to give country music another chance.

Wilma.

I keep hearing Fred calling her name.

This hurricane season has been unbelievable. Is the result of a more permanent climate change, or just a fluke? Either way, if you're in Florida, get the hell out of there as soon as you can.

Drive-Thru Reviews

Flight of the Phoenix - Really just a wisp of a movie. Don't bother.

Sahara - Another desert movie, but this one I liked. Outrageous action, but they pull it off. Steve Zahn steals the movie, I think. And great soundtrack.

Monster-in-Law - A romantic comedy with inconsequential romantic leads. Jane Fonda (and Wanda Sykes) STEALS this movie. Some good laughs.

Million Dollar Baby - (no link because there's a spoiler on the imdb page) Incredibly good, emotionally powerful film. Really, really good. Did I mention how good it was? With a beautifully spare soundtrack by Eastwood. I cried for the last half hour.

Couch Pug-tato

Couch Pug-tato
Originally uploaded by gina64.

Marty watches some old movie with me.

Listening.

Listening.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

Soaking up the rays.

Soaking up the rays.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

I thought I'd blog a few photos I uploaded to Flickr today.

TV on the download: "Think of it this way: Apple boss Steve Jobs believed that if you priced music cheaply and made it easy to download and store, people would pay for it. He sold 28 million iPods and 500 million songs on that belief. If you think the same strategy can't work with TV programming, you're not seeing the big picture. "

I completely agree with him.

James Blonde.

Daniel Craig Unveiled As New James Bond.

My first pick would have been Clive Owen, but I think Craig is a good choice and he has a nice, rough edge that I think today's Bond needs.

Bye-Bye VCR

And it's probably cheaper than a DVR: "In addition to music videos, the iTunes Music Store also features select Disney and ABC television shows, ready to download. For $1.99, you can own the latest episode just one day after it airs. With full seasons of Lost, Desperate Housewives and That's So Raven, plus episodes of new shows like Night Stalker and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody at your fingertips, you'll never miss your favorites. Plus, you can sync shows to the new iPod and watch them on the go. Just try that with your big-screen TV."

I'm a lazy bastard and I would definitely be willing to shell out $1.99 to watch LOST or Alias again and not have to deal with taping it and making sure I have a blank tape, etc. Just sit down in front of the computer and watch. Awesome.

ETA: I downloaded iTunes last night and opened an account. I purchased Wednesday's LOST episode this morning. It took about 20 minutes to download and the file size is 191 MB. Not too bad. I watched a small portion before leaving for work, and the quality is decent, too. I can archive it to CD and keep it forever, too. This is great. Now if Apple can strike up deals with the makers of Alias, Arrested Development and Battlestar Galactica, I will be all set.

Awesome.

ETA: This is obviously a mistake. I do not think it's awesome that this woman just had her 16th baby (although that hairdo is pretty awesome in a WTF kind of way). This is what I thought was awesome.

Anderson Cooper does 'Jeopardy': "They tape a week's worth of shows in just one day, and by the time I got to the set Tucker Carlson had already creamed Bob Woodward and Peggy Noonan. The green room was abuzz because Woodward had missed a question about Watergate."

Drive Thru Review

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Extremely silly, extremely British, had me laughing out loud quite a few times and really kind of sweet. I am not acquainted with the book(s), radio or television show, and that did not hamper my enjoyment of it in the least. Oh, and the answer is 42.

Extras - Very similar in style and substance to The Office, but Gervais is more likeable in this one. Very, very funny.

Loss.

It seems to be surrounding us lately, doesn't it: the earthquakes in Pakistan and Kashmir, the mud- and landslides in Guatemala, the losses from Katrina. It's almost too much to bear. Then this morning I come in to work to find that Peter, one of our partners, lost his mother this morning. She died after a long battle with cancer, and her death was expected, but that doesn't make it any less of a loss. She was one of the good ones. A truly good person. May you rest in peace now, Joyce.

Now, this is not a loss to compare in any way to those listed above, but it still sucks: Fire destroys 'Wallace and Gromit' warehouse: "The company behind the new 'Wallace and Gromit' film said Monday its 'entire history' has been destroyed in a fire at a warehouse containing props and sets."

Gossip!

Hookin' up and breakin' up.

The best and worst character names on television
: "No wonder so many TV shows fail at it, and miserably. It's hard to beat the successes of the real world. Rep. Zach Wamp already had a pretty awesome legislator name. Now if he succeeds in becoming Majority Whip, he'll be Whip Zach Wamp, which is not only a title and a command, but also a pretty awesome onomatopeiatic phrase in the grand old style of 'Batman.' (Whip Zach! WAMP!)"

Guess who made the 'best' list? Bob Loblaw!

God, that never gets old.

Bob Loblaw Speaks.

Baio Feedback: "Thirty-four years in show business has made Scott Baio a little...weird. He comes off as a bit fed up, a little paranoid - even entitled. In other words he's a perfect addition the hilariously dysfunctional Bluth family on Arrested Development. "

Conan to Turn Entire Show Over to U2.

This is Thursday's show, 12:30 AM (which is actually Friday morning). I'll have to remember to put in a tape, since that's about as close as I'll get to seeing them in concert this time around.

Oh, that's champion!

"Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit": "There may be greater moments of pleasure at the movies this year than watching...a spiral of bunnies swirling around in the transparent canister of an ultra-humane bunny-rabbit-sucker-upper known as the Bun-Vac 6000. But I have yet to encounter them. 'The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' is animator Nick Park's first full-length 'Wallace & Gromit' feature, 85 minutes of bliss with a script that holds together better than those of most live-action pictures. "

(viewing of ad required for site pass)

Oh man, they HAVE to do this: "Hungering for new cash, the three major networks might start selling on-demand viewing of hit shows next season for $1 a peek - without the commercials. "

Or just .50 if they leave the commercials in. I saw just saying to Sheila that I would love it if the broadcast and non-pay cable-channels offered On Demand, but as long as advertisers were a part of the picture, they never would.

Hopefully I was wrong.

In other AD news...

Ricky Gervais will be appearing in an Arrested Development episode.

I hope it's not cancelled before that.

Bob Loblaw. Bob Loblaw. Bob Loblaw.

Last night's Arrested Development was awesome, and I'll let freakgirl from Too Much Free Time take over from here.

A month for new episodes?! Stupid baseball.

Oh my.

Nicolas Cage gives Superman's birth name to son.

I always thought he was a freak (and an overrated actor). This just confirms it. That poor kid!

Progress.

Progress.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

Top: Shortly after I got the braces put on, July 15, 2005.

Bottom: Today, October 3, 2005.

I can't believe the difference. Only 2 more years to go!

Courthouse Evacuated After Attorney Tries To Enter Explosive Evidence: "A county courthouse was evacuated Thursday after officials said they found a possible explosive device -- one brought in by an attorney. Officials said the item brought into the Carroll County Courthouse in Berryville was an undetonated firecracker that Cindy Baker intended to enter as evidence in a trial."

A little perspective here, people! It was a firecracker for crying out loud!

Adieu.

To Monsieur Vaughn, who's not really dead, and to you all, as I take off to Kennebunkport, ME for the weekend.

Have a good one, and I'll see you on Monday.

1-800-GOT-HUNK: "1-800-GOT-JUNK? is proud to present the 2005 Hunks of Junk! For years our men in blue have been dubbed the 1-800-GOT-HUNK's?. Now you can vote for your favorite Junk Hunk and the most popular hunks will be featured in our upcoming Hunks of Junk Calendar with all current proceeds going to the Salvation Army's Hurricane Relief Effort. "

I've used these guys twice, once for a big job at work and the other for a small job at home, and I would recommend them to anyone who asked. They were prompt, professional, really nice and the guy that was supervising both jobs had the most incredible blue eyes.

Go vote.

Paint Job.

Paint Job.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

Before.

Hmm.

'Night Stalker' on the prowl again.

Maybe I won't watch CSI tonight.

Last night's LOST, among other TV things.

Quickly, because I should be working.

LOST, 2 episodes into the season, has been quite good. A few thoughts on last night's episode:

• Even though, plotwise, we are at the same place at the end of last night's episode as were last week, I liked that they backtracked and showed us what transpired down the hatch before Jack got there.
• Michael was sort of annoying me last night. I wanted to smack him and tell him to stop being such a baby and be nice to Sawyer. He did just save your life for crying out loud. A "thank you for resuscitating me", perhaps? His flashback didn't really do anything for me, either, but the toy polar bear was a nice connection.
• Even though I felt bad for Sawyer because of the way Michael was treating him, I have to remember that they have only been on the island for 44 days, not the year that we have been watching them, and Sawyer was pretty much a dick to all of them until just recently.
• Speaking of '44 days', what was that expression on Desmond's face when Locke told him that's how long they've been on the island? It looked almost like an "oops-I-guess-I-shouldn't-have-pushed-that-button-44-days-ago" look. Did he bring down the plane? And who is the "him" that Desmond thought Locke was? His replacement? And he's wondering if the world is still out there, huh? What does he think would have happened to it? Nuclear holocaust? Alien invasion? Human extinction from a disease or bio-weapon? That's the theory I'm favoring right now - because of the quarantine sign and his injections, him asking Locke how many of his people had gotten sick and how Rousseau said all of her crewmates got sick. His hidey hole definitely looks like a bunker of some kind.
• The computer - is the well-worn "execute" button on the computer keyboard the button that Walt was talking about that was bad? What's going on when Desmond enters the numbers? At first I thought those beeps were an alarm because Jack had come down the hatch, but then I remembered that the beeps are what woke Desmond in the premiere. It seems like those flipping numbers are a counter of some kind, and when they reach a certain number (236 or so last night), you have to enter the magic numbers to reset them to 108 (the sum of 4 + 8 + 15 + 16 +23 +42). What is it counting down to? Or what else could it be?
• I liked Kate last night. The candy bar scene was great.
• Every scene with Michael and Sawyer on the rafts, I was distracted with the thought, "But where's Jin?!!" and "Jin better not be dead, so help me God!" I can't tell you how relieved I was to hear him yelling on the beach, even though he was bound and running from the "Udders". I was pretty sure I heard him yelling in Korean in the scene where Michael and Sawyer find each other in the water in the beginning. But then when they didn't find him in the water, I figured I had mis-heard. I've taped it so I'll check on the rewatch.
• Finally, I read at TWoP that the shark had the logo that's on the items in the bunker tattooed on its tailfin! They say it says "DHARMA", the hindu word, not Greg's wife. I'll be checking for that on a rewatch, too.

Whew, that wasn't really all that quick, was it?

As far as other TV goes, I just wanted to mention that I checked out a couple of new shows, How I Met Your Mother and Invasion, and neither one has really grabbed me. HIMYM was just way too corny and the laugh track was distracting, especially immediately following Arrested Development. I skipped Invasion last night, but that was mostly because I was tired and had a few things I had to do before bed. It did interest me last week, so on another night, with LOST as a lead in, I will probably check it out again.

And don't forget -- Alias premieres tonight at 8:00 PM (EST) on ABC!

ETA: CSI also premiered last Thu (and there's a new episode tonight), but the only noteworthy thing I have to say about it is Warwick is married?? NOOOO!!

OK, I know I'm asking for it by saying this but, putting politics and ideology aside, am I the only one who thinks he's kind of handsome? I like his eyes.

God I'm getting old.

Nojo on the rojo, Reynaldo!

Hidden Elegance.

Hidden Elegance.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

I took this photo last night, right before bed. My camera was set to auto and I turned off the flash. I'm really please with the way it came out.

I wish it looked that nice all the time!

If you missed it the first time around...

ABC to repeat 'Lost' season premiere: "ABC will postpone Wednesday's scheduled premieres of 8-9 p.m. comedies ' George Lopez' and 'Freddie' for one week to make room for a rerun of the season premiere of 'Lost,' which will lead into the drama thriller's second episode at 9 p.m."

Now's my chance to tape it and the new one and scour both for clues. Geek!

When sci-fi and real events collide.

Battlestar Galactica's season 2 finale airs tonight at 10:00: "But with each passing week, it becomes increasingly obvious how right they were. 'Galactica' feels like an outer space version of a dark, philosophically inclined war movie like 'Platoon' or 'Saving Private Ryan.' It shows humanity in a struggle not just to survive but to understand itself, and it consistently challenges viewers to examine and defend their own beliefs. Aside from 'Deadwood,' it's the least complacent show on TV -- a reminder that the medium can illuminate as well as entertain. "

Smiling through the tears.

I had the best laugh in the car this morning. Larry David was being interviewed on NPR (his show is Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO and he's a Seinfeld creator). I never intentionally watch CYE because his character is such a complete a$$, and he makes such an idiot out of himself, that it can at times be almost unbearable to watch. But when I do stumble across it and actually sit and watch, it is ­always funny. Well, they played a clip this morning that had tears coming out my eyes, I was laughing so hard. He was telling the interviewer about how he’s really influenced by his parents and where he grew up in Brooklyn – everyone knew everyone’s business and everyone was always yelling. I don’t know what the episode was about, or who the woman was, but the clip had something to do with Christmas and they’re all yelling:

Woman: “Larry! Did you eat the cookies?!”

Larry: “Well, yeah, yeah, I ate the cookies, so what?”

Woman: “Larry! They were for the manger scene! You ate the Baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary!!”

Larry: “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! What can I say? I thought they were animal cookies!”

Woman: “Animal cookies??! Larry, you ate the Baby Jesus!’’

Larry (sort of sheepishly): “Well, I thought he was a monkey.”

That was a good way to start the day, and I’m going to try to keep in that mood in spite of just reading about the evacuee bus carrying 45 elderly passengers that exploded in Texas, killing 24 of them.

And now this.

Maybe someone really did eat the Baby Jesus, because he sure seems to be among the missing.

Clarification.

For those of you who had problems reading the article this post refers to, here's the copy from the NY Post:

September 21, 2005 -- TOM Cruise shouldn't wait by the phone for his old "friend" Steven Spielberg, who directed him in "War of the Worlds," to call.

Reports from Budapest and Paris, where Spielberg is filming "Munich," say the director is still steamed at Cruise for ranting, during what were supposed to be promotional appearances for the Martian-invasion film, against the widespread use of Ritalin to treat unruly children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder.

One source said: "Steven and his wife [Kate Capshaw] have five children themselves and know some children for whom Ritalin does a lot of good. They took exception to what Tom said about the drug."

Spielberg was also said to be annoyed that Cruise played up Scientology more than the movie during press interviews.

In August, when PAGE SIX started researching this story, we received a letter from Cruise's lawyer Bert Fields, noting:

"We have received word that you are planning a report that Steven Spielberg was upset with Tom about Tom's speaking out about his views on children's use of drugs . . . and that now they are not speaking to each other."

The letter stated: "Each of these statements is absolutely and demonstrably false. Steven is not upset with Tom . . . Tom and Steven remain close friends and are looking forward to working together again. The idea that they are not speaking is not only false but absurd. Actually Steven is shooting a movie in Budapest and Tom is shooting one [in the States]."

But maybe Fields should have talked to Spielberg before writing this letter.

Another source, a close friend of the director, said: "They will not be working together again and Steven will never call him his friend."

When we faxed Fields' letter to Spielberg rep Marvin Levy and asked for comment, Levy first wanted to settle the score about another item picked up from a Web site claiming the director insisted on being called "Maestro."

Levy said: "Whoever fed you that ridiculous item about Steven Spielberg wanting to be called 'Maestro' with no eye contact must have had a bad serving of goulash. The only person in our film community who might be called 'Maestro' is [conductor] John Williams and only when he's on the podium holding a baton. I will get back to you on the other item after I talk to Steven."

Levy called back to "decline comment."

Ready now...Ooooooo.

The 2005 TeeVee Awards

Forget the Emmys: "Why waste your time with an award show that has to jostle with the inconsequential likes of the People's Choice Awards and ESPYs for relevance? Instead of a program where the honorees are selected by rote, devote your attention on awards that are handed out by people who actually bothered to watch television sometime during the past 12 months."

LOST

Heads up, people:

LOST premieres tonight on ABC at 9:00 P.M. (EST). There's some kind of special airing before it at 8:00, called "Destination Lost" described at Yahoo thusly:

"Survivors of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815; an exploration of the island and how it has changed the lives of the crash survivors."

Recap, I guess.

I'm not George Bluth, Sr.

imoscar.comn: "It's been a week since my last entry. I can explain. Last Thursday, I was counting ants in the prison yard and it was a scorcher but I remember, I started killing the ants with my feet, yelling "Die you little black bastards, die!" I got stabbed - a whole lot. When I woke up in the infirmary, I was surprised to find out that my stabber was the leader of an equal rights gang called: RAVIOLI or Rapists Against Violence Against Insects. When I went to apologize for killing the ants, I pointed out that ravioli doesn't work as an acronym and they stabbed me again. Please God get me out of here! I think that's blood on the keyboard. Yep, it is. I'm Oscar Bluth and I need medical attention! "

Awesome.

Oh, no no no no no!!

*fingers in ears* La la la la la la

(Holly, see my comment below about Chesney)

Is Oprah a Secret Scientologist Already?

Yeah, yeah, this is Star magazine, but I do not lie when I tell you that I wondered this very same thing just a few days ago. There's the whole Cruise thing, the whole Travolta thing and she's pretty darn chummy with Kirstie Alley, too. I'm just sayin'.

Oooo.

"They will not be working together again and Steven will never call him his friend."

Drive-Thru Reviews

Sin City - Wow. Certainly not a movie for everyone - the dialogue and action are virtually ripped from the pages of a comic book and it is extremely violent. I mean extremely. Did I mention how violent it was? Regardless, it's a movie like no other I've seen and is one I won't soon forget.

Dodgeball - I admit it, seeing people get hit in the face with a big red rubber ball is funny. So sue me. It's barely a wisp of a movie in terms of story, character, etc., but seeing Ben Stiller, who I hate with the intensity of a thousand white-hot suns, get the sh*t kicked out of him was worth the hour and a half. And watching people get hit with a big red rubber ball is funny.

Shark Tale - Nothing new under the sun, but entertaining. A bit too busy and loud, but I really like the Martin Scorcese puffer fish.

This is unbelievable.

Good luck to everyone in its path, and if you are in its path please, please get the hell out the way.

(Frozen) Chicken truck burns.

A mess, yes, but damn that must have smelled good.

What a bad auntie I am.

Quiet time.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

Happy 6th Birthday, Zachary.

I love you!

Katrina Timeline

Timeline to disaster: "Salon's hour-by-hour account of the worst natural disaster in U.S. history -- and how our government failed."

It's a long one (7 pages) but worth every word.

Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney Split: "In court papers filed Wednesday, Zellweger listed 'fraud' as the reason for the breakup but did not elaborate."

Hmm, it looks like those rumors about Kenny might just be true.

Salon's Emmy Ballot

"Vote for TV's best -- and worst -- on our modified ballot, where the nominees vie against those who deserved to win, and those who really don't."

(requires viewing of ad for one day pass)

My choices:

Comedy - Arrested Development
Drama - Deadwood
Lead Actor/Comedy - Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Lead Actor/Drama - Ian McShane, Deadwood
Lead Actress/Comedy - Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm (because she's the only one I've seen)
Lead Actress/Drama - Mary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica
Supp Actor/Comedy - David Cross, Arrested Development
Supp Actor/Drama - Terry O'Quinn, LOST
Supp Actress/Comedy - Jessica Walter, Arrested Development
Supp Actress/Drama - Katee Sackhoff, Battlestar Galactica
Miniseries - The 4400, just because I had to pick something - I haven't seen any of the choices
Variety/Music/Comedy - The Daily Show
Animated - Futurama
Reality - Antiques Roadshow, because I don't do reality shows
Reality/Competition - The Amazing Race
Worst Show - The Swan

How about your choices?

The kindness of strangers.

I wish I could do more.

Interdictor passes on a message from one Robert LeBlanc: "I will tell you that I would probably disagree with most of the people that still need to be saved on political, social, and cultural values. However, it must be noted that these people love thier friends and families like I do, desire to live like I do, and care for their respective communities (I was even amazed at the site of seemingly young and poor black people caring for sickly and seemingly well-to-do white people and tourists still needing evacuation from New Orleans' downtown area) the same way I care for mine.

Eight people in particular who stood out during our rescue and whose stories deserve to be told..."

I don't know who Robert LeBlanc is, but I thank him for sharing his story with us.

Bush: 'I take responsibility': "'Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government, and to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility.'"

I am speechless.

German brews world's strongest beer: "'People will only be able to drink two or three glasses, otherwise they'll drop like flies,' he said."

Whoa!

Fall TV. It's that time of year again.

the futon critic's Fall TV grid, for those of you, like me, who are trying to figure out when our favorite shows are premiering and what nights they'll be on (until they start moving them around once a month!). Here's mini-grid of the shows I'll be watching (or trying to):

Sunday

9:00 HBO Dramas (ROME, Deadwood, Sopranos) (they alternate - ROME is currently playing)

Monday

8:00 Arrested Development (FOX) 9/19
9:00 24 (FOX) (2006)

Tuesday

8:00 American Idol (FOX) (2006)
9:00 My Name Is Earl (NBC) 9/20

Wednesday

9:00 LOST (ABC) 9/21, Veronica Mars (UPN) 9/28

Thursday

8:00 Alias (ABC) 9/29
9:00 CSI (CBS) 9/22, Night Stalker (ABC) 9/29, MXC (Spike) 10/6

Friday

10:00 Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) (season 2 currently in progress)

The Wednesday night conflict between LOST and VM is a problem, but I haven't started VM yet and can always turn to the DVDs if recording it becomes too much of a pain. Thursday night, however...I think Night Stalker may get dumped in favor of the other 2. Tuesday may get sacrificed altogether since neither of those shows is really screaming "watch me" and I could use a night off. For Playstation.

Drive-Thru Reviews

The Grudge - Pretty good. It had some honestly scary moments, and SMG is not in it nearly as much as the trailers would have you believe. Gave me some major heebeejeebees.

Arrested Development - I watched the first disc of season 1 last night and I can't wait to get to disc 2 tonight. IMO, probably the best half-hour comedy, maybe ever, and yes, I'm including Seinfeld, Friends, etc.

Shaun of the Dead - yes, I've reviewed this already, but I watched it again this weekend and I thought I'd remind you all that YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE.

For the first time in its 2 terms, the Bush administration comes close to actually admitting it made a mistake - without actually admitting it:

FEMA Chief Relieved of Katrina Duties - Yahoo!

(I left the "Yahoo!" on the end since it seemed to fit)

I wonder if Bush/Rove thinks this will be enough to win back some percentage points? Probably.

"That split second of terror frozen onto the face of someone famous as they come to grips with their powerlessness against something as elemental as gravity makes us feel somewhat better about our own relatively meaningless lives. "

SuperMarty.

SuperMarty.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

Faster than a speeding toddler. More powerful than a squeaky toy. Able to leap...onto the couch and that's about it.

But when you're this cute, that's enough.

Post-Apocalyptic New Orleans.

So long, little buddy.

Wildflower.

Wildflower.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

Tense days lead to reunion of kids and their moms: "In the chaos that was Causeway Boulevard, this group of evacuees stood out: a 6-year-old boy walking down the road, holding a 5-month-old, surrounded by five toddlers who followed him around as if he were their leader. "

Very nice story, but I cannot let the kids' names pass without making a snide comment: "He said the 5-month-old was his brother, Darynael, and that two others were his cousins, Tyreek and Zoria."

Are those totally sci-fi names, or what? Wow!

"You are getting very sleepy...very sleepy...we're here to help you...everything will be alright...L Ron Hubbard is God...we're all descended from aliens...everything will be alright."

Yes, that's unfair, I know, but doesn't it look like he's putting the guy under a spell?

Shift Change

"We're expecting the new team to arrive in the next hour. Man are they in for a shock. "

There will be a new crew coming in to take over at Interdictor, giving the guys who are there a much deserved break. Thanks to you all for your dedication. I feel like I know so much more of the real story than I would if I had just relied on the major news outlets. And I've got that live webcam feed up on my screen at home all the time.

Drive-Thru Reviews

Kung Fu Hustle - Like nothing I've ever seen before. Combines Crouching Tiger, The Matrix and Looney Tunes and succeeds.

Children of Beslan - Chronicles the taking of Beslan's School #1 one year ago by Chechen rebels and is recounted entirely by children who survived. Their intelligence and emotional maturity is astounding. The loss of their innocence is heartbreaking. A young girl remembered how she prayed to God to "save us all, please. ... He saved those he could manage to save, and the ones he couldn't, he kept with him. He kept the best. The most beautiful ones died." I am amazed at the lengths we will go to hurt one another.

"Well, people, I'm not sure how much longer we're going to have internet."

Interdictor may be off-line in a few hours. Their ISP was running out of fuel and a scheduled delivery failed to happen last night and this morning. I hope they get their delivery in time. Reading what is really going on instead of hearing it all filtered through the mainstream media has been invaluable. Last night I was able to connect to a live video feed they have set up from one of their windows just in time to see a convoy of buses, school and commercial, heading up the long boulevard below. I felt so relieved to see something actually getting done. Imagine how they felt.

Good luck with the fuel, guys. You're doing important work.

I'm not sure why, but I think this is so cool.

It's about goddamned time.

National Guardsmen Reach New Orleans: "Four days after Hurricane Katrina struck, the National Guard arrived in force Friday with food, water and weapons, churning through the floodwaters in a vast truck convoy with orders to retake the streets and bring relief to the suffering. "

The Interdictor

You guys want some good, inside, real time info on what’s going on in NO, go to this site:

The Interdictor.

It’s a little heavy on the military-speak, but he’s got the inside poop. Example:

The Real News

The following is the result of an interview I just conducted via cell phone with a New Orleans citizen stranded at the Convention Center. I don't know what you're hearing in the mainstream media or in the press conferences from the city and state officials, but here is the truth:

"Bigfoot" is a bar manager and DJ on Bourbon Street, and is a local personality and icon in the city. He is a lifelong resident of the city, born and raised. He rode out the storm itself in the Iberville Projects because he knew he would be above any flood waters. Here is his story as told to me moments ago. I took notes while he talked and then I asked some questions:
Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out of the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and waited for the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or Alabama or somewhere else, out of this area.

It's been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear.

Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000 people are packed into and around and outside the convention center still waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no medicine for the last three days, until today, when the National Guard drove over the bridge above them, and tossed out supplies over the side crashing down to the ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed from the drop. Many people tried to catch the supplies to protect them before they hit the ground. Some offered to walk all the way around up the bridge and bring the supplies down, but any attempt to approach the police or national guard resulted in weapons being aimed at them.

There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water and the like -- all of them in dire straights.

Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least one murder and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a freezer in the area, and 2 of these dead people are kids.

The people are so desperate that they're doing anything they can think of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that would show the people are not barbarians.

The buses never stop.

Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to break into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for their families. There was not enough. This spurred many families to break into cars to try to escape the city. There was no police response to the auto thefts until the mob reached the rich area -- Saulet Condos -- once they tried to get cars from there... well then the whole swat teams began showing up with rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and told people to get back.

He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and utter misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific."

He says it's the slowest mandatory evacuation ever, and he wants to know why they were told to go to the Convention Center area in the first place; furthermore, he reports that many of them with cell phones have contacts willing to come rescue them, but people are not being allowed through to pick them up.


I have "Bigfoot"'s phone number and will gladly give it to any city or state official who would like to tell him how everything is under control.

Addendum: Bigfoot just called to report that "they" (the authorities) are cleaning up the dead bodies at the Convention Center right now.

He’s also got photos and live cams and I think links to scanners.

Finally, a nice story.

From a fark.com hurricane thread:

"I've been staying in a hotel in Huntsville, TX since I evacuated my home in Slidell, LA. Besides my family there are quite a few refugees here.

Local restaurants and churches have "dropped by" with meals for us.

Some guy just walked into the office and paid the bills for all the refugees here through Sept 8. He wouldn't let the office people tell us who he is.

I am speechless.

There is a lot of ugliness going on in New Orleans, but there are some very wonderful people in Texas."

"Who's Who and New on Alias?"

No real spoilers, just descriptions of the new folks.

The Dark Lord Mickey Rourke: "The hair? The Van Dyke? Those glasses? That ascot? He's fully in thrall to the Dark Lord. And he'd TOTALLY take your soul in exchange for like, you know, something, if he wasn't so fully THRASHED, dude. And, yeah, he's got shit to stir and babies to eat and brimstone to boil, but that can all wait, because first he's got to paaaaaar-tay!"

Sweet Baby Jesus, the news out of New Orleans gets worse by the hour. There have to be some good stories, stories of human kindness, bravery, sacrifice? Please, throw me a bone here.

El Chupacabra!

Happy Birthday to my sister Sheila!! (the one on the left)

39 years old already. You're going to pass right by me soon!

Have a good day.

Can you say, "price gouging"?

Holy crap!