Reading: Oz Squad Vol. 1
Music: John Hartford
TV/Movie: Duck Dodgers (that's right... Duck Dodgers!)
Link o' the Day: Peter Bagge's Hate (and Other Neat Stuff)

The morning is afire. Lot's of stuff to get done today. The fellow with the mohawk here is Len. He's involved somewhat. You'll find out how soon enough.


But first...did you hear that the FBI is investigating the pilot from that plane that did the emergency landing in the Hudson? Apparently they found evidence of several e-mails and phone calls between the pilot and executives at ABC which suggest that the incident was planned intentionally in order to raise awareness of the season 5 premier of Lost.

No. Not really. But wouldn't that be something?

And yeah, I promise...my last Lost post for a while. The season five premier was a confusing mess and I loved every minute even as I was cursing it. My brain is Patty Hearst and Lost is the Symbionese Liberation Army. You do the math. I'll come out of this okay, but it's gonna be a weird ride and there will be atrocities and the need for a presidential pardon at some point.



Speaking of atrocities, I recently watched The Player directed by Robert Altman and starring Tim Robbins. I really looked forward to this movie based on everything I'd heard about it, but I think in the end I was a little disappointed. Altman didn't seem to believe in endings that made you feel comfortable. There's always death involved. And someone responsible usually gets away with it to some degree. He is always forcing one to look at conflicts between morals and actions. How we see ourselfves vs. how others see us.

Okay, so it wasn't an atrocity, and Altman succeeded in what he set out to do. I'm not sure anymore what I was looking for--maybe something with like Barton Fink. That movie made sense.

I'm not saying The Player was a terrible movie, but I think the folks who are going to be the most interested in it are, as usual for Altman movies, hardcore movie buffs--and in this case in particular, those interested in the industry. It's a very cynical story. And probably very true. And therefore very depressing when you think about how the deck is stacked against writers in the Hollywood system. The movie is something like 15 years old, and I'm sure some of the atmosphere in Hollywood has changed.

But not by much.

Do I recommend it? Not for the casual movie viewer. For movie buffs and those who like watching cameos, it'd be a good rental.

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Today's link goes to Peter Bagge's Hate (and Other Neat Stuff). I've been a fan of his since the early days of Hate and Neat Stuff and have nearly every issue. This site has a great gallery of covers, interviews, bio and great links. It's worth a good and hearty browse.

Cheers!