A Palin double standard Tim Rutten Los Angeles Times September 10, 2008 Connoisseurs of campaign tactics tend to be a pretty cynical bunch, so they'll doubtless find much to admire in the adroit way Sen. John McCain's camp has handled Sarah Palin since she came aboard the ticket. Voters, who tend to nourish an inconvenient hunger for information, may be less impressed. One suspects that sooner rather than later, some will begin to wonder why the GOP is insisting that Palin is entitled to be treated according to a double standard. McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, deserved full marks for chutzpah, for example, when he told Fox News' Chris Wallace that Palin would not answer reporters' questions "until the point in time when she'll be treated with respect and deference." Deference? Respect and courtesy, maybe. Everybody is entitled to those -- including candidates for office -- and journalists seldom look worse than when they forget that. But deference? The president does not require deference from his media interlocutors, but the ambitious governor of Alaska does? Palin, Davis said, "will do interviews, but she'll do them on the terms and conditions" dictated by McCain's campaign -- which is to say, according to a standard that applies to no other candidate for office anywhere in the country. (ABC's Charles Gibson will conduct the first Palin interview Thursday; it will be interesting to see whether he agrees to preconditions.) The McCain campaign's insistence on imposing a double standard for Palin is nowhere clearer than in the demand, voiced by many of the candidate's surrogates, that her religious affiliations and their implications be placed off-limits. The GOP was on firmer ground when it made a similar demand with regard to her children, though it's safe to say that if Sen. Barack Obama had appeared in Denver with his unmarried pregnant daughter and the father of her child, the religious right's outraged screams still would be echoing in the nation's ear. Palin's religious convictions should be open to inquiry, not least because the McCain campaign so obviously welcomes the support of evangelicals who support the ticket because Palin believes as they do. More important, Obama has been held to answer -- and rightly so -- for his connection to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the pastor's intemperate views on everything from race to 9/11. Obama was forced to give a speech disassociating himself from Wright and finally to leave Wright's church. Nobody seriously questioned the right of the media -- or, for that matter, the Illinois senator's political opponents -- to ask whether Obama agreed with what was being preached in the church he'd chosen to join. Similarly, no one turned a hair when Joe Biden was asked on national TV when he, as a Roman Catholic, believed life began. McCain has been asked the same question. Palin, apparently, operates in a parallel political universe -- or at least McCain's handlers would like to see that she does. Less than a month ago, Palin sat in the pews at the Wasilla Bible Church, to which she and her family belong, and listened to a sermon by David Brickner, who heads Jews for Jesus, a group cited by the Anti-Defamation League for its "aggressive and deceptive" proselytizing of Jews. Brickner said that Arab terrorism against the state of Israel was an expression of God's judgment on the Jewish people for their rejection of Christ. After Brickner concluded his remarks, a special collection was taken up to support the sect's activities. A spokesman for the McCain campaign said Palin does not agree with Brickner's views, but somehow it's the kind of question a candidate ought to be able to answer for herself. Voters might also like to know whether Palin supports, as does her church, an upcoming conference that promises to change gays and lesbians into heterosexuals through the power of prayer. That conference, by the way, is being put on by James Dobson's Focus on the Family, one of the national evangelical organizations that discovered a sudden enthusiasm for the GOP ticket when Palin joined. Ingenious though it may be tactically, it's hard to imagine the Palin double standard enduring into the fall. Campaign connoisseurs not withstanding, politics isn't a sport, though it has at least one thing in common with the boxing ring -- you can run, but you can't hide.

Thanks again Del for providing some amusement for me and my co-workers...every time we think you've scraped bottom, you prove us wrong. There truly is no limit to how low your studidity and hypocrisy will go.

from the business section of the L.A. Times yesterday: Fannie and Freddie get a loan, taxpayers get the debt Taxpayers are sick of getting stuck with the check for someone else's banquet. David Lazarus, Consumer Confidential Los Angeles Times September 10, 2008 The conventional wisdom on the multibillion-dollar federal government bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is that they're just too big to let fail. The two companies own or guarantee about half of the country's $12 trillion in mortgage debt. Another way of looking at this, though, is that all those of us who behaved responsibly during the housing bubble will now have to cover for those who rolled the dice and lost when it came to home prices and mortgage payments. "If Fannie and Freddie were to fail, that could trigger a real banking crisis," said Delores Conway, director of USC's Casden Real Estate Economics Forecast. "This bailout is for the greater good." It's unclear how much of taxpayers' money will be used for the bailout. Current estimates say it could run as high as $200 billion. That's about $655 for every man, woman and child. "It's tough," Conway said. "The pain is being spread among consumers who were honest, ethical and forthright." The bailout of Fannie and Freddie is intended primarily to ensure that funds exist for new home buyers, thus preventing the housing market from tanking further. It's also an effort to placate foreign investors who purchased mortgage-backed securities with the idea that they bore the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Fannie and Freddie were private companies. But because they were federally chartered, there was a perception among other countries' central banks that their debt was guaranteed by the U.S. government. It wasn't. But it could be disastrous if foreign investors dumped their holdings. Some taxpayer money also could go toward rewriting the terms of existing loans so that the flood of foreclosures will ease to a more manageable trickle. Last year, I had to take out a huge (for me) and exotic mortgage when I bought a house after returning to Los Angeles. My wife and I figured this was the best way to get our son enrolled in the public school we wanted him to attend even though we hadn't yet sold our home in San Francisco. I knew going into the deal that I couldn't carry two mortgages for very long and that I'd have to get out of our new loan as quickly as possible. The initial payments weren't exorbitant, but the interest rate could (and almost certainly would) ratchet higher after three years. We paid down the principal as soon as we sold our other house. Then, once interest rates hit a sweet spot, we spent about $6,000 to refinance into a conventional fixed-rate loan. It was expensive, but it was the prudent thing to do. Compare my experience with that of Allen Morgan, who put down $60,000 in cash and took out a $580,000 loan from Countrywide Financial Corp. in 2004 to purchase a five-bedroom house in Woodcrest, in Riverside County. Like me, he signed up for an unconventional loan that required him to pay interest only before reducing the principal. This structure all but guarantees a steep hike in monthly payments within just a few years. Morgan, 64, said he refinanced in 2006 into a pair of loans from IndyMac Bank totaling $695,000 and used the additional funds to put in new landscaping, a new patio and a new driveway. One loan had an 8% interest rate, the other nearly 11%. In October, Morgan said he contacted IndyMac about refinancing again, this time consolidating the two loans into a single obligation with an interest rate of about 5%. He said the bank was concerned that the value of his house had fallen significantly and dithered for months in approving the deal. In the meantime, Morgan said he found a house in Corona that he was able to buy cheap out of foreclosure, so he stopped making payments on the Woodcrest property in April. His debt and penalty fees now top $700,000. Morgan expects the house to be foreclosed upon any day now -- another link in the long chain of mortgage defaults that's brought Fannie, Freddie, IndyMac and other institutions to the edge of a financial cliff. I asked Morgan why I (and you) should have to pay for his recklessness. "I understand what you're saying," he replied. "But it's not me. It's the big institutions we need to be watching more closely. They're the ones holding the notes. They were obligated to take care of me." Economists talk about a concept called moral hazard, which describes a situation in which an individual or institution exhibits unusually risky behavior because the consequences for such actions are diminished. "The last thing you want is for people to think they can make mistakes and that they'll get rescued," said Alan Auerbach, director of the Robert D. Burch Center for Tax Policy and Public Finance at UC Berkeley. But what else are we to think when billions of dollars of our money is essentially handed to those who gambled wrong on the mortgage market? How is that fair? "You just have to suck it up," said Ed Leamer, director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast. "You'll benefit in the long run from having a stronger economy. That's what you have to remember." Perhaps. But taxpayers are sick of getting stuck with the check for someone else's banquet. The federal government will run a near-record deficit of $407 billion this year, according to congressional estimates released Tuesday. The tide of red ink will rise to $438 billion next year. Meanwhile, the national debt is approaching a staggering $10 trillion -- a credit card bill that future generations are going to have to pay, one way or another. Clearly it's time we got our financial house in order. Fannie and Freddie may be too big to let fail. But it should stop there.

Cheney Waits Until Last Minute Again To Buy Sept. 11 Gifts September 1, 2008 | Issue 44•36 The Onion WASHINGTON—Busy dealing with important paperwork and other vice presidential duties in recent weeks, Dick Cheney was forced to put off until the last minute a cherished annual tradition: gift-shopping for his favorite holiday, 9/11. "I looked at the calendar yesterday, and I couldn't believe my eyes—9/11 is almost here!" a rosy-cheeked Cheney said upon returning to the White House Sunday with two giant bags overflowing with gift-wrapped boxes and big red bows. "It's the most wonderful time of the year." While Cheney is known by many to be cold and taciturn for the other 11 months of the year, those close to the vice president say there is something about the 9/11 season that puts a smile on his face and a spring in his step. Each Sept. 11 morning since 2001, Cheney has come to work donning a fireman costume and handed out small, thoughtful gifts to all White House staffers. In addition, at his home on 9/11 Eve, Cheney lays out large piles of presents for his children and grandchildren underneath the colorfully lit, six-foot-tall 9/11 towers that he sets up by the fireplace. "I think I've outdone myself this year—I bought the president a box of cigars and a brand-new fountain pen, I got Condoleezza [Rice] a beautiful blue blazer, and for my wife [Lynne] I bought a diamond necklace, a new winter coat, and this neat little motorized airplane ornament to hang on the 9/11 towers," Cheney told reporters while perusing the windows of New York's famed Park Avenue shops. "And for [grandson] Samuel I bought about a million toys and games and 9/11 nutcrackers. I probably went a little bit overboard, but it's his first 9/11, and I want it to be as special as my first 9/11." The vice president then reiterated how fortunate he was to have received his big 9/11 bonus early this year. Although Cheney himself has never received any Sept. 11 gifts, with the exception of a pair of silk pajamas from his wife and a second term in office, he insisted that he gets more joy from giving than receiving. According to Cheney, Sept. 11 is a time to reflect and give thanks for all the benefits and blessings 9/11 has given him in the past. Cheney, however, lamented the fact that he has seen a recent decline in the nation's 9/11 spirit. "I don't know what's happened," Cheney said. "Less than seven years ago, 9/11 seemed like a huge event for every American. Back then, on Sept. 11 morning, everyone would dart downstairs at 8:46 a.m. sharp, shouting and screaming, and the ground outside would be blanketed in the most beautiful gray as far as the eye could see. I especially loved the streets of New York during this season—the lights, the sounds, people rushing every which way, the sidewalks so crowded you could barely move, the wide-eyed looks on the people's faces. The whole New York skyline was lit up like a Christmas tree." Cheney then sighed happily, adding, "I wish every day were 9/11." While he's disappointed that so many seem to have forgotten the lessons of his beloved holiday, the vice president said he simply could not stay sad with 9/11 just around the corner. Lynne Cheney told reporters she expects her husband will once again go overboard in his celebrations this year, buying a larger 9/11 front-yard display and making himself sick eating too many broken Pentagon cookies. "He really gets into it," she said as her husband cheerfully decorated the Blue Room of the White House with pieces of smoldering cinder and charred flesh to recreate the setting of Ground Zero. "I try to tell him that it's just a silly holiday, that he's making a fool out of himself when he goes around shouting 'Happy Sept. 11!' to people while ringing a large bell, but he never listens. He just loves 9/11." But amid all the decorating and gift-giving, Vice President Cheney is careful not to let all the 9/11 festivities distract him from the deeper significance the day holds. "Sometimes, in all the hustle and bustle of the season, it's easy to forget the true meaning of Sept. 11," Cheney said. "Sept. 11 is not about fancy 9/11 parades, or big 9/11 office parties. In fact, it's not even just about two buildings crumbling to the ground and leaving thousands of innocent people dead." "No," Cheney continued. "No, 9/11 is about the warm feeling you get when you help an elderly woman cross the street and then whisper to her that the terrorists can strike at any moment. 9/11 is about the satisfaction of telling people to do things and then them doing it—not because they want to, but because they are afraid to do otherwise. 9/11 is about removing Saddam Hussein from power. But most of all, 9/11 is about love." Cheney said he plans to spend a quiet Sept. 11 at home this year, during which he will exchange gifts with loved ones and watch his taped VHS footage of the old 9/11 TV specials while he smiles and laughs. "I have a feeling this is going to be the best Sept. 11 ever," Cheney said with a grin. "I just dread the day I have to tell my kids that 9/11 isn't real." Cheny shopping for gifts Happy 9/11 from the Cheney Family

Yeah, it's great! But then I learned from the best at reducing people to absurd stereotypes...you right-wing conservatives.

Audioslave. Liked Soundgarden and even liked Rage Against the Machine...but when the Audioslave album came out, I was like "what is this boring crap?!?" Such a letdown.

Oh, don't worry...I am plenty worried about our mega-deficit; 75% of which was incurred under the Reagan/Bush 1 & 2 administrations...and yet, people still believe the myth of Republican fiscal responsibility. But part of the way a debt grows so large, is that people laugh off $50 million. Next thing you know, $50 mil becomes $100 mil which becomes $100 billion which becomes the mess we're in right now. If you're going to shrink spending, you gotta start somewhere...and I'd rather cut out the spending for these "white elephant" conventions instead of cutting education.

I've been super busy lately, which is why it is only now I'm posting about these Radiohead shows from a couple weeks ago...but oh well, better late than never. Like Led Zeppelin, Radiohead plays some of their most awesome concerts whenever they play Los Angeles. Recently, they played the Hollywood Bowl for two sold out nights as their American "In Rainbows" tour came to an end in California. I was lucky enough to go both nights, August 24 and 25; had great seats both nights. The first night was great...this tour they've been playing all of In Rainbows, with the rest of the set filled out with nuggets from their back catalog. Like the Black Crowes, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, they change the set list nightly, which rewards the concert goer who sees them more than once. The first night we got some gems like "Exit Music", "Street Spirit", "Paranoid Android" and "Dollars and Cents"(with an incredible light show). But as great as the first night was, the second night was OFF THE CHARTS! Not only did we get three classics from "The Bends": "Fake Plastic Trees", "The Bends" and !"Planet Telex"!(which they hadn't played since the legendary 1998 Universal Amphitheatre show), we got "Karma Police" and "No Surprises"(with its classic line, 'Bring down the government/they don't speak for us'), and one of the best songs from Thom Yorke's solo record, "Cymbal Rush"...but the great delight of the the night came just after "Faust Arp", which Thom and Jonny play on acoustic guitars, when after the song they went into "Tell Me Why", from Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush" album. I think I levitated out of my seat, haha! Unlike previous stops on this tour, where they just played partial versions, this was a complete version of the song. And this isn't the first time Radiohead has covered Neil...they've done "After the Gold rush" and "Cinnamon Girl" in the past. Here's a youtube clip of Radiohead's Tell Me Why @ the Hollywood Bowl 8/25/08: These two Bowl concerts just further cemented Radiohead's place among the finest live bands around today...they are in my top 3 easily. The sound was impeccable both nights...and the light show was unique and extraordinary(first night was helped by the fact I took acid with a friend at the show)...at times it seemed the band was underwater or trapped inside walls of flame..."National Anthem", "Dollars & Cents", and "Planet Telex" especially had wicked light shows. Not since the prime of Pink Floyd has a band paid such attention to detail regarding sound and light as Radiohead does now. And when the band played a song like "Pyramid Song"(with Jonny bowing his guitar) or "Reckoner", it was hard not to be moved to tears the way Thom's beautiful voice would strike your soul. If you saw the band on this tour, you know what I mean...it is not for nothing that Gnarls Barkley is already doing a cover of "Reckoner" on their tour this year; it is a great song and a great showcase for anyone who has a good voice. As for the dolts who still think Coldplay, Muse and their ilk are in Radiohead's class, Radiohead left them in the dust long ago, and this tour shows again how they are mere pretenders...hell, Coldplay et al are still aping the Radiohead of The Bends/OK Computer, and that was more than 10 years ago. Comparing Coldplay's LA Forum show this summer to Radiohead's shows is a mismatch; it's like comparing Kiss to Led Zeppelin. Here are the setlists for both Radiohead shows @ Hollywood Bowl: (songs in boldface are setlist changes) Sunday, August 24, 2008 1. 15 Step 2. There There 3. Morning Bell 4. All I Need 5. Pyramid Song 6. Nude 7. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi 8. The Gloaming 9. The National Anthem 10. Wolf at the Door 11. Faust Arp 12. Exit Music (for a Film) 13. Jigsaw Falling Into Place 14. Idioteque 15. Climbing Up the Walls 16. Bodysnatchers 17. How to Disappear Completely Encore 1: 18. Videotape 19. Paranoid Android 20. Dollars & Cents 21. Street Spirit 22. Reckoner Encore 2: 23. House of Cards 24. Lucky 25. Everything In Its Right Place Monday, August 25, 2008 1. Reckoner 2. Optimistic 3. There There 4. 15 Steps 5. All I need 6. Pyramid Song 7. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi 8. The Gloaming 9. Videotape 10. Talk Show Host 11. Faust Arp 12. Tell Me Why (Neil Young cover) 13. No Surprises 14. Jigsaw Falling Into Place 15. The Bends 16. National Anthem 17. Nude 18. Bodysnatchers ENCORE 1: 19. House of Cards 20. Planet Telex 21. Go Slowly 22. Fake Plastic Trees 23. True Love Waits Intro/Everything In Its Right Place ENCORE 2: 24. Cymbal Rush 25. Karma Police 26. Idioteque

Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

Watching the Republican Convention, and I just want to say, "Where all the white people at?!?" Jesus, outside of a Wall-Mart, have you seen a bigger congregation of Celine Dion-listening, American Idol-watching, Applebee's-eating, white bread zombies who think "Leave It to Beaver" is a documentary? And can't the republicans find some white people that can clap and dance in rhythm? But both the Democratic and Republican Conventions are a joke...none of the big networks cover them with any authority, and the cable networks devote most of their airtime to gossip and stroking the egos of their talking heads; can we just shoot Wolf Blitzer, Sean Hannity, Chris Mathews et al. right now! Nobody pays any attention to the nuts and bolts of each convention; only at C-Span will you get to see the speeches uninterrupted and learn what each party's platform entails. And the cost of putting on these extravaganzas is astronomical...why it costs $50 million for each city to provide security alone. Think of the good use that money could be put to instead of providing another excuse for politians to party on our dime. Just another example of how everything is more bloated and wasteful these days; conventions, olympics, award shows, military, government.

Good riddance to the scumbag. As for his complaining about being called "nigger"...odds are that the majority of people calling him that were black, so tough shit...the "race card" won't play in this case.

Just a few off the top of my head... "We Built This City" by Jefferson Starship...or Starship...or whatever they were calling themselves by then. "Final Countdown" by Europe...hell yeah, goddamn awful! "I Feel Like a Woman" by Shania Twat...typical horrid production by Mutt Lang...that cheesy synth riff, for example. Anything by Creed, Autograph, Celine Dion, Limp Bizkit, and a gazillion other bands from the 80's and 90's; particularly the hair-metal and rap-metal/nu-metal ones. Oh, and regarding the back and forth about Manfred Mann at the beginning of this thread. I am assuming you know that "wrapped up like a deuce" 1)came from Manfred Mann's cover of Springsteen's "Blinded By the Light", not "The Mighty Quinn"...and 2) isn't even the correct lyric...which was "cut loose like a deuce". That's what made Manfred Mann's version of "Blinded" so appalling, was that he got the lyric wrong: he sang "wrapped up like a DOUCHE", because like a lot of Brits, he was clueless when it came to hotrod culture(a distinctly American rite of passage), and didn't know that Bruce was referring to a 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe.

Like Ralph Nadar, Jesse Jackson has managed to make people forget whatever good he did by the craven and idiotic antics of the last 30 years or so. He may have marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. and all that; but he has far outlived his usefulness to the black community. In fact, both Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton(they don't deserve the respect of calling them "reverend") are part of the problem when it comes to the black community and their ills. Because both Jackson and Sharpton find it so easy to play the "race card" and blame whitey, it gives many blacks an easy out to not face themselves and see that it is sometimes their actions that keep them down in the poverty gutter. That is why it is imperative for Obama(or any serious African- American candidate) to refuse to kow-tow to the Jackson/Sharpton camp...he needs to tell them to f*ck off. The majority of this country is still white and latino and these groups are sick to death of the tomfoolery of Jesse Jackson/Al Sharpton. Whatever black votes Obama may lose in ignoring Jackson/Sharpton, he will gain from whites and latinos that will be encouraged that he is not beholden to the "blame whitey" crowd. In fact, Jackson and Sharpton are so irrelevent and insane, that even if you are a white candidate, you don't need to hitch yourself to these clowns to get the black vote, as I think there is a growing segment of the black community that is growing tired of their act. The day that everybody just ignores the attention whores Jackson and Sharpton will be a blessed one, indeed.

DON'T WORRY...NO SPOILERS! Okay, I'm back after seeing it last night, and while I'm not buying the talk of it being the greatest thing since sliced bread(I think the knuckleheads on IMDB already have "The Dark Knight" rated #4 all time...WTF?!?), I think it is fairly obvious that it is, BY FAR, the greatest "comic-book-superhero" film ever...it blows away any of the Superman and Spiderman movies. Really, I can only think of Nolan's "Batman Begins", "Iron Man", maybe one of the "X-Men" movies as being close...but really, none of those films, while good, have anywhere near the emotional impact and intense thrills that "The Dark Knight" possesses in spades. "The Dark Knight", through the rare(in superhero movies especially) combination of good director/good script/excellent ensemble acting/good technical support, is a superhero movie that has so blown away all previous superhero films and forever raised the bar on what a superhero movie can and should aspire to, that it has transcended the superhero genre entirely and could reasonably be talked about in terms of great American crime dramas...maybe not Godfather level, but closer than you might have thought would be capable for a mere "superhero" movie. Since the film just came out, and not everyone has had a chance to see it, I will wait before discussing "The Dark Knight" at length, as I don't want to ruin it for someone by giving out spoilers, even if it's unintentional. All I will say, is that yes, Heath Ledger is AMAZING, but do not forget about Aaron Eckhart...he is just as great as Harvey Dent/Two Face, and it would be a shame if he gets lost in all the rush to memorialize Heath Ledger. In fact, it was upon hearing Eckhart was cast that increased my interest of seeing this movie more than Heath Ledger. I have enjoyed Aaron Eckhart ever since first seeing him in 1997's "In the Company of Men"...since then, he has routinely been brilliant in all manner of roles from "Erin Brockovich" to "Thank You For Smoking"...he is one of our most underrated actors. And, in many ways, it is Eckhart's character Harvey Dent that is the center of "The Dark Knight"; his character arc is the crux of the film, without it the film wouldn't have the devestating emotional impact that it does. And Gary Oldman as Gordon...and Maggie Gyllenhaal(a VAST IMPROVEMENT over Katie Holmes) as Rachel...Michael Caine...just an expert cast and wonderful acting by all...including Christian Bale, although the stickler in me was kind of annoyed at times with the voice he uses in his "Batman" mode. I had a couple of other minor quibbles her and there, but nothing that takes away from the overall enjoyment and wonder of the movie. But, all that is for later, when more of you have seen it and can therefore join in the discussion without fear of spoilers. I will just finish by getting back to Heath...his performance is one for the books; it is everything you've heard and more. His entire construct of the Joker is genius and forever obliterates the campy vaudeville memories of Cesare Romero and Jack Nicholson. This is a Joker of the id...the Joker of our nightmares...helped by some of the most fiendishly eerie "theme music" any character ever had. It is like the leitmotifs Wagner wrote for his operas. Somebody earlier embarrassed themselves with some foolish prattle about how Doc Oc was such a "visually arresting" villain, amongst other dubious claims. That is the folly of trying to comment on a film that you haven't seen. Well, I'll take Heath Ledger's Joker with his one pencil over Doc Oc and his 6, 10 or however many arms any day of the week. It is NO CONTEST! Heath Ledger's "Joker" will go down as one of the greatest film villians of all-time, while Doc Oc isn't even in the conversation and will be forgotten in time, if he isn't already. Wanna see me make a pencil disappear? So is "The Dark Knight" worth spending the bucks to see in a theatre? YES!!!! Go see it now...before your friends ruin it by telling you all the good parts. It is dark...so I would leave any kids under 8 at home, as it would probably be too intense for the wee ones. It is very rare a film lives up to, and even surpasses the expectations and hype that amasses around it, especially a summer flick. If you get one movie a summer that lives up to the hype, I consider it a good summer. So far, we've had "Iron Man" and "Wall-E"...and even "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", although I guess that came out more in the spring. Now, after the dreck of "The Happening", "Get Smart", "The Love Guru", "Hancock", "Hellboy II" and countless others, we get a third great summer movie, "The Dark Knight". My only concern is will Christopher Nolan tempt fate and try to deliver a third Batman movie, when usually the third movie sucks...see "Godfather III", "Star Wars III", "Spiderman III".

1. Elton John is far superior to Billy Joel, especially when talking about Elton's first six or so albums, everything from "Elton John" to "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". 2. I'll take ABBA over Billy Joel anyday, easily. 3. The fact that Billy Joel is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, renders said institution irrelevant...but then, it always has been. I don't need Jann Wenner to tell me who is/was important in rock and roll history, and neither should you.

Then I would say that the problem wasn't Robert Downey Jr., but your conception of what constitutes "manly". For Robert Downey Jr. is ONE thing that elevated "Iron Man" above the usual "comic superhero movie" drivel. He was riveting in the role, and believe me, every red-blooded woman I've talked to found him plenty "MANLY". As for "The Dark Knight", I'm going tonight with friends and my godson and nephews. We wanted to see it at the Cinerama Dome, but it apparently is sold out until the next millenium and you need to sign away your first born or left nut to get a ticket. So, instead we got tickets to see it at the Vista Theatre in Silverlake, which has several advantages: 1. The sound and projection are just as great as the Arclight Cinerama Dome, which places it amongst the best in the world. 2. The tix are nearly $5 cheaper...$9.50 compared to $14 at the Arclight; and you get just as few ads. 3. The BEST popcorn in L.A., with real butter; not the vats of "Guido-the-killer-pimp's hair oil glop" that is usually poured on theatre popcorn. 4. Most importantly, for a someone who is 6'7"...it has the most legroom I've ever experienced in any theatre anywhere. I can stretch out my long legs and there is still room for people to go past to their seats without me having to get up, which means you are also spared having someone's bum or crotch shoved in your faceas they make their way past. I'll wait until actually seeing the movie before commenting on said film, and how it compares with prior Batmans, and other comic-book fare, such as Spiderman. See ya at the movies!

That'll be 'alf a 'Oo, then.

woof woof! arf arf!

The album is reminiscent of old vinyl records as it is only 34 minutes long. There was a good review of it in today's Los Angeles Times...will probably pick up the cd tonight or tomorrow, as I like most of Beck's records. Beck's playing his largest home-town show when he plays the Hollywood Bowl this September.

Well, before the July 12 Supergrass show, thanks to a friend who is comping me tix, I will be seeing Chris Isaak at the Hollywood Bowl this friday July 11...haven't seen Isaak in about 10 years. He's a great "date" concert...your date will definitely be in the mood after the show! Chris Isaak at the Bowl

Varèse, Edgard

I'm with you, SunChild...it boggles the mind that people are so gullible...and if you spend any time reading around Youtube and other website message boards, your head will start to hurt at the sheer number of clueless idiots. Here is my favourite Zep-related piece from the Onion: Secret Jimmy Page Riff

That's Big Bambu, not Bamboo...album was released in 1972, and came with a giant rolling paper that you pulled from the cover. I think I bought 3 copies over the years during the 70's, and each time me and my friends would take tons of pot and make a giant Zeppelin joint with the paper and get stoned out of our minds...I think the paper was close to 8 or 9 inches long, wasn't it? Of course, now I wish I had saved at least one copy of Big Bambu in mint condition; it is probably worth a lot of money if you stil have one with the rolling paper in the cover. And "Half Baked" isn't even in the same league as the best Cheech & Chong films...hell, it is not even in the same galaxy.

It is not often you get to be in the presence of a genuine hero, but last night at the American Cinematheque's screening of Tony Palmer's "The Space Movie", one Buzz Aldrin was in attendance and along with giving a brief introduction to the film with the film's director, Tony Palmer(who also made the rock documentary classics "All My Loving" and "All You Need Is Love"), Buzz stuck around for a Q & A session afterwards. I shouldn't have to tell you who Buzz Aldrin is, but with the state of American education today, maybe I should just to be safe. Simply put...Buzz was the second man to walk on the moon, after Neil Armstrong, as part of the Apollo 11 mission when they became the first men to land on the moon July 20, 1969. They were part of a larger group of men who shall remain legendary for their inspiration and for representing the best qualities of mankind: intelligence, resourcefulness, ingenuity, comraderie, courage. I speak of the men of the NASA space mission, which began with the Mercury project, and then continued with the Gemini and Apollo programs. If you are a citizen of the United States, this was one of our country's finest achievements...hell, you don't even have to be American, as it was one of mankind's proudest moments, period. Anyway, last night was a special treat for the couple hundred of us in attendance, as along with the screening of "The Space Movie" (which was commissioned by NASA in 1978 to celebrate the then upcoming 10th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and features a score by Mike Oldfield, better known to most of you as the guy who did "Tubular Bells", which was used in "The Exorcist"), they also showed the video NASA created for the event this past February when they beamed the Beatles' song "Across the Universe" into space, to honour the 40th anniversary of the song. Then, as if things couldn't get better, or weirder, depending on your perspective, after the screening and the Q & A, I hit the men's restroom and found myself standing right next to Mr. Aldrin as we both took a leak. No, I did not strike up a conversation...as that is bad form; you don't talk to a man while he is trying to urinate. I waited 'til we were out of the restroom to strike up a conversation. He stuck around and signed stuff for people, and they also sold dvd's of the Space movie in the lobby, which he was also signing. A day later and I am still buzzing(sorry, hehe) over meeting Buzz; definitely a highlight of my year and life. If you are around my age or older, you remember the awe and thrill surrounding all those Apollo launchings...being in California, we would have to get up extra early to watch them. Then the long days and weeks tracking their progress in the sky and watching Walter Cronkite on the evening news with some scientists explaining where and what they were doing. To this day, I don't remember a thing about my birthday in 1969, as I was still in the clouds about the moon landing, which happened just before my birthday. If anybody else wants to share their memories, be my guest. However, if you are one of those nutjobs that thinks the moon landings were a hoax, sell your wacko conspiracy theories somewhere else...don't post them here. Same thing if you want to complain that we shouldn't have been sending men to the moon while people were starving on Earth...I don't want to hear it. The Apollo missions, and the NASA space program, in general, was a landmark in history and one for which we are still deriving benefits from 30, 40, 50 years later. What's the point of being a superpower if you can't multitask?

Says the guy who doesn't know who George Carlin is, either...maybe you should get out more often. Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix will always be 1 and 1A to me...but do not sell Prince short as a guitarist. The man can flat-out play...and in many different styles and tones. In fact, while I would not rank him above Jimi or Jimmy, I would put him above Eric Clapton in a heartbeat. But then, I rank lots of players above Clunkhead: Rory Gallagher, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Guy, Richard Thompson, Bert Jansch to name a few. Those who diss Prince have never seen him in concert...when he's on, he'll blow your mind.