I'm overdue for my take on Michigan. I'm overdue for a new post, period. I think I even have a book or two overdue at the library right now. But since I stayed up too late watching TiVo'd American Idol for the second night in a row, let me phone it in with the latest from Ann Coulter, who puts it better than I could anyway.
"...One clue that Romney is our strongest candidate is the fact that Democrats keep viciously attacking him while expressing their deep respect for Mike Huckabee and John McCain. ... Doesn't that raise the tiniest suspicions in any of you? ... Dear Republicans: Please do one-tenth as much research before casting a vote in a presidential election as you do before buying a new car. ... Are you familiar with our 'no exchange/no return' policy on presidential candidates?"
Hey, they felt an "inevitable attraction" to each other. Who are we to judge?
I mean, we can't choose who we fall in love with, right? There's no such thing as normal in matters of the heart, is there? What right have we, the non-twins of the world, to horde the institution of marriage from these two and their meaningful, monogamous relationship?
Because, as former famous person Garth Brooks enlightened us during the Clinton years, "when we're free to love whoever we choose...we shall be free."
(By the way, keep your calendars open. My wife and I will be marrying our cat sometime in the Spring and you're all invited. We're registered at Petco and 9Lives.com.)
Gotta hand it to her. Hillary looked down and out, but 24 hours and a few tears later, she pulls a win out of her formidable backside.
And may I just say, Sandy Berger is amazing. Smuggling a handful of incriminating 9/11 documents out of a federal building is one thing, but to move that many extra ballots into a busy counting room? Those are some serious cargo pants.
But good for her. Get up on your feet now, America, and join Elijah Wood in the official Hillary Clinton Victory Dance!
Light on plot details, but solid assurances that every effort has been made to deliver the experience we're expecting. Spielberg even held special sessions with his new DP to emulate the previous films' now vintage look.
They've also resisted change in the editing booth.
"...Quick-cutting is very effective in some movies, like the Bourne pictures, but you sacrifice geography when you go for quick-cutting. ... Indy is a little more old-fashioned than the modern-day action adventure.”
In other words, no shaky-cam style "upgrades." Another smart move. I don't mind the phenomenon itself as much as many out there, but it doesn't belong here.
Or forget the new film and enjoy this for the biographical fun, including how Spielberg and Lucas became friends, exactly when and where they came up with the idea for Indiana Jones, etc.
I'm convinced you could learn more about movies by cleaning toilets at Amblin when Spielberg's around than at four years of film school. Whatever you think of his politics, the man is a genius when it comes to his craft. And he rattles it off like he's ordering pancakes at IHOP.
"...The script, Spielberg says, can provide the blockbuster pace. 'Part of the speed is the story,' he says. 'If you build a fast engine, you don’t need fast cutting, because the story’s being told fluidly, and the pages are just turning very quickly. You first of all need a script that’s written in the express lane, and if it’s not, there’s nothing you can do in the editing room to make it move faster. You need room for character, you need room for relationships, for personal conflict, you need room for comedy, but that all has to happen on a moving sidewalk.' ”
Lucas on the other hand is confirmed as more lucky than great.
It's not that he isn't exceptionally talented. American Graffiti remains one of the best films ever shot. But his wise choice to insulate himself from Hollywood after Star Wars has also sealed him off from reality. (Observe his self-deluded defense of Jar-Jar among other things.) Clearly, tragically a man among yes-men.
Don't miss the Web-exclusive Q&A's with Spielberg and Lucas for some of the best stuff here.
Everyone's all excited about the return of Rambo this month. I was too until I saw this pirated footage today. The special effects are OK I guess, but it needs subtitles...or something.
We're back! At least back to the keyboard. After a long night of fireworks and Dutch Oven eats on New Year's Eve, the family and I pretty much spent the day itself in-house, watching bowl games, grubbing on fine junk foods (mmm...pineapple rolls...), playing games, breaking down the Christmas decorations and having fun with the kids.
New Year's Day has become one of my favorite holidays of the year. There's just something about the promise of a new beginning every 365 days, the satisfaction of reflecting on progress made, the blessing of a point in time to leave your sins and failed resolutions in the rearview.
So thanks be to God for the year behind and the new days ahead. And thanks to all our faithful readers for sticking with us into '08!
I know we're supposed to hold hands and dance around the MLK Middle School maypole singing songs about how better off Africa is since throwing off the chains of colonial rule, but I'm guessing horror and barbarism on this magnitude wouldn't be happening if England was still benevolently dictating Kenya. And the death toll is rising.
Or, as the masters of politically correct understatement at CNN so kindly put it, "Tribal bonds color Kenyan politics."
Sad, sad, sad. Such a beautiful place otherwise. (Kenya, not CNN.)
And why, oh why, hasn't Congress pressured the U.N. to enact stricter machete control laws already?? Rwanda... Darfur... Nigeria... Zimbabwe... It always comes back to the evil machete. And very probably the machete-industrial complex. Because if any place on earth needs the awesome power of the 10-day waiting period, Africa's it.
Sorry about some of this. My defense of imperialism is no doubt hard to accept -- even to me. And yes, I realize formerly British India is a rising economic power at this very moment.
But let's have a show of hands... Who really thinks it would have taken this long or the smell would have gotten quite so bad in India if legions of snooty Anglo monarchists were still sipping tea on every street corner while plotting to make off with the exotic spices and zoo animals?
Exaaaaactly.
Love me, hate me... I am but your humble John-Leguizamo-as-Toulouse-Lautrec-in-Moulin-Rouge. ("I only speak the twuth...I only speak the twuth...I only speak the twuth!")
Ding, ding, ding! Coulter vs. Hucklebee, round two!
Huckabee confirms for liberal TV hosts their image of conservatives as dorks by bragging about how cool he is because he "likes music." What's he doing -- running for president or filling out his Facebook profile?
Too many great lines to reprint here, but it all boils down a serious point:
He supports a nationwide smoking ban anyplace where people work, constitutional protection for sodomy, big government, higher taxes and government benefits for illegal aliens. According to my calculations, that puts him about three earmarks away from being Nancy Pelosi.
Rush Limbaugh recently described this maddening wave of Huckamania as "identity politics." Meaning too many Christians are voting for the man merely because he's "one of them." This is usually a problem of the Left, but apparently we too are susceptible.
Problem is, he isn't one of us in any meaningful sense.
Only a few days left to fix this before Gomer takes Iowa.
So get the word out, my brothers and sisters. As the Quakers would say, Friends don't let Friends vote Huck.
I don't know what's more shocking, news of 'self-deporting' illegal aliens or the fact CNN carried a story calling them illegal.
Either way, a new law taking effect Jan. 1 (state, not federal of course) is worth a few extra New Years fireworks in my book. By holding employers accountable for a change, the new law is already reversing The Great Invasion in Arizona.
"People are calling me telling me about their friend, their cousin, their neighbors -- they're moving back to Mexico," said Magdalena Schwartz, an immigrant-rights activist and pastor at a Mesa church. "They don't want to live in fear, in terror."
She says that like it's a bad thing. Apparently they don't do Romans 13:4 in girl seminary?
" 'I don't want to live here because of the new law and the oppressive environment,' said [a 40-year-old illegal immigrant and masonry worker]. 'I'll be better in my country.' "
You are correct, señor. The Rio Grande is that-a-way. Please accept this snorkel as a parting gift.
Also notice which nation is "my country." They're here for the Mexican Dream, not the American. (More on that in an upcoming post.)
But if Arizona is looking rosy, Scottsdale is golden. Police are now checking papers and turning illegals over to ICE for deportation. A new development with sad origins, but a happy ending.
Back to the AP story...
"There's no way to know how many illegal immigrants are leaving Arizona, especially now with many returning home for normal holiday visits. But economists, immigration lawyers and people who work in the immigrant community agree it's happening."
Normal holiday visits?? It really is that easy? Hey, whatever... As long as they're whacking the Yule pinata on their side of the line next year, I'm good.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
"...For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people."
"Huckabee immediately ... turned to his main goal as president of the United States: teaching children more art and music. This, he said, was his 'passion' because 'I think our education system is failing kids because we're not touching the right side of the brain -- the creative side. We are focusing on the left side.'
I think I know someone who has just read an article in Reader's Digest about left brain/right brain differences! "
" 'American foreign policy needs to change its tone and attitude, open up, and reach out,' Huckabee said. 'The Bush administration's arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad.' "
Um...Isn't that a Democrat talking point? One debunked recently and often with the election of several pro-U.S. governments in Europe?
What I'm hearing is the kind of modern Christianity usually defined as "seeker-sensitive" -- heavy on the compassion talk because darn it, people like sweet baby Jesus more when you talk that way. Fire and brimstone is so God-of-the-Old-Testament. (Never mind the P.R.-nightmare of a fact that the Almighty never changes age-to-age last time I checked both Testaments.)
It's the same kind of talk that Dubya rose to power on, and, were it not for his boldness in the war on terror, would have had him ridden out of the party on a rail long ago for the billions in tax money he's allowed spent to make people appreciate compassionate conservatives more.
You can hear it in Huckabee's "heart for the downtrodden" immigration idiocy as governor. Now he's signaling that he's up for a foreign policy along the same lines.
I'm reprinting straight from the AFA alert emailed to me. It's targeted to California readers, but you shouldn't have trouble redirecting to your congressman/woman if it applies in your state.
Unbelievable... Or not.
Representatives Stark and Woolsey vote for Ramadan but against Christmas
Only weeks after voting for a resolution that "recognizes the Islamic faith as one of the great religions of the world," seventeen Democrats in the U.S. House refused to vote for a Christmas resolution that condemns the worldwide persecution of Christians.
In an act of intolerance toward Christianity (and Christmas), Reps. Fortney Stark and Lynn Woolsey have decided that religious discrimination should be the rule of law. By their vote, Christmas is not worthy of recognition by the United States government and should be shunned at all costs.
Congress passed House Resolution 847 this week by a vote of 372 to 9 (Ten others voted "present" and 40 refused to vote at all.) to recognize the importance of Christmas and Christianity in America. The Christmas resolution acknowledged "the Christian faith as one of the great religions of the world," expressed "continued support for Christians," noted the historical importance of Christmas, the role "played by Christians and Christianity in the founding of the United States," and rejected "bigotry and persecution directed against Christians, both in the United States and worldwide."
Amazingly, Reps. Stark and Woolsey voted FOR a resolution in support of the Muslim Ramadan holiday just weeks ago! But when it comes to Christianity and Christmas, they have clearly demonstrated disdain and division for American culture and traditions. They voted for H.R. 635 which acknowledged "the Islamic faith as one of the great religions of the world," expressed "friendship and support for Muslims," noted "the onset of Ramadan," and rejected "hatred, bigotry, and violence directed against Muslims." It also "commends Muslims... who have privately and publicly rejected interpretations and movements of Islam that justify and encourage hatred." It recognized the "commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commended Muslims in the United States and throughout the world for their faith."
Take Action
Representatives Fortney Stark (D-California) and Lynn Woolsey (D-California) voted "no" on H.R. 847 (Christmas) and "yes" on H.R. 635 (Ramadan). Please e-mail and call to express your concerns over how they can possibly promote Islam in the same breath that they attack Christianity, the very faith that supported our nation at its founding. In addition to sending the email, I suggest that you call Reps. Stark (510) 494-1388 and Woolsey (707) 542-7182 and politely but firmly point out the embarrassment that the hypocrisy of their vote has brought upon your state.
...and I can't believe my parents never let me watch this
With Singleton on board, gotta admit I'm looking forward to this. Nervously, but I'm looking forward to it. Because this one could go both ways.
The new "A-Team" will be updated from the Vietnam era and reflect contemporary issues and politics. Tone of the film will be less cartoony and more serious, in the vein of "Die Hard" and "Lethal Weapon."
Every other TV update trying to out ham the hamminess of the original -- Boss Hogg, Uncle Jed, I'm looking at you -- has been a total disaster. The change in tone is justified here and could result in a killer flick.
Obviously, the team itself will be a sympathetic bunch of Iraq vets. Cool enough. As long as they aren't walking around with an anti-American chip on their shoulder, or battling the shock troops of a cackling, cat-petting Donald Rumsfeld, all is good.
And Murdock better be ha-ha funny, not PTSD funny. (I pity the foo who tries to draft a chick into the team, too. You know it'll happen.)
Casting will be the next bit of fun to contemplate here. Stay tuned.
"The waterboarding lasted about 35 seconds before Abu Zubaida broke down ... told his captors he would tell them whatever they wanted...
'He said that Allah had come to him in his cell and told him to cooperate, because it would make things easier for his brothers,' Kiriakou said."
Granted, with a name like Splash, I'm going to be a fan of waterboarding, but it just warms my heart to know we can literally put the fear of God into these good people. Or could before Nancy Pelosi took over. Because as any good Democrat will tell you, torture is only a good thing when pursued consensually for gay porn shoots or major-release horror movies, as the Founding Fathers clearly intended.
This is just a weird development... Is it a savvy business move? Can't take the heat in L.A. anymore? Or did he just have such a blast on Apocalypto that he's going to extravagantly unrealistic lengths to have his beach and bum it too?
Panama, where he's reportedly been looking for property for the past year, has apparently lost the bidding war for a piece of the Gibson.
He's not the only one banking on Costa Rica, though. Guanacaste, seaside site of his exiting home, is also the site of Cacique, a 650-acre eco-resort being developed by AOL honcho Steve Case.
Real SEALs soon to become reel SEALs. Luttrell is far right.
While scrounging around for updates on the planned adaptation of "Lone Survivor," I came across this older report. I'd heard most of the details surrounding the book's sale at the time, but missed this:
"By late July, [author and former Navy SEAL] Luttrell's book had become a surprise best-seller, and producers and executives were clamoring to meet the 6-foot-5-inch Texan.
For Luttrell, the most important item on his list was that any adaptation had to respect his fallen comrades, so he wanted to achieve a comfort level with his suitors. [Peter] Berg and Luttrell took to each other since the director is a fellow Texan with a love for the SEALs, who appear in 'Kingdom.' "
What's encouraging about this whole thing:
1) The H'wood Establishment's anti-military agenda is so obvious by now that outsiders like Luttrell are now locking in the integrity of their stories at the contract level.
2) My good vibe about the phenomenally talented Peter Berg is further confirmed.
3) This project is not only being made, but the rights went for a hefty $2 mil.
Can it be the collective suck of a dozen defeatist propaganda films has begun to sink in? At least to a few pragmatic play-makers?
Then again, it's still a story of defeat they've finally lined up to get right.
Why is uncommon valor only worthy when it's a tale of things gone wrong? Black Hawk Down was fantastic, but the lasting image of that film is still charred American bodies and a tactical retreat on low ammo.
Spectacular SEAL victories are out there. Why not the true story of the SEAL platoon that lost brothers on Roberts Ridge, then made it their mission to find, ambush and slaughter to the man the Chechens in Afghanistan who were responsible? Why not the story of the operator who lost a leg on one deployment, then returned to active behind-the-lines service with a prosthetic leg?
Don't get me wrong. I'm beyond thrilled the sacrifice and patriotism of Luttrell's platoon will get first-class deployment to the Hollywood battlefront. But when they're still green lighting stuff like this, this and this on a daily basis, it's a little early to start singing "Hooray for Hollywood" again.
Then there's what might still become of "Lone Survivor." Just watch the direction this interview with an "unbiased" reporter takes Luttrell and you'll see where, I fear, Hollywood might take this story.
I may be in the minority here, but I know my wife agrees with me on this one.
Sure, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was a lowest-common-denominator, template-rom-com chick flick in the negative sense of the term, but you can't deny the chemistry Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey had together.
And sorry, even if they hadn't, this one just looks like a ton of fun. No agendas, no messages, no apologies.
OK, so I'm late to the party on this one. The thing has over 4 million YouTube hits. It's still hilarious. As our friend Mike Rinaldi points out, this is an excellent reminder of how "tone can change everything."
