Phrase of the Moment:
¤ Phrase: "I sure hope nothing bad happens to him."
¤ Usage: "Honey, I sure do like that Gollum guy a lot.  I hope nothing bad happens to him."
¤ Synonyms: N/A
¤ Origin: I made this one up some weeks ago, after reading in Entertainment Weekly that the main female prosecutor character on Law and Order:SUV was going to be leaving the show and showing Malaya the article. That night when we were watching a rerun of it I started talking about how much I liked her character and how I hoped she'd be on the show forever.
¤ Notes: This catch phrase is uttered by me several times a week, and is almost sure to crack up Malaya and myself.  It's best delivered in an innocent and hopeful voice, when she and I both know for sure that something bad is going to happen to him, whoever him (or her) may be.  The humor comes from the earnestness with which I say it, and the cluelessness implied by not realizing how very wrong I am.

It can also be used to tease, if I know something and she doesn't, since once I say it she's consumed with worry for the future well-being of the character.  Like for instance since I know how LotR turns out, and she doesn't, and I said it about oh... Frodo.  Or Aragorn. -- December 6, 2003

What I do have the energy to do is post a couple of news items (well, one, plus a booby photo) and then a collection of recent reader emails, with my comments added in, and the usual way off topic digressions.  Enjoy.

A man who woke up in a Molde hospital and found himself the recipient of an unexpected circumcision has been awarded NOK 20,000 (USD 3,000) in compensation from the surgeon, newspaper Sunnmørsposten reports.

The patient told the court that he would never have embarked on surgery to relieve an uncomfortably tight foreskin if he had known a circumcision would result. The man claimed that the circumcision had destroyed his sex life by reducing the sensitivity of his penis and because he was now embarrassed to appear naked in front of his wife. He said he was also embarrassed to be naked in public bathing facilities now.

The surgeon said in his defense that at least 60 percent of American men are circumcised and that the procedure is routine for Jewish and Muslim babies. He also argued that the man was objectively better after the operation and he had been warned that the foreskin could be partially or completely removed.

The appeals court chose to believe that the resulting circumcision came as a shock to the patient, and ruled he had suffered damage, though not 'considerable' damage. The court also ruled that circumcision remains unusual in Norway and that the physical changes to the man's organ were self-evident.

¤ This is not in any way newsworthy, but here's a new photo of Britney from Korea, showing off her amazing size-changing boobies. Looks like she got herself deflated recently, eh?

U.S. pop singer Britney Spears performs at Seoul Broadcasting System Hall in Seoul, South Korea Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003. Spears was in Seoul as part of her Asia tour for the promotion of her new album 'In the Zone.' (AP Photo/BMG Korea, HO)

First off, I'd like to say that this chained up leathers really got me thinking, we have exactly the same situation here in England, with your top end Armani jacket being almost totally unsecured and even your tackiest leather jacket being veritably enmeshed in plastic covered chains. I actually think I have the answer for this one and I think you'll agree it makes sense.

Picture if you will, the kind of guy who finds a top designer sports jacket desirable.
Now, picture the kind of guy who thinks a leather jacket is cool. Finally, ask yourself which of these two guys is most likely to have the wherewithal to actually pay for the desired item?

Now I know this amounts to little more than neo-fascist stereotyping, but hey, this is corporate retailer logic we're dealing with here. You can kick me if I'm wrong.

O.k., so you've got some valid points but let's just get over our little uber-cynical thing you've got going on. It did have rather good fighting scenes, which I thought enhanced the movie quite a bit, and it also had a rather good story. You said you were turned off by the cliche story hence Dances with Samurai. And while that has some validity, I thought that it worked quite well. Anyways, I doubt this does much to warm you to it, esp. since you are such a cynical bastard, but I for one thought that it was excellent, even with all of Cruise's problems. (He played a mostly drunk, nightmare plagued, and hardened West vet. pretty well)

--Greg

A group of friends and myself went to see The Last Samurai opening night. We were not expecting it to be as good as it was. I too, from the previews, was expecting something as to what you wrote that you were expecting. However, I was not prepared for what I saw. It is truly epic. I usually do not like Tom Cruise, but he worked in this role. It did not seem to me to be a typical “white man goes out to educate savages and learns from them” film, as we quickly find out that the Samurai way of life is presented in a far more civilized and honorable way than the Western culture. 

[snip]

I know that, on the surface the film does not sound like much, but the film is difficult to explain, as much of the film is calm and subtle in its storytelling, developing Cruise’s character as a captive as he comes to understand the new culture he finds himself in. There is also a small love story, which is vastly underplayed, thankfully, and thus hits on just the right note.

In the end, I found this film on a scale of Braveheart or Gladiator, but with less violence and blood, and more story and character development. Everyone I went to the film with also immensely enjoyed it as well.

[sip]

That all being said, this may not be a movie for everyone, but it is definitely worth seeing sometime, if not in theatre, on video or DVD.

Thanks for reading,

Jacob

The rollicking but exhausting pirates is about a half hour too log (with at least one too many numbing Bruckhimerian set pieces) but thankfully, at home you can pause the bombast to get your sea legs and take an aspirin.

Impudence/Hate (I)

• four uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary (though used literally in accordance with proper definitions, they were used more as an excuse to add them)
• adolescent deceit
• buying favor
• lie to protect identity
• bird defecation on shoulder

Anyway, I was reading your blog yesterday and saw the link where you said that the CAP Alert guy was not going to review "Bad Santa", so I clicked the link to take a look and see if it mentioned why. It mentions why only in very vague terms, not playing close enough, not enough time, not enough donations, not enough whatever.. As it is never specified which could be the cause of it, I figure the guy just decided that the parents would be smart enough to figure out that a movie called "Bad Santa" would not be a good children's movie ('cause seriously, in his eyes, there is never even a Santa. At birth the baby Jesus only got gold and frankensomething.).

When I did link through to the CAP Alert site, though, I did see a review that I wanted to look at. That was his review of "The Matrix: Revolutions". I read through that entire review, and then looked at their "W.I.S.D.O.M." meter to see how it shook down. I was actually amazed at how well it scored, yet at the same time, a bit disappointed at how they (he) tried to make it sound like a direct rip-off of the bible. "Good vs. Evil" , yes and so it has been since the beginning of time but, Neo is Jesus? The Architect is Satan? The Oracle is God? Mr. Smith is the Anti-Christ? I mean, come on man, it is all fictional (like the bible and baby Jesus for that matter.), so what is the problem?

Once I had enough of that crap, I saw that they had their review of the "G" rated movie "Brother Bear" there as well. I figured I would take a look at a movie that he would think would be okay for children.

He (they) did not rip this one apart nearly as much as the others, but still people take their children to see this movie to entertain them for an hour or two (the story is good, the animation is good, it is very wholesome). The CAP Alert guy is saying that they use the phrase "The Spirits" to often. Like "The Spirits tell me that I need to do it." The movie loses points for that in the Cap Alert guys eyes.

This is a CARTOON, and trying to teach children about sharing, caring, loving, respect for elders and more. This cartoon is doing it without ever killing anyone, except there is a 'suicide' to save the son late in the movie.

When I think back over all the books I have ever read, and I try to think of which one had the most murder, death, debauchery and sin, the one book that comes to mind is the BIBLE.

Thank the random fluctuations of time and space that I don't have any children. If I ever had children they would not be allowed to read that crap.

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