Hey…this site is in dire need of an update, but right now I seem to have procured a fever out of the blue and don’t feel like doing much other than sleeping. So, for now, here’s the new teaser for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, from where the stills of the other day were procured. Enjoy. Update: Back down from 101 to normal today…my guess is food poisoning of some kind or another.
Month: May 2005
The Closer.
In a “major shift in legislative strategy” aimed at preserving Dubya’s ill-advised privatization plan, the White House turns Social Security legislation over to House Ways and Means chairman Bill Thomas. “The California Republican saved President Bush’s tax cut in 2003, [and] has never lost a vote on the floor…Thomas, a mercurial lawmaker and former college professor who relishes a challenge, ‘wants to get in the game,’ whether or not the GOP leadership wants him to, said one corporate lobbyist with close ties to House leaders.“
Ladi, Dadi, We like to Lobby.
Speaking of “corporate lobbyists with close ties to House leaders,” there’s apparently a lot of them. So many, in fact, that in order to avoid an ethics meltdown that could ravage both parties (particularly, of course, the party in power), the House GOP is now looking to tighten up lobbying restrictions. “The officials stressed that the proposed rule changes and amnesty would not alter plans for…an investigation of reports that lobbyists paid for overseas travel by DeLay in violation of House rules.”
Goodness Gracious…
The Weasley twins’ nerves are shaken and brains are rattled by the Great Goblet of Fire in one of several new high-quality pics from Harry Potter IV (scroll down), including shots of Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour, Victor Krum, a Hungarian Horntail, and the fateful maze. Apparently, the trailer will follow this weekend.
A Simple Plan.
Sam Raimi declares he’s up for directing a whopping six Spiderman movies in total. That’s a bold statement. I mean, has he seen Superman IV: The Quest for Peace? (And speaking of the Big Guy, Blue Tights has posted an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at Supes’ three-axis flying rig.)
Excuses, excuses.
Sorry it’s been quieter than usual around here. It’s the end of term, meaning much grading and many history department functions around these parts.
Corporation for Dubyic Broadcasting.
“Last November, members of the Association of Public Television Stations met in Baltimore along with officials from the corporation and PBS. Mr. Tomlinson told them they should make sure their programming better reflected the Republican mandate.” Perturbed primarily by Bill Moyers’ Now, Dubya flunky and CPB chairman Kenneth Tomlinson cites objectivity and balance in his attempt to FOX-ify PBS.
Perhaps someone should explain to Tomlinson that many people don’t think of journalistic “objectivity” or “balance” as finding the exact median between the left and whatever loony garbage the far-right is spouting on a given issue, but in holding up political rhetoric of both parties to pesky little things called “facts.” (Hence, the reality-based community.)
Delusions of Grandeur.
“Even among many influential conservatives, there has been a growing consensus that the Bush governing theory, at least on Social Security, has been proved wrong.” 100 days into the second term, the Dubya White House starts to realize they may not have received a mandate after all. Meanwhile, on the Left Coast, the Governator is learning much the same lesson.
Amadeus Chic.
Fans of period pieces and the ultraviolence take note: Today brings our first looks at Ed Harris as Ludwig Van in Copying Beethoven and Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette in Sofia Coppola’s forthcoming biopic of the Austrian princess.
The Blackness of Space.
“It was a different time, 1957 or ’58. America’s love affair with racism was in full swing. NASA was no exception.” Ted at The Late Adopter sends along a sordid tale of cosmic achievement and racial injustice in this award-winning documentary on The Old Negro Space Program, a film not by Ken Burns.