Despite word from the NY Daily News this morning that the Czar might be coming to town, Knicks GM Isiah Thomas kicked Coach Don Chaney to the curb and instead hired Lenny Wilkens in his place. Well, if we’re going to switch horses in midstream, I much prefer Wilkens to Fratello. As for Chaney, it just so happens that I was at the Mavs game where he was so mercilessly booed. And, while I didn’t join in, I was definitely wondering why nobody was fouling Michael Finley for eleven long seconds in the crucial overtime. In sum, Chaney’s way out the door was handled classlessly, but it was also probably well overdue.
Author: KcM
Bring out your dead.
Speaking of Ms. Knightley, it’s come to my attention that I’ve been remiss in not blogging the trailer for King Arthur, which happened on the web during the very busy holidays. Hmm…even with the big production values, it’s still kinda got that Very Special Presentation of the History Channel feel to it. (Stellan Skarsgard’s bad hair day doesn’t help.) I fear they’ve screwed this up…they should’ve gone the Magical Merlin & Morgan Le Fey route, Lady of the Lake and all. The world is currently enraptured with Lord of the Rings, and Bruckheimer & Fuqua seem to be still thinking Gladiator. Clive Owen’s got charisma to spare, though…he may be just what the Bond franchise needs.
6×7.
The forthcoming Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy film gets its Arthur Dent, and it’s apparently this fellow: Martin Freeman, of Love Actually and The Office, neither of which I’ve seen. Well, he looks like an ordinary bloke, which is half the battle. (The other half is straight-man timing.) Apparently, Bill Nighy (also of Love Actually, but I only know him as the Big Bad in the very lame Underworld) is playing Slartibartfast, and I also think that’s pretty good casting. Now for Ford Prefect…Steve Coogan? Keira Knightley as Trillian? Andy Serkis as Zaphod Beeblebrox’s second head?
Animals strike curious poses.
Max of Lots of Co. points the way to these pics (and review) of the His Dark Materials play. Hmm. I must say the daemons look a bit…strange. Of course the real trick is how they move.
Freaks of the Industry.
Looking to bring on that slightly queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach? The Washington Post profiles conservative ideologue Grover Norquist as he and Pinky plan worldwide GOP domination once again.
Laying the Groundwork/Snoopy Come Home.
NASA sets its sights on an Apollo-based Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) to replace the earlier space plane idea, and the Mars rover begins scrounging for water. Meanwhile, the search continues for the missing Beagle.
One-Track Mind.
While the Dem battle rages in Iowa (Dean’s up 8), aides portray Dubya as “intimately engaged” in the 2004 campaign. Hmm…perhaps that‘s what he’s thinking about during Cabinet meetings.
Same Old Republic.
In another endorsement news, and in yet another sad reminder of how far the once-proud mag has fallen, the New Republic endorses Joe Lieberman. Basically, they feel he’s the best representative of the “hawkish liberalism” that should define the party, as evidenced by his continual support for Dubya’s Gulf War II. That’s bad enough, but you have to read the article to get a sense of how utterly ridiculous it all is. Exhibit A, the opening lines: “Recall for a moment the political climate in the United States in January 2001. Ralph Nader and the Supreme Court had made George W. Bush president.” (My italics.) Give it up, y’all. Or, here’s another, “Liberals resent Lieberman’s moralism. But what they see as sanctimony, many ordinary Americans see as overdue concern about the toxic influences that saturate their children’s lives.” They do? Really? Are these the same Americans who’ve made Joe Millionaire and The Simple Life hit shows? I like some of the writers on staff at TNR — some of ’em are even my friends from the DC days — but let’s face it, Marty Peretz and Peter Beinart are to Democratic Party politics what Stanley Kauffmann is to film: conservative, condescending, and hopelessly out of touch.
Harkin to me/GitM for Dean.
In a week of minor stumbles (among them caucus-dissing — let’s face it, the Iowa caucuses are dominated by special interests. Ethanol subsidies, anyone? — and gubernatorial honoraria), Howard Dean pulls up another key endorsement in Tom Harkin. At this point, I’ll just go ahead and say that I hope the good Doctor takes both Iowa and New Hampshire and ends all the primary shenanigans sooner rather than later. It’s a safe bet to say that I like Howard Dean better than any of the other eight candidates, but that frankly isn’t saying much, and particularly given how Edwards, Clark, and Kerry have all underperformed.
I’ll be honest – I’m much less enthused by Dean than I was by Bradley last cycle. Dean has yet to make any policy proposals that I flat-out love, and I find him neither as progressive nor as inspiring as I’d like. In fact, more often than not, he kinda leaves me cold…But, of the nine, he’s the witch-king, so to speak. His occasional grouchiness and glibness does concern me, but no more so than any of the other candidates’ personality traits (And let’s drop the “unelectable” stuff…c’mon, this country elected George W. Bush. Anyone‘s electable. Oh, wait a minute, we didn’t.) In sum, Dean’s run a great campaign to this point, he’s got money and moxie to spare, and he clearly strikes a chord with many Democratic souls out there, so here’s hoping the party coalesces around him before we bleed ourselves to death solely to satisfy the big dreams of also-rans and the bruised egos of the DLC.
High Moon.
Perhap’s he thinking about the November election, or perhaps he just fell asleep in front of Outland the other night. Either way, next week Dubya will make the case for a moonbase and a Marshot. As y’all might expect, I’m all for it, although Bush, Sr. said much the same thing over a decade ago and it went nowhere. I’m also with the folks who agree that some sort of shuttle alternative may need to be in the works before we can seriously start setting up a lunar settlement…but, hey, let’s at least start thinking big again.