“[B]y writing his autobiography himself, the madcap Central European actor Klaus Kinski produced the most brutally honest book about the motion picture industry ever. Here is a typical passage: ‘No outsider can imagine the stupidity, blustering, hysteria, authoritarianism and paralyzing boredom of shooting a flick for Billy Wilder.’ No ghostwriter would ever have written a passage like that, because ghostwriters are by nature timid, diplomatic, gun-shy.” Um, really? In the Sunday NYT Book Review, author Joe Queenan complains about the burgeoning ghostwriting industry. I think he needs to meet more ghostwriters.
Requiem for a Diplomat.
R.I.P. George Kennan 1904-2005. The nation has lost one of its senior diplomatic statesmen, at a moment when men and women of his wisdom, judgment, and foreign policy experience are needed in the public arena more than ever. He will be missed.
Fanboy Cornucopia.
Thanks to ShoWest and otherwise, there’s been quite a bit of fanboy news to come down the pike in the past few days…
- In the casting department, Parker Posey joined the legion of Superman as “Kitty Koslowski,” one of Lex Luthor’s minions. Hopefully, it’s a better villainess turn than in Blade: Trinity.
- Not to be outdone by the son of Krypton, a spiffy new Batman Begins poster premieres online.
- Rounding out the DC trifecta, Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon is signed to write and direct Wonder Woman.
- On the Marvel end, AICN uncovers the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters’ new additions for X3…this time around will include Beast, Gambit, and a female Angel.
- In the midst of the press junket for Woody Allen’s Melinda & Melinda, Chloe Sevigny inadvertently lets on that the Black Cat will likely complicate Peter Parker’s life in the next Spiderman.
- Looking for direction (and cash flow) in the upcoming post-prequel era, George Lucas announces he’ll be re-releasing the OT in Cameron-style 3-D.
- Ang Lee prepares to go back to the well with a prequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (I’ll take it over another Hulk.)
- Among the recent new trailers is our first look at Michael Bay’s The Island, with Ewan MacGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, and Michael Clarke Duncan. I generally can’t stand Michael Bay films, but it is sci-fi and the cast isn’t bad.
- The new Hitchhiker’s Guide site goes live, which includes this splendid shot of Arthur and Marvin enjoying (as much possible, given the terrible pain in all his diodes down his left side) an intergalactic sunset.
- Finally, the very Independence Day-ish full trailer for War of the Worlds is out-and-about, which involves a lot of Tom Cruise running, Dakota Fanning crying, and random things detonating. Is Spielberg trying to out-Bay Bay?
In the Mouth of Madness.
Greetings from a friend’s laptop — March Madness in Santa Clara continues apace…my bracket remained in decent shape until last night’s 2OT Wake-WV thriller, which knocked out one of my Final Four. (That and the Vermont-Syracuse match-up have probably been the two best Games of the Tourney so far.) Otherwise, my weekend’s been split between pick-up basketball games and convalescing. The good news is I think I’ve finally turned the corner on my recent flu (thanks to plenty of rest and liberal application of Jamba Coldbusters)…hopefully, tonight’s Red Eye flight back East won’t precipitate a relapse.
Bay-Ball.
Hey y’all…given that it’s Spring Break here at Columbia and March Madness is fast upon us, I’m off to the Bay Area today to catch up with old friends and watch ungodly amounts of college basketball, as per our yearly ritual. (I wish I’d kicked this nasty cough before I left, but oh well.) At any rate, expect updates to resume around here next week, and have a safe and happy St. Patrick’s Day.
A Line in the Sand.
While the GOP may have bent the rules to facilitate passage of the ANWR drilling bill (set for a vote today), it appears they face a Senate shutdown by the Dems if they keep pressing on Dubya’s wacko judicial appointees. And why not? Dubya has revealed he’s not going to relent on Social Security PSAs, despite their unpopularity, and he continues to appoint controversial right-wing neocons like Paul Wolfowitz to top positions (in this case, the World Bank.) If Dubya and the Right don’t want to compromise, then we Dems shouldn’t play ball. It’s 1993 all over again. (That being said, it’s probably wise of Reid to keep legislation “supporting our troops” out of the boycott…FOX News would have a field day with that one.) Update: By a 51-49 vote, the Senate opens ANWR to drilling, with Dems Daniel Akaka, (D-HI), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) putting the GOP over the top.
Update 2: Slate‘s Fred Kaplan has more on the Wolfowitz pick.
Update 3: Conservative George Will warns against GOP tampering with the filibuster rule.
Denzel’s up to something…
“Who is it in the press that calls on me? I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music cry ‘Caesar!’ Speak. Caesar is turn’d to hear. Beware the ides of March.” Be careful out there today, y’all.
Spin, Spin Sugar.
It’s been Extreme Makeover time lately for the GOP, with Antonin Scalia acting chummy in hopes of landing the Chief Justice spot, Boss DeLay dismissing the recent allegations of incessant boondogglery, Karen Hughes coming out of mothballs to sell the Islamic world on Dubya, and the administration trying to sell the rest of us on pre-packaged news. I’m not buying any of it.
Everybody’s a Comedian.
“It’s interesting the kind of issues that first raise their head, really. How do you deliver the Citizen Kane of comic books to screen? That is basically the problem. It’s a bit intimidating to be honest.” Director Paul Greengrass talks with CHUD on preproduction of — and transformations to — The Watchmen. Update: Here’s Parts 2 and 3.
One Step Beyond — Madness 2005.
“Tell me, ‘friend,’ when did Saruman the Wise abandon reason for Madness?” Why, in Mid-March, of course…another year has gone round, and it’s time once again for The Big Dance. I’ll admit, I’ve been following this year’s college scene even less than usual, so I expect my picks to be highly suspect. Still, ya never know…