How did I remember to commemorate this historic anniversary? It's actually pretty scary...
Bummer. This was the one forthcoming Star Wars novel that I was seriously looking forward to. I was really intrigued by what little we learned about Darth Plagueis in Revenge of the Sith and have been dying to know more about him. Looks like it's gonna be a long time before we find out anything more definitive about him. There is a positive side to this though, I'm thinking: if the book has been cancelled, then Plagueis may not necessarily have been a Muun, as he's said to have been since the novel was announced. I think Plagueis should be human, and maybe there's a chance he will be after all.
More later.
EDIT 10:27 PM EST: Now halfway through the show. This may be one of the best Lost episodes ever. Last week's still rates in my book as all-time (so far) best but this one is amazing.
EDIT 10:39 PM EST: Paulo goes to the toilet again... and this episode is so cool that it even makes THAT good!
EDIT 11:01 PM EST: HOLY @&$%!!!
It was like they brought on Stephen King to write the last few pages of the script or something. That was gnarly.
I think it's safe to say that "Exposé" is going to be in the top ten Lost episodes thus far. Everything about this was perfect. It wasn't a "myth-moving" episode, but it did answer a lot of questions and amazingly enough it did make us care for the characters of Nikki and Paulo... if only for a little while.
I didn't have the highest hopes for this episode. But it wound up surprising me immensely. Definitely can't wait to watch it again off the DVR tomorrow with Lisa (and see her reaction to it :-).
She said it was Chris Sligh.
I wondered last week if American Idol had finally jumped the shark. Tonight, there is no doubt (but there was Gwen Stefani... get it? :-)
There are two singers left in this season's competition that I would like to see win this thing. Neither one of them has appeared on-stage with a hairdo that looks like a rooster. That's all I'm going to say about that. Except at long last, I think it can be said that American Idol is no longer compelling "must see" television.
As for Chris Sligh: I will definitely buy his first album when it comes out.
And here is the full cover artwork - front and back - minus the title. Notice that this is the VERY first time (I'm assuming this is him) that we have seen Voldemort's face depicted in any of the book artwork:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out on July 21, 2007.
EDIT 5:53 PM EST: I keep looking at this cover and for some reason I can't help but think: Harry is gonna die. There's something about this cover that hints at at, just like the last cover seemed (well it did for me at the time anyway) to be hinting at something major. It's the heavenly glow of the whole piece, it has a welcoming warmth to it.
Wouldn't it be something if Harry is killed, and we then see him come to Heaven and finally meet his parents and everyone else that he has lost?
Focus on the Family founder James Dobson appeared to throw cold water on a possible presidential bid by former Sen. Fred Thompson while praising former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is also weighing a presidential run, in a phone interview Tuesday.I've alluded to this before here, and I'll say it again: I'm damn thankful that I didn't wind up working at Focus on the Family a few years ago. It's true: I almost wound up in James Dobson's camp. But the Lord was gracious and started opening my eyes to a lot of things that are being done in His name... but are only about getting earthly power."Everyone knows he's conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for," Dobson said of Thompson. "[But] I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression," Dobson added, saying that such an impression would make it difficult for Thompson to connect with the Republican Party's conservative Christian base and win the GOP nomination.
Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Thompson, took issue with Dobson's characterization of the former Tennessee senator. "Thompson is indeed a Christian," he said. "He was baptized into the Church of Christ."
In a follow-up phone conversation, Focus on the Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger stood by Dobson's claim. He said that, while Dobson didn't believe Thompson to be a member of a non-Christian faith, Dobson nevertheless "has never known Thompson to be a committed Christian—someone who talks openly about his faith."
James Dobson is one of the worst offenders when it comes to "pimpin' Jesus for votes".
Well, turnaround is fair play I guess. So... I don't believe that James Dobson is a real Christian. George W. Bush has never acted like a real Christian at all. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell couldn't care less whether a soul is saved through their "ministries", just that their faithful all vote straight Republican.
There aren't that many real Christians in positions of authority in this country anymore. Ron Paul comes to mind as one of them. But he's one of a very few.
The time is coming, my friend, when we who are Christians are going to have to make a choice: seek the kingdom of God, or seek the influence of power. I don't think we're testing the spirits as much as we should be when it comes to figuring out if these "Christian leaders" are the men of God they profess to be...
This is either a pretty bad move by Circuit City, or it signals something wrong with their finances. Or both. If a company has a competent workforce in place already, what's the point in replacing them with new employees who will need significant training time before they can adequately take over from the previous associates?
And why should the current employees have to suffer for Circuit City's mistake anyway, if they're just now realizing that they've been paying "well above the market-based salary range" for all this time? Is that really a mistake? Employees who have shown commitment deserve to be compensated for their loyalty. It's the associates - and not the execs who hardly ever enter a Circuit City store - who make or break the company. Not doing right by them like this is wrong on so many levels.
Chalk it up as another example of the deterioration of American industry, folks.
Credit goes to Shane Thacker for finding this... thing.
...and without even cracking open the book once I can confidently say: The Secret is crap.
According to the book, there is some big "secret" that has been put together after being fragmented through the ages: a secret that will bring about "money, health, relationships, happiness". All you have to do is believe that good things are going to happen to you, and you will miraculously lose weight, gain libido, and have a lot more cash coming in. That is, according to The Secret.
It's not that much different from the "name it/claim it" mindset preached by Benny Hinn and some other professed "Christians". And that too is what The Secret is: Gnosticism, repackaged for a new generation that is fixated on things of the flesh rather than growth of the spirit. Only this time, the bold claim is that there really is a universal all-powerful "force" that does your bidding.
And to think that some people say I carry the whole Star Wars thing too far...
The book and the accompanying DVD are selling like crazy (the book is listed at #2 on Amazon.com only after pre-orders for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). Compared to The Secret, the Harry Potter books are a veritable trove of profound wisdom. Heck, I could see Lord Voldemort getting into this book bigtime. The Secret encourages materialism, while the big lesson from the Harry Potter series has been the real Christian principle that to not fear death is the only way to really live and enjoy life.
Besides, The Secret is going to ultimately prove to be just one more silly fad that will be almost totally forgotten about in another few years: some big "secret" indeed!
Doesn't look bad. Stallone as Rambo still looks like he can kick tail. I just wonder if this means Chuck Norris will be doing more Missing In Action movies now. Anyway, head over here for more on-set pics from John Rambo.
It was ten years ago tonight that the 39 members of the "Heaven's Gate" cult were found dead - after committing mass suicide - in their house in California. That was one weird thing when it happened. In case you were a bit younger: these guys were a UFO cult that believed a flying saucer was accompanying the Hale-Bopp Comet, which was big in the skies that spring. By killing themselves - or "leaving their earthly vehicles" as they put it - the Heaven's Gate bunch thought they were going to be takign a trip into outer space. Remember when they were showing footage shot inside the place: all those bodies with bags around their heads, wearing the same outfits and all found to be carrying five dollars in quarters (for the "videogames" that were going to be onboard the UFO that was supposed to pick them up).
Just plain screwy. Made all the more freakish by that nonstop video of cult founder Marshall Applewhite (the guy with those strange eyes) that ran on the news.
If you really want a blast from the past, here's the group's original website. Which not only describes the oddity of this bunch but also is a sterling example of the art of website design in the 1990s at its height. And if you want something a little light afterward, here's one of the Heaven's Gate website parodies that popped up after the suicides.
All told, it was good stuff. I might have to spring for the DVD sets of both seasons when they're out in stores.
Geez, what's HBO going to do since Rome and now The Sopranos are going away for good? That's a lot of good TV slot to fill. Maybe they'll get smart and bring back Carnivale...
Apparently it's in response to the following story...
School Prohibits Use Of MySpaceThis is stupid! This will do absolutely nothing to deter the kids of St. Hugo of the Hills from having MySpace accounts. They'll simply find new ways to go underground and keep it up. In fact, Principal Van Velzen has probably caused more students to start using MySpace: it's the same thing that happened during Prohibition, they outlawed it and it only made people want it that much more.
Students Can't Have MySpace Account At School Or HomePOSTED: 10:02 am PDT March 23, 2007
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. -- A Bloomfield Hills school is enforcing a new policy that bans the use of a popular Web site.
St. Hugo of the Hills Catholic School students were told recently that under a new school policy, called Think First, Stay Safe, the use of MySpace.com will be prohibited at school and at home, reported WDIV-TV.
The policy states that students enrolled at the school can't have a MySpace.com account or any similar type of personal site, according to a news release.
"The Internet can be wonderful for educational material, but it also can be unsafe," principal Sr. Margaret Van Velzen said.
At the beginning of each school year, students and parents will be required to sign an Internet policy.
School officials said it was necessary to apply the new policy after recent cases of adults, some in authoritative positions, posed as minors to converse or meet with young boys and girls.
Van Velzen said the decision was made with full support from the school's parents' organization.
"Ninety-nine-point-nine percent have been very supportive, and I've received many e-mails thanking me," Van Velzen said. "Our parent community is very supportive."
St. Hugo parent Kate Lynch said it's a great start.
"I think we've got a long way to go because it's a very difficult situation to grasp in its entirety," Lynch said. "There's so many things going on on the Internet and there's so much vulnerability for children."
Another St. Hugo parent, Liza Stanczak, said all schools should implement the policy.
"I think this is just the beginning of schools taking a stand against this kind of thing," Stanczak said. "I think this is going to have to happen because things are getting out of hand."
Students who have existing MySpace.com accounts must delete them. Students who do not delete their accounts cannot attend the school, Van Velzen said.
That said, I thought "Sister Margaret Van Velzen"'s MySpage page was pretty hilarious.
Whoa.
Mash down here for more goodies about the next nine or so episodes.
By the way: it was more or less confirmed by the producers of Lost this past week that the show is going to run for two more seasons and then end. Which I think is great: with a definite schedule to adhere to, it'll keep the show from getting spread too thin and for too long (like ummm... what happened to The X-Files). Five seasons will be plenty of time to tell this excellent story and then give it a place of honor on the DVD shelf.
As for that Ben-centric finale for Season 3, I can't help but speculate as to whether this is when we'll finally get to see who this "Jacob" guy is (who was also confirmed this past week to be the mysterious "Him" that has been referred to since last season).
