Irony, Hollywood -style

From Today's New York Times:

On the front page, we learn that for the 18th weekend in a row box office receipts are down year-over-year.

Over in the business pages, there's a piece about how commercials shown before feature films in theaters are here to stay.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist tosee the connection. Why do theater-owners expect that they can charge us $10.25 to have us sit through ads we can see for free at home? Or miss entirely by watching pay-per-view?

Requiem in Pace

The news of Anne Bancroft's death leaves me sad for her suffering (she died of uterine cancer) and for her family's loss, but most of all at the thought that we'll never see a her in a new role on any screen large or small. Most people remembering her will talk about Mrs. Robinson and The Graduate in the coming hours, but my two favorite roles of hers were Gilbert's mother in Garbo Talks and Mrs. Cage, a one-act that appeared on PBS and isn't yet out on video (and may never be). I hope TCM will soon schedule a tribute to her; that'd be a marathon worth watching.

What did this moron say now?

Pennsylvania's junior dunce doesn't even make sense. What was he thinking?

Time to re-think the show's title....

After last night's episode, ABC should really think about re-naming its hit series "Desperate Husbands." One husband is under arrest, another has lost his job, a third is being rushed to the hospital with another (probable) heart attack - maybe it's no wonder the women are so desperate!

Blasts from the past....

Just read today’s NY Times article on the success of Gawker Media and its network of blogs, including Fleshbot – edited by John d’Addario. I knew John at Yale, where I served as his freshman counselor. One of his roommates was Shawn Levy, a one-time actor who has now made a career as a director of some of Hollywood’s highest-grossing family-friendly fare. His latest, the Pink Panther re-make, has a full-page ad in the Times' special summer movie supplement. Must have been something in the water of our entryway…..

Prepare the gurney and the needle....

Confessed 9/11 participant Moussaoui says he's going to "fight every inch against the death penalty." Sorry, but if he was prepared to die for Allah at the behest of Usama Bin Laden, I don't see why the U.S. goverment can't, at long last, grant his original desire. Hey, buddy - don't worry: at least it won't be in a ball of flame.

Atwood, KS Update

Looks like yesterday's link may have been removed. If so, here's an Acrobat capture of the open letter.

Rejected by town, Kansan returns the favor

More fall-out from the recent anti-gay marriage vote in Kansas. Read this impassioned open letter, more regretful than bitter, that also includes some of the best "protection of marriage" suggestions I've seen:

Marriage in the Kansas shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women.

• Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives.
• A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed by public stoning.
• Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden.
• Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to permit divorce.
• If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law.
  

This man has cut his home town out of his will and shut down the world-class website he built for it. Makes me feel better about our decision to take the route through Nebraska, rather than Kansas, on our way back to Boston next week.

[Hat tip to Andrew]

Can Anyone Identify This Man's Husband?

Why couldn't Adam Nagourney report the identity of the other half of this newly-wed couple? Surely there are public records of their nuptials; you can't have a civil marriage in complete privacy, nor should anyone be entitled to privacy regarding something so basic as the names of the betrothed. Couldn't he find a marriage certificate for Finkelstein filed anywhere in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts? What gives?

More from Florida on the "Culture of Life"

In its never-ending rush to lead the country in hypocrisy, the Florida legislature has now made it easier to get away with murder. Where were the Schindlers and Randall Terry during this debate?

What about the sanctity of the Schaivo marriage?

As I write, the feeding tube has been removed from Terry Schaivo despite the outrageous efforts of FEDERAL legislators to override years of unanimous legal rulings in favor of her husband's right to make decisions regarding his wife's health. Thankfully, medical ethicist Arthur Caplan has stated what should be have been obvious to all, especially those who have used the idea of the sanctity of marriage to deny marriage rights to homosexuals (link):

Ever since the New Jersey Supreme Court allowed a respirator to be removed from Karen Ann Quinlan and the U.S. Supreme Court declared that feeding tubes are medical treatments just like respirators, heart-lung machines, dialysis and antibiotics, it has been crystal clear in U.S. law and medical ethics that those who cannot speak can have their feeding tubes stopped. The authority to make that decision has fallen to those closest to the person who cannot make their own views known. First come husbands or wives, then adult children, then parents and other relatives.

That is why Michael Schiavo, despite all the hatred that is now directed against him, has the right to decide his wife's fate. The decision about Terri's life does not belong to the U.S. Congress, President Bush, Rep. Tom Delay of Texas, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the Florida Legislature, clerics in Rome, self-proclaimed disability activists, Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, conservative commentators, bioethicists or Terri's parents. The decision is Michael's and Michael's alone.

Remember the recent debate about gay marriage and the sanctity of the bond between husband and wife? Nearly all of those now trying to push their views forward about what should be done with Terri Schiavo told us that marriage is a sacred trust between a man and a woman. Well, if that is what marriage means then it is very clear who should be making the medical decisions for Terri? Her husband.

Peggy Noonan couldn't be more wrong when she urges Republicans to act because "no one will mad at you." I am mad at them. How dare they assert that they know better than the countless judges and doctors who have reviewed the case in detail over the past fifteen years? And what has happened to the conservative notions of limited government and respect for rule of law? It is abundantly clear that power has gone to the heads of the Republican leadership in Washington, for they consistently ignore the judiciary's role as a co-equal branch of government (have they read the U.S. Constitution lately, or ever?).

Try this at home....

Guess I need to work on my knowledge of "proof," but oh well -try the test yourself at The Alcohol Knowledge Test written by hoppersplit on Ok Cupid.

Bourbon Congratulations! You're 123 proof, with specific scores in beer (60) , wine (100), and liquor (104).

Screw all that namby-pamby chick stuff, you're going straight for the bottle and a shot glass! It'll take more than a few shots of Wild Turkey or 99 Bananas before you start seeing pink elephants. You know how to handle your alcohol, and yourself at parties.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 39% on proof You scored higher than 86% on beer index You scored higher than 95% on wine index You scored higher than 94% on liquor index

Link: The Alcohol Knowledge Test written by hoppersplit on Ok Cupid