Inevitable History: or why Gore will win in 'o8

Something Old, Nothing New traces some interesting parallels between the time period 19323 to 1968 and the time period 1980 and the present, at least regarding presidential elections. It is an interesting thought experiment. Fundamentally, if this exercise shows anything, it shows that things stay the same, regardless of the politcal party in power.

DAVE LOVES STINKY CHEESE!

I have long been a fan of The Smoking Gun, which came to prominence recently for exposing the (ahem) misleading statements in the best-selling "memoir" A Million Little Pieces.

My favorite section of the site, however, is the collection of riders. Touring musicians enter into contracts with the venues that they perform in. Riders are addendums to those contracts, where the musicians spell out what they want to see in their dressing rooms backstage. Riders are telling evidence of any particular musician's eccentricities, as well as amusing examples of contract drafting. My current favorite is a rider drafted by someone on behalf of the Foo Fighters. Take note of the portions indicated by the red arrows (the other stuff is typical boring "contract-ese"), especially those comments that have no legal effect but make the document much easier to plow through.

Dare to Dream!

With the recent news about Disney and Pixar, I have spent some of my precious blog-reading time over at Cartoon Brew (now a part of my presitgious link-o-rama), reading reactions for and against the deal by persons directly affected by it.

One piece of news that struck me was the announcement that the new managememt team killed Toy Story 3. One of the reasons cited for this move was the desire to engage the original Toy Story artists when they have a good story. This was a not-subtle dig at the popular Hollywood concept of a sequel for a sequel's sake. People who make movies spend a lot of money and want to see a return on investment. As these people are conservative with their money (if not their politics), they know it is safer to bet on a known success than gamble on something that could flop on opening night. Although I understand the reasons behind this trend of rehashing tired concepts (Big Momma's House 2, anyone?), I am still a dissatisfied consumer. So I find in this piece of news a ray of hope that some truly talented and creative people will have opportunities to produce something new and original and good. The prospect of seeing a great animated film makes me giddy.

I wish the new creative management team at Disney well.

You Got Your Pixar in My Disney

As you doubtless know by now, Disney purchased Pixar yesterday. The two companies had a close relationship in the past (Disney distributed Pixar's films for the past twelve years or so) but that relationship grew strained during the last year or so of Eisner's tenure as Disney's CEO. In fact, Pixar was looking for another studio to distribute its films before Eisner left Disney and the new management proposed the deal. There is some great commentary on this, largely from an animator's perspective, on Cartoon Brew. Something old, Nothing New (link at right) has some thoughts as well.

The deal makes Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple and of Pixar) the largest shareholder at Disney. John Lassiter, creative driving force at Pixar, will now fill the same role at Disney animation. I am not sure where Brad Bird (the writer/director of The Incredibles and The Iron Giant) fits in this scheme. I should note that, as someone who is neither an animator nor a producer, I was completely frozen out. I am very bitter about this.

UPDATE: I read that Brad Bird must join Disney or the deal is off! So I guess he's still in the mix. I still find no reference to me, though.

I predict that Apple's iTunes will feature a lot more Disney related content for the iPod. I understand that many classic Disney cartoons will soon be available for download.

Book Reviews, no Whatnot

Over the holidays, I read some books!

The Areas of My Expertise, by John Hodgman. Mr. Hodgman is a frequent contributor to This American Life on public radio and a sometimes guest on The Daily Show. His book is written like an almanac and purports to contain "complete world knowledge". Indeed, the section on hobo lore alone is exhaustive (he even includes a list of 700 hobo names - number 670 is Flaky Mike Psoriasis). He teaches us the real history of the Maine lobster, reveals the dark secrets of the largest mall in America, and reminds us of the 51st state, Hohoq (also known as Ar). With my many years of graduate and professional school, I thought I knew a thing or two. But after reading this weighty tome, I realize that I know nothing! It is a hilarious book and well worth the time.

The King Must Die, by Mary Renault. This book is the first of two books about the life of the mythical king of Athens, Theseus. It recounts his life as a young man, before he becomes King of Athens, and ends when he (SPOILER!) defeats the Minotaur in Crete. Ms. Renault plays this straight, as a historical novel. There is no fantasy here, save the sense of wonder people of this time and place must have felt about the world around them. The story also traces the passing of an older religion, which venerated a mother goddess, in favor of a male-dominated religion that worshipped a pantheon of Greek gods. But it is also the story of a young man's development into a confident, capable ruler who learns to earn the trust of his followers. It is a fascinating work that I couldn't put down.

To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This is a book one should make a point of reading every few years. It is a scathing indictment of racism in the South that doesn't condescend towards the white people who perpetuate it. Indeed, on one level it is simply the story of a young girl who has adventures with her brother and Dill (Truman Capote?) in the long, lazy summers of the south in the early 20th century. I remember resenting this book when I was in school, when i had to read it. But when I picked it up again recently, I was totally enthralled. Atticus Finch is my new hero!

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When Blogs Attack


It's been a while, hasn't it? Would you like to know why I haven't posted since the holiday? Well, I ain't gonna tell you. I want to preserve the mystery.

From the sea monster desk: giant jellyfish! Check out the photo! If I had seen this picture when I was eight years old, there would be NO WAY that I'd ever go into the ocean.

Please note some new links to your right. "By Ken Levine" is a blog written by a television writer. He is very funny and his comments regarding the writing life in general, and television writing in particular, are insightful. "PVP Online" is a web comic about a group of video-gamers who run their own magazine. "Defective Yeti" is just a funny blog written by a dude in Seattle.

I shall post again soon, with some book reviews and whatnot.