The entity that owns my local ABC affiliate has decided against showing Nightline this evening because they consider reading the names of soldiers killed in Iraq to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq. I daresay that there is often programming on ABC that could be construed to undermine the efforts in Iraq far more than paying tribute to the soldiers who have given their lives for that very effort.
Have I mentioned lately how I feel about media conglomerates?
Ah, sweet glorious, mindless entertainment. I'm not entirely sure what all the fuss is about, I have to say, but it was entertaining in spite of the goofy cheesiness. It reminded me of Harry Potter--which I think is only because Harry Potter books are usually the only things I read with much stereotypical "suspense." In general, I think my reaction to The Da Vinci Code is bemusement.
I can't lie -- I loved it. Simple, formulaic, derivative, but totally fun. Julia Roberts better be looking over her shoulder, because Jennifer Garner's starting to make a mark on her territory (although Garner can clearly also do dramatic and action stuff, something I've never seen J. Roberts do well). Mark Ruffalo is charming, and the music is great.
A book that's part business, part sociology, The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell, surprised me in its readability. While I'm not entirely convinced of the overwhelming power of 'the tipping point,' I certainly found quite a bit of credence in Gladwell's ideas about the important people in a social movement. I primarily read nonfiction to inform myself--I usually order a meal of nonfiction and eat it. Reading this book was more like ordering a new ergonomic spoon, it will inform me in my future nonfiction meals.
Reefer Madness underwhelmed me slightly, only because Fast Food Nation was such an excellent book. The title suggests a book about marijuana, when only the first essay is about that particular green stuff. The other two essays are both about the other green stuff, money, and migrant workers and porn, respectively.
The marijuana essay is excellent journalism--interesting and persuasive. The second bit, about the migrant workers is pretty short and lacks the oomph of Schlosser's other work. The third essay is interesting, but too long. The other two are dwarfed by the length of the third (strange since the collection takes its name from the first--clearly, Schlosser's editor knew what was best to emphasize). All things considered, a good read, but only the first essay is necessary reading.
This columnist gave up Law and Order (all of them!) for Lent. When I saw the headline on tvtattle, I thought, "Oh no! I don't think I could do that! That would be worse than the year I gave up my Babysitter's Club books!" Then, I click the link to read the article and the columnist also mentions Babysitter's Club books. Eerie. I'm a little creeped out.
However, I still think giving up meat one year in college was the worst--it was months before I ate pasta in the dining hall again.
I've been putting off writing an entry about John Gardner's Nickel Mountain, because I have so little to say. It's the third novel in the last year I've read that has been set in upstate New York (The Sweet Hereafter and Empire Falls being the others), and is my least favorite of the three. It was written in, I believe, the late 60s, and it shows. The blurbs on the back bill it as a love story, and I found it to be a commentary on evil, with very little love involved. I probably should have just abandoned the book midway through, but I just can't seem to not finish a book I've started. It's a disease.
Nelly Furtado. "I'm Like a Bird" I can do without, but her new track "Try" has really grabbed me, in spite of the nasally thing she has happening...
I've got a new links page up. It's a work-in-progress and nothing special, but is a road map for my internet travels. It will keep growing (and will hopefully get prettier). If you're looking to procrastinate or kill some time, check it out.
Couldn't he have thrown out the first pitch for the Yankees?