So now that I've heard a few times…
I'm trying really hard to like this as much as I like Chemistry but honestly thus far I'm not. Chemistry is one of my favorite modern punk album, and the epic songs and mighty hooks seem to come pretty effortlessly. This sounds like they're trying really hard to match the passion…

I'm going to venture two half-assed theories. First, there is only so greedy one can be as playwrite, author, director — those hacks on FOX make decent coin for a couple appearances a week, right? If he starts showing up on O'Reilly on a regular basis this may be the case. Or how about, Mamet kinda built his…

Seriously?
'…creators and producers are working to "shape America in their own leftist image."'

Sherm is spot on. Amphetamines are speed. Meth is an amphetamine.

It's a pretty distasteful movie as a whole so I'm inclined to agree. Though it's hard for me to decide if the filmmakers actually intended to the absurdity to be a dark comedy or just an over-the-top portrait of speed-freaks. I mostly saw the later.

All due respect
I think the first Cars album is about as close to flawless as a rock record can get and still have pretty dumb lyrics. I think the second one is by and large pretty great. And they had a lot of other nifty songs throughout their subsequent records. Elliot Easton is a remarkable guitarist. I have no…

Playa Hatin'
I know I'm old and jaded, but, man, I'm pretty tired of this formula.

What is this Blade Runner movie you're talking about? I must see that. Is it real, you know, Sci Fi like the Chuck on the TV.

In other words, get on it, Scott. Chop, chop.

Thanks, @wallflower. It's not often I get to draw on my familiarity with the T. C. Boyle canon. Even if I'm mostly talking to myself.

New Cult Canon
Pretty much everyone I know really likes this movie; a few claim it's one of their all-time favorites. Not that I'm a hardcore sci-fi geek or anything, but I will say its easily one of the best movies of the last decade or so and one of the best sci-fi movies I've ever seen. So, this is a movie I'll…

Boyle Fan from Way Back
Like I said in another thread, worked at Viking back in the years around Road to Wellville. This was additionally serendipitous since he came to be my favorite living author of that time; and I thought about fiction *a lot*.

Well, as long as we're over-thinking it, do I find the popularity of Criminal Minds (and its ilk) disturbing? Yes. Yes, I do. I'm not disturbed in a 'O My God, I'm offended by the violence!' kind of way. More in a 'Christ, these shows are so patently absurd and so salacious yet so very popular —what is wrong with…

so much fun.
Makes me love Scharpling and the New Pornographers all the much more.

Phair
Does it ever occur to anyone besides me that Liz isn't trying to do much more than piss people off at this point? She gets twice the press and attention as say, Yo La Tengo, and does half the work. It seems rather than fade into middling indie careerism she embraced 'selling out' and getting negative attention…

@Laika - Of course. I should have known. Fuckin' Ted Leo. Dude totally gets it.

So, that's what you're going on, eh? Some clip(s) you saw in a VH1 soundbites-athon? About them giving some of their royalty/licensing money to charity? Okay. I, too, totally make snap judgments about random rock bands' character and intentions based on a two minute interview parsed out with some snappy, chipper…

There's not much on which I find myself agreeing with the persona that is ZMF, but yeah, fuck… It's a charming enough song but the fact that it got so many votes says far more about the Giants fan base than it does the other it was lumped with. I voted for Social Distortion myself.

Ha. I just posted my defense of that song. Totally understand why someone would hate it, but for many reasons I think the world is a slightly better place because Chumbawamba got into the top 10. I find it amusing that you would dismiss them as smug bastards — have you seen the doc "Well done. Now Sod Off."? The have…

Tubthumping
Fuck yeah, Josh. Pay no attention to the popular derision of this fluke hit. Not only were Chumbawamba way better than most people gave them credit for being, but I've long thought that a killer cover to be crafted from that song. I sincerely hope the artist/band that chooses it does it with enthusiasm and…