I think I heard that it's J.K. Rowling's favorite book, so I guess that says something about its influence.

Rough week. I don't have much pop culture to post about, but I'm home earlier than I expected, so at least I can post here. Basically, I got talked into performing again. I hadn't acted since I was just out of college, but back in December, one of my old sketch comedy friends called me up and said she was thinking of…

He's mean: http://meanalex.tumblr.com/

If they made his work with Gene Wilder into a major part of this movie, that would be awesome. Gene Wilder is awesome.

I actually respect him for doing that. I know the movie was supposed to be terrible, but I think it's great that he at least tried to get a big-budget action movie made without any white leads. Now we just need to do that again, but with a good script.

Pryor's life is full of events that would fit right into a biopic, from his abusive relationships with his wive(s) to his addiction and the self-immolation incident. But with Daniels at the helm, it will likely be sensationalistic and overstuffed with A-List actors playing every famous person Pryor rubbed elbows for…

Neon lights, shimmering neon lights
And at the fall of night
This city's made of light.

I read it because I connected with Calvin's existential angst. I was kind of a depressing seven year-old.

The joke about Jason writing absurdly long Christmas lists is outright stolen from C&H. Not that Watterson minded; he even wrote the intro for a Foxtrot collection.

Yeah, I like to listen to metal while I work. It's oddly soothing.

I find Sigur Ros is really great for helping me focus. It's not electronica, of course, but it is very ambient, and since the lyrics are all nonsense, it's difficult to get distracted by them. When I was a geeky theater kid in high school, I put on Les Mis once while working. Beautiful music, but once it starts, you…

I put on Vivaldi's Four Season while doing homework once, then checked the comments on the YouTube video I was watching. The most upvoted one was, "Who else is doing homework?" So I guess classical music is a practical choice.

True, although I seriously doubt he's hurting for cash. That
three-volume compendium of his strips sold very well for something that
costs $140. I guess he's just never felt the need to move to Beverly
Hills and buy a gold-plated yacht, that's all.

There was one Family Circus that featured Billy praying. In the background, you could see a burglar through his window. As he gets into bed, he wonders if God ever hears his prayers. The last panel shows the burglar being arrested. Bil Keane said he reran that one by popular request. Calvin would have wiped his ass…

He had a quote in an AVC interview a while back about one of his characters triumphing over adversity that stuck with me: "It isn't because you're good. It isn't because you're particularly nice. It's because you just got down to the problem and sorted it out." That man was a humanist through and through.

I haven't seen any of these movies. I placed a hold on The Babadook at the library, but everyone else wants to watch it, too, so it could take about five or six years to get around to me. In the meantime, maybe I'll watch Repulsion. Yeah, that's supposed to be really good.

He has really failed to live up to his father's legacy. Which, you know, wasn't exactly a high bar to clear in the first place.

I knew his barber. I'm well-connected.

To be fair, there aren't too many comedians smarter or more likeable than Dave Chappelle. He said in an interview that part of the reason he hasn't done any film or TV appearances since Chappelle's Show ended is that he doesn't get many offers. He's like the prettiest girl at the dance: Everyone is too scared to ask…

It's only in retrospect that I realize what a great textbook The American Pagaent is. We used that one in APUSH and the writers were not shy about criticizing America.