Category: entertainment

RIP

Actor Jerry Orbach, who played a sardonic, seen-it-all cop on TV’s “Law & Order,” and scored on Broadway as a song-and-dance man, has died of prostate cancer at 69, a representative of the show said today. Orbach died Tuesday night in Manhattan after several weeks of treatment, Audrey Davis of the public relations agency Lippin Group said. When his illness was diagnosed, he had begun production on NBC’s upcoming spinoff “Law & Order: Trial By Jury,” after 12 seasons playing Detective Lennie Briscoe in the original series. His return to the new show had been expected early next year. On Broadway, the Bronx-born Orbach starred in hit musicals including “Carnival,” “Promises, Promises,” (for which he won a Tony Award), “Chicago” and “42nd Street.”

Between my addiction to “Law & Order” and the dozens of times I watched “Dirty Dancing” growing up, I have probably seen this man on screen more than any other single actor. Somehow, he seemed immortal. I’ll miss him.

You say you want a revolution

Last night Johanna and I went to see The Motorcycle Diaries at Midtown Cinema. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Che Guevara and Traveling with Che Guevara: The Making of a Revolutionary by Alberto Granado, chronicling their eight-month journey through Latin America in 1951-52. I wanted to see it because I’m always up for a good travel movie; I didn’t know anything about Che Guevara, and have always had disdain for anyone wearing a t-shirt with his face on it.

The movie, of course, idealizes him. There is no mention of the racism, homophobia, or anti-Semitism apparently present in his book. It barely mentions Guevara’s later life, and makes absolutely no value judgment about it. It does, however, show the seeds of his thinking. It captures some of Latin America’s troubling aspects without being heavyhanded, or trying to tell the viewer what to think.

But this would be an enjoyable movie even if Guevara had not gone on to change the world (for better or worse). The friendship between the two men is heartwarming. The scenery is stunning. The adventures are enviable but sometimes harrowing. The whole thing is done subtly enough that it feels like a glimpse into an important time in someone’s life, and you can take from it what you will.

I was reminded that, however deeply buried, at some point, there was a glimmer of good beneath the communist revolutions. I hate being reminded of that.

Which means The Motorcycle Diaries is probably worth seeing.

A little bit more

Clive Thompson at Slate has played JFK Reloaded so that we don’t have to. It’s a decent article.

Also, in some much needed feel-good news:

A pod of dolphins circled protectively around four people swimming 300 feet off a New Zealand beach to fend off an attack by a great white shark, according to a report Tuesday by the New Zealand Press Association. The four were swimming when several dolphins began herding them by doing tight circles around them. When one swimmer, Rob Howes, tried to drift away, one of the larger dolphins herded him back. It was then that Howes spotted a 9-foot great white shark swimming toward the pod. “I just recoiled. It was only about 2 meters away from me, the water was crystal clear and it was as clear as the nose on my face,” Howes said. “They had corralled us to protect us.” If the report is accurate — and a spokeswoman for the environmental group Orca Research says the behavior fits these marine mammals — then dolphins are treating us with a lot more respect than we’re treating them these days.
— Tony Long

It would have felt better without the dig at the end, but still, pretty cool.

Oh my god, they killed the President

A Scottish company has released a game called “JFK Reloaded“. This has nothing to do with John Kerry. Instead, you, the player, are Lee Harvey Oswald. Your goal is to mimic the three shots of the original LHO.

The company says the idea is to show people that Oswald was acting alone, and that conspiracy theories have sprung up because of how hard his task was. They’re offering £53,800 to the first person who can recreate the shots.

The game is available for download for $9.95. I had a terrible time trying to find the download site; it seems that much of the media doesn’t want Ted Kennedy to think they’re “despicable”. Yahoo came through, though, with their press release service. Predictably, the site is swamped, but if you want to download it, it’s http://www.jfkreloaded.com. I won’t be grabbing it, so if you do, let me know what you think.

Golden Paul

Paul Hamm will be allowed to keep his gold medal, says the Court of Arbitration of Sport (what the hell is that?). Paul says, “It keeps the integrity of the sport by ending the competition that night,” he said. “You need that. People will lose interest if the decision isn’t made until a week later.”

Meanwhile, we prepare for an election many believe won’t be decided until weeks later. I think the fact that we didn’t know who won until weeks after the last presidential election hurts the American election system. The longer we have to wait after acting, the less we feel that our action has mattered. While voter turnout this year will probably break records, if we have to wait weeks after the election before feeling the results of our actions, I think it will serve to make Americans feel less empowered.

Marry Me, Jon Stewart

http://www.ifilm.com/filmdetail?ifilmid=2652831&htv=12

Jon Stewart recently appeared on CNN’s Crossfire. If you’re currently feeling disgusted with the world, watch this interview. If you aren’t feeling disgusted, well…What the hell is wrong with you?

Anyway, thanks to Jonathan of Move On PAC for telling me about it, and thanks to Reason for reminding me.

That said…Jon Stewart needs to recognize that he has become a journalist. He plays himself off as a comedian, and certainly is show is not the one “holding feet to the fire”, but, at least among my generation, he is respected and influential. The questions asked on his show become relevant to public opinion. He can say he’s a comedian and not a journalist, but whether he likes it or not, he is both. I adore the man. I want to have his babies. I’m incredibly angry that someone else has already done so. But he needs to step up to bat instead of just hitting the balls over and over in practice and then saying, “Oh, no, I’m not a player,” when it comes to the actual game.

We need someone who is smart and engaging to ask the tough questions. Jon, realize that you are a journalist. And then realize that you absolutely need to be with me. Please.

Peace Train

Ex-Pop Star Cat Stevens Deported from U.S.

Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, was denied entry to the US on the basis that he has ties to terrorism.

Of course I don’t have all the intelligence the FBI does, but this strikes me as ludicrous. Maybe they’re right, but my understanding is that most true terrorists believe that they are engaged in a justified jihad. They are most likely not writing articles like this.

On a mostly unrelated note, googling ‘jihad’ brings up some sad and scary results on both sides of the spectrum.

Moore & more from the road

First the boring stuff:

Article from The Daily Star encouraging a national dialogue before we create any new departments or cabinet posts or take any other related action. Nothing blazingly new, but makes some interesting points. I take it forgranted that we should have this kind of dialogue, but it’s become obvious that not the entire population feels the same way. I’m glad this author is calling for one in a largely non-partisan way. Thanks again to Kristin Dailey for the link.

‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ has been banned in Kuwait. This isn’t too suprising considering the film’s slant, but is yet another illustration of the danger of that angle. A working relationship with the Middle East is important and perpetuating the idea that involvement with Arab governments is tantamount to condoning terrorism will get us nowhere in the long run, even if it gets Bush out of office in November.

But on to the fun stuff!

I’m writing from the floor of the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Literally, from the floor. LinuxWorld is happening here and while Kevin geeks out at a PGP key signing event, I’m using the free wireless to upload some pictures. The battery on my laptop was dead, though, so I had to find an outlet. This puts me in a hallway, back against the wall, watching the Linuxites as they trickle to their Birds of a Feather meetings. Fascinating, truly.

Anyway, I don’t have all the pictures ready to go, but since I don’t know how long I’ll get to sit here (or how long my legs will tolerate it), I’m uploading what I do have ready now. It’s a bit of Seattle, but mostly scenery as we travelled through Washington State. We took a ferry from Edmonds to Kingston, then followed 101 west and south to Oregon. I’ll have Oregon and California pictures up sometime in the near future.

http://www.sunsetchaser.net/pictures/wash20040730/

Enjoy!

The Daily Star – Politics – ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ misses mark on conspiracies

The Daily Star – Politics – ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ misses mark on conspiracies

I’ve been slacking on this, but thanks again to Kristin Dailey for providing another perspective.  ‘Fahrenheit’ hadn’t been released anywhere in the Middle East at the time thsi article was published but has since begun its slow creep around the world.  I look forward to hearing more about other reactions to it.  So far it seems like everyone believes there was a conspiracy — but no one can agree on why or what it was.