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August 03, 2004
He Said It Better
I was shouting something similar to the TV last night, but Tom DeLay said it so much better than I did:
"As for Senator Kerry's opportunistic bluster about calling Congress in for a special session, that's pretty tough talk from a guy who has fewer days at work this year than he has houses. He's not been around here during our regular session; what makes anyone think he'll be here for a special session?"
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, star of Pirates of the Caribbean, Love Actually and King Arthur, has signed on to star in the based on the true-life story of model-turned-bounty hunter DOMINO HARVEY in Domino. TONY SCOTT, director of Top Gun and, most recently, Man On Fire, is on board to direct. Scheduled to begin filming on September 27, Domino was penned by RICHARD KELLY, screenwriter of the deliciously campy cult classic Donnie Darko.
Domino will recount the compelling true-life story of Domino Harvey, the fabulously gorgeous daughter of movie star Lawrence Harvey (star of the original The Manchurian Candidate) who traded in her runway passport to become a real-life bounty hunter. Raised in Beverly Hills, Domino started her professional career as a successful Ford model. A rebel with a penchant for confrontation, Domino’s aggressive manner didn’t resonate with the well-heeled fashionistas in the couture world. A serendipitous chain of events eventually led her to the exhilarating world of bounty hunting, which proved to be a natural fit with her outlaw outlook. By the time she was 23, Domino was an established rebel with a cause in the extremely specialized field of bounty hunting.
Thirteen men have been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 after raids in London and three English counties.
The arrests were made in north-west London, Hertfordshire, Luton in Bedfordshire and Blackburn, Lancashire.
Police said the men, aged in their 20s and 30s, were suspected of involvement in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Officers from the Met's Anti-Terrorist branch were backed by local forces in the "intelligence-led, pre-planned" operation.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the suspects would be brought to a central London police station for questioning.
Officers are continuing to search "residential premises" in London, Luton, Blackburn and Bushey, Hertfordshire.
A statement said: "Today's operation is part of continuing and extensive inquiries by police and the security service into alleged international terrorism."
Nick had to go and ruin a perfectly okay day by promoting Adrian Paul as James Bond! ACK! I hereby swear that if such a horrible event ever were to take place, I will drown my sorrows in martinis -- shaken, not stirred -- and count the days till "the man with two first names" is replaced. Absolutely anyone would be a better choice, honest!
(but I still love you anyway, Nick)
(and if I were to go with an HL alum, I'd pick Peter Wingfield a thousand times over for the role)
Oh, BTW, here's a supposed list of those in the running:
.... Clive Owen, Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom and little-known Scottish actor Gerald Butler, who actually had a bit part in the 1997 Bond caper Tomorrow Never Dies.
So John Kerry has a plan for Iraq. But don't hold your breath wondering what it is, because it's a secret.
.... Kerry accused President Bush of misleading the country before the war in Iraq, burning bridges with U.S. allies and having no plan to win peace. But when questioned about saying Thursday in his acceptance speech, "I know what we have to do in Iraq," he would not tip his hand.
"I've been involved in this for a long time, longer than George Bush," he said. "I've spent 20 years negotiating, working, fighting for different kinds of treaties and different relationships around the world. I know that as president there's huge leverage that will be available to me, enormous cards to play, and I'm not going to play them in public. I'm not going to play them before I'm president."
Reminded that he sounded like Richard M. Nixon, who campaigned in 1968 by saying he had a secret plan to end the war in Vietnam, Kerry responded: "I don't care what it sounds like. The fact is that I'm not going to negotiate in public today without the presidency, without the power."
Maybe if I joined the John Kerry Fan Club, I could get a secret decoder ring! I wonder what else would come with my membership kit? Rules for the "Purple Heart Toss" game perhaps, maybe a coupon good for a bowl of chili at Wendy's, a copy of "A Guide To Marrying Rich for The Modern Man", and I'm sure there would be a special for members only pamphlet on how to "Have It Both Ways Without Really Trying" too.
So Nin decided we needed margaritas to overcome the pain of cleaning/packing that we'd been doing all day. Well, after two of her very strong ones with a float of brandy, I now neither feel like cleaning or packing. (or spelling or typing either)
....But even when the final product hits the shelves in November, only New Line and EA will know which plot elements were created from scratch and which are based on actual footage Peter Jackson shot but still hasn't seen the light of day. "They're really protective of that footage," Gray says, "because obviously, they want to make the extended extended versions someday--in a trilogy box set or whatever. They want to keep the franchise alive for years to come."...........Thousands of movie production photos line the walls, and hours of footage from the films--some of it not even included in the special extended editions--fill artists' hard drives.
Why yes, it is 345am. There were two earthquakes, first one woke me up, second one got me out of bed to go calm the dog down who was woofing at that point. It felt stronger than a 3.5, and I felt two, but only seeing a report of one. Usually the small ones don't wake me up or make the dog woof.
....Is Professor Severus Snape a Byronic romantic hero or an unredeemable "greasy git?" Can Harry Potter's moods in "Order of the Phoenix" be put down to teenage angst? Or are there Jewish overtones to J.K. Rowling's output?
All that and more will be revealed in academic and literary papers to be delivered at the Harry Potter fan convention this weekend in the capital.
But there's bad news for Harry's younger fans -- the adult Muggles (non wizards) -- want all the fun for themselves.
No one under the age of 16 will be permitted at what the convention's website is billing as an "adult oriented" event -- and those between 16 and 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Grown-up Potter devotees argue that while the series is primarily aimed at children, Rowling sprinkled clues and references throughout the books which only adults would pick up -- hence the academic parsing of all things Potter.
Three days of lectures, discussions and socialising for up to 500 Potter groupies expected to attend, will include a party Saturday night to honor the fictional wizard's birthday on July 31.
The convention, which is not endorsed by Rowling, or the publishers of the Potter series of books and films, is taking place at the University of Ottawa.
Whether devotees will ride the Hogwarts Express into town, or arrive by more conventional transport, remained unclear.
Another email I received this morning revealed the following pic from Subway Europe's tray liners:
It has come to our attention that SUBWAY, an American company, is using this tray liner (see below for English translation) in their restaurants in Germany and across Europe. In a shameless and anti-American effort to increase sales in Europe, SUBWAY restaurants are promoting the film, "Super Size Me," a documentary about a man who gains weight by gorging himself at McDonald's for 30 days straight without any exercise.
[....]
The most offensive part of this new advertising campaign is the display of an obese Statue of Liberty holding a burger and fries in her hands. The headline screams “Why are Americans so fat?” (The headline uses the German word “Amis” – a derogatory term for Americans.)
EXCAVATIONS at a large hill fort in East Lothian have uncovered what archaeologists believe to be one of the nerve centres of Iron Age Scotland.
The new findings at Traprain Law, near Haddington, include the first coal jewellery workshop unearthed in Scotland as well as hundreds of artefacts giving new insight into life in the 700BC-AD43 era.
Experts who have been working on the site for several weeks are now able to paint a picture of a densely populated hilltop town which was home to leaders of local tribes, following the discovery of multiple ramparts, Roman pottery, gaming pieces, tools and beads.
At the centre of the archaeological site, which is one of the most important in Scotland, a medieval building, first uncovered by a fire in 1996, has now been fully excavated by the 20-strong team of archaeologists, also showing the area was occupied hundreds of years later.
The ten metre-long building is understood to have been built during the 14th century to supply pilgrims visiting the hill because of its traditional connections with St Mungo, whose mother was thought to have been banished from the hill by her father, the mythical King Loth, when she became pregnant.
St Mungo brought Christianity to the west of Scotland.
"One of the most sobering pieces of information to come out of the investigation of the March 11th bombings [in Madrid] is that the planning for the attacks may have begun nearly a year before 9/11. ... It appears that some kind of attack would have happened even if Spain had not joined the Coalition -- or if the invasion of Iraq had never occurred." --- Lawrence Wright, "The Terror Web," in the 8/2/04 New Yorker.
Thanks to everyone who has nominated A&C; as an "Anyone But Andrew Sullivan" blog. (I feel like a PBS program: "Funding Provided by the Anyone But Andrew Sullivan Foundation and Viewers Like You"!). I really appreciate the love and concern, I really do. A friend suggested I set up a Target wedding registry thing for household goods, so I'm pondering the idea, though I think I'd feel kinda silly.
Anywho, thanks again! My stress level is going to be going through the roof these next weeks and months, so it's nice to know there are folks out there in the ether pulling for me.
Later: I'm reminded that you can but Target stuff via Amazon now, so I can just do an Amazon Wishlist.
The Kerry people are saying that there were to be no photos taken at NASA and that they were leaked to smear him. But looking at the set, Kerry, and those with him, sure look like they're posing for a picture to me.
What a difference a day makes. A few days ago, I was so pleased with myself for having a concrete short term and long term plan. I was feeling confident, even [gasp] happy. I should have known that practically guaranteed everything falling apart. Yep. The house we've rented for nearly ten years is being sold. Goodbye plans, hello mad scramble to house me, my parents, my brother and sister and our pets. Parents are going to have to move to UT ASAP instead of the year and half from now they'd planned, I have to try and come up with all the money I'm going to need to rent an apartment in this area, plus all the stuff I need to buy that I currently share (hey, maybe Andrew Sullivan can give me some of his pledge drive money! :) ). Just thinking about it is making me super queasy.
I was doing okay last night, but this morning I feel really overwhelmed and black hole being sucked into.
I actually left the house on Saturday and Sunday! Yesterday, we took mum out to play pool for a few hours in the afternoon, and I had a Strongbow for me, and I had one for Paul. (I'm just caring and giving that way). When we got home. I grilled steaks on the BBQ, which were lovely if I do say so myself. I also opened the bottle of wine I bought at the Bonny Doon weekend, and it was yummy!
We went to the mall this afternoon so my mum and I could spend our birthday money. First we had a few margaritas, then we went shopping! I got two Asian styled tops and a pair of black slacks from Chicos, and I got "Cold Mountain" and "Mystery, Alaska" on DVD. Now I'm waiting for my Cherry Bancha tea to steep!
:: ".... visiting her site is much like visiting her at home, curling up in a chair and chatting about all kinds of different things. It's hard to convey warmth over cyberspace, but she does it." ~ Debbye, "Being American in T.O."::
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