Morning Hobbit

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis

Initial shooting had wrapped for The Hobbit several months ago, but location shooting in New Zealand has just begun. Quint (Eric Vespe) from Ain’t It Cool News had a unique opportunity to be embedded with the production for the next two months, and here is his first report:

In a hole in the ground was a hobbit.

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats – the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill – The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it – and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining-rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left-hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep-set round windows looking over his garden, and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river.

I am very excited about The Hobbit, which is clearly being tied in to The Lord of the Rings very closely, including an opening bit that starts right before Fellowship. Essentially, The Hobbit is being positioned as a bit of Bilbo, right before his party, relating or remembering how he came by The One Ring.

Update: Stealing Like a Hobbit.

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Boos & Pieces (Monday Evening Candy Collection)

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis

I should have come up with something more Halloweeny. What about Sarah Jessica Parker as a witch in Disney’s Hocus Pocus?

All right. How about some funny? More from Barely Political:

Ke$ha Parody, “I’m Trying to Hard”

Eminem and Rhianna in grade school (“I Know You Are But What Am I”):

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Income Gaps and OWS Gets Chilly

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis

Why am I a registered Republican? Because when I registered as a
Republican, I was at the height of my new-found conservatism, having been a liberal in my youth (as so many are). Also, because my disillusionment with liberalism (my own liberalism having been naïve) was so profound, I was taking the full pendulum trip to the other side.

I’m going to remain a registered Republican, although I become less enamored with the sorts of politicians the GOP puts forward (and are currently in office) every day. Income gap polling as an issue? Let’s try to own it!

Speaking of income gaps, Bridgeport, Connecticut is the city in the US with the biggest gap between rich and poor. It’s a blue city in a blue state, if we’re talking political affiliations.

In fact, it’s interesting that the same folks who repeatedly cited how blue states paid more in federal taxes, while red states received more in federal taxes, haven’t been interested in blue state/red state comparisons when it comes to the income gap. Perhaps it’s because states like New York—which is a fairly blue state—rank highest in wealth disparity.

Atlanta, Georgia has the highest income gap between 2005 and 2009. Aha, you say! Georgia is about as red as a state gets! Alas, Atlanta is a decidedly blue pocket in that red, red state.

Washington, DC is also a city with some of the greatest income disparity, according to latest census data.

Interesting, most of the cities with the highest income gaps are blue cities (in terms of both local government and who they tend to vote for in national elections) swimming in seas of red. Atlanta, Dallas, Gainesville, Baton Rouge.

Among the states with the most unequal income, we find California, Connecticut, New York, Louisiana, as well as Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama and D.C., if you want to count them as a state. What does that tell us? That even liberals and Democrats have a very hard time doing anything to effect the income gap, and that even fair progressive policies (such as those employed in California, New York, and Connecticut) don’t necessarily do much in regards to controlling income disparity. Also, that legalized gambling made a lot of people very rich in Mississippi.

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I have noted that I expect most protests to have a partying, here-for-the-babes-and-drugs type element. Well, those folks are going to be going home. When the weather starts freezing, the partying is over for the party-people.

Unemployment is higher for veterans. We apparently don’t do much for placement. Clearly, we can and should do better. We spend a great deal on defense, we can’t afford some time spent on placing folks exiting the service?

The gap between rich and poor foods is narrowing. Supposedly. I still think anybody can eat inexpensively with judicious shopping, and perhaps a little gardening. Fast food and restaurant eating (Chipotle? Really) is still, in my experience, a lot more expensive than smart shopping, clipping coupons, and owning a freezer.

Are more taxes and regulation the path to prosperity? Well, Maryland is going to find out, starting (but not stopping) with higher taxes on toilets.

Less regulations under Obama than Bush? But the problem is, Obama’s regulation are more onerous or expensive. Jeeze, you people are never happy.

Filed under: income inequality, Occupy Wall Street, OWS, regulations | Tagged: | 15 Comments »

Bits & Pieces (TGIF & Halloween Is Near)

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis

The Addam’s Family Credo. Those just aren’t pretty words.

Christina Ricci supplies a classic film moment as Wednesday Addam’s, also from Addam’s Family Values.

I just recently heard a reference to Fried Green Tomatoes as “that movie that came out in 1991”. Finding that unbelievable, I checked, and indeed that is when it came out. What’s wrong with time? Why does it keep moving forward? And so fast? Anyway, the inimmitable Jessica Tandy starred in Fried Green Tomatoes, and was also in The Birds. Boo!
Scary Halloween (in 3 days), everyone!

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Can’t Touch This!

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis

M.C. Hammer joins Occupy Wall Street Protestors in Oakland.

Speaking of the Oakland OWS debacle, apparently Oakland police aren’t aware that it’s the 21st century.

If you want to move protestors, clear and area, or even marginalize an amorphous political movement that’s anti-greed and anti-bad-stuff, this is not how you do it.

I have a hard time finding a charitable explanation in regards to this (at the end):
This kind of ham-fisted over-reach and over-reaction is the sort of stuff that protest movements are built on, and thrive on. And that’s been true since The Boston Massacre. At least. It’s not how you get the hippies to settle down and go away.

Apparently M.C. Hammer no longer wears golden parachute pants. Very disappointing. 

By Ashot

NoVa raised this issue and I tracked down an article that quotes some of Oakland’s policies on crowd control and links to the PDs policy manual.
Meanwhile, this article shows some of the various police weapons in action against other crowds.

Filed under: OWS | Tagged: , | 20 Comments »

Bits & Pieces (Thursday Night Lorax)

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis

This is no time for play, there is no time for fun, this is no time for games, there’s work to be done!

So, all you get tonight is the trailer for the new movie version of The Lorax.

Seems like a more light-hearted, less apocalyptic Lorax.

With a lot more background on The Onceler. Might be pretty good.

Laterz!

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Koch Brothers Prove Global Warming

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis

As if we didn’t already have enough evidence of the evil and perfidy of those diabolical Koch brothers. Turns out, they funded a study by a climate change skeptic that ends up confirming previous temperature studies cited as proof for global warming.

John Stewart covers the scam of science.

“Pretty soon, you’ll be hooked on that grant money. Looking for that next big score. Is that what you want?”

“Yeah.”

Filed under: global warming, koch bros | Tagged: | 32 Comments »

Bits & Pieces (Wednesday Night Cyberspace Edition)

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis

What was I doing at this very moment 26 years ago? This:

It’s amazing I found this interesting enough to do for hours and hours at a time. But I did, smoking my Max Menthol cigarettes, dialing up the local BBS with my acoustic modem, drinking my Diet Pepsi. Sigh. Those were the days.
So, you may be asking yourself. Did Kevin compose an entire album of music dedicated to playing Downland on a TRS-80 Color Computer in 1985? Why, yes I did. Today’s soundtrack I would have wanted to jam to while playing Downland back in the day? Noodles.
This resembles a lot of my daydreaming back in 1985. And possibly yesterday.

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Bits & Pieces (Tuesday Night Open Mic)

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis

Why you never see the black & white Flinstones episodes in the synidcation packages:

Speakin’ of how they used to smoke it up back in the day, here’s Desi Arnaz on I’ve Got a Cigarette–I mean, I’ve got a Secret.
Winston was obviously the brand of choice back in the day.

Not much has changed. Only now, it’s vajayjays. 
Any one who listens to No Agenda knows it’s Big Pharma and various feminine hygiene products forcing all the big networks to shoehorn the word “vagina” into episode after episode of “comedy” programming. And if you’ve watched many sitcoms in the new season, it’s as good an explanation as any. Because I’ve heard the word in every sitcom I’ve watched, at least once, this season, and in every case the joke falls flat. It’s all about the Monistat. 

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Bits & Pieces (Monday Evening Slog)

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis
Ugh. What a day. One of those days where nothing gets resolved but I can continue to see all the things that are unresolved hovering over my head. Although they are mostly 3rd world problems, most of them stem from a mistake or decision I made previously, and I hate that. I always have that sense that somehow I have an obligation to do things differently in the past, but I can’t do it.It’s like those dreams where you’re running through molasses. Nothing a big, fat check from the government wouldn’t solve. I’m just saying, NoVA. 😉 
 …
  
As you may know, I’m a Disney fan. And I always hope they hit it out of the park, and create another classic, each time they make another movie. There are a few movies I felt were classics from the first time I saw them, like Beauty and the Beast. But I had good feelings about that one from the minute I first saw the poster art and theater standees. I think I got that vibe from The Little Mermaid, as well. I knew when I saw it, or shortly after, that it was a very good movie. I believe we had rented it on VHS and I was watching it with a little group of college friends when one of them said: “It’s like an instant Disney classic!”, and I realized that I agreed.

I think Tangled belongs in that group of Disney classics. After films that I enjoyed but didn’t feel weren’t classics in the manner of Beauty and the Beast, such as The Frog Princess, and one’s that were good but weren’t really classic Disney, like Bolt, my expectations were tempered. I came out of my first viewing, thinking they had pulled it off, but not really considering it an instant classic.

After having watched it several times now, and seeing both my daughters (one 6 and one 13) watch it several more times, I’m convinced it’s a classic, and one that will build an even bigger following over time. It’s a great re-telling of the Rapunzel tale, has some great set pieces, great performances, and classic Disney musical numbers.

Another indicator for me: Tangled is the first Disney Soundtrack I’ve purchased since The Nightmare Before Christmas. Before that, it was The Little Mermaid.

I had originally planned to discuss my deep love of certain movies, and my ability to watch them over and over again, such as It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s been a crazy day, so some other time.

My favorite scene:

Some days I feel a whole lot like George Bailey at 0:56.

— KW

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