Wil, Did you see the D&D episode of Community this week? I enjoyed it, but I'm not a D&Der, so I wondered how someone who was would like it.

Ok, I'm a big Was (Not Was) fan & I love this "song". I don't recall if I ever saw this animation before -- I love it, too. I saw Was (Not Was) at a club in Ann Arbor, MI around when the 'What Up Dog' album came out. After the show they were selling those giant t-shirts with the big block letters on them that said "WAS (NOT WAS)". You know the ones, they were popular for about 10 minutes in the 80's (FRANKIE SAY RELAX was a popular one). But there was an old guy wearing one that said "DAD I'M IN JAIL". My friend spoke to him, and it turned out to be Don Was or David Was's dad, which I thought was pretty cool. BTW I bought one of the "WAS(NOT WAS)" t-shirts, but never wore it in public -- I think it was out of style by the end of that week. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Hamnett for more about the giant t-shirts)

Ok, I'm a big Was (Not Was) fan & I love this "song". I don't recall if I ever saw this animation before -- I love it, too. I saw Was (Not Was) at a club in Ann Arbor, MI around when the 'What Up Dog' album came out. After the show they were selling those giant t-shirts with the big block letters on them that said "WAS (NOT WAS)". You know the ones, they were popular for about 10 minutes in the 80's (FRANKIE SAY RELAX was a popular one). But there was an old guy wearing one that said "DAD I'M IN JAIL". My friend spoke to him, and it turned out to be Don Was or David Was's dad, which I thought was pretty cool. BTW I bought one of the "WAS(NOT WAS)" t-shirts, but never wore it in public -- I think it was out of style by the end of that week. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Hamnett for more about the giant t-shirts)

"including a five minute-long back alley wrestling match " You forgot to mention that the 5 minute fight was over putting on a pair of SUNGLASSES! I'm gonna kick yer ass 'cause you won't put on my glasses! Har!

"including a five minute-long back alley wrestling match " You forgot to mention that the 5 minute fight was over putting on a pair of SUNGLASSES! I'm gonna kick yer ass 'cause you won't put on my glasses! Har!

When I first checked out some shirts at Threadless.com, I eventually bought the 'Communist Party' shirt & I love it (except for the poly blend). But it wasn't until after I bought the shirt that I remembered that I should have bought it through your link (so you would get credit for it). But now I'm on their email list & when I saw 'Original Gamester', I had to have it. I came here & looked for a link, but there isn't one on your front page, & I didn't want to dig through the old posts to find one. Now, just days after my shirt came in the mail, you feature the same shirt... Oh well, maybe next time...

When I first checked out some shirts at Threadless.com, I eventually bought the 'Communist Party' shirt & I love it (except for the poly blend). But it wasn't until after I bought the shirt that I remembered that I should have bought it through your link (so you would get credit for it). But now I'm on their email list & when I saw 'Original Gamester', I had to have it. I came here & looked for a link, but there isn't one on your front page, & I didn't want to dig through the old posts to find one. Now, just days after my shirt came in the mail, you feature the same shirt... Oh well, maybe next time...

I haven't seen it yet, so I can't comment on the film itself. But, I was astonished by one statistic: 80% of film-goers over the weekend worldwide saw Spiderman 3. That's 4 out of 5 tickets sold worldwide! I think that beats anything even adjusted for inflation (and currency exchange rates?).

I haven't seen it yet, so I can't comment on the film itself. But, I was astonished by one statistic: 80% of film-goers over the weekend worldwide saw Spiderman 3. That's 4 out of 5 tickets sold worldwide! I think that beats anything even adjusted for inflation (and currency exchange rates?).

Thanks for the tip on the 'Rounders' article. Excellent reading & funny, too.

Thanks for the tip on the 'Rounders' article. Excellent reading & funny, too.

Something that bothered me that no one else has mentioned: They played music over all the speeches that weren't celebrities. If you're Reese Witherspoon, no music; if you're accepting for best documentary short, music. And it was too loud to be 'music under' -- it was 'music over.' It was also over the short bit about the technical awards (I think that's when I first noticed it). I, too, thought it was rude (along with cutting off the 'CRASH' speech).

Something that bothered me that no one else has mentioned: They played music over all the speeches that weren't celebrities. If you're Reese Witherspoon, no music; if you're accepting for best documentary short, music. And it was too loud to be 'music under' -- it was 'music over.' It was also over the short bit about the technical awards (I think that's when I first noticed it). I, too, thought it was rude (along with cutting off the 'CRASH' speech).

This may be a day late & a dollar short (I had trouble with Typepad yesterday), but I wanted to post this link. This is an 'unofficial' website by a Disney fan that posts photos & info on those great old discontinued Disneyland Attractions. For those of us who have vivid memories of visits long ago, it's a 'stroll down memory lane.' http://www.yesterland.com (one of these days I'll figure out how to make a working link).

This may be a day late & a dollar short (I had trouble with Typepad yesterday), but I wanted to post this link. This is an 'unofficial' website by a Disney fan that posts photos & info on those great old discontinued Disneyland Attractions. For those of us who have vivid memories of visits long ago, it's a 'stroll down memory lane.' http://www.yesterland.com (one of these days I'll figure out how to make a working link).

Wil, I assumed from the 'U' that you were referring to the Linklater film. Not having seen either film (or read the novel), I suppose I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. The Spheeris film sounds interesting, too. I never saw any of Penelope Spheeris' 'Decline of Western Civilization' films but I've heard they were good. Although her career seems to be a little uneven (Beverly Hillbillies?).

Wil, I assumed from the 'U' that you were referring to the Linklater film. Not having seen either film (or read the novel), I suppose I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. The Spheeris film sounds interesting, too. I never saw any of Penelope Spheeris' 'Decline of Western Civilization' films but I've heard they were good. Although her career seems to be a little uneven (Beverly Hillbillies?).

<<< This book isn't for everyone, but will captivate people who enjoyed River's Edge, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Repo Man, and SubUrbia.>>> The first three films are among my favorites, & 'SubUrbia' rang a bell, so I looked it up. For anyone else who might go looking, it's 'SubUrbia' (1996) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120238/ directed by Richard Linklater & written by Eric Bogosian. And yes, the capital 'U' in the middle makes a difference: it's not to be confused with 'Suburbia' (1983) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086589/ directed by Penelope Spheeris. Unfortunately, 'SubUrbia' (1996) has apparently not been released on DVD (& not available at Netflix). Richard Linklater's 'Slacker' is also one of my all-time favorite films, & I'm not sure how I've missed this one. Linklater & Eric Bogosian sounds like a potent combo. I'll have to go find a VHS copy to rent. BTW, Wil, it's interesting that you only compared 'Manstealing for Fat Girls' to films. Do you think it would make a good film?

<<< This book isn't for everyone, but will captivate people who enjoyed River's Edge, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Repo Man, and SubUrbia.>>> The first three films are among my favorites, & 'SubUrbia' rang a bell, so I looked it up. For anyone else who might go looking, it's 'SubUrbia' (1996) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120238/ directed by Richard Linklater & written by Eric Bogosian. And yes, the capital 'U' in the middle makes a difference: it's not to be confused with 'Suburbia' (1983) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086589/ directed by Penelope Spheeris. Unfortunately, 'SubUrbia' (1996) has apparently not been released on DVD (& not available at Netflix). Richard Linklater's 'Slacker' is also one of my all-time favorite films, & I'm not sure how I've missed this one. Linklater & Eric Bogosian sounds like a potent combo. I'll have to go find a VHS copy to rent. BTW, Wil, it's interesting that you only compared 'Manstealing for Fat Girls' to films. Do you think it would make a good film?

Ok, I thought this was odd: I followed the link to the IMDB listing of 'Neverland', and thought it sounded interesting so I put it in my Netflix queue. And when you add a film to your queue, Netflix shows you some recommendations that are usually related in some way to what you selected. Either the same actor or similar films. But the first 2 recommended films for 'Neverland' were 'Monster' (with Charlize Theron) and 'Mr Smith Gets A Hustler'. Now I realize that 'Neverland' is a dark revision of the story, but this struck me as funny.

Ok, I thought this was odd: I followed the link to the IMDB listing of 'Neverland', and thought it sounded interesting so I put it in my Netflix queue. And when you add a film to your queue, Netflix shows you some recommendations that are usually related in some way to what you selected. Either the same actor or similar films. But the first 2 recommended films for 'Neverland' were 'Monster' (with Charlize Theron) and 'Mr Smith Gets A Hustler'. Now I realize that 'Neverland' is a dark revision of the story, but this struck me as funny.

Wil, I too enjoyed the podcast. The length wasn't a problem (that's what the 'pause' button is for). One tech thing: I found that the music bits were quite loud compared to the level of your voice. Although I'm playing back through my desktop speakers & not headphones, so there may be a difference. Thanks & keep up the excellent work.

Wil, I too enjoyed the podcast. The length wasn't a problem (that's what the 'pause' button is for). One tech thing: I found that the music bits were quite loud compared to the level of your voice. Although I'm playing back through my desktop speakers & not headphones, so there may be a difference. Thanks & keep up the excellent work.