ChicagoTribune.com's "Ultimate Chicagoan" tourament is down to a Final Four. Cast your votes here. The site's Daywatch e-mail linked to that address today and added one note.
"P.S. Special reminder to employees of a Chicago-based financial services firm: One vote per person per matchup, OK?"
Springsteen is taping a VH1 Storytellers tonight at an undisclosed location in New Jersey, and fanzine Backstreets is giving away 140 tickets for the event. While the magazine is distributing 100 tickets through a random drawing, it's holding 40 for readers who submit the best questions to ask the Boss.
As one would expect, in some fashion, this skill angle sent the hardcore base into a tizzy. In the 24 hours the contest ran, more than 7,500 entries were submitted. The concentrated nerves involved brought a contest results FAQ from Backstreets editor Chris Phillips. My favorite Q was the last, "What about 'Nobody wins unless everybody wins?'"
Of the submitted questions that Phillips mentioned, the one about Biblical ties to Devils & Dust got me interested. Here's the text of Ezekiel's dream (Ezekiel 37:1-14, New Revised Standard Version) and here's the D&D lyrics.
The Onion has a new book coming out, When Bad Scenes Happen to Great Movies/When Great Scenes Happen to Bad Movies. This week's A.V. Club issue offers a selection from both. On the "15 bad scenes in great movies" list, I've got two disagreements.
1. The ballet scene from An American in Paris. I've previously written here about my three favorite moments from the scene, and I'm not backing down here. Yes, afterward nothing happens and yet the movie somehow turns 180 and resolves itself. But who cares? The ballet sequence gives you much more than the price of your ticket (which probably cost you a quarter, or $12 after my non-economist accounting for inflation).
2. The getaway scene from Network. Almost perfect in my mind, this movie doesn't have a bad scene. How else can "new" media thrive unless it physically uses and throw aways old media? Yes, the relationship is unlikely, but I think the TV talk is all too plausible.
On the "15 great scenes in bad movies" list, I would disagree that What About Bob is a bad movie. It's not a great movie — "a joke-killing Richard Dreyfuss fumes like a whistling teakettle" is right on the money — but Bill Murray, for me, redeems it from bad-movie status.
Take 23-year-old Dylan Southard. "All he has in his refrigerator is a bottle of cranberry juice and coffee." What does Southard say? "I'm not proud of it. I recognize it's not the smartest way to go about feeding myself."
So, my fridge is not so bad. The Baltimore Sun has more about how Gen Y doesn't have time to cook. I love trend stories when they include me.
It started the week before yesterday. Went to work, celebrated Easter with the cousins, picked up Karen at the airport, went out to dinner. Sunday was Easter church and dinner with the family, then basketball/dinner with Jess. Monday was American Indian museum, lunch at National Gallery of Art, American History museum, a soaking at the World War II Memorial, drying off at the Air and Space and dinner on Capitol Hill with Karen, and with CRC/DZ Michelle for dinner. Tuesday was National Zoo and lunch with Karen, then Rutgers-Tennessee game in Philadelphia with Jess. Wednesday was work, packing, moving my first carload to the new apartment — thank you, Jess — and preparing a second load — thank you, Mark. Thursday was a breaking news day at work (Schiavo), moving the second load and preparing the third. Friday was a breaking news and extended day at work (the pope) and moving the third load. Saturday was work and completing the move in four car loads (three at once and one in a second round). Thank you, Jeff, Jonny, Megg, and Jess. Without your amazing help, I would not be here, (CNN pause) literally. Last night ended with basketball watching. Today has one event scheduled: the first Nationals game at RFK Stadium.
LAT: Where do you stand on the metrosexual phenomenon?
BH: Come again? Rephrase that for me. I don't know what that is.
…
LAT: Is dressing a form of self-expression?
BH: We're the only bird that can change its feathers daily. That's to be taken full advantage of.
Column: "Who, exactly, wears chrome pants?"
Toasting the storyteller:
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, there lived the poor son of a cobbler and an alcoholic laundress. He was a lonely and ungainly lad — rather an ugly duckling. He read books and played with puppets. All through his barren days and feverish nights, he nurtured a powerful yearning for one thing.
He wanted to be famous. The toast not just of the town but also of the kingdom, and of all the kingdoms of the Earth, and of all the generations to come through all the ages in all the kingdoms.
The people of the town regarded the boy with his ragged clothes and his carrot nose — and they snickered at his dream.
Yet today, the 200th anniversary of his birth, his kingdom — Denmark — is going absolutely bonkers in tribute — in a wholesome, restrained, perfectly planned Danish sort of way.
In pop music, what's the longest commercially available, original issue single? The Chicago Sun-Times has the answer, and it's not American Pie.
They're really a bad idea for news sites. This image is currently amid the bottom half of the news items on the Los Angeles Times site. It links to this story about fish, but that doesn't make it right.
