9/28/00 - Survivor's Colleen finds work as Rob Schneider's love interest. And she thought Greg was a strange bird.

Hmmmm...so the Knicks are gunning for Forward Joe Smith, soon to be forcibly released from the Timberwolves for an illegal contract. I guess that's a step in the right direction.

TomPaine.com delves in to Dubya's military record, and it ain't pretty.

Jon Voight, father of Angelina Jolie, signs on to play Lord Croft, father of Lara Croft, in Tomb Raider. I think it's a safe bet that this will be the scenery-chewing Jon Voight of Anaconda, not the acclaimed Jon Voight of Midnight Cowboy.

Here's a great public interest site: Greedy TV.org. Devoted to monitoring broadcasters' profiteering from the democratic process.

Some heavy, heavy Episode 2 spoiler material - fight storyboards - made its way onto the Net, before Lucasfilm threatened lawsuit and made Naboo Online and Aldera.Net take 'em down. So, for today's fanboy/fangirl fix, these Geoff Darrow-designed Matrix 2 storyboards will have to suffice.

9/27/00 - Meyers-Briggs applied to Bush-Gore. I also finally took the test myself, and discovered that, like (ugh) Gore, I'm an INTP (although my T and F counts were equal.)

If you're going to France anytime soon, you might want to watch out for the rash of attack monkeys. I've heard the dumb ones are particularly rabid...and watch out for their fists.

9/26/00 - Will Gore overpander? At least when it comes to oil, Thomas Friedman thinks so.

Once the proposed heir to the Space Shuttle, the X-33 falls on hard times.

Tonight, a very special E! True Hollywood Story: The strange and torrid rise and fall of Jared Herbert Binkelstein, known to the world as Jar Jar Binks. Update: Here's the official site.

In related news, another fun Episode 2 spoiler makes the rounds: When Obi-Wan and Anakin get worked over by the evil Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), Yoda, two-saber wielding Jedi master badass that he is, enters the fray and cleans house. I'll pay eight bucks to see that.

Much to the consternation of majority-hungry Dems, Lieberman still won't renounce his Connecticut Senate bid. For the life of me, I can't understand why not. It's not like he and Gore are running fifteen points behind Dubya or anything. Consider me among the progressives who will be plenty pissed if we lose the Senate by this one seat.

So that's that, then. I still can't believe Pat will be wearing Sonic green. At least he sounds happy.

When it comes to lying, frankly, my dear, they don't give a damn.

While Susan Sarandon pushes for his inclusion in the debates, Eddie Vedder croons for Nader.

9/25/00 - Some very slow-loading Episode 2 spy pics surface over at The Force.Net.

Curiouser and curiouser: The Gore mole story takes an odd twist over the weekend, with a bragging staffer suddenly silenced (after offering two competing affidavits.) If Drudge has anything to do with it, this one could blow up bigtime for the Democrats this week. While I wouldn't put anything past Gore, though, after hearing about the actual e-mail exchange, it sounds like the whole mole thing is just an e-mail joke gone awry.

Nevertheless, Dubya appears to be back in contention (Thanks, Oprah). I must say, this Presidential race would be a real down-to-the-wire barnburner if I actually gave a rip about either of these fortunate sons (and, fellow lefties, please stop dragging out the Supreme Court - it's tired.) Steve over at Now This (he's back!) encapsulates my feeling on this election very nicely near the end of his most recent (9/24) post.

Pennsylvania Avenue may be reopened to the public, although I don't really see how reopening that one block to pedestrian traffic is going to solve the stifling gridlock of DC at dusk.

Apparently, Vinsanity made French player and failed first-round Knick pick Frederic Weis look ridiculous, but I haven't yet found a jpg of the rumored "best dunk ever." Sounds like a great metaphor for the Knicks off-season, though.

Mike Wise's paean to Patrick.

Poetic Justice: Wayne Chrebet catches the game-winning TD, the Jets stun the Bucs 21-17, and after a week of big talk Keyshawn Johnson goes for a staggering 1-yd. As the Daily News put it, Chrevenge!

On a more sobering topic, Celtic forward Paul Pierce was repeatedly stabbed last night in Boston and is listed in fair condition. Here's hoping he gets well soon.

I started playing Baldur's Gate II this weekend, and was pleased to discover that the main baddie is voiced by one of my favorite genre actors, none other than David Warner (Tron, Time Bandits, The Omen, etc.) Definitely a nice touch.

9/22/00 - A lightsaber battle, perhaps? George Lucas's newest Episode II select goes impressionist. Fortunately, we've got PhotoShop gurus who have managed to [SPOILER] figure out what's going on here.

How the other half lives: According to a new Pew study, not only do 50% of Americans not surf the Net, most of them don't even want to. This must be taken as bad news for any weblogger going through that inevitable, painful stat-addict phase.

Another new study shows that there is no correlation between the death penalty and the homicide rate. Indeed, "the homicide rate in states with the death penalty has been 48 percent to 101 percent higher than in states without the death penalty." So much for deterrence.

Gail Collins on Nader.

Dikembe Mutombo? Chris Webber? The New York Post, whose histrionic and premature "Good Riddance" headline was probably the last straw for Patrick in New York, try to dream their way out of the Knicks squad they seemed to want so badly last week. The Daily News also doesn't seem too happy all of a sudden. In the end analysis, the numbers don't lie, fellas.

In related news, this guy is a complete moron. As I noted in my response, I guess that's what happens when you let business writers comment on sports (or Celtics fans comment on the Knicks.)

Also in Slate's Tagteam, Seth Stevenson on NASCAR cheaters. Seth is a great friend of mine and one hell of a writer, and he's not fronting when he talks about loving NASCAR.

Mike Colton, another good friend, checks out the new Radiohead album, which features the hit new song "Radiohead is back (Gonna Make you Move.)"

9/21/00 - The predominantly Hispanic populace of Modesto, CA make their displeasure known about the murder of 11-year-old Alberto Sepulveda, who was gunned down in his own home by a trigger-happy SWAT team member last week (courtesy of Unknown News.)

I'm licorice ("Strong and edgy, lingering, enigmatic")...hmmm, does this mean I need to create an addendum to the color wheel? (Found by way of The Other Side.)

Scientists pinpoint the exact center of our galaxy (and, no, it's not David Hasselhoff.)

Dick Cheney! Yeah, you heard me...Dick Cheney! Ooooh, I'm gettin' crazy now. Dick Cheney! Dick Cheney!

Malapropism calls it quits.

Through the miracle of modern telecommunications, Nader may just squeeze himself into the debates via a simulcast on Fox.

Fresh after his well-received appearance on Oprah, Dubya tries to appropriate some voters from the Survivor and Millionaire bandwagons. Bush gets all Regis-like on Kathy Lee's former show and gets interviewed by the inimitable Susan Hawk (a.k.a. Susan.) Whatever you do, Dubya, don't piss her off. You think Gore is a tough debater...just ask Kelly Wiglesworth what happens to people who cross the Sue. Let's just say that she won't be getting you a glass of water.

Not to be outdone by Destination Mir, NASA lays the groundwork for its own reality show. The prize - a spot in the presumably much more luxurious ISS.

Ultima Online players unionize...this can't be good for Lord British.

Take that, RIAA: Stanford, MIT, and Harvard refuse to block access to Napster. What, did you think that all schools were going to curl up and capitulate like the Yalies? In related news, NotHarvard changes their name to avoid an impending lawsuit.

The New Republic examines the fight over the proposed WWII memorial in Washington. Patriotic monument or bureaucratic eyesore?

Friends in self-righteousness no longer, Bill Bennett turns on Joe Lieberman for the latter's newfound hankering for Hollywood campaign cash.

The jokers at the WSJ Editorial Board embarrass themselves yet again by refusing to recognize - despite millions of dollars and six years of investigation - that Whitewater was nothing more than a journalistic boondoggle and conspiracy theory du jour for rabid Clinton-hating simpletons. Why don't they resurrect Vince Foster's apparition again while they're at it? If you guys want to harsh on the Clintons so badly, why don't you talk about what's happened to constitutional rights over the past eight years, or how the White House has become a HoJos for campaign contributors? But for God's sake, have the self-respect to admit you screwed up on Whitewater and let it die.

Fans of the Journal can take some consolation from the fact that the Grey Lady is doing exactly the same thing with Wen Ho Lee.

According to Variety, Pi director Darren Aronofsky is on (with Frank Miller) for Batman: Year One.

Morning has come, and the deal did actually go down. Ugh.

NO! Patrick is gone to Seattle...for Glen Rice, Luc Longley, Travis Knight, Vernon Maxwell, Vladimir Stepania, Lazaro Borrell, and some measly draft picks?!? Oh, man, this trade sucks. Glen Rice is such ornery, over-the-hill, jump-shooting-no-passing, whiny garbage. And we've also traded one huge goofy no-game-havingest center - Chris Dudley - for two (Longley and Knight)! Hell, let's sign Shawn Bradley and Georghe Muresan while we're at it...we'd have twenty-four fouls and not one rebound or bucket to show for it.

Of all the players we picked up, I like Mad Max the best - but (a) he's yet another guard in an already glutted backcourt and (b) when it comes to shot selection he makes Johnny Starks look like John Stockton. Ugh. This trade is really, really terrible. No, I mean, this is really a very bad thing. This is...ugh, I'm just going to go to bed and pretend this is all a horrible dream.

Oh, Pat, you deserved so much better from New York. Godspeed and good luck in Seattle, big fella...you will remain the Garden's fiercest warrior.

9/20/00 - Hmmm...I don't think that's what "illustrating diversity" is supposed to mean.

The Portal gets an update. I took out all the blogs that had given up the ghost (no pun intended) and not updated in the past 3 months, and added some of the new contenders to the scene. If I inadvertently took you off and you're still blogging - or if you just want to be included, write me and I'll address the problem.

An minor yet interesting Episode II spoiler from TheForce.Net [Click to Reveal]: Emperor Palpatine may be armed with a Jedi lightscimitar, a.k.a. a curved lightsaber.

Gore Vidal holds court in Salon.

The ridiculous Whitewater debacle finally gets put to bed. About freakin' time. Having researched the OIC's actions in depth on this particular subject, I would think that Ray would want to close this operation down as quietly and succinctly as possible. There are still several lingering questions as to why Whitewater independent counsel Robert Fiske was replaced, and to whether key Starr witness David Hale was paid off for his "testimony."

What leadership. In their current crusade to court the Midwest by denouncing the entertainment industry, Al Gore and Joe Lieberman have completely dropped any talk of gun control on the campaign trail. Can you expect anything less from a former "poster child for the NRA?" Grrr...

In related news, I was browsing through Barnes and Noble the other day when this book caught my eye. Apparently, it's a damning critique of Mediscare Al from the Left. According to the Amazon reviews it's not sourced very well, but I may have to pick up a copy sometime in the next few months anyway just to commiserate. Update: Monkeyfist recommends it, so I'll bite.

And to complete the Gore trifecta today, he's done it again. The Vice-President tells the Teamsters he heard a union song as a "lullaby" in the cradle...it was written in 1975.

Another sign that today's rising economic tide hasn't lifted all boats. Take alligator wrestlers, for instance. For some reason, they just can't find people to tangle with razor-sharp death four times a day for $12/hour anymore. These kids today...

Mike of WOIFM notes of the right-wing racebaiting ad article I linked to yesterday that, while i referred to it as a GOP ad, the article states that the Republican Ideas Political Committee is "previously unknown to operatives in either party." So calling it a GOP ad is, in the absence of further proof, misleading and guilt by association. He's got a point, so my apologies.