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Conjuring up Political, Cinematic, Cultural, and Athletic Arcana since the Final Days of the Last Century

7/20/00 - New Episode 2 Pic up. This time it's Natalie Portman sitting on the stoop of what looks to be Uncle Owen's Pad from A New Hope. Also, some fans have put together a preview Episode 2 trailer and, I must say, it's definitely worth a look.

Booyah! The speed of light is broken again! As TheForce.net notes, maybe a ship can go .5 past lightspeed...

Bradley gets his payback for endorsing Gore - a plum primetime speaking slot at the convention. Meanwhile, on the verge of the veep picks, the race tightens.

Gratuitous gross-out link: There's a lizard in the fries!

Robert Patrick will replace Mulder on X-Files. Can't say the choice makes me very excited. I still think Chris Noth would have been the way to go.

An interview with the Taco Bell dog on his recent downsizing.

7/19/00 - Racism in the U.S. Senate, and the numbers are pretty damning.

How to beat Final Jeopardy. If ya don't know, now ya know.

Imagine my chagrin when I found out that half of my handful of daily hits were generated by this parrot.

Turns out black holes may not be so black after all.

Well, I have found new employ. Starting early next week, I'll be working as a speechwriter for FCC Chairman William Kennard through his last year in office (his term expires June 2001.) Should be great fun, as the FCC is definitely where the action is at the dawn of the Information Age. I'm looking forward to it...

The Post researches the gender gap in funny television advertising.

The Taco Bell talking chihuahua gets the boot.

Ridley Scott may be doing Terminator 3. Why? (although the Linda Hamilton Terminator does sound like a nice twist.)

Apparently not fearful of stereotyping, the current Governor of Arkansas and his family plan to move into a "triplewide" during repairs to the Governor's Mansion.

7/18/00 - Rudy G comes to Hillary's defense.

The art and science of pandering.

My friend Matt chronicles a day with the Charleston Riverdogs.

Harry's got his hands on Monkeybone pics (which looks to be a better, odder attempt at Cool World.) Also commenting on these pics is High Industrial, who is back from his European tour with a vengeance.

Barbelith didn't like The Patriot's revisionism either.

The case against Cleanliness.

Turns out McCain has more than one stop in Philly come convention time. He's also speaking at a shadow convention paid for by billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

Salon reports on the Navy's attempt to use ecstasy smuggling as a front to seek out and harrass gay servicemen.

More official Episode 2 casting, including Once Were Warriors's Temuera Morrison as (possibly) the father of every fanboy's favorite bounty hunter.

In other casting news, some Mulder replacement hopefuls test for the part, including Lou Diamond Phillips, Robert Patrick (of T2), and another fanboy favorite, Bruce (Evil Dead Campbell. Campbell would be fun, but I think I'd still prefer Chris Noth.

Well, it looks like my job search may be coming to an end. My primary option told me yesterday they'd make me an offer sometime this week. In the spirit of not counting chickens, I'll expound on new employer once the deal is done.

7/14/00 - A Texas judge is reprimanded for cleaning his pistols in court. Strange birds in Texas.

Jacob Weisberg ruminates on the politics of the Dow.

Not to be outdone by Corona's uncovering of the Smits casting, AICN claims Christopher Walken is definitely in as a character called "Darth Bane." Meanwhile, the official site has offered up this strange pic to whet appetites for Episode 2.

Survivor winner revealed! (Ok, it could be wrong.) Before you take a look, though, ask yourself if you really want to know.

Salon examines Al Gore's tendency to shift his speaking tone when talking to African-Americans. Politic or patronizing? You be the judge.

Bradley falls on his sword. Ugh. Elsewhere, Nader, whose impact on certain states is clearly growing, meets with Ventura.

7/13/00 - Firda redesigns. Personally, I kinda miss the black background, but you see how moody it is around here.

Ted Turner and Sam Nunn look into saving the world.

The second trailer (Low-Res and High-Res) for The Cell is now up. Very stylish, very creepy. Hopefully, these aren't the best parts.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Elaine and I saw The Scarlet Pimpernel at the Kennedy Center last night. I must say, I didn't think much of it.

Salon talks with Winona LaDuke, Nader's running mate.

The official site confirms: Jimmy Smits is in Episode 2, and, surprisingly, he's playing Bail Organa - Leia's adopted father. Kudos to Corona for sticking by what seemed like an outlandish rumor, even after Harry and the boys declared it poppycock.

The official site and trailer for Unbreakabale - Sixth Sense creator M. Night Shymalahan's follow-up featuring Bruce Willis and Samuel Jackson - is now online. Good movies happen when Bruce ends up bald in Illadelph. Hey, maybe he can kick these cops' asses while he's there.

Bill Bradley will be live on CNN at 1pm to pay the bills. He has also updated his website for the post-campaign statesman look.

The Post delves into Strom Thurmond's Dixiecrat past and the modern limits of historical memory.

7/12/00 - Grand Moff Tarkin, a.k.a. Star Wars meets GWAR. Here's their first single, "I'm Not the Droid You're Looking For" (courtesy of Kempa.)

The Newseum, the journalism world's more than a little self-congratulatory museum, is moving from Roslyn to downtown D.C., which is expected to be a great boon for the struggling District.

Trouble at the simulated Mars base in Antartica: some necessary equipment was damaged in a parachute drop (via Q.)

Also in the Voice (but I found it through Dumbmonkey,) Celebrity Bigots.

The Village Voice takes a look at anti-drug vaccines, which nullify the effect of a given illegal drug and which, naturally, drug warriors want to give everybody. Very, very questionable. This isn't disease prevention - it's behavior modification. What's next? Vaccines to nullify the presence of a given illegal thought?

No political slouch, Gore campaign head Bill Daley frets about the Nader threat. Meanwhile, Nader spoke before the NAACP yesterday: "When you are told you have nowhere to go, you are taken for granted." In other Nader news, Monkeyfist has a great rant about Mickey Kaus's recent pro-Gore column in Slate.

Here's a change: House Dems have more campaign money on hand than their GOP counterparts.

The Russia-Pizza Hut space station living module goes up. Now the real fun can begin, just in time for 2001.

Bradley prepares to endorse his former Primary opponent, Al Gore. I personally wish Bradley had joined the ranks of many of his followers and gone for Nader, but I presume the realities of politics dictated otherwise. It's just too bad all around...the vice-president clearly doesn't deserve the time of day from Bradley after his desperate, unprincipled primary run. What a chump change.

Tracy McGrady is going to the Heat? Uh-oh...

7/11/00 - Eureka! Archimedes is restored through the miracle of modern technology.

Feed on Nader.

Tim Robbins does Bill Gates.

Blade Runner secrets revealed. Beats the hell out of that crummy voiceover/sunset sequence at the end of the studio cut.

Duncan confirms he's staying in San Antonio, which will probably put Raptor Tracy McGrady with the Magic. Meanwhile, the other Grant - Brian Grant - will meet with the Knicks this week.

Dubya talks to the NAACP: "For my party, there's no escaping the reality that the party of Lincoln has not always carried the mantle of Lincoln." Another clever move by George, but I'm surprised the rabid party faithful are giving him this much leeway. I guess they know he doesn't mean it.

7/10/00 - Check out who's sporting the Kenobi coiffure. In other Episode 2 news, Christopher Lee's is officially confirmed in the role of a "charismatic separatist." Could this be the beginning of a week of official casting news?

Sorry, Grant. Tim Duncan is now leaning towards staying with the Spurs.

Tenacious South Pole microbes may hold the secret to alien life.

Gore gets some static from environmental protesters.

Green ketchup? I'm not down at all. It violates all the basic rules of our reality. What's next? Blue Mustard?

Cornelius's Big Adventure? Pee Wee Paul Reubens may be playing the famed ape in Burton's Planet.

Well, in a little less than a week, the Leaky Cauldron has amassed more hits than my home page ever did and more than this weblog gets in three months. Such is the power of Blogger's Blog of the Week system. I'm not much of a hitmonger anymore, but it is a tad depressing nonetheless.

7/8/00 - Colleen from Alaska wrote in with an excellent point on The Patriot's portrayal of slavery. "Slavery was dying during the Revolutionary War era and many blacks who fought in the war were given their freedom in exchange. It was the cotton gin that revitalized slavery and it was a distant dream when the war was being fought." True enough. I still think it's ridiculous that Gibson the wealthy, land-owning South Carolinian would be so enlightened and magnanimous as to not own slaves, but her point is a very insightful one nonetheless.

Riley Dog moves, and Subtle Insight is now UrbanGruv.

The Goblet has landed. I've got my copy and should be readily equipped with reading material for the rest of July. In related news, the folks at Blogger made the Leaky Cauldron their blog of the week. I must say I was quite surprised, particularly given how lousy the design is. At any rate, if you've found Ghost through Cauldron, welcome. Have a look around, join the color wheel, and, if you're not in the portal, drop me a line.

I also purchased all of the Infocom text adventures today for only $21 ($6 for Hitchiker's Guide, $15 for the rest.) What with the 750-plus Potter book in house now as well, this could be the farthest 40 bucks in entertainment money goes all year. I beat about 85% of these games as a young'un, but it's been so long that I should be able to derive tons of nostalgia value from them, if nothing else. Put mail on satchel and nitfol the cube.

It's official. Grant's going to Orlando. Maybe now this mad talk about trading Spree will end.

7/7/00 - It appears that mutant ne'er-do-wells have hacked into Senator Kelly's Mutant Watch website.

Greider on Nader.

Would you like to be Dubya's running mate?

Mickey Kaus of Slate argues that Nader may be good for Gore.

Spike attacks The Patriot for its whitewash of slavery. I'm with him on this one.

Jesse Helms (no, not yet) is blocking the confirmation of yet another black judge to the all-white 4th Circuit Court in NC, and has been doing so for seven years. For shame.

Having successfully flanked Bradley by moving Left, the protean Al Gore returns to Centrism for the convention. Speaking of which, Bradley will appear with Gore sometime next week, which I presume is the price he had to pay for convention speaking time.

7/6/00 - More official Episode II casting. They include the young Aunt Beru and an "unsavory troublemaker" to be played by Mouse of The Matrix.

Jake Tapper delves into Christianity in the Bush-Gore race. Some of the more interesting revelations include the fact that Dubya once said Jews were going to Hell and Gore once called homosexuality "abnormal." The Vice-President also made 5 F's in one semester as a Divinity student.

Payback's a bitch. Charles Bakaly, formerly the spokesman for Ken Starr, is charged with criminal contempt for Lewinsky leaking. I did a great deal of research on the origins of various leaks during the whole ugly episode, and, basically, it's an open-and-shut case.

Enjoy a random Geocities page (via Triptych Cryptic.)

MNF and Miller - a preview (courtesy of Kestrel's Nest.)

Germany wins the 2006 World Cup, in an exceedingly close vote over South Africa.

Now it looks as if Tracy McGrady may join Grant Hill in Orlando. But aren't they both swingmen? Meanwhile, the Knicks are offering Camby for Brian Grant or Danny Fortson.

The buzz on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee's upcoming Kung-Fu fantasy, just keeps getting better.

Former Independent candidate John Anderson comes to Nader's defense.

A battle for the ages: Sting v. Kasparov. Okay, maybe not.

Stipe joins the techno revolution at the behest of the Utah Saints (courtesy of Lots of Co.)

The Times explores Al Gore's shifts on gun control.

John Hughes may remake The Breakfast Club, which begs the eternal question...Why? (Via Pith and Vinegar.)

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