Long live file sharing, death to bland culture -- Russell Smith on filesharing's cultural revolution:

The fact is, I feel a certain glee that the pop-music industry -- the source of so much painful irritation in waiting rooms and taxis and on telephones and on television, the sausage plant for aural spam -- is being told by young people that it is unnecessary. I hope it crashes and burns and we never have to listen to Nickelback again.

File-sharing is a rejection of the social power of bland culture. Why should we pay for crap?

It's not that I don't want artists to get paid for their work. This is not about artists: It's about crap. File-sharing of pop music reflects a refusal of price-gouging for crap, for what is largely a disposable product anyway.

His argument is, of course, overly-simplistic but I agree with about 90% of what he says.

I didn't get to see as many films as I would have liked at the Atlantic Film Festival but the two I saw were incredibly powerful, in two different ways.

The Corporation is a documentary on the impact of, well, corporations. It's made by some of the people who were behind Manufacturing Consent and features the usual assortment of leftie media darlings (Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, Michael Moore) along with some uber-capitialists thrown in for good measure.

The film's length (three hours) will probably mean that it won't get the exposure or audience it deserves, which is too bad. It's got a lot of really important points and arguments that the public should at least be aware of, even if they don't agree.
Although the film didn't drag, I found myself at times overwhelmed and almost physically sickened by the implications of where we're heading as a species. Fortunately, it got a little more optimistic near the end so I didn't walk out feeling completely drained. I have a feeling the film would've been easier to digest as either a shorter film or a longer, multi-part television series.

As for Lost in Translation…well, wow. Simply, wow.

A co-worker told me the other day how he had finally seen Casablanca for the first time. He loved it, and that from now on his judgment of a person's aesthetic taste would be based on whether they loved or hated Casablanca. I think Lost in Translation belongs on my personal aesthetic litmus test.

It's a film about how people struggle to emotionally connect with others in this horrible, messed up, complicated world we live in. It's funny, it's sad, it's even, at times, erotic, which is something I never thought I'd say about Bill Murray.

Scarlett Johansson is fantastic (I refuse to believe she's 18) but Murray is a revelation. His recent work with Wes Anderson has hinted at his hidden depths but I had no idea he was capable of a performance as incredibly rich and human as this. I've always loved the guy but in this film he explodes into an entirely different level. Part of what makes the film work is how it uses the audience's expectations of Murray's persona and then subverts it when least expected it at exactly the right moments for maximum emotional impact. See the film and you'll know what I mean.

There's already criticism regarding the film's Yankee-centric vision and its treatment of the Japanese, which seems churlish to me. It's pretty clear that the urban jungle of Tokyo is used as a metaphor for the fact the two protagonists are so lost and alienated in their personal lives.

Not that it matters, but the film proves that Sofia Coppola is just as good as her dad, and her husband, Spike Jonze. I enjoyed and admired The Godfather but that film could never come close to matching the emotional impact this film had on me. I mention this point as a comparison to judge against your personal aesthetic litmus test. You have been warned.

Revenge of the Copyright Cops -- Fabulous cartoon on the RIAA and the Copyright Wars from today's New York Times. It reminds me of that A-ha video for "Take on Me", only with an unhappy ending. (Free NYT registration required)

Oh, God. The Cancon thought police have finally penetrated the happy shiny world of Canadian Idol. The finalists are singing a medley of crappy Canadian hits. I'm surprised it took so long for this to happen. Sure there was the night of "Canadian artists" early on but ever since then most of the songs have been written by those dastardly foreigners. I guess CRTC regulations don't apply to TV?
But wait. It just got worse. Ruben Who is singing his re-heated Westlife leftover.

There goes the vegan vote: Tory news release calls Ontario Liberal leader "an evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet." The Globe reports: "At a Liberal campaign stop in Cornwall, Ont., Mr. McGuinty smiled broadly when asked to confirm or deny that he is an evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet. 'I love kittens, and I like puppies too,' Mr. McGuinty said. 'I have eaten calf, I'll admit to that.'" Canadians, think twice the next time you feel like making fun of America's political circus.

Hmm...I saw this one coming:


"You must remember this, a kiss is still a
kiss". Your romance is Casablanca. A
classic story of love in trying times, chock
full of both cynicism and hope. You obviously
believe in true love, but you're also
constantly aware of practicality and societal
expectations. That's not always fun, but at
least it's realistic. Try not to let the Nazis
get you down too much.


What Romance Movie Best Represents Your Love Life?
brought to you by Quizilla

"You'll call to me but I'm gonna tell you: 'Bye, bye, bye,'
When I turn around and walk away, you'll cry, cry, cry"

I've now had some time to think but I still can't find the words to express my feelings on the passing of Johnny Cash. He's an artist for whom my admiration and respect only grows with time. Earlier this week, I developed a strange attachment to his early hit "Cry Cry Cry". It got stuck in my head and wouldn't leave. Perhaps it was a preminition. So how about instead of me adding to the mountains of tributes and obits, you go and put on one of his records?

OK, this is the last Guardian piece I'll post for a while, I promise. Go and read this fascinating psychological dissection of George W. Bush. I'm not sure how much of what it says is true, and certainly a lot of it is speculation, but it makes for a compelling read. If you support Bush you'll immediately dismiss it as sensationalistic liberal propaganda (which it probably is). But if you oppose Bush, you'll be hooked until the last sentence. (Via The Bitter Shack of Resentment)

Euros Child of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci discusses his music collection in The Guardian's "home entertainment" section. He talks about some of his favourites including Raymond Scott, the Louvin Brothers and um, Jeff Lynne ("our biggest inspiration"). I also want to point out that Euros may be morphing into Smallville's Tom Welling. Mmmm...Supergorky!

"Just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black."

Johnny Cash is dead.

Professor Barnhardt's Journal has TV critics list their favourite shows. I like what this guy has to say about Aaron Sorkin's writing:

Most of the shows I've listed as my personal favorites have suffered in quality at one point or another. What better example than Moonlighting: brilliant, self-indulgent, and star making. And like the work of Aaron Sorkin, a series that worked on speech patterns -- "I'm looking for a man with a mole on his nose." "A mole on his nose?" "A mole on his nose." "What kind of clothes?" "What kind of clothes do you suppose?" "What kind of clothes do you suppose would be worn by a man with a mole on his nose, who knows?" "Did I happen to mention, did I bother to disclose, this man that we're seeking with a mole on his nose? I'm not sure of his clothes, or anything else... Except he's Chinese, a big clue by itself." "How do you do that?" "Gotta read a lot of Dr. Suess." "I'm sorry to say, I'm sad to report. I haven't seen anyone at all, of that sort. Not a man who's Chinese with a mole on his nose, with some kind of clothes that you can't suppose. So get away from this door and get out of this place, or I'll have to hurt you, put my foot in your face." "Oh." "Time to go?" "Time to go."

Of course I suppose it goes without saying that they're walking down a hallway while saying this...

Ethical Philsopher Selector -- My brain is getting rusty. I had to really stop and think about what some of these questions meant. I miss university a lot. Anyway, the first time I took this test I scored 100 per cent for John Stuart Mill. That seemed odd, because I've always considered myself more an existentialist than utilitarian. I went back and fiddled with my answers a few more times but kept ending up Aquinas and Aristotle as my number one and two, respectively, and then a combination of the following: Sartre, Mill, Kant, Spinoza and Bentham.

The test is illuminating for me because it shows what I actually believe, rather than the writers or theories that I want to align myself with. I have to admit I'm a bit of an elitist when it comes to issues of morality. I have a personal code of ethics and morals, but I don't have much faith in human nature. I think that, while the majority of people are good, we need to have a strong system in place to deter people from abusing the system. So while existentialism is my own personal "religion" and moral compass, I like the idea of having a utilitarian government in place to keep things running smoothly.

That being said…it all depends on the test you take. The above survey was pretty good, but I got radically different answers on some of the other philosophy tests at Select Smart. However, the Dead Philosopher Adventure was pretty on, telling me that I'm (in order): Simone de Beauvoir, Soren Kierkegaard, Jean-Paul Sartre, Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill.

The War on "Terra" -- Ha, what a great name for a blog. I'm glad I'm not the only one who uses that phrase.

The big list o' hurricane names -- There's three of them, actually. One for Atlantic hurricanes, one for Pacific, and a list of "retired" names. Most interesting is that I found this on the FEMA For Kids site. Meet Herman the spokescrab and learn how to become a Disaster Action Kid!

Black holes are apparently in the key of B flat.

Your tax dollars hard at work: Agriculture Canada wants you to name an apple.

Hah! Billy Klippert (or just BILLAH!!, as I refer to him) has just been eliminated from Canadian Idol. That's what happens to people who declare Scott Weiland their personal idol on national television.

"The bunny in autumn" -- Longish feature on the state of Playboy, with some elightening details on the life of Hugh Hefner:

"The movie nights are part of Hefner's rigidly scheduled life. On Tuesday nights, he spends time with [ex-wife] Kimberley and their two sons, now 13 and 11, who live in a smaller mansion next door. On Wednesday nights, he plays gin rummy with old cronies. On Thursday and Saturday nights, he goes dancing in L.A. clubs with his seven girlfriends."

For a more in-depth look at the rise and decline of girlie mags, check out "Trouble in the centrefold" from Saturday's Globe.

Am I the only person in the universe who doesn't care about the Neptunes? Yes, I believe I am.

This is from the New York Times today re: Bush's speech last night:
"Just as in the cold war, when presidents from Truman to Nixon argued that America was the target of Communists, Mr. Bush said, 'We are fighting that enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan today, so that we do not meet him again on our own streets, in our own cities.'
With that phrase, he fully merged the challenge of the occupation of Iraq with the terrorism of al Qaeda, even though his own intelligence agencies found no link between Mr. Hussein and the conspirators of Sept. 11. Now, in a post-Iraq world, Mr. Bush is saying that link makes no difference — the arrival of terrorists blowing up Americans in Baghdad and Tikrit in the postwar period have turned this into a single war."
So let me get this straight -- Bush says the link between al Qaeda and Iraq has now been proven because of the ongoing power struggle caused by a war that would not have occurred if it wasn't for Bush? Yeeaaah, OK.

TeeVee has been handing out its awards for the best TV of 2003. It rightfully names Scrubs the best half-hour show. The essay is definitely one of the best pieces of writing on the show, which was unforgivably overlooked in this year's even-more-boring-than-usual Emmy nominations (Sorry, everybody does NOT love Raymond. I'm at a loss to even name one person I know who does.)

The article also serves as a reminder that the new television season is nearly upon us. With the Sorkin-less West Wing, ER circling the drain, facial hair on CSI and my lack of access to HBO, Scrubs should be the show I'm the most looking forward to. In fact, I'm dreading the season premiere.

I'm terrified the Scrubs has already jumped the shark. I just want it to stay in that perfect little insular "pilot" world the TeeVee essay describes. Yes, I am concerned about the softening of Dr. Cox, and "maturing" of the characters but I'm also starting to weary of the show's narrative formula. JD's "sad reflective moments" and Dr. Cox's stern-yet-heartwarming lectures are becoming almost as predictable as the midpoint switchover from cops to lawyers on Law & Order. (It would be great to see Scrubs parodied on sketch comedy show -- if the show ever got that popular or there were any funny sketch shows around anymore.)

Still, at least the Scrubs formula does what it's supposed to do -- make you laugh and think just a little -- which is more than you can say for most sitcoms. Plus, the show has undoubtedly the craziest and funniest bunch of supporting characters ever. That's always something I felt was lacking in Frasier, where anyone outside of the immediate Crane family circle (including Roz, the most useless character ever) just seemed incredibly out of place and strained.

The blissed out curmudgeon -- An excellent interview with Elvis Costello from last week's Guardian. Excellent because the journalist, Simon Hattenstone, really knows his stuff and Elvis, as always, is just so damn articulate. The cliché is that EC is the music geek's musician, but it's so true. Most artists grumble about being "misunderstood" or, alternately, that the critics read too much into the work. Poor Elvis overthinks things just as much as his fans. Check out the part in the interview when Hattenstone brings up the name of ex-wife Cait O'Riordan in relation to the songs on EC's new album, North:

"I've got to say, Simon, and I want to really stress, it's entirely at your discretion to mention her name, but I very much want to be respectful of her independence as a person. And one of the things you have to say when you part with somebody is that they have the right not to be drawn into the consideration of your life. It's really important that I don't say anything that puts her in the public focus. It's not fair, she didn't ask for it."

Now, most artists would have stopped talking here and made the journalist feel guilty for brining the up the subject. But Elvis pauses and continues:

"Then there is the other side of that equation, which is I write, that's what I do, I draw on personal experience. [Pause.] But as I keep saying, the importance to me is that people see themselves in the songs rather than pore over them as voyeurs would. I think that would be a fairly dissatisfying listen, frankly."

What I like about this encounter is that Elvis has the presence of mind to realize that his first statement is a little ridiculous considering he just wrote an album about the breakup. (Or maybe it's good writing on Hattenstone's part for including the entire quote and bad writing on most journalists' part for sensationalizing "the good bits" of quotes.) In any case, his answer is still more satisfactory than that old chestnut, "I prefer to let the songs speak for themselves."

Speaking of Tucker, I would like to take this opportunity to suggest that his Crossfire co-host James Carville play Mr. Freeze in any future Batman projects. I think a Cajun Freeze would be a neat change from previous versions. Actually, I tend to think most things could be improved with the addition of Cajun accents.

By now, everyone's seen what could be the world's most bizarre interview ever, in which a gum-smacking Britney Spears discusses, like, the war and kissing girls and stuff, with CNN's conservative whiz kid, Tucker Carlson. But did anyone catch CNN's Kira Phillips and Miles O'Brien taking the piss out of the interview this afternoon? After running a clip of the interview CNN cut back to close ups of Kira and Mile's mouths loudly chomping on bright pink gum. "Like, have you ever kissed a woman, Miles?" "Oh, yes. Lots of them." They may have been drunk. I'm not entirely sure. In any case, I wholeheartedly endores this sort of pointlessly silly behaviour from anchors when it comes to vapid celebs like Brits.

Trouble logging on to Soulseek? Try this.

Hey, girls! Do you like God and Jesus but are turned off by having to read a Bible without quizzes or fashion tips? Then try Evolve, it's the glossy teen magazine of the New Testament for godly girls like you! Now, I'm not religious in the conventional sense, but this concept sickens me. An excerpt: "Make sure that Jesus would be pleased with what you wear. You don't have to look frumpy, just make sure you look like a child of God." After all, you wouldn't have turned up at his crucifixion wearing any old thing, would you?!