What's On My Mind This Cold December Evening?

1. I just found out that my dad is a big fan of the The O.C. this season. He didn't watch last season, but has been caught up in it this year. Now it looks like the only people who haven't succumbed to the charms of Peter Gallagher's out of control eyebrows are Jeremy and me. And he also can't get enough of that Phantom Planet song and wants to know if the whole album is worth buying. I don't think he's been this excited about a TV theme song since that infernal Rembrandts song on Friends.


Stone Groove still misses Adam Brody on Gilmore Girls but clearly can't get enough of Chino.

2. I'm astounded by Jim's writing over there at Fightin' Words. He and Jamie are unstoppable. Make sure to read two of the best pieces of political writing I've read in months:

Don't Blame the Gays, Part One: We Need More Democrats Like Gavin Newsom

and

Too Easily Manipulated: A Case Study

3. I love teaching, especially when kids in my class write this kind of stuff. Debbie stole this from me before I could post it. So make sure you check it on her blog.

Holy Books

4. I can't wait to read more scathing reviews of that new Kevin Spacey pretends he's Bobby Darin movie. This entertaining one will have to tide me over for a few more days.

SAILING THE SEAS OF CHEESE: Kevin Spacey has lost his mind, if not his career.

Too busy to read the whole thing? Here are a couple of highlights:

Now that Spacey's dream has come true, viewers have the chance to see a two-hour film with little film sense, about a phenomenally selfish entertainer who was a prick to pretty much everyone, played by an actor who's 15 years too old for the part and who insists on doing all his own singing and dancing even though he's not very good. To quote Dallas Observer columnist Robert Wilonsky's observation about Vanilla Ice during his ganja-and-dredlocks phase, "The kid's got balls of steel. Too bad they're rolling around in his head."

Darin was a graceful dancer, and his singing boasted spot-on rhythm and an easy mastery of phrasing and pitch; Spacey dances like Pee-Wee Herman on a hot plate, and his off-pitch, rhythm-free singing is so lackluster that if he wasn't playing Darin and singing Darin's hits, you would never be able to guess whom he was imitating.

5. I'm so glad that the Mets have gone from being overly cautious on players like Vladimir Guerrero to giving huge contracts to fragile pitchers with shoulder problems.


Pedro receives the best possible medical attention after each and every start.

6. And because I've been derided recently in these parts as being too critical of everything, I would like to say that after one listen I am really into the new Ted Leo CD Shake the Streets. Also, I really like the first 20 pages of the new Jonathan Lethem book Fortress of Solitude. So far it is much much better than the crapfest of Motherless Brooklyn. Although I must admit that I am looking forward to Bart's film adaptation of the book.

Thank you Balgavy for lending me the book and the CD.

7. Most importantly, my mom is on my mind. She is in the hospital after surgery on her broken arm from a fall on Sunday. She fell right before the beginning of a play, but was such a trooper she made it all the way through the first half before succumbing to the pain and going to the hospital.

So let's go over the hospital facts of the past 13 months:

SHR- 11/03
Stone Groove- 12/03
SHR's Dad- 5/04
SHR's Mom- 10/04
My Mom- 12/04

Geez, am I next?