Rome is pretty damn good

My new addiction, along with Sam Seder's Pilot Season sequel running on MyDamnChannel, is the late, great HBO series Rome. While met with general critical approval, it was chided a bit for being bigger and glossier than the BBC's I, Cladius, but less substantial.
I disagree. While Robert Graves' novels -- I, Claudius and Claudius, the God -- will always be my personal favorites, the BBC series gave no context of the world the Julians and Claudians lorded over. I think Rome makes a good showing of the soldiers and plebes who enabled the ruling class. It was not some gleaming marble utopia; it was decadent, primal, pagan; sexuality and avarice were not just accepted, they were central to daily life. When Caesar triumphed after his victory over Pompey, he rode a chariot mounted with a giant phallus that signified his virility.
Having said all this, the video I've embedded below is the depiction of Octavian and Anthony's victory at Phillippi over Brutus and Cassius. It was the best YouTube video I could find. All the others were fan generated montages and music videos.
Ugh.

Thus ever so

The true dean of Western journalism, Al Giordano, live blogged Obama's press conference last night. He explains why you think the national media sucks so much.

The stench of death

That post rigor fragrance coming off the Republican Party is getting stronger and stronger.
Arlen Specter becomes a Democrat, which is not that big, in and of itself, because he's a reliable vote for them on most of the big stuff when he doesn't have a Republican president standing over him.
So why is it bad for the GOP? Well, they didn't see it coming. Look at Republican responses to Specter's announcement. They were scrambling around like chickens with their heads cut off. There was no message discipline at all.
Another reason for GOP doom? Specter's move strips leverage away from assclowns like Bayh, Lieberman and Nelson who like to flirt with the Republicans on close votes. The votes will be a little wider now, which means less currency for the aforementioned assclowns because the GOP will need to dip further into the Democratic caucus to find votes.
These idiots still insist checkers is the game, but Obama is playing chess and rather well at that.

Here it comes

A note of caution, friends: Yes, the swine flu contagion should be taken seriously, but take a deep breath (with your mouth covered if you must) and don't panic.
I know CNN and Fox and MSNBC are all telling you that the end of days is drawing nigh but it's really not. Wash your hands, stay home if you feel sick and call the doctor if you don't feel better in a few days.
As we speak, our socialistic government is working on getting a few hundred million doses of swine flu vaccine made and out to the people. We're going to be okay....probably.

Pilot Season

This series is fucking funny.

He puts the A in Asshole

This is all a big put on, right? You're doing some sort of homage to Stephen Colbert, aren't you, Glen?

Housekeeping

I've added noted commentator and self abuser Jim Earl to the blogroll. Earl was one of the creative forces behind Morning Sedition, the best thing by far to come out of Air America. I won't recount all of the terrific work he did for that show, or the stellar and all-too-brief Marc Maron Show, because I know I would forget something. The guy is tits.
Also, be sure to visit my new sponsors. The lapsednewsguy gets a (very) little something everytime you click a sponsor link on the display ads that have popped up on the page.
And, for God's sake, come here more often. How else will you know what to think about the important issues of the day?

He's good

I messed up. I was all set for bed when I stupidly took one last look at the TV guide.
Goodfellas.
I'm not a Scorcese maven, per se, but I can't think of a better filmmaker who is still with us (Welles will always be the best, rest in peace). There's almost never a false note or wasted motion in any of his films. Performances, sound, editing, camera work...it's always engaging and absolutely spot on.
Everytime I watch one of his films, I take away something new. Tonight I'm particularly impressed with the production design of Goodfellas. He takes a character from the 50s through the mid-70s and never once is there so much as one item in any frame that's out of place. The clothes are easy enough to get right, but the cars, building facades, interiors, even the cigarette packs, are always dead solid perfect.
I don't want to get too film grad student about it...it's too late for that and I have to work tomorrow, but savor that craftmanship the next time you watch one of Scorcese's films.

Another reason

Here's another reason why I don't take the teabaggers seriously.

Teabaggers

This is why I don't the teabaggers seriously.

A slice of lapsednewsguy's life

Here's a comment posted at the day job from the website. Not only do I edit the paper, I also babysit the website. The context is unimportant, but the thoughtful commentary is typical of what I deal with:

benher2 at 2009-04-21T23:44:37: Now JUST WHY WOULD ANYONE >3 DROP ANYTHING OFF THERE???? THEY WILL USE IT AGAINST PEOPLE AND KEEP IT AND SAY YOU HAD IT IN YOUR CAR!!!!!!! DONT TRUST THE POLICE THAT DEPARTMENT WAS NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER DESIGENED TO SERVE AND PROTECT SOME OF THE MOST SMARMY SCUMBAGS I KNOW!!!!!!!! I SWEAR TO GOD! AND THATS WHY OVER HALF HAVE OFF SHORE ACCOUNTS!

And you wonder why I seem so blue sometimes?

This makes perfect sense

Did it ever strike you as odd that Congressional Democrats and the corporate media acted like whipped puppies every time Bush and GOP barked? Hmmm....maybe they were being blackmailed?