Claud Cockburn
“Never believe anything until it has been officially denied.” [Quotes of the Day]

There’s a new online DVD rental service called rentanime.com that I’ve decided to give a try for their two week free trial. It’s a neat idea, but I have a feeling Greencine will still have them beat (at least for me). Some issues I already see with the site. There are some very noticeable holes in their selection. No original Bubblegum Crisis. And they’ve only got the second OVA of Fushigi Yugi (I’d thought this might be a good chance to check out the series since I’ve never seen it).

So, the first marks against them are for selection, but I’m willing to cut them some slack since they first opened. Beyond that, the site itself feels like it needs a bit of work. the design feels a little rushed. And it’ is missing features that other sites have. For example: Can I queue up a full series and get them in order? Doesn’t look like it. Can I easily request things they don’t have? The don’t say. There are lots of little details that I think they need to look at if they are going to survive. Especially when there are services like Greencine that have a kickass anime selection and a great site overall.

I’ll report back more when I’ve got my first selections from them.

Halley Suitt’s blog, one of my favorites, has a new look. Of course this has probably been up for ages and I just noticed it now. Though I’m pretty sure it wasn’t there yesterday.

From over on Jamie Zawinski’s LiveJournal:

It’s profoundly unsurprising that one might have trouble convincing ClearChannel to take your money for an anti-war billboard: I mean that’s not even news, right?

Clear Channel kills nonprofit’s ad for N.Y.’s Times Square

But I just love this statement:

Meyer said the company generally does not run copy that would be unsuitable for children or cause them to ask difficult questions.

Those meddling kids and their difficult questions!

That’s it, blame the kids! It’s always their fault!

Mark Twain
“I am not one of those who in expressing opinions confine themselves to facts.”
[Quotes of the Day]

I just discovered Adam Felber has a blog. Coolness.

Oscar Wilde
“One is tempted to define man as a rational animal who always

loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with

the dictates of reason.”
[Quotes of the Day]

This morning I drove out to my hometown, Glastonbury, CT, to go to some of the fruit and vegetable stands to get stuff for my BBQ tomorrow (btw, any of my friends who I haven’t mentioned it to I’m having a smallish bbq tomorrow, drop me an email if you want to drive to Hartford). First, the ride was so nice. And it was great to be able to just park the car and not have to put up the windows and lock everything up. One of the nice things about a small town. The more I think about it the more I’d love to end up in a place like that.

Imagine New York City, Spider-Man swooping through the streets. And then he starts to sing!

Spider-Man: The Musical

July 09, 2004

According to Variety “Spider-Man is about to become a musical.”  Though Marvel has not confirmed the story, Variety maintains that Neil Jordan (director of The Crying Game) will write the book for the musical with Bono and the Edge of U2 performing the songwriting chores and Julie Taymor, who helmed the hugely popular stage adaptation of The Lion King, directing and Tony Adams (Victor/Victoria) producing. [ICv2]

I’m sorry. Even if I try to think of this the theme from the animated show keeps flashing through my head. Imagine if the opening to the musical is a variation on that theme. Spider-Man. Spider-Man. Does whatever a spider can.

Via my friend Jeff:

SEX AND ROCK’N’ROLL!

A couple of Norwegian music fans face court action after they stripped off and had sex onstage during a rock concert.

Tommy Hol Ellingsen, 28, and his girlfriend Leona Johansson, 21, say they did it to help save the rain forest. Public sex is illegal in Norway.

According to Norwegian TV’s Nettavisen, the pair are members of an organisation called Fuck For Forest which is dedicated to having sex in public places in order to save the environment.

During a show for Norwegian band Cumshots on Tuesday, the pair walked onstage, asked ‘How far are you willing to go to save the world?’, took their clothes off and got jiggy with it. [NME.com]