Afternoon Baseball

Let me start by saying the Yanks were terrible tonight, and they deserve no more comment. I didn't catch all of "Nip/Tuck," so I'm holding off on that, too. Thought it was a good return to the complexities between Christian, Sean and Julia, rather than the whole CSI-like Carver saga. Although, I thought that made for thrilling TV while it lasted.

Anyways...

1. They showed the "Casino Royale" trailer during "Nip/Tuck." First of all, Daniel Craig is the oddest-looking James Bond ever, but damn, can Judi Dench absolutely steal a scene. You don't mess with her.
Actually, despite thinking this project has been a disaster all throughout, it actually looks promising. Lots of action, appropriate nods to old-time Bonds, and a plot that perhaps may not make 007 look dated.
The "Bourne" movies took the whole spy thing and stripped it down -- rouge spy, a small team out to get him. Realistic enough to actually happen without major media paying much attention, gripping and human enough to make for a good view. Bond, next to that, is a poorly written and acted absurdity in a world where no one is trying to "take over the world" and no spy could be universally known. Austin Powers, in its biting satire, first buried Bond, then Bourne sealed the coffin.
If they can go back to an earlier Bond, take a micro focus that offers something new, not a macro look that anyone who wants to watch can go find the previous 20 films in the franchise. We'll see.

2. The Onion, for all its surprising reverence, mild jokes and rally-behind-the flag humor after Sept. 11, probably will bother some with "NYC Unveils 9/11 Memorial Hole." But the writing is much sharper than the headline.

3. For more un-PC stuff, The Brushback finds the non-shot NFL players.

4. This review likes the new Facebook news feed. But if you browse on Facebook, it seems everyone is creeped out by the whole thing. Sure, it's info that everyone "could already see." But it basically is a step-by-step list of everything you've been doing for anyone to see without them having to do the work. Sure, people today whore out all their info and their thoughts. But they still prefer to do so voluntarily.

5. Single and live in a major area? Forbes tells you the best places for singles. Learn if you'll be alone forever.

6. Stingrays are obviously deadly. Thanks, Steve Irwin, for showing us. But how deadly exactly? It's tough to say.

7. More from Slate, this time being teens, sex, and unintended consequences.

Kind of a serious links update today. Just like reading a lot of things, I guess.

Labels: Midweeklinks