Listen to the Lion

It's a good day when the Cubs lose

Reds win, 9-0.

Iron Man: not too bad

I went to see Iron Man at the good theater last night (Sunday) to catch their last showing at 10:20 p.m. I often go to that theater at that time because the chances of having to share a space with cell-phone-using, can't-shut-up riff-raff are minimized. And because I always go to movies alone.

But since it was opening weekend, there were still quite a few people there. Lots of low-level chatter, not enough for me to go off on someone but really annoying when you think that these people paid $10.25 to not watch something.

The movie was OK. Judging it against Batman Begins (A+) and Spiderman (A-), it's a solid B.

Robert Downey Jr. is great, tossing off some great lines under his breath like, I think, no one else can manage now that Peter O'Toole is 97, or however old he is.

Terence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow are fine, but needed more lines/more interesting parts. As proof of this, I offer the fact that the warmest relationships Stark develops are with a robot arm and his computer's operating system.

The villain is lame, and the climactic action sequence is not that great. Most of the cool shots of the Iron Man in action are in the trailers.

Other than that, it wasn't too bad.

Bad news for Barry

Here's a column on Obama's showing in the Pennsylvania debate and primary, from the Examiner.

Music from the first quarter

A roundup of some of my favorite CDs from 2008 so far, from the Examiner.

So You Wanna Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star

On the misuse of a term commonly used to describe Obama, from the Examiner.

Honest as a robin on a springtime window sill.

The view from my bedroom window, 9 a.m.

John Adams on HBO

My Examiner column on the John Adams miniseries on HBO starring Paul Giamatti.

Not a 'Uniter'

Does anybody really believe someone like Obama doesn't know his black liberation theology well-enough to make an informed decision about being in such a church until now?

And, for all the times the Big O says he wasn't in church when Wright said this or that, we can probably conclude he isn't such a great parishioner. Until it's time to write a check or return a political favor.

Oh well, here's some more measured comments from my Examiner column.

The Red-headed stepchild of American politics

Why do people think that just because they think they disagree with either the Republican or Democrat parties, they can call themselves a liberatarian (or a Libertarian, there's a difference).

That artless jackanapes Bill Maher has been claiming the title for years, and now the ill-tempered former Democrat presidential candidate Mike Gravel says he is running for the LP presidential nomination, though he shows every sign of being a thoroughgoing socialist.

Myself, I'm a libertarian Republican, at least until I start the Tory Anarchist Party. And I know my Libertarian Party bretheren well enough to know that, though the LP is the red-headed stepchild of American politics, it will be Gravel who gets the beating at their convention.

The end of The Wire

I didn't care for the final episode of The Wire, but it doesn't change the fact that it was and will always be one of the very best and most socially relevant TV shows ever made. From my Examiner column.