Researchers, the same ones who earlier captured still images of a giant squid, have managed to videotape a young giant squid. They were attempting to capture it at the time, but killed it instead. Giant squid I suspect, like the great white shark, have a never-take-me-alive mentality. (Link via anneheart.)
Can I get a "Ho-Ho!" This advice may come a little late, but if you're ever called into this sort of service there are some things you should know. First of all, prepare. The kids will immediately hit you with some questions. "Are you the Real Santa?" "Where's Rudolph?" etc. I did okay, but I would have been better if I didn't have to do all the thinking on my feet. "Hell to the Yes!" maybe not the best answer to the first question.
But don't prepare too much. I rehearsed in the car and started getting all Michael Caine-y in the Simpsons on the character. "What's my motivation?" I asked. Who am I laughing at, anyway? Myself? The kids? The ease with which I slip into people's homes without ever getting caught? Belt out a loud "Ho-Ho-Ho!" and don't worry about it.
Choose your own material. I was given The Night Before Christmas to read at the last minute. A classic, of course. Seems like an obvious choice. But if you don't pick your own material and review it, you wind up saying lines like, "As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly/ When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky/ So up to the house-top the coursers they flew ..." to a bunch of three year olds through an inch of hot, fake beard. Also, The Night Before Christmas is written in the first person about a meeting with me, Santa Claus. When I, Santa Claus, read about meeting me - or him, as it's written - it's a little too confusing for the kids.
Anyway, I give myself a solid B, especially since it was my first (and last) performance at the school. "Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!"
Brooklyn Nets Brooklyn hasn't had a major sports franchise since the Dodgers left, and it sounds like the new arena comes with a bunch of development. Brooklynites for, against, or indifferent?
Slate looks at the tragic squandering of Jack Black's awesomeness. Personally, I'd quibble with "awesomeness." Was he ever awesome? He was certainly great in a couple places, but I missed any awesomeness. The squandering, however, is without question. He's just kind of plugged in to movies Adam Sandler didn't get around to making. Something like Nacho Libre looked like a movie based on a Saturday Night Live skit that never aired. (Black would have killed on SNL, but he got too big too fast to do a few years there.) Hollywood doesn't know what to do with him, and he doesn't seem to be able to figure it out for himself. Sad article, if you're a fan.
With great power comes great responsibility, you Blockhead. Images of Peanuts characters redone as Marvel superheroes (scroll down). Speaking of Peanuts, I have to say I never really understood the greatness of the strip until reading the early originals. I heard everyone, especially cartoonists I admire, talk about the greatness of Peanuts but I was just too familiar with the version being done in the 80s and 90s. Going back the the early years of the strip, I've learned that they really are as witty and sad and imaginitive as I'd heard. What a delight to see Linus building his fantasy world out of snowmen three decades before Calvin. My daughter is devouring these really well-done sets (property of Mrs. BoneDaddy). Peanuts was never something about which I thought "I can't wait to show my kids this." I didn't know how much they - and I - would enjoy it.
Eagles of Death Metal in feud with Axl Rose. Release an album called "Death by Sexy" and I'll take your side in pretty much any feud, even if it doesn't involve Axl Rose. Axl kicked them off his tour, which sounds to me like a favor anyway. Are we all ready to admit that making Guns-N-Roses a giant band was something of a mistake? They would have been perfectly adequate one-hit wonders but somebody kept buying that album. It was the Summer of Disposable Income or something.
