Oh, How Delightful!

I can usually tell what a movie will be like based on the trailers that a particular theater decides to include with the feature presentation. To make the requisite example, when I saw the understated brilliance that was “Over the Hedge” this past summer, every single trailer that preceded the film itself was for a CG kiddy flick: Pixar’s upcoming “Ratatouille,” the recently released “Open Season,” some terrible Disney attempt at a Pixar film that involved an inventor, and I think perhaps “Monster House” was thrown in there for good measure. Thankfully, before I began retching all over my popcorn, “Hedge” began, the smooth piano chords of Ben Folds washed over the audience, and all was well.

Preceding “Marie Antoinette” were trailers for “A Good Year,” a sappy, sentimental film starring Russell Crowe; “The Holiday,” a sappy, sentimental film starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet (oh Kate, what were you thinking?); and “Stranger Than Fiction,” a more intriguing film starring Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson. Despite the odd man out (“Fiction” for those of you who didn’t realize), I figured “Antoinette” was going in the same vein: a run-of-the-mill biopic/chick flick focusing on feminine empowerment over the story of one of history’s more bizarre and ill-fated queens (Catherine the Great is a close second in my book), with a good soundtrack and many powdered wigs to match.

Thank God I don’t have the gift of prophecy. Do read on.

Yes, This is My Town

Now, a woman being charged with a DUI is hardly news anywhere. It’s a mere blip on the radar, really, probably falling on the third or fourth page, right after the letters to the editor, but before the obituaries and classifieds.

Not this woman. She’d like to get her DUI in style: on a horse.

Newsflash: Muslims Offended by Pretty Much Anything

Don’t believe me? Check out the link.

Not even Apple Stores are safe anymore.

Music Snark

I’ve been long overdue for one of those “What I’m…” features, so I finally broke down and scribbled down some songs that have seen a few plays on the ol’ iPod recently. Plus, it helps that I’m too lazy to do this on its own merit and I had to submit this for the campus newspaper. So, without further ado: