Rarely Likable

Nicole Kidman = kinda like that every other Star Trek movie thing?

I am looking forward to The Golden Compass. I'm not an atheist. Horrors!

The author of the trilogy from which it comes, Philip Pullman, is pretty outspoken about his beliefs.  A cage match with C.S. Lewis would be interesting, though I think he could have made a stronger argument with the racism in The Last Battle (scroll down). Because really, Susan Pevensie gets a pass in the 21st century.

Anyway. I think the straight up theology in the series is comparable to Star Wars -- perhaps less blasphemous, as none of the defenders of the faith return to the world in hologram form, much less are Hayden Christensen or a Muppet.

If anyone can direct me to commentary where someone who has actually read the entire series (not just what Al Roker hath provided) and is still afraid what the books or the movie will do to young Christians of any flavor (including Catholics, even though I know they don't count in some circles), I'd love to read it.  Haven't found one yet, though. Link me if you do.

Still need a vague sense that I'm part of a path to world domination, though...

Thanks to Maud, I just spent lunch pretending I'm a Google employee.

LOL

VONNEGUT PWNS IN 2007 SUCK IT MAILAR ADN SYRON LOSARS!!!!!!11

Sing along!

And the sign says, you can't have a membership card to get inside. *

*Note: I have yet to put it in my submission bios with any success.**

**Yes, I understand the point. I just thought it was interesting, and had never seen anything like this before. Which should give you an idea of how sheltered I am, probably.

I hate posts like this.

Maud reports that Grace Paley has died. Once again, I'm out to the parking lot for a little while.

Edited to add the two obits currently in Google News: from the AP (That's all you've got, NYT? Really?)  and from CNN.

ETA again: Question above answered.

ETA again: NPR has a nice page up that, even better, includes interviews.

There ain't no Andy

Cormac McCarthy's Toy Story 3 (via)

Why I shouldn't live and die by feeds.

One of my links lost in the Great Bloglines Bookmark Apocalypse of July 2007 was the winner of this year's Million Writers Award: Catherynne M. Valente's "Urchins, While Swimming". It's exactly the sort of story that I'll read in a litmag and then go right to the bio to check out links or interviews or what have you. Because, well, a process junkie is me. But, like I mentioned, that apocalypse thing wiped out everything I'd saved carefully for a couple of weeks. And, sadly, I have the recall of a small insect.

So I was quite pleased to find out that over at Bloggasm, there's a new post about the Million Writers Award. It features not only the award's initial mastermind, Jason Sanford, but also this year's winner, Catherynne M. Valente! A great accompaniment to the 2007 announcement -- check it out. And now, bookmarks tucked carefully into my sock, I'm off to read the other nine nominees.

Pulitzers

Congratulations to Cormac McCarthy and a guy in my senior year writing workshop!

Mondays suck

But George Saunders talks about Dubai, writing workplace (and "bad George Saunders") fiction, and other interesting things.

In other news, I left my thumb drive at home and I am cranky.

"Do you ever wish CS Lewis was still alive so that you could have a cage match? 'Cause, like, I know you'd hide a folding chair ahead of time..."

The Guardian invites you to post your questions for Philip Pullman here, after reading this meme interview with Tracy Chevalier.