toenail notes...

It would seem to me that J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series changed the world in a way that brings to mind what the Beatles accomplished with their music. Pretty much the whole transformation with reading and music and movies and games and products. About the only thing the Beatles didn't do was to increase book reading. The idea of a book longer than WAR AND PEACE would be read by young adults would have been scoffed at. Years back, the idea of Booger flavored jelly beans for sale would have gotten a grim stare. Pottermania seems to have hit all areas, from references in editorial cartoons to video games.

Henry James wrote some books. Over intellectualised them to the point the public wouldn't read them, and they appealed only to the academic market. Henry James spent too much time by himself writing, used up what little life experience he had and spent the rest of his life fussing over structure. Which is why Henry James still gets printed, because someone will teach his tomes to a college crowd. In this sense, I can understand the worldview of "Classic doesn't mean entertaining."

Henry Selick will be directing Neil Gaiman's CORALINE as stop motion animation, much like NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, which he also directed. Selick's previous movie direction was the messy and confusing MONKEYBONE, which allowed me to think "Brendon Fraser will do anything."

Someone I was discussing films with briefly mentioned he had seen PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE on TV. I told him that the commercials probably improved the content, and prevented him from realising how abysmal the whole movie is. The commercial breaks alter the content, the same way edits alter content. Seeing the film by itself would allow the whole ghastliness of it to "shine".

Asked if I ever watched SCIENCE FICTION MYSTERY THEATER 3000, I shrugged that "I don't need a surrogate for my sarcasm."

Took to reading a book titled FIVE PEOPLE WHO DIED DURING SEX, one which was Nelson Rockafeller, and it wasn't his wife. The 27 year old spent a few minutes trying to get out from under the dead politician and phoned "authorities". They also didn't mention my father in law.

Also in the previously noted tome was asection about "Ten Foods" which were considered outrageous. Durian Fruit gets mentioned. Haggis also rates, and is considered so vile that you can't import it to the USA. The USA has its own peculiar food, like funnel cake, fried possum pie, armadillo on the half shell...stuff they wouldn't allow in Scotland.