Saved a cat this morning. Okay, so ‘saved’ is maybe too strong a word.

I was getting out of the house to go to work. I’ve already got a late start and I have to take care of the garbage and the moisture on my car windows. I glance ahead up the street and I see a cat wandering around with something on its head. It looks like a jar, so I figure that someone else will handle it.

I drive up, careful not to hit the cat and, on closer inspection, I see that he has an empty bag of Cheetos on his head. (Side note: not just to prevent incidents like this but in general, throw away your damn trash!)

I pull the bag off of his head (the leavings of the bag most likely long gone) and no sooner do I do that than the cat looks at me and just takes off like a shot. I don’t even say 'you’re welcome' because would a cat even register that? At that moment, a neighbor comes out and I figure the cat belongs to him but since the cat ran off in another direction, most likely not. We have a few words about the situation, then I drive off.

It feels good to help out every once in a while, you know?

Yeah, it turns out that one of those writing projects I was working on needs a re-write. There was an aspect of the plot I hadn't thought through (hint: Revenge of the Nerds) and I would have to reshape quite a bit.

Strange post for the Fourth, I know.

Thanks to print-bingo.com, I've made up a bunch of cards for Svengoolie bingo. So far, none of the sound bites have yielded five-in-a-row. Maybe, next week.

Watching "Once Upon a Time" (don't laugh). Snow and Charming were flung into the air, unable to ask a special tree a question. The reason it didn't answer them is because she is with child.

I know the child turns out fine, but was this not hashed out in the story conference?!

"You were supposed to understand."

Well, today sees the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. In an interesting confluence, today is Elliot Goldenthal's birthday. I'm currently listening to the score album of Batman Forever, the first CD I bought 16 years ago and the one that started me on this long, strange trip of collecting.

Someone on Twitter posted this a while ago. Damned if I can remember who it was, but he (she?) pointed out that super hero movies seem to be following some kind of Batman Forever model. Thinking about it can blow your mind a little. Check it: a nerdy geek of a scientist (who is also a nerd) idolizes the hero, then something happens to make them super-powerful and a true threat. On TV Tropes, this is called 'From Nobody to Nightmare', so it may pre-date superhero cinema as we know it (I haven't yet checked). Batman Forever. Iron Man 3. The Amazing Spider-Man 2. (All sequels!)

Just one of those weird things one can't help but notice.

Went to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 today. Good movie, with some solid laughs to balance out the myriad of food puns.

Counting over my ticket stubs, I've found that I've only seen, counting today, 35 movies in a theater this year. Glancing over the schedule for the rest of the year, I'll be lucky if the total cracks 50. So what, you may be wondering. My film totals usually top out at 60 and higher.

This is unfortunate...and inexplicable. Movies don't seem to be getting worse (at least, not in my view) and I don't seem to be losing interest in going out to the movies (I'll burn down a cat shelter before that happens), but I can't figure it out.

I read a brief bit in the paper (and then online) about how Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone were going to announce the Academy Award nominations on Thursday.

A date wasn't specified, so I can only assume that they meant this Thursday...as in this Thursday this Thursday.

Well, I guess that's something for me to post until my 'film music of 2012' post is ready. Can't wait to react.

"Not to be confused with Malcolm Hexed."

Given the unanimously negative reviews I've been reading, I feel like I have to see Jonah Hex, just to see how bad it could possibly be. I've a feeling that it's much ado about little. Then again, this is the opinion of a guy who feels that there's half of a really good movie in Wild Wild West (which this has been compared to; President Grant figures into the plot of both films, making him one of the more unlucky former Commanders-in-Chief, I must say). Ultimately, it can't be as bad as the worst movies I've ever seen.

Still, I have to know: in the banners for the film, why the hell is John Malkovich holding a Dragonball? Tell me one's curiosity isn't piqued at that.

P.S. Incidentally, I'm watching (or, at least, have on in the background) The Master of Disguise, another movie that got gutted to a slapdash 80-minute running time.

P.P.S. BTW, does anyone else remember the subject line from the previews of the 1993 comedy Hexed? Never seen it, but it sure looked not-terrible.

P.P.P.S. Apparently, one of the film's producers is Joey 'How you doin'?' Tribbiani himself, Matt LeBlanc. Those "Friends" residual checks must be pretty hefty for him to waste money in this manner.

Disney buys Marvel for four beeeeeeellion dollars!

(Duh-duh-DUH!)

I wouldn't be much of a blogger if I didn't say something about this...but then, I'm not much of a blogger already, so what can you do?

What this will mean for either company, I couldn't tell you at gunpoint. Still, I'm quite tickled by the fanart that has erupted as a result.

"The circle is complete."

I don't know if anyone else was still collecting the specialized state quarters that first came out in 1999, but I managed to collect the last one today. I even still have the collectible album from, if I recall correctly, the post office.

Will I sell it off years down the line? Will I keep the collection to admire? Who's to say?

(Trust me. Posts more interesting than this one will soon appear at the blog.)

I guess I was wrong...

...about there being a God and all.

Given that, you know, good scores like In Bruges, Wanted, WALL-E and Bolt will likely be deprived of nominations because of this, what other reaction is there?!

Is this cracked or what?

http://www.dutchsouthern.com/shirt.php?id=8

Fox hunt.

The "Duckman" set came out today, and, of course, I bought it. I wasn't lying when I said I promised to review the set. It's just that watching and critiquing 22 episodes isn't an easy task, nor can it be accomplished in one night. For now, though...

Can someone...hell, can anyone explain this fascination with Megan Fox?!

Sure, she was in one of the most (undeservedly) successful films of the decade, which has given a boost to her burgeoning career, and I don't begrudge her that, but...what is the appeal?

Frequenting the Ain't It Cool News talkbacks, whenever her name or a potential future role get mentioned, guys post in slobbering all over her, giving off the impression of people who only use one hand to type.

Really, get a load of this:



"Earth's hottest girl"?! The song was right: it is a small world after all.

I'm just confused why this average-looking young woman has been inflated to Aphrodite-like status. I could pick any five women at Maxim's site who are hotter. Matter of fact:







Damn! Oh, as I was saying, why is Megan Fox considered so hot?