Jeremy Brett in Shameless

FILM REVIEW:
I don't usually rent films this bad (predictable plot, laughable dialog, horrible music soundtrack, etc), but when I saw that my all-time favorite actor Jeremy Brett had a brief but memorable role in Shameless (originally titled Mad Dogs and Englishmen), I couldn't resist. It's a bizarre experience to witness an actor -- who so perfectly embodied the iconic Sherlock Holmes in the beloved Granada TV series -- appear in such an odd role of a drug-supplying sugar daddy. It's even odder to see a glimpse of him in a modern-day sexual scene with a young woman. Regardless, as usual, he stole the movie even if he was only barely in it. I only wished the director has used Brett to his fullest talents instead of as an aside eccentric.

A young Elizabeth Hurley makes a mediocre attempt to portray a bored little rich girl with drug problems and C. Thomas Howell does his best to seem sexy in a grunge biker kind of way. But Brett's booming voice, subtle expressions and dynamic presence wakes you up for just long enough to pay attention to his character. Once he disappears from the screen, you realize all too soon that the rest of the film is worthless. It takes a great actor to lift up a role from the muck, and I'm sorry to see that this was Brett's only chance to do a modern-day storyline from his usual historic epics before he passed away.

He briefly commented in an interview why he did the role, and soon realized the film was a disaster.

On Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1995)-- "I was mad to do it, but I wanted to show the world that I was still alive and I could do other things apart from Sherlock Holmes. I hope they don't release it..."

Shameless on Netflix
Shameless on imdb.com
Shameless movie screenshots

Deck the Halls with Droids

What do droids, Chewbacca, legendary disco producer Meco and rocker Jon Bon Jovi have in common? They all celebrate the holidays on Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album. With memorable tunes such as "What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb?)" and C-3PO's retelling ofa sci-fi infused "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," the album is a quirky addition to any holiday music collection. In fact, the record was so sought after by collectors, that in 1996 Rhino records and Lucasfilm, Ltd. decided to re-release Christmas in the Stars for eager fans.
( Read more... )

Zombie chickens rise from mass graves

From boingboing_net

At many egg farms, chickens that are too old to produce are suffocated with carbon dioxide and then dumped in a compost heap. Apparently though, "zombie birds" that managed to survive have been spotted emerging from mass graves at Northern California farms. Now that slaughterhouses in the state have stopped accepting the unwanted birds, farmers say they have no choice but to compost them in sawdust.

From the Associated Press:
A food bank proposed making sausage to feed the poor. A reptile enthusiast suggested using them as food for large exotic pets like pythons and alligators. And an industry group said in the future they could be used as fuel for power plants...

The egg-laying birds have only a pound of usable meat, compared to the 5-pound chickens typically raised for eating. Slaughtering the chickens, even to transport them unprocessed and frozen whole, would likely cost more than composting them, (said Petaluma egg farmer Arnie) Reibli.

SOURCE:
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/12/04/zombie_chickens_rise.html