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zOMG hilarious!

The truth revealed. via The Daily What

San Diego Padres host their own mini-convention via reddit

Ron Solo via Reddit

The Bobateer via Society6

Top 100 Tuesday: #15 - 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey

Keir Dullea
Gary Lockwood
William Sylvester


If you've seen this movie, post your thoughts in the comments, and link back to your blog and any review you may have written. If you chose not to watch, you can write about why.

Next Tuesday...Sunset Boulevard

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Picasso style Star Wars by Tommervik via The Mary Sue

Book review: In the Shadow of Gotham, Stephanie Pintoff

In the Shadow of Gotham

I picked up this book on recommendation from my blogging buddy, Kwizgiver. It's a historical crime novel set in New York City in 1905.

Young, intelligent and pretty mathematics student Sarah Wingate is found brutally murdered in her bed, and Detective Simon Ziele, formerly of the NYC police department and newly arrived in the small village of Dobson, north of the City, arrives at the scene. The investigation leads Ziele back to the City, into the environment he had left behind after his fiancee was killed in the General Slocum boat fire disaster that also left him with a damaged right arm.

Ziele joins forces with criminologist Alistair Sinclair and his beautiful, widowed daughter-in-law to locate the killer, who may or may not be a patient of Alistair's.

I found the story to be intricate and the environment of 1905 New York to be very well-described. Ziele and Sinclair make use of fingerprinting, crime scene photography and criminology at a time when these sciences were still in their infancy. I would have liked to see a bit deeper into the characters, a little more of their thought process. Although given the etiquette of the time, it may be that the author is only giving us what that era's propriety would allow.

At any rate, the story was very readable, and I was transported into the grit and glitter of 1905 New York. Pintoff has created a series out of the adventures of Simon Ziele, and I plan to read the next ones as well.

Top 100 Tuesday: #14 - Psycho

Psycho

Anthony Perkins

Janet Leigh

If you've seen this movie, post your thoughts in the comments, and link back to your blog and any review you may have written. If you chose not to watch, you can write about why.

Next Tuesday...2001: A Space Odyssey

Monday Movie Meme

Molly at The Bumbles Blog hosts the weekly Monday Movie Meme.

Share on your blog your favorite YTD movie - not necessarily one released this year, just a new-to-you film viewed this year, and link back here so that others can find you. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!

I was lucky enough to have seen several good movies this year, but I think the best had to be the True Grit remake. The story centers on a 14-year-old girl, Mattie Ross, who comes to town to claim the body of her father, who was shot by his hired man, Tom Chaney.

Mattie browbeats the undertaker, the hired man and the stable owner where her father's horses were kept, and walks away from both with undoubtedly shrewd deals. With her father's burial managed and money in her pocket, she sets off about her next order of business: she wants to hunt down Tom Chaney and bring him back to hang for her father's murder. To do that, she needs the meanest marshall in town, Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn.

Cogburn takes more convincing than the undertaker or stable owner, but eventually the two set off, with a Texas Ranger, also on the hunt for Chaney, tagging along.

There was a lot of recognition for young Hailee Streitfeld in this movie, and it was well-deserved. She easily holds her own alongside the likes of Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin and Matt Damon. The movie was well-acted and dramatic, with some definite deviations from the John Wayne version of the movie.

Honorable mentions to The Social Network and The King's Speech, both of which were far more compelling than they had any right to be.

Now we have to do one about the biggest disappointment of the year.

Short film: The man who planted trees

I just love the artwork on this.

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Star Wars Episode III alternate ending.

Vader went down to Georgia...

3-CEO or 3-CPA

Vader's Vacation via buzzfeed

via reddit

all 3 above via design you trust

8 lines that would have killed Star Wars, via Reddit

7 lines that would have saved the prequels

That's right, it's a Lambor-freakin'-ghini.

Top 100 Tuesday: #13 - Star Wars

Star Wars: A New Hope

Mark Hammill

Harrison Ford

Carrie Fisher

If you've seen this movie, post your thoughts in the comments, and link back to your blog and any review you may have written. If you chose not to watch, you can write about why.

Next Tuesday...Psycho

Too much cuteness

On the Casey Anthony Verdict

I up and swiped this entire post (with gracious permission) from The Gal Herself, because she said it perfectly. Why re-invent the wheel?

So sit down, shut up and pay attention:

We're NOT helpless

Naturally I'm upset by the Casey Anthony verdict. Just as I was upset by the Michael Jackson and OJ Simpson verdicts. But I'm not going to slam the jury. Not one of those who deliberated was leaning toward "not guilty" because they grew up dancing to "Thriller" or cheered during that Heismann season.

Nor will I dismiss the defense team as slimeballs. Every one of us is entitled to a zealous defense before a jury of our peers. I watched as much of this trial as I could -- one of the reasons why I support cameras in the courtroom -- and am satisfied that Casey Anthony was treated fairly. That is a good thing, a wonderful thing.

What I'm surprised and disappointed by is all the hand wringing and whining about the jury system. Huh? What? When I'm called for jury duty, just about every person I know teases me about how I'm going to get out of it.

If you're angry about this verdict, or any other one, remember that it was decided by jurors who didn't wriggle out of jury service. Maybe it's because I do go each time I'm called and answer questions honestly that helps me not be as disillusioned as I might be. The system will work if we all participate. Next time you receive a jury summons, try to figure out how to serve rather than how to get out of it.

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Vader's Remorse via reddit

 by Jeff Carlisle, via reddit

via reddit

via Reddit

via imgur

via Reddit

via The Mary Sue

 SW Character rings via The Mary Sue

via The Mary Sue

The Firefly rap

Top 100 Tuesday: #12 - The Searchers

The Searchers

John Wayne

Vera Miles

Natalie Wood

If you've seen this movie, post your thoughts in the comments, and link back to your blog and any review you may have written. If you chose not to watch, you can write about why.

Next Tuesday...Star Wars

Feel the Force Friday

via reddit

via reddit

the real emperor via Threadless

if George Lucas wrote "Cars" via The Mary Sue

via reddit

LOST in the new Star Wars by JJ Harrison (available for purchase!)