the joke is dead
LIFE
It should be that time of the week to roll out the Times Styles section and ridicule the cover story. Except this week, the story happens to be something that I've been saying for a while: the joke is dead. There was a time when people told jokes all the time at parties, but now everything is situational humor and nuanced wit. I will even occasionally tell jokes at parties, wait for people not to laugh, and then launch my shtick about the death of the joke. Yeah, that's right, I use the concept of jokes to set up idea humor. So anyway, NYT Styles, I applaud you for not being one big joke again this week.
Merriam-Webster: Top 10 Favorite Words Not in the Dictionary.
MEDIA
Who says the flash-in-the-pan media doesn't follow-up on stories after they've faded as talking points? WaPo has a long story on the hacker behind Paris Hilton's Sidekick scam.
I found an issue of Radar today (not supposed to be available for a couple days), and you know what? It's actually pretty good.
ONLINE
My dear internet, you have jumped the shark. Blogebrity.
NYT on Rocketboom's search for a weather person.
MUSIC
David Cross: Albums to Listen to While Reading Overwrought Pitchfork Reviews.
MIDI GNR: SelfSimilarGNR.com. Sounds a bit like Axl done by Kraftwerk.
NYT: Neil Diamond hanging with Rick Rubin.
New Basement Jaxx video: "U Don't Know Me."
FILM
Richard Linklater to direct movie version of Fast Food Nation (that isn't Supersize Me).
New documentary on the history of women's wrestling: Lipstick & Dynamite trailer. (This would have been the perfect opportunity to finally have a female voice do the trailer.)
Film Critic: The All-Time Top 100 Voices in the Movies.
NYT: For $1 You, Too, Can Be an Executive Producer. Profiles the attempts of MovieForTheMasses.org and IBI Films to micro-fund movie projects.
New Greg Araki: Mysterious Skin trailer.
WORDS
The meta-ness of Brett Easton Ellis.
LOCAL
Over on MNspeak, the Rogue Taxidermy cabal have a new website, Chuck was on the O.C., Flashmobs revisited, and Bob Mould releases new songs.
