- How Jason Segel met the Muppets:
But it’s performing with the likes of Gonzo, Sam the Eagle, Beaker, Bunsen Honeydew and Rowlf the Dog that excites Segel. “It’s really, I must say, a childhood dream come true,†he says. “When Kermit comes out of his little box and all of a sudden he comes alive, it’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of.â€
He’s not shy to say that he actually cried during the first reading of the script with Kermit, arguably the most famous creation of the late Jim Henson. “We had to stop and take a two-minute break.â€
Yep, that’s why I like Segel.
- Bad news for Jenny McCarthy: that study linking autism to vaccinations? “An elaborate fraud.” [via]
- What next for famed film composer Ennio Morricone? Composing cell phone ring tones apparently.
- I’m Only Really Happy When I’m Writing, Or When I’m Having Lots Of Fun With My Friends And Family
- And finally, three words: Zombie Doctor Who.
music
2010 in music
Every month, I put together a mix of new music. Some of it’s just new to me, or even just rediscovered music, and I’ve been doing it for a couple of years now. Sometimes I get a bit carried away, but I have fun doing it. And I have fun sharing those mixes, on occasion, with others.
Here’s my December 2010 mix:
- “Ballad of Winslow Homer” by the Dimes
- “American Dream” by Danielle Ate the Sandwich
- “Lille” by Lisa Hannigan
- “We Meet, We Part, We Remember” by the Holmes Brothers
- “Always” by Junip
- “Sucker Row” by Mark Knopfler
- “Merry Happy” by Kate Nash
- “Over” by Phonosapiens
- “Tonight the Streets Are Ours” by Richard Hawley
- “Say it Right” by Nelly Furtado
- “Song to Bobby” by Cat Power
- “Nostrand” by Ratatat
- “Save Yourself” by Sharon Van Etten
- “Albuquerque Lullaby” by Dan Bern
- “When My Time Comes” by Dawes
- “Card From a Multipack” by the Just Joans
- “White Wine in the Sun” by Tim Minchin
- “Year End Letter” by Garfunkel and Oates
And here’s a “Best of” mix I mailed out to a few people, in lieu of Christmas cards…and, well, after Christmas.
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Believe me, even winnowing that down to 30 songs, on two discs, was a challenge. And, although it’s really sort of a Christmas song, and therefore a week too late, I just really like this song from Tim Minchin, “White Wine in the Sun.” It seems like a good note to end on for the year.
Wobegoned
Today — okay, technically yesterday, though I’m time-stamping this — was another clean-up day at the office. I didn’t finish boxing up all the old files I wanted to, but I did throw away a big box of floppy disks and CDs, which at one point contained important manuscript files and are nothing much more than landfill or coasters. There were also a couple of zip disks in there, which I remember at one point being the thing for file storage — my old boss at Penn State loved them — but which I realized I hadn’t actually seen in use for a long, long time. I was amused to discover, then, via Wikipedia that they are still used…”by retro computing enthusiasts.” They went in the trash. Or recycling. Honestly, I handed off the box to our mail room guy and de facto office manager, and I’m not really sure what he did with them.
But they’re out of my hands, no longer collecting dust under the second chair in my cubicle, and nothing I have to bring with me when we move offices in the spring.
After work, I met up with my parents for dinner, and then a live performance of A Prairie Home Companion. It was a lot of fun, if maybe a little shaggy around the edges. (Friday night is the dress rehearsal for the Saturday radio broadcast.) There was a lot of great music, and some really nice poetry, though at this point I may be a little Home Companion‘ed-out, having seen another simulcast of the show just back in October.
Then again, I think I enjoyed the evening a lot more than the couple in front of me, who I think were most amused by the fact that one of the guest musicians, a really talented jazz pianist, was named Dick Hyman. See — even frat boys can find something to giggle about on public radio!
Tuesday various
- That recent NASA study has gone from “discovery that will shake the foundation of all that we know” to “just some arsenic-based microbes — but kinda neat” to “probably crap science” in record time. [via]
- Speaking of record time, that AIDS fundraiser I briefly mentioned yesterday is already over. Which is good news for AIDS research and prevention, I guess, but bad news for everyone who just wants Kim Kardashian to go away.
- You know it’s funny, Fantastic Four made me wish Jessica Alba would quit acting too!
- All Of Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits Played At Once. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Don’t ask me why. [via]
- And finally, along the same lines, but actually really fascinating: a deconstruction of the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”. Well worth a listen. [via]
Monday various
- You know, I’m all for preventing the spread of AIDS and everything, but I’d pay good money to keep a lot of these people off Twitter.
- The New York Times‘ 100 Notable Books of 2010 looks like an interesting list. I’ve read — count ’em — one of the books on the list.
- I may have discovered a reason to use Facebook as something other than a Scrabble-delivery system: supposedly there’s a Monty Python game coming soon.
- Swede broadcasts music from his stomach. Apparently he was disappointed by the sound quality, however. [via]
- And finally, Scott McCloud on comics [via]: