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After School Specials. Is that a Trapper Keeper in your locker or are you just happy to see me? Next month, two volumes of ABC's "After School Specials" will be released on DVD (in DVD sets designed to look like Trapper Keepers). After the first two sets, at least four more will follow. TV Shows on DVD has the names of many the specials ("Schoolboy Father," "She Drinks a Little," "Did You Hear What Happened to Andrea?") to jog your memory. Of course, Jump the Shark has plenty of memories of them, too. And anyone who saw Helen Hunt host "SNL" knows that in at least one (possibly two), she jumps out the window. Those were the days.
posted by GaelFC at 11:18 PM PST - 19 comments

"So, during the run of The Judas Contract, Dick Grayson's new crimefighting identity was established. Nightwing was born. Though neither Marv nor I were originally crazy about his new name, in the long run, it seems to have won the fans' hearts. Those who considered themselves Robin-Rooters have proudly followed Dick's new career as avid Wingnuts.
--George Perez

Has it really been 20 years since Dick Grayson stopped being a sidekick? Happy belated birthday Nightwing!
posted by WolfDaddy at 10:37 PM PST - 11 comments

"I must congratulate you on your virtuoso performance, my boy. Centauri is impressed. I've seen 'em come, and I've seen 'em go, but you're the best, my boy. Dazzling! Light years ahead of the competition! Centauri's got a little proposition for you. Are ya interested?"

That's right. The Last Starfighter: The Musical. Can a Planet Of The Apes musical be far behind? What other sci-fi flicks would you like to see a musical made of? And why isn't Carrie Fisher's virtuoso performance from the Star Wars Holiday Special on the new DVD set?
posted by keswick at 8:40 PM PST - 29 comments

Opium Made Easy: One gardener's encounter with the war on drugs.
posted by Gyan at 7:41 PM PST - 35 comments

Color Synth Axis - Useful if you work with color on the web. You'll want to read the manual.
posted by dobbs at 4:45 PM PST - 13 comments

Redemption and the Power of Man. In Christianity, redemption is essentially an act of divine grace, the salvation of a sinful humanity that is incapable of saving itself. In Judaism redemption depends entirely on man, who is responsible for his own fate. To what extent did Judaism influence the development of progressive, pluralistic democracy?
posted by semmi at 4:24 PM PST - 30 comments

Sine Fiction - invented soundtracks for science fiction novels.
posted by ZippityBuddha at 4:24 PM PST - 13 comments

Sweeeet.
posted by brownpau at 2:18 PM PST - 18 comments

Agitator. Blood doesn't politely trickle in Takashi Miike's films: it gushes out in (warning: NSFW, graphic) improbable fountains, painting walls and filling up small cars. His trademark point-of-view shots are taken from places other directors wouldn't dream of: the bottom of a dirty toilet bowl (as a man falls into it after being killed); within the ear canal (as it is pierced by a metal spike); even from inside a character's vagina. He has depicted incest, drug abuse, teenage prostitution, violence against women and children and small dogs, and necrophilia -- and that was just in one film, Visitor Q, his take on Pasolini's Teorema. Miike has just introduced his latest movie, Izo, at the Venice Film Festival (.pdf file). Miike is less sure about why Americans are now embracing Japanese horror films. His country's horror genre is influenced by "kwaidan," traditional Japanese ghost stories that feature revenge and malice: "The stories always have the 'hatedness.' You always bring the feelings of hate [that] you don't see in American cinema". What freaks him out the most, however, is the everyday automobile accident. "Even in a film, I can't bear to watch it -- it's so much (about) how people are weak, to be just crushed with a car. It makes me feel really depressed".
posted by matteo at 1:15 PM PST - 24 comments

Queen + Hip-Hop Mashups = A Night at the Hip Hopera Better than the Grey Album? Cease and desist in 3, 2, 1...
posted by krunk at 12:33 PM PST - 32 comments

The Shocker annoys local high school principal; hilarity ensues.
posted by swift at 12:14 PM PST - 26 comments

God hates Bush voters.
posted by jpburns at 12:13 PM PST - 47 comments

"Tom Ridge unveils a redesigned Air Force 1, painted like the General Lee car from Dukes of Hazzard. No longer will there be a carpeted stairway; instead passengers will have to enter through the windows and holler like they're feeding pigs when boarding the President's jet." Enter the Guess the October Surprise contest and win a coffee mug.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 11:46 AM PST - 11 comments

Booty Shotz! is a place for people who want to share their love for Robert's American Gourmet brand Booty Snacks! Some celebrity admirers include Alan Cummings, Mirah (from K Records), and Ben Folds. (All links SFW)
posted by mcsweetie at 10:59 AM PST - 19 comments

The National Museum of the American Indian opened on Tuesday. Although generally praised, the occasion did draw some mild concern that some groups are under-represented. The museum occupies one of the last few coveted spots on the National Mall. Washington Post collumnist Courtland Milloy comments on the contrast between the opening ceremonies for the museum in the home of the 'Redskins'. And I can't resist throwing in a plug for The Eiteljorg (flash splash screen) which is the only other museum with a partnership with the Smithsonian collection.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 10:49 AM PST - 4 comments

noiserover - cartoons by Jesse Simpson.
posted by Peter H at 10:47 AM PST - 9 comments

Utilikilts: Comfort, Style and Utility for Today's Modern Man - committed to pioneering a comfortable alternative to trousers by producing "Men's Unbifurcated Garments".
I can't decide if its a joke or not. I think it began as a joke and then people started ordering them. Note the trendy Survival Kilt (currently on backorder) or the stranger looking than the others and that's saying something Denim Kilt. And don't worry about the beer gut, fellas, they've got an option for a special cut just for you ($25 upcharge but comfort knows no price!).
posted by fenriq at 10:46 AM PST - 61 comments

A beginner's guide to whaling.
posted by biffa at 7:21 AM PST - 23 comments

Russ Meyer dead at 82. The maker of some of the most fun flicks of his day and the man who introduced us the sexpots of an era. We bid you a fond farewell.
posted by jonmc at 7:01 AM PST - 24 comments

CRAZIEST = 311 points Scrabble can seriously affect your mental health. [Flash]
posted by lagado at 5:17 AM PST - 36 comments

The Glorious Revolution: A Look Back, by Jeff Greenfield (CNN), is one of 16 What if Bush Wins? essays in the September edition of The Washington Monthly.
posted by mmahaffie at 5:17 AM PST - 11 comments

“If You Harbor Terrorists, You Are a Terrorist” While delegates to the GOP convention were congratulating themselves for their candidate’s tough stand against terrorism, the Bush administration was creating an international incident—little publicized in the United States—by harboring a notorious group of international terrorists on U.S. soil.
posted by Postroad at 4:33 AM PST - 34 comments

Anglo-Sikh Heritage. Sikhs and Britain. More at the Sikh Cyber-Museum.
posted by plep at 3:56 AM PST - 3 comments

Feds shut-down overseas voting for Americans. And according to this Salon article, American's living abroad are particularly progresssive and likely to vote Democrat.
posted by Espoo2 at 2:33 AM PST - 25 comments