1. Want to live in “Uncle Monty’s” house “Crow Crag,” as made famou
s by cult flick “Withnail & I”? Well, me neither, but you can if you’ve got half-a-mill. Bonus dinner party anecdote: “You know, Kate Moss almost bought this place!” A negative? Your address will be “Sleddale Hall, near Shap." Also a bummer is that an 1802 report on the property spake of it consisting “partly of poorish meadow ground, and partly of pasture, all of which, or nearly all, lies in rapid declivities.” Damn those rapid declivities, damn them to hell!
2. Here’s something to make you feel old -- and young -- at the same time. It was 30 years ago this week that the tr
ailer for “The Empire Strikes Back” hit cinemas, promising “A galactic odyssey against oppression." And how sweet it was. There’s a neat article on it here. And you can watch the 90-second teaser here.
3. Can it be coincidence that the “Empire” trailer featured that tantalizing glimpse of someone flailing in a fluid-filled tank, and that the very first image from “Avatar” features something similar? Slashfilm got the goods first.
4. You may have heard of searing documentary “The Cove." It has garnered serious respect for exposing the killing of dolphins. Hats off then, to the satirist willing to pen a review titled “Seriously Dolphins Just Swim Somewhere Else” that says: “If dolphins were really smart, they would avoid visiting Taiji in September. In fact, they would avoid Japan altogether. There are so many places on earth that have humans who do not care to turn their flesh into sushi. How can we humans communicate this important piece of information to them? Who is their leader?” Well, at least, I hope it’s satire.
5. We know Scarlett Johannson is hot, we know she is sexy. We did not know she became a cat in heat for Spanish fashion label Mango. But here’s the Liverpool Daily Post on the phenomenon: “It has a real presence here,” she purred. “All of the women that have represented the brand are sexy, feminine and strongly independent. It’s nice to be grouped with them. And now, as per my rider, get me a bowl of milk and a plate of mouse innards.” The last part of the quote may have been freely invented.
6. In other over-excitable reportage, I love that the Vietnamese News Agency are adding a little pizzazz to their press releases for local ghost film “Khi Yeu Dung Quay Dau Lai” (“Love Means You Never Have to Say You’re Sorry”) by calling it a “takeoff on the popular American film 'Twilight,' loved by many local young people.”
