Left Unalakleet warmth for rain in Juneau tonite. No drought threat down here, ever...but consistent rain reminds us: "No rain? No rainbow!"
Ang Lee will be in Chatham tonight for two screenings of his upcoming movie "Taking Woodstock."
Also in attendance will be screenwriter and producer James Schamus. The film was partially shot nearby in Columbia County.
The Chatham Film Club has tickets.Too far? Lee and Schamus will attend another screening in Woodstock on Aug. 8. Get your tickets here.
George is another popular robot, courtesy of http://www.jabberwacky.com/george.
Here's my coversation with it. It didn't go that well:
George: "Hello. I'm George."
User: "Hello, George. This is the Freeman. Are you trying to take over the world?"
George: "No. I am not trying to take over the world, why are you asking that?"George: "No, in general scientists are quite intelligent."
User: "And you are not. Thank you robot."
(Long pause)
George: "I am not a robot. I am a human being."
User: "Sure you are. And I'm an algorithm."
George: "Your algorithm allows you to flirt with women?"
User: "Badly. But that's not the point."
Here's the video of the conversation, which you can read if you have super vision.
New studies show that drivers overestimate their own ability to safely multitask, even as they worry about the dangers of others doing it.
What's going on here? No, really, Kingston Nissan, what's going on here? The Kingston, N.Y., dealer has this ad with a bunch of guys sitting around playing with their phones until one of them suggests going to happy hour. Segue to an overhead shot of a car lot and a voiceover describing Cash for Clunkers. But the real question is, is it good advertising to mention going to happy hour when you're in the business of getting customers to drive?...
The Daily News' Liz Benjamin reported today on her blog (and Twitter account and in print) that Democratic and labor leaders are going to hold a "secret summit meeting" tomorrow at the Kingston Holiday Inn.
The meeting is so secret that nobody knows what they're going to talk about, except "the economy, health care, labor law reform, key legislative initiatives," Benjamin reported.
Don't tell anybody.
And bring your camera.
Sculpture at US shopping plaza turns heads
DELRAY BEACH, Florida (AP) — Parents in Florida are complaining about a sculpture of a nude family outside a shopping center west of Delray Beach.
Parents of children who attend a nearby elementary school say the bronze statue is inappropriate, and the Parent-Teacher Association president e-mailed parents Wednesday asking them to complain.
The sculpture is by artist Itzik Asher and titled "Journey to the New." It is supposed to represent the journey of Russian and Ethiopian Jews from their homes to Israel. It was previously displayed at other locations in the area.
US couple's wedding aisle groove a YouTube hit
ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) — The video of a Minnesota couple who boogied down a church aisle with their wedding party to the surprise of their guests is a hit on YouTube.
Kevin Heinz and Jillian Peterson, their seven bridesmaids, five groomsmen and four ushers danced down the aisle to the Chris Brown song "Forever" before the couple exchanged vows June 20 in St. Paul.
Peterson said Friday on NBC's "Today" show that she grew up dancing and loves dance as a way of expression. She says she didn't have any trouble talking Heinz into it for their wedding.
After posting the video on YouTube for family members, Heinz says the number of hits just exploded. The video has gotten more than 1.6 million hits on YouTube as of Friday afternoon.
Elusive Ulster County resident Vera Farmiga ("The Departed," "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas") also has a new film out today, "Orphan."
Farmiga arrives at the premiere of "Orphan" in Los Angeles on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
"When I wrote THE UGLY TRUTH, I gave myself the challenge of creating a romantic comedy -- traditionally a female genre -- that would appeal to both sexes. Initially, I was daunted by the prospect of creating not just a convincing male character, but a male chauvinist pig, who could somehow win the hearts of female audiences. Surprisingly, after the initial trepidation, I had more fun writing the character of Mike Chadway than any other character I had created in the past.
"I hoped the male character would be edgy, obscene...and, most important, totally realistic. I knew I achieved my objective when people, upon first reading the script, refused to believe a woman wrote it. (Hopefully they were convinced after meeting me.) I wrote many drafts of THE UGLY TRUTH and have seen the project change hands multiple times in recent years. However, I am happy to report that the film is as funny and charming (and raunchy!) as I hoped it would be.
"I never imagined, when I was brainstorming an idea for my very first job -- the first assignment in a two-picture deal I had at Warners -- that someday this would be a major motion picture with this kind of manic buzz surrounding it. The stars, Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl, were brilliantly cast and bring a genuine chemistry to all of their scenes together. I am thrilled with the final result and I hope everyone will come out to see it."
Singer Tom Jones canceled the Monday concert at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and the remainder of his July tour, due to vocal chord stress related to the residual effects of severe viral bronchitis, Bethel Woods announced this morning.
Jones "contracted viral bronchitis whilst on tour. He continued to perform with the infection, which has affected the function of his voice," Bethel Woods said on its Web site. "His specialist doctors have now ordered complete vocal rest for a prescribed period of time."
Tickets purchased online or by phone will be refunded automatically. Ticket holders who purchased through a Ticketmaster retail location or the Bethel Woods Box Office must request refund by returning the ticket to the point of purchase in person.
Ok. I can.
"If you watched Sarah Palin’s resignation speech, you know one thing: her high-priced speechwriters moved back to the Beltway long ago. Just how poorly constructed was the governor’s holiday-weekend address? We asked V.F.’s red-pencil-wielding executive literary editor,, together with representatives from the
and
departments, to whip it into publishable shape. Here is the colorful result."
