Editor & Publisher closing after 108 years. :-(

Thursday's closure of E&P "was a shock," said its editor, Greg Mitchell. "We knew that something big was happening but we didn't think the aftermath was that we wouldn't be sold and it would be folded."

...But Mitchell hopes Editor & Publisher will return in another form. "I would hope because of our special history and our role as a watchdog in journalism that it would be more likely in this case that there will be someone that's going to say, `Hey, we're not going to let this die.'"

Completely unrelated: My upstairs neighbors are having a yelling match right now, which is not at all conducive to studying. I need to locate some earplugs.

...for this mighty achievement:
The Blind Side eclipses New Moon at the box office

I actually went to see The Blind Side over Thanksgiving weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. It's one of those heartwarming flicks that's not a holiday movie per se, but is perfect for this time of year. Peace on earth, goodwill toward men and whatnot. It might be a good choice if you're looking for something your whole family can watch. Plus it's a true story (Michael Oher is now a tackle for the Baltimore Ravens), and I'm a sucker for biopics and films based on real-life events. An excellent performance by Sandra Bullock as well...I heard critics are already talking about a possible Oscar nomination. I don't know if I would go that far, but it is probably one of the best performances of her career.

The Pulp List's Top Ten Short Leading Men (short = under 5'10")

Gary Oldman (5'9") is number six, and Michael J. Fox (5'4.5") is number one.

It's actually a well thought-out list, so check out the above link to see the whole thing (My only complaint is that Tom Cruise is on it...bleh.).

Written by: Adrienne Shelly
Directed by: Cheryl Hines (yay!)
Starring: Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton (yay again!), Kristen Bell, and Justin Long

MTV compares Twilight and Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Seriously, MTV? Stop. Just stop before you hurt yourself. The two are not comparable. Period. End of sentence.

All this New Moon madness makes me want to vomit. You know what would really be horrific? -- MTV's idiotic "Gore Girls" are obviously comparing (or unsuccessfully attempting to compare) the movies, but what if they tried to compare the BOOKS?!?! Oh, wait. They probably don't know how to read. Nevermind.

However, I will give some credit to Jenni Miller for saying nice things about Gary Oldman:
"I think Gary has been a sex symbol since "Sid and Nancy." He was lovely in "Immortal Beloved" as well, and "The Professional.""

I stand firm in my opinion that the other chick is a complete imbecile, though.

Fox series Jack & Dan to film 13 episodes in Dallas

Yay for DFW!

Happy Halloween, everyone! 

I am going to a Halloween party tonight where I will be wearing a newly purchased witch's hat. It reminds me very much of Professor McGonagall's from the Harry Potter series. Yay.  Side note: I will not be wearing a full costume, just the hat. I found a way cool t-shirt with an owl on it, so I'll be wearing that and jeans instead. 

Also, at some point today, I will be watching Bram Stoker's Dracula because 1) it is a must watch on or around Halloween, and 2) it is awesome if you can look past the abysmal performances by Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder (not an easy thing to do) and focus only on the greatness that is Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins.

Wal-Mart and Amazon.com trade price cuts on books.

"The reductions...make it increasingly hard for independent sellers, which can't afford such large discounts, to compete for the most popular books."

I hate you, Wal-Mart.  Your steady determination to eradicate locally-owned retail businesses makes me want to vomit.

"Booksellers have fought hard to bring in customers for blockbuster releases such as Brown's "Lost Symbol" and the "Harry Potter" stories, offering reductions of 50 percent or higher. But Wal-Mart's announcement suggests a broad, sustained race for customers at prices few can afford to offer."

Former Congressman Charlie Wilson on the current war in Afghanistan:
Charlie Wilson on Obama's War (via CNN.com)

Also, congrats on the Noble Peace Prize, Mr. President!  Impressive. Way to raise expectations, Norway...thanks for that.

It's almost one o'clock in the morning. Please stop rearranging furniture and/or square dancing and/or whatever the hell you're doing up there. It sounds like my ceiling is going to fall in. I know you can't possibly make that much noise just by walking around like normal people.  Also, I don't know why you feel the need to wake up at 4:30 a.m. at least twice a week to pace back-and-forth across the part of your apartment that is directly above my bed. Seriously, if you're having a problem with insomnia, call a doctor!

Sincerely,

Your grouchy downstairs neighbor