Let's Talk About Favorites: That's why we list them, do we not?
Mike Gold sent me an email about the Flash Gordon serials:
My favorite comics movies ever; always have been. There has yet to be a movie villain with half the appeal of Charles Middleton. And, of course, when he takes on Chico Marx in Duck Soup...!
Agreed -- Charles Middleton was abolutely stunning as Emperor Ming!
He had a great voice, and got to chew up some of the wackiest scenery in movie history. Priscilla Lawson was perfect as Princess Aura, his hell-cat daughter too.
The over-the-top barbariousness of the first series, echoing the flavor of the early Flash Gordon comic strip, has never been equalled.
Middleton was also in a crazy backstage mystery flick called Murder at the Vanities with Victor McLaughlin. The actual Vanities was a 1920's/1930's New York revue that featured leggy chorus girls and variety numbers. Charles Middleton explicitly asks for "the prop machine gun," and mows the Duke Ellington Orchestra down as part of his act.

Charity Alert: The Animal Rescue Site: We make trouble for these critters, lets help 'em out too!

Weather: Twenty below (F) this morning. Those weather services were right. (%$#@!) We've had more than a foot of snow since Wednesday morning, but luckily got about 30 hours to clear the sidewalks and roads before the deep-freeze hit us. The Missoula region, about a two hours drive south of us, was pounded with snow all day yesterday.

Wildlife: We are spreading out suet for the birds on the rail of our back deck, as well as peanuts. The deer are very active in the dawn hours -- watch out, that's DRIVE TIME! I saw a spiked buck this morning. Those antlers were supposed to have dropped by now.

Media Watch: Michael Moore on IFC, conducting some kind of town meeting. I somehow got the idea that it occurred after the horror of 11/2/04.(Note from later in the day: The show was At the Angelika, which usually runs shallow semi-advertisements. Not this time!)
I was underwhelmed by Queer Eye's show for women. The crew redecorated the client lady's house, and bought her new clothes, but it was all superficial. (The client even said so.) It wasn't a good imitation of Straight Guy at all.