“We will, in fact, be greeted as liberators.”

Strike that, reverse:

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. troops pulled out of Baghdad on Monday, triggering jubilation among Iraqis hopeful that foreign military occupation is ending six years after the invasion to depose Saddam Hussein.

Iraqi soldiers paraded through the streets in their American-made vehicles draped with Iraqi flags and flowers, chanting, dancing and calling the pullout a “victory.”

Favorite Movie Song Theater: A Mighty Wind (2003)

Speaking of revolution, not only is this a perfect esthetic duplication of a folk anthem from the 1960′s, it’s just a cool tune that probably would have been a hit in the protest day:

Meanwhile In Iran

Here’s a link to a blog with up to the date messages from the revolution.

“Look At This Fucking Hipster”

Funniest site of the year.

Saturday Morning 1974

Ease On Down The Road

I walk into Tiny’s coffeeshop and the guy next to the counter asks me if I heard Michael Jackson is dead. I thought he meant his career so I said, “Yeah I know.” But no. He meant Michael Jackson Is Dead.

Michael Jackson dead at 50?

Farrah Fawcett RIP

This is how I’ll always think of her:

Don’t Cry For Him, Argentina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – After going AWOL for seven days, Gov. Mark Sanford admitted Wednesday that he had secretly flown to Argentina to visit a woman with whom he was having an affair. Wiping away tears, he apologized to his family and gave up a national Republican Party post, but was silent on whether he would resign.

“I’ve been unfaithful to my wife,” he said in a news conference in which the 49-year-old governor ruminated on God’s law, moral absolutes and following one’s heart. He said he spent the last five days “crying in Argentina.”

See Ya In Portland

Kodachrome No More

Somewhere Paul Simon is wistful…

The Whole World Is Watching

President Obama on Iran:

“The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.

Martin Luther King once said – “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples’ belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.”

John McCain on Iran:

“Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.”

Favorite Scene Theatre: Schizopolis (1996)

This unusual film was pivotal in helping Steven Soderbergh break free out of his self-proclaimed rut. Using only a three or four person crew, shot on the run like a Richard Lester film, with an improvised script whose alternate characters talk in at first glance non-sensical but apropos metaphors (“Generic greeting returned.”) and starring Soderbergh himself in two roles, the film was released to some puzzlement and some acclaim, but I love SCHIZOPOLIS and it’s for me one of the best comedies of the 90′s. I don’t know how anybody couldn’t appreciate what the film is about, the complexities of communication, and get a few laughs. It might be the best satiric riff on Scientology since REPO MAN (1984).

There’s a great cast of his regulars, Eddie Jemison and David Jensen, and to heighten the internal themes, Soderbergh also cast his ex-wife Betsy Brantley as his movie wife. The film should be inspirational to anyone thinking about doing it on the fly. Really though, the movie is jes’ plain funny, and Steven Soderbergh’s brave scene here might be the weirdest but most telling moment of SCHIZOPOLIS. Or not. Generic post sign-off.

Friday Summer Song: Duran Duran

To kick off the first weekend of Summer ’09, I have to re-dip into the Duran Duran files and pull out this single from their lo-selling disc “Liberty” from the magical year of 1990. Still influenced by the Ecstasy-House music wave sweeping Europe, the boys (minus Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor) came up with this great down and dirty track, “The Violence of Summer,” which always puts me right back in the middle of hothouse downtown Sacramento, where the men are sweating and cursing and breaking their balls in the sugar shack…

A Larry Sanders Moment

Because next to SCTV and MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS, this is the greatest comedy series of all time. No, no, no debates. I said, Good Day Sir! Okay, fine, talk to Artie:

1968 Double Feature Theater

Fukasaku and Polanski creature features on the same bill. They sure don’t make ‘em like that anymore.