Potter Post

I've been lax in sharing my thoughts on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which I saw almost two weeks ago. Loved it! I think my favorite bits were little throwaway things that had nothing to do with the plot...Harry & Ron fighting over the good copy of their Potions textbook, the return of Quidditch to the films, Fred & George's new shop in Diagon Alley, etc.

And now, of course, I can't wait until the final (two-part) film comes out. And it's going to be a long wait. Part I is tentatively scheduled for November 2010 and Part II in July 2011. In the meantime, I'll enjoy re-reading the books from the very beginning and wasting time with stuff like this excellent Harry Potter quiz from Parade magazine. It's pretty challenging - I got 29/50, which is characterized as "Not bad. You've definitely got a little magic up your sleeve!"

Happy Star Wars Day??

I've learned that today is Star Wars Day. Why, you might ask? (I wondered too.) It's because today fans can say "May the Fourth be with you."

(Groan) I am so not a fan of puns.

Anyway, in celebration of this momentous occasion (you'd think I would have had a bank holiday) enjoy this video of a non-fan who has never seen the movies explaining the plot. Hilarious.

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

One of my very favorite Irish things (along with Baileys Irish Cream, Liam Neeson and Aran knitting patterns) is Father Ted. It's a fantastic sitcom that aired on the BBC about 15 years ago, about three misfit priests banished to the far-flung Craggy Island parish. I generally pull out the DVDs and watch a few episodes every year around St. Patrick's Day.

Some typical Father Ted humor:

Tom: Father...I've killed a man.
Father Ted: Er, well, we'll talk about that later, Tom. Right now I'm going to be on the telly!

And...

Father Dougal: God Ted, I've heard about those cults. Everyone dressing in black and saying our Lord's going to come back and judge us all.
Father Ted: No...no Dougal, that's us. That's Catholicism you're talking about there.

The episodes I'm enjoying today: Cigarettes, Alcohol and Rollerblading, in which the three priests attempt to give up their respective vices for Lent, and Are You Right There, Father Ted?, where Father Ted holds a "Celebration of Craggy Island's Ethnic Diversity" to convince the town he's not a racist. If you ever stumble across it on BBC America, it's well worth your time.

For those not fortunate enough to have access to Father Ted, but would still enjoy a St. Patrick's Day-themed laugh, I offer the Top 10 Worst Irish Accents on Film, courtesy of IrishCentral.com. My personal choice is Tom Cruise in "Far and Away." I freely acknowledge that I think Tom Cruise is a jackass and that likely influenced my selection. Who's your pick?