if I ruled the world, I’d free all my sons

This media blow breaks in over all TV channels to broadcast its demands:
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: I would have reviewed this sooner, but I couldn’t watch it for more than 5 minutes without getting bored and doing something else. None of the people involved can sing very well, Fillion perhaps worst of all. [...]

all of her lovers, they talk of her notes and the flowers that they never sent

Overstuffed media blow.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter: I unwittingly joined the Oprah Book Club by picking up this one up used. A fantastically nuanced portrait of the immense loneliness a person can feel even in the heart of civilization. The fact that McCullers wrote this at age 23 will astound me, and [...]

my heart is like an open highway

If you already have a list of potential Christmas presents for me, note down the following:
An Unbreakable Umbrella: The security entourage of the President of the Philippines carries these. The Unbreakable Umbrella can support the weight of a full-grown man and acts as a fully functioning umbrella. It will pass through any metal [...]

all the girls standing in the line for the bathroom

This media blow rolls both classy and street:

The Pacific and Other Stories: I read Mark Helprin’s Memoir from Antproof Case at least a decade ago. At the time it struck me as a clever and entertaining, if somewhat twee, story. The short fiction collected here all hits one of those same three notes. [...]

and it feels like love, got the radio on and that’s all that we need

A memorial media blow:
First off, I’m saddened to hear of Sydney Pollack passing. I only knew two of his films well enough to comment on them - The Firm and They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? - but those two showed enough of his style to merit some acclaim.
Bridge of Birds: A grown-up fairy tale [...]

you don’t know me, you just love me

Why do people (I include myself here, for once) get so excited when hearing that their favorite book will be made into a movie?
Without drowning you in theory I barely understand myself: different forms of media come bundled with different expectations, both by the creator and the audience. A painting stands as a single [...]

I’m taking the cure so I can be quiet whenever I want

You might think that; the media blow couldn’t possibly comment.
The Wire: … ha ha, just kidding, see all last week.
Franny and Zooey: Remarkably well written. I don’t care much for Salinger’s brand of inoffensive, Western-flavored Orientalism, but I can’t help but admire his style. Another exhibit in my case that a story’s subject [...]

tell me all your thoughts on god

This media blow offers a terrifying vision of the future:
Planetary: Warren Ellis cutting loose with superhero tropes like he always wanted to. You’ve got Doc Savage Axel Brass, John Constantine Jack Carter, the Fantastic Four the Four Voyagers, etc. The early issues suffer a little from a lack of protagonists - our heroes [...]

you can find me in the club

Today being my actual birthday, I’ll recap the birthday celebration:
#: I caught up with Christine and surprise guests Meghan and Sam by getting to Common Ground early. Not early enough to avoid a cover, unfortunately. They’ve also switched to using bracelets instead of stamps, but the bar was already pretty packed with people [...]

I’ll take on any man here that says that’s not the way it should be

The clauses in this media blow expire in twenty-four hours; take it or leave it.
Michael Clayton: What separates this film from others in the legal thriller genre - and a crowded little genre it’s become - is the focus on characters. You have to be broken in some fundamental way to devote sixty hours [...]