James Earl Jones, 1931-2024

The legendary star of stage and screen is gone at 93.

The Real Star Wars Films

Restored versions of the original movies are now available in 4K. They’re likely not legal.

Monday Tabs

Streaming Wars Killing Streaming Dream

Disney is making some unwelcome moves.

Are eBooks Books and eLibraries Libraries?

A pending lawsuit seeks to settle those questions.

Ash Carter, 1954-2022

A brilliant national security leader is gone too soon.

Top Gun: Maverick Setting Records

Mild spoilers ahead.

Star Trek Goes Woke!

Has a franchise that’s always been political gone too far?

The free high-resolution photo of hand, man, string, guy, microphone, mouth, talk, product, eye, can, speak, teeth, say, tin, yell, tin can, communicate , taken with an DSLR-A700 03/05 2017 The picture taken with 50.0mm, f/5.0s, 1/20s, ISO 100 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of hand, man, string, guy, microphone, mouth, talk, product, eye, can, speak, teeth, say, tin, yell, tin can, communicate , taken with an DSLR-A700 03/05 2017 The picture taken with 50.0mm, f/5.0s, 1/20s, ISO 100 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

Talking Past Each Other

A post that’s only tangentially related to cancel culture.

Some Thoughts on “Cancel Culture”

Thomas gets the ball rolling, and I take off from there.

The Great Unbundling

The days of one-stop media shopping are long gone.

The Childlike Foreign Policy Stylings of Donald J. Trump

A bold new plan for security in the Middle East.

South Park Banned In China After Episode Mocking Chinese Censorship

South Park mocked Chinese censorship so, of course, they were censored in China.

Avengers: Endgame Passes Avatar On Top-Grossing Films List

This past weekend, Avengers: Endgame passed Avatar as the biggest-grossing movie of all-time, but there are several caveats.

Avengers: Endgame Passes $1 Billion In Gross Receipts

Avengers: Endgame earned $1 billion worldwide in its first weekend, but it will take a lot more to become the biggest grossing movie of all time.

Peter Mayhew, Actor Behind Chewbacca’s Mask, Dies At 74

I sense a great disturbance in the Force. As if a billion voices are crying out “No, not Chewie!!!!”

Andrew Marshall Dead at 97

The legendary figure was in charge of strategic forecasting at the Pentagon for decades.

New Horizons Sends Back Images Of Ultima Thule

Three and a half years after its flyby of Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft has reached the furthest distant object ever visited by a man-made craft.

Female-Led Films Perform Better at the Box Office

While most Hollywood blockbusters have male leads, films starring women actually do better on the aggregate.

Forty Years Ago Tonight: The Star Wars Holiday Special

Forty years ago tonight, the Star Wars universe came to television in a production so bad that it makes Jar Jar Binks seem positively Shakespearean by comparison.

Burt Reynolds Dies At 82

The tough guy actor best known for the “Smokey And The Bandit” movies has passed away at the age of 82.

The Cable Bundle is Dying. We’ll Miss it When it’s Gone.

As much as we hate paying $200 a month for television, the future is likely going to be worse.

Science Fiction Great Harlan Ellison Dies At 84

Harlan Ellison, who had a reputation for being as cantankerous as he was a great writer, has died at the age of 84.

Justify Wins Triple Crown

For the second time in three years, we have a Triple Crown winner.

A Contrarian View of ‘Solo’

It may be my favorite Star Wars film since ‘Empire Strikes Back.’

‘Black Panther’ Breaks Bogus Box Office Benchmark

The Marvel superhero film passed ‘Titanic’ in US ticket sales. Unless we adjust for inflation. Which we absolutely should.

OTB Caption Contest Winners

The Plaid Is The New Black Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.

Carrie Fisher Dies At 60

Rest in Peace, Princess. May the Force be with you.

Has 2016 Really Been An Unusually Bad Year For Celebrity Deaths?

It seems as though 2016 has taken many more celebrities lives than past years.

OTB Caption Contest Winners

The Who Moved My Cheese? Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.

OTB Caption Contest Winners

The Knights Who Say Ni Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.

A Spoiler Free Review Of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

You’ll be happy, Star Wars fans. And, don’t worry, no spoilers here.

A Record Breaking Opening Weekend For Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Perhaps not surprisingly, the newest film in the Star Wars saga is breaking all kinds of records.

Debate Schedule And Other Incidents Lead Sanders And O’Malley To Allege DNC Favoritism

A debate schedule that seems designed to limit the ability of viewers to see candidates, and other incidents, has led Hillary Clinton’s opponents to allege that the D.N.C. is favoring Hillary Clinton.

The Radicalization of Luke Skywalker

A pseudonymous government relations professional examines “The Radicalization of Luke Skywalker: A Jedi’s Path to Jihad.”

American Pharoah Wins First Triple Crown In 37 Years

A thirty-seven year long drought is over.

The Original ‘Star Wars’ Film

Opening crawl of 1977 version

OTB Caption Contest Winners

The Ninja vs. Pirate Village Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.