Odds and Ends

A grab bag from the weekend:

* Saw I am Legend, wherein Will Smith demonstrates his stellar acting ability by reprising Jimmy Stewart’s role in Harvey, except the giant rabbit is replaced by a German shepherd named Sam. I’ve never been so moved by a man carrying on a 90-minute one-sided conversation. Also, I now see why Washington Square Park was blocked off for weeks on end last year, forcing me to walk around it. It was filled with CGI zombies and set afire, apparently.

* Watched the new American Gladiators with my friend Jane, who would really kick ass on that show. The most alarming development since the previous iteration of the series is that reality television has created a need to latch onto some trait of a competitor—be it a poor single mom or a down-on-his-luck ex-Marine—and exploit it for entertainment value. Isn’t it amusing enough to watch morons in spandex crash into each other? Do I need a sappy, B-roll background on each contestant? No, I do not.

* One more thing from Saturday’s debate. I know these guys (and Hillary) are speechifying nonstop, but I still love to catch them in little slip-ups. Here’s Bill Richardson: “If I'm elected president, I will do two things. First, I will seek immediate negotiations with the Soviet Union and other nuclear states to reduce the number of nuclear weapons.” Apparently he has a handy time machine to 1982.

* Lastly, I’d just like to send kind thoughts to Robert Repino, whose apartment was mildly destroyed in a fire over the weekend. Not from the fire itself, but from smoke damage and firefighters punching holes in walls and windows. Our couch is always open, and best of luck with the Red Cross!