Down with Love!

Yay! The best romantic comedy of the year (or even of the last few years, which is still damning with faint praise, but trust me, it's a good film), Down With Love (Widescreen), is finally available for pre-order!

This movie bombed miserably in the theatres, mainly because it was released to counter-program the big movies like The Matrix. It's a delightful film, with great performances by all of the cast members, especially David Hyde Pierce in the traditional Tony Randall role (Randall himself has a cameo). It sends up all of the classic Doris Day/Rock Hudson era romantic comedies (which were a tad overrated, imho, but I've always been partial to Marilyn Monroe's comedies myself), capturing the theme of them while still providing a contemporary twist on the classic plots.

And the DVD is loaded! Deleted scenes, bloopers, a music video, lots of other stuff.

Of course, I'd see just about anything with Reneé in it (up to and including Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation). But this is one I can watch again and again. A perfect example of how romantic comedies are not "chick flicks." A good movie is a good movie. Period.

Minor administrivia

First, happy birthday to ariedana!

Second, apologies in general for being sucky about keeping up with LJ birthdays. I know I missed plenty of yours, and I'll probably miss plenty of others, because I'm too lazy to remember to check out the LJ birthday page.

Third, note that on my bio page, I link to two posts that I'd love y'all to fill out. One is a post on the origin of LJ usernames. The other is a poll asking about AIM and other chat handles.

reading and watching.

So, I'm currently reading Bill Fitzhugh's The Organ Grinders, which is the funniest book I've read in ages (excluding books by Moore and Pratchett). It's a sick, twisted little novel that's almost like a merger of Carl Hiaasen and Christopher Moore (I figure that Fitzhugh is their secret lovechild). Highly recommended.

And last night, shadesong and I watched Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. This is a damned funny show, especially for those of us who are straight, male, and schlubs. The Fab Five are fabulous, and they really do a good job, from the one ep we've watched. According to the website, though, they're only handling New York bachelors. I'd love to know more about how the show actually works (I can't believe that the apartment makeover on the one ep we saw really happened in four hours, for example), but I'm sure there will be some articles on the show soon.

Can Manga Jump the Shark?

From Comicon.com:

Manga giant TOKYOPOP is joining forces with controversial singer Courtney Love to create an all new manga series loosely based on Love’s experiences and fueled by her passion for manga! Princess Ai a shoujo fantasy series is based on character designs of Ai (Paradise Kiss) Yazawa and the “creative vision” of DJ (Karma Klub) Milky.

“Princess Ai is the story of a smart and talented, yet controversial young woman who utilizes the public stage not only for self-expression but also to hide from her assailants,” said TOKYOPOP’s PR guru, Kristien Brada-Thompson. “She is the princess of a mysterious, unknown land, who has escaped to our world and is now taking refuge in the bustling nightclubs of Kabushiki-cho. We’re really excited to be able to do this manga with Courtney. She is a big manga fan.”

"I have always loved the Japanese culture and the people. Princess Ai is a great character because she feels like my alter-ego, but in a fantasy setting," said Courtney Love in TOKYOPOP's Press Release. "I'm very excited to work with TOKYOPOP, a company that is truly innovative in its approach towards crossing creative boundaries."

"We are very pleased that we could team up with one of the most influential rock stars of our generation and certainly one of the most colorful personalities," said TOKYOPOP CEO & CCO, Stuart Levy in the same PR. "Manga is just the start. Look for animation projects, merchandise and other evolutions of 'Princess Ai' in the near future."

Love has a new CD making its debut this October called America’s Sweetheart. Her tour to promote the songs begins in November. The singer/songwriter plans to include some Princess Ai material into her live and recorded videos.

Like the world needed to hear from Courtney Hole ever again, in any medium.