The Directors Guild has just forged a new deal with the same Producer's union that the Writers have been striking against for several months. In four days. And it's not some watered-down, backstabbing deal. It resolves almost every single one of the problems that the writers have been "deadlocked" about for all these months--including increases in their share of internet-viewing profit, increases in DVD sales, and more. Not as much as the writers are asking for, but that's to be expected: the writers are asking for more than they'll get (it's called negotiating). Bottom line, the writers haven't actually negotiated in more than a month, and the whole rotten stalemate is due to the mere fact that the writer's representatives and the producer's representatives simply don't like each other. Thankfully, the Director's deal will probably force a similar deal with the writers in a matter of weeks. Then we can all get back to watching The Office.

So, I think all right-thinking people will agree that Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles are delicious. You agree, I agree, and Fred Flintstone agrees. Fred agrees so much, in fact, that he was willing to be the spokesperson for the brand. Yes, Fred Flintstone loves to eat Pebbles for breakfast. Fred's daughter is named Pebbles! I submit that this is profoundly disturbing.

One of my favorite pastimes is a little thing called The Cooter Game. It's similar to the Star Wars/pants thing that was all the rage on the internet for about ten seconds ten years ago. What you do is, you take the title of a movie and you replace a key word with the word "cooter" for hilarious effect. It can keep me occupied for hours! It's funny because it's about vaginas! Here are a few of my personal favorites. Dude, Where's My Cooter? The Hunt for Red Cooter Teenage Mutant Ninja Cooters The Cooter from the Black Lagoon Big Cooter in Little China Two Cooters for Sister Sara A Fistful of Cooters It's a Wonderful Cooter Now you've got something to do on your next lengthy car trip.

For the past year and a half, there has been a fierce battle between two main factions of the entertainment industry for the technology to the next generation of DVDs--HD-DVD, backed by Microsoft and Toshiba; and Blu-Ray, backed by Sony. Now, Warner Brothers has thrown its support exclusively behind Blu-Ray, when originally it was producing titles in both formats. With this announcement, Universal and Paramount followed suit, indicating that although they've already pledged a few titles (less than Blu-Ray) to the HD-DVD format, those titles will likely be their last. It was an annoying war, with no clearly superior technology, and stoked on both sides by industry greed and pride. It was delaying a much anticipated warp-speed jump into the future of television--and the promise of home theater which was finally as loud, sharp, and exciting as a movie theater. People had grown tired of it before it began, and as of just a few months ago, there was no end in sight. Now, it looks like we might all get to ask for a Blu-Ray player by next Christmas.

[rating: 5] I've reviewed It's a Wonderful Life once before, during the Christmas season of 2004. Though that was but three short years ago, much has changed. In 2004 I was either retarded, an asshole, or both, because my assessment of this movie was completely wrong. Then I decried it as an overlong, boring, sappy piece of crap with a mushmouthed jackass in the lead role. Now I realize that this movie is wonderful and the me of three years ago should shut the fuck up. The movie, as most of us know, tells the story of the life of George Bailey (James Stewart), from his childhood through his adult years. One at a time, the plans he's laid for his life are altered, reversed or cancelled and he ultimately decides that his life basically sucks ass, that he should kill himself, and that everyone around him would be far, far better off had he never even been born. With the help of some angelic intervention, he learns, of course, that that simply isn't true at all and that his life is great because he has people who love him and whatnot. It's exceedingly maudlin and sugary-sweet, enough so to send you ...

Satirical newspaper The Onion has released its list of the "Least essential" albums of 2007, and the winner, the worst of the worst, is the original motion picture soundtrack for Alvin and the Chipmunks. The album includes tracks such as "Ain't No Party," which contains the following lyrics: "Ain't no party like a Chipmunk party 'cause a Chipmunk party don't stop..." The Onion A/V Club reports: "This is the music the Chipmunks make after they sell out to evil music exec David Cross, and it's presented within the film as awful, corporate sell-out music. And here it is for you to listen to."