I've been T'inated   |    9:59 p.m.

Take a look, fool!

Billy Wilder, 1906-2002   |    12:59 a.m.

One of the most important filmmakers of the 20th century is gone.

After leaving Germany in 1934, he made his first big mark in American cinema in 1939 as the co-writer (with collaborator Charles Brackett) of Ninotchka, the "Garbo Laughs" film. He directed and co-wrote Double Indemnity and The Lost Weekend (also with Brackett) in the 1940's. And then came a streak of brilliant films that in my opinion nobody has been able to repeat.

Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Stalag 17 (1953), among my all-time favorite American movies. Wilder turned his camera on the darker sides of Hollywood and McCarthyism (using the WWII POW camp to indict the 'false,' simplistic patriotism of the period), and in doing so created two films that are as relevant today as when he made them. Gloria Swanson should've won an Oscar for Best Actress for 'Sunset,' but probably split the vote with Bette Davis (for 'All About Eve') and both lost to Judy Holliday for 'Born Yesterday.' William Holden was nominated for both, and he did win Best Actor for 'Stalag.'

Sabrina (1954). The Seven-Year Itch (1955). Witness for the Prosecution (1957). Some Like It Hot (1959). The Apartment (1960). One, Two, Three (1961) a lost gem of a comedy starring James Cagney as a harried Coca-Cola executive dealing with personal and professional crises managing the company's Berlin office at the height of East-West tensions.

I think all of these are available from Amazon, and with the exception of the last film, you can find most of these in your local Blockbuster.

You will be missed, Mr. Wilder.

What I've learned so far on my trip.   |    9:11 a.m.

That LA drivers are indeed worse than those in Atlanta.

My mother, sister and I are about to head out for a 4-day road trip to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey. Then back to Palmdale for a few days before Mom and I return to Atlanta. And I have to decide if I'm going to the SLA conference in June (it'll be about ,500 and the library's willing to cover ,000 so I have to decide if I'm willing to pay the difference myself).

Oscar Picks:
What I'd like to see win: Moulin Rouge or Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring for picture, Tom Wilkinson (or anyone except Russell Crowe) for actor, Halle Berry or Nicole Kidman for actress, Peter Jackson for director (and who'd've though the director of "Meet the Feebles" would be up for this?), Maggie Smith for supporting actress, Ian McKellen for supporting actor since Steve Buscemi wasn't even nominated, Memento for original screenplay, Ghost World for adapted screenplay, and Moulin Rouge or LOTR for most of the technical awards.

Best Alternate Oscars:
The Keanus. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who caught all those slashy vibes going on in LOTR. It's even more apparent in the books.

Give it up for our [possibly insane] Attorney General!   |    4:47 p.m.

(From the March 8 edition of the SF Chronicle. By Mark Morford)

All I can say after reading the article is that I think King Arthur said it best in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," when he so eloquently declared to the Black Knight: "You're a loony."

If Oz knocked Homicide up while they were drunk at a party held at the Bada-Bing...   |    4:24 p.m.

the resulting offspring would probably look something like The Shield. Intense, compelling and more than a little disturbing. Who'd've thought that FX could create a drama that could be the heir apparent to Homicide: Life on the Street. They should be re-running the pilot Tuesday night before the second episode, so try to catch if it you get a chance. (Yes, Tori. That means you.)

Homicide fans will also get a few bonuses with the episode. Clark Johnson directed it. Max Perlich has a small role-- involving a VCR, of course. But the real treat (if you can call it that) is seeing Reed Diamond playing a character that draws some seriously ironic comparisons to Mike Kellerman.

Scorecard   |    7:20 p.m.

Weeks of being on generic fluoxetine: 2

Weeks on Weight Watchers: 1

Pounds lost: 4.2

Singin' and Shankin'   |    7:13 p.m.

Oz! The Musical. With songs selected by Music Supervisor Chris Tergesen, who did such a fantastic job selecting music for "Homicide." This and the season finale of Sex and the City. I'm so there.

Callum article alert   |    2:55 p.m.

A nice article about Callum Keith Rennie, courtesy of the Vancouver Sun. Still having trouble imagining him playing a grandfather, though.

More Linkage   |    2:44 p.m.

From the KC Star, about how at this year's Emmys there will be one show prominently absent from the nominees. Other than Buffy, that is.

From Wired, a helpful explanation about why websites go porn.

A profile on the person behind the voice of PBS' Frontline series, from the LA Times. Listen to the audio clip, you'll recognize the voice.

Silly Linkage   |    2:31 p.m.

The Condiment Packet Museum. One of my all-time favorites.

If you ever wanted to recreate an Iron Chef recipe, now you can with the IC Reverse Engineered Recipe page. Nothing yet from any of the episodes where the main ingredient had to be killed first.

Does it include Kenneth Lay's autograph   |    2:25 p.m.

You can buy all sorts of Enron workplace memorabilia right now on Ebay, including items like these. I particularly enjoyed the snarkiness of the seller's comments.