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Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull: Recycled Fortune And Glory
“All your life has been spent in pursuit of archeological relics. Inside the Ark are treasures beyond your wildest aspirations. You want to see it opened as well as I. Indiana, we are simply passing through history. This, this *is* history.”
– Dr. Rene Belloq from Raiders Of The Lost Ark
“Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.”
– Indiana Jones from Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
“Indiana. Indiana… let it go.”
– Professor Henry Jones from Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
“Not as easy as it used to be.”
– Indiana Jones from Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull is unbelievably ordinary. It has been nineteen years since Indiana Jones, Henry Jones, Sallah and Marcus Brody rode off into the sunset in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. It was a glorious finish for a truly remarkable trilogy that re-imagined and paid homage to the old the Saturday morning serials which our fathers grew up watching. Nineteen years is a long time to wait for a fourth Indiana Jones film– no film is going to live up to that kind of wait. In 1999, Episode One of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, The Phantom Menace, finally arrived on screens after an enormous build up. The surprising verdict was that it was only a movie. No film could have lived up to that kind of hype. It would have helped if The Phantom Menace was a better movie. It would have been great if there was someone on the set to control George Lucas when he went into excess mode. Sometimes, complete creative control is not a good idea. Many of us were in denial that summer until Attack Of The Clones opened in 2002. Watching those two films made me realize that it is hard to replicate the success of earlier times. It is impossible to recapture that lightning in the bottle the first time around. The Godfather Part III and The Two Jakes suffer from this problem (Personally I feel both of these films have aged rather well).

2snaps.tv

With City Stages only a few days away, we’ve asked local music bloggers to offer their recommendations on must-see performances. Here are picks from Chip Frazier who writes the blog Amber Waves of Twang.
Many of the acts playing this year are already familiar to Birmingham. Will Hoge, North Mississippi All-Stars, Marc Broussard, Ben Harper and Robert Earl Keen do not require an introduction from anyone. What about the best of the rest? Here are some other bands that I am most excited about:
Carolina Chocolate Drops - Three African-American musicians taking Appalachian music and mixing it with gospel and other traditional styles. Their set will be a musical melting pot. I have a feeling they will be the surprise hit of the festival.
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Many are familiar with his work with Drive-By-Truckers, but he has his own band now. His song “Dress Blues” is powerful live.
Old Crow Medicine Show - They have a high energy set of traditional tunes played with Rock n’ Roll angst.
Act of Congress - This is a local New Grass band that is not getting the recognition they deserve. Their musicianship is excellent and they put on a really good live show. I hope It will be worth coming out early to see them on Saturday.
The Dexateens - This Tuscaloosa based band boasts an album produced by Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood of Drive-By-Truckers.
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - This will be show stealer no doubt. A mixture of Blues and Soul delivered with an attitude.
Griffin House - His new album is one of the best singer-songwriter releases of the year.
Elizabeth Cook - Authentic country. She has great personality and a voice as real as Loretta. Her song “It Takes Balls to be a Woman” will be a crowd favorite.

blog.al.com

Posted by Dan Mihalopoulos and Noreen Ahmed-Ullah at 11:20 a.m.; latest update at 2:02 p.m.
Update: The City Council Zoning Committee voted 6-3 to approve the Chicago Children’s Museum proposed move to Grant Park.
Before the vote was even taken Thursday afternoon, opponents filed a lawsuit in Cook County court seeking to overturn the Chicago Plan Commission’s recommendation that the museum should be allowed to move from Navy Pier.
Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) said people at the Plan Commission’s hearing last month were not given due process because some were not allowed to testify and some were cut off.
The votes in favor of the project came from committee members Margaret Laurino (39th), Bernard Stone (50th), Ray Suarez (31st), Latasha Thomas (17th), Edward Burke (14th) and the chairman of the panel, William J.P. Banks (36th).
The three opposed were Ed Smith (28th), Rey Colon (35th) and Vi Daley (43rd).
Isaac Carothers (29th) and Thomas Allen (38th) were present for part of the almost seven-hour-long meeting but were not in the room when the vote was taken.
Three other panel members – Carrie Austin (34th), Eugene Schulter (47th) and Frank Olivo (13th) – did not attend Thursday’s session.
Posted at 11:20 a.m.
The City Council Zoning Committee is taking up the plan to move the Chicago Children’s Museum to Grant Park, and Ald. William Banks (36th) started Thursday’s hearing with a warning to the crowd to stay in line.
Banks, the committee chairman, said all testimony from the Chicago Plan Commission hearing on the museum will be incorporated into the record, meaning that he will not allow witnesses to repeat what already has been said.
"Our procedure here today is to limit testimony," Banks said. "Duplication will not happen."
He warned against "diatribes" or "demonstrations," such as applause or arguments.
The Plan Commission approved the proposed move, over the strenuous objections of Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) and residents who live near the site.

chicagotribune.com

What a week this was.
The White House catches heat from one of its own. State lawmakers decide cheap cigarettes are more important than public health. They’re swinging and ducking over gay issues at Irmo High once again.
But, most importantly, the girls are back in town. No, not the Indigo Girls. The “Sex and the City” girls — Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte.
But while they know how to make it happen in New York City, here in the Capital City, we’re still stuck with the boys — as in the Good Ol’ Boys who make state policy. It’s their decisions that make them the stars of this week’s roundup of headlines.
GOV. MARK SANFORD VETOES BILL TO RAISE CIGARETTE TAX Patrick Henry’s rallying cry: “Give me liberty OR give me death!” Sanford’s cry: “Give me cigarettes AND give me death!”
S.C. HOUSE SPEAKER BOBBY HARRELL SAYS CIGARETTE TAX WOULD CREATE HEALTH CARE “ENTITLEMENT” PROGRAM Ah, if only South Carolinians were “entitled” to some actual leadership in the Legislature.
GOVERNOR VETOES RAISE FOR RETIRED STATE WORKERS Sanford said the old goats should have gotten jobs in the private sector if they wanted a decent retirement.
SANFORD ALSO VETOES $21 MILLION FOR STATE CHILDREN’S HEALTH PROGRAM The governor added that the lazy little rugrats should get off their duffs and go find jobs with good benefits.
SANFORD SIGNS BILL INTO LAW MAKING INDIGO THE OFFICIAL STATE COLOR Thank goodness the governor and our lawmakers are standing up for the things that really make a difference in people’s lives.
USC PAYS TOP DOLLAR FOR TOP COACHES Is there any sort of money-back guarantee included?
AREA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATIONS BEGIN Then comes college. Then comes work for 40 years — just about the amount of time they’ll need to pay off those student loans.

thestate.com

ALL DISCUSSION this weekend at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center likely will be about comics. Emerald City Comicon — short for comic convention — is the largest comic and pop-culture gathering in the Northwest, offering comic fans access to a mixture of independent and mainstream creators and artists.
Panels focus on topics such as protecting intellectual property rights, the challenges of developing comic-themed games, breaking into the comic business, making Web comics, and entering the world of independent comic publication.
Fans can flock to the “Trailer Park” to view movie trailers for “The Incredible Hulk,” “Hellboy 2″ and “Hancock.”
The industry’s top three publishers — Marvel Comics, DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics — are offering sneak peeks into future projects and productions.
If that’s not enough, attendees can score exclusive goodies ranging from prints and lithographs to figurines. One of the specialty items is a Seattle-centric print by artist Tim Sale, who grew up here, featuring the Hulk munching on food from Dick’s while reading a comic at Pike Place Market.
Fans will be treated to stars like Julie Benz (Darla from “Angel” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) Jamie Bamber (Apollo from “Battlestar Galactica”), Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett from “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones”), Gigi Edgley (Chiana from “Farscape”) and actor/writer Wil Wheaton.
Of course, the convention won’t be complete without a costume contest. This year costumes will be judged by three personalities from Sci-Fi Channel’s “Who Wants To Be a Superhero,” a reality program in which individuals compete to create their own superhero.
If it’s your first time attending a comicon, freecomicbookday.com offers some helpful suggestions for your visit:
Budget your time and your money. There’s plenty to see, do and buy, but try to make the most of it within reasonable limits.

seattlepi.nwsource.com

The 112th Boston Marathon runners rest up in the Hopkinton, Mass., Athlete's Village, Monday, April 21, 2008. More than 25,000 runners will participate in today's race. (AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye)
By JIMMY GOLEN – 4 days ago
BOSTON (AP) — The 112th Boston Marathon got started Monday with defending champion Robert Cheruiyot and a field of more than 25,000 runners leaving the starting line in Hopkinton for the 26.2-mile run to Copley Square.
Cheruiyot was looking for his fourth Boston win. Lidiya Grigoryeva, last year’s women’s winner, was also trying for a repeat.
South African Ernst Van Dyk led from start to finish in the men’s wheelchair race of the Boston Marathon to win for the seventh time in 1 hour, 26 minutes, 49 seconds. It was the second slowest time in his seven victories. He won by a huge margin. No one was near him when he crossed the finish line on Boylston Street.
The marathon comes a day after the U.S. Olympic women’s trials featured the top American runners fighting for a berth in the Beijing Game. Deena Kastor, Magdalena Lewy Boulet and Blake Russell finished in the top three to earn a chance to run in the Olympics. They served as grand marshals for Monday’s race.
Also in Monday’s field was seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.
The second-largest field in the race’s history gathered in Hopkinton under an overcast sky and temperatures around 50 degrees. The wheelchair racers left first, at 9:26 a.m., followed by the elite women at 9:35 and the elite men along with the main field at 10:00.
Some tried to quell their nerves by having a bite to eat and relaxing in the athlete’s tent near the starting line in Hopkinton. Two dozen runners from Korea, however, danced to loud drum music in front of a church, their bodies wrapped in multicolor sashes.

ap.google.com

Had James Blake died today, his widow wouldn’t have a grave to visit.
<0×2003>Blake’s remains are among the more than 900 bodies that inhabit Spartanburg County’s potter’s field, an expanse of grass and unmarked graves west of Croft State Natural Area. His wife and four children had no money to bury Blake, an auto repair shop worker, when he died unexpectedly at age 41 in 1986. Off to the pauper’s cemetery he went.
That was before Spartanburg County, like much of the country, switched to cremation only for indigent men and women whose bodies are unclaimed or whose families rank among the poorest of the poor. Unlike neighboring graves, Blake’s final resting place is marked, and his family regularly visits to maintain his site.
“He was my husband, and my children’s daddy, so we try to keep it nice,” said his widow, Evelyn Blake-
Heydman. They’ve added a small grave marker, a white fence and photos of Blake, bleached by the sun. Tiny statues and blue artificial flowers decorate the grave.
Potter’s fields, once common, are today often tucked away in remote, forgotten corners of cemeteries or rural fields. No longer popular because of the land needed and cost involved, more counties nationwide are doing away with the government-sponsored graveyards or moving to cremations only. In Cherokee County, where a spat erupted earlier this year over whether the county could bury its indigent residents in a city cemetery, officials are considering switching to cremations.
Newberry County funeral director Doggett Whitaker, past president of the National Funeral Directors Association, said regional differences often determine whether cremation is preferred, but he doubts any significant number of new potter’s fields will be born.
“I’m sure you’re seeing more cremations simply because cremation is becoming more prevalent in all aspects of funeral service, not just indigent,” he said. “The percentage of people choosing cremation over burial is increasing.”

goupstate.com