There were twenty-four recipients of the 2012 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal today, but Politico knows which one will really excite its readers:
President Barack Obama let his inner “Star Wars” nerd out on Wednesday when he honored its creator George Lucas at the White House…
When it was his turn, Lucas got a big smile and a big hug from the president, according to pool reports.
“I remember when I first saw ‘Star Wars,'” Obama said in his opening. “There’s a whole generation that thinks special effects always looked like they do today. But it used to be you’d see, like, the string on the little model spaceships.”…
Video at the link (sorry, can’t embed).
And for (fanboi) bipartisanship, Politico also shared the political opinion another iconic leader:
“Star Trek” star Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock on the sci-fi show, wants to see immigration reform succeed.
The actor shared his thoughts on the issue via Twitter on Tuesday.
“Is it possible we’ll get immigration reform ? Done in the Senate. Up to the house to get millions out of the shadows. LLAP,” he wrote. “Creating a path for immigrants to become taxpayers is logical. LLAP”…
The White House noticed Nimoy’s observations and retweeted him in agreement.
Creating a path for immigrants to become taxpayers is logical. LLAP
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) July 9, 2013
.
What’s on the agenda for another sultry summer evening?
Zifnab
Go back to Vulcanada, Spock!
scav
@Zifnab: I thought it was the other one we had to Kirk over the border . . .
NotMax
Politico?
Politico?!?
Yeesh.
Now gotta deploy the virtual Febreze.
Yatsuno
So the reason why I’ve been so active today is my system at work is kaput. I’ve been sitting here doing nothing and my day ain’t half-over yet. At least I get paid the same.
Villago Delenda Est
Sorry, the Ferengi/Pakled hybrids that are the teatards don’t do logic.
To switch universes: Wipe them out. All of them.
Jewish Steel
I don’t trust that navigator who says “wessel.”
Villago Delenda Est
@Jewish Steel:
Fry (to Walter Koenig): Say “nuclear wessels”
Koenig: No.
raven
Pouring again!
lamh35
AL, i can’t believe I missed your movie thread over the weekend. I was visiting fam in NOLA and never even bothered with checking out the blogs.
Anyway, I saw Despicable Me: 2 and it was pretty funny. The godKid and nephew loved it.
Also, I’ve officially become obsessed with Pacific Rim…lol. I’m def gonna see it and gonna bring my nephew and godsons. I’ve only listed positive reviews, but even the negative reviews are not “worst-movie ever” worthy ratings.
BTW, I really miss Roger Ebert right about now. Some of these critics are obviously just “too cool for school” and seem to have contempt for the movie-goers they are supposed to be advising…bleh.
Pacific Rim Reviews (Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes): Top Critics: 60% Fresh, All Critics 76% Fresh!
Washington Times: MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Pacific Rim’ 3 1/2 stars
LA Times: In ‘Pacific Rim,’ Del Toro makes magic with monsters
Hollywood Reporter: Pacific Rim: Film Review; A better-and-smarter-than-average humans-vs.-monsters spectacular.
Hal
Speaking of the future, I just read Orson Scott Card’s 2008 rant against gay marriage and will not be seeing ender’s game. I love sci-fi movies but I can’t help but think of Card as a more literate Pat Robertson now.
Here’s a good bit of reasoning on the subject:
http://www.slowbloom.com/blog/2013/07/why-i-am-skipping-enders-game/
Neddie Jingo
Had to stare quite a while at that “LLAP” before I finally twigged.
These youngsters and their Internetty initialisms. Where will it end?
Roger Moore
This is not the argument to use with today’s Republican party.
Roger Moore
@raven:
I got sprinkled on today. That may not sound like much to you, but it’s anything but par for the course for July in Southern California.
Heliopause
Let’s straighten a few things out about Star Wars Episode IV. It wasn’t nearly the special effects breakthrough as is generally portrayed. A number of films with effects about as good had already been released. What Lucas achieved with Episode IV was clever filmmaking, not breakthrough effects; on a limited budget he got the audience to think it was seeing more and better effects than they really were. Sadly, Lucas decided to go a different direction with the subsequent movies, filling every millimeter of screen, pointlessly, with as many expensive effects as he could manage.
Yes it is. Spending tens of billions on border nazification is not. Sad to say but it’s a good thing the current incarnation of the bill is doomed.
MikeJ
@Hal: I didn’t even know they were making a movie of it, and somebody at Fred’s place pointewd me at http://geeksout.org/blogs/jono/geeks-out-responds-orson-scott-card-still-plans-skip-enders-game
A pretty good book (the first one anyway, that’s all I’ve read), but a shitty human. It’s funny that bigots seem to think decent folks owe them their money.
FlipYrWhig
@Heliopause:
You mean “The Border Surge,” a conservative immigration plan, as an ad running on Fox News called it when I was at the gym this week?
Fax Paladin
If we’re Trekonyming, I would think “IDIC” would be more appropriate… but, then, from the Wikipedia article just linked, it looks like Nimoy might have considered that to be more marketing ploy than anything else, even given how much the fans latched onto the philosophy.
daverave
@lamh35:
Stringer Bell Lives!
01jack
@Heliopause:
It’s dead, Jim.
Xecky Gilchrist
When it was his turn, Lucas got a big smile and a big hug from the president…
And then a punch in the junk for Episode I.
catclub
@daverave: I am sure that looking at him has NOTHING to do with lamh35’s interest in the movie.
SiubhanDuinne
There are some nice heavyweight names on that list of recipients. Renee Fleming, Frank Deford, Anna Deveare Smith…
Paula
Fuck that shit.
Practical effects FTW.
Anybody see ‘Moon’?
PeterJ
Lucas can go DIAF after what he did to the original trilogy, making the prequel trilogy, and then selling it all to Disney.
mdblanche
@Hal: Card is a Mormon wingnut. Supposedly one of his newer Ender novels contains a multipage rant against abortion (I wouldn’t know; I gave up reading it halfway through the first chapter) and he had a major sad last year when Flip Whatshisface won the Republican nomination and the public face of his religion became a semihuman etch-a-sketch with the stink of loser on him. I’m just wondering how they’re going to film the nude fight scene in the showers and why Card wrote something like that in the first place.
lamh35
@catclub: of course not, I’m a serious movie goer!!! How dare you suggest otherwise…
Ooh just got a instagram with more Idris pics…be back…lol
Gravenstone
@mdblanche:
At a guess, one handed.
Ted & Hellen
“Moon” is a great movie.
Sam Rockwell is a great actor. Which is why he doesn’t get the recognition his talent deserves.
But never mind all that, isn’t the president dreamy?
Narcissus
@Gravenstone: For real Ender’s Game would make a fantastic porno
Buncha naked hot twinks wrestling in the shower and stuff
I was really surprised when I found out Card was a bigot
Tara the Antisocial Social Worker
Has anyone checked Spock’s green card? It says right here he’s an alien!
Xecky Gilchrist
Has anyone checked Spock’s green card?
Green card, hell! All they need to do is check his green blood.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
I read the last line as
and thought perhaps Anne Laurie leads a much less boring life than I do.
Chyron HR
@Ted & Hellen:
Apparently you aren’t aware that the moon base (and oning-clay) was just more of that fake science that enrages you so.
MomSense
@lamh35:
I can’t wait to see Pacific Rim!
AdamK
@Neddie Jingo: Back in my day we spelled words all the way out.
Redshirt
@Xecky Gilchrist: And then Obama should’ve taken the medal back and stated that Lucas doesn’t get one until Chewbaca gets one.
Why didn’t Chewie get a medal, man?!
Jay C
@Gravenstone:
Probably by ripping off this one…
RaflW
This evening was (finally!) of the non-sultry variety. Very lucky to have been invited to a 2/5 hour houseboat ride on the “wild and scenic” St Croix river (runs along the MN-WI border northeast of the Twin Cities).
Wild and scenic is it’s official designation, though La Bachman and (more annoyingly) Al Franken have kinda pissed on the designation to get some godawful bridge federally approved. Anyway, we were miles north of where that desecration will happen.
It was glorious! Low humidity and about 75 degrees. Ahhhhhhhhhh.
SectionH
There’s nothing new about Obama being a fan of some sort. Or some sorts. What pisses me off is that it’s supposed to be weird or something.
Anyway, ALL: next BJ meet-up in the Boston area around Boskone, perhaps? Needn’t be near the actual convention.
johnny aquitard
@Xecky Gilchrist: Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
<a href="“>
“I mean, how much more could you possibly fuck up the entire back story to Starwars?“