The House Next Door

1. Sean Burns, brilliantly, on An American Carol for Philadelphia Weekly.

["“Enjoy your Fourth Amendment Right to Privacy … in hell!” Grammer bellows, blowing him to bits and earning an ovation from my screening audience. I never imagined I’d be surrounded by so many self-described “patriots” so actively jeering our fundamental Constitutional protections. But there’s the rub. Zucker’s film reeks of a deeply insecure psychosis, one that’s often insultingly mislabeled as patriotism. In actuality, true patriotism requires a working knowledge of your country’s history and a willingness to hold leaders accountable when they fail to live up to the ideals set forth by the Founding Fathers. It’s hard work. What’s much easier, and what we sadly see far too much of these days, is more like pea-brained nationalism; a foot-stomping tantrum of blind, proudly ignorant allegiance- assuming moral superiority, simply because you were lucky enough to have been born in the right place at the right time. "]

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2. "Kim Chan, actor in diverse Asian roles": R.I.P. (Via Glenn Kenny.)

["Kim Chan, an actor who became a familiar face in a variety of Asian roles, notably as Jerry Lewis's butler in the Martin Scorsese film "The King of Comedy," a character who did furious battle with an obsessed fan played by Robert De Niro, has died in Brooklyn. His niece Judy Gee, who confirmed his death, which occurred Sunday, said that he was probably 93 or 94. From bit parts as a houseboy or a Japanese soldier, Chan worked his way up to playing dignified old men with access to the wisdom of the East, as he did in "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues," a spinoff of the 1970s television series "Kung Fu" that ran from 1993 to 1997."]

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3. "Conn. Ban On Gay Marriage Reversed": From the Washington Post.

["The Connecticut Supreme Court overturned a state ban on same-sex marriage yesterday, ruling that it "discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation" in violation of the state constitution. The 4 to 3 ruling made Connecticut the nation's third state to legalize gay marriage through the courts, joining Massachusetts and California."]

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4. Dave McDougall on Nights and Weekends at The Auteurs Notebook.

["One reason I admire the films lumped together as “Mumblecore” is this anthropological aspect. For all of their aesthetic differences, they tend to share an interest in vernacular realisms that share the realistic mannerisms and cadences of life as its lived by my peers, the privileged solipsism of young optimistic city-dwelling liberal-arts grads, and uncertainties about the tiny worlds in which they live. Nights and Weekends takes this same anthropological approach to an unsustainable relationship, studying the moments of interaction between a long-distance couple in intimate detail."]

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5. "Golden Gate Bridge to get suicide net to catch would-be jumpers": From the L.A. Times.

["Stainless-steel netting costing up to $50 million will be placed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge to catch would-be suicide jumpers, San Francisco officials decided Friday. The decision by the board of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District follows several years of controversy. The agency has yet to determine how to finance it, said spokeswoman Mary Currie. The netting was the "locally preferred alternative," Currie said. More than 5,000 comments came flooding into the agency as part of its environmental review process. About 2,000 people have jumped from the storied bridge since it opened in 1937. So far this year, 19 have made the leap, which is almost always fatal. Whether public funds should be used to prevent additional suicides has been passionately debated."]

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Quote of the Day: Alberto Giacometti

"Establishing yourself, furnishing a house, building up a comfortable existence, and having that menace hanging over your head all the time - no, I prefer to live in hotels, cafés, just passing through."

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Image of the Day (click to enlarge): Jeff Kleinsmith's Alamo Drafthouse-commissioned poster for The Shining (via Mystery Man on Film).



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Clip of the Day: A McFuneral brings out the worst in McDonald-land.

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"Links for the Day": Each morning, the House editors post a series of weblinks that we think will spark discussion. Comments encouraged. Suggestions for links are also welcome. Please send to keithuhlich@gmail.com.