Gawker: The Brad Pitt-Steven Soderbergh adaptation of MONEYBALL is in big trouble because of alleged script issues. Having read MONEYBALL last year among other baseball books, I have no reason to suspect this won't be snapped up by another studio, hopefully one that has a cool idea on how to illustrate statistical principles without putting audiences to sleep. Not loving the idea of Pitt as Billy Beane, but Demetri Martin as Paul de Podesta? Interesting.
Boston.com: NH public school pulls Sedaris, Hemingway, King, Lippmann stories from curriculum. This probably happens so often it barely merits a mention, but while we're here, listen to Sedaris reading "I Like Guys" on "This American Life," because it might make you laugh and break your heart. And since I really was assigned "Hills Like White Elephants" in high school: Do these same students have to read THE SUN ALSO RISES? 'Cause it would sure be hilarious if they were allowed to read about the tragedy of a red-blooded American male not being able to express himself in the sack, but not about the potential consequences of same.
NYT Week in Review: "Get A Life, Holden Caulfield" CATCHER IN THE RYE may not be catching as many high schoolers' eyes as it did in decades past, because the kids today, they're all about their text messagin' and "Gossip Girl" watchin' and prescription drug takin'. (All mentioned in the article!) The socioeconomic angle on it is valid, but then I hit this sentence: "Today’s pop culture heroes, it seems, are the nerds who conquer the world — like Harry [Potter] — not the beautiful losers who reject it." Why didn't any of you call me during the part of history where nerds conquered the world? Related: John Hodgman's speech at the Radio and TV Correspondents' Dinner this weekend, in which he dwells at hilarious length on the question of whether the President is a nerd. (Via @kenkrim on Twitter.)
4 days ago
4 comments:
Harry Potter isn't a nerd: he's a jock.
I suppose it is true that Hermione Granger is a nerd, and that is presented as a good thing in the book, but apparently not good enough to make her the protagonist.
Still, Hermione does save the day a lot, which suggests that even if Harry Potter is a jock, he's one who plays well with nerd.
I never thought of Quidditch as a particularly athletic game. Have I been playing it wrong?
I figure that quidditch is like polo (not that I ever played that, either): while the horse (broom) is doing much more work than you are, you're probably still tired and sore afterwards.
Harry Potter wears glasses and is all thin and sickly-looking, he's close enough to be a nerd.
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