I can’t actually say I enjoy listening to Nina Simone. Her voice is perplexing. She sings because she has something to say, not because she wants to entertain (for the most part) and that drives me away AND pulls me in. It’s an excercise in listening. Having said that, I think there is no better version of I Get Along Without You Very Well on this Earth. She touches each part of it intimately and leaves me haunted.

I can hear the artistry in this album; it’s just not a style I like much. I sort of don’t appreciated Gordon’s first statement of the song. It’s bland, bored, given with a sense of obligation instead of musicality. By the time he starts noodlin’ around I’m already in a nasty mood.

Here’s an album I can play over and over. And over. And over. I don’t think it’s the pop appeal, because I hear something more every time I give it a listen. CBR’s phrasing and diction are incredibly compelling. She understates, yearns, and celebrates. Excellent.

I’m a Dreamgirl! Me! I AM!

Actually, perhaps Van Hunt has a velour voice… either way, it’s smooth and textured at the same time, the beats are organic and the melodies soulful or fun. Very cohesive album.

Sarah’s always right, #1.

I’m suffering from a John Green crush at the moment. I love the video blog he set up with his brother (www.brotherhood2.com) and his writing is intelligent, humorous, and ever respectful to the teenage mind. I put up a second pedestal next to Rob Thomas. John Green is there ensconced.

I agree with SaburoChaos quite a bit, but feel like adding a few thoughts.

1. This movie was very possibly made around the soundtrack. Good soundtrack. Predictably indie soundtrack. Sit, soundtrack, sit!

2. Zooey’s character was so oddly marvelous. There was something genuinely admirable about her terrible habits. She snorts coke, uses men, repels book editors and solicits hugs, and it all seems a bit glamorously tragic. Y’see, she’s a pained soul! A soul in pain! A painy soully goo! She’s an indie culture icon, which is simultaneously appealing and appallingly commercialized.

3. To say that Will Ferrell plays it straight in this movie… well, that’s generous. You get the same kind of patient pity between Reese and Corbit as you get between… whatsherface and Elf Ferrell. It works. Oh, I’m not saying it doesn’t work. Still, nothing shocking here.

4. The shots are often perfect, the pacing is great, and the characters change realistically – the last item being my movie deal-breaker.

I think perhaps the studio said, “We need to fill the void where a Dark Ages cast-of-thousands movie would go. We have a huge surplus of looks-like-filth make-up. Any thoughts? Anyone?”

The film was enjoyable on a sort of shallow level, but it was generally predictable, as movies in this line tend to be. Isolde gets mad play, though, lucky girl.

I have to say, my lunch nearly didn’t survive this one. There were a LOT of squishing, spurting, half-aquatic zombies. There were birds pecking out eyes. There were phlegm-spewing Krakens. Squish squish.

However, it was TONS of fun! And you finally get to see Johnny Depp make out with someone! In general, the plot was lighter and the villain was practically congenial. As a second film in a trilogy, it worked perfectly – it lays groundwork and it’s pure entertainment along the way. The bottom line: it’s exactly what you expect it to be: corny, funny, swashbuckling, visually exciting. Very fun summer movie

Whether or not I’m convinced by the matter of this movie, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I think it would have been impossible for it to have a lot of hard data, and the experts seem to tell you that you’d have a hard time finding it anyway, but just making my brain think of the possibilities was worth my time. When it comes down to it, psychologists have been preaching the same ideas – if you actively attempt to change your brain chemistry, you can change your outlook and attitude.

I liked that the film was not-quite-documentary. The use of a small plotline was a creative vehicle for visualizing the different theories. Marlee Matlin’s acting was wonderful to watch.