Now THIS looks like a prime candidate for a disaster film! "The Hotelicopter" boasts 18 luxury-appointed rooms, wireless, and even room service. The flying hotel will making its 14-day maiden voyage this summer. My wish list for the first passengers: Bronson Pinchot, Barbara Eden, Sherman Hensley and Ernest Borgnine.
Update: Apparently an April Fool's joke, and a good one!

I've been looking forward to this sequel to the epic Victorian Steam-punk tale "The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters" for quite some time. Now that I finally have it in hand, I'm trying not to devour it too quickly.

Yeah, it's a genuine "Snuggie."

Filming has begun on Fox's American remake of "Absolutely Fabulous," starring Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Johnson.
This is not Pats. This is not Eddy. No way. Not now, not never.

So legally-married gay folks will not be counted in the 2010 U.S. census. According to an article in the Long Beach Press Telegram:
"Census takers will ask same-sex couples who live together to define themselves as 'unmarried partners,' as they did in 2000 before some states - currently only Connecticut and Massachusetts - allowed gay marriage. 'This is all about the numbers. This not about lifestyle or anything else,' says U.S. Census spokeswoman Cynthia Endo. The omission of gay marriage and sexuality questions on the census bothers some gays and lesbians, who argue that a proper accounting would give them the same visibility as minorities, who gain political power when their numbers increase. 'I am a sociologist and census data is very important to our existence, and I don't like it when they leave things out, it causes an undercount,' says Sharon Raphael, 67, who teaches gerontology at Cal State Dominguez Hills. 'Certain numbers of us are not out, and when they hide us under these general descriptions ... it just makes us more invisible.'
Ahhh, the equality in America continues.

On last night's episode of "Family Guy," Peter was injected with the gay gene - and viewers were treated to every silly swishy, sissy gay stereotype in the book. But the underlying message was that homos are fine just the way we are, thank you very much, and attempts to change us are doomed to failure. Totally tasteless, rude and hilarious.

Watched some movies over the weekend that we chose to bypass in theaters:

Capsule review: Typically horrible writing and directing from the shockingly untalented Kevin Smith. Simply peppering a script with curse words does not a comedy make.

Capsule review: Typically horrible acting from the shockingly untalented Michael Cera. Simply acting befuddled and staring into space does not a comedy make. (Also, wherever Kat Dennings came from...she should go back there.)

Michael Jackson held a press conference in London yesterday to announce that he will perform live in a concert series this summer. Before retiring. For good. If we're lucky.

Unfortunately I don't think today's Supreme Court hearing on the validity of Prop 8 went very well. I thought a lot of the oral arguments made on behalf of the No on 8 side were tentative and embarrassingly awkward. California Deputy Attorney General Krueger seemed completely out of his league, stammering and adding "ya know" into every other sentence. Mercifully, Chief Deputy Attorney Therese Stewart from San Francisco was articulate, assertive and held her own against repeated grilling from Justice Joyce Kennard. And, you have to admit that Ken Starr earned his Yes on 8 salary today, even though he was almost condescending in his replies to the bench. It seems that Justice Kennard is poised to reverse her earlier vote in support of marriage equality, swinging the court to a 4-3 vote against us. I don't think things bode well for the ruling, expected in the next 90 days.
From the Los Angeles Times:
"The California Supreme Court appeared ready today to vote to uphold Proposition 8, the November ballot measure that banned gay marriage, but also seemed ready to decide unanimously to recognize existing same-sex marriages. During a three-hour televised hearing in San Francisco, only two of the court's seven justices indicated a possible readiness to overturn the initiative. Chief Justice Ronald M. George noted that the court was following a different Constitution when it approved gay marriage last May. "Today we have a different state Constitution," he said. Justice Joyce L. Kennard, who usually votes in favor of gay rights, voted against accepting the revision challenge to Proposition 8 but said she would hear arguments over the validity of existing same-sex marriages. Kennard said during the hearing that 'Prop. 8 did not take away the whole bundle of rights that this court articulated in the marriage case.'"

Via Robert Gammon, East Bay Express:
"The much-anticipated showdown over gay marriage in front of the state Supreme Court is now only hours away. The live telecast of the historic hearing is set for 9 a.m. Thursday. In most East Bay locations, it will be broadcast on cable channels 26 or 78. Or, you can watch streamed live on calchannel.com. So, will the Supremes bow to the will of the people and uphold Prop. 8, thereby keeping gay marriage illegal? Or will the court do the right thing, and overturn the measure, and reinstate its historic ruling from last year, legalizing same-sex nuptials?
The court doesn't have to publish its ruling for 90 days, but it should be apparent which way the justices are leaning at the hearing. Experts say the one to watch is Chief Justice Ron George. A moderate, George wrote last year's decision allowing gays to marry. He's also considered a swing vote, and usually sides with the majority."

Via manticoremoustache.blogspot.com