For my mother-in-law, brothers and anyone else who doesn’t want to be spoiled, read no further.

I was right.

I was right.

I was right.

Was I correct about everything? Not really.

Did I divine the secret of the horcruxes and the hallows exactly. No, not exactly.

Here, in the order in which they were destroyed (and by whom) are Lord Voldemort’s Horcruxes:

1. Tom Riddle’s Diary - Harry
2. Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring - Dumbledore
3. Salazar Slytherin’s Locket - Ron
4. Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup - Hermione
5. Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem - Crabbe
6. Harry Potter - Lord Voldemort
7. Nagini - Neville Longbottom

So I left out Nagini, but I thought the snake might still be a Horcrux. Everyone naturally thought that LV knew about Harry Potter (or suspected as much) but, ultimately, LV’s arrogance of many things magical was his ultimate downfall.

So, yeah, I’m done and I feel like I had a pretty good read on the way things would turn out.

My one disappointment is that Neville didn’t kill Bellatrix Lestrange, but his courage in facing LV and killing Nagini was a great scene.

I can’t wait for more epilogue details or the supposedly forthcoming encyclopedia, but J.K. Rowling deserves a rest.

Anyhow, I loved the book and I’m glad it’s finished so I can re-read from the beginning with all the knowledge I now have.

Accio Book!

The semi-namesake of this blog - Jim Henson’s Muppets - are making the move to Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts.

NY Times article
AJC article

This is incredible news and a great victory for those of us who want to actually see some of the history of these pop culture icons preserved. No longer relegated to a warehouse, the public will now be able to see many more of the original puppets and props used to make the Muppets come to life.

Sure, you can see some puppets/muppets in the International concourse of the airport and the Center for Puppetry Arts had a few examples, but this is huge.

Ms. Henson, Jim Henson’s second-oldest daughter, and Jane Henson, her mother and Mr. Henson’s first performing partner, expected to be in Atlanta on Wednesday to announce the gift: 500 to 700 puppets, including some of the first Muppets built; props; scenic elements; posters; sketches; and drawings that Mr. Henson created for shows like “The Muppet Show,” “Sesame Street,” “Fraggle Rock” and “Sam and Friends” (where the Muppets first appeared). Cheryl Henson has also pledged $1 million of her own money to the center.

There are some Muppets at the Smithsonian, but this is HUGE. I only wish I could skip work and go see them today!

And the Center really is wonderful. Having attended a performance with my daughter just a month or so again (and missing the museum portion), I’d gladly go again and again.

Kudos to the Henson family and the Jim Henson Foundation for making this generous gift.

This makes me all the more excited about the supposed re-working of the original Muppet Show that the Jim Henson Company is rumored to be undertaking.

Plus, Disney has made more Muppet plans and one of my employing networks, TBS, is still showing Puppet Up! via broadband.

Viva La Muppets!

UPDATE: Video and photos of the press conference! [Thanks to Andrew and Josh Phillipson, respecitively]

When I worked at Blockbuster Video about a dozen years ago you could always count on a grab of young teenage guys to come in on a Friday night and rent Faces of Death.

Don’t ask me to explain the phenomenon, but I can remember watching the horrifying (in content and quality) videos myself with one of my younger brothers and our friends.

So now, here’s the recipe for making a successful parody: Muppet Faces of Death

1. Conan O’Brien
2. Muppets
3. Faces of Death

Here’s the premise: I’m going to start a semi-regular feature here where I pitch a movie as if my opinion matters and that you, the reader, are a gaggle of Hollywood execs.

Sounds simple? It is.

First off, a bad idea whose time has come (and would, in my eyes, almost certainly be greenlit (greenlighted?)): Cap’n Crunch: The Movie!

Pirates are hot right now. Disney did an entire trilogy based on a theme park ride, so the current pop culture environment is ripe to take advantage of a beloved breakfast icon who just happens to have a nautical theme: Cap’n Crunch.

Second, Jay Ward cartoons have been movies before.

George of the Jungle.
Dudley Do-Right.
Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Who cares if they all bombed and 2/3 of them starred Brendan Fraser? Not me.

You could make your money back on the DVD and cable rights, plus Fraser is probably still free from some fat-suit prosthesis, a fake mustache and that blue hat.

Also, I’d have Judd Apatow direct. He loves the comedies and his wife starred in George of the Jungle so it’d be a natural fit.

All we need now is some veteran British actor to play the villain, say Peter O’Toole since he’s on the comeback trail, and we’re all set.

What say you?

Cap’n Crunch: The Movie (Summer 2008)
Brendan Fraser - Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch
Peter O’Toole - Squish the Sogmaster
Leslie Mann - Mermaid love interest
Directed by Judd Apatow

I’ll hopefully have more original content soon, but you can enjoy these blog badges instead on my first day back to work from paternity leave.

Mingle² - Free Online Dating

41%

Mingle² - Free Online Dating