Gigantic, wide-ranging interview with Joss Whedon that is a must for not only geeks, but anyone interested in the entertainment industry. Best bit:

Graham Yost [who received the sole screenplay credit for “Speed”] has always been very polite to me and very sweet but he did say to me, “You would have done the same thing.” And all I could say to him at the time was, “Well, I guess we don’t know if that’s true.”

My friend Brendan Conway has a terrific piece in the new issue of Doublethink (which of course I edit) on those Truly Tastless jokes books your mother, if she was like mine, took away from you when you were, like, ten years old. Turns out all those scatological zingers were written by a woman, a woman who’s gone from being a key resistance fighter against the beginnings of political correctness to being an outspoken progressive and touchy-feely liberal. Conway also looked into the books’ comic heritage and has some hilarious quotes from various comedy experts, some of them real (an Onion editor), some of them not (I shouldn’t say).

Truly Tasteless Expose

If you love your CulturePulp, you’ll want to take advantage of this sale of beautiful CulturePulp prints. All proceeds to benefit the trust fund for Timber Jim’s granddaughter.

It’s beautiful and reasonably-priced (I daresay cheap) art.

Having finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I have some spoiler-filled thoughts. Highlight the inviso-text below.

Like everyone else, I was shocked by the climax of Half-Blood Prince. I’ve expected Dumbledore’s death since the first book, but I never thought Snape would be the one to do him in. (Actually, I thought it a fair chance that Harry might kill him.)

Which leads me to one final thought: When Rowling finishes the series there will naturally be a clamor for her to give us more Potter somehow–a spin-off featuring Hermione, or Fred and George, perhaps. My own hope is that she will instead settle down and write Hogwarts: A History.

This list leaves something to be desired–particularly the Top 10 slots. I’ll buy Super Mario Bros. at number 1, but the Nintendo 64 bias is a little tough to take. A Legend of Zelda sequel ranked far ahead of Ms. Pac Man? (Heck, Metal Gear Solid ranked above Ms. Pac Man?)

Discuss.

The above lyrics for “All You Need Is Love” were in the process of being sold off by music auctioneer Cooper Owen in London last night (no word yet on the final bidder). The Washington Post quotes that company’s director, Ted Owen, who calls it “the Holy Grail of Beatles lyrics. It’s probably one of the few remaining Beatles lyrics in private collectors’ hands and one of the most important musical manuscripts in existence. It was the anthem of the peace movement … the anthem of 1967.”

Hey man, is that Freedom Rock? Well turn it up, dude!

And just like Freedom Rock, the lyrics for peace, love, and happiness do cost money. And not $19.95 plus shipping and handling, either. To be specific, the lyrics are estimated to be worth between $870,000 and $1 million.

Ironic, isn’t it?

And yet the part that bothers me is not so much the value (or overvalue), but rather Owen’s statement that it is “the Holy Grail of Beatles lyrics.” Personally, I’d rank them below the lyrics for “Eleanor Rigby” and “Things We Said Today” at the very least.

Besides that, there were much more interesting objects at auction last night. If I were a rich man (and kept my money in a big brown bag inside a zoo), I’d have spent it all on the Vox Continental organ Lennon played at Shea Stadium. (And if it actually works, I’d call over Billy Preston for a jam session, assuming Billy is still alive.)

Consider the following a public service announcement:

When I recently saw one of my colleagues limping around, I just assumed he had sprained an ankle. He wishes. In fact, he is recovering from a spider bite. The other night, he saw what he thought was just one of those house spiders, the kind you inevitably get during the summer months. (This reminds me of my mother’s catchphrase: Well, it’s the summer, which went for anything: “Mom, wasps flew into the house!” Well, it’s the summer. “There’s a snake in the pool!” Well, it’s the summer. “Street gangs are wilding through Central Park!” Well, it’s the summer.)

Oh, right, back to the spider. My colleague thought nothing of it as it quickly crawled away. The next morning he awoke to find an abrasion on his leg. Over time it worsened until there appeared a giant red swelling with a black center. Eventually he goes to the hospital and learns he was bitten by a poisonous (though usually nonlethal) spider known as a brown recluse. These guys can be nasty. According to the website eMedicine, bites from a brown recluse “can cause significant cutaneous injury with tissue loss and necrosis. Less frequently, more severe reactions develop, including systemic hemolysis, coagulopathy, renal failure, and, rarely, death.” If you’re like me, you pretty much stopped reading after the word necrosis.

“Females lay eggs in flattened egg sacs that are frequently attached to the underside of objects,” reports greennature.com. “Up to 40 spiderlings may hatch from a single egg sac. A single female may produce up to five egg sacs in a summer.” I mention this because my coworker has yet to find the spider, which prefers dark places. A female brown recluse can live up to four years.

As my mother would say…

Last weekend I toured Virginia’s fast-growing wine country (along with the Mrs. and another couple). And while it is no Napa, the trip was well worth it and comes highly recommended for those readers in the Washington area. Rustic Middleburg, where we stayed, is only an hour or so from the city and a world away with its verdant hills and valleys. We made four stops, each with its distinct flavor:

1. Naked Mountain, deep in the Blue Ridge, provided some of the best views and the most casual atmosphere. We simply walked up to the counter and the bottles were laid out before us. The riesling was exceptionally crisp, though they are better known for their buttery chardonnays. (Some are aged in oak, others in steel.) Best of all, there is no tasting fee.

2. They say CHRYSalis, I say ChrySALis, either way, this winery was the most elaborate, a genuine dog-and-pony show complete with headset-equipped coordinators who told us where to go and how much for the tasting. ($10 gets you the entire estate and vintage wine collection to sample, totalling 13 different types.) I recommend the Albariño, a Spanish white varietal, as well as Sarah’s Patio Red, served chilled and slightly spritzed–an excellent wine to drink when the heat index is 110. Bonus: You get to keep the glasses.

3. Amid the Hunt Country you will fine a mom-and-pop winery called Swedenburg. Juanita and Wayne Swedenburg must be in their 70s but their efforts to bring their wines to all Americans are relentless. In fact, Juanita actually took her case right up to the Supreme Court and won. Sort of. There are still myriad arcane rules dating from Prohibition that make interstate wine-selling difficult, but with Juanita’s crusade, some of those barriers have been removed. A good thing, for no one should be kept from their Pinot Noir, a not-too-complex Burgundy with a spicy aroma.

4. Piedmont Vineyards is one of the more popular wineries in the state and touts an impressive selection, including dessert and peach wines. For the last seven years, Piedmont has been ruled by a middle-aged German couple from Munich. The Herr is no-nonsense and very serious. The Frau is slender and elegant, the type that wears a body suit with nothing underneath. Not that I noticed. They don’t actually have much in the way of rieslings though the Herr recommends the Lake Champlain region of Upstate New York. They’ve also heard the Swedenburgs are weak in their old age and may be ripe for an annexation. (I’m kidding!)