Three birthday wishes

Happy belated birthday to singer/songwriter/activist Pete Seeger, born 3 May 1919 (!!) and still pickin' and protestin' at 89 years young. Only one I've seen lately doing nearly as well closing in on the century mark is the amazing TV announcer Don Pardo, who cleared 90 a couple months ago and doesn't look (or sound) a day over 70. You can now order the excellent recent PBS American Masters episode "Pete Seeger: The Power of Song" on DVD here.

And a happy on-time birthday to another of my favorite guitarists—but one I actually know personally—chirosinger ! (You don't let LJ tell us your birthday, hon; I had to find it out from your hubby's LJ. Naughtybad filksinger! :-) )

Also many happy returns to akawil ; and to all three, may your natal day be everything you want it to be.

A Senate survivor on the Bush Régime, up close and personal

Courtesy of StumbleUpon and Brown University's alumni magazine, former Vermont US Senator Lincoln Chafee (Ind.) reveals just how sociopathic Junior Bush and his coterie of Constitution-shredders have been in their (ab)use of the power they stole, from his own direct personal experience:
The Tax Cut That Neutered Congress
Now if only he'd had the cojones to say to Darth Cheney, after his 15-minute one-on-one harangue, "Okay, Mr. Vice President, I've listened to you. Now, damn it, sir, you are going to listen to me!..."

Go see Iron Man. NOW.

I have just come back from seeing Marvel Studios' latest effort at monetizing its superhero properties in other media bringing the fantastic concepts of its comic-book creators to the silver screen. And I am here to tell you that the new Jon Favreau-directed Iron Man movie, starring Robert Downey Jr. in the title role, kicks at least seventeen distinct varieties of ass. Check out the movie's official website to find out more...or better yet, just go see the damn thing already. And don't walk—run. Even if you've never read a single page of the comic book on which it is based, you'll enjoy it...and if you have, it'll be even more awesome.

I do not believe it an exaggeration to class this as the best superhero-based film to come out of Marvel's character stable to date, bar none—yes, I said better than all three Spider-Man films, all three X-Men films, 2003's Ang Lee-directed Hulk (which has also been remade for a new release June 13th, and for which a trailer ran before the movie tonight) and the two Fantastic Four films. It may even be better than all of them put together...and good enough to stand alongside Superman: The Movie and Batman Begins, from the Distinguished Competition (as they used to be referred to in Marvel lettercols).

One other piece of advice: Stay through the very end of the closing credits. I promise, you won't be sorry...especially if you're a fan of Marvel Comics' Ultimate universe.