Carnivale (2004) day three, episodes 7 through 12. As the second half had less nudity, this will be the final night for this season. We have breasts from Cynthia Ettinger and Carla Gallo, and full frontal and rear from Valeria Hernandez as a new coochie dancer.

They are, understandably, advancing the plot towards the final battle slowly. After all, when the final confrontation finally comes, it will be hard to justify continuation of the series. However, the characters are interesting enough, and there are enough sub-plots, that the slow advancement of the main plot is not a serious problem. I suspect this could have been a killer 6 episode mini-series, but even stretched out is very good entertainment. The magic realism and inevitable final battle between good and evil is enough reason for a story, but the period setting, the inside look at carny freaks, and the slice of depression life make it a real joy. This is a B.

For those interested, the second season of "Carnivàle" premieres Sunday, January 9th. Also, here's the official HBO site with complete episode summaries of Season 1.

THX 1138  (1971):

Unless you live in a distant galaxy and are only here on Earth to study our quaint ways, you probably know that THX 1138 was the only commercial feature George Lucas had ever directed before Star Wars and American Graffiti.

Comments at the Movie House. It is very extensive, filled with pictures, and my combination of awe and cynicism. I love this film in some ways, but it absolutely bores the shit out of me.

I did not capture the film clips.

• Maggie McOmie collages (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

• Maggie McOmie film clips (zipped .wmvs) (1, 2)

• Barbara Artis collages (1, 2, 3, 4)

• Barbara Artis zipped .wmv film clip

• Pictures of some other chick (1, 2) (hey, I watched every freakin' documentary and listened to all the commentary. She remains anonymous. The picture of her breast falling out while she's being carried by Sid Haig is from the film. The picture of her sitting naked is from the "making of" documentary.

Other Crap:

• Friday Box Office > 12-31-2004
  • With nothing new this week, Meet the Fockers continues to steamroll over the competition.
  • Besides Fockers, the big winner in the results - you ain't gonna believe it - was National Treasure, which (in its seventh weekend) made the #6 spot and beat Spanglish, The Life Aquatic, Phantom of the Opera, Darkness, and Beyond the Sea.
  • Scorsese's spectacular The Aviator showed some signs of life, averaging $2000 per screen despite a long running time that restricts the number of showings per screen.
• Download 1 Night in Chyna, the nude wrestler thingy.
• Tales of the South Dakota Citizens Against Nude Juicebars and Pornography.
  • Nude juicebars? I weep for the youth of South Dakota!
  • Mostly, I weep in jealousy, because in my day the only way to see a nude juicebar was to get Dirty Deb Deniro to eat a popsicle before blowing you.
• Coast Guard to use computerized buoys to boost security.
  • I wonder why "buoy" is never listed as one of the most confusing words in our language to pronounce. While it is not really "mis"pronounced, since several alternatives are acceptable, I have actually heard people corrected for pronouncing the word correctly as "boy"! People have forgotten that "boy" and "bwoy" were the original English pronunciations. According to the OED, those are still the only two correct pronunciations in Britspeak. American dictionaries now list "BOO-ee" as the most common American usage. It's a strange one, too, because Americans usually pronounce "buoyant" in the traditional way as "BOY-ent", but have often taken it upon themselves to alter "buoy" from "BOY" to "BOO-ee".
  • My guess - just a guess - is that it is a case where spelling dictated pronunciation. The first known example of this word in writing occurred in 1466, and it was spelled "boy". This spelling was still common as late as 1677, although "buoy" first appeared in 1668. Other olden spellings included "boigh" and "bwoy". (Remember that there were no official standardized English spellings until the 1750s, so all were correct, and none were correct.) After the publication of Dr Johnson's dictionary in 1755, I can find no further examples of any other spelling but "buoy". The other three spellings made the pronunciation fairly evident, but when the modern spelling of "buoy" became the standard in the 18th century, it seems to have gotten most everybody (well, especially Americans) dancing in a different direction on the pronunciation.
• ABC News has declared Bloggers to be the "People of the Year", just edging out drawbridge oilers.
• Two jury members were kicked off, the foreman was ousted, and the case was nearly deadlocked. Now jurors in the Scott Peterson case tell the story of their decision to sentence him to death.
• Slideshow of 99 weird and human interest news photos from 2004
• Surfer 'rides tsunami to safety'
• German court sets copyright levy on new PCs: "The country is now poised to become the first on the Continent to impose a copyright levy, similar to a royalty collection, on new PCs."
• 'Open Water' filmmakers survive tsunami.
• Urban Legend: "A good Samaritan who saves Richard Nixon from drowning asks only one reward: that no one tell his father.
• The New York Times - 2004 in pictures
• Rock stars as children. The site is in Portuguese, but it doesn't matter.
• 22 words and expressions on the annual 'List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness'"
• First look at Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter in that new Harry Potter film.
• South Park co-creator Matt Stone has vowed not to make another picture with partner Trey Parker
• How To Make Firefox Faster
• Unforgettable Images Of 2004
• IMDb has released its top 25 stars for 2004, based on searches.
• Now THIS will give you a happy new year. Kirsten Dunst caught topless by paparazzi in St. Barts
• The Kill or Be Killed Museum
  • "Tucked away in a forgotten corner of the American Southwest desert is a place that experiences life and death on a daily basis. It's called "The Kill or Be Killed Museum," where you pit your human ingenuity versus the forces of nature for a small admission fee of 7 dollars. It's great fun and horrible tragedy all wrapped into one. For kids of all ages."
• The best way to say Happy New Year

Other Crap archives. May also include newer material than the links above, since it's sorta in real time.

Click here to submit a URL for Other Crap

MOVIE REVIEWS:

Here are the latest movie reviews available at scoopy.com.

• The yellow asterisks indicate that I wrote the review, and am deluded into thinking it includes humor.
• If there is a white asterisk, it means that there isn't any significant humor, but I inexplicably determined there might be something else of interest.
• A blue asterisk indicates the review is written by Tuna (or Junior or Brainscan, or somebody else besides me)
• If there is no asterisk, I wrote it, but am too ashamed to admit it.

Words, pictures, and vids from ICMS

These kinds of paparazzi pics have been faked before. But so far, they appear to be genuine.

• Kirsten Dunst (1, 2, 3)

Kicking off the new year with 'caps of Best Nude Scene 2004 winner Eva Green in "The Dreamers".

• Eva Green (1, 2, 3)

I voted for Eva and was pleased to see that Eva won the Funhouse poll. However, I came very close to changing my vote because, geez louise, Ludivine Sagnier looked so spectacular in "La Petit Lili". When I saw the collages Charlie made of her in that movie, my response was audible to all the folks working in back of the shop. That she got only three votes is crime against humanity... that Neve Campbell and Mimi Rogers out-polled her is enough to make me weep. I am able to sleep only because I figure Ludivine was the second-place vote for all of us who voted for Eva.

Jr's notes:

Brainscan's comments got me thinking about how I voted, so I thought I'd share my thoughts about 2004's best nude scenes.

• 1. Eva Green in "The Dreamers". Because all movie debuts should be like this!

• 2. Chloe Sevigny in "The Brown Bunny". Not so much because of great nudity, but simply because she's and A-ish list celeb giving a 100% real BJ!

• 3. Ludivine Sagnier in "La Petite Lili". Because she is goddess.

• 4. Mimi Rogers in "The Door in the Floor". Mimi earns big points for doing a triple B performance at age 50-something (or if you ask her, age 39).

• 5. Molly Schade in "EuroTrip". As I pointed out the other day...great natural breasts, good lighting, the scene is 100% gratuitous and it was done with tongue firmly planted in cheek. A big name should not be required when considering best nude scene.

• 6. Mia Kirshner in "The L Word". She's sexy and apparently topless and/or in a lesbian love scene for at least half of every episode of "The L Word".

• 7.Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Strip Search". "Secretary" featured much better nudity, but I give her credit for baring all 3 B's for such a boring made for cable thingie.

• 8.Angelina Jolie in "Taking Lives"...Because she is Jolie. 'Nuff said.

• 9. Juliete Lewis in "Blueberry". Lewis is not a favorite of mine, but an open crotch shot from a big name actress is worthy of top 10 placement.

• 10. This spot probably belongs to Rosario Dawson for "Alexander". I love Rosario and she has "huge tracks of land". However, it's a little hard to judge this scene properly with the "sneak peek" 'caps and vids we've posted so far.

• Honorable mention...a 5-way tie. Neve Campbell, Claire Danes, Jordan Ladd, Elisha Cuthbert and Natalie Portman. With all 5 I'm not really thinking about the content of the scenes, just the fact that they finally showed some skin on screen. In fact for my money, only Ladd and Campbell even belong on the ballot. Now before the Portman fans go nuts...yes, her bum is great, but let's be realistic, it's a PG-13 thong view in bad light. Call me when she actuall shows something.

"Short Cuts"
"Short" is part of the title of this 1993 quirky collection of stories, but it doesn't describe the movie, which is three hours and 9 minutes long. Surprisingly, it's an excellent way to spend three hours. In fact, there's a lot of surprises in this film by Robert Altman, including nudity by four well-known actresses.

Based on a collection of short stories by Raymond Carver, the film follows a group of Los Angeles residents as they confront normal problems in their everyday lives. As the film jumps from one story to the other, events cause the lives of the participants to intertwine slightly, but each story stays separate. The film ends on a twisty and somewhat shocking note.

This is a top-rate screenplay (which Altman wrote with Frank Barhydt), with top-rate acting by a big name cast. Nudity aside (and the nude scenes are for the most part brief), this is an excellent movie well worth your time.

• Julianne Moore
• Frances McDormand
• Lori Singer
• Madeleine Stowe

"Fast Food High" (2003)
Drama based on a true story about a union drive against a nameless fast food franchise. No nudity.

• Alison Pill: kind of sexy.
• Sarah Gadon: very sexy.
• Barbara Mamabolo: bikini.

Cold Squad: episode Slave to the Job
Episode about massage parlors.

• Maria Herrera: cleavage.
• Tracy Hway: sexy.
• Bonny Giroux: babe from Vampires vs. Zombies sexy.
• various hookers: very sexy.

Cleaning up my harddrive of near nudes...

• Eddie Benton: Mrs. Michael Crichton having sex in "Boogens".
• Harley Jane Kozak: partial boob in sex scene in "The Android Affair".
• Lisa Langlois: nice nipple pokies and panties in "Deadly Eyes".
• Wendy Bushell: partial boob as naughty babysitter in "Deadly Eyes".
• Erin Wright: nice cleavage as masseuse in "Crash & Byrnes".
• Topaz Hasfal: very skimpy breastplate in "Virtual Assassin".
• Susan Glover: bra-less and masturbating in "Hysteria".
• Cynthia Kereluk: former Miss Canada sexy as nurse who gets ravaged in "Identity Crisis".
• Wendy Crewson: nekkid under sheets in "Identity Crisis".
• Michele Goodger: in bondage gear ravaging man in "Quarantine".
• Cyrielle Claire: boob flash while sunbathing topless in an episode of "Counterstrike".