Smorgasborg

Today is one of those "talk of many things" days. I know I ran on long yesterday, but I've just got to share a few thoughts on non-Thanksgiving subjects, so that my mind can be clear to focus on All Things Thanksgiving the rest of the week!

1. The Playstation 3 frenzy. People camped out all night so they could be the first to purchase the gaming system, then other people shot some of those people to get their PS3 money or to get the game - I don't really know, but it doesn't really matter - it's insanity either way. This goes back to my Ikea post. Do you think that if you play the game on Tuesday instead of Monday, it will play differently? Will you be compensated with untold wealth by playing it a day early? Will all your old games blow up like instructions to James Bond on the day of PS3's release, so that, like a drug addict, you'll suffer some kind of physical withdrawal in the days until you can play again, with your new $500 PS3? I'm sorry to break the news to all you gamers out there, but if you're purchaser #1,000, a week after the launch, it's the same good, old-fashioned, shoot 'em up, alien, DnD, Grand Theft Auto fun that Line Camper #1 got. Plus you got a good night's sleep in your own bed with no guns in your face. Don't be chump.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should admit what you've probably already figured out: I don't play computer games. I'm glad of this. I'm sure they're just loads of fun, but I seem to entertain myself aplenty without them, and they seem to become a bit of an obsession for people who play them, and frankly, I don't have time for any obsessions. I barely keep all my life's ducks in a row as it is. If I had to add an obsession to the mix, well, the whole operation would just go off the rails.

2. The Shat. I haven't watched William Shatner's new game show, nor do I have much interest in doing so. I like William Shatner - I think he's kitschy and has a great sense of humor about himself. There are worse things in life than being pigeon-holed for a role in the 60s and parlaying it into a lifetime of money and fame. Robert Reed could've gotten a sense of humor about his Mike Brady days and had a better life for it, but I digress. My issue isn't Shatner or the game show or game shows in general. My issue is that he's calling himself "The Shat." Has anyone informed Bill that "shat" is the past tense of "shit." It's like calling yourself, "The Crapped." "The Pooped." "The Farted." Today I shit. Tomorrow I will shit. Yesterday I shat. And then I hosted a game show.

3. Stranger Than Fiction. My new favorite movie. Again, in the interst of full disclosure, I'm a Will Ferrell fanatic. I love him. Everything he does cracks me up, and I've rooted for years that his would be a long and successful career. To my great delight, he has taken a step that could ensure that. If you haven't seen "Stranger Than Fiction," get thee to a theater. It's freakin' genius. And my Will has proven he has range and talent that extends past the male Spartan cheerleader. Yes, I laughed at his Harold Crick, but there was so much more to the role and Ferrell's performance than just making the audience laugh. He was subtle and vulnerable and nuanced. He was fantastic. And he held his own with a stellar cast, including Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Queen Latifah (another intelligent, talented person with a grassroots start who grew and grew and never disappoints me whatever she does). I just loved him and the movie! Will, baby, you just opened a whole new door for yourself on the kinds of movies you can do. You know, Tom Hanks, started out in comedy. I ain't sayin', I'm just sayin'.

(Oh, and for those with a good eye, when you see the movie, keep an eye out for the Sonic commercial guys and Buster from Arrested Development - more Suzanne favs!)

Okay, I'm out - everyone have a great Thanksgiving!