Truth in Advertorialising
CollegeHumor (aka Photoshop + sarcasm) has a decent couple of cracks at the Oscar contenders by mocking up their “Honest Movie Titles,” but as usual they take the populist perspective. E.g.,
Maybe I’m just bitter at the short shrift given to Inglourious Basterds and A Serious Man (and sure, Up in the Air too), either of which deserved the Oscar more than The Hurt Locker. Of course, for the sake of honesty, I should note that the previously dispensed opinion is the product of the fact that I care excessively about the intellectual quality of a script more than anything.
Speaking of putting a premium on honesty in opinion, Christopher Hitchens continues to preach to the anti-choir on the silliness of some of the 10 Commandments. At this point, it seems kind of ironic that all he’s doing (from a psychological perspective) is the same thing that any minister does: try to amass respect from one’s peers (who already implicitly and essentially irrevocably agree with you) by denouncing the “Them” as unenlightened and barbaric. Has Christopher Hitchens “converted” anyone? If not, what does that say about his qualities as an intellectual, rather than as an entertainer for those of us who already agree?
The New Print 