24 this week – Don’t think I didn’t notice that everyone made a point of stating where Tony had been shot. “Tony’s been shot in the neck!” “Michelle, we were so sorry to hear that Tony was shot in the neck.” “Tony will need surgery for that gunshot to his neck.” Etc. Again – another strong episode, especially the last 10 minutes. Whoo. At first, I was thinking, “Wow, that Chase is a loose cannon. He plays by his own rules”. But then, I was all, “Wow, that Jack is a looser cannon. He MORE plays by his own rules.” Or something like that.

Here’s a handy list for my next jaunt to Queen Video – The Guardian’s top 40 directors in the world today. We’ll ignore the fact that I abhor their number one pick, David Lynch. Instead, rejoice that their long MIA number 37, David O Russell, finally has a new film ready for release next year – I Heart Huckabees stars Jude Law and Naomi Watts (I heart Naomi Watts), and is about “A husband-and-wife team play detective, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the happy duo helps others solve their existential issues, the kind that keep you up at night, wondering what it all means.” I’m laughing already.

Also from The Guardian – 60 notable Brits and Americans take the opportunity to welcome George W Bush to Great Britain.

After making his name with cult fantasy/horror films like The Evil Dead, The Evil Dead II and Darkman, Sam Raimi was probably thinking that people weren’t taking him seriously as a director and that he was becoming typecast as a b-movie auteur. So he went out and made A Simple Plan – a masterfully executed suspense about two brothers who find a bag containing millions of dollars in a crashed plane, and the calamaties that ensue when they decide to keep it. I watched it last night and it was really good. Lots of others thought so too – it got terrific reviews and Raimi got accolades as a serious director. And then, flush with his new standing as a maker of serious films, he went out and made Spider-Man.

Some new release tidbits from two of my favorite bands – first from the Luna camp – bassist Britta Philips told the mailing list that they’ll be entering the studio next month, expect to be done by end of January and that they’d like to have a new album ready for April. These projections are probably far to premature to hang a hat on, but it’s nice to have a ballpark to look forward to.

Also, Billboard reports that Wilco is back in the studio with producer Jim O’Rourke working on their new album, tenatively titled W*lco Happens. They expect to be done recording by late Spring, which probably means an Autumn release date.

Let the lists begin! Amazon has listed their 100 best albums of 2003. I refuse to make my lists before the middle of December, giving me time to a) absorb everything that qualifies and b) pick up whatever releases might prove worthy. For the record, I own 23 of Amazon’s 100 – I usually score about 30% on major year-end lists, so I guess I’m a little less hip than I was. Alas.

np – Steve Earle / Train A Comin’

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