Sunday, July 18, 2004

I can only conclude that today's installment of NPR's Weekend Edition was an attempt to un-piss me off and build a base of guilt for the fall pledge drive. Besides the story on I, Robot, there was one on the book I'm reading now, The Battle of Salamis and one story--about the opening of Millennium Park--that, spumoni-like, combines three of my favorite things: Chicago, Frank Gehry, and over-the-top urban architecture. It's worth downloading and listening to the audio to hear what may be the best line of architecture criticism ever spoken: "Moses was great when he parted the Red Sea. Frank Gehry was better when he crossed the freeway". I've been watching Millennium Park creeping towards completion for years, but I won't likely make it back to Chicago for months, so it was wonderful to hear NPR's description of it. I'd like to invite everyone who doesn't like the new park--or who think that millions of dollars are too much to spend on shiny, giant kidney beans--to Toledo. Here, the favorite public space is a surface parking lot. 9:32:36 PM    comment []trackback []

I, Robot NPR's Weekend Edition ran a great piece today on the transition of I, Robot from the original short stories to the summer movie. It includes interviews with the director, Proyas, Harlan Ellison (who wrote screenplay for I, Robot that was never filmed) and comment from Asimov's widow Janet Jeppson (the there is also an extended interview with Ellison, as well as readings from his screenplay of I, Robot at the link above). It should be interesting both to fans of (written) SF as well as movie buffs, for insight on the chaotic process of turning a literary work into a blockbuster film. Of particular interest is the comment that Asimov himself would not have been disappointed in the picture because he understood the realities of hollywood. You just gotta love ol' Issac, don't you? 8:11:31 PM    comment []trackback []