(Untitled)

[dherblay]

I'm capable of believing most anything about the current administration that doesn't require me to don a tin-foil hat, so I have little problem with Richard Clarke's accusations of indifference to terrorism on the part of Bush. Indeed, it squares with the understanding I've had since The New Yorker profiled the late John O'Neill back in January,

Comments

[dlgood]

And Richard Armitage looks just like Rod Steiger... These hearings are so much fun!

[angeyja]

He returns. (Some sort of March and appropriate fanfare plays in the backround.)

Very good to have you back.

Victor Garber

[beastlydead]

These comments are genius, particularly the last sentence in which you accurately describe Garber's highly effective if singular acting mode (Michael Varten's in contrast might be described as ruthless vapidity, irrepressible brow furrowing, and a Don Johnson like resistance to a regular shaving schedule.) You gotta get on board again with Alias, however, which in its current season is peaking despite more ludic than ever plots.

Hey, what by the way is your opinion of The Unteleported Man/Lies, Inc.? (I'm surveying everyone I know who might have an answer to this question--and honestly you're the only person I know beside a certain science fiction author who could plausibly have one.)

Re: Victor Garber

[dherblay]

Alias, more than any other of the already heavily arced series I watch, punishes inattentive viewing, so it's hard for me to stick with on an intermittent schedule. And while my girlfriend pushes me hard to watch Alias, she pushes me harder to talk to her at 9 pm on Sundays. (I'm already running three separate tapes for archival purposes.) And my DVD player won't play Disney products.

As for Lies, Inc./The Unteleported Man: I've purchased each of the two configurations from used bookstores, but have never gotten far enough into either version to have an opinion.

Re: Victor Garber

[beastlydead]

Thanks, Andrew. Damn, the only other person I know who has read these Dicks says about them, channeling perhaps Maragret Thatcher: "no, no, no." I've only read Unteleported Man, and years ago, but I kinda loved it and am sad that it's so unliked. I'm going to be reviewing a copy of Lies, Inc. and a forthcoming PKD bio (which I just finished and have mixed thoughts on--but you should read it) and wanted to know what Dick fans think on this subject . . . that you haven't gotten into either version suggests that even Dick fans don't like this one. Vulcan's Hammer anyone?

So what are your other heavily arced shows?

Re: Victor Garber

[dherblay]

Angel, The Shield and 24 , though I don't respect myself much for 24.

I understand how you feel about TUM/LI; I loved Galactic Pot Healer, but found out later that Dick thought it was his worst novel. I suspect that this is an availability issue -- the lesser novels I read when they were all I could get my hands on, like We Can Build You and The Zap Gun, I loved, but by the time I had tracked down The Unteleported Man, I had already read Ubik and 3 Stigmata and most of the rest and had what I thought of as higher standards. Or, age diminished the fascination for me. It's actually been a long time since I've read a PKD novel -- maybe I should give Lies, Inc. another shot.