Cover image of October's Green Lantern: Rebirth #1

But when you think all is right in the world, someone comes along and takes a whiz in the punch.

According to Moriarty at AintItCool, Jack Black will be playing Green Lantern in a "zany comedy version a la THE MASK."

As I understand it, DC Comics tried desperately to dodge this bullet, but ultimately, they donÂ’t have the right to veto something if Warner Bros. really wants to make it happen. This is the problem with the way DCÂ’s deal with their corporate overlords is structured. Their hands are tied. As much as they are aware of the problem with this approach to the material, they just have to sit back and watch it happen along with fans of the character and the rich mythology that has been established over the long run of the various GREEN LANTERN titles.

I like Jack Black. I really do. I’m dying to see what he does in KING KONG because I trust the director and the rest of the creative team, and I have a feeling they’ll find the right way to harness his energy. But this GREEN LANTERN gives me gas right away. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong. Maybe they’ll find a way to make it funny without totally trashing everything that’s ever made the title great. And maybe this’ll be exactly as godawful as it sounds. Either way, this one just passed from “rumor” to “confirmed news,” so brace yourselves, comic fans. It’s coming...

Just damn.

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Liberal political action group MoveOn.org is planning a Monday morning news conference in New York City, where they plan to file suit against Fox and Fox News Channel. The suit will claim that Fox is misleading the public by using the term "fair and balanced" to describe it's network coverage.

At a press conference that will begin at the Warwick Hotel and conclude with the delivery of legal papers to FOX NewsÂ’ NYC studio this Monday, representatives from MoveOn.org and others will unveil their next step in the campaign to hold FOX News accountable.

Two major legal actions challenging the network’s use of the tagline “Fair and Balanced” will be announced. Chellie Pingree, President of Common Cause will lead the news conference.

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Anne Jacobsen's story, "Terror In The Sky" from WomensWallStreet.com and FrontPageMagazine.com is being scrutinized pretty heavily across the blogosphere today.

The gist of the story is that Anne, her husband and son recently flew cross-country from Detroit to Los Angeles on Northwest Airlines. 14 men of Middle Eastern origin boarded that flight as well. A series of bizarre events occured on the flight, including the "congregating" of the men in the rear of the plane, musical instrument cases and a non-descript McDonald's bag that went missing.

Supposedly, the pilot was aware of these activities; supposedly there were multiple sky marshalls on the flight.

The flight flew unimpeded to Los Angeles.

The men were supposedly detained by federal authorities, and everyone else rather quickly and suspiciously "dummied up."

The story smells. I'm not going to go as far as to say that it is completely trumped up, but I have to ask whether author Jacobsen took some literary license with at least portions of the story. After all, that sort of embelishment would certainly draw more attention to an air security system that is obviously lacking across the board.

Many other folks are watching this story today; Michelle Malkin is head and shoulders ahead of everyone else in covering it.

UPDATE: I'm still cynically skeptical, but Michelle has done some additional sleuthing (and thank you, Michelle, for your dilligence! If my I'm wrong in my skepticism, your work may well save lives!).

I asked Jacobsen if she talked with other passengers. She said no. I also asked if she had heard from other passengers from her flight in response to her story. She said she hasn't. If anyone else out there was on Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to Los Angeles Flight on June 29, 2004, departing at 12:28 p.m., we'd love to hear from you.

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I can hear the kissing noises from here.

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Evidence of life on Mars? Yep -- at least it looks like it.

The BBC is reporting that ammonia may have been found in trace amounts on the Martian surface; some scientists are postulating that this could be a sign of urine from some sort of alien life form, be it microbial or otherwise.

Researchers say its spectral signature has been tentatively detected by sensors on board the European Space Agency's orbiting Mars Express craft.

Ammonia survives for only a short time in the Martian atmosphere so it must be getting constantly replenished.

There are two possible sources: either active volcanoes, none of which have been found yet on Mars, or microbes.

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US Representative Corrine Brown (D-FL) got her hand smacked by her fellow Congressmen yesterday after referring to the 2000 election fiasco as a "coup d'état" on the floor of the House.

The verbal battle began after Congressman Steve Buyer (R-IN) proposed a measure which would bar any US official from requesting United Nations observers come monitor the US general election in November. The suggestion of UN inspectors has been made by Brown and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus. They argue that "disenfranchised" citizens were not able to vote in 2000, and are "afraid" that those same "disenfranchised" citizens might not be able to vote again in 2004.

"I come from Florida, where you and others participated in what I call the United States coup d'état. We need to make sure it doesn't happen again," Brown said. "Over and over again after the election when you stole the election, you came back here and said, 'Get over it.' No, we're not going to get over it. And we want verification from the world."

The presiding officer at the time, Mac Thornberry (D-TX), ruled that Brown's statements violated one of the standing rules of the House.

"Members should not accuse other members of committing a crime such as, quote, stealing, end quote, an election," Thornberry said.

As a part of that censure, Brown was not permitted to speak any more during the day's session.

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George Eads and Jorja Fox have been axed from CBS' high-rated CSI, according to Daily Variety's Thursday edition. This comes on the heels of CSI picking up multiple Emmy award nominations earlier today.

The firings came after both Eads and Fox reportedly made it known to their bosses that, in the tradition of employees everywhere, they'd like to make more money.

Eads expressed his desire for a bigger paycheck by skipping the first day of shooting Thursday for CSI's fifth season, Variety said.

Fox, who did show up for work, drew the wrath of CBS execs for failing to, as Variety put it, "reply to a letter asking her if she had any plans to not show up for work."

In both cases, CBS invoked breach of contract. Eads and Fox each had two years left on their TV standard seven-year contracts.

Not pausing for a moment at their chalk outlines, Variety said the network has already begun searching for Eads' and Fox's replacements.

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US Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL) was arrested during a protest today at the Sudanese Embassy. Rush and others were led away to a Secret Service van after blocking the embassy entrance.

Rush was booked on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly, Secret Service spokeswoman Ann Roman said. Earlier this week, Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY) was arrested in a similar protest.

Protesters have charged the Sudan with genocidal operations against its own people.

Embassy spokesman Abdelbagi Kabeir said Thursday it was difficult to understand the motive behind the campaign against the Sudanese government that some members of Congress are waging.

"There is no genocide," he said. "There is improvement."

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the Darfur region of western Sudan in the past year-and-a-half, and an estimated one million people have been driven from their homes.

"People are dying because they can't get the humanitarian relief they need right now," Rush said, blaming the problem on the Sudanese government practicing genocide on the basis of ethnic and religious grounds.

"All we need is 2,000 troops and we can stop this," Rush insisted.

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Did you know that The Hulk is blogging?

Hulk not allowed at library anymore.

Hulk just wanted to help library woman keep place quiet!

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President George W. Bush will be speaking at the National Urban League's convention in Detroit next week. The Urban League, headed by former New Orleans mayor Marc Morial, has been much more receptive to President Bush and individuals from his administration than the more widely known (and more antagonistic) NAACP, who has been holding their annual convention this week in Philadelphia.

"The president welcomes differing views - constructive dialogue about differences. Ways we can work together on shared priorities is an important part of our national discourse. But the current (NAACP) leadership, through their repeated partisan comments and hostile rhetoric, have shown that they are not interested in a constructive dialogue," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

President Bush spoke to the Urban League in 2003 (after being slammed by the NAACP leadership then as well) telling the mostly black audience that his economic policies were a path to "greater opportunity and hope" for black Americans.

Contrary to waht the partisan leadership of the NAACP would tell you, the NAACP is not the final word on thought, word and deed in black America

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Rod Paige, the present Secretary of Education, and a black son of Mississippi, condemned comments by the NAACP leadership about conservatives in general, and black conservatives in particular this week.

"You do not own, and you are not the arbiters of, African-American authenticity," said Paige, who rose from segregated Mississippi to become President Bush's education chief.

Paige took aim at two NAACP leaders, chairman Julian Bond and president Kweisi Mfume, for what he called "hateful and untruthful rhetoric about Republicans and President Bush." At the convention, NAACP officials have described some black organizations as mouthpieces of white conservatives and have said Bush's education law disproportionately hurts minorities.

Of course, the alphabet networks will conveniently ignore that, won't they?

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Project 21 is challenging members of the Congressional Black Caucus to apologize to Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader.

Nader was verbally excoriated in a late June meeting with the CBC, where the Caucus tried to get Nader to drop his White House bid, lest he split the vote and help George W. Bush return to the Oval Office.

On June 22, the CBC met with Nader to try to persuade him to abandon his presidential campaign, with the stated expectation that Nader's absence from the race would increase the possibility of President George W. Bush being defeated in the November election. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), a CBC member, calls the upcoming election "a life or death matter." According to witnesses outside of the closed-door meeting held in the basement of the Capitol, the discussion was punctuated with shouting and many CBC members stormed out of the room when it was over. Nader was reportedly rattled by the exchange.

Nader has since accused Representative Watt of using a "obscene, racist epithet" toward him during the meeting. In a letter to CBC Chairman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Nader charged that Watt said: "You're just another arrogant white man - telling us what we can do - it's all about your ego - another f--king arrogant white man." Nader told Cummings: "I expect that you and others in your caucus will exert your moral persuasion and request an apology from Congressman Watt."

But I'm only expecting to hear the sounds of silence in that regard. After all, anything is fair as long as it gets rid of President Bush, in their minds.

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This hat is from Indonesian fashion designer Didi Budiardjo. Budiardjo exhibited it during Hong Kong Fashion Week this week.

Never seen a hat like this one before. But I have seen hair that was done up this way. We call 'em "MARTA hairdo's" -- you've gotta take MARTA, 'cause you're hair is too high to drive or sit in a car...

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Mike Ditka said tonight that he was not going to run for the open US Senate seat in Illinois. He announced the decision this evening outside the Chicago restaurant which bears his name.

"I don't know how I'd do on the Senate floor if I got in a confrontation with someone I didn't appreciate or maybe didn't appreciate me," he said.

He said he thought about running, but then said to himself "get your head on straight and think about it."

Just imagine the shouting match that Da Coach would engage in on the floor of the Senate.

It sounds like Mike made a decent decision.

On the other hand, that also means that Democratic Barak Obama is a virtual shoe-in for the seat.

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Barack Obama, Democratic US Senate candidate from Illinois, will give the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, July 27, according to information released today.

Obama will talk about the future of America that a Democratic administration would provide, along with the need to make jobs, families and communities top priorities in the lives of Americans.

"Barack is an optimistic voice for America and a leader who knows that together we can build an America that is stronger at home and respected in the world," Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said in a statement.

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According to The Drudge Report, former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka would be announcing this morning that he will run for the US Senate, vying to replace scandal-ridden Jack Ryan on the Republican ballot.

Ryan stepped down from campaigning after a sex scandal involving he and his wife, television actress Jeri Ryan, came to light last month.

The Illinois Leader is reporting that Iron Mike stormed out of a early meeting with GOP officials this morning. It's unclear whether he was angry, or just bolted out for some "fresh air."

There are indications that Ditka may have been upset by media leaks to sources like The Drudge Report.

Welcome to Illinois politics, Mike.

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And while I'm reading Michelle's blog this morning, let me note that her new column is up, The mollycoddling milksops of Manila.

She, like many of us, is disappointed in the leadership of the Philippines, including Philippine president Gloria Macagapal-Arroyo, who has folded and gotten soggy like cheap toilet paper in the face of the threat to kidnapped Philippine-national Angelo de la Cruz. de la Cruz was kidnapped last week while shipping fuel for an American company from Saudi Arabia to Baghdad.

Pictures have come out on Al Jazeera with de la Cruz in an orange jumpsuit (as previous kidnappees have been seen). The images were accompanied, as in past cases, by a threat to behead him if the Philippines did not withdraw their forces.

The Filipino government is folding under the threat and vowing to remove their forces (only 51 strong) early.

Arroyo is not merely the protector of one man and one family. She is not only a parochial leader of one people. Arroyo proclaimed herself a front-line warrior in the battle against global terror. Last spring, she came to Washington, embraced President Bush, and heralded her tight relationship with the United States.

"(T)he Philippines is one of the first countries to join this war on terror," Arroyo said. "And the reason why we did it is that we in the Philippines know what it is to suffer from the hands of terrorism. We know the pain of terrorism. And we are with you in your leadership against terrorism, wherever it may be found."

We are with you. Remember those words.

Add the flag of the Philippines to the International Hall of Appeasers. Sign this pitiful nation up for a lifetime membership to the Axis of Weasels. And remind me never again to brag about the proud fighting spirit of my ancestors.

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Michelle Malkin has Microsoft's "newest product" showcased this morning; the "Ggangsta" edition of Microsoft Word (he said with a smirk on his face).

One wonders if it includes a slang-to-English dictionary. more...

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After Whoopi Goldberg's profanity-laden routine comparing President Bush and Vice-President Cheney to male and female genetalia during the New York Democratic Rally for candidate John Kerry last week, quite a few people contacted Slim-Fast Corporation threatening to boycott them if they did not distance themselves from Goldberg and her comments.

Goldberg is one of Slim-Fast's primary spokespersons. Her face topped all of Slim-Fast's web pages. At least until this morning.

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Kweisi Mfume, President of the NAACP indicated on MSNBC's Hardball last night, that he would feel "slighted" if no black speakers were to speak in prime time during the Democratic National Convention.

MATTHEWS: Do you think there should be a Democratic convention this summer, where in the primetime hours, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, when the networks are covering it, maybe even Tuesday night, when no one who‘s African-American gets up on the stage?

MFUME: Well, I hope that‘s not the case because if it does, then that would be a damning indictment of this party and would probably turn off a lot of voters. Again, on a close election, neither side can afford slippage. And if that is the case, then the Democratic Party will have to explain that‘s the case because where there are persons and individuals who clearly are qualified to address the convention and are not getting the opportunity, that would raise a significant question.

The agenda for the DNC has been released, and there are no black speakers scheduled for the prime-time hours. As a matter of fact, no black speakers are noted at all on the initial schedule.

But will the Mfume bitch about that as much as he has about the Administration or organizations like Project 21? I'm not holding my breath...

UPDATE: US Representative Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH) has been added to the list on the first night of the convention to discuss "the plan to create new and better jobs at home and a stronger economy for the middle class."

Sounds like a token pat on the hand to keep the sheep happy if you ask me.

With the broadcast networks limiting themselves to an hour a night of coverage, Ms. Tubbs-Jones still won't make it onto the alphabet networks.

Gavel-to-gavel coverage will be on the cable news networks and PBS only.

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