Could the Watchmen movie actually be good? A long interview with Zack Synder at io9 gives some reason to hope. Here's a sneak peak at the title sequence, which sounds promising:

Cut to the opening credits playing the way too obvious and too long "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan. But besides the extra-long song the viewer is treated to a montage pictures and video showing the creation of the Minutemen superhero team. If you need a historical point of reference, Watchmen's opening credits has 1,000 of them. Ranging from Silhouette replacing the sailor in the infamous nurse-kissing V-Day black and white still, to Ozymandias standing outside of Studio 54.

Finally we got to see the creation of Dr. Manhattan and listen to the inner monologue of the "god" himself. Watching him turn from Dr. Jonathan Osterman to blue beast was amazing. The detail that they went into ripping out each little organ was shocking. The appearing-reappearing floating circulatory system that floats about days later is forever burned in my eyes. I really see why this character is Snyder's favorite.

Overall there was a lot of stuff that was a little "I get it — the Watchmen are a part of history". But besides that and a few scoring changes it was gorgeous, the characters were so lovely that even their teeth were sparkling in the Snyder film. Dr. Manhattan's back story alone (just the simple day-to-day life of a 1950s) man was strikingly detail oriented.

My first reaction was "'The Things They Are A-Changing'? Why not 'Desolation Row'?" but I see now that that will be playing over the end credits.

I'm officially upgrading my expectations on Watchmen to "cautiously optimistic."

The poetry of Mr. Robert Zimmerman, in The New Yorker.

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#21

The view from my iTunes. I got this idea from Fred at occasional fish.

1. In iTunes, select View Options under the View menu.
2. Turn off everything but “Artist.”
3. Select all and copy.
4. Search and Replace the word “track” with nothing.
5. Paste the results into the Wordle.net Create page.

Here's mine...

I have just a few Obama remainders from the last few days.

* First up, another edition of Veepwatch!, this one making a pretty strong claim for an Obama/Edwards ticket. I'm almost convinced—but the reality is that no one in an age of late-night comics is going to take the VP slot twice. The always-a-bridesmaid jokes write themselves, and as Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail sagely reminds us in the comments to the Washington Montly post, Hunter S. Thompson was right when he said Americans hate voting for losers.

I really think we can believe Edwards when he says he doesn't want the job.

* VeepWatch! Jr.: The New York Review of Books reviews Jim Webb's A Time to Fight. Since I wrote about The Virginia Strategem earlier in the week I've been reminded that Virginia's Lt. Governor is a Republican, which all but takes Kaine out of the running and raises Webb's stock considerably, despite the unfortunate two-Senators aspect. Does anyone out there know what would happen if Webb steps down from the Senate to run for vice president? Does Kaine appoint, or is there a special election?

* Daschle for Secretary of Health and Human Services? The Shadow Cabinet grows...

* Speaking of kos, he's already made his first major self-inflicted wound of the general election season. Nearly made it 48 hours. Well done.

* Bob Dylan gushes over Barack Obama. So does George Lucas.

* Al Giordano at The Field gushes over the way Obama has already taken control of things at the DNC.

* And at TNR, the view from Africa.

World News:

* Tim goes soft on the Latin American menace.

* Via Vu, the new Indiana Jones movie has angered some of our Russian comrades.

* This "We Are the World" parody from Japanese TV is like a three-minute glimpse into the next universe over. The original is a pretty classic cultural document of the '80s, as well, if it's been a few years since you've seen it...

Bob Dylan has won an honorary Pulitzer Prize.

Happy Birthday, Bob Dylan. Here's one article on his relentless refusal to fade away.