Here’s a rave review of Peter Jackson’s latest–a remake of King Kong. I have a confession to make, though:

Jack tells me all children – “at least all boys” – love King Kong.

“He is the king of all the monsters, even better than Godzilla. Kong is stronger and smarter than Godzilla, who’s just a stupid, slimy lizard.”

Sorry, but I was never a big (or even little) King Kong fan. I’ve still never watched the original all the way through. I tried one night a few years ago, and gave up. It simply didn’t hold my interest, either as a boy, or as a man. The prospect of three hours of it, even with new spectacular effects, simply doesn’t motivate me to go to the theater.

Of course, I’ve never been a fan of horror or monster movies in general (I’ve never seen any of the classics–Frankenstein, the Mummy, Dracula–and have no interest in them). Lest my all-American red-blooded male credentials be questioned, though, I do like (or at least did as a youth) the Three Stooges.

To the Grand Ol’ Opry.

Hank: “If we tell people that our town was founded by prostitutes, they’ll know.”

and

“Not Miss Kitty.”

Hank: “If we tell people that our town was founded by prostitutes, they’ll know.”

and

“Not Miss Kitty.”

Hank: “If we tell people that our town was founded by prostitutes, they’ll know.”

and

“Not Miss Kitty.”

I’m watching PBS (more specifically, KCET), and they’re doing a Veterans Day show hosted by Huell Howser, in which I’m watching a group of Civil War reenactors singing “When Johnnie Comes Marching Home.” It’s been a long time since I heard the whole song, and in 2005, one feels more than a little sympathy for them, wondering what has to be going through their minds as they have to sing “…and we’ll all feel gay when Johnnie comes marching home…”

One of my biggest concerns about our nation is the educational system, but I rarely blog about it, because I find the problem so intractable and depressing that I don’t know what to do about it. But Joanne Jacobs has devoted much of her (at least recent) life to the subject, and she has a new book out. Go ye forth and buy it.

This moron would have been better off if he’d stolen a belt.

Rosa Parks has died. Her bravery moved many Americans to the front of many buses, both literally and metaphorically.

I can imagine that the left wingnuts who think that all “right wingers” and “conservatives” are racists, will imagine that Free Republic will be saying things like “good riddance.” Defying the stupid stereotype, au contraire.

John Derbyshire, of all people, has an eloquent tribute to Bob Dylan. He’s mistaken about Mr. Bojangles, though–it was written by Jerry Jeff Walker, not Dylan.