My previous post centered on what I labeled as a snarky comparison of Judge Lance Ito to Judge Larry Seidlin.  Now I have a question for you - was my observation disrespectful to the judges, the courts in general, or my readers?  If it was, why do you believe so and if it wasn’t, at what point does a snarky observation cross the line and become disrespectful?

The temptation is just too great - I’ve got to take a break from some ongoing projects to make a rather, umm, snarky observation. Having had the Anna Nicole Smith circus hearing on as background noise for the last day or so I can’t help but believe that Judge Lance Ito is absolutely giddy over Judge Larry Seidlin’s courtroom performance.  I wonder if Jay Leno is considering an updated version of Dancing Itos?

Jeff Jarvis riffs on the internet as a Society 2.1 enabler in what should be a must-read post for anyone hoping to understand the impact, influence and importance of the internet.

So, what are you waiting for? Click the link already….

In 2003 I was one of a select group who were named Time Magazine’s Persons of the Year with the selection of The American Soldier. In a rare repeat, this year I join pretty much everyone who owns or uses a computer as Time Magazine chooses You for the honor.

This whole Person of the Year thing is getting to be old hat….

UPDATE:  Jeff Jarvis effectively bursts my self-congratulatory bubble.  As always, of course, he’s pretty much nailed it.

If I were to make a list of my favorite lists of year-end lists there would actually only be one list on it so I suppose it wouldn’t technically be a list at all. So rather than reinventing the wheel, as it were, allow me to instead recommend that you refer to the Fimoculous.com 2006 List of Lists for a year-end list-fest of everything from the ridiculous to the sublime.

You do have the Coudal Partners Website bookmarked, don’t you?  And a subscription to their RSS feed?  They’re absolutely invaluable resources for discovering new and wonderful experiences all around the internets.

…don’t expect ready access to the internet unless you have an internet cafe handy.  Bobblehead and I happened across one during today’s travels so I’ve had a chance to catch up on email and such.  Of course, we’re having so much fun playing tourist that email and the internet (and yes, this site) have been fairly far down on my list of things to do.

Next up, a nap in preparation for spending all night out on the town as Rome celebrates it’s annual White Night festivities.  And the plan for tomorrow?  Sleeping in followed by copious quantities of caffe.

Ciào!

More accurately, calling anyone who has a particular show that they’re addicted to. Here’s an opportunity (note: .pdf file) for you to claim your 15 minutes of fame -

Fanatical Productions Inc., a subsidiary of Peace Point Entertainment Group, is producing a 26-part documentary-style series that celebrates television fans for TVtropolis, a new Canadian Network launching under the Global Television Network family of channels. FANatical (working title) tracks down the most ardent enthusiasts and brings them into the spotlight, shedding light on what makes a TV fan tick

FANatical acknowledges that there are all types of fans out there – but we’re only looking for the fans that are most serious and that can have the most fun with it. These fans keep tabs on actors, characters, story plots and conspiracy theories, visit filming locations, collect memorabilia, create and wear costumes, connect with other likeminded
fans and attend festivals and conferences. Our cameras are there to capture all the fun and enthusiasm.

Each episode profiles 2-3 of the most devoted fans and features one show-based event. Beyond the unique look into television FANatical provides through the eyes of its most devoted fans, we also interview friends, family members, and coworkers to gain a better understanding of the impact television has on the lives and relationships of our profile
subjects.

Drop a line to jennifer@peacepoint.tv if you’re interested in participating.

(Thanks, Manolo)

I expect to be spending a significant amount of time without web access over the next few weeks (more on that later) so I’ve downloaded the beta of Windows Live Writer; this is my first attempt to write a post off line and then post it at a later time.

UPDATE:  Turns out that if I don’t change my Wordpress date format to D/M/Y (i.e. 28/08/06) then any post I upload from LiveWriter will publish with a funkified date like December 28, 1969.  I like my current date format, so as a work-around I’ll have to upload posts as drafts and then edit the datestamp in Wordpress prior to publishing.  A relatively minor issue, but I hope it’s fixed in the next release.

Note to studio heads: Editing and marketing a movie based on internet buzz does not necessarily a blockbuster make -

The Internet buzz over “Snakes on a Plane” turned out to be nothing to hiss about.The high-flying thriller preceded by months of unprecedented Web buildup technically debuted as the No. 1 movie, but with a modest $15.25 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

But distributor New Line Cinema included $1.4 million that “Snakes on a Plane” raked in during 10 p.m. screenings Thursday to get a head start on the weekend. Without those revenues, the movie’s weekend total would be $13.85 million, putting it just behind “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” which took in $14.1 million in its third weekend.

I’ll refrain from opining on the movie since I haven’t (and won’t) attended a screening. I’ve enjoyed watching the buzz develop, though, and plan on grabbing a soundbite of what’s sure to become one of Samuel L. Jackson’s signature lines.

As to the excitement generated in and around the halls of the interweb not translating into as high a gate as the studio expected? Just goes to show that more often than not the impact of the internet in general (and weblogs in particular) is to some degree over-estimated. Keep that in mind as the mid-term election season progresses….