PopCult: December 2007 Archive Page

News I saw on theonering.net (via Slashdot) has LOTR fans unclenching their hairy, unshod toes and reaching for the tobacco jar:

The two "Hobbit" films - "The Hobbit" and its sequel - are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, with pre-production beginning as soon as possible. Principal photography is tentatively set for a 2009 start, with the intention of "The Hobbit" release slated for 2010 and its sequel the following year, in 2011.

I know what you're thinking, but my story is that I'm gathering information for a research project on gender in science fiction. Yeah, that's it.

This morning when my nine-year-old son got up, he buried his nose in a book on the War of 1812, and every so often he shared some detail: "Did you know the British liked to shoot together? They would say, 'Ready! Aim! Fire!'"  He knew that the Battle of New Orleans was a decisive American victory, and he knew the battle took place after a peace treaty had been signed (but before word had reached the troops). But he didn't know the Jimmie Driftwood folk song commemorating the event: "In 1814, we took a little trip..."

I wanted to play the song for him, and wasn't having any luck searching for MP3 samples, so I went to YouTube, and found this clip.