// zero and holding

For this week's technology news I thought I'd do a little bragging on Mac OS X.

Yeah, I know, like I never do enough of that, right?

But really, though, this is worth applauding Apple for.

Symantec, the globally reknowned and respected leader in anti-virus software released information this week stating that as of today there are NO known viruses for Apple's Mac OS X operating system.

To quote, Symantec stated:

"Simply put, at the time of writing this article, there are no file-infecting viruses that can infect Mac OS X."

Many times family and friends don't quite "get it" when I tell them that Mac OS X is invulnerable to viruses online. But there it is, in black and white.

There are ZERO types of the kind of viruses, worms, bugs, spyware, etc. etc. that plague those who use Micro$oft's Windows operating system.

By comparison, at the last count, there was nearly 100,000 known types of viruses, etc. available for Windows.

If you're sick of Windows, here's a suggestion: get a Mac.

// stand still, look pretty

Hmm. This will make my second music review in a row that features a country music act.

Perhaps I'm starting to like country music better than I thought?

Nah.

I just really like Michelle Branch.

And this Jessica Harp gal ain't half bad, neither.

Put 'em together and you got a pretty nice ... country music duo?

Yep, that's what The Wreckers are. Even though separately the pair are both pop singers, they decided to combine talents and release this country music offering.

What a combination of talent, too.

Michelle Branch's 2001 album, The Spirit Room is easily one of my favorite albums of this young century so far.

While I'm not as familar with her partner on this album - although I do know Jessica Harp is an Aquarius and that's always, always a good thing - her vocals on these songs are amazing. How amazing? Indistinguishable, for the most part, from her Grammy-winning friend.

If you're a Branch fan also, then you already know she strums a pretty mean guitar and is an incredible songwriter. In fact, she wrote her amazing hit song, Sweet Misery, when she was in high school. And I don't mean during high school age, either, I mean actually in high school, sitting in class.

She has an uncanny ability for songwriting.

Ya know how Wolverine's mutant ability is healing and Professor X's is telepathy?

Michelle Branch's mutant ability is songwriting. The girl's a freak of nature.

It should go wihout saying then, since Michelle co-wrote all these songs with Jessica Harp, that they're all quite solid.

My favorite of the bunch are, in no particular order: The Good Kind, Leave the Pieces, and One More Girl.

My favorite track on the album, though, is a composition entirely written by Jessica Harp alone: Tennessee. It's a beautiful ballad that has Michelle Branch-type lyrics stamped all over it, yet she didn't write it. Clearly these women are large influences on one another as well as good friends; which is how The Wreckers came into being.

Speaking of Tennessee: I highly suggest you watch this video:

It's an acoustic performance of Tennessee by The Wreckers.

Granted, these really aren't straight-up country music songs. They're a lot more like acoustic versions of pop songs. Which, being not-so-much a country music fan, is fine with me.

If you are a country fan, though, the lack of any pure type of country on the CD is likely to put you off. That's really the only "caution" label I would put on this album. Otherwise, it's really well done and it's really good music.

The Wreckers' latest single from this album, which you can also watch right there on You Tube, is called Leave the Pieces.

If you like what you see - and hear - then by all means run right out and grab the CD. It's well worth it.

Now, since I started off talking about how this was my second country music album review in a row I might as well tie the two together even more, right?

One More Girl by The Wreckers was penned by Patty Griffin who also wrote two songs on the previous Dixie Chicks album.

I love it when things come full circle like that; it's one of those "circle of life" kind of things...

// superman returns

First, let me take care of a little business: I'll be heading out of town tomorrow and for most of the weekend. Therefore, this will most likely be the final post I write until after the upcoming holiday.

It's unfortunate it'll work out that way because the 2nd anniversary of Ramblings'n'Musings (and the first of this companion blog) will come and go without my getting to be very self-congratulatory over it.

Ah well.

That said, then, I wanted to write this post for all those of you who may be heading out to see Superman Returns over the weekend.

I always like to try and start at the beginning and this movie definitely begins with the original 1978 Superman film.

Already a lot has been said about Brandon Routh (Routh like "south") and his likeness to the late Christopher Reeve.

There's a very good reason for that: Superman Returns will pick up right where the '78 movie left off.

You'll hear and see lots of references to the '78 film such as:

The use of the legendary Marlon Brando's voice and image from the '78 film as Superman's father, Jor-El.

I'm a big-time Brando fan and having Brando back, for me, made a huge difference. Listening to Brando say, "They can be a great people, Kal-El, if they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you...my only son," chokes me up with emotion everytime I hear it.

And yes, I just recited that line from heart. I'm a fanboy, I know.

Also, there's the use of the great John Williams' original score from the '78 movie.

Would Jaws be Jaws without the...duh, duh...duh, duh...music we're so accustomed to associating it with? Of course not. Neither would Superman be Superman without John Williams' score. By the way, John Williams also wrote the score for Jaws, too.

You'll also hear the characters mention things they did in the original movie. You'll hear some lines repeated and carried over and even some story points from the first make their way into this one.

Of course, if you've never seen the first film, then don't worry because this movie is also a self-contained story so you won't be lost at all. You won't catch all the references, of course, but that's okay because you won't be confused either.

One of the other little surprises, for me at least, was seeing Parker Posey walk onscreen as Lex Luthor's girlfriend. I'm a gigantic fan of hers and I didn't realize she was in this movie until I saw her. It was a great surprise for me.

Speaking of Lex Luthor, Kevin Spacey brings a real meanness to the role. It's not a comedic performance in the exact same mold as Gene Hackman gave when playing Lex Luthor in the past. Granted, Spacey is still funny at times; but he's downright mean at others. It works well. Spacey is a great actor so he does a great job here, too.

As for Routh, he's an incredible Superman and a great Clark Kent. I know that sounds redundant but it's really not. In order to pull off the Superman-to-Clark Kent conversion with only a pair of glasses and a parting of the hair it's necessary to act like the noble Superman on one hand and then act like the nerdy Clark Kent on the other.

Routh does this well and also manages to get most of the biggest laughs in the whole movie. It's very reminiscent of the same type of thing Reeve did originally.

It's actually very eerie, in one sense, how this movie really does give one the feeling that Superman is back. The same Superman you knew and grew up with, for most of us at least, who grew up with Christopher Reeve's Superman.

Of course, the effects are spectacular. Aren't all the effects for movies spectacular anymore? That's a given it seems with Hollywood in the 21st century.

What manages to make this movie stand apart is not it's effects: quite the opposite, it's good old fashioned story telling that makes this movie stand out. It's a film with a lot of heart.

There's a lot of nostalgia and a lot of heart and a lot of emotion poured into this movie and it pours over on the audience, too. This is the first film I've seen in years where there was a palpable sense of quiet attention all around the theatre. People weren't talking. No one was fidgeting. No one was making trips to the bathrooms and concession stands. The theatre was packed and everyone in attendance sat there and watched and watched deeply, attentively.

When the film concluded everyone stood up and applauded and cheered.

Welcome back, Superman.

It was great.

I hope you all get the chance to go see it; especially those of you with fond memories of the 1978 classic.

Before I close, let me give you one little bit of information that will make you want to see this all the more if you're already planning to and might tip the scales if you're still trying to decide:

There is a MAJOR secret uncovered in this movie that, so far as I know, has NOT been leaked widely to the world. I read a lot and hit a lot of websites on the internet and I had read NOTHING about it before I saw the film.

Naturally, I'm not going to spoil it for you by telling you what it is, but it's a good one.

Just go see it. You won't be sorry you did. I promise.

Here are some links for Superman Returns:

Read the reviews for Superman Returns @ Rotten Tomatoes.

Visit the Official Website for Superman Returns.

// this week in history - 6.25 to 7.1

Elvis Presley gave his final concert during this week: his final performance was on June 27, 1977 at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana.

I'm not really an Elvis fan, so it's kind of odd that I would pick that event out of all the others for this week's historical post.

One thing my Dad and I seem to always come back to arguing over is about Elvis and The Beatles. He's a huge Elvis fan and I'm, of course, a huge Beatles fan. We constantly seem to, at least about once a year, get back to the old argument over who was bigger: Elvis or The Beatles.

What I always find so sad about Elvis' career is how he allowed others to totally manipulate him all his life; one in particular who was especially odious. Elvis was never free of the man who was the puppet master of his entire career, "Colonel" Tom Parker.

Exactly what he was a colonel of, I'm sure I have no idea. For the most part, Tom Parker was a con man. Unfortunately, he held the strings of one of the greatest phenomenons of all-time.

However big Elvis was, and is, pales in contrast to the Elvis that might have been had he of been free of the grasp of Tom Parker.

But The Beatles, now that's a different story altogether. No group of men ever marched to the beat of their own drum more so than the "Fab Four" from Liverpool.

The Beatles continue to be an enormeous influence, too. As does Elvis. But The Beatles are by far a more important influence because of the massive amount of creativity and uniqueness of the men in the band.

Elvis' influence is largely based on his ability as a performer.

Elvis wrote no music, played no instruments well and, for the most part - by his own admissions - was a mediocre piano player and poor guitarist. He left no impressionable legacy as an actor due to the fact that he partook soley of films that were competely laughable projects.

There is no Elvis composition to compare to Hey Jude nor film to compare to A Hard Day's Night - both landmarks in their own right.

In fact, if one were to take a poll among the top musicians, singers and performers in the music industry today (I'm sure many of you have seen such polls) of who the biggest influences on their careers are, I would be willing to guarantee you that the one common name among them all would be The Beatles.

As I often argue to my Dad: Elvis just entertained us, The Beatles inspired us.

I guess if you had to say who was bigger, it was The Beatles. But if you ask who could have been bigger, I suppose it was Elvis.

After all, Elvis did manage to accomplish all that he did with one arm tied behind his back.

Imagine what he could have done had he been set free to make his own decisions and guide his own career?

I guess that's why I'm remembering this anniversary on this post during this week.

While it's sad to remember the Elvis we knew gave his final concert this week, it's even sadder to know that their was an Elvis who we never knew that never took the stage at all.

// a funny thing happened on my way to this post

Rather than tell you a story today, on Story Day, I'm going to instead tell you my favorite blonde joke.

I love blonde jokes.

For a couple of reasons, really, but mainly because blondes seem to be the last, lone bastion of stereotypes it's still okay to make fun of. You can't make fun of any religions, races, creeds or anything of that sort anymore because it's all taboo.

Thankfully, it's still okay to make fun of blondes. Although, I'm not sure why that is, really. My guess is it's because they don't get that we're making fun of them.

Anyway, on to the joke.

Here then, I present, Lance's Favorite Blonde Joke™ :

Two blondes are walking down the sidewalk one morning when one sees a compact lying on the ground. Stopping and bending over to pick it up, she opens the compact and gazes into the mirror.

"What is it?" the other asks.

"It's a picture of somebody," she responds while still gazing into the mirror.

"Who?" asks her friend.

"I'm not sure. But they look really familar..." she answers.

In annoyance her friend snatches the compact from her hand, "Let me see that!"

Gazing for herself into the mirror she scolds her friend by replying, "Oh, you idiot! That's me!"