Today's Reading - 03/20/08

● You're All Sick

Is "internet addiction" a new form of mental illness, or rather a manifestation of some other sort of disorder? I'd definitely say I'm an addict, but if other people require "psychoactive medications or hospitalization" to deal with their problems, maybe I'm doing okay, after all.

● Anthony Minghella, Bringing the Art House to the Mainstream

It's heart-breaking when someone dies before their time, especially in the midst of a medical procedure that was supposed to help him. I didn't enjoy all of Anthony Minghella's films, but cinema definitely benefited from his contributions. He certainly wasn't afraid to adapt wide-scoped literature to the big screen. The Talented Mr. Ripley is one of my favorite films. Before the Bourne flicks, that might have been Matt Damon's best work.

● Playboy's Hefner: the luckiest guy on the planet

Toward the end of Jon Friedman's story, Hugh Hefner says that if he was an entrepeneur today, he probably would've created something like MySpace or Facebook. (Both names might have taken on entirely different meanings.) If that's true, my puberty (and those of thousands - if not millions - of other heterosexual males, I'm sure) is grateful that Hef was born when he was.

● The Ten Greatest Albums Made by Actors

For me, Don Johnson's "Heartbeat" falls into "so bad, it's good" territory. (And thanks to YouTube, the video is available for viewing any time.) But some of the other stuff on this lists looks awful. I've heard very good things (not from Pitchfork) about Zooey Deschanel's musical effort, however.

● Why You’re Glad Jim Bowden Isn’t Your GM

Please indulge my shameless plug for my latest post at Baseball Blend, in which I wonder just how in the hell Washington Nationals' general manager Jim Bowden keeps his job. Let's just keep signing more of the types of players we already have!