IT’S MOURNING IN AMERICA
Greetings on this National Day of Mourning. Yes, that’s right, the premiere date of GARFIELD: THE MOVIE. We hang our heads low. My wife took our daughter to last night’s screening of it. My daughter proclaimed she loved every part and wants to see it again; my wife dubbed it boring and plotless.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT...
This weekend, throw on THE BLUES BROTHERS, in honor of Ray Charles. Or, barring that, watch some Pizza Hut commercials.

SHELF, OFF THE
In prep for the movie (thought I don’t know why, as it looks like it has nothing to do with the book) I read Issac Asimov’s 1950 classic I, ROBOT, which is a novel disguised as a short story collection. Set in the near-future, it tells of a time where robots are babysitters, miners and—in the book’s best chapter—even politicians. Told chronologically, it takes place over several decades, so you see the shift of public opinion from treating robots as slaves to viewing them as a threat. I enjoyed it, though Asimov’s prose can get dry at times. If you get the new hardback edition like I did, you’re spared a cover image of Will Smith.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553803700/hitchmagazine-20

MP-FREE!
For years I’ve had this anonymous CD called STAR WARS BREAKBEATS, which is exactly what it sounds like—electronic breakbeat tracks with judicious dialogue and SFX samples from STAR WARS to the point where you know the Lucasfilm legal department was just foaming at the mouth. Anyway, long story short, I unloaded the disc on eBay this month to help the ol’ cashflow, but no before saving a couple of choice tracks in MP3 format. I’ve posted the first one, titled “I’ve Got a Bad Feeling About This,” at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hitchmagazine/files/Star%20Wars%20Breakbeats/

AROUND THE WORLD ... IN 5 DAYS
I was wrong. The AROUND THE WORLD remake opens not today, but next Wednesday, so you’ll have to wait for my review then. I’m taking a couple of vacation days until then anyway, so I leave you with Filler-Inner Brian Winkeler.

ROD LOTT is the publisher of the long-running pop culture satire zine HITCH! Visit hitchmagazine.com to buy a copy. Click here to have Hitch delivered daily to your e-mail inbox.

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