April Fool’s Day Roundup

Since April Fool’s Day fell over the weekend, its effect was not as widespread as in years past, but there was still a good deal of Interweb activity. Wikipedia does a good job summarizing this year’s pranks. One of my favorites was MAFIAA:

Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) chairman Dan Glickman and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) president Cary Sherman today announced the historic merger of the two organizations. The newly-created entity is being called the Music And Film Industry Association of America, Inc.

That one probably fooled no one, and it’s not quite farfetched enough to be all that funny…

By the way, a belated birthday wish to April Fool Sir Bias, who has yet to make his blogging debut despite my frequent entreaties… 😉

The Simpsons Movie Confirmed

The fabled Simpsons movie has been rumored for quite some time, and it looks like I posted on it several years ago. Well, it appears that the rumors can finally be put to rest. The BBC confirms that The Simpsons Movie will officially premiere on July 27th, 2007. A 25-second teaser trailer has been showing during Ice Age: The Meltdown and also aired during Sunday’s Simpsons episode. If you missed it, check out the YouTube video in the embedded player below:

By the way, the current premiere date coincides with my 5th wedding anniversary. I guess I have over a whole year to figure out how to spin the premiere as a romantic date… 😉

The “Shania Twain Defense”?!

I cannot believe that “The Shania Twain Defense” is something real:

One of the most notorious drunk drivers in the Ottawa area has been found not criminally responsible on his latest impaired driving charges because of a mental disorder that makes him believe female celebrities are controlling his actions.

The 33-year-old man told psychiatrists that he knew the legal repercussions of his actions, but believed singer Shania Twain was helping him drive.

Not since Johnnie Cochran’s use of The Chewbacca Defense on South Park has an attorney been this bold… 😉

W Above The Law?!

You probably heard that the USA PATRIOT Act was recently renewed and signed into law by W. What you probably didn’t hear was the accompanying signing statement that W included

The bill contained several oversight provisions intended to make sure the FBI did not abuse the special terrorism-related powers to search homes and secretly seize papers. The provisions require Justice Department officials to keep closer track of how often the FBI uses the new powers and in what type of situations. Under the law, the administration would have to provide the information to Congress by certain dates.

Bush signed the bill with fanfare at a White House ceremony March 9, calling it “a piece of legislation that’s vital to win the war on terror and to protect the American people.” But after the reporters and guests had left, the White House quietly issued a “signing statement,” an official document in which a president lays out his interpretation of a new law.

In the statement, Bush said that he did not consider himself bound to tell Congress how the Patriot Act powers were being used and that, despite the law’s requirements, he could withhold the information if he decided that disclosure would “impair foreign relations, national security, the deliberative process of the executive, or the performance of the executive’s constitutional duties.”

Who needs checks and balances, anyway?! I can’t believe this bullshit, although I suppose I shouldn’t be all that surprised…

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