Cosmic Sitcom™

Twitter. Tumblr. Social media can ensnare us alongside only those who agree with us. When those who disagree with us are automatically silenced we can fall prey to a virtual ennui.

Catchphrases that have jumped the shark (hasn’t ‘jumping the shark’ become a bit tired as well?), a holiday commercial that worked for me, leftie whining about commercials, how do you pronounce ‘niche’? And are Leonardo DiCaprio and Julia Stiles the same person?

Why Peggy Noonan’s recent Wall Street Journal article casts about for a scapegoat to blame for what’s wrong with America and (shocker!) comes upon homosexual singer Adam Lambert.

What movies are stuck in your DNA? They may not be the best but you keep coming back to them. Here are the 15 rummaging about my ribosomes.

Quick reviews of the films from this past weekend’s marathon excursion to the cineplexes. Highlights: Blue aliens, air travel and steampunk detectives. Lowlights: New Yorkers in Wyoming.

A roundup of online reviews of Part 2 of “Blood and Fire,” the Star Trek: Phase II episode I co-wrote with David Gerrold (released Nov. 21). Part 2 features Star Trek: The Next Generation star Denise Crosby in a great guest-starring role and amazing visual effects by my dear friend Joël Bellucci.

With the end of the year rapidly approaching, the Cosmic Sitcom™ and Little Junkies have called a holiday ceasefire on our Craptastic Movies War™ to collaborate on our upcoming respective Best Movies of 2009 lists.

This photo was taken by my friend Ernie. It’s an ice-sculpted polar bear melting outside the pavilion set up by the World Wildlife Fund at the recent Copenhagen climate summit to portray global warming’s effect on the polar bear habitat.

As I summed it up in my 6,600th tweet: Saw Avatar. If hype is how you judge, you’ll be disappointed. It’s Dances with Wolves in space. But I liked it, and the technology will certainly change the way movies are made.

America’s new guilty pleasure: NBC’s “The Sing-Off” showcases a capella music, singing that has to stand on its own. I’ve found the show to be oddly compelling, and I’m in love with the group from Boston’s Tufts University, the Beelzebubs. But the real star is the incisive and charming Ben Folds.