Now blogging at diego's weblog. See you over there!

tony blair and the simpsons

and this from the we-don't-want-you-making-any-comparisons dept:

A few months back I read that Tony Blair was going to guest-star in an upcoming Simpsons episode. As it turns out, the episode is premiering in the US this week, and yesterday The Times of London had a cover story on how 10 Downing Street flexed its lobbying muscles to stop the episode from airing coincidentally with Bush's Sate Visit: The US Visitor Blair didn't want us to see -- yet. Quoted from the article:

DOWNING Street really did try to prevent an oafish American causing trouble on a visit to London.

Tony Blair, a longstanding fan of The Simpsons, recorded his dialogue for an episode of the cartoon series at Downing Street in April.

But the episode, entitled The Regina Monologues, has been the subject of intense negotiation with Fox TV, which has claimed that No 10 prevented any tapes being released before George Bush’s visit to avoid any possible embarrassment.

Aides denied this but confirmed they had requested that the show should not be trailed in advance because “we didn’t want a lot of hoo-ha about it”.

Alastair Campbell, Mr Blair’s former communications director, is understood to have vetted the script and suggested a number of changes.

In one draft, Homer announces: “I’m going to act the way Americans act best — unilaterally.”

He then breaches security to crash a Mini Cooper through the gates of Buckingham Palace, catapulting the Queen out of her horse-drawn carriage.

(my emphasis) Heh. Too funny. I wonder if they will avoid the comparisons anyway. I think it's likely, given the astonishing short memory and attention span of the media these days.

fall is beautiful

No question. Fall is my favorite season, especially if it's not too cold. :) Just for the colors... a certain warmth. Like the world cuddling under the covers, ready to sleep.

Dublin in the Fall reminds so much of New York it's scary. Makes me miss it a bit. Strolls across Central Park, drives up the Hudson Parkway, or walking down Fifth or Third, the city seemingly extending forever (especially when looking South). Sometimes I think of Dublin as a 1/10th model of New York for some reason (or is New York a 10:1 copy of Dublin rather?). Phoenix Park is way bigger than Central Park though, and it's impossible to beat the combination of trees surrounded by skyscrapers, but the woods and ponds and trails make up for it with natural beauty. It's like two sides of the same coin.

Here are some of the pictures I took last weekend (click to see a larger version). Is that sky unreal or what?