"300" ** (out of four): Frank Miller's beloved interpretation of the Battle of Thermopylae is given the "Sin City" treatment with wildly mixed results.

There is an axiom against which any graphic novel adaptation should be held: just because we can make it, doesn’t mean we should. I had my apprehensions about Robert Rodriguez taking Frank Miller’s gleefully gory “Sin City” and turning it into a black-and-white pet project. But happily, and despite a few too many bursts of color, Mr. Rodriguez’ eye for the material and ear for dark humor proved me wrong. With my defenses lowered, and after a slam-bang preview, I was less wary about director Zack Snyder’s take on “300”, Mr. Miller’s beloved interpretation of the Battle of Thermopylae. This time, however, something didn’t quite fit. While the film is stunning to look at, the added scenes and scenery-devouring acting fall flat.

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you gotta hand it to the Italians, they sure know how to make gang rape look sexy.

Better late than never! Today on the Lunch Hour Veg - French Taunters..

(Hey, it's still Lunch Hour in LA)

Thr Grindhouse is back, kicking ass and taking names! To celebrate our grand re-opening (yes, the floors are sticky -- you didn't think we'd actually clean the joint up while we were away, did you?), we've got a Sonny Chiba triple feature. VIVA CHIBA!

King of the 70's Grindhouse martial arts flicks, Chiba's The Street Fighter was the first film to earn an X rating for violence and turned him into a grindhouse star. Oh yes, the unnaturally red fake blood flows as the audience cheers "VIVA CHIBA! VIVA CHIBA! VIVA CHIBA!"

American Idol keep touting a big surprise on tonight's show, which in all likelihood is going to be no surprise at all - it's the open competition to write a song for the winner to sing. Yawn.

However, I couldn't help but admire the following comment that appeared over on Popwatch. A perfect Zeitgeist:

I heard this from a reliable source, so I'm pretty confident it's true. They said that they will be picking 1 male and 1 female winner, and they'll have to race Rob and Amber around the world while being watched by Big Brother and the winning team will get a chance to marry a rich oil baron while the losing team will be forced to lose 50 lbs or be beheaded on live TV.

Either that or Simon will wear a light blue shirt, not sure which.

The Thrillist is looking for beta-testers for a new product. It’s a bra. A bra designed to smuggle liquid. Presumably, alcohol. It called the Winerack, from the folks who brought you the Beer Belly. The enticement for beta-testers is written as if no females will read it, but that didn’t stop me! A word to the wise: don't wear this to the airport.

Heather Johnston has been charged with with the "laughing bankrobber" caper that travelled across the news last week. And her mother is mortified - "she's a sweet girl with a big heart" she says. Her lawyer adds "She's a frightened young kid who finds herself in the eyes of a media whirlwind that she never anticipated."

As a parent, my heart went out to them. A young girl wrongly accused, or caught in a prank gone wrong.

Err, until I read that she confessed to the whole thing and named her co-conspirators, who include convicted felons. And that they caught her after a spending spree at Gucci. After a car chase. With marijuana and ecstacy on her, no less. And that she admitted to being a drug dealer. Oh, and then there's the comments from her surprised workmates at Shooter Alley, a strip club where she grinds on the afternoon shift.

So, to recap, a drug-dealing stripper, who robs banks, runs from the cops, and associates with convicts.

A sweet girl, my ass.

For Scaramouch: How to make healthy, air-popped popcorn into something worth eating. Bacon Popcorn.

(via Cynical-C)

Dylan Hears a Who -- An alternate reality album, if you will, imagining a collaboration between Bob Dylan and Dr. Seuss. Streams and MP3 files available. Via boingboing.

It's time for the women to reveal something about themselves. Who's father is a football player? Who is terrified of animals? What instrument is Antonella Barba good at besides the mouth organ?