If you know anything about me, you know that I LOVE CRAZY PEOPLE. They are the spice of life. They make dull things interesting.

One of the craziest people I’ve ever encountered is Tim Nasson, whose awkward, poorly syntaxed writings appear at Wild About Movies. I first wrote about him last year when I told you how he’d been misquoting people he interviewed. Then, this past summer, I talked about his new trend of pretending to have interviewed people he had not, in fact, interviewed. Then I had to tell you about some funny lies he told about me on his site, and then I figured, what the heck, I might as well publish the e-mail correspondence I had with him. Why should I be the only one who gets to enjoy his hilarious delusions?

And now I am honored to report that Tim Nasson has posted a comment on this very blog! In the last entry I mentioned, another reader was talking about problems he’d had unsubscribing from Nasson’s mailing list. This prompted Nasson himself to chime in and post this:

you are such a [swear word]
hope you get burned by the FBI for harassing Wild About Movies
We have records of not only your IP address the 30 times you registered for promos but also your physical address, which you inputted into our system, 30 times. GoDaddy, and everyone else you emailed laughed when we provided them with ALL of the information and think you’d be better off locked up in a loony bin with Eric D Snider.

Check out his www.alexa.com rating – his site’s, then www.wildaboutmovies.com Don’t think any movie studio has called him lately, asking to buy his site. Nuff said. Anyone who reads this site is obviously pathetic, like poor little, or rather should I say, poor ugly Eric. I should add that he emailed me wishing me to die of AIDS. I am not stupid enough to post anything about his site on my site because, as you know, there is no such thing as bad publicity, and publicizing his name or site in any way would give him free attention.

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This week’s “Snide Remarks” column, entitled “Smells Like Summer,” is a wrap-up of the blockbusters that busted our blocks over the last several months. Please to enjoy, won’t we?

It’s an average-length column, but the SnideCast recording is shorter than usual. The type of column it is lends itself to being read quickly and breezily, and I sped through that sucker. Four minutes, in and out, no horsin’ around.

The SnideCast recording can be heard at the top of the article by pressing the little button that looks like it probably means “play.” You can also listen to it here, or subscribe to the podcast with this link.

P.S. Sometimes I like to use pictures here in the blog that are related to the subject matter without being obvious. Anyone know why I chose the picture attached to this entry?

Sign up for the “In the Dark” e-zine here.
Listen to this week’s podcast version here.
Subscribe to the podcast’s feed here.

Three R-rated movies for you this week, all three of them good, and at least two of them liable to divide audiences considerably.

The fairly sure bet is “3:10 to Yuma,” a fine Western starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. It’s from the director of “Walk the Line,” which makes sense. It seems the kind of movie Johnny Cash would like.

At the moment, my review of “The Brothers Solomon” is the only positive one listed at Rotten Tomatoes. Will Forte and Will Arnett make me laugh a lot, and I think the film’s peculiar style of humor is interesting. So sue me.

People will also be split (though probably more evenly) on “Shoot ‘Em Up,” which is sort of a spoof and sort of an homage to loud, ridiculous action flicks. My review of it will be at Film.com aaaaaany minute now. is at Film.com right here.

Behold! The list of season premiere dates for prime-time network programs (and one FX program, just because I really like it). Shows marked with an asterisk (*) are brand-new. Give ‘em a try! Maybe they’re good! Except “Cavemen,” which obviously isn’t.

Info courtesy of The Futon Critic.

(Note: “Lost,” “24,” “American Idol,” and “Law & Order” all return in Jan/Feb. Don’t panic.)

Thursday, Sept. 6
Don’t Forget the Lyrics! – Fox
Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? – Fox

Saturday, Sept. 8
Cops – Fox
America’s Most Wanted – Fox

Thursday, Sept. 13
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – FX

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After all these years, I can finally say I’ve been published in the Deseret News! I never really wanted to say that, but hey, a byline is a byline.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a byline at first. The Des News inadvertently took part in a wee bit of plagiarism — a situation that has now been rectified with much apologizing, I assure you.

At the paper’s website, they have a feature called LDS Newsline, a blog-like collection of items of particular interest to Mormons, who make up approximately 70 percent of Utah and approximately 100 percent of Deseret News readers.

An occasional feature there at the Newsline is “Mormon Lite”: “Sincere (but occasionally feeble) attempts at LDS humor.” They are submitted by readers. An Erik Hyer of Layton, Utah, submitted this one, about a Mormon-themed chain of restaurants.

About a dozen sharp-eyed readers have e-mailed me in the last 24 hours, alerting me of this article’s existence, and of its uncanny similarity to a “Snide Remarks” column I wrote way back in 2000.

I was alarmed by two things. One, I had no idea my readership overlapped so much with that of the Deseret News. How can I change that?

Two, why was the Des News reprinting my column without attribution?!

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Two new items from me at Film.com this week: one about Ang Lee’s new NC-17 movie, and one that’s sort of a recap of the summer box office. I wouldn’t complain if you were to click over there and read them. No pressure, though. But it sure would be nice. I’m just sayin’.

Luciano Pavarotti died early this morning in Italy, at home in the town he was born in 71 years ago.

He was famous as one of the Three Tenors, of course, and was probably responsible for causing more normal people to listen to opera than anyone else in the 20th century.

He was also famous for being hugely fat, for being somewhat temperamental and prone to canceling performances … and for raising millions of dollars for charities, for being named a United Nations Messenger for Peace, and for founding a school for young singers in his hometown.

Maybe opera isn’t your “thing.” It’s not generally my “thing” either. But watch this clip of Pavarotti singing his signature song, the beautiful “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s “Turandot,” and see if you’re not moved by the incredible power of his voice. The climax, in particular, is amazing.

YouTube link.
CNN story on his death.

Two films opened last Friday without timely advance screenings, and now I have the reviews for you: “Halloween” (verdict: bleh) and “Death Sentence” (verdict: OK!).

I had actually seen “Death Sentence” when I sent out “In the Dark” and posted the Friday movie round-up late last Thursday night: The screening was at 10 p.m. I could have mentioned that it was worth seeing, even if I didn’t have the review written yet. But if Fox is going to screen the movie at 10 p.m. the night before it opens, why should I go out of my way to tell people it’s good? They want the word to get out about their products, they can screen them in a more timely fashion. SO THERE.

Every now and then a person enters your life and you think, “I could write a column about this person every week and never run out of material.” Or at least that’s what I think. Such a person for me was Pablo, known in “Snide Remarks” as Raoul, my housemate from Christmas 2003 until June 2004.

I direct your attention to the two columns I wrote about him, “Doing Tiempo” and “Señor Clean,” which appeared seven weeks apart in spring 2004. (I referred to him again at the end of “U-Haul Come Back Now, Ya Hear?,” a few weeks later.) Reading these columns again reminds me of more stories I could tell about him, like how he was obsessed with Princess Diana and would constantly re-watch a video tape of some TV special about her, or how one time he was late with his rent because he had accidentally washed his paycheck.

Good ol’ Pablo. I have no idea what became of him. He’s the kind of person who, despite being dim-witted and disaster-prone, will probably never actually be killed or even injured. He’s probably a millionaire now.

It’s Labor Day and I’m still visiting friends and kinfolk in Utah, but I thought you might like to see this delightful YouTube video of Leslie Uggams completely blowing the lyrics to “June is Bustin’ Out All Over” at a Rodgers and Hammerstein tribute concert. Listen carefully to what she says. Also, watch her face while she’s messing up. It gets all pinched and scrunchy. Then keep watching, because whoever posted the video has made some helpful additions during the instant replays.