In case you were wondering whether “The Ugly Truth” is complete crap, the answer is DERP DE DERP I ASK STUPID QUESTIONS DERP

You know what killed Walter Cronkite? Seeing the demise of TV news as legitimate journalism. (Also: cancer.)

You know what killed Walter Cronkie? Seeing two weeks of non-stop Michael Jackson coverage paraded as “news.”

Hey Amazon: I ain’t buying a Kindle until you stop with the shenanigans. http://bit.ly/8nT4V (via @1inAmelia)

The biggest movie of the week — indeed, one of the biggest movies of the year — opened on Wednesday. You might have already seen it. It’s called “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” It was supposed to open last Thanksgiving, remember? And then they pushed it back, and it was the end of the world? Remember how you cried? Well, it’s here now and everything is OK. Shhh, shhh… everything is OK….

Me likey movie a lot. I wonder if I might have liked it less if I’d read the book more recently than four years ago and thus better remembered what was going to happen. Actually recalling the plot probably takes some of the suspense out of it.

There’s also “500 Days of Summer,” a movie I absolutely love, opening on a couple dozens screens today. This was Sundance’s biggest hit this year, both with critics and regular audiences; it’s the kind of thing that’s so funny and creative and wistfully romantic that I think just about everyone who sees it will like it. It has wide-range appeal. It’s expanding all over the country in the coming weeks (here’s a schedule), so be sure to catch it when it shows up at the local multiplex.

Another great film is “Il Divo,” an Italian political story with lots of style and a fascinating main character. It’s in limited release, hiding in art houses and independent theaters.

Oh, and I showed up on the /Filmcast this week, talking about “Brüno.” You can listen here. Note that there is a bit of PG-13 language, cuz it’s the Internet and there are no rules.

Here’s me on the Twitter.

To sign up for the “In the Dark” e-zine, which brings you all the new movie reviews, DVD releases, and other pertinent info in one handy weekly e-mail, visit this page.

RT @Andyrooskie “Butch Cassidy and Her Foster Kid” #failedwesterns

Screening of Katherine Heigl movie opposite guinea pigs movie. Do I choose squeaky, annoying rodent, or guinea pigs?

Victoria Jackson: still crazy. Also, she doesn’t understand why her last column made people think she’s crazy. http://tinyurl.com/la937n

@portlandmercury It’s shoo-in, not shoe-in. It was wrong twice in last week’s issue and again today on the blog. I WILL PUNCH YOU.