Ebert on Siegel.

I never really took Joel Siegel seriously as a film critic.

However, with Roger Ebert -- a man who, by the way, has gone through a horrific cancer scare -- commenting on Siegel's recent passing, it's hard not to have extreme admiration for the guy.

Never forget rule #1.

Oh -- and I did this one too.

Me in 1982.

I bet you didn't realize that I once did a commercial.

And had a perm.

(For some silly reason, BASKIN had me refer to myself as Anthony Geary.)

I've Been Busy in Florida.

No recent posts due to my recuperation.

Will be back in action soon.

Those damn rabies shots hurt, by the way.

Well, heck.

The Hold Steady, one of the best new bands in America, made their SECOND Arkansas stop within a year at Sticky Fingerz in LR on Monday night -- and I missed them again!

I've missed them in Memphis. And now, for the second time, I've missed them in Little Rock.

And I drove through Little Rock on Monday!

AAAAARRRGGGGGHHHHH!

Hold on to that feeling.

Besides Paris, the most overblown pop story this week has to have been the angry reaction to the finale of The Sopranos.

Drudge started the fuss, posting a link to a ridiculous rant by L.A. Weekly's media/film columnist, Nikki Finke. I'm quite certain that had David Chase been within two feet of Finke as she watched those brilliant, stomach-twisting last two minutes of the series come to an abrupt, unresolved end, she would have strangled the man in rage.

Yet if Finke had relaxed for a few moments before exploding with her online rage, perhaps she would have realized that this is the trademark of Chase: he's an artist who refuses to bow to popular expectations. Wrapping up everything in a moral tight bow (i.e., having Tony pay for his sins by having him and his entire family wiped out) is too easy. By cutting to black, he's letting us decide the fate of our anti-hero and also flipping the bird to convention (thank heavens).

Personally, I think Tony and his family are still alive. Yet, Carmela is still going to overlook her husband's blood money in order to live her comfortable, materialistic life; A.J. will set aside his attention-getting "depressive" and apocalyptic worldview and comfortably settle into the easy road with his hot girlfriend, new BMW and new life in the porn industry; and Tony will forever be looking over his shoulder, waiting for that inevitable bullet. Meadow, meanwhile, (who, it's been pointed out, was never seen entering the diner) will likely be the least affected...grounded in her pursuit of law and her new love.

* * *

Without a subscription to HBO for a number of years, I've missed quite a few Sopranos. With the show now history, it's time to dust off the DVDs of the seasons and enjoy everything anew.

The Injustice Continues.

From England's Star comes this horrifying detail regarding Paris Hilton's incarceration...

The pal said: “It’s so cruel what has happened to her. She wasn’t allowed to wax or use a moisturiser. Her skin is so dry right now.”

And our national nightmare continues.

Hangfile.

Priceless stuff via stereogum via WFMU via Legion of Rock Stars.

Hangfliare. Hangfyler. Hangfile. Say "Whallla hale! Say "Watfha hell!"

Jodie Bronson.

Jodie Foster's new movie looks familiar.

It's a Sunshiny Monday!

What a way to wake up on a Monday morning!

Putin wants to start Cold War II. The countdown for the destruction of Israel is on. And Paris begins her three week stint in prison. (Insert Marlon Brando whispering "The horror...the horror...," here. Thank you.)

Now for the good news! Lindsay Lohan's mom wants to steer her other kids into the path of a proverbial Red Bull and vodka/coke-fueled Freightliner roaring down a mountain highway at over 90 m.p.h.! And all the destruction and mayhem will be aired on E! Whoo-hoo! Good times.

Finally, I received this post from another reader re the last Anonymous post: Dagnabbit - he's at it again. I heard a noise last night and walked outside and there was that Grace boy, wearing sandals and his favorite Steve Earle jammies, huddled under the dashboard of my car tampering with my radio so I couldn't receive the other 40 or so radio stations in northern Arkansas. First the Max, than my car. What's next?

I've been caught. Crap.

Hello Ireland.

I'm no Internet guru. So, I was pleasantly surprised to learn about a blogger's tool called sitemeter that can track everyone who has logged into suburban voodoo. Now before my #1 fan and poster, Anonymous*, freaks out, I must say that sitemeter doesn't personally identify those who log into my blog. It basically tells you how many folks have visited your site per day, week, and year; from what area of the world they hail; and, if they came by way of a search engine, it can tell you what search parameters were used to find suburban voodoo. For example, one reader from Dublin, Ireland visited my blog yesterday after Googling the term "kings of leon because of the times mp3." Which tells me one thing: this Irish bloke was likely searching for a free copy of the excellent new KOL CD, Because of the Times. Unfortunately, I have not entered the world of posting mp3s as of yet, so I'm sure my Irish reader went elsewhere.

Since I installed sitemeter a couple of days ago, I've had a staggering amount of visitors to suburban voodoo: 36. Matt Drudge should watch his back. Within those 36, I've had readers from the Batesville and Little Rock areas (obviously), as well as visitors from Rochester, NY; Torrance, CA; and Minneapolis (based on a Google for Phil Hendrie -- who, besides the late, great Dewey Phillips, is the best radio broadcaster in the history of the medium and returns to the air with a new show on June 25! Yippie!).

It must be said, however, that I'm surprised no one has come to the site based on the search terms: smothered in a pool of your own vomit. Maybe our society is not lost after all.

* Latest post from Anonymous: I don't understand why you have this blog if no one is reading it. You have 0 Comments by all of your entries. You need to know that there is a local group that is in the process of putting in a new radio station. Your monopoly is going to end.