• Was Heath Ledger actually possessed by a demon during The Dark Knight? Bob Larson thinks so. Here’s an interview with some guy from Movie Web, who needs to spell check before posting.

 

  • Over at Killings, Sukhmani Khorana states her case for the ‘burden of representation’ on Australian television. It’s interesting and informative but references, ahem, Masterchef and, ahem *vomit* ahem, The Slap.

 

  • Mark O’Connell writes a piece at The New Yawker about the expiry of James Joyce’s copyright. Basically echoing the sentiments of UbuWeb’s tweet: “Fuck you Stephen Joyce. EU copyright on James Joyce’s works ends at midnight.” Suck it, Stephen.

 

  • This video—by Sean Ohlenkamp and his lady—is a lesson in maximum effort/minimal reward. But, hey, I enjoyed watching it. It’s cute. I wish I had that many books (I have 286. I counted just before).

 

  • I can relate to Jonathan Gourlay in this article on what happens when you stop reading. Like him, I play Skyrim but Eve—that dole bludger!—pulls me out of it. I also watch too many TV shows online, like New Girl (I love New Girl. I love Zooey Deschanel. I want a girl exactly like her; preferably her. Mmm.) 30 Rock has been known to consume me.

 

  • My good friend, J.L., had this idea maybe two years ago when he was writing a novel. Sell the book with a CD to be played whilst reading. Brilliant! I like listening to music when I read but it’s hard finding something to fit the mood (Cormac McCarthy+Steve Von Till works; Charles Bukowski+Tom Waits is an obvious choice). Sharon Steel, over at The Millions, shows that this idea might not be too far away from mass fruition.

 

  • Miss (Ms? Mrs?) Alison Flood writes how the Nobel Prize committee rejected the idea of J.R.R. Tolkien being considered for the prestigious prize, on account of his ‘second-rate prose’. I suppose inventing a genre doesn’t get you much esteem anymore. Sorry, Cormac. I know you probably won’t hold your breath for a call from the Swedish academy, but here’s a head’s up, just in case.

 

I just started reading The Monthly, a Melbourne-based publication. I’m a little hooked. The fiction was succinct and well written (Cate Kennedy, Nicholas Shakespeare, et al), the articles were informative and relevant, and Peter Robb’s piece on scholarship—the occupation, not the free money—is insightful. It’s only 10 bucks, so look out for it.

 

SDH