Year in Review

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Using his mysterious meme powers, the redoubtable C.T.S. Crumlish has compelled me to publish here the first line of my first blog entry from every month in 2007. I am nothing if not compliant, so here they are, with comments.

January
“I don’t necessarily want to take credit for the miraculous resurrection of Jackie Earle Haley.”
(Actually, I did.)
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The Victory of Light

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(Transcribed from The I Ching or Book of Changes, the Richard Wilhelm translation, rendered into English by Cary F. Baynes.)

Hexagram 24: Fu/Return (The Turning Point)

above K’UN (The Receptive, Earth)
below CHÉN (The Arousing, Thunder)

The idea of a turning point arises from the fact that after the dark lines have pushed all of the light lines upward and out of the hexagram, another light line enters the hexagram from below. The time of darkness is past. The winter solstice brings the victory of light. This hexagram is linked with the eleventh month, the month of the solstice (December-January).
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Right in the lumber yard

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That’s Michael O’Keefe, a/k/a Danny Noonan, on the left—barely visible here as in the movie.

Actually, one more thing about Michael Clayton. This film was full of revelations, but the most shocking came during the closing credits, when I learned that the character of Barry — Clayton’s in-house rival — had been played by none other than Michael O’Keefe. I never would have recognized little Danny Noonan in this smug, button-down jerkface, which means either that O’Keefe is a superb actor or that much too much time has gone by since Caddyshack.

I think I’ll go with the former — after all, he was nominated for an OscarRRR for The Great Santini. The latter leads down the path of the Dark Musings, which are not at all appropriate for this festive season. Although that doesn’t explain why he had such a small part. Never mind — it’s time for bed anyway.

Noonan!