W.A.S.T.E

Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest will apparently feature not only Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush and the others from the first film, but also Stellan Skarsgård as "Bootstrap" Bill Turner, Bill Nighy (Slartibartfast from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) as Davey Jones, and – if rumour is to be believed – Chow Yun-Fat.

I admit that good casting alone can't guarantee a worthwhile film – anyone else remember Alien Resurrection? Anyone else wish they didn't? – but Chow Yun-Fat makes all movies better.  :-)

...after a mere 23 years, the original line-up of the dB's (Chris Stamey, Peter Holsapple, Will Rigby, and Gene Holder) is recording together again.

And not a moment too soon: while I dearly love Like This and The Sound of Music, the two albums released after Stamey's departure in 1982, Stands for deciBels and Repercussion – the albums on which Stamey and Holsapple shared songwriting and vocal duties – are among the most essential pop records I own.