Fearless (Huo Yuan Jia)

Saw this today, and it’s been stuck in my head ever since.

Go here for the music video for the theme song to Jet Li’s new movie Huo Yuan Jia, about the 19th century martial artist of the same name. (The movie has been retitled “Fearless” for Western audiences.)

The song is by Taiwanese pop star Zhou Jie Lun (aka Jay Chow), and is an absolute earworm of traditional Chinese music, western-style pop, and hip-hop.

Chinese Hip-hop. Yeah, I’ll let that one sink in for a bit.

The music video kicks ass, too….lots of choreographed dance moves, interspliced with footage from the film….which looks nifty (especially a duel between Huo Yuan Jia and a westerner fencing with a saber).

I do have an MP3 of the song, which will be appearing on this week’s Friday Music post. ( and yes, , it will be added to the “international hip-hop” CD that I’m making you.)

Shotgun Politics

The 78-year-old shot by Cheney has a heart attack, due to pellets in his heart.

Doctors are under orders to continue to downplay calling it “Minor.”

The murmuring sound you’re hearing is the noise of Administration officials and hardcore Neo-cons praying HARD that this old guy doesn’t die.

Of course, Cheney has already been cleared. The Sherrif’s Department have said that there was no alcohol or misconduct involved in the incident….at least as far as they could tell, since they weren’t allowed to interview anyone for more than 12 hours after the shooting.

In other disgusting news: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is planning a June vote on a Constitutional amendment banning Gay marriage. The vote will most likely fail, but it’s timed so that the coming November elections can be yet another “Referendum on Boys Kissing” (to use Bill Maher’s phrase), rather than being about reaction to the multiple crimes and ethical violations by this administration and their party. The holy rollers will come out in force again. Votes fer JESUS.

More Cheney Stuff, Less Funny As It Goes On….

From the CBS News story about the incident, this disturbing little tidbit:

CBS News White House correspondent Peter Maer reports Texas authorities are complaining that the Secret Service barred them from speaking to Cheney after the incident.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Add that to the fact that at today’s Press Conference (as seen at the bottom of this story, in the update section), the White House press secretary said that Bush and senior aides were told Saturday night by the staff of the White House Situation Room that somebody in the Cheney’s hunting party was shot, but they were not told until Sunday morning that Cheney was the shooter.

How is it that the VP of the most powerful nation of the world could shoot somebody — within view of several witnesses, including, presumably, a contingent of Secret Service agents — and the president doesn’t hear about it until a day later?

Doesn’t that strike anybody as odd?

Again, I hate that this stuff makes me sound like some kind of conspiracy theorist….but fer chrissakes, with this Administration, what choice do ya have?