Islam, Terror and the Second Nuclear Age

Sorry for the absence – been extremely busy with work. Hopefully, things will slow down at the office in the coming weeks and I can return to posting regularly.

In the meantime, here’s a long, but valuable piece on the debate within Islam concerning different modes of violence (eg suicide attacks, collateral impact on innocents), and a look at the potential of Islamism one day embracing a nuclear strike.

Read Islam, Terror and the Second Nuclear Age.

Revisiting an Old Friend

We were treated to a sneak preview reception last night at the Griffith Park Observatory (it opens to the public Nov. 3). They’ve done a pretty nice job with the place.

Walking up to the exterior, it looks exactly the same, but there’s an entire new wing…underground. It was built, incredibly, both under the existing structure and underneath the landscaping in front of the building. I have no idea how they managed that one.

The new hall is very attractive, very slick. On one wall - extending from the floor to the ceiling, and the entire length of the room (maybe 150 feet across) – is a blown-up image from Hubble’s Deep Field eye, with stars and galaxy clusters galore. It’s breathtaking. Directly across from that, floating out from a wall, are the 9 planets (Pluto retaining full status, apparently) and they’re in perfect scale to each other (in terms of size, not orbital distance). As I walk in and see them I let out an “Oh shit, they’re in scale!” and this docent walks by and goes “Yep! And so is the Leonard Nimoy Theater!”, pointing to a curved wall at the end of the hall. She explains: it’s a circular theater, and its diameter is that of the Sun, in scale to the hanging planets. WOW. (The staff, by the way, was friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic around every corner. It almost seemed as if they’d been waiting patiently for four years to return to the greatest job in the world.) There are a number of wall displays, some with simple text, others with audio/visual presentations, and yet others with hands-on interactive models. For instance, there is a see-through Lucite orb with a liquid-/gel-like orange substance within – when you spin it, the liquid flows in swirls of turbulence, modeling the flow of gases within Jupiter’s band. The child spinning it and catching it and spinning it again couldn’t get enough.

You then walk up a flight of stairs and, voila, you’re in the main rotunda with the pendulum swing (they restored all the original murals from the ‘30s in here and they look great). Unfortunately, you realize at this point that the new additions – in terms of exhibition space – aren’t that significant. The downstairs hall is definitely cool, but it only covers the solar system, and the Universe has lots to offer beyond the solar system. The room to the east of the rotunda has a new exhibit covering, on one side, light wavelengths (ie spectrometry) and, on the other, telescopes and the history of astronomers - ie Galileo, Kepler, Brahe and more of what you would expect here. There are some cool 3-D/holographic dioramas, but overall the room’s kind of whatever (although one end of it was still under construction). Here, like downstairs, a number of the displays and placards were still not done/posted, and plenty of the A/V buttons and what not didn’t work yet. Hopefully, once everyone’s up and running as it should be, kids or whomever can get lost in the displays for hours (although, that definitely wasn’t our experience last night).

The planetarium was closed, but I ducked my head in and it’s incredible. They yanked out those atrocious, WWII-era theater seats (complete with gimpy wooden headrests) and replaced them with lush, full-reclining theater/airplane seats. The theater is no longer in the round: everyone pretty much faces the same direction now. They also - I read this on a placard – replaced the old star projector with the newest, coolest one money could buy, so the shows in there should be great. Except that…

…they killed the Laserium! It’s never coming back. I spoke to a docent about it and it’s dead. I was mourning its loss when this attractive mother comes running over, having overheard: “Nooo!! I loved the Laserium! Back in the 70s, I used to come here with a date – lots of dates! – and we’d get hammered and the shows were just sooo cool.” “Me too!” I said. The three of us laughed, while the woman’s kids simply looked at us like WTF.

They added a Wolfgang Puck café downstairs on the west side of the building. The best part of this is the terrace overlooking the whole of the Westside. We arrived just after sunset and the view was spectacular – the sky was all crazy colors and we could see the ocean. That terrace would be a perfect spot for a date, or even just for a relaxing meal/drink.

Once it got dark, we headed up to the roof. In all my years of going up there, this was by far the clearest night I’d ever seen. The city was sparkling like no other – it looked like it’d been restored like the murals inside. It was almost eerie. The main telescope was open, but the line was ridiculously long, and they were only looking at Vega. Trivia: what does a one-dimensional dot look like up real close?..a one-dimensional dot. Our friends who insisted on waiting in line later confirmed this phenomenon, much to their chagrin. The rest of us went down below to a terrace just below the main roof and looked through a far smaller telescope (no wait!) through which we saw an open cluster in Cassiopeia. The volunteer called it the ET cluster because it, allegedly, looks like ET. She got a good laugh out of that one…many, many times. I personally didn’t see the little the waddling brown guy up there, but whatever…

Out front, down from the main entrance, are concentric circles drawn into the concrete, each with a metal placard. It turns out these are the orbits of the planets in our solar system, again in scale. If you look closely, you can actually tell that they’re ellipses and not circles. The docent (on hand to wish us goodbye) didn’t believe me, but then I bent down and measured the differences between each of the sides and she got a good schooling for free. There are the first four planets’ orbits real tight within a few feet of each other, but then you have to walk a good 10-15 feet to find Jupiter’s orbit and another 10 or so for Saturn’s, etc. Pluto, apparently, is way off across the concourse, next to the newly installed bust of James Dean. Pretty cool.

The biggest bummer about the whole thing is that, for the time being, there is no free public access to the site. We had to board buses at the Greek and get taken up and then back down, which is considerably better than what they’re apparently going to make the public do come November. Supposedly, everyone will have to book an appointment ahead of time, and then take a shuttle from Hollywood & Highland up there – no one will be allowed to drive up, period. Hollywood & Highland?! Could they choose a farther, more impacted meet-up point? It almost seems like a deterrent measure to me. Anyway, according to the website, this process will be a temporary fixture of the opening months. Once things settle down, they say they’ll consider dropping the appointment procedure - no word if we’ll ever be allowed to freely drive up there again, though. So sad, because this place was always a public landmark, one best visited spontaneously on a beautiful, meandering evening. They’re definitely deflating the experience somewhat.

Still, $93 million later, it’s absolutely worth a peek.

Halloween Dogs

Does it get any better than this?!

More Halloween Dogs.

Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch as Seen from ISS

Breathtaking.

Dove Dishes on Divas

A very cool commercial from the soap I can't do without.

Iraq Withdrawal, Part 2

In line with the previous post, it seems the respected Iraq Study Group is nearing the same conclusion:

Panel to Seek Change on Iraq

A commission backed by Bush has agreed that 'stay the course' is not working, its leader says. A phased withdrawal is one option on the table.

By Doyle McManus
LA Times Staff Writer
October 16, 2006

WASHINGTON — A commission backed by President Bush that is exploring U.S. options in Iraq intends to propose significant changes in the administration's strategy by early next year, members say.

Two options under consideration would represent reversals of U.S. policy: withdrawing American troops in phases, and bringing neighboring Iran and Syria into a joint effort to stop the fighting.

While it weighs alternatives, the 10-member commission headed by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III has agreed on one principle.

"It's not going to be 'stay the course,' " one participant said. "The bottom line is, [current U.S. policy] isn't working…. There's got to be another way."...

...The Baker panel, called the Iraq Study Group, was formed in response to a proposal by members of Congress. Nevertheless, Baker sought — and won — Bush's endorsement.

Other members include former Rep. Lee H. Hamilton (D-Ind.), who also served as co-chairman of the commission investigating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor; former Rep. Leon E. Panetta, a California Democrat who was President Clinton's chief of staff; and former CIA Director Robert M. Gates.

In its most recent closed-door meetings, the commission focused on two options drafted by experts outside the government.

One, titled "Stability First," calls for continuing to try to stabilize Baghdad, boosting efforts to entice insurgents into politics, and bringing Iran and Syria into plans to end the fighting.

The other, called "Redeploy and Contain," goes further. It calls for a gradual, phased withdrawal of American troops to bases outside Iraq where they would be available for strikes against terrorist organizations anywhere in the region.

The experts also prepared an option called "Stay the Course, Redefine the Mission," and an alternative urging a quick U.S. withdrawal, but the panel appeared less interested in those plans, participants said....

Click here for the full piece.

Iraq Withdrawal?

Maybe it is time to cut our losses and pull out of Iraq.

I never thought I’d be saying this, but things are going from incredibly bad to worse, and our presence clearly isn’t having much effect in tamping down a progressing civil war. I wouldn’t endorse a full withdrawal – I believe the establishment of military and intelligence bases there is too valuable an asset to discard – but might it be time to remove U.S. troops from standing on corners and conducting patrols?

Check out this Vanity Fair feature article: Rules of Engagement: The Haditha Killings.

On November 19, 2005, in Haditha, during Kilo Company's third tour of duty in Iraq, a land mine planted by insurgents exploded beneath a Humvee, killing a 20-year-old Marine. What happened next—the slaughter of 24 Iraqi men, women, and children—was not entirely an aberration. These actions were rooted in the very conduct of the war. As the men of Kilo Company face investigation, the author exposes the political, military, and human realities that now make such carnage routine.

The piece is pretty darn long, but I believe it fairly describes the vicious and self-perpetuating cycle of violence bred by our continued presence in Iraq.

Hollywood's Gods & Monsters

From Radar:

Mike Ovitz is history. Barry Diller is playing matchmaker. Tom Cruise is an unemployed stay-at-home dad. So who are Hollywood's new gods and monsters? To find out, we dispatched a dozen well-connected reporters to interview the industry's remaining heavy hitters. Our crack team spent weeks abusing their expense accounts on hundreds of surreptitious phone calls, closed-door conversations, and boozy lunches at the Ivy and the Palm. Eventually we convinced more than 50 top power players to participate in our survey: studio execs, high-level agents from every major firm, and dozens of A-list producers, directors, managers, screenwriters, and publicists. These are people who have run studios, released blockbusters, won Oscars—and for once, nobody wanted top billing. So to assure their cooperation we promised them full anonymity, stroked their assistants' egos, plied them with liquor, and spent countless hours on hold (they love that). Then we hit them with the questions even their personal trainers are too afraid to ask. Who is Hollywood's Most Demonic Actor? What director drives his casts to tears? Below, the results of our first annual Hollywood survey.

Read Hollywood's Gods & Monsters.

A Match Made in Celluloid Heaven

This is pretty cool: The Top 40 music moments in film history.

The moment I saw the topic, my mind shot directly to Scorsese’s masterful mash-up of the piano outro from Derek & the Dominos’ “Layla” and the visual montage of “Bodies All Over” in Goodfellas. It did make this list, but in the 18th spot - definitely would have been on the top of my list.

Almost Famous’ use of “Tiny Dancer” is another great one, dutifully credited here.

Noticeably missing are some of the great uses of Aimee Mann’s music in Magnolia, however. Then again, I know many people have issues with that film. Not I, though: it’s one of my favs.

The list:

40. “Cuban Pete,” Desi Arnaz – The Mask
39. “The Promise,” When In Rome – Napoleon Dynamite
38. “I Think I See the Light,” Cat Stevens – Harold and Maude
37. “Cruel to Be Kind,” Letters To Cleo – 10 Things I Hate About You
36. “Closer,” Nine Inch Nails – Se7en
35. “Across 110th Street,” Bobby Womack – Jackie Brown
34. “Beth,” Kiss – Beautiful Girls
33. “I Say a Little Prayer,” Dionne Warwick – My Best Friend’s Wedding
32. “Sweet Emotion,” Aerosmith – Dazed and Confused
31. “Oh Yeah,” Yello – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
30. “Louie, Louie,” The Kingsmen – Animal House
29. “Under Pressure,” Queen and David Bowie – Grosse Pointe Blank
28. “Jump in the Line,” Harry Belafonte – Beetlejuice
27. “Everybody Knows,” Leonard Cohen – Pump Up the Volume
26. "Lust for Life,” Iggy Pop – Trainspotting
25. "You Can Leave Your Hat On,” Tom Jones – The Full Monty
24. “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow,” The Soggy Bottom Boys – O Brother Where Art Thou?
23. “Where Is My Mind,” The Pixies – Fight Club
22. “If You Were Here,” Thompson Twins – Sixteen Candles
21. “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” The Four Seasons – 10 Things I Hate About You
20. “In a Gadda-Da-Vida,” Iron Butterfly – Manhunter
19. “Tequila,” The Champs – Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
18. “Layla,” Derek and the Dominoes – GoodFellas
17. “Afternoon Delight,” Starland Vocal Band – Anchorman
16. "Spybreak,” The Propellerheads – The Matrix
15. “Don’t Stop Me Now,” Queen – Shaun of the Dead
14. “Misirlou,” Dick Dale – Pulp Fiction
13. “Old Time Rock and Roll,” Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band – Risky Business
12. “Sweet Caroline,” Neil Diamond – Beautiful Girls
11. “Perfect Day,” Lou Reed – Trainspotting
10. “Try a Little Tenderness,” Otis Redding – Pretty in Pink
9. “The End,” The Doors – Apocalypse Now
8. “Moving in Stereo,” The Cars – Fast Times at Ridgemont High
7. “Shout,” Otis Day & the Knights, Animal House
6. “Stuck in the Middle with You,” Stealer’s Wheel – Reservoir Dogs
5. “Tiny Dancer,” Elton John – Almost Famous
4. “Damn It Feels Good 2 Be A Gangsta,” The Geto Boys – Office Space
3. “Twist and Shout,” The Beatles – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
2. “In Your Eyes,” Peter Gabriel – Say Anything
1. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen – Wayne’s World

Click on the link above for a detailed write-up of each selection, and the actual video clips.

A Return to Wonderland?

I’m usually against remakes of absolutely classic books or films, ones that were done well enough the first time around that they have entered the collective consciousness and shouldn’t be messed with (see Burton & Depp’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). But the following strikes me as a possible boon for one of my all-time favorite tales:

-----

Fanning Takes Shot at 'Alice' Adaptations

By Chris Gardner

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Dakota Fanning could soon be slipping on Alice's shoes and heading off to Lewis Carroll's magical Wonderland.

The young actress is close to a deal to star in her own potential franchise in adaptations of Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" for DreamWorks.

Scribe Les Bohem came up with the idea to adapt Carroll's classic novels and immediately pitched it to DreamWorks principal Steven Spielberg with Fanning in mind to play Alice. The trio worked together on Spielberg's miniseries "Taken" for Sci Fi Channel. Spielberg created the series, which Bohem wrote and in which Fanning starred.

But Bohem's history with Carroll's work goes deeper than just a quickie notion for a live-action remake. Bohem said his mother had "the premiere collection of Alice books in the United States. I grew up loving it and buried in it. My mother would collect any edition -- she even had one in Swahili. It was all there my whole life and so right in my face, but it never really occurred to me to think, 'How about a movie with Alice?"'

Bohem said he and his wife recently read both books -- "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" -- to their 8-year-old son and that got him thinking about it again.

"There have been cool versions of it before but never with the capabilities (we have today) to do the effects, and now, finally, there are ways to create a vision that does justice to Carroll's boundless imagination."

Carroll's characters in "Alice" -- the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, the Caterpillar and the famous White Rabbit -- have made it to the screen many times, most notably in the Walt Disney Co.'s animated 1951 film as well as a live-action version in 1933 from Paramount Pictures. More recently, Hallmark Entertainment and NBC teamed for a 1999 television special that featured Tina Majorino as Alice.

For DreamWorks' version, Bohem will adapt both books for the big screen as separate features and plans to stick extremely closely to Carroll's original work.

"These are two great books with two fabulous stories," he said. "But most of the time, they get cobbled together, and we plan to stay faithful to the books and each story."

The deal marks Fanning's second straight project for DreamWorks. She recently left for the South, where she is in training for her role opposite Kurt Russell in the studio's horse drama "The Dreamer." She was most recently in theaters with the Denzel Washington thriller "Man on Fire."

As for his late mother's collection of Carroll books, Bohem said she donated it two years ago to Fresno State University, where it's soon to be on display.

-----

First of all, Fanning is a genius. Much like Haley Joel Osment, she is plainly wise beyond her years. I could see her perfectly embodying the curiosity and precociousness of Alice.

Secondly, this writer/producer clearly “gets” the import of the material. He’s correct in that no proper, true-to-the-text retelling of the original two books has been told on film, at least not in a successful mainstream fashion.

As far as I know, Carroll’s two Alice works are the most prolifically adapted in the history of filmmaking – there are simply countless remakes in various styles from all over the world. Still, I have never seen a faithful adaptation done well. Would love to see someone get it right after all these years.

Nine Lives, No Allergens

Incredible.

Cat Lovers Lining Up for No-Sneeze Kitties

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
October 6, 2006
NY Times

A small California biotech company says it is ready to deliver the Holy Grail of the $35 billion pet industry: a hypoallergenic cat.

At the start of next year, the first kittens — which the company calls “lifestyle pets” — will go home to eager owners who have been carefully screened and have been on a waiting list for more than two years.

Since it announced the project in October 2004, the company, Allerca, of San Diego, says it has received inquiries from people in 85 countries seeking to buy a cat bred so that its glands do not produce the protein responsible for most human cat allergies.

Cats ordered now will take 12 to 15 months for delivery in the United States, 15 to 18 months in Europe. Cost: $4,000. And owners must pass Allerca’s finicky screening tests.

Prospective buyers are interviewed for motivation and warmth, approved as if they were adopting a child. Will they punish if kitty has an accident on the floor or scratches the furniture? Their families and their homes — from carpets to curtains — must also be evaluated for allergies and allergens.

“You’re not just buying a cat; it’s a medical device that replaces shots and pills,” said Megan Young, chief executive of Allerca. “At the same time, this is a living animal, so the well-being of our product comes before our customers. This is not some high-priced handbag that you put back on the shelf if it doesn’t match.”

In the United States and Europe, cats are the most common household pet — there are an estimated 30 million in this country alone — and cat allergies are one of most common human allergies. That combination has made many homes cauldrons of sneezing, itchy conflicts in which a fiancé is allergic to his beloved’s favorite pet, or a mother-in-law cannot come for a festive meal because of Fluffy’s presence.

With cat owners sometimes paying thousands of dollars each year for allergy shots, antihistamines and air filters to damp down allergies, $4,000 for a sneeze-free existence may be an acceptable price tag. More research is needed, but preliminary independent studies suggest Allerca cats do not provoke allergies.

“As strange as it may sound, for us the price would have been worth it — it would have saved us money, and saved us pain from all the medical and also emotional problems,” said Christopher Cullen of New York. His girlfriend’s worsening allergies resulted this week in their putting up for adoption their beloved cat, Cimbi, who had achieved “mild Internet notoriety,” Mr. Cullen said, as the star of her own Web site, harlemfur.com.

Mr. Cullen and his girlfriend, Cheryl Burley, have fought a losing two-year battle to engineer a tolerable co-existence with Cimbi, because Ms. Burley, a devoted cat lover, has had cat allergies since childhood. On the Web site, you can watch Mr. Cullen, who works for the New York Senate Democratic Conference, giving Cimbi a bath to reduce her allergen load; he takes Cimbi on a leash to Morningside Park for a day, to give his girlfriend’s allergies a break.

The couple never put down carpets. They installed HEPA filters and vacuumed incessantly. But Ms. Burley’s symptoms worsened in recent months and that fragile equilibrium fell apart two weeks ago when the couple took in a second cat, Marley. Ms. Burley could not work, could not breathe and had a seizure. They took Marley to an animal shelter.

“Our whole life has gone downhill,” Ms. Burley said. “I missed four days of work. I’m back on inhalers, eyedrops and creams. This hypoallergenic cat would be a perfect solution for me. I’m determined to have a kitty.”

Dr. Sheldon Spector, a professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, recently studied the cats and said the concept seemed to work.

Ten volunteers with severe cat allergies were exposed to a variety of cats but showed no reaction to the Allerca cats, though all had symptoms with normal animals. “This is not a definitive study, but it is an interesting and intriguing concept that could really help people,” Dr. Spector said.

For the moment, he said he would not recommend buying the cats because “$4,000 seems like a lot of money” and there was still the chance that some people might react to some degree to less common cat proteins.

Most human cat allergies are caused by Fel d 1, a molecule that has been sequenced and its gene mapped in the last decade. At first, Allerca scientists sought a method to delete or disable the gene.

But in testing to see whether the gene had been effectively silenced, they made a fortuitous discovery: A very small number of cats carry a mutant gene that produces a modified protein, far less likely to induce allergies.

At that point, the research shifted course. Allerca screened thousands of cats to identify a population with the modified gene and then set those cats to breeding. Because the mutant gene is dominant, the breeding cats could be mated with normal cats to produce hypoallergenic kittens. And no special licensing or government approvals were necessary.

So, for the past few months, Allerca’s small pool of hypoallergenic cats have been busy reproducing. Their breeding facility cannot be visited and “is at a secret undisclosed location,” said Ms. Young, Allerca’s chief executive.

At 10 to 12 weeks, every Allerca kitten is neutered before it is delivered. The company insists this is mainly to prevent feline overpopulation. But every Allerca cat carries the dominant hypoallergenic gene and, in theory, could produce copycat hypoallergenic kittens.

In tests, Allerca cats do not produce allergic reactions. But only a few of the cats have lived in private homes, and only for a few weeks.

Last month, an Allerca public relations consultant, Julie Chytrowsky, kept Joshua, an Allerca cat, for several weeks at her Los Angeles area apartment. Joshua had flown to California to “do some publicity.”

Ms. Chytrowsky, who says she is normally quite allergic, had no symptoms even though she allowed Joshua to sleep in her bed. “I fell in love with him,” she said. “He is a real stud — well, he is a stud, really.”

The company insists on an assiduous screening of all prospective owners and their families because the cats may still not be safe for people with the most severe forms of cat allergy, such as people who have been rushed to the hospital after anaphylactic reactions. They might react to even the modified protein.

A Food and Drug Administration allergy test kit arrives five weeks before each kitten and all family members must be tested. Another required test detects the presence of other allergens in the house through a collection system that clients must place on their vacuum.

“We don’t want you blaming our cats if the real issue is mold or ragweed,” Ms. Young said.

Battle of the Bands

This is pretty genius.

Fantastic Four

What’s happens when you put four of the biggest names in Hollywood together in one room? See for yourself…

The Gang's All Here

You lookin' at them? The Departed's Leo, Matt, Marty and Jack talk movies, rage and smoking

Sunday, Oct. 1, 2006

By JOSH TYRANGIEL
TIME Magazine

The Departed -- A remake of the 2002 Hong Kong-- cinema dirty-cop classic Infernal Affairs--marks the third collaboration between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio but the first between Scorsese and his friend of 30 years, Jack Nicholson. And Matt Damon takes the role of the bad guy--a rarity for him. During The Departed's New York City premiere, all four sat down for the most obscenity-redacted conversation in the history of TIME.

JACK NICHOLSON: [To Damon] Well, you finally get to play a mean ol' son of a bitch! Welcome to the club.

MATT DAMON: I had to. It's where all the good roles are.

NICHOLSON: Well, that's right. You had to change things up, be a swine. [DiCaprio arrives] Leo, my boy.

LEONARDO DICAPRIO: Hey, guys. Great to see everybody.

TIME: If I can interrupt for ...

MARTIN SCORSESE: Try!

TIME: Well ...

SCORSESE: This is going to be a little interview or something, right? Because I get very nervous about interviews.

DAMON: I didn't know they gave Man of the Year to four people.

DICAPRIO: Just remember how great sarcasm translates into print.

SCORSESE: My first 10 years in the business, everything I said was one of those you-have-to-be-there things. Then I learned to be direct in print. Not sure it helped. Anyway, ask something.

TIME: Jack, you've known Martin for years. What surprised you the most about him as a director when you finally worked with him?

NICHOLSON: Here's what was good for me: I gave him a part, and he made it a performance. We've talked about movies forever, so getting moviemaking down to shorthand while we were working was a kick. I've actually known all these fellas a while--though we've rarely talked about anything but work. And we like one another too. Sarcasm is better than that answer, incidentally. [Laughter]

DAMON: My surprise, not to blow smoke, was how good a writer Jack is. [Nicholson rewrote some of his dialogue.]

NICHOLSON: I just thought my guy was written a little too classy.

SCORSESE: Jack has great ideas. Crazy ideas.

DAMON: Like the bar scene.

SCORSESE: It's when Jack's trying to figure out if Leo is a rat. And by the fourth take it was really nice, and Jack asked me, "What do you think I should do?" I said, "Anything you want. We've got a free day tomorrow."

NICHOLSON: All Marty had to say was "free day."

SCORSESE: So we shoot the scene, and all of a sudden you hear a thunk. And I'm thinking, I better say cut. And, thank God, I didn't. Jack picks up a gun and points it at Leo, and he didn't know at that point that there was a gun there. So what you see from Leo is real. I love that.

NICHOLSON: But the prop man told him, goddammit!

DICAPRIO: He said, "All I know is Jack has a handgun, a bottle of whiskey and a fire extinguisher."

TIME: Why a fire extinguisher?

NICHOLSON: I was going to set the table on fire with bourbon out of my mouth, but I forgot they didn't give me real bourbon.

DICAPRIO: [Laughing] It's hard to light Diet Coke.

NICHOLSON: That's the moment you see me get out of character. I'm f___ing furious with my lighter, trying to light colored water on fire. You ever try to light water on fire?

DAMON: Now you've heard stories, like At Close Range--Sean Penn asking for a gun with real bullets. But I've never heard of a guy asking for a fire extinguisher.

NICHOLSON: [To Scorsese, while lighting a cigarette] Hey, where's the f___ing gas mask today?

SCORSESE: I have compressed air on a set because of the smoke. I've been wearing it for years because of asthma. It's just compressed air, but it ties you to a tank. It's a pain when you want to talk to the actors.

DAMON: There's always smoke on a set.

TIME: It's not from smokers?

DAMON: No, they go outside most of the time.

TIME: Do you go outside?

NICHOLSON: No, son. No.

TIME: Each of you has a scene of uncontrollable violent rage in this movie. Is rage easier or more fun to play than other emotions?

NICHOLSON: What kind of a question is this? You got to be able to play anything. Playing your own grandmother pissing on the ground should be no more difficult than carrying the groceries up the driveway before you get shot. That's acting. That's the real answer to the question.

SCORSESE: But anger does fuel the picture.

DICAPRIO: That is true. It was a tension-filled set. Was it fun working with all these guys? No, it wasn't fun. You have the occasional joke to break the tension, but there's this intense energy every moment, people trying to pull their hair out trying to make the thing authentic.

TIME: Matt, you and Leo aren't in the same frame until the climax of the movie. When you finally shot that scene, was there immense pressure to make it really pop?

DAMON: We workshopped that one scene with Marty for a month.

SCORSESE: We kept it late in the schedule. It was about two days of shooting on the roof, and the energy of the two of them together, it's like--I can't explain. For some reason, this is a film that I made that I actually like to watch. Because when it builds to that sequence, it all comes together.

TIME: Are there films you've made that you won't watch?

SCORSESE: Most of them.

NICHOLSON: Once you're in it, it's an artifact as a viewing experience. It's uncomfortable.

TIME: So it's not just false modesty when actors and directors say they hate watching their movies?

DICAPRIO: It takes probably 10 years to detach yourself from the filmmaking experience.

DAMON: You remember every-thing. So you watch it, and it's impossible not to think about what you ate for lunch that day. That's not even getting into all your hopes for what it might have been.

TIME: Are there any of your own movies you have come back to?

NICHOLSON: On TV, if some-thing happens by.

DAMON: If Titanic is on, I cannot turn it off. [Much laughter. DiCaprio nods and smiles wryly.] I say that only half- joking. There are just those movies--GoodFellas is like that for me. You stop what you're doing, and you can't turn it off.

DICAPRIO: There's something about Marty's directing where if his films come on, I watch them every time. It's a rare thing, but you do find these details that you've never seen before. He's obsessive about authenticity and minutiae that you may skip the first time, and then--Oh, my God! Slicing the garlic meant something! They weren't just slicing garlic!

SCORSESE: Kubrick is really the killer. The other night, there it is again--The Shining. What could I do? I had to watch the whole goddam thing.

DICAPRIO: [To Nicholson] I wish you would have worked with Kubrick again, man.

NICHOLSON: Me too. I'm ashamed to admit it, but the first thought through my mind when I heard that he died was not, Oooh, Stanley, my dear friend. It was, F___. Not going to get to do another movie with him. I wouldn't have suspected that would have been my reaction, but it's true.

TIME: If you could have played any role in any other Scorsese movie, which would you pick?

SCORSESE: Interesting.

DICAPRIO: Taxi Driver. Travis Bickle. It's weird because you watch a certain film at a young age and it impacts you in a way you can't even describe. You're watching this maniac, and he's really insane, but you are so immersed in him that you forget you're watching a movie and you start to feel insane. And then there's the profound embarrassment I felt when he brought the girl to the porno theater, and--Oh no! What is he doing? I was with you! I know you've got problems, but I was with you!

DAMON: Leo's answer is good, but I'd probably go Jake LaMotta. Not that I look anything like Jake LaMotta ...

NICHOLSON: Well, the question depends on if it's a part you could play or a part you just want to play. I mean, I can't pick Jake LaMotta. I can't play that. But what's the movie with the crazy fan in it?

DAMON: King of Comedy. Rupert Pupkin. That's one of the greats.

NICHOLSON: Now that's a hard part. That scene with Jerry Lewis walking down the street. I remember in my early days in New York seeing Van Johnson walking down the street and I'd have the same feeling as Pupkin. So I'm not Jake LaMotta. But Rupert Pupkin? I could possibly do it.

DICAPRIO: Hey, guys, let's give a little cheers here. I mean, we're not going to see each other forever.

SCORSESE: O.K., just a dash.

DICAPRIO: [Pours wine.] A true honor working with all of you guys, seriously.

SCORSESE: O.K., eyes here. [Look each other in the eye.] Jack, the eyes.

NICHOLSON: Just like we're in the police force.

SCORSESE: Don't make me nervous.

MoM: Music of the Moment

“Ta-Dah”, the new album from the gender-bending Scissor Sisters, is - simply stated - outrageous ridiculous non-stop bopping fun. Each time I throw it on in the car I begin to shimmy - and I don’t shimmy.

Revamped 70s disco, Elton John and the Bee Gees. Slick dance beats, creative chord progressions, and some beautiful, clean guitar solo action.

Simply too much fun to miss out on.