Stupid Muggles

By now, you've probably heard about the killjoy dimwit who apparently photographed every single page of the soon-to-be-released final Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," and posted it on the internet. A few more idiots then re-posted it elsewhere, and Scholastic is trying its best to get all the posts removed before the book is released at midnight on July 21.

All I have to say is that the person who originally photographed the book really, really, really needs to get a life. Come on - how long do you think that took? HOURS. At 700+ pages, even if you photograph two at once, that's over 350 photos. Then uploading, etc. If you can't think of anything better to do with your time than spoil the fun for everyone else, wow....it's on par with the morality and motivation of Kreacher the house elf. {I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!)

And if you were in China, well, OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!

As for me, I will indeed be lining up with all the 12-year olds at midnight on Friday to get two copies of this long-awaited book - one for me, one for my husband, so we won't fight over it. I'm so conflicted - I can't wait to find out what happens, but I don't want it to end either.

Ugly Betty

So, I loooove this show. I think it's brilliant. I am absolutely on the edge of my seat at the season finale: Claire Mead breaking out of jail! Betty and Henry - still star-crossed lovers! Is Henry's girlfriend really pregnant? Is it his? Will Ignacio get his visa to come back from Mexico? Is Santos dead? Is Amanda the daughter of Fey Sommers? And can you believe Wilhelmina actually got Bradford Mead to propose? Are Alexis and Daniel dead? Holy shit! Screw reality TV - this is drama!

But seriously, what's great about this show is that when you peg a character or a situation as one-dimensional or stereotypical, that's when the show surprises you, by showing you one crystal-clear glimpse through a chink in a character's armor, or an unpredictable plot twist. If the US is just now catching on to the telenovela, well, it's about time. (Soccer didn't take, but hey, let's try the telenovela!)

If you're not with me, whoa, give it a look! The dialogue is cutting, witty, funny, cheesy, heart-rending, all at the same time. I admit - some ferret-like part of me is definitely attracted to the brightly colored costumes, and shiny, glittery setting of the fictional MODE magazine. Eye candy always helps - especially when it's a gaudy Guadalajara poncho! But the color also means something: Betty's never met a color or a pattern that she didn't like - it's the same open way she approaches the world. Wilhelmina always wears white (and can you BELIEVE that's Vanessa Williams? Brilliant!). Is she the Great White Whale (symbolically, Melville-ly, speaking of course)? The White Witch? The Great White Hope? Or just Pure Evil in disguise?

So cruel to wait for next season! But at least I have something new to look forward to, since I'm in denial about the end of Harry Potter and The Sopranos.