Heard on NPR today a discussion of Book Magazine’s “100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900.” When the program first came on the radio, I immediately thought, Ignatius Reilly from “A Confederacy of Dunces.”

He made the list – No. 17.

They had callers “nominate” characters, and then the magazine editor told if that person made the list and why. I was so pleased when someone called in to nominate Ignatius. While I’ve known people who have hated the book (there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground), it’s one of the few books that can make me laugh out loud. Highly recommended.

I was a little embarrassed at how many books I hadn’t read, and the rather large number of characters on the list I hadn’t even heard of.

Who are your most memorable characters?

I’ve finally figured out why Jodie Foster will never be a great actress.

Keep in mind, I love Jodie. She’s intense and compelling and smart, and “Silence of the Lambs” was incredible. But the same things that make her interesting to watch are why she’s limited. She can’t relax. Her face always has that “my mind is racing 14 steps ahead” look, no matter what character she plays. When she smiles, it’s an intense smile, not a smile of pleasure.

A perfect example of this quality is in “Sommersby,” which I caught a little of on cable TV last night. Jodie did her best to play a rather ordinary Civil War wife caught up in a strange case of mistaken identity. But her intense little chin and her intense little nose and her laser-eyed look kept giving her away. She’s no more an average Civil War wife than she is a cantaloupe.

Relax, Jodie. Take up yoga or something.

But her intensity should serve her well in the upcoming “Panic Room,” where she struggles to defend her home and daughter from marauding robbers. Now there’s good casting. I can’t wait.

At a matinee of “Ice Age” today with Dave and Susan, saw the new Episode II trailer for the first time. Unfortunately, it didn’t quiet any of my fears about the movie, which is just two months from release. This one was all explosions and flying and jumping and stuff being thrown at your head. I understand that the movie should be exciting and interesting, and a Star Wars movie should make an effort to show you things you would never see otherwise. But this was just too much. There’s such a thing as trying too hard, shouting “Look at me! Like me! Aren’t I cool?”

Memo to George Lucas: “Star Wars – Starfighter” is a video game. “Star Wars” is a movie. The difference is crucial, and I think you may have forgotten it.

Finally watched the Rosie O’Donnell interview with Diane Sawyer, since in this market it was bumped to 2:35 a.m. (!) today because of high school basketball. I was surprised at how much I liked it, and liked her. Mostly I liked that the piece was much more about parenting, and less about Rosie herself. And when she did take center stage, she was forceful, truthful and funny. She showed a tremendous amount of common sense, something that is both lacking in the general populace and a major component of good parenting. It was sort of the anti-Heche interview.

What I didn’t like about the show was how they spent so much time debunking the idea that gay parents result in gay children. To me this is like saying, in whispered tones, “If his parents are architects, that means he might turn out to be one too!” Diane Sawyer was unfortunately trying to play both sides, advocating for gay parents while at the same time giving in to the idea that gay people are somehow less.

There’s the media for you. 🙂

I’ve been living in my own head for so long, I don’t remember where the exits are.

Friends recharge your batteries. Friends know all your faults and still like you. Friends finish your sentences, and you don’t mind. Friends remember the things you’ve been through together. Friends will listen to your complaining without complaining. Friends call you up right when you need to talk to someone. Friends will tell you when you’re acting like an asshole. Friends give you a mirror you don’t mind looking into. Friends defend you. Friends will let you have the last piece of pizza, even if it’s really theirs. Friends really know you.

It’s good to have friends.

I’m sure he’ll be right over

“I never once said I want him naked in a bed doing the nasty,” Rosie O’Donnell said about Tom Cruise. “I want him to mow my lawn and get me a lemonade.”

There’s been an incredible amount of hatred directed at Andrea Yates, and it scares me. I think it reflects a deep misunderstanding of what it means to be mentally ill. Douglas Cruickshank wrote a pretty good piece on this for Salon – good enough that I’m lifting my self-imposed ban on linking to them. (Other interesting stuff on MetaFilter.)

I understand that people would feel shock and horror at what she did to her own children. But just the act itself, with no motive other than her extreme illness, should prove that she had absolutely no ability to choose her own actions. Transferring the shock and horror we feel into hatred for Andrea Yates (and cries for her death or torture) is destructive both to our society and to any real understanding of mental illness.

Memo to the President:

For the last time, it’s NOO-clee-ur, NOT NOO-kyu-ler. Look at the word – there’s no second U. If you’re making plans to blow some people up, the least you can do is pronounce it correctly.

Two good movies in one week – this is unusual, especially these days.

“Scotland, PA” is a retelling of Macbeth, set in a 1970s burger joint. Maura Tierney of “ER” and “NewsRadio” plays Pat McBeth, in a series of outrageous 70s outfits. Christopher Walken is much less creepy than usual and hilarious as exasperated vegetarian police Lt. Ernie McDuff. While the setup sounds way too high-concept to be entertaining, the cast (aided by spot-on production design and a cool soundtrack) pulls it off. And any movie that includes a Yahtzee-playing birthday party scene has got something going for it in my book.

I would so much rather see an ambitious movie that doesn’t quite hit on all cylinders than a perfectly-produced Hollywood concoction with all the edges filed off.