Robert Downey Jr. on The Avengers at Comic Con:

“Anybody see Inception?” Downey asked. “I think that was probably just about the most ambitious movie I’ve ever seen. And then I thought, Wait a goddamn second. Marvel Studios is going to take all of their top superheroes and they’re gonna put them all together in The Avengers? That’s the most ambitious movie I’ve ever seen.”

The big reveal was Mark Ruffalo inheriting Hulk - 3rd time lucky, after Bana & Norton? Also, Thor is sounding promising.

After the penultimate stage last night, Contador is 39 seconds ahead of Schleck. Which is exactly how many seconds Contador gained on Schleck after the infamous chain-drop of Stage 15. Which means, according to my very poor maths, that if it weren’t for the chain they would be on exactly the same time. Now that would have been something - a race for the maillot jaune on the final stage into Paris. Damn.

Le Mans Classic 2010 - Laurent Nivalle.

Beautiful evocative photography, somehow straight out of the 60’s despite being shot in 2010.

*The Awl* on Copy Editing:

Plus, I’d always had an eye for error: When one of my best friends in elementary school asked her mom what “f-u-k” meant because she’d seen it on the door to the bathroom stall, I helpfully jumped in: “I think you mean f-u-C-k.” You’re welcome, Friend’s Mom.

Storms

One of the most amazing sporting sequences I’ve ever seen. Schleck & Contador perfectly matched, climbing a mountain through cloud, shoulder to shoulder, neither able to snap the cord that held them together, like Lyra and her dæmon. Staggering, the bond between them after that experience is hard to fathom. Hats off.

(photos from The Guardian)

Great site celebrating the art of the cinema title sequence, like the startling introduction to Se7en.

The resurgence of prog rock. Absurd time signatures & single-track albums return:

Even so, it’s hard to see how OK Computer’s multi-platinum success can have done the prog scene anything but good by reawakening a public interest in long, episodic songs, retooling the gloomy mein of Dark Side of the Moon for a new decade. Around the same time, metal - traditionally progressive rock’s best mate, with its emphasis on musicianship, partiality for excess and inability to resist a bit of lyrical sword and sorcery - began to rekindle its friendship with prog in the aftermath of grunge.

I’ll have to dig out my PFM.

The Inception trailer was one of the first in a long time where at the end I thought “wha…?” And the film lives up to that - complicated, idea-driven, beautifully shot, and a stellar cast. Christopher Nolan’s 10 year old hot streak continues. Bring your thinking cap.

Getting caught out once was bad, but twice? Why not just, you know, take a photo?? Definitely scroll down to the commentators own Photoshop jobs which are infinitely superior.