I stole this "Post a Picture of Your Desktop Wallpaper" meme from these two wonderful and super-smart people, six_demon_bag and foxdiva9 . So what picture are you using as your desktop wallpaper?

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My current desktop wallpaper is a screencap image from The Dark Knight showing the Joker lying on top of the pool table with a group of mob men standing in the pool hall room. What you're seeing in this image is the homicidal sociopath Joker simultaneously using two knives to stab the mob gentleman standing on the right side and another mob gentleman standing on the left side in their stomachs.

Image source: screenmusings

That's intimidating. There's literally 1,000+ movies I need to see before I die at age 90. Okay, baby steps. For 2010, my goal is to watch all the top 50 highest grossing films of all time in the world. Looks like I'm going to force myself to watch Transformers (2007) and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009). I heard bad reviews about Revenge. Oh well, I'll watch this sequel film Revenge anyway because I enjoy heckling at bad movies on my television screen.

Image source: Transformers (2007) vs. The Dark Knight (2008) - "Come at me, bitch!" said Nurse Joker to Blackout, the helicopter transformer

Toys seem to be a popular subject for the folks on my f-list. At least 5 people on my f-list have recently made a post mentioning toys. Sadly, as an adult I have no toys to play with in real life. *sobs* But man oh man, I would love to play with this 12-inch (31 cm) Joker doll (see picture below) created by the Hot Toys company. OH HELL NAW! *flips over table* This Joker doll cost $200+ on eBay?! Too expensive for me.

Image source below: The Dark Knight - Joker doll from Hot Toys company



Image source below: Heath Ledger as the Joker sans clown makeup from The Dark Knight



The Joker proves the rule that even if you're a murderous, psychopathic clown with yellow, rotting teeth and a ghoulish Glasgow smile scar on your face, men and women will still think of you as attractive and sexy. Damn, the Joker looks even more fucked up and scary without the clown makeup!

This post was directly inspired by the marvelous sersugg after he made a post about the retro '70s toy doll Hugo: Man of a Thousand Faces and the subject of buying toys on eBay came up.

A lot of the people on my f-list seem to have trouble falling asleep at night. So can you help us out by recommending songs that will put us to sleep? Post videos or links to your songs in the comments!

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I'll start. I'm going to recommend the song "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Steve Baker and Carmen Daye from the Donnie Darko (2001) soundtrack.

Here's a 30-second preview of the song "For Whom the Bell Tolls" in the video below:



Full video at youtube: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Steve Baker and Carmen Daye

PS. The reason why I'm posting 30-second clips of music videos is because I know time is valuable to the people on my friends list. For example, if you have 30 people on your f-list and if all 30 people decide in one day to post videos that are each four minutes long, then you'll spend two hours trying to watch all the videos people have posted. Wow, two hours?! That would be an impossible task for a lot of people on my f-list because they have limited time on the internet each day.

So all the music videos I post in my journal entries will be chopped down to 30 seconds because I love you all. ♥

Some of you folks are going to argue with National Public Radio's list of The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings. Nice mix of jazz, hip hop, indie rock, rap, and country on this list. Hey, the cellist Yo Yo Ma made the list! Cool.

Anyhoo, I'm posting this list created by the fine people of NPR because a lot of you lovely folks (I'm looking at you, six_demon_bag ) are compiling your own personal list of great albums of the last decade, and I thought you folks may want to compare your personal list with NPR's opinion of the 50 most important recordings of the last decade.

This news will shock no one: Sufjan Stevens's album Illinois (2005) made it on NPR's list of the decade's 50 most important recordings.

Image source: last.fm - Sufjan Stevens gallery

A happy hello to you! Who's in the mood to hear '90s songs? I know I am! So please post random song(s) from the '90s that you personally love in the comments. I want to hear them.

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One of my favorite songs from the '90s decade is "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (1995) by U2. Oh hale yes! I was delighted when I discovered a wonderful soul on youtube has already made a fan-made music video for the song "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" using scenes directly from The Dark Knight.

From now on, I'm going to chop all music videos down to 30 seconds and then post them in my journal. Thank you, TubeChop for providing this valuable tool. Have fun enjoying this 30-second video of "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" posted below! WARNING: The video contains plot spoilers.

Link to the full video: "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2 - Tribute to the Joker




Here's an animated GIF of the Joker, Harvey Dent, and Batman groovin' to your favorite songs from the '90s posted in the comments.

GIF image source: Superhero Hype! forum

I've never been dead. But reading about other people's near-death experiences over at the Near Death Experience Research Foundation website fascinates me. Apparently after we die, our spirits gain superhuman powers! In our spirit forms, our field of vision is 360 degrees - this means we can see things in front of us AND behind us simultaneously. And, oh yeah, we can fly through the air and communicate telepathically.

That is amazing.

This post was inspired by Heath Ledger (1979-2008). Wherever Heath Ledger is right now, I sincerely hope he's happy.

Image source: Screencap of the Joker (Heath Ledger) hanging his head outside of a police car window from The Dark Knight Screencaps Gallery at Screenmusings (please don't let this be a broken link later).

Can anybody recommend any rap or hip hop songs for me to hear? Post your rap or hip hop songs in the comments! I am so sadly ignorant about rap and hip hop music. :(

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In return, I'll post the rap song "White & Nerdy" by "Weird Al" Yankovic. I love this video posted below accusing the psychopath Joker as being too white and nerdy.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

WARNING: The video contains The Dark Knight plot spoilers.

Video link: "White & Nerdy" by Weird Al Yankovic - The Joker : White & Funny (Duration: 1 min 14 sec)




This post has been approved by the smiling Sexy Nurse Joker and his wig. That redhead wig looks fierce and fabulous on you, girlfriend! Image source: The Dark Knight Screencap Gallery in homeofthenutty

Hi, friends!

We're in the mood to listen to songs from the last decade (2000-2009)! Please post random songs that you actually like from the last decade in the comments. We will totally listen to whatever songs you post! ^_^

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In return, I'll post one of my favorite songs from the last decade: "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (2001) by Daft Punk. I'm currently obsessed with kinetic typography used within fan-made videos on youtube, so I'm posting the 52 second video of the song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" presented in kinetic typography style.

Video link: "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk - Kinetic Typography Fan-Made Music Video (Duration: 52 sec)



Image source: Joker - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Banner inspired by the Joker's quote about himself, "This town deserves a better class of criminal, and I'm gonna give it to them!" Banner created by norrie_x

Been observing that a lot of folks on my f-list are announcing a hiatus from livejournal during this autumn season. That's good. It's always healthy to take a break. I hope these folks return back to livejournal refreshed and energized.

Two questions for you.

1. What is your one favorite movie, television, or book character?

2. Select a song that best represents your one favorite movie, television, or book character.  Post the song in the comments.  I would love to hear the song.

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My answer:

1. My one favorite character is the Joker from the movie The Dark Knight (2008). He's a scary psychopath to the hilt. Even the dangerous mob men in this movie are scared shitless of the Joker. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Image source: Nurse Joker



( a grand, operatic song that fits the scary-ass clown Joker )

I'm not a sadist.  It doesn't give me pleasure to see people suffering from physical pain.  But I'm making an exception today!  I laughed so hard watching this spoof video posted below showing Batman (Christian Bale) beating the living shit out of the Joker (Heath Ledger) during the interrogation scene from The Dark Knight.

Fans of the animated television comedy series Family Guy will immediately recognize the audio in this spoof video from the "Patriot Games" episode when Stewie the baby viciously beats up Brian the dog.  You can see the original Family Guy scene of Stewie beating up Brian at Hulu.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Video link: Joker and Batman: Where's My Money? *Spoof* (Duration: 52 sec)

Dammit, why does the Australian actor Heath Ledger have to be dead.  I became an instant fan of Heath Ledger days ago after seeing his stunning performance as the sadistic villain Joker in the thriller movie The Dark Knight (2008). 

Yesterday, I checked out Heath's performance in the drama movie Brokeback Mountain (2005) to see why every movie critic fell head over heels in love with his portrayal of a gay man.  I was shocked by Heath's haunting performance in that movie.  This was my exact reaction while viewing Heath in one of the many heartbreaking scenes in the movie:  "You have to be shitting me!  There is NO way that same actor who scared the living crap out of me as the villain in The Dark Knight is this same actor who's making me cry right now in Brokeback Mountain."

What an incredible actor.

Also, was I the only one who felt chills down the spine when the Joker menacingly roared, "LOOK AT ME!" in the video below?

Video link: Joker Video Threat from The Dark Knight (2008) [Duration: 1 min 4 sec]



Ah, damn.  Looking at this GIF below of Heath crying from Brokeback Mountain is making my own eyes watery. :'(

GIF source: Brokeback Mountain Icons (members-locked post) made by xfever in heath_icons

Yay! Guess whose album is in the number one spot on Paste magazine's list The 50 Best Albums of the Decade (2000 - 2009). Yep, the honor goes to the comic book writer Sufjan Stevens with his extraordinary album Illinois (2005).  Also, yay for Sufjan's good friends in the rock band The National getting their own amazing album Boxer (2007) on the list!

Image source: Sufjan Stevens in Paste Magazine

We're in the mood to hear songs from movie soundtracks.  If you like a song from a movie soundtrack, then post it in the comments!  I bet we can figure out your personality based solely on the song you chose.  In return, I'll post the song "Why So Serious?" from The Dark Knight (2008) soundtrack for you to hear in the video below.  I like the cello and violin in this song.

WARNING:  Gun violence in the video.



Video source: The Microcosm

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Youtube version

The Joker--but without that scary-ass clown makeup--from The Dark Knight (2008). Dude's fuckin' crazy!  But I'm charmed by his grotesque Glasgow smile.  Image source: joker_graphix

Pretend you're a soldier in an epic war movie. What song would you play on the soundtrack during your climatic last battle scene?  Note:  You die in battle.  Post your songs in the comments!

My battle song would be "Damaris" by the singer and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Wolf. I must bow down to grunge_roxie for stimulating my new interest in Patrick Wolf.

Video link: "Damaris" by Patrick Wolf from The Bachelor (2009) album [Duration: 5 min 32 sec]



I'm going to stare at Patrick's cupid's bow lip.  Image source: patrickwolf [flickr]

I am always surprised by the inconsiderate behavior from some of our fellow lj users.  I like to bounce around livejournal looking at random strangers' journals, and I noticed that some of these strangers don't play by the rules of courtesy and respect.  Two examples of inconsiderate behavior I've seen in strangers' journals:

1.  FRIENDS CUT DRAMA:  I perfectly understand people's need to announce a friends cut in a public post.  But what I don't understand is the bizarre urge to publicly post a list of names that have been unfortunately cut from the friends list.  Example: "Did a friends cut today!  The following people in the list below have been cut.  If you see your name on the list, I'm sorry.  No hard feelings!  HAHAHA!"  The cutter should have the courtesy to send the cuttee(s) a private message explaining the reason why she or he is cut instead of posting the unfortunate person's name in a public cut list.

2.  ICONS DRAMA:  It's fantastic that people upload icons made by other icon makers in their userpics gallery.  But what I don't understand is when people deliberately do not credit the icon makers who originally made those icons.  This is dirty plagiarism.  If I'm looking at a stranger's set of icons in his or her userpics gallery, and the stranger does not credit another icon maker for making those icons, I'm going to safely assume that the stranger directly made those icons.  But sometimes people don't include the icon maker's name next to the icon in the gallery because they honestly don't know who made the icon, so they respectfully write, "Don't know who made this icon.  Anybody know?"  I think that's cool and perfectly fine.

Man, I hope Livejournal fixes the problem with the disappearing comments on entries soon.  Kind of annoying.

"LiveJournal staff have been investigating reports of comments disappearing on entries. It is our belief that the comments are not actually missing, but simply not displaying when the page is created. In most cases, the missing comments have reappeared after a short while." Link

Can you recommend any awesome songs with cellos or violins? Post your songs in the comments. I would love to listen to your song suggestions.

In return, I'll give you this video of the violinist-guitarist-singer Andrew Bird making panties drop during his erotically charged live performance of the song "Why?"

Video link: "Why?" by Andrew Bird - Live at the 2006 Bonnaroo Music Festival (Duration: 5 min 28 sec)



Mr. Bird and his See 'n Say toy would like to thank you for watching his erotic video. Image source: farmdog [flickr]