Couch Potato: In the News

Did you hear? Staunch Gore-hunter Fred Thompson is dropping his investigation and going over to the Democrats. "They held my eyelids open with clips," a monotone Thompson told reporters. "That classical music from C-SPAN was blaring out of two large speakers. And I watched the coffee tapes. All 100 hours, start to finish." Thompson went on to explain that he saw nothing untoward on any of the tapes, and that he was prepared to join the current White House occupants in their fund-raising efforts should Al Gore make his expected run for the nation's highest office. "He's really a neat guy," a smiling Thompson said of the Veep. "Sanka, anyone?" Watch A Clockwork Orange (1971). Twice. Lest it happen to you.

James Michener has passed. But the man whose life should have been a movie and might be yet left us a few, based on the Fodor's-epics that came out of him like honest sweat.

Three from his post-Navy wanderings: The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) is a gritty war-and-conscience Korean War flick with cast full of pros: William Holden and a typically glittering Grace Kelly with Frederic March and Mickey Rooney thrown in.

Sayonara (1957) has Brando, James Garner, and Ricardo Montalban as a Japanese guy. Comedian Red Buttons played it serious for a Best Supporting Actor nod in the wartime hankey-wringer that won a fistful of hardware that year.

And once you have found South Pacific (1958), never let it go. Sure it's hokey. But old people really seem to like it. So give it a go.

At any rate, it's a lot quicker than reading those books.