It’s (almost) Christmas. Lileks is on it in today’s Backfence.

Mean Mr. Mustard (via Andrea Harris) has lefty/feminist reviews of Lord of the Rings. Andrea in turn has her own LOTR geekstravaganza.

Emperor Misha has had about enough of the “stripey panted pussies of State”. Well, who hasn’t?

Norah Vincent in the LA Times whinges incessantly about blowhard bloggers. Michele is first in line.

Daily Double(tm): Michele and Mark Steyn team up to Fisk Christmas-induced PC idiocy.

Steyn notes further PC idiocy related to the Native Canadian(tm) who said Hitler was entirely correct to kill J-E-W-S.

Plus, a Kwanzaa carol for Sen. Lott (R-INO).

Remember to vote for Idiotarian of the Year over on LGF.

Emperor Misha isn’t even slowed down by the flu.

Fo shizzle: when planning a drive-by shooting, don’t use a golf cart as the getaway vehicle.

The Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez wedding has been cancelled after Matt Damon reminded Affleck that Lopez was “a serial bride”.

Thomas Oliver in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a great history quiz.

Uhoh. Susanna is now impersonating The Emperor. Run for your lives!

RWN has The Most Annoying Liberals of 2002, a great companion to LGF’s Idiotarian Awards.

One more thing before I go (ok, there may actually be a few): Lileks was accused of being a sexist brute after yesterday’s beyond-brilliant Fisking. He’s quite possibly the least likely man for that label, as he demonstrates in spades.

Yup, it’s the holidays. That means I’ll be out of town in a primitive northern land without much ‘Net access from today until the New Year. Blogging will be sporadic at best until then, but hopefully you’ll be able to entertain yourselves with the fine specimens of humanity on my links to your left.

Here’s an entirely too short article about some of the dumbest crimes ever committed.

LGF: It’s the first annual idiotarian awards!

PBS ran essentially a taxpayer-funded ad for converting to Islam last night. Naturally, Charles is there.

Rand Simberg says the reason there’s been no progress in space since the 70s is because it’s all government, and provides the example of airplanes to prove it.

Ann Coulter wants Lott gone too.

Emperor Misha checks out Pallie music video hits and plays the world’s smallest violin for DC co-sniper John Lee Malvo, who doesn’t like prison food.

Lileks gets better, takes the Gnat to meet Santa, and then goes into a full rant about the Canadian Who Tried To Steal Christmas. Includes alternate lyrics for “O, Canada”, plus the new holiday favorite “Lenin, the bald-head Marxist”.

Bill Clinton is a moron. But you knew that.

My fellow denizen of the Empire Dagh Nielson got his own Clue Bat(tm) today, and al-Guardian had a good excuse to try it out. Hurrah!

Like the Blogfather, I just saw The Two Towers. My quickie review: it does indeed vary from the books a bit more than the first movie, but the effects are much more “seamless”, and the cinematography remains gorgeous. Great foley/audio too, and the score’s terrific. Nothing I say is gonna make anyone go or not go, but I loved it.