Amusing news item: A judge has ruled that a Web site showing Barbie dolls in S&M outfits and sexually explicit poses mayhave a fair-use defense against Mattel’s attempt to seek copyright-infringement damages, and that “it appears that there is slim to no likelihood that Dungeon Dolls would serve as a market substitute for Barbie dolls.”

So maybe there is some hope for the world, after all.

In other news: After having been forced recently to sit trough an episodeof Sesame Street, which used to be cool but is now about as much fun as a trip to the dentist, I noticed something startling:

Mr. Noodle, a character on the ghastly “Elmo’s World,” is none other than Michael Jeter–the same actor who played the computer hacker in the movie “Drop Zone.”

In Sesame Street, he fumbles around in outrageous costumes and generally makes a fool out of himself. Good thing that’s only his day job. In Drop Zone, he hacks the DEA’s computer and sells information about undercover narcs to Columbian and Mexican drug lords, which I imagine pays rather better.